Imam-e-Azam Abu Hanifa Numan B. Thabit Al-Kharraz (R.A.)

The following is an excerpt about imam-e-azam (r.a.) from the famous persian sufi treatise of hazrat Ali bin Uthman al-Hujwiri also known in Pakistan as Daata ganj bakhsh.

Abu Hanifa Nu’man B. Thabit Al-Kharraz

He is the imam of imams and the exemplar of the Sunnites. He was firmly grounded in the works of mortification and devotion, and was a great authority on the principles of Sufiism. At first he wished to go into seclusion and abandon the society of mankind, for he had made his heart free from every thought of human power and pomp. One night, however, he dreamed that he was collecting the bones of the Apostle from the tomb, and choosing some and discarding others. He awoke in terror and asked one of the pupils of Muhammad b. Sirin (to interpret the dream). The man said to him:" You will attain a high rank in the knowledge of the Apostle and in preserving his ordinances(sunnat), so that you will sift what is genuine from what is spurious." Another time Abu Hanifa dreamed that the Apostle said to him: “You have been created for the purpose of reviving my ordinances.” He was the master of many shaykhs e.g. Ibrahim b. Adham and Fudayl b. Iyad and Dawud Ta’i and Bishr Hafi.

In theb reign of the Caliph Mansur a plan was formed to appoint to the office of Qadi one of the following persons: Abu Hanifa, Sufyan Thawri, Misar b. Kidam and Shurayh. While they were journeying together to visit Mansur, who had summoned them to his presence, Abu Hanifa said to his companions: “I will reject this office by means of a certain trick, Mi’sar will feign to be mad, Sufyan will run away, and Shurayh will be made Qadi.” Sufyan fled and embarked in a ship, imploring the captain to conceal him and save him from execution. The others were ushered into the presence of the Caliph. Mansur said to Abu Hanifa: “You must act as Qadi.” Abu Hanifa replied :“O Commander of the Faithful, I am not an Arab, but one of their clients, and the chiefs of the Arabs will not accept my decisions.” Mansur said: “This matter has nothing to do with the lineage: it demands learning, and you are the most eminent doctor of the day.” Abu Hanifa persisted that he was unfit to hold the office. “What I have just said shows it,” he exclaimed; “for if I have spoken the truth I am disqualified, and if I have told a falsehood it is not right that a liar should be judge over Moslems, and that you should entrust him with the lives, property and honor of your subjects.” He escaped in this way. Then Mi’sar came forward and seized the Caliph’s hand and said: “How are you, your children, and your beasts of burden?” “Away with him,” cried Mansur, “he is mad!” Finally, Shurayh was told that he must fill the vacant office. “I am melancholic,” said he, “and light-witted,” whereupon Mansur advised him to drink ptisanes and potions until his intellect was fully restored. So Shurayh was made Qadi, and Abu Hanifa never spoke a word to him again. This story illustrated not only the sagacity of Abu Hanifa, but also his adherence to the path of righteousness and salvation, and his determination not to let himself be deluded by seeking popularity and worldly renown. It shows, moreover, the soundness of blame (malamat), since all these three men resorted to some trick in order to avoid popularity. Very different are the doctors of the present age, who make the palaces of the princes their qibla and the houses of evildoers their temple.

Yahya b. Mu’adh al-Razi relates as followes: “I dreamed that I said to the apostle, ‘O Apostle of God, where shall I seek thee?’ He answered : ‘In the science of Abu Hanifa.’”

Once when I was in Syria, I fell asleep at the tomb of Bilal(r.a.) the muezzen, and dreamed that I was at Makkah, and that the prophet came in through the gate of Banu Shayba, tenderly clasping an old man to his bosom in the same fashion as people are wont to carry children; and that I ran to him and kissed the back of his foot, and stood marevelling who the old man might be; and that the prophet was miraculously aware of my secret thought and said to me, “This is thy imam and the imam of thy countrymen,” meaning Abu Hanifa.

When Dawud Tai had acquired learning and become a famous authority, he went to Abu Hanifa and said to him: “What shall I do now?” Abu Hanifa replied: “Practice what you have learned, for theory without practice is like a body without a spirit.”

Here is a converstation between a Sunni and a Sunni who became a Shia:
I said, "What is then your reasoning before Allah about following Imam Hanifa who contradicted a text by the Messenger of Allah (saw)?"

He looked bemused and said, "Praise be to Allah! I did not know that Imam Hanifa could contradict the Prophetic texts.

The rest of the men looked even more puzzled and were amazed at my daring criticism of Imam Hanifa, which they had never heard before. I continued by asking, "Was Imam Hanifa one of the Companions?"

He replied, "No." I asked, "Was he one of the Followers?" He replied, "No, but he followed the earlier Followers." I asked, "Who is nearer, him or Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib?" He replied, "Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib was one of the rightly guided caliphs." One of the men added, "Our master Ali (a.s.) is the gate to the city of knowledge." I said, "Why did you leave the gate to the city of knowledge and follow a man who was neither a Companion nor a Follower, and he was born after the civil war and after the city of the Messenger of Allah had been sacked by Yazid's forces who killed the best of the Companions and violated all aspects of human morality and changed the Messenger's tradition to some heretical doctrines of their own make. How could then for any man have confidence in these Imams who pleased the authorities because they preached in accordance to their policies?"

