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width="15" height="15" border="0" alt=""></a></div></td> </tr> </table> <div class=curved6> <font size="2" color=""><b>AHLEL BAYT&nbsp;<img src="../images/arrow_black.gif" border="0" alt="">&nbsp;A SUNNI PERSPECTIVE</b></font> <H1>S H I R K</H1> <blockquote> <p><img src="../images/arrow_black.gif" border="0" alt="">&nbsp;<a href="#Who Invented Shirk?">Who Invented Shirk?</a> <p><img src="../images/arrow_black.gif" border="0" alt="">&nbsp;<a href="#Ali or Jesus">Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) or Jesus (9DJG 'D3D'E)?</a> <p><img src="../images/arrow_black.gif" border="0" alt="">&nbsp;<a href="#Saying  Ya Ali Madad is Shirk">Saying  Ya Ali Madad is Shirk</a> <p><img src="../images/arrow_black.gif" border="0" alt="">&nbsp;<a href="#Grave Worship">Grave Worship</a> <p><img src="../images/arrow_black.gif" border="0" alt="">&nbsp;<a href="#Shrines: the Need to Raze Them and Level the Graves">Shrines: the Need to Raze Them and Level the Graves</a> <p><img src="../images/arrow_black.gif" border="0" alt="">&nbsp;<a href="#Turbah: Sajdah to the Imams">Turbah: Sajdah to the Imams</a> <p><img src="../images/arrow_black.gif" border="0" alt="">&nbsp;<a href="#Ali Message in Nahjul Balagha">Ali s Message (16QI 'DDG 9FG) in Nahjul Balagha</a> </blockquote> <br><br> <H2><a name="Who Invented Shirk?">Who Invented Shirk?</a></H2> <p>The first people to commit Shirk (associating Partners with Allah) and idol-worship were the people of Prophet Nuh (9DJG 'D3D'E). At that time, there were very few who could be called Mu min, or good-doers; when one of the Mu min passed away, Shaytan came to the remaining people and told them that they should never forget this Mu min. To this, the people agreed. Shaytan then convinced the people that they should mark the grave of this Mu min lest he be forgotten. The people agreed to this. Slowly and gradually, Shaytan convinced them to create new Bidah (innovations to Islam), such as build shrines around the graves of the man, and they began to refer to him as a  saint. <p>All of this Shaytan convinced the people that it was for a good cause: to remember the good-doers! Soon, Shaytan convinced the people to put up pictures of the pious people& then, he convinced them to go to their graves to worship& then, Shaytan told them to ask Allah for things by invoking the names of these saints& eventually, the people started using these saints as Waseelah, or intermediaries to Allah. They would invoke the names of the saints, and they would ask them for special favors. These people the originators of Shirk then crossed over to the obvious eventuality: they began worshipping the saints. <p>The Shia have fallen into the same trap as the people of Prophet Nuh (9DJG 'D3D'E). They have done the same with their Imams and saints. The Shia have erected shrines for their Imams and saints. They put up pictures of them and they invoke their names in prayer. Some even do Tasbeeh to their names. They ask their dead Imams and saints for special favors and believe in Waseelah through their Imams and saints. <p>Another example for the Shia to ponder is the example of the Christians, who exalted the status of Prophet Isa (9DJG 'D3D'E). The Christians say that they love Prophet Isa (9DJG 'D3D'E) but the truth is that Prophet Isa (9DJG 'D3D'E) will condemn them on the Day of Judgment. Likewise will Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) condemn those Shia who have exalted his status. <p>Why do people commit Shirk? Shirk is actually a reflection of the base and primitive carnal instincts of barbarian men. Primitive men have poor cognitive abilities and they do not possess the higher mental functions to even think of the Al-Ghaib (the Unseen). They can only see what is in front of their very own eyes. What they cannot see is not a reality, and they cannot deal with that. They are like animals; for example, the deer only reacts to a car that is about to hit it, but it does not possess the cognitive ability to think that maybe it should avoid roads because cars come there. It cannot imagine the cars, but can only see them when it is far too late, and the car comes crashing into it. <p>Primitive man needs to worship whatever it can see: the sun, the moon, trees, rocks, people, shrines, etc. These are physical things and do not require advanced abstraction. But the reality is that  blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Allah Almighty could easily reveal Himself and thus make everyone believe in Him, but the very purpose of the test is to believe in the Unseen and to reject the baseness of this Dunya (materialistic life). <p>Primitive men cling to polythiestic practises such as Ziaarat, grave-worshipping, Turbah, pictures of their saints, shrines, etc& but Islam came to destroy polythiesm and paganism, and beckons its believers to let go of primitive practises and to instead worship Allah and Allah Alone. Allah is Unseen and yet we believe in His Omnipotency. <p id=source2>Article Written By: Ibn al-Hashimi, www.ahlelbayt.com </p><br><br> <H2><a name="Ali or Jesus">Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) or Jesus (9DJG 'D3D'E)?