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18. HUSSEIN AL-MOAYYAD, THE SUNNI CONVERT Introduction: Shaykh Hussein al-Moayyad (حسسين المؤيد, Ḥusayn alMu’ayyad) was an Iraqi Shia-cleric, who has reached the highest level of education, an Ayatollah and a Shia marja‘ , but left Shiism, openly denounced it, and declared his conversion to the Sunnah. He belonged to Kāẓimiyyah family, and his former wife was the daughter of ‘Abd al-‘Azīz and the sister of ‘Ammār al-Ḥakīm, the Head of the Highest Court. He feared that they might have interfered with his conversion to the Sunnah and would cause problem with him, and therefore, he took refuge to Saudi Arabia alone, leaving them behind in Iraq. His Early Life and Education: Ayatollah Shaykh al-Moayyad was born in Baghdad on 16 Ramaḍān 1384/10 January 1965). He was raised in a fanatic Shii family in the holy city of al-Kāẓimiyyah in Baghdad where the seventh Shii imām Mūsā al-Kāẓim (d. 183/745) was buried, and the area was named after him. His late father Dr. ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Mu’ayyad was a specialist physician and a poet, had a collection of poetry and a book entitled أأل ُ ًّم اث َنا َء ْال َحمْ ِل َو ال ِّن َفاس (“The Mother during Pregnancy and Delivery”). His mother was the daughter of the late scholar and the religious judge alSayyid Muḥammad Hādī ’l-Ṣadr. From his mother’s side the family appeared to be symbolic figures and leaders of Shii marāji‘ (religious authorities). Consequently, he was raised and educated on Shia, so that his intellectual personality, the setting up of his belief, ideology, concept, and behaviour based on the Shii precept. Then he became enthusiastic in explaining, disseminating, and defending Shiism. Shaykh al-Moayyad studied religion at al-Kāẓimiyyah in Baghdad, then he wished to continue his study in Najaf, but the condition in Iraq after 1979 was not favourable for him. He insisted on migrating from Iraq after consulting the Qur’ān where it appeared the following verse:
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ُون أَنْ َي َت َخ َّط َف ُك ُم ال َّناس َ ُض َت َخاف َ َُو ْاذ ُكرُوا إِ ْذ أَ ْن ُت ْم َقلِيل مُسْ َتضْ َعف ِ ْون فِي ْاألَر َّ َف َآوا ُك ْم َوأَيَّدَ ُك ْم ِب َنصْ ر ِه َو َر َز َق ُك ْم م َِن )66:ُون (األنفال ِ الط ِّي َبا َ ت َل َعلَّ ُك ْم َت ْش ُكر ِ And remember when you were few and were reckoned weak in the land, and were afraid that men might kidnap you, but He provided a safe place for you, strengthened you with His Help, and provided you with good things so that you might be grateful. (Q. 8:26) So he left Iraq in 1982, and after spending several months in Damascus he frequented the scholar al-Sayyid Jamāl al-Dīn who praised him and wished him a bright future in seeking knowledge. Then he moved to Qom and studied from leading scholars of Shia, until he obtained the level of al-ijtihād almuṭlaq (unrestricted al-ijtihād) in 1405/1985 at the age of twenty-one. It was considered the highest scientific degree in the religious centre, as he was no longer allowed to use taqlīd (adopting legal decision of a school, in this case the Shia). Moreover, it could take for years to achieve this degree, even after reaching the age of forty. Since then he was given a position of teaching known as al-baḥth al-khārij (“External Research”) which was the highest scientific levels of teaching in the religious centre attended by students of various nationalities which lasted for eighteen years. In 1409/1989 he published his first argumentative juristic book entitled د َِرا َسات “( فِي ْالعُرْ َو ِة ْالوُ سْ َقىStudies on al-‘Urwat al-Wusqā”), a collection of lectures delivered to his students on juristic external research as commentaries on al-‘Urwat al-Wusqā.1
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Al-‘Urwat al-Wusqā is one of the most important Shia Imamiyyah juristic books by Ayatullah al-‘Uẓmā al-Sayyid Muḥammad Kāẓim alṬabāṭabā’ī al-Yazdī (1247-1337/1831-1919), one of the prominent Shia jurist in 13th Century H. The book was arranged in numeric order of issues reaching 3260 issues on Islamic Shia jurisprudence, divided into sixteen sections, starting with ijtihād and taqlīd, and ending with nikāḥ and waṣiyyah. The book was so fascinating that many shurūḥ (explanations, illustrations, expositions, elucidations, commentaries),