Assalam Allaikum,
With all due respect, we as sunnis are not the followers of Yazib b. Muawiyya. Although its an indisputable fact that islamic traditions were forged to create fitna yet the mulsims have been fortunate to have imams who had the courage and piety to sift the truth from the falsehood, imam Abu Hanifa being one of them. To create an impression that true Islam was permanently altered by the usurping authorities amounts to a charge of heresy against the mainstream muslims who far outnumber the minority shias who have deviated from the ahlus-sunnah. Islam has, does and will always exist in its true form since this deen will overpower all other religions as promised in a tradition no matter how much it disgusts the mushrikeen.

iqadeer,
Abu Hanifa was taught by Imam Jaffar Sadiq, the great great great grandson of the Holy Prophet. Im sure you have not heard of him as how uneducated you Sunnis are. All Imams who were the descendants of the Prophet suffered persecution, hatred etc., by the Ummayads and the Abbasids because of their beliefs. These fours Imams, Hanifa, Maliki, Shaifii, Hanabal, were never persecuted or hated by the authority because they please them. Use a little logic in your arguments.


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Mr 2Pak,

The hatred that you shias carry against the sahaba was extremely clear. Now, its the imams that you have begun to badmouth. Is it ignorance that imam Abu Hanifa was jailed for not complying with the orders of the caliph? Is it ignorance that imam Malik was flogged for giving a fatwa against the ruler? Is it ignorance that imam Ahmad B. Hambal was flogged so severely for not declaring the Quran creation against the mu'talzallites that he eventually died with its effects? Open your eyes, Mr radical shia. The sunni imams have always stood up for the truth. By the way, I don't consider any of the ahle-bayt to belong to your deviant sect. They were all pious sunnis. Apparently your shia historians have concocted a lot of bullshit to convince you guys that the sahaba were bloodthirsty of each other. Hazrat Ali was martyred by his own army men who are known as the kharijites but are actually the shias. You people have hatred against the Islam, prophet Mohammad, and all things that represent this great religion and in your prejudice you can't appreciate the great luminaries who deserve credit for preserving the sunnah of prophet Mohammad (sallalaho alaihe wasalam).

your reply was typical and very mentally retarded. Of course you have ignored the fact that I have stated that Imam Jaffar-us Saddaq the great great great grandson of the prophet was the one who taught Abu Hanifa. Of course you Sunnis have never heard of him because of your uneducated nature. If the sunnis read their own books they would find that they are hardly any differences between the two groups.

This is the concocted bullshit in your own Sunni books:
FATIMA TOLD ABU BAKR AND UMAR THAT
SHE CURSED THEM BOTH IN EVERY PRAYER
After narrating this affair in detail, Abu Muhammad Abdullah Bin Qutayba says that Ali did not swear allegiance and returned home. Later Abu Bakr and Umar went to Fatima's house to placate her and to seek her pardon. She said: "Allah be my witness that you two have offended me. In every prayer I curse you and will continue cursing you until I see my father and complain against you."

(7) Ahmad Bin Abdu'l-Aziz is one of your ulema. Ibn Abi'l-Hadid writes about him in the following words: "He was a man of learning, a traditionist, a great literary figure." He writes in his Kitab-e-Saqifa and Ibn Abi'l-Hadid Mu'tazali also quotes from him in his Sharhe Nahju'l-Balagha, Volume I, page 9, on the authority of Abi'l-Aswad, who said: "A group of the companions and prominent Muhajirin expressed their indignation at Abu Bakr's caliphate and asked why they were not consulted. Also Ali and Zubair expressed their anger, refused to swear allegiance, and retired to Fatima's house. Fatima cried aloud and made solemn entreaties, but to no effect. They took away Ali's and Zubair's swords and hurled them against the wall, breaking them. Then they dragged them to the mosque to force them to swear allegiance."

(8) Jauhari reports from Salma Bin Abdu'r-Rahman that when Abu Bakr heard that Ali, Zubair, and a party of the Bani Hashim were assembled in Fatima's house, he sent Umar for them. Umar went to the door of Fatima's house and shouted, "Come out, otherwise, I swear I will set your house on fire!"

(9) Jauhari, according to Ibn Abi'l-Hadid in his Sharhe Nahju'l-Balagha, Volume II, page 19, narrates on the authority of Sha'bi: "When Abu Bakr heard about the gathering of the Bani Hashim in Ali's house, he said to Umar: 'Both you and Khalid go and bring Ali and Zubair to me so that they can take the oath of allegiance.' So Umar entered Fatima's house and Khalid stayed outside. Umar said to Zubair 'What is this sword?' He replied, 'I have acquired it for allegiance to Ali.'

Umar snatched the sword and hurled it at the stone inside the house and broke it. Then he brought him out to Khalid. He came back into the house, where there were many people, including Miqdad, and all the Bani Hashim. Addressing Ali, he said: 'Get up! I'm taking you to Abu Bakr. You must pay allegiance to him.'

Ali refused. Umar dragged him to Khalid. Khalid and Umar forced him along the road which was packed to capacity with men who witnessed this scene. When Fatima saw Umar's behavior, she, along with many women of the Bani Hashim (who had come to console her), came out. They were lamenting and wailing with high-pitched cries. Fatima went to the mosque where she said to Abu Bakr: 'How soon have you sacked the Ahle Bait of the Prophet of Allah. I swear by Allah, I will not talk with Umar until I see Allah.' Fatima showed her extreme disapproval of Abu Bakr and did not speak to him for the rest of her life." (See Sahih Bukhari, Part V and VII).

