Essence of Shia Faith

600 Pages·2012·4.61 MB·English

by  Safi Hasan

Essence of
Shia Faith

By

SHEIKH ABU JAFFER MOHAMMED
BIN ALI BIN HUSSAIN BIN MUSA

known as

BABWAY AL QUMMI

Explanations of the Text by

AYATULLAH SHEIKH MUHAMMAD HUSSAIN
AL NAJAFI

English Translation by

DR. SAFI HASSAN

Maktaba Sibtain
296/9 B, Setellite Town, Sargodha
i
Presented by www.ziaraat.com
All Rights Reserved with the Publishers

Published in 2012 by
Maktaba Sibtain
296/9-B, Setellite Town,
Sargodha

Printed by
Syed Izhar-ul Hassan Rizvi
at Izharsons Printers
9-Rattigan Road,
Lahore
e-mail: [email protected]

Price: Pak Rs. 700.00
US $ 75.00

Can be had from
Mir Zamir
306-316 Cherry Wood Road,
Bordesleygreen, Birmingham,
B9 4UU, UK

Presented By: ShianeAli.com ii
Presented by www.ziaraat.com
The Author

Exact date of birth of Sheikh Suddooq is not known but the year of his
birth can be determined, because his father Ali bin Babway has
requested the 12th Imam through his emissary Hazrat Hussain bin
Rooh to appeal Allah to grant him with a son. Hazrat Hussain bin
Rooh passed his request to the Imam, who replied in writing that God
will grant him with a son in the near future, who will be of great benefit
to the people. After Imam‟s intercession Sheikh Suddooq came to this
world.

The time of Hussain bin Rooh‟s emissaryship started in 305
Hijrah, therefore Sheikh Suddooq‟s birth can be determined around
306 Hijrah. He was born in the city of Qum and his birth is considered
as being one of the miracles of the 12th Imam.

His initial education started under the patronage of his father,
Ali bin Babway Qummi, whose piety, God fearing and knowledge was
well known to the people. Hence a child who was born with the
intercession of Imam; his depth of knowledge and capabilities can be
easily imagined. Within 20 years of his life he memorised thousands of
tradition from the Prophet and his holy progeny with its complete
authentication and sources. At the age of 22 or 23, after the death of
his father he became the grand leader of Shias.

Though several Ulema (Scholars) traveled to Qum to meet the
Sheikh, but he himself journeyed to other parts of the Islamic world to
gain knowledge from other grand masters. He extracted Ahadith from
both Shia and Sunni sources and also removed many
misunderstandings that existed in their minds about the Shia school of
faith. This provided him with a golden opportunity to extend Shia
point of view among the other Islamic sects.

Though Abbasside‟s were no less cruel to the Shia faith, but
God has decided to spread his massage, therefore, in line with great
Imams, the rulers failed to suppress the massage of Sheikh Suddooq.
Presented By: ShianeAli.com iii
Presented by www.ziaraat.com
During this period the Abbasside‟s reign weakened in Egypt and other
African territories and as a result several independent dominions
evolved, which helped him spreading the massage of Ahlulbait within
those states.

Sheikh has spent his entire life in propagating the teaching of
Ahlulbait, and in this capacity he wrote several books on every aspect
of Shia faith. According to Sheikh Toosi he wrote around 300 books
but Sheikh Najashi counts his books around 200. His greatest
achievement is a remarkable book called Mun-la-Yazha-rul-faqeeh, which
provides guidance on Islamic law. His other great work is a book called
Al-Aaitiqadiah whose English translation and commentary is provided
for your reading.

Sheikh Suddooq died in 381 Hijrah and was buried in Tehran.
His grave was reopened in 1238 Hijrah and to the astonishment of the
people his body appeared to be freshly laid down, while his shroud was
completely worn out. May God send His blessing on his soul?

Presented By: ShianeAli.com iv
Presented by www.ziaraat.com
Ayatullah Mohammed Hussain Najafi

Grand Ayatollah Allama Shaikh Muhammad Hussain Najafi was the
first Athna Ashri Shi'a Aalim from Pakitan to be elevated to the status
of marjiyyat, and he is now the grand spiritual leader of South Asian
Shia Muslims, after the demise of Saiyyed Ali Naqi Naqvi of Lucknow.
At the present moment there are two Marjas of Pakistani descent, the
other Ayatollah Sheikh Basheer Hussain Najafi, who has chosen to
reside in Najaf, Iraq, while Sheikh Muhammad Hussain Najafi who
elected to live in Pakistan, is the only Marja on Pakistani soil, running
his Hawza (Religious Institute) in the city of Sargodha. He was included
in the list of "Five hundred most influential Muslims of 2010", along
with other 24 individuals selected from Pakistan. Muhammad Hussain
was born in Jahanian Shah; