Preface
In The Name of Allah The All Merciful
Imam Ali Foundation has
published books and book translations of high quality concerning many subjects,
especially regarding a wider understanding of Islam both in its dogmatic and
legal aspects.
Dear Reader, the
book which you have in your hands treats a most important topic regarding the
relation between the ideological and the theological realms in Islam. It
concerns theories of the Caliphate and the Imamate in Islam and especially the
historical developement of Shi'ism, which insists upon a strict observance of
Koranic and prophetic texts in everyday life.
The first text
represents the inspired thought of the martyr Sayyed Mohammad Baqir As-Sadr,
who was highly reputed for the intellectual quality, scientific value
and objectivity of his works. Dr. Abdul Jabbar Chararah has been given the
great distinction, and privilege, to annotate this work and to present it here,
in order to facilitate its access to the public.
Imam Ali Foundation
Foreword
The Author and the Book
Imam Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, the author of this
study, was a reverent scholar and one of the most eminent jurists of our time.
He struggled diligently in the way of God; his devotion to Islam was complete
to the point of martyrdom, which he finally attained in 1979.
An endless source of learnedness, his genuine gift, he was
unrivaled in the study of legal principles and jurisprudence. Imam al Sadr was
a rare mind in the area of logic and the logic of inquiry, and sought to renew
Islamic thought in the face of contemporary intellectual challenges in
philosophy, economy and sociology. By setting forth his theses, observations
and positions, he helped to establish firmly the Islamic School. He refurbished
theological studies, enriched knowledge of the Qur'an and secured the pillars
of a sober scientific method in every subject he took up through his pen.
In the probing study of Shi'ism before us, Imam al-Sadr
brought to bear a sedate, scholarly method supported by that impeccable logic for
which he is so well known. At every step, he has the depth of a skilled expert
who knows from the very outset how to take the reader wherever true logic
dictates. He handled this weighty subject with concision in a way unmatched by
anyone, thanks to his strength of argument, compactness, evenness and subtlety
of expression, to say nothing of the sheer elegance of his presentation. This,
despite the number of points and allusions made. These may be perfectly
comprehensible to cultured or attained persons, but less so to those
inexperienced in this kind of extended theological inquiry. The allusions are
not easily understood by those uninitiated in the area of debate and
argumentation, or who have never before had to deal with either Prophetic
traditions (hadi`ths) or historical events.
In view of the significance of the subject matter, style and
treatment, it is regrettable that this study has not received the attention it
deserves. Nor has it been properly edited and commented on, for proper guidance
through all the evidence invoked. We have yet to be enlightened on its
references or the context of its arguments - which should reveal to the
reader the soundness of the logic and leave him or her reassured, in turn, as
to the logic of their soundness.
This study was originally written in Baghdad in 1970 AD/1390
AH as a preface to a book by Dr. `Abdullah Fayyad entitled History of the Imamites and Their Shi'ite Predecessors, and
published in Baghdad by Matba`at As`ad. The first independent edition was
published in Cairo in 1977 AD/1397 AH, under the supervision of Mr. Talib al-Husaym
al-Rifai. [1] In the same year, but just earlier, it was also published
in Beirut by Dar al-Ta`aruf lil-Matbu`at. These two editions,
however, have failed to measure up to their goal, since there was little effort
to edit or accurately to determine the text. Neither are the Prophetic
traditions expounded nor the texts properly supported, to say nothing of the
many printing errors. Nevertheless, the Cairo edition is provided with Mr. al-Rifais
helpful comments; it is also the more precise of the two, having fewer errors.
The two editions have different titles - the Cairo going by Shi'ism, an Authentic Phenomenon Within the
Call of Islam, [2] the Beirut by A Study Concerning Guardianship. [3]
The result was that there arose a need for this study to be
given the attention it rightly deserved in terms of textual editing, exactness
and commentary. I have made every effort to determine the precise expressions
by benefiting from the editions just mentioned, with a view to the necessary
corrections. As to the title, I have heeded the view of the eminent Ayatullah
al-Sayyid Mahmud al-Hashimi, who suggested to me that it be The Emergence of Shi'ism and the Shi'ites. It
was the most appropriate one.
Finally, I have seen it fit to append another scholarly
study, adhering to the very same sober method he used, to this solid research
by the late Imam al-Sadr. I hope to analyze something to which he pointed
without much elaboration, instead relying on its obvious sense on the
assumption that it has been related by several transmitters and handed down
through many biographical works: namely, the intellectual and moral preparation
for Imam `Ali's spiritual leadership (imamah) and political succession (khilafah) to the Prophet.