(10) Abu Walid Muhibu'd-Din Muhammad Bin Muhammad Bin Ash-Shahna Al-Hanafi (died 815 A.H.), one of your leading ulema writes in his Rauzatu'l-Manazir Fi Khabaru'l-Awa'il wa'l-Awakhir, in connection with the Saqifa affair: "Umar came to Ali's house prepared to set it on fire with all its inmates. Umar said: 'Enter into what the community has entered.'"

(11) Tabari, in his Ta'rikh Volume II, page 443, reports from Ziyad Bin Kalbi that "Talha, Zubair, and some of the Muhajirin were at Ali's house. Umar Bin Khattab went there and demanded that they come out. If they did not, he said, he would set the house on fire."

(12) Ibn Shahna, in Hashiyya-e-Kamil of Ibn Athir, Volume XI, page 112, writes in connection with the Saqifa that: "Some of the Prophet's companions, and the Bani Hashim, Zubair, Atba Bin Abi Lahab, Khalid Bin Sa'id Bin As, Miqdad Bin Aswad Kindi, Salman Farsi, Abu Dharr Ghifari, Ammar Bin Yasir, Bara'a Bin Azib, and Ubai Bin Ka'b refused to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr. They assembled in Ali's house. Umar Bin Khattab went there intending to burn down the house. Fatima protested to him. Umar said: 'Enter where all others have entered.'"

These are but a sample of the many historical facts recorded by your own historians. This affair was so commonly known that the poets of old mentioned it. One of your poets, Hafiz Ibrahim of Egypt, says in a poem in praise of Umar: "No other person but Abu Hafsa (father of Umar) could have the courage of addressing the chief of the Adnan Clan (Ali) and his comrades, saying: 'If you fail to pay allegiance, I will set your house on fire and will not leave any inmate of the house alive, even Fatima herself.'"

Hafiz: These narrations show only that they brought torches to frighten and disperse the opponents of the caliphate. It is a concocted Shia version to say that Ali's house was set on fire, and that Fatima miscarried as a result.

NARRATIONS ABOUT FATIMA'S MISCARRIAGE

Well-Wisher: You should read Kitab-e-Isbatu'l-Wasiyya, compiled by Abi'l-Hasan Ali Bin Husain Mas'udi, author of Muruju'dh-Dhahab. He wrote in great detail about the events of that day: "They surrounded Ali and burned the door of his house. They dragged him out of the house and pressed the best of the women, Fatima, between the door and the wall so forcefully that Muhsin, her unborn son, died of miscarriage." The Shias have not concocted these things. What occurred has been preserved in the pages of history. The miscarriage is a fact.

You may also refer to Sharhe Nahju'l-Balagha, Volume III, page 351. Ibn Abi'l-Hadid wrote that he told his teacher, Abu Ja'far Naqib, that when the Prophet was told that Hubbar Bin Aswad had attacked his daughter Zainab's litter with a lance, because of which Zainab suffered a miscarriage, the Prophet allowed him to be put to death. Abu Ja'far said: 'Had the Prophet of Allah been alive, he would have surely ordered the death penalty for him also who had frightened Fatima so much that her child, Muhsin, died in miscarriage.'

Hafiz: I don't understand what useful purpose it serves to narrate such stories. This kind of thing leads to mutual discord.

Well-Wisher: You object to my relating these facts. But I do so to reject the attacks of malicious authors who mislead our uninformed brothers, calling Shias infidels and saying that these facts were the fabrications of the Shias. We do not say anything about Ali beyond what the Prophet said about him. We told you on previous nights that we regard Ali as a devoted servant of Allah, a divinely appointed vicegerent and successor to the Prophet. You claim that it is of no use to relate these facts. If you wouldn't bring up these points, we would not discuss them. If you hadn't said tonight that these are Shia beliefs with no substance to them, I would not have been obliged to tell the audience that these are the beliefs of unbiased Sunni ulema.

Nawab: Respected Sir, we believe that Husain, the martyr, was rightly guided and that he was murdered unjustly by the officers of the Bani Umayya. But there are some people, particularly among our young people, who say that the Battle of Karbala was strictly a military, and not a religious, event. It is said that Husain Bin Ali proceeded to Kufa in quest of power, and it is the duty of every government to curb such dangers. Accordingly, Yazid resisted this threat. They requested the revered Imam to pay unconditional allegiance to Caliph Yazid, to whom obedience was obligatory. They wanted him to go to Syria to live there with the Caliph honorably or to go back to his native place. But he did not follow their advice, and consequently he was killed. They conclude that any mourning for such a worldly man, who was killed because of his love of power, is not only meaningless, but is an innovation. Do you have a reply to this point? How do you disprove the idea that the Battle of Karbala was not the culmination of a political struggle?