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His conversion to the Sunnah. Shaykh al-Moayyad had passed three phases in his life before he became Sunni. The first phase was when he became fanatic in Shiism, when he believed in it with unshakeable faith. The second phase was when he became reformational Shii when he defended it against the criticism of the Salafi. In 1998 one of his students returned from ḥajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) with a book containing three volumes entitled أصول مذهب الشيعة “( اإلمامية اإلثني عشرية – عرض ونقدThe Principles of the Twelver Imamate Shiite School of Thought – an Overview and Critique”), a doctoral dissertation by Dr. Nāṣir Ibn ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Alī alQaffārī. He asked Shaykh al-Moayyad to counter it, as it contained sharp criticism against the Shia which contained superstitions and heresies. It was an extensive analytical study of the Shia based on the Qur’ān, the Sunnah and reason, and probably the most comprehensive critique on the Shia that has ever been written. There has never been any critique like this before. In the past the critique was in two ways: (a) the Shia scholars mentioned the Sunni critiques selectively, and they replied briefly with a kind of scenario, so that the readers would think that they had given satisfactory replies. But this book of Dr. Qaffārī inflicted him real doubt, from 1998 till 2003. Then he made his intensive verification of the book from 2003 till 2005. (b) books written by some scholars of al-Azhar. These books did not destroy the Shii principles, as their readers would have an impression of the existence of difference between the Sunni and the Shii, as if it was only a discrepancy in understanding the nuṣūṣ (divine texts), and not fundamental difference, but rather in understanding through ijtihād. Shaykh al-Moayyad found out later that the content of Dr. al-Qaffārī’s book was that of Ibn Taymiyyah’s Minhāj al-Sunnah presented in academic form as a doctoral dissertation. ḥawāshī (marginal notes, super-commentary, footnotes), and ta‘līqāt (comments, explanatory remarks) were given to it.
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The third phase started after 2005 when Shaykh a left the Shia belief and started his research, which was the phase of complete conversion into the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa ‘lJamā‘ah around 2008. He said that he had spent seven years in doing research, verification, and close examination. Eventually, he ended up with deep-rooted and enthusiastic satisfaction that the adherence to sectarian Shia doctrines was false, and its principles were false. Any reform attempt made on Shii doctrine would be limited and useless. The difference between the Shia and the Sunnah was not in understanding the nuṣūs, but rather in manhaj (method, program) and principles. For this reason he left the Shia. In order to obtain the truth, Shaykh al-Moayyad mentioned two obstacles: (1) the ability of a person to identify the truth through intellectual liberation from education and what he has learned since his childhood from his house, his family, his community and learned environment, until the curtains which obstruct his insight are removed in order to see the truth, and (2) his submission to the truth which involves an effort and mental struggle against passion which prevents him from submitting to the truth.2 Speaking about the idea of Hidden Imām whether it involves total absence of ‘aql (reason, intellect, mind) among the Shia, Shaykh al-Moayyad said that this question could be posed to people who follow heretical and corruptive beliefs. If we ask the follower of Hinduism how he satisfies himself in venerating the cow even in seeking a blessing from its urine, we 2
It is Allah’s guidance to find the truth, but it is also His guidance that we follow the truth, as not everybody who finds the truth follows it, let alone the person who does not find it. We used to say in our prayer, اللَّ ُه َّم ًّ وارزقنا اجتنابه،باطًل وأرنا الباطل، وارزقنا اتباعه،أرنا الحق حقا, “O Allah, show us the truth as true, and bestow upon us following it, and show as the falsehood as false, and bestow upon us avoiding it.” When we recite اهْ ِد َنا َ “ الص َِّرGuide us to the Straight Way” (Q. 1:6) at least seventeen اط ْالمُسْ َتقِي َم times a day in our prayer we ask Allah to keep guiding us to it.
