INTRODUCTION

I became interested in Shia-Sunni discussions a few years ago. I had a number of Shia friends, and I noticed that they were doing some of the Islamic rituals differently. Naturally, I developed a desire to “correct” their ways. However, my knowledge of the differences between the two sides was minimal. As a result, I saw myself pulled into one of the following topics of discussion:

Who was the rightful Khalifah after the death of the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam)
The righteousness of the Companions after the death of the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam)
Status of the Wives of the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam)
Ashura processions and the practice of Ma’tam
Mutah marriage
Battles of Jamal and Sifeen
The proper way to make Wudhu, Adhan, Salat, and other Islamic rituals

Without a doubt, the above topics are a source of Sunni-Shia discussion. Surely enough, I was drawn into such points of argument, and so were some of my Sunni friends who were also interested in Shia-Sunni dialogue. However, I never paused to consider what the main doctrinal difference between the two sides was. I guess I was simply too immersed in the back and forth that these discussions tend to cause to ponder about the “bigger picture”.

This state of affairs continued for some time, until I met a Sunni brother through the Internet. This brother admitted that he had become interested in Shiaism due to the Iranian Revolution in 1979. He read a number of Shia books, and was on the verge of converting to the Shia faith. For the purposes of being fair and equitable to both sides, he started re-reading the Quran with an eye to see how much of it supported the uniquely Shia beliefs, particularly the doctrine of Imāmah.

The brother told me that he had an awakening at that stage. “I did not find Shiaism in the Quran”, he said. Then, after re-evaluating the basic principles of the Sunni and Shia faiths in light of the Quran, he decided to remain a Sunni. He still reads Shia works and discusses with Shias, but he has not gone out of the general criteria he set for himself with respect to choosing the correct path.

I heard a similar line of reasoning by an Iranian convert from Shiaism to Sunnism. He had researched into the differences between the two faiths for five years before deciding to convert. He pointed out something obvious, yet not widely thought upon by Muslims: The fact that the Quran is the top reference for all of the Muslim’s disputes. If a certain belief is not strongly mentioned in the Quran (or is contradicted by the Holy Book), it is difficult for us to try to find a way for it in other Islamic literature, or to try to formulate it through rationalization and philosophical arguments. He also noted that the Shia, while concentrating a lot on Ali’s (Radhi Allahu Anhu) virtues and his supposed right to be the first Khalifah, do not talk much about Imāmah outside of this “zone”.

These two testimonies were quite revealing for me. While I had read about the belief of Imāmah in Shiaism, I had not thought about this specific creed as being the center of all differences between Sunnis and Shias. I had certainly not thought about comparing Imāmah with the established Islamic doctrines, or for the need to look objectively for this dogma in the Quran. Perhaps the reason for this is that almost all Shia propaganda concentrates squarely on Ali’s (Radhia Allahu Anhu) virtues and his superiority in terms of Khilafah. Imāmah is presented as a rational necessity and a consequence of Ali’s “appointment”, more than as a necessary pillar of Islamic faith.

So I decided to look into the Shia faith from this new perspective, of whether the Quran supported the doctrine of Imāmah. This work is a summary of the most important conclusions I reached while on this journey. I urge the reader to go through the issues raised thoughtfully and objectively. Even if a person is familiar with the Quran, and he/she is familiar with the idea of Imāmah as understood in Shiaism, there may be relationships and issues he/she may not have been aware of before.

Continued ⇨