IMAM HUSAIN WAS NEVER
DESIROUS OF POLITICAL POWER

Well-Wisher: Every good or bad action is based on our knowledge of Allah. The objectors should first recognize Allah, and then they should acknowledge the divine book, the Qur'an. From that acknowledgement it follows that we recognize that whatever is in that book is praise. Anyone who believes that Husain Ibn Ali was motivated by worldly goals denies the truth of the Holy Qur'an. Allah Almighty has given evidence of Husain's purity in the Holy Qur'an. He says: "Allah desires only to keep away uncleanness from you, O people of the house! And to purify you with a thorough purifying." (33:33)

Most of your ulema, like Muslim, Tirmidhi Tha'labi, Sijistani, Abu Nu'aim Isfahani, Abu Bakr Shirazi, Suyuti, Hamwaini, Ahmad Bin Hanbal, Zamakhshari, Baidhawi, Ibn Athir, and others have held that this verse was revealed in praise of the holy five, the Ahle Bait (people of the House): Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain. This verse is the greatest proof for the infallibility and purity of these holy people. The greatest impurity is love for worldly power. There are many hadith from the Prophet and the Imams condemning aspiration for worldly power and the fulfillment of our carnal desires. The Prophet said, "Love and friendship with the world is the root of all evil." Abu Abdullah Husain had no love for worldly power. He certainly did not risk his life and the lives of his family in order to attain transitory rule in this world.

If Imam Husain's stand against Yazid were merely for worldly power, the Prophet would not have ordered people to help him. Your own ulema confirm this point. Sheikh Sulayman Balkhi Hanafi in his Yanabiu'l-Mawadda from the histories of Bukhari, Baghawi, and Ibnu's-Sikkin from Zakha'iru'l-Uqba of Imamu'l-Haram Shafi'i, and Sirat-e-Mulla narrate from Anas Bin Harith Bin Bayya, who said that he heard the Holy Prophet say: "Verily, my son Husain will be killed on the soil of Karbala. Every one of you who is present at that time must help him."

The report continues: "Anas Bin Harith reached Karbala and, in obedience to the command of the Prophet, was martyred along with Imam Husain." It follows, therefore, that at Karbala Imam Husain stood for the cause of truth and not for love of this world. Imam Husain's undertaking the journey with a small group, including his women and small children, is another indication that he left his home not for the purpose of gaining rule. If that had been his intention, he would have gone to Yemen, where he had widespread support. Yemen would have been the logical base for launching military operations. In fact his friends repeatedly encouraged him to go to Yemen, but they were not aware of his purpose. But Imam Husain knew that there was no means of attaining apparent success. His journey, begun with 84 people, including women and children, aimed at a basic good. The holy tree - la ilaha ill'allah (there is no god except Allah) - was grown by his grandfather, nourished with his blood and the blood of the martyrs of Badr, Uhud, and Hunain. The tree was entrusted to an excellent gardener, Ali Bin Abu Talib, who was held back by threats of murder and arson. The result was that the spring of Tawhid (oneness of Allah) and prophethood had taken on an autumnal change. Gradually the administration of the garden fell into the hands of the malicious Bani Umayya.

Since the caliphate of Uthman Bin Affan, the Bani Umayya controlled the administration of the empire. Abu Sufyan, old and blind, but his appetite for power as keen as ever, cried out to the Umayyad Court: "O Bani Umayya! Keep the caliphate in your own family. Paradise and hell are myths. O Bani Umayya! Take hold of the caliphate like a ball. I swear that by which I swear, that I always wished such rule for you. Take care of it so that your descendants may be its heirs."

These unbelievers ejected the rightful gardeners from the garden. The life-water was stopped and the holy tree shrivelled until the reign of Yazid, when it appeared to be destined to die. Imam Husain undertook the journey to Karbala to water the garden of Prophethood and to strengthen the holy tree of la ilaha ill'Allah. Some people ask why Imam Husain did not raise the flag of opposition in Medina. They do not understand that if he had remained in Medina, his objective would have remained unclear. Imam Husain went to Mecca in the month of Rajab and addressed thousands of people, telling them that Yazid was uprooting the tree of tawhid. He said that Yazid, who claimed to be the Caliph

of the Muslims, was destroying the foundation of Islam. Addicted to wine and gambling, Yazid amused himself with dogs and monkeys. Imam Husain considered the sacrifice of his life necessary for the preservation of Islam.

IMAM HUSAIN REFUSED ADVICE
TO ABANDON HIS MISSION

Imam Husain's friends and relatives tried to dissuade him from going to Kufa, saying that the Kufans who had asked him to come were notoriously unreliable. Many people flocked to the Bani Umayya and received money and political favors in return for their support. Therefore, according to many of his supporters, Imam Husain had no chance to subdue them. They asked him to abandon the journey. They urged him to go to Yemen where he had many followers, and where he could live in peace. But Husain could not explain the reality of his situation. However, he satisfied each of them with a brief reply. He told close companions and relatives, like his brother, Muhammad Bin Hanafiyya: "You are saying the correct thing. I also know that I shall not achieve any apparent domination, but I am not going for worldly conquest. I am going in order to be killed. I wish that through the strength of my suffering tyranny, I may root out the very foundation of oppression and cruelty. I saw my grandfather, the Prophet, in a dream telling me: 'Make a journey to Iraq. Allah Almighty wants to see you murdered.'"