</a></H2> <p>At first glance, these pictures seem like they are of Jesus Christ (9DJG 'D3D'E) as depicted by the Christians. However, all of the pictures on this page are actually of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG). Indeed, the Shia have done the same with Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) that the Christians have done with Prophet Isa (9DJG 'D3D'E). The Shia claim that they love Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) and have thus exalted his status, but Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) himself will condemn them on the Day of Judgement, just like Prophet Isa (9DJG 'D3D'E) will condemn the Christians for falsely exalting his position. <p>Allah Almighty says in the Quran: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> O People of the Scripture, do not exceed limits in your religion beyond the truth and do not follow the inclinations of a people who had gone astray before and misled many and have strayed from the soundness of the way. (Quran, 5:77) </blockquote> <p>The Christians ascribe qualities of Allah to Prophet Isa (9DJG 'D3D'E) in the name of loving him. So too do the Shia exalt the status of Imamah in order to praise Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG). The Shia say that Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) is perfect, infallible, cannot make mistakes, cannot sin, knows Al-Ghaib (the Unseen), knows when he will die, dies only by his own wish, and has the power to do Tawassul for his followers. The Shia refer to Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) as  Mazhar Al Aja-ib which translates to  The Executor of Wonders, a name that should only be used for Allah Almighty. The Christians call Isa (9DJG 'D3D'E) the Son of God, but the Shia go one step even further and call Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) to be the  Yadullah or the  Hand of Allah. The Shia call Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) the Living  Ism-i Azam or the Living  Supreme Name of God. <p>Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) was a person, just like the Prophet (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE) was a person. Yes, they were best of people, but they were still people. They were still creation, and only Allah is the Creator. It should become all too obvious to the unbiased observor how similar the Shia are to the Christians. Even we can compare a picture of Ali (as depicted by the Shia) and Jesus (as depicted by the Christians) here. Notice the similarities: <p>It is compeletly forbidden in true Islam to make pictures of the Prophets or Imams. This is considered Shirk and is a polythiestic practise of pagan people who desire to see the unseen because they are weak of faith and would rather worship idols as opposed to Allah Who is part of Al-Ghaib (the Unseen). The manner in which the Shia make portraits of these great figures is blasphemy and is actually very insulting to the Ahlus Sunnah. Yet, we see that the Shia worldwide put up pictures of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) in their houses. In fact, one simply has to turn on the television to see marches in Iraq in which the Shia are parading around with pictures of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG). <p>And this is not just done by some errant Shia, but rather it is sanctioned by the Shia Ulema. Ayatollah Sistani, one of the leading Shia Imams, said  it is permissible to hang them in reference to pictures of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG). When the Shia are questioned as to why they allow picture-making of their Imams, they will defend themselves with weak arguments; but the truth is clear to the believers who know that it can only be wrong. We wonder why these same Shia do not make pictures of the Prophet Muhammad (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE)? Why then is it permissible to draw pictures of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) and not of the Prophet (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE)? And why not take it one step further and draw pictures of the Angels, Paradise, or even of Allah Almighty Himself? <p>Below we have included some Shia pictures of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG); we observe how dramatically similar they are to the Mushrik Christian depictions of Prophet Isa (9DJG 'D3D'E). This is a mockery of Islam, and of the great Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG). Islam came to reject such polythiestic practises, and we find that the Ahlus Sunnah has never engaged in such blasphemy. <center> <img src="../images/imamali01.jpg" width="251" height="348" border="0" alt=""> <img src="../images/imamali02.jpg" width="188" height="242" border="0" alt=""> <img src="../images/rp_imamali.jpg" width="320" height="242" border="0" alt=""> </center> <h4><b>[ Shia pictures of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) ] </b></h4> <p id=source1>Article Written By: Ibn al-Hashimi, www.ahlelbayt.com<br> <br><br><br> <H2><a name="Saying  Ya Ali Madad is Shirk">Saying  Ya Ali Madad is Shirk</a></H2> <p>The Shia are guilty of committing Shirk by