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find that an Indian of high education with Ph.D. degree from Oxford University when he returned to India he would stand in a long line waiting to get the cow’s urine seeking a blessing from it. Here there is doubleness of case between his knowledge and his belief, so that there is no harmony between his belief and the level of knowledge he has obtained.3 Speaking about the significance of self-flagellation4 whether it involved guilty feeling, Shaykh al-Moayyad said they did it not do it because of guilty feeling. On the contrary, they imposed the responsibility on the whole Muslims in general and the Sunnis in particular of what had happened to Ḥusayn. What they were doing in the acts of ritual self-harm was a kind of consolation and participation in the pain and an expression of it. This kind of practice and rituals were introduced from
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Krishna Menon (1896-1974), Former Indian Minister for Defence (1957) was reported to have said that cows were better than our mothers, as unlike our mothers, they gave us milk without expecting anything from us in return. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) “Father of India” and Indian Nationalist and Revolutionary Religious leader was also reported to have said the same thing. 4 On 14 June 1994 the Shiite marja‘ Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran issued a fatwa banning this practice of self-flagellation, self-harm, suffering and cutting the body with knives or chains during Ashura, and considered it irreligious and not suitable for good Muslims. The celebration of Ashura itself, let alone self-flagellation in it, is considered bid‘ah (religious innovation) by Ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328), as well as Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Bāz (1912-1999). They argue that the Prophet had never instituted or practised annual mourning occasion either for Ḥusayn or anybody else, and therefore it has no validity in Islam. It is also said that Ibn Rajab (d. 759/1393) of the Ḥanbalī school in his Laṭā’if al-Ma ‘ārif was against Ashura, as neither Allah nor the Prophet had ordered that days when prophets met calamities or the days of their death be instituted as a day of mourning. In other words, there is neither “the year of mourning” nor “the day of mourning” in Islam.
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those of Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, and eventually adopted by the Shiis.5 Shaykh al-Moayyad’s conversion caused him to face pressures and threats of assassination and abduction, not only from the Shiis, but some from gangs and militias, and others from political and religious sides as they considered him an apostate. It is like moving from one religion to another, from Shiah to Islam. They say that our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. will not enter Paradise except with permission from ‘Ali r.a., that the wilāyah was offered to the sun, and it accepted it, so that it shone, and it was offered to the moon, but it hesitated, although it did not totally reject it, so it became dark. It was also offered to the vegetables and fruit, so that all sweet fruit have accepted it, whereas non-sweet fruit have rejected it.6 All these are misguidance and superstition. 5
Some Shia Muslims whip themselves on the Day of Ashura to commemorate the martyrdom of Ḥusayn at the Battle of Karbalāʾ in 680 CE, while practising self-flagellation, hitting themselves on the chest and on the back with chains and sharp objects such as knives. Martin Luther (1483-1545), the German theologian, religious reformist and the founder of Lutheran Church was said to have regularly practised self-flagellation as “a means of mortification of the flesh.” Members of the Tractarian movement in the Anglican Communion also practised self-flagellation. In the 13th century the “Flagellants” of the Roman Catholics practised this self-flagellation to the extreme, but was banned by the Roman Catholic Church as a cult in the 14th century. In Christianity an instrument known as “discipline” was used for mild self-flagellation by members of monastic orders and some members of the Catholic lay organisation. Pope John Paul II was said to have taken the discipline regularly. 6 This statement reminds us of the following Qur’anic verse where amānah instead of wilāyah was offered: ت ِ إِ َّنا َع َرضْ َنا ْاألَ َما َن َة َعلَى ال َّس َم َاوا ًّ ان َظلُومًّا َجه ُول َ ال َفأ َ َبي َْن أَنْ َيحْ م ِْل َن َها َوأَ ْش َف ْق َن ِم ْن َها َو َح َملَ َها ْاإلِ ْن َسانُ إِ َّن ُه َك ِ َْو ْاألَر ِ ج َب ِ ض َو ْال )26:“ (األحزابTruly, We did offer al-amānah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah’s torment). But man bore it. Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results)” (Q. 33:72).