Muhammad Bin Hanifiyya and Ibn Abbas said: "If this is so, why are you taking women with you?" He replied: "My grandfather said that Allah wants to see them captives. So, according to the command of the Holy Prophet, I am taking them with me." The captivity of the women would be the conclusive part of his martyrdom. They would demonstrate to the world the Umayyad cruelty to the Prophet's descendants. Bibi Zainab, the daughter of Ali and Fatima, made an eloquent protest in Yazid's crowded court, where hundreds of people, including the nobility, the great men of the Bani Umayya, and foreign ambassadors celebrated their victory. The fourth Imam, Zainu'l-Abidin Ali Ibn Husain, also made an eloquent appeal for justice from the pulpit of the Umayyad mosque, in Yazid's presence. After extolling the merits and attributes of Allah, Zainu'l-Abidin said: "O people! We, the descendants of Muhammad, have been endowed by Allah with six qualities and have been made superior to the whole creation by being granted seven virtues. We have been given knowledge, forbearance, valor, beautiful appearance, eloquence, bravery, and are loved by the believers. We are superior to every man in that the Prophet Muhammad is from us; the Siddiq Ali Bin Abu Talib is from us; Ja'far-e-Tayyar is from us; Hamza is from us, two grandsons of the Prophet, Hasan and Husain, are from us; and the Mahdi (the guided one) of this People (Imam-e-Hujjat Bin Hasan) is from us. One who does not know me should know about my family and family status; I am the son of the most exalted and virtuous Prophet of Allah, Muhammad Mustafa!"

Then from the same pulpit from which Mu'awiya and Yazid had cursed Ali, the Imam praised his illustrious grandfather, Ali, before Yazid and the chiefs of the Bani Umayyad. Many Syrians had never before heard Ali's qualities and virtues. The Imam said: "I am the son of the man who fought in the presence of the holy Prophet; who fought the infidels at Badr and Hunain; who never for a moment lost faith in Allah. I am the son of the most pious of the believers, the heir of the prophets, the slayer of the unbelievers, the ruler of the Muslims, the grace of the worshipers, the crown of those who weep in awe of Allah, the most patient of the patient, the best of the performers of prayer. I am the son of the man who was helped by Gabriel and Michael. I am the son of the man who was the protector of the honor of the Muslims and the slayer of the disbelievers. I am the son of the man who fought holy war against the enemy, who was the pride of the Quraish, the foremost of those who accepted the message of Allah and His Prophet, the first of those who embraced Islam, the tongue of the wisdom of Allah, the helper of the religion of Allah, the guardian of the commandments of Allah, the garden of Allah's wisdom, the repository of His knowledge. I am the son of the chief of the patient ones, the breaker of barriers, whose heart was more steadfast, whose resolution more firm, whose disposition more steady than anyone's. He was a fierce lion on the battlefield, who cut down the enemy with his sword and scattered them as a violent storm scatters straw. He was the bravest among the people of the Hijaz, the most valiant among the Iraqis, the purest Muslim, he who swore allegiance at Aqaba, the hero of Badr and Hunain, the courageous man on the occasion of allegiance under the tree, the unique sacrificer during the Holy Prophet's migration, the chief of the Arab world, the guardian of the Holy Ka'ba, the father of two grandsons of the Holy Prophet. These are the virtues of my grandfather, Ali Bin Abu Talib. I am also the son of Khadija-e-Kubra; I am the son of Fatima Zahra; I am the son of one who was murdered by a blow to the back of the neck; I am the son of one who left this world thirsty; I am the son of one who was deprived of water while water was allowed to the rest of creation. I am the son of one whose body was neither bathed nor shrouded; I am the son of one whose sacred head was raised on the point of the sword; I am the son of one whose women were affronted on the soil of Karbala and taken captive. I am the son of one whose women were brought to Syria as captives." Then the holy Imam wept with a loud cry, and continued: "I am.... I am...." that is, he went on narrating the virtues of his forefathers and the victimization of his holy father and the Ahle Bait. As a result of his address, people wept. After the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the first majlis (assembly for mourning) for the brutal sufferings of Imam Husain was held in this central mosque of the Umayyads. Imam Zainu'l-Abidin, after narrating Ali's virtues in the presence of the enemies, gave such a moving account of the sufferings of his revered father that agonized weeping rose from the Syrians in the presence of Yazid. He became frightened and left the mosque.

It was from this mosque, due to the Imam's address, that people rose against Yazid. Because of popular outcry, Yazid was forced to curse Ubaidullah Bin Marjana for his vicious deed. Eventually, the castle of the Bani Umayya's tyranny was destroyed. Today we do not find in all of Syria a single tomb of the Bani Umayya.

To return to your question, Imam Husain frequently foretold his martyrdom. He once spoke in Mecca, on Tarwia day (8th day of Dhu'l-Hijja, 60 A.H.), saying: "Death is attached to every member of the progeny of Adam as a necklace is attached to a young woman. I am as eager to meet my ancestors as Jacob was to meet Joseph. The place where I shall fall has already been selected for me, and I must go to that place. I see wild leopards killing me, tearing apart my body, between Nawawi's and Karbala."

Imam Husain knew that he would not reach Kufa, the capital of Syria. He knew that he would be killed by men who were like ferocious beasts, cutting his body to pieces. He undertook the journey for the purpose of martyrdom and not for political reasons. Along the way he told people of his impending death. He told his companions and relatives that one instance was sufficient to prove the worthlessness of this world. He said that after the beheading of the Prophet John, the head was presented to an adulteress. He said that his own head would soon be taken to the drunkard, Yazid.

Consider the matter for a moment. Hurr Bin Yazid Riyahi with a cavalry of 1,000 soldiers obstructed Husain's way. Kufa was only thirty miles away. Hur had been appointed by Ubaidullah Ibn Ziyad to detain Imam Husain. Hur would neither let him proceed to Kufa, nor leave his company without further orders. Why did the Imam surrender himself to Hur? If Husain had sought political power, he certainly would never have been stopped by Hur, who had not more than 1,000 soldiers. The Imam had 1,300 soldiers. Having defeated them, the Imam could have reached Kufa, where he had widespread support. From there, being reinforced, he could have confronted the enemy and gained domination. But he accepted Hur's order, stopped there in the desert surrounded by the enemy. After four days enemy reinforcements arrived there, and the Prophet's son was forced to endure cruel suffering.