giving characteristics of Allah to their Imams. The Shia even pray to their Imams and invoke their names by saying  Ya Ali or  Ya Hussain or  Ya Nabi! They then proceed to make du a asking for whatever they want. The famous Shia prayer  Ya Ali Madad means  O Ali, help us! <p>According to the very basic principles of Islam, this is Shirk (associating partners with Allah). What power does Ali have to grant our requests? What power does Prophet Muhammad have to grant our requests? Indeed, nobody save Allah has the power to grant our requests. <p>It is not permissible to ask Allah by the virtue of anyone, not even by the virtue of the Prophets or Messengers or Awliyaa or righteous people. No one can compel Allah to do anything. It is not permissible to ask Him in any way except by His Names and Attributes, as Allah says: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him&  (Quran, 7:180) </blockquote> <p>And yet we see the Shia saying things like  Naad-e-Ali which means  call on Ali! We should only call on Allah. Ali will tell these deviant Shia to stop calling him as he has no power, but rather to call Allah for help. In the same manner will Prophet Isa repudiate the Christians for calling on him as opposed to Allah. <p>With regard to saying to the occupant of a grave,  O So and so, help me, this is obviously Shirk, because it is a supplication to someone other than Allah. Asking by the virtue of someone is a means to Shirk, and calling upon a created being is Shirk in worship. <p>How can a Muslim seek assistance from any other than Allah Almighty? Despite the fact that every Muslim must repeat the following words from the Quran in his prayer (salat) at least seventeen times a day: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> You alone do we worship, and Your aid alone we seek. (Quran, 1:5) </blockquote> <p>We see the Shia saying things like  Ya Ali and  Ya Mehdi when they are distressed and need help. They will say  Ya Ali Madad! These people cry out these names in times of distress when they wish for help. In true Islam, however, we should only say  Ya Allah! Calling out anyone else s name for help is Shirk, because we believe only Allah can help us! This is the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as the way of Ali. <p>Allah Almighty says clearly in the Quran: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> And invoke not, besides Allah, [anyone since that] will neither profit you, nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers). And if Allah should afflict you with harm, then there is none to remove it but He; and if He intends good to you there is none to repel His grace. (Quran, 10:106-107) </blockquote> <p>Humans, no matter their status, cannot help anyone or harm anyone. Only Allah Almighty can cause harm and only He can bring benefit to us. Allah Almighty says in the Quran: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> Say [O Muhammad]:  I have no power over any good or harm to myself except as Allah wills  (Quran, 7:188) </blockquote> <p>If the Prophet could not even have power of good or harm over himself, then how can we say that he has such powers over others? If the Prophet himself declares that he cannot bring good or harm, then why are we asking him? <p>Islam is a fiercely monothiestic faith, and rejects all forms of intermediaries with Allah. Intermediaries are none other than idols. The pagans believe that their idols are intermediaries, and they invoke them to ask God for help through them. So too do the Christians believe in Jesus as an intermediary to God. And so have the Imams become an intermediary and idols for the Shia. <p>How often do we hear the Shia say:  Ya Ali, give us [such and such] or  Ya Hussain, rescue us! The Shia even go to the graves of their Imams, crying and rubbing their tombs; it is not unusual to see a Shia kissing the grave of his Imam and invoking the deceased Imam s name in du a. The Shia cry to their idols, kiss them, and invoke them. <p>Then after doing all of this, the same Shia will say unashamedly about the Imam whose tomb they just cried to:  I do not worship him. This fact is embodied in their dictum:  Call upon Ali, the revealer of wonders. When these same people are asked if they worship Ali, they categorically deny this, despite the fact that they call upon his name (and their Imams) appealing for aid in obtaining their most demanding needs. <p>This is exactly what modern day Hindus do. They worship idols, but if we ask them, they will look at us straight in the eye and say that they are monothiests. They claim that they aren t worshipping the idols, and that the idols are just intermediaries to God. <p>O Shia, come to the Call of Islam and to Absolute Tawheedullah (Oneness of Allah).  La Illaha Illalah & There is no God except Allah! None is equal to Him and no partners and no intermediaries does He need. <p>Allah Almighty says in the Quran: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> The most beautiful names belong to Allah; so call on Him by them&  (Quran, 7:180) </blockquote> <p>Allah did not say:  So call on Him by the names of the Imams, their shrines, etc. <p>Allah Almighty also said in the Quran: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> And your Lord says:  Call on Me, I will answer your (prayer).  (Quran, 40:60) </blockquote> <p>Allah did not say:  Call on Me by the names of the Imams, I will answer your prayer. <p>We should invoke Allah and Allah alone for Help, and asking anyone else is Shirk, the one sin Allah will not forgive. <p>Allah Almighty says it so clearly in the Quran: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> Verily those whom you call upon besides Allah are servants like you. Therefore, call upon them, and let them listen to your prayers, if you are (indeed) truthful! (Quran, 7: 194) </blockquote> <p>This is a challenge from Allah, whereby Allah dares anyone to ask others for help. Nobody can listen to our prayers and grant them except Allah the Almighty. <p>Allah Almighty mocks those people who go to graves to supplicate invoking their Saints: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> If you invoke (or call upon) them, they hear not your call; and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it (your request) to you& .But you cannot make those hear who are in graves&  (Quran, Chapter 35) </blockquote> <p>Islam shuns the superstitious (and useless) practise of visiting graves to worship (and in fact considers it Haram). <p>Allah Almighty says in the Quran: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> Call upon those whom you imagine beside Allah! They have not an atom s weight of power either in the heavens or in the earth, nor have they any share in either, nor does He need any of them as a helper. (Quran, 34:22) </blockquote> <p>Allah Almighty says again in the Quran: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> Yet have they taken, besides Him, gods that can create nothing but are themselves created; that have no control of hurt or good to themselves; nor can they control Death nor Life nor Resurrection. (Quran, 25:3) </blockquote> <p>Prophet Muhammad and Ali will say it proudly on the Day of Judgement that they are only slaves of Allah. In fact, the Prophet was asked by Allah if he would rather be a king of men or a slave of Allah. The Prophet chose to be a slave of Allah. There is no shame in this, and it is not belittling the status of either the Prophet nor Ali in the least in admitting that they cannot give benefit nor do harm even to themselves. <p>The Christians may think that we are insulting Prophet Jesus by saying that he is only a slave, but the Quran says: <blockquote> <p id=quote1> Christ disdains not to serve and worship Allah, nor do the angels, those nearest (to Allah). (Quran, 4:172) </blockquote> <p>The Prophet and Ali would be included in  those nearest (to Allah) who would not disdain to serve and worship Allah. All are powerless except Allah, and this is why we ask only Him for help. This is the essence of Islam. Anything other than this is Shirk and subsequent Kufr. <p>The Shia teach their children to supplicate by calling out the names of their Imams, thereby inculcating the habits of polythiesm in their children from a young age. This must be rejected, and children must be taught to only ask Allah for help and do so by using His Names, as mentioned in the Quran. <p>We will even find Shia who recite the names of Ali, Hasan, and Hussain whilst they do Tasbeeh, and claim that this is Dhikr. It is nothing short of Shirk, and Ali would burn such people on the stake if he knew that they were doing such things. In a similar manner did Ali burn the followers of Abdullah ibn Saba to the stake for the very same blasphemy. <p>The Shia believe that their prayers are accepted because they invoke the names of their Imams. They believe that the names of their Imams are the key-factor for acceptance of their prayers and a major prerequisite for getting invocations answered by Allah. This is similar to the unfounded claim by the polythiests who say that their idols draw them nearer to Allah. <p>The polythiests would say that the idols are a  Waseelah to bring them close to Allah. And likewise, the Shia say that their Imams and Saints are the Waseelah to Allah, intermediaries who can bring them closer to Allah. This is the concept of Tawassul, but it is rejected by true Muslims, who believe that the only Waseelah to Allah is to be pious and to invoke Allah and Allah alone for help! <p>Whoever worships Ali, know that he is dead and that he cannot hear our cries, and even if he could, he could do nothing to help us. But whoever worships Allah, let him know that Allah is Alive and can never die, and that He has promised us help if we just turn to Him and Him alone. We should say only  Ya Allah Madad. <p id=source1>Edited By: Ibn al-Hashimi, www.ahlelbayt.com </p><br> <H2><a name="Grave Worship">Grave Worship</a></H2> <p>We have seen in previous articles how the Shia believe that the Imams are infallible and posses many attributes of Allah. But the Shia don t stop there; they have taken it to the next level. The Shia have erected shrines over the graves of their Imams. Millions of Shia from all over the world visit these shrines in Iran and Iraq to pray in them. <p>The Ahlus Sunnah is stunned by this pagan practise of creating shrines and