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Shaykh al-Moayyad contends that there is no room in the Qur’ān for the idea of religious or political imāmah as understood by the Shia. He cites the following verse: َّ ان ّللا ُ لِيُضِ َّل َق ْومًّا َبعْ َد إِ ْذ َه َدا ُه ْم َح َّتى ُي َبي َِّن َل ُه ْم َ َو َما َك )115:ّللا ِب ُك ِّل َشيْ ء َعلِيم (التوبة َ َُما َي َّتق َ َّ َّون إِن And Allah will never lead a people astray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them as to what they should avoid. Verily, Allah is All-Knower of everything. (Q. 9:115) By examining the above verse closely he says that we find that there are four kinds of ittibā‘ (following; adherence to) mentioned in the Qur’ān, as follows: 1. Following the Prophet s.a.w. Allah says: اّلل ِ َّ اّلل َو َرسُولِ ِه ال َّن ِبيِّ ْاألُمِّيِّ الَّذِي ي ُْؤمِنُ ِب ِ َّ َفآ ِم ُنوا ِب... )158:ون (األعراف َ َو َكلِ َما ِت ِه َوا َّت ِبعُوهُ لَ َعلَّ ُك ْم َت ْه َت ُد … So believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad) the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad), who believes in Allah and His Words [(this Qur’ān, the Tawrāt (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel) and also Allah’s Word: “Be!” –and he was, i.e. ‘Īsā (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary)] and follow him so that you may be guided. (Q. 7:158) 2. Following the Glorious Qur’ān. Allah says: ور الَّذِي َ صرُوهُ َوا َّت َبعُوا ال ُّن َ ِين آ َم ُنوا ِب ِه َو َع َّزرُوهُ َو َن َ َفالَّذ... )152:ُون (األعراف َ ك ُه ُم ْال ُم ْفلِح َ أ ُ ْن ِز َل َم َع ُه أُولَ ِئ … So those who believe in him (Muhammad), Honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur’ān) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be the successful. (Q. 7:157) 3. Following the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār. Allah says: ِين ا َّت َبعُو ُه ْم َ ار َوالَّذ َ ين َو ْاألَ ْن َ ون م َِن ْال ُم َها ِج ِر َ ُون ْاألَ َّول َ َُّابق ِ َوالس ِ ص َّ ِبإِحْ َسان َرضِ َي )100: (التوبة... ّللا ُ َع ْن ُه ْم َو َرضُوا َع ْن ُه And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhājirūn
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(those who migrated from Makkah to al-Madīnah) and the Anṣār (the citizens of al- Madīnah) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him… (Q. 9:100) 4. Following the believers’ way. Allah says: ِين َ يل ْالم ُْؤ ِمن ِ َو َمنْ ُي َشاق ِِق الرَّ سُو َل مِنْ َبعْ ِد َما َت َبي ََّن لَ ُه ْال ُهدَى َو َي َّت ِبعْ َغي َْر َس ِب ْ ُن َولِّ ِه َما َت َولَّى َو ُنصْ لِ ِه َج َه َّن َم َو َسا َء )115:ت مَصِ يرًّ ا (النساء And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers’ way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell—what an evil destination! (Q. 4:115) Shaykh al-Moayyad says further that there are two things only to which Muslims have to hold firmly: to Allah and to the Qur’ān (Islam). Allah says: )101:ِي إِ َلى صِ َراط مُسْ َتقِيم (آل عمران ِ َّ َو َمنْ َيعْ َتصِ ْم ِب... َ اّلل َف َق ْد ُهد … And whoever holds firmly to Allah, (i.e. practically follows Islam – Allah’s religion, and obeys all that Allah has ordered), then he is indeed guided to a Right Path. (Q. 3:101) )103: (آل عمران...ّللا َجمِي ًّعا َو َل َت َفرَّ قُوا ِ َّ َواعْ َتصِ مُوا ِب َحب ِْل And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah (i.e. this Qu’rān), and be not divided among yourselves, …(Q. 3:103) Shaykh al-Moayyad also says that in case of the existence of dispute among Muslims they are ordered to refer it to Allah and His Messenger. Allah says: َ َفإِنْ َت َن... )59: (النساء...ُول ِ َّ ازعْ ُت ْم فِي َشيْ ء َف ُر ُّدوهُ إِ َلى ِ ّللا َوالرَّ س … (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, … (Q. 4:59) Allah also says: )119:ِين (التوبة َ ّللا َو ُكو ُنوا َم َع الصَّا ِدق َ َيا أَ ُّي َها الَّذ َ َّ ِين آ َم ُنوا ا َّتقُوا
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O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds) (Q. 9:119).7 Allah has explained in the above verse what will save us from going astray. If the imāmah is one of the principles of Islam, Shaykh al-Moayyad wonders, then why the Qur’ān keeps silent of it. His Activity in the field of da’wah (Islamic propagation) Shaykh al-Moayyad has released and uploaded 250 videos on various topics regarding the Shia in three Playlists: (a) قناة ( الشيخ حسين المؤيدhis own channel): 139 videos; (b) صناعة التشيع: 15 videos; and (c) ( به سوا هدايتin Arabic with Persian translation): 86 videos. In one of his statements to show the difference between the Shia and the Sunna he said: The closer you bring a Shii to the Qur’ān the further away he will be from Shiism. It is because the Qur’ān and Shiism are on the opposite sides. The best way to guide a Shii is when he opens his mind and heart to the teachings of the Qur’ān. When he does it, he will automatically leave the Shiism, because he will find beliefs in Shiism which have no backing from the Qur’ān, or opposing the Qur’ān. Therefore, it would be meaningless in adopting beliefs contradictory to the Qur’ān, as well as in adopting beliefs which have no backing from the Qur’ān. 7
The Prophet s.a.w. said: “Truthfulness leads to righteousness (al-birr), and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a ruthful person. Falsehood leads to wickedness (al-fujūr), and wickedness leads to the Hellfire. And a man keeps on telling lies until he is written as a liar before Allah” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī). The Prophet also said: “The signs of a hypocrite are three: Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie; and whenever he promises, he breaks his promise; and whenever he is entrusted, he betrays (proves to be dishonest).” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī).