The best evidence in support of my view is the Imam's address on the night before The Day of Ashura. Until that night 1,300 soldiers were ready to fight for him. Husain gathered the people together and told them: "Those who have come here for worldly gain should know that tomorrow whoever remains on this soil will be killed. The enemy is after me alone; I lift the binding force of allegiance from your necks. It is night, and you can depart in the darkness." Many accepted his proposal and departed. Only 42 people remained, 18 Bani Hashim and 24 companions. After midnight, 30 enemy soldiers moved toward the Imam's camp for a night attack, but when they heard Husain reciting the Holy Qur'an, they were filled with emotion and joined the Imam. These were the 72 people who sacrificed their lives on the Day of Ashura. Most of them were pious people, and many were reciters of the Holy Qur'an.

Husain's noble sacrifices are acknowledged today by friend and foe alike. Even those alien to our religion are impressed by his heroism. In the French Da'iratu'l-Ma'arif, there is a lengthy article entitled "Three Martyrs" written by a learned British woman. Her theme is that in all of history there have been three martyrs who, by sacrificing their lives, have been most influential in advancing the cause of truth. The first was Socrates, and the second was Jesus (the writer was a Christian). We Muslims, of course, believe that Jesus was not crucified. The Holy Qur'an clearly says: "And they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Jesus) and most surely those who differ therein are only in doubt about it. They have no knowledge concerning it, but only follow conjecture. They did not kill him for certain. Nay! Allah took him up to Himself." (4:157-158)

The third martyr she writes, was Husain, the grandson of Muhammad. She writes: "When we take stock of historical events and assess the circumstances under which these three persons offered their lives, we acknowledge that the sacrifices of Husain excelled those two. The fact was that Socrates and Christ offered only their own lives for sacrifice in the way of God, but Husain left his home for a distant desert land to be surrounded by the enemy. He and his entire family were martyred for the cause of truth. He sent his friends and relations to confront the enemy and to sacrifice their lives for the religion of Allah. This was in fact harder than giving up his own life."

The most glaring example of the tyranny suffered by Husain was the brutal murder of his six-month old son. He brought the baby in his hands asking for water for him (which was in abundance), but the ruthless enemy, instead of giving him water, killed the child with an arrow. The enemy's barbarism proves that Imam Husain was a victim of tyranny. His incredible forbearance completely ruined the power of the Bani Umayya and condemned them before the world. It was due to his, and his respected Ahle Bait's, sacrifices that the religion of Muhammad received new life.

Nawab SAHIB: We are really much indebted to you. We have been very impressed by your explanation of the facts concerning Imam Husain. Until now, we have followed other people and have been deprived of the blessings of ziarat (pilgrimage to the holy tomb of the Imam). We were told that to visit Imam Husain's shrine was bidat "innovation." Of course, what a good innovation it is, since it inspires man and helps him understand the truth about the descendants of the Prophet.

REAL MEANING OF BIDAT (INNOVATION))

Well-Wisher: The word "bidat," "innovation," has its origin in the sect of the Sunni ulema and of the Nasibis and Kharijis, who were confirmed enemies of Ali. They have called Ziarat "innovation" without considering the fact that bidat refers to something concerning the Prophet or his Ahle Bait, which has not been enjoined by Allah. However, concerning the question of visiting Husain's tomb, there are many hadith in the books of your own ulema. I confine myself to one famous hadith recorded in all books of maqatil and collections of hadith.

"One day the Prophet was in A'yesha's apartment when Husain came in. The Prophet took him in his arms, kissed him and smelt him. A'yesha asked: 'May my father's and mother's lives be sacrificed to you! How much you love Husain!' The Prophet said, 'Don't you know that this child is a part of my liver and my flower?' After that the Prophet began to weep. A'yesha asked the cause of his weeping. The Prophet replied that he kissed the places where the Bani Umayya would wound Husain. A'yesha asked if they would kill him. He said, 'Yes, he will be murdered. They will never have my support (in the hereafter). Blessed is he who goes on a pilgrimage to his tomb after his martyrdom.' A'yesha asked the Prophet what would be the reward for the pilgrim. The Prophet said, 'It will be equal to one Hajj of mine.' A'yesha said, 'One Hajj of yours!' He said, 'Nay, two,' When A'yesha again expressed astonishment, he said 'Nay, four Hajj.' The more astonished she became the higher was the reward, until at last he said, 'A'yesha! If a person goes on a pilgrimage to Husain's tomb, Allah will give him the reward equivalent to 90 Hajj and 90 Umra performed by me.' Then A'yesha fell silent."

Now I ask you, is such a pilgrimage an innovation?

EFFECTS OF VISITING SHRINES
OF THE HOLY IMAMS

There are other benefits to be gained from visiting the tombs of the Imams. The inner precincts of the shrine, called the haram, remain open for visitors day and night. The haram and the mosques near it are usually found packed to capacity with pilgrims and worshipers. Those accustomed to offering no more than the obligatory prayers often make special devotional efforts while visiting holy shrines. They invoke Allah sincerely and recite the Qur'an. Is such devotion an innovation?