grave-worshipping. The Shia will argue that they really aren t praying to the deceased, but that really doesn t make any sense. Why then do they travel all the way to Iran to do prayer? Surely they believe there is some benefit of praying next to the body of a deceased Imam? Otherwise, why would they come from so far to do it? <p>Shrines are completely Haram (forbidden) in Islam because they are paganistic and polythiestic in nature. Historically, Prophet Muhammad (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE) destroyed all the shrines in Mecca. This point cannot be stressed enough: the Prophet (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE) shed blood of the Sahabah in order that Mecca be cleansed of shrines, and this was one of the Prophet s first legislative acts after the Muslims conquered Mecca. How is it that the Shia do not realize that what they are doing is completely antithetical to the entire mission of the Prophet (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE) who was sent to guide a shrine-worshipping people? <blockquote> <p><b>The Prophet (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE) repeatedly condemned grave-worshipping in the authentic Hadith</b>: <p id=quote1> Beware of those who preceded you and used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous men as places of worship, but you must not take graves as mosques; I forbid you to do that. (Sahih Muslim) <p id=quote1> May Allah s curse be on the Jews for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets. (Sahih Bukhari) <p id=quote1> May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets. (Sahih Bukhari) <p id=quote1> If any religious man dies amongst those people they would build a place of worship at his grave and make these pictures in it. They will be the worst creature in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Bukhari) <p id=quote1> Do not sit on the graves and do not pray facing towards them. (Sahih Bukhari) </blockquote> <p>The first time in human history that people commited the sin of idol-worship was around the time of Prophet Nuh (9DJG 'D3D'E). A very pious man passed away. Shaytan whispered in the ears of the tonwnspeople: he urged them never to forget this pious man lest the townspeople abandon his example and be lost to sin. Once Shaytan had convinced them of the necessity to revere the memory of this pious dead man, he then then convinced them to erect a shrine over the grave of this man. Eventually, the people started praying in the shrine, and soon thereafter Shaytan convinced them to pray to the deceased man. <p>It was in this step by step fashion that Shaytan was able to misguide people into Shirk. He convinced them that they were doing a good thing by respecting a pious man, and he allowed them to add one Bidah (evil innovation) after another, infusing polythiestic practise in their belief. Likewise do the Shia believe that they are being pious by visiting shrines but in reality they have been fooled by Shaytan. <p>Of course, the Shia will make the futile argument that they really aren t praying to the deceased person. It just so happens that they pray next to the grave and supplicate. Indeed, this argument sounds very similar to what modern-day Hindus claim. Hindus say that they don t really worship the idol itself, that they really are worshipping God, and that they are just facing the idol. We see there is very little difference between what the Shia say and what the Hindus say. <p>The Islamic ethos deplores all idol-worshipping and is very strict in forbidding it. There is absolutely no point in praying next to someone s grave. There is no benefit in it, and grave-worship is considered a grave sin (no pun intended). It is Shirk, and no matter what the intention is, it is still praying to the creation instead of the Creator. We urge any Shia reading this to immediately cease engaging in idol-worshipping. If a Muslim wants to  pay his respects to a religious person of old, the best way to do that is to be an upright Muslim: to read Quran, to pray Salat, to give Zakat, to make Hajj, and to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE). The Prophet (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE) does not want anyone to commit Shirk to him. Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) does not want anyone to commit Shirk to him. Neither would any pious person ever want someone to use them to commit Shirk. The pious Muslims of the past would only want the Muslims of today to also be pious. <p>It is polythiestic the manner in which the Shia go to their shrines and cry next to them, rub them, and pray to them. It is Shirk reminscent of the Jahiliyyah times when the pagan Arabs used to do this. Tawheedullah (the Unity and Oneness of Allah) is the central tenet of Islam, and the Shia are guilty of violating this core belief by engaging in Shirk, which is the absolute major sin in Islam. The main emphasis in Islam is to stay away from Shirk, and yet the Shia embrace practises and customs that foster Shirk. <p id=source1>Article Written By: Ibn al-Hashimi, www.ahlelbayt.com </p><br> <H2><a name="Shrines: the Need to Raze Them and Level the Graves">Shrines: the Need