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(www.anti-majos.com) In a special series of Wiṣāl channel (uploaded on June 17, 2014) Shaykh al-Moayyad states that the struggle is not between the Shia on one side and Abū Bakr and ‘Umar on the other, but rather between the Shia and Allah and His Messenger. For the Shia it seemed that Allah and the Prophet have failed, and the Prophet was a weak leader who was not able to consolidate the faith which Allah had ordered him to do. To counter it, the Shiis refer to esoteric interpretation of the Qur’ān, even some of them say that the Qur’ān has been distorted. Shaykh al-Moayyad says that he has never believed in this, in spite of being an extremist Shia, as the Qur’ān would never be like the Torah and the Gospel which had been distorted. Therefore, he says that either you become Shii and neglect the Qur’ān, or leave the Shia. Shaykh al-Moayyad says further that the view saying that the imāms know the ghayb (unseen, divine secret), that they received wilāyah takwīniyyah for the universe, that Allah had given them full power in the affairs of the creation are all contradictory to the Qur’ān. The imāmah originally does not have any Qur’ānic covering. The Qur’ānic verses they used to make up for the imāmah came later. Therefore, Shiism in its origin and details is either contradictory to the Qur’ān or misses the Qur’ānic covering. After becoming Sunni Shaykh al-Moayyad said that he loved Ahl al-Bayt more than before. It was love which was in harmony with reason, not distorted with the blemish of exaggeration and leaving the precepts of the Islamic law. It was not love based on emotion which could make people blind from seeing the truth. For the Shiis, he said, loving them means believing in their imāmah and, whereas for him, love is one thing, and believing in their imāmah is another. Imāmah according to the Shia is one of the principles of Islam without which one’s good deeds would not be accepted
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and one would not be admitted to Paradise. It is the criterion which distinguishes between Muslim and non-Muslim. However, imāmah, unlike the principles of Islam and īmān which have been clearly mentioned in the Qur’an, it keeps silent on it. They hate the majority of the companions, especially Abū Bakr and ‘Umar. But if a Shii scrutinizes the position of the ṣaḥābah in the Qur’ān it would be sufficient for him to leave the Shiism, because it is based on regarding them as traitors. Compared to companions of other prophet we will find out that the companions of the Prophet are better and wellknown throughout history. There are five prophets called “those who have full determination” ) (ذووالعزم, namely, Nūḥ (Noah), Ibrāhīm (Abraham), Mūsā (Moses), ‘Īsā (Jesus), and Muḥammad. Prophet Nūḥ called his people for 950 years, but only a few of them believed in him. Prophet Ibrāhīm despite his struggle to make people believe in him, but no companion for him was mentioned, and he himself represented an ummah. Prophet Mūsā, despite miracles shown to his people, they lacked faith in him, and complained: )169: (األعراف... َقالُوا أُوذِي َنا مِنْ َقب ِْل أَنْ َتأْ ِت َي َنا َومِنْ َبعْ ِد َما ِج ْئ َت َنا They said: “We (Children of Israel) had suffered troubles before you came to us, and since you have come to us.” (Q. 7:129) Moreover, they worshiped idol (the cow), and did not want to join him in the fighting. They said to him: َ َف ْاذ َهبْ أَ ْن... )64:ون (المائدة َ ُّك َف َقات ًَِل إِ َّنا َها ُه َنا َقاعِ ُد َ ت َو َرب “… So, go you and your Lord and fight you two, we are sitting right here.” (Q. 5:24) Prophet Mūsā complained to Allah: ك إِ َّل َن ْفسِ ي َوأَخِي َفا ْفر ُْق َب ْي َن َنا ُ َِقا َل َربِّ إِ ِّني َل أَ ْمل )65:ِين (المائدة َ َو َبي َْن ْال َق ْو ِم ْال َفاسِ ق He said: “O my Lord! I have power only over myself
