The AMI Podcast

‘Who are the Ahlul Bayt?’ Shia Sunni Panel Discussion Part 2 of 2. Some of the points of discussion from the presentation and Q&A were; ✔️According to the madhhab of Ahl al-sunnah, Ahl al-Bayt is a great institution and source of guidance as expounded by the Quran and sunnah of the Holy Prophet.  ✔️The wives of the Holy Prophet are also part of the institution of Ahl al-Bayt being as the direct misdaq of the address of the Quran in sura al-Ahzab in the context as has been dealt with.  ✔️The Holy Prophet also declared 4 people known as Ahl al-kisa as the members of Ahl al-Bayt in his numerous ahadith on important occasions. ✔️According to some ahadith prohibiting sadaqah, some other people of  Banu Hashim such as Al-Abbas, Al Jafar, Al Aqil, Al Muttalib are also made the part of Ahl al-Bayt, but this view is not grounded within Ahl al-Sunnah.  ✔️According to Ahl al-Sunnah, the members of Ahl al-Bayt are highly  honoured but they are not Masum. (Part 4 of 4)

‘Who are the Ahlul Bayt?’ Shia Sunni Panel Discussion Part 1 of 2.  Some of the points of discussion from the presentation and Q&A were;  ✔️The wives of the prophet are considered to be part of the ‘Ahlul Bayt’  in a more general meaning of the term, whereas the more specific meaning of the term is limited to the five, and this is backed by the different narrations e.g. the event of Mubahila.  ✔️ Both Shia and Sunni accept the Ahlul Bayt as role models and sources  of guidance.  ✔️ According to the Shia school of thought, insulting and use of derogatory language about the wives of the Prophet is strongly prohibited and is against the teachings of the Imams e.g. Imam Ali (a.s)  who respected and maintained the honour of the wife of the Prophet even after she stood up against him in the battle of Jamal.  ✔️The Shia’s unanimously agree that exaggerating (ghulluw) of the status of the Imams is unlawful, and the Imams are below the Prophet in  station.

‘Who are the Ahlul Bayt?’ The Sunni view was presented by Mufti Mohammad Farooq Alvi (A grand mufti and imam and khatib of the jami masjid Spark brook Birmingham) who presented his research in the stance of Ahl al-Sunnah pertaining to the  Institution of Ahl al-Bayt. 

‘Who are the Ahlul Bayt?’ Some of the Shia points of the discussion presented by Shaykh Mohammed  Abu Ja’far.  - The wives of the prophet are considered to be part of the ‘Ahlul Bayt’  in a more general meaning of the term, whereas the more specific meaning of the term is limited to the five, and this is backed by the different narrations e.g. the event of Mubahila.   - Both Shia and Sunni accept the Ahlul Bayt as role models and sources of guidance.  

Shia and Sunni discussion about the concept of Sunnah from the two various perspectives. 

Shaykh Mohammad Bahmanpour presents "The concept of  Sunnah in the light of Shia view". Shaykh Bahmanpour provides a definition of the Sunnah of Prophet  Muhammad (s) as his words, his practice, and his tacit approval of acts of others.  There is a difference between social norms and etiquettes that the  Prophet followed as the cultural norms to that era and the Sunnah that he laid out for his community forever.   Then the Shaykh discussed the path to the Sunnah of the Prophet (s);  1. The companions  2. The Imam of Ahlul Bayt (as) The Shia accept both sources as valid and reliable, however, the path to the companions can be unreliable. Then there is the question of who counts as a companion of Prophet  Muhammad (s)? The Shaykh discusses the reasons why the Shia do not reply on the hadith books compiled in the second and third century attributing traditions to the companions for several reasons.  The Shaykh then discussed the Shia path to the Sunnah and its various aspects.

The Sunni perspective presented by Maulana Abdul Hamid Kusuri. (Part 1 of 3 videos) “The Sunnah of the Prophet is the second main source of guidance after the holy Qur'an for the Ahle-Sunnah. Following the Sunnah involves following the Qawl (sayings), fi'il  (actions) and taqreer (approval) of the acts of others in hadith  terminology."

The discussion ended with an interactive Q&A session allowing all scholars and attendees present to take part and iron out any issues or concerns they may have had.   In conclusion, the scholars all accepted and agreed on the following statements;  – Taqiyyah and Ikrah are synonymous terms from the same origin and are denoted by the Quran on an equal basis.  – Taqiyyah is not a new invention in Shi’ism and its terminology is derived from the holy Qur’an making it justifiable in Islam.  – Taqiyyah can only be practised in genuine life or death circumstances similar to Idtirar and anything relating to worldly benefits is strictly forbidden and deceptive.  – The ulama of both schools of thought have to educate their communities about the true concept and application of Taqiyyah to dissipate the misconceptions around the issue. (Part 3 or 3)

Shaykh Abdul Hadi al-Omri presented the Quranic concept of Idtirar and  Ikrah (extraneous circumstances) based on the teachings of the Sunni school of thought. He explored the state of idtirar (helplessness) and its applications and conditions concerning human life. And, ended by also admitting of the misuse of this Quranic principle by the people of various Hiyal (tricks) for the sake of their worldly desires. (Part 2 or  3)

In his presentation, Shaykh Ayub Rashid examined the concept of Taqiyyah from the perspective of the Shi’i school of thought by using the Holy  Qur’an, the Prophet’s sunnah, and hadith to illustrate to shed light on the topic. He explained that taqiyyah was not a new invention, rather it dates back to the time of the Holy Prophet and has a direct link with specific verses of the Holy Qur’an i.e. Sura al Imran (3: 28) and Sura al-Nahl (16:106); where a believer is permitted to conceal his real faith and utter something which contradicts his faith for the sake of his own life or the people around him. He explained that Taqiyyah was used as the shield from the severe persecution of Shias at the hands of the Umayyad and Abbasid rulers. He also acknowledged that the notion of  Taqiyyah has been misused by the people inclined to their vested interests which have caused a lot of misunderstandings but have no concern with the proper teachings of the Shia Imamiyah school of thought. (Video Part 1 of 3)