to Raze Them and Level the Graves</a></H2> <p>It is a sad state of affairs that errant Muslims have raised graves, mounted shrines over them, and exalted the dead as was the practise of the pagans before the Call to Islam. Today, Muslims have built huge shrines over the graves of some of the Ahlel Bayt, Sahabah, the righteous people, and others. This has led to the inevitable result of mimicking pagans who worship the dead, either directly or indirectly. There is therefore a necessity to raze to the ground these pagan shrines and to level the graves, as was the Sunnah. <p><b>Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid says:</b> <blockquote> <p id=quote3> Islam forbids erecting structures over graves, and commands that any such structures should be knocked down. But it is permitted to put a marker on the grave so that the family and friends of the deceased will know where it is (and nothing more than this). However, this marker should not be a structure or anything else that is not allowed in sharee ah. </blockquote> <p>With regard to the prohibition on erecting structures over graves, it was narrated that Jabir said:  The Messenger of Allah forbade plastering over graves, sitting on them and erecting structures over them. (Sahih Muslim, 970) <p><b>Al-Shawkani said:</b> <blockquote> <p id=quote3> The phrase  erecting structures over them indicates that it is Haram to build anything over a grave. </blockquote> <p><b>Al-Shafi i said:</b> <p id=quote3> I saw the imams in Makkah ordering that what had been built (over graves) was to be knocked down. <p><b>Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid says:</b> <blockquote> <p id=quote3> With regard to the command to knock down structures that have been built over graves, that is proven in the Sunnah. </blockquote> <p>It was narrated that Abu l-Hayaaj al-Asadi said: Ali ibn Abi Talib said to me:  Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allah sent me? Do not leave any statue without erasing it, and do not leave any raised grave without leveling it. (Sahih Muslim, 969). <p><b>Al-Shawkani said:</b> <blockquote> <p id=quote3> The words  do not leave any raised grave without leveling it means that the Sunnah is that a grave should not be made very high, and there should be no differentiation between those who were virtuous and those who were not virtuous. </blockquote> <p><b>Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid says:</b> <blockquote> <p id=quote3> Making a grave higher than the amount that is permitted is Haram& The making graves high that is mentioned in the Hadith especially includes the domes and shrines that are built over graves, and the taking of graves as places of worship. The Prophet cursed those who do that (refer to Nayl al-Awtaar, 4/130). </blockquote> <p>All of these pagan shrines should be torn down and removed. Instead, all of the dead should have flat and level graves equal to everyone else. This is the faith of Islam. For the one who cannot accept this, he has deviated away from the path of the Hanif (i.e. the monotheists) and inclined himself towards the Mushriks.</p><br> <H2><a name="Turbah: Sajdah to the Imams">Turbah: Sajdah to the Imams</a></H2> <p>The Shia place a piece of stone or clay, known as  Turbah, on the ground so that their forehead touches the stone when they prostrate themselves in prayer. The Turbahs are made out of the stone or clay from the shrines of Imams or saints. Oftentimes, the Turbah is made from the clay or stone from Imam Hussain s shrine. The Shia Ulema have declared that no Turbah has a higher sacredness than a Turbah made from Imam Hussain s shrine, not even the stone from the Holy Ka abah. <p>By praying to stones made from the shrines of their Imams and saints, the Shia are practising a polythiestic and paganistic act of grave-worshipping; they are quite literally making Sajood (prostration) to the Imams or saints. Indeed, praying to the Turbah of these Imams and saints is Bidah (evil innovation) and Shirk; it is not much different than idol worshipping. What is the difference between the idol that Hindus do Sajood to and the Turbah that the Shia do Sajood to? Both are considered Waseelah to bring them closer to God, and both of them are prostrated to. <p>Shi ism is rooted in Shirk; the Shia have allowed their so-called love for the Imams translate into polythiestic adoration. <p id=source2>Article Written By: Ibn al-Hashimi, www.ahlelbayt.com </p><br> <H2><a name="Ali Message in Nahjul Balagha">Ali s Message (16QI 'DDG 9FG) in Nahjul Balagha</a></H2> <p>The Nahjul Balagha is considered sacred by the Shia, which they consider the most reliable source for the words, sermons, and letters of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG). Let us examine one of these sermons in particular, which is available on the popular Shia website, Al-Islam.org: <p><b>Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 126</b> <blockquote> <p>Ali says: <p id=quote2> With regard to me, two categories of people will be ruined, namely he who loves me too much and the love takes him away from rightfulness, and he who hates me too much and the hatred takes him away from rightfulness. The best man