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and my brother, so separate us from the people who are the fāsiqūn (rebellious and disobedient to Allah) (Q. 5:25) Prophet ‘Īsā’s companions called al-ḥawāriyyūn despite their faith they still wanted another evidence for his truthfulness as mentioned in the Qur’ān, as follows: ْ ك أَنْ ُي َن ِّز َل َعلَ ْي َنا َما ِئ َد ًّة َ ُّون َيا عِ ي َسى اب َْن َمرْ َي َم َه ْل َيسْ َتطِ ي ُع َر ُّب َ اري ِ إِذ َقا َل ْال َح َو َّ َقالُوا ُن ِري ُد أَنْ َنأْ ُك َل ِم ْن َها َو َت ْط َمئِن.ِين َ ّللا إِنْ ُك ْن ُت ْم م ُْؤ ِمن َ َّ م َِن ال َّس َما ِء َقا َل ا َّتقُوا )113-116:ِين (المائدة َ ون َعلَ ْي َها م َِن ال َّشا ِهد َ ص َد ْق َت َنا َو َن ُك َ قُلُو ُب َنا َو َنعْ لَ َم أَنْ َق ْد (Remember) when Al-Ḥawāriyyūn (the disciples) said: “O ‘Īsā (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Can your Lord send down to us a table spread (with food) from heaven?” ‘Īsā (Jesus) said: “Fear Allah, if you are indeed believers.” They said: “We wish to eat thereof and to satisfy our hearts (to be stronger in Faith), and to know that you have indeed told us the truth and that we ourselves be its witnesses.” (Q. 5:112-113) As for the companions (ṣaḥābah) of the Prophet they said to him that they would never abandon him. They suffered thirteen years in Makkah and took refuge to Ethiopia. When he ascended to heaven and reached Sidrat al-Muntahā (the lotus tree in the Seventh Heaven) they never asked any evidence. Allah mentions the noble position of the ṣaḥābah who emigrated and took refuge to Madinah, as follows: ُ َ ين الَّذ ّللا ِ َّ ون َفضْ ًًّل م َِن َ ار ِه ْم َوأَمْ َوال ِِه ْم َي ْب َت ُغ َ ل ِْلفُ َق َرا ِء ْال ُم َها ِج ِر ِ ِين أ ْخ ِرجُوا مِنْ ِد َي )8:ون (الحشر ُ َو ِرضْ َوا ًّنا َو َي ْن َ ُك ُه ُم الصَّا ِدق َ ّللا َو َرسُولَ ُه أُولَ ِئ َ صر َ َّ ُون (And there is also a share in this booty) for the poor emigrants, who were expelled from their homes and their property, seeking bounties from Allah and to please Him, and helping Allah (i.e. helping His religion—Islamic Monotheism) and His Messenger (Muhammad s.a.w.). Such are indeed the truthful (to what they say) (Q. 59:8)
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Allah also mentions the noble position of the ṣaḥābah among the Anṣār, the people of Madinah who welcome the emigrants as follows: اج َر إِ َلي ِْه ْم َو َل َ ُّون َمنْ َه َ ان مِنْ َق ْبل ِِه ْم ُي ِحب َ اإلي َم َ ِين َت َب َّوءُوا ال َّد َ َوالَّذ ِ ْ ار َو ان ُ ون فِي َ ُون َعلَى أَ ْنفُسِ ِه ْم َو َل ْو َك َ اج ًّة ِممَّا أُو ُتوا َوي ُْؤ ِثر َ ور ِه ْم َح َ َي ِج ُد ِ ص ُد ُ ُ ُوق َ صة َو َمنْ ي )9:ُون (الحشر َ ك ُه ُم ْال ُم ْفلِح َ ش َّح َن ْفسِ ِه َفأولَ ِئ َ صا َ ِب ِه ْم َخ And those who, before them, had homes (in al-Madinah) and had adopted the Faith love those who emigrate to them, and have no jealousy in their breasts for that which they have been given (from the booty of Banū ‘l-Naḍīr), and give them (emigrants) preference over themselves even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful (Q. 59:9) Shaykh al-Moayyad said further that the Prophet passed away without assigning his companions to conquer land, but to disseminate Islam to the remotest parts of the earth. In the time of Abū Bakr and ‘Umar something happened which had never happened before in the history of human kind. Within fourteen years the ṣaḥābah conquered the Persian empire and defeated the Roman empire. When Shaykh al-Moayyad was asked what he would like to say to the Shiis he said that he called them to reconsider, reexamine their beliefs and open his mind to the truth. He felt pity for them, felt compassion with them and wished for them that one day they might be guided to the truth, nothing else. This means that he had no ill-feeling towards them. To support his statement he cited the following Qur’ānic verse: ض َّل إِ َذا اهْ َت َد ْي ُت ْم َ ِْين آ َم ُنوا َع َل ْي ُك ْم أَ ْنفُ َس ُك ْم َل َيضُرُّ ُك ْم َمن َ َيا أَ ُّي َها الَّذ )105:ون (المائدة ِ َّ إِلَى َ ُ ّللا َمرْ ِج ُع ُك ْم َجمِي ًّعا َف ُي َن ِّب ُئ ُك ْم ِب َما ُك ْن ُت ْم َتعْ َمل O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow the (right) guidance [and enjoin what is right (Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and