Nawab: Of course we have no one to blame but ourselves if we have not examined these matters more closely. A few years ago I went to Baghdad to visit the tombs of Imam A'zam Abu Hanifa and Abdu'l-Qadir Jilani. One day I went to visit nearby Kazimain (the burial place of the seventh Imam, Musa Ibn Ja'far Al-Kazim and the ninth Imam, Muhammad Ibn Ali At-Taqi). When I returned, my companions were harsh in their criticism of me. I'm surprised that a visit to the tombs of Imam A'zam in Mu'azam, Sheikh Abdu'l-Qadir in Baghdad, of Khwaja Nizamu'd-Din in India, of Sheikh Akbar Muhyi'd-din Ibn Arabi in Egypt may be considered worth rewarding. Every year many people from among the Sunnis visit these places although the Prophet never recommended it. How can it be that a visit to the tomb of the great martyr, the grandson of the Prophet, which the Prophet recommended, be considered bidat? I firmly resolve that, Allah willing, I will go this year to visit the tomb of the beloved grandson of the Prophet, Husain. I will ask Allah to forgive me for my past faults.

Iqadeer,
Of course you will not read this because it will hurt your teeny tiny brain.

By Allah, your group is at the forefront of creating fitna, disunity, lies, and division in Islam. I have neither the time nor inclination to listen to any garbage against the pious sahaba who sacrificed their lives, wealth, families in the path of Allah and who loved Rasool Allah (sallalaho alaihe wasalam) more than any one can ever imagine. Hazrat Ali (radhi Allah anho) is one of the asharah-e-mubashirra and as such command respect and honor among moslems. Whatever the differences between sahaba, we hope that Allah will forgive whatever mistakes they may have made and we believe in their sincerety. The sahaba were only human and prone to err. However, it is not for us to label them as munafiqs or kafirs. As a sunni, it is my aqeedah to love and respect all of the sahaba and the ahle-bayt and not curse them in any fashion for it may cause Allah's wrath to descend on me. It is enough to say that Allah is the best Knower of intentions and on the Day of Judgements, He will decide what was wrong and right. And there is no need for you to bring any daleels from sunnis since I am well aware of the sunni position regarding the sahaba and am also aware of the verdict of the majority of the sunni scholars about your heretical and malicious sect. This thread was intended to celebrate the pious personality of a sunni imam and was not intended to be a shia/sunni argument. With these words I end my side of the discussion.

Your side of the discussion is pretty weak because you keep ignoring the fact about Imam Jaffar-us Saddaq(the great great great grandson of the Holy Prophet) who was only 12 years old when he said the earth revolved around the sun, according to a book written about him called the Superman of Islam, the book which was written in scientific prospects rather than spiritual by a 35 western scientists in a university southern France. Of course, sunnis don't know any ahle-bait because of their uneducated nature. We love Imam Ali more than you do because today is day he was slain on the 19th of Ramadan.

THE FOUR IMAMS HAVE DECLARED
EACH OTHER TO BE INFIDELS

It is, however, astonishing that, knowing that the progeny of the Prophet are superior to all others, the Sunnis follow Abu'l-Hasan Ash'ari in the fundamentals of Islam and the four Imams in the articles of practice of the faith. To follow such a course is due to fanaticism and arrogance. And even if we suppose what you say is true, that your four Imams are worthy of your allegiance because they were learned and pious, then why has each of them accused the other of infidelity?

Hafiz: You are very unkind. You say whatever comes to mind. You malign our Imams. This statement is a lie. If anything has been said against them, it is from the Shia ulema. From our side nothing has been said against them. We have shown them respect.

Well-Wisher: You apparently haven't read your ulema's books. Your own distinguished ulema have written books concerning their rejection. Even the four Imams have charged one another with violating divine laws.

Hafiz: Who are those ulema? What are their statements?

Well-Wisher: The companions of Abu Hanifa, Ibn Hajar (Ali Bin Ahmad Andalusi, who died in 456 A.H.), and others have always censured Imam Malik and Muhammad Bin Idris Shafi'i. Similarly, the companions of Imam Shafi'i, like Imamu'l- Haramain, Imam Ghazali and others have condemned Abu Hanifa and Malik. Let me ask you something: what sort of people were Imam Shafi'i, Abu Hamid Muhammad Bin Muhammad Ghazali, and Jarullah Zamakhshari?

Hafiz: They were great jurists, learned scholars, pious men, and our Imams.

THE SUNNI ULEMA'S CONDEMNATION
OF ABU HANIFA

Well-Wisher: Imam Shafi'i said: "There never was born a more damned person in Islam than Abu Hanifa." He also said: "I looked into the books of the companions of Abu Hanifa, and I found in them 130 pages containing matter in opposition to the Holy Qur'an and the Sunna."

Abu Hamid Ghazali in his book Manqul fi Ilmi'l-Usul says: "In fact Abu Hanifa distorted the religious code, made its way doubtful, changed its arrangement, and intermingled the laws in such a way that the code prescribed by the Holy Prophet was totally disfigured. One who does so deliberately and considers it lawful is an infidel. One who does it knowing it to be unlawful is a sinner." According to this great scholar, Abu Hanifa was either an infidel or a sinner. Many other books condemn Abu Hanifa. Jarullah Zamakhshari, the author of Tafsir-e-Kashshaf and one of your pious ulema, writes in Rabiu'l-Abrar that Yusuf Bin Asbat said: "Abu Hanifa rejected at least 400 hadith of the Prophet of Islam." Yusuf remarked that "Abu Hanifa said: 'Had the Prophet of Islam known me, he would have accepted many of my sayings.'"