with regard to me is he who is on the middle course. So be with him and be with the great majority of Muslims because Allah s hand of protection is on keeping unity. You should beware of division because the one isolated from the group is a prey to Satan just as the one isolated from the flock of sheep is a prey to the wolf. Beware! Whoever calls to this course [of sectarianism], kill him, even though he may be under this headband of mine. <p id=source2>(Source: Al-Islam.org, http://www.al-islam.org/nahjul/126.htm) </blockquote> <p>Let us now reflect on the words of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG), line by line. <blockquote> <p id=quote2> With regard to me, two categories of people will be ruined, namely he who loves me too much and the love takes him away from rightfulness&  </blockquote> <p>We could not possibly find a better description for the Shia than this. The Shia love Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) so much that they exaggerate and exalt his status to a level of Shirk, thereby going away from rightfulness. The Shia give the names of Allah to Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG), calling him the Living  Ism-i Azam of Allah, or the Living Supreme Name of Allah. They call Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) the Mazhar Al Aja-ib (The Executor of Wonders) and Mushkil Kusha (the Remover of Hardships) . They exaggerate so much that they call Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) to be the Yadullah (hand of Allah). They call him Asdadullah (unconquerable and ever-overpowering strength of Allah). They say Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) was too powerful for even the angels to stop him, that all the atoms in the world submit to Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG), that Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) is the speaking Quran, and is the Mirror of Allah. <p>Look how loving Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) too much has caused them to exaggerate his status like the Christians did with Jesus (9DJG 'D3D'E), and look how this leads to Shirk. It also leads to going away from rightfulness, such as how the Shia hate the wives and companions of the Prophet (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE). Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) warned the Shia on this matter. And the source is the Shia s very own Nahjul Balagha. <blockquote> <p id=quote2> & and he who hates me too much and the hatred takes him away from rightfulness. The best man with regard to me is he who is on the middle course. So be with him and be with the great majority of Muslims because Allah s hand of protection is on keeping unity. </blockquote> <p>Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) says not to hate him like the Nasibis (haters of Ahlel Bayt). He then says that the best of people are the ones who are on the middle course. Who else is that other than the mainstream Muslims (i.e. the Ahlus Sunnah)? The Ahlus Sunnah loves Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) deeply, and considers him one of the greatest Sahabah. On the other hand, the Ahlus Sunnah does not exaggerate by giving him characteristics of Allah, nor do they hate the wives or friends of the Prophet (5DQI 'DDG 9DJG H"DG H3DQE). <p>Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) says be with the majority of Muslims because Allah s hand of protection is on keeping unity. Can the Shia really get a clearer command than this? Who is the majority of the Muslims other than the orthodox Ahlus Sunnah? Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) says be with the great majority of Muslims, not split up into these tiny Shia sects. <blockquote> <p id=quote2> You should beware of division because the one isolated from the group is a prey to Satan just as the one isolated from the flock of sheep is a prey to the wolf. </blockquote> <p>So why is it then that the Shia have schismed from the Ummah? Are they not a prey of Shaitan s now? And so it is that Shaitan has infiltrated the ranks of the Shia, leading so many millions of Shia astray. Why do the Shia not follow Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) when he says to be with the great majority of Muslims? <blockquote> <p id=quote2> Whoever calls to this course [of sectarianism], kill him, even though he may be under this headband of mine. </blockquote> <p>Even if someone claims to be a Shia t Ali (i.e. under the headband of Ali), he really is an enemy of Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) if he calls for sectarianism and the creation of a religious sect. This is Ali s condemnation of all Shia sects that have split away from the mainstream Muslims. Ali (16QI 'DDG 9FG) even commanded these heretics to be killed, so it can be seen that he has no compassion for any of these deviants even if they claim to love him. <hr> <p><center><font size="+1" color="#660000">Article Written By: Ibn al-Hashimi, www.ahlelbayt.com</font></center> </div> </div> <center> <a href="http://www.alminbar.com/"><img src="http://www.alminbar.com/images/topbanner.gif" width="468" height="61"></a> </center> </body> </html>