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all that Islam has forbidden)] no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. The return of you all is to Allah, then He will inform you about (all) that which you used to do. (Q. 5:105) Besides tv/video presentations Shaykh al-Moayyad also released a number of books and articles in his website www.almoaiyad.com containing: (1)
(2)
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Sections on news of him and his activities starting from the ‘Ied celebration in on 16 November 2010 till about 2013. Among these activities are: the publication of his book Itḥāf al-Sāil on 19 July, 2012; an article entitled في “( طريق الصًلحOn the Way to Reformation”), and a project entitled مشروع بيان شرعي مقترح على كبريات المرجعيات السنية بشأن “( التصريح ببطًلن التعبد بالتشيع المذهبيA Project of Legal Statement Proposed to Heads of Sunni Maraji‘ Concerning the Declaration of the Invalidity of Worshiping with Shiite Doctrine.”) His book al-Islām Minhāj al-Ḥayāh (“Islam the Way of Life”). It contains his fatāwā (personal views) on various subjects. Questions and Requests for Formal Legal Opinions. It contains questions dealing with the Qur’ān, general beliefs, the Prophet’s wives (“the mothers of the believers”), the ṣaḥābah (companions of the Prophet), Shii legacy and concepts, general questions concerning various sects and schools, question on Islamic jurisprudence, etc; Thirty-two articles and essays, such as his explanation on the ḥadīth “( أَ َنا َم ِد ْي َن ُة ْالع ِْل ِم َو َعلِيٌّ َبا ُب َهاI am the city of knowledge, and ‘Ali is its door”), الرد على محاولت منظري التشيع المذهبي لرمي أهل السنة بالقول بتحريف القرآن الكريم “Refutation against the Attempts of the Exponents of Doctrinal Shiism for Accusing the Followers of the Sunnah of Stating the Distortion of the Noble Qur’ān”, and الرد على "“ استدلل الشيعة بحديث "علي مع القرآن و القرآن مع عليRefutation
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(5)
(6)
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against the Shii’s Evidence with the Ḥadīth ‘‘Alī is with the Qur’ān, and the Qur’ān is with ‘Alī.’” Eight researches and studies, such as: األساس القرآني لتعظيم “ أمهات المؤمنينQur’ānic Basic for Glorifying the Mothers of the Believers”, محاضرات اإلمام المؤيد فى أصول الفقه تعليقا على “ كتاب المستصفى لإلمام الغزاليLectures of Imām al-Mu’ayyad on the Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence as Commentary of Imām al-Ghazālī’s Book al-Mustaṣfā”, and “ معالم التغيير المجتمعي في اإلسًلمCharacteristics of Social Change in Islam.” Forty-seven statements and declarations, including his congratulations on 30 December 2003 to the Muslims and the Christians on the occasion of the ‘Ied and Christmas celebrations, his condolences on the death of Pope John Paul the Second in al-Zamān Journal on 7 April, 2005, of the death the great poet Nāzik al-Malā’ikah on 21 June, 6002, and of the death of Shaykh Jamāl al-Dīn, the Mufti of Iraq on 17 June, 2007. The draft of the National Charter containing: نص مشروع “( الميثاق الوطنيThe Text of the Draft of the National Charter”), “( إعًلن مشروع الميثاق الوطنيThe Declaration of the Draft of the National Charter”); صدى اإلعًلن عن الميثاق و “( بيانات التأييدThe Echo of the Declaration of the Charter and the Statements of Support”); and اإلستفتاء على المشروع الوطني (“The Plebiscite on the National Draft”). Interviews and dialogues and statements made in newspapers, starting with الحوار األول الذي أجرته صحيفة 6005/5/69 "العرب اليوم" األردنية مع اإلمام المؤيد المنشور فيها بتاريخ (“The first press-interview conducted by al-‘Arab alYawm” newspaper with Imām al-Moayyad publish in it in 29 May, 2005”) ending with صحيفة الشروق التونسية تحاور اإلمام 6011/10/65 ،“( المؤيدThe Tunisian al-Shurūq newspaper conducts an interview with Imām al-Moayyad dated 25 October, 2011”).