Your own ulema have made similar criticisms of Abu Hanifa and the other three Imams. They can be found in Ghazali's Mutahawwal, Shafi'i's Nuqtu'sh-Sharifa, Zamakhshari's Rabiu'l-Abrar, and Ibn Jauzi's Muntazim. Imam Ghazali says in his Mutahawwal, "There are many mistakes in Abu Hanifa's work. He had no knowledge of etymology, grammar, or hadith." He also writes, "Since he had no knowledge of hadith, he relied on his own conjecture. The first being who acted on conjecture was Satan."

Ibn Jauzi writes in his Muntazim, "All the ulema are united in condemning Abu Hanifa. There are three categories of such critics: one group holds that his faith in the fundamentals of Islam was uncertain; another says that he lacked a strong memory and could not remember hadith; a third believes that he acted on conjecture and that his opinion was always at variance with the true hadith."

Your own ulema have criticized your Imams. The Shia ulema have not attributed anything to them except what your own ulema have said about them. On the other hand, there is no difference of opinion among the Shia ulema concerning the position of the twelve Imams. We regard the holy imams as the pupils of the same teaching. These Imams - all of them - acted according to divine laws which the last of the Prophets gave them. They never acted on conjecture or approved of innovations. What they said or did agreed with the sayings of the Prophet. Hence, there was no difference among them.

May Allah's wrath and curse fall upon the one of us who is lying or acting out of prejudice!!! I have numerous times stated that the sunnis love hazrat Ali (Radhi Allah anho) yet to claim to be his admirer does not necessitate rejection of other sahaba. The statements that you have given concerning the difference among the jurists are of dubious nature since they are coming from an extremist shia and your prejudice is well known. May Allah give you guidance to renounce your baatil aqeedah about the sahaba before you die, otherwise nothing but sorrow awaits you.

Without discussing the issues at hand, you sank to childlike name calling. This was the stupidest reply you have ever given. CONGRATULATIONS AND I SALUTE YOU FOR YOUR INCOMPETENT REPLY.

Assalam Allaikum,

You have the audacity to think I will discuss something of a religious nature with a shia whose perversity in distorting the true nature of Islam is known to one and all. You are dead wrong. As I have mentioned before, you or your khomenis have no credibility in the eyes of sunnis, and I being one will never accept your proofs and daleels unless you show that you are objective in your approach, which you can't since you have been fed this garbage from your childhood and now its nearly impossible for you to change. Yet, I pray that may Allah open your eyes to the truth before its too late.

Why are you talking about proofs when you have not even read them because they hurt your teeny tiny brain? These proofs I have given you come from your own ulema. You own *Imam Shafi'i said: "There never was born a more DAMNED person in Islam than Abu Hanifa." He also said: "I looked into the books of the companions of Abu Hanifa, and I found in them 130 pages containing matter in opposition to the Holy Qur'an and the Sunna." *

For people like 2pak i would avise you to stay away from this type of useless discussion. For all the sites you are quoting which apparently show the supposed weaknesses in sunni Islam there are ten which show the weaknesses of Shia belief. I don't get involved in this type of discussion as a rule as it creates division and distraction from the real problems today which are faced by both Shia and Sunni muslims, ie, the attack by those who don't believe in Islam period.

If you people want to waste your time on such stupid arguments then go ahead. See where it gets you...at least you will be supported by all hindus and jews in your efforts.

the problems that the Shias have are that Sunnis are uneducated and if they read thier own books they will find that they are not many differences between Shias and sunnis.

@ 2pak

Brother... all your texts are in useless if they do not Please ALLAH and not anyone else. Here is what I have found for you to read.

Shaikh Hulli reports from Abu-l-muhasin, who reports from Abu-l-buhtur: Abu Hanifa visited Abu Abdullah Jafar Sadiq. Upon seeing Abu Hanifa, Imam Jafar Sadiq said to him, "You will promulgate my father's Sunnat everywhere. You will show the right way to those who have lost their way. You will help those who are in peril. You will be a guide to salvation. May Allahu ta'ala help you!"

Almost all Shiite books unanimously narrate the following event: Abu Hanifa visited Abu Jafar Mensur, the time's Abbasid Khalifa. Isa bin Musa was there, too. Upon seeing Abu Hanifa, he said, "O Khalifa! This newcomer is the world's greatest scholar!" Mensur asked, "O Numan! Who did you learn knowledge from?" "I learned it from Ali through Ali's disciples and from Abbas through Abbas's disciples," was the answer. Upon this the Khalifa said, "The documents you have given are very tenable".

Another episode narrated in Shiite books reads as follows: Abu Hanifa was sitting in the Masjid al-Haram. There were many people around him, asking him a variety of questions, and he was answering them. He scattered the answers as easily as if they were all ready in his pocket. Suddenly, Imam-i-Abu Abdullah Jafar Sadiq came near him and stopped. As soon as Abu Hanifa saw the Imam he stood up, and said, "O the grandson of the Messenger of Allah! If I knew you were here I wouldn't even attempt what I am doing now." Hadrat Imam Jafar Sadiq's answer was, "Please sit down, o Aba Hanifa! Go on teaching Muslims what they do not know! Teach all people what you have learnt from my fathers." The two narrations given above are written in Ibni Hulli's explanatory book Tajrid.

Hope You have enjoyed reading the above text. Thank You