Concerning the Present Edition
First of all, only printed copies, together with the preface
in the introductory section of Dr. `Abdullah Fayyad's History of the Imamites and Their Shi'ite Predecessors, have been
available to me. But since the Cairo copy that came out under Mr. Talib al-Husayni
al-Rifa i's supervision is the better and more accurate one, I have
basically relied on it. In order to determine the text and to rectify the
errors and whatever seems doubtful, I have referred to the other two editions,
that of Beirut and that of Baghdad (the one included in the introduction to Dr.
Fayyad's book).
Secondly, I have devised a new layout for the study; it is
now divided into an introduction and two chapters. The first chapter is
entitled "What is the origin of Shi'ism?" - exactly as
the author wished by way of presentation. I broke it up into three discussions.
The first deals with what the title it carries says, "The First Path -
Denial," that is, "Neglecting the Succession." This title
appears in the Cairo edition. The Second Discussion deals with the path of
affirmation, epitomized by the consultative system. The Third Discussion
presents the affirmative path, exemplified by the preparation and investiture
of whomever was to lead the Ummah,
or the community. The second chapter is called "How did the Shiites
become Shiite?" It, too, is divided into three discussions. The first is
concerned with the two principal trends that accompanied the development of the
Ummah; the second with
intellectual authority and guidance; and the third with the issue of spiritual
and political Shi`ism.
Thirdly, I have consulted those references given by Imam al-Sadr,
and have been able to establish the specific texts he relied on. I have,
therefore, indicated the volume of the Tradition source left out, along with
the page numbers. All told, twenty-three references were given. I have
attached the word "Imam" to them, thereby retaining the original text
written in the notes and distinguishing them from my own comments.
Fourthly, with respect to those texts which Imam al-Sadr
does quote or refer to, I have sought to provide the source, based on the
information he gives. I have also made available the references to the dyat of
the Qur'an and to the Prophetic hadiths.
Fifthly, wherever needed, I have documented the views and
ideas evoked by the Imam.
Sixthly, in order to clarify the objects of discussion, or
to reinforce through evidence and proof, I have in many cases made the
appropriate comments.
I implore God to render pure this work before Him. Praise be
to God, Lord of the World.
Editor
Dr. Abd al Jabbar Sharrarah
Introduction
Some scholars who study Shi`ism describe it as a phenomenon
that is incidental to Islamic society. They observe the Shi segment within the
body of the Islamic community precisely in its quality of a segment, one that
first came into being, through the passage of time, as a result of specific
societal events and developments, leading to the intellectual and doctrinal
formation of one part only within the larger body; a part which gradually
broadened later. [4] Beyond this assumption, these scholars differ as to the
particular events and developments that led to the rise of such a phenomenon.
Some assume that `Abd Allah b. Saba' [5] and his alleged
political activity were at the origin of the rise of the Shi`ite bloc. Others
trace the phenomenon of Shi`ism back to the era of Imam `Ali's Caliphate and
whatever political and social circumstances had taken shape within the pale of
events of the time. Still others claim that, within the historical sequence of
the Islamic community, the appearance of the Shi`ites occurred through still
later events than these. [6]
As far as I can tell, what has prompted many of these
scholars to believe that Shi`ism was a phenomenon merely incidental to Islamic
society is precisely that the Shiites of early Islam represented but a tiny
portion of the Ummah. This fact may have inspired the feeling that what
was not Shi`i must have then been the predominant pattern in Islamic society,
and that Shi'ism was the exception, an accidental phenomenon whose causes can
be discovered through developments relating to the opposition to the dominant
order.
But to consider either numerical majority or relative
minority as grounds enough for distinguishing the dominant order from the
exception, or the original root from the schism, lacks logical rigour. It is
incorrect to describe "non-Shi'ism" as dominant simply on the
basis of a numerical majority; and,
based on numerical inferiority, to relegate "Shi'ism" to an incidental
phenomenon and the idea of schism. That would not agree with the nature of
credal divisions, since many divisions can remain within the fold of a single
message and arise only through the differences attending the process of
definining certain of the message's features. No two credal divisions ever have
numerical equivalence, although both sides may at bottom be seeking to express
the same message on whose nature they disagree.
Hence, under no circumstances can we build our conception
upon a credal division between Shi'ism and other currents within the Islamic
Mission [7] based on numbers alone; just as we may not link the birth of the
Shi'i thesis, as it occurs within the framework of the Islamic Mission, with
the advent of the word "Shi'ites" or "Shi'ism" taken as a technical
term or proper noun for a clearly defined group among the Muslims. This is
because the advent of names and technical terms is one thing, and the
development of the content, the actual current and the thesis are another. If
we cannot find the word "Shiites" [8] in current usage at the time of
God's Messenger, or immediately following his death, this does not mean that
the Shiite current and thesis did not exist.
With this frame of mind, then, let us turn to the issue of
"Shi`ism" and "Shi`ites" in order to answer the following
two questions:
What is the origin of Shi'ism?
How did the Shi'ites emerge?