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(9)
His biography and some views and comments of him: اإلمام السيرة العطرة لسماحة المرجع اإلسًلمي العًلمة الشيخ ; المؤيد في سطور ما كتب أوقيل عن اإلمام المؤيد ; حسين المؤيد
Shaykh al-Moayyad was very concerned about the Iranian involvement in building schools and cultural centres in Iraq. He said on his Twitter account: "The opening of an Iranian school in the name of Khomeini in the Sunni province of Mosul is a major provocation and an attempt to impose a sectarian reality on Sunnis." The Baghdad Post, Sept. 18, 2017, 11.38 AM was told by observers that Iran was increasingly establishing Iranian schools in Iraq. It had planned to build hundreds of schools and cultural centres in all governorates of Iraq. Its purpose was to help consolidate the false concepts of Iranian revolutionary ideology in the minds of Iraqi children, and the construction of these schools was under the direct supervision of a committee connected to Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Those schools also would adopt the Farsi language and promote Iranian culture. The Khomeni Primary school was established in the predominantly Shiite village of Khazna, 40 km east of Mosul. It was funded by the Iranian Khilani Organization and directly supervised by the Iranian consul in Erbil. Recently, on Thursday (i.e., September 14, 2017) Niniveh Educational Directorate announced it inauguration. In central and southern Iraq fourteen Iranian schools with Iranian teachers teaching special curricula are directly supervised by the cultural attaché of the Iranian embassy in Baghdad. The observers said further: “Most of the religious and historical books distributed to students contain ideas hostile to Prophet Muhammad’s companions. Khomeini schools give the students clothes and meals, as well as free educational
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supplies. The schools allocate money to students, in an attempt to attract many students in the poor southern provinces.” About forty educational centres in the form of religious schools or training centres have been established by Iran in the capital Baghdad and other provinces. The students will be brainwashed after gaining their ideological and political loyalty by these institutions. Some of them are sent to Iran for recruitment for later intelligent activities in neighbouring countries. The reporters warned against their scheme to establish other schools in Sunni provinces like Anbar, Diyala and Salahuddin. They pointed about the suffering of the educational institution in Iraq from the growing Iranian influence, such as the change of the curricula taught in the schools of the Ministry of Education. In addition, some historic events have been deleted and weak ḥadīths have been introduced to serve the Iranian schemes. All these Baghdad Post’s accounts will cause alarm for Sunni scholars, especially the Iraqis like Shaykh Almoayyad. However, it is said in exaggeration that there is nothing really true in the newspaper except its name and the date of its publication. Newspaper accounts could be misleading, exaggerating or not telling the whole truth. Embellishment could be made so that the news looks important and interesting, and we do not know who the reporters reporting the news are. In this case verification is very important. Allah in the Qur’ān told the Muslims to verify news especially from unreliable sources, as follows: ِين آ َم ُنوا إِنْ َجا َء ُك ْم َفاسِ ق ِب َن َبإ َف َت َب َّي ُنوا أَنْ ُتصِ يبُوا َق ْومًّا َ َيا أَ ُّي َها الَّذ )6:ِين (الحجرات َ ِب َج َهالَة َف ُتصْ ِبحُوا َعلَى َما َف َع ْل ُت ْم َنا ِدم O you who believe! If a fāsiq (liar—evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, least you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become
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regretful for what you have done.” (Q. 49:6) In Indonesia the term tabayyun meaning “verification” derived from the above verse has become commonly used among scholars and politicians, especially in conducting dialogues and debates. Statements, especially provoking ones, should be verified, so that overreaction and hasty conclusion could be avoided. Tabayyun in his case is extremely important. (Turner, 18 October, 2017) Bibliography: https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/حسين_المؤيد https://mz-mz.net/268634 https://gift2shias.com/2013/11/15/shia-cleric-shaykh-almoayyad-who-left-shiism-for-islam-and-sunnah/ http://www.almoaiyad.com/seara/seara.htm http://meshkat.net/25448 http://www.indianmirror.com/culture/indian-folklore/SelfFlagellation.html http://www.dd-sunnah.net/forum/showthread.php?t=159949 http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?t=294261 https://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2007/04/25/33862.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Twelver_Shia_Islam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-flagellation http://ar.wikishia.net/view/ العروة_الوثقى_(كتاب https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/قناة_صفا_الفضائية http://s.thebaghdadpost.com/en/17077//Shiite-schools-Iran-splots-to-invade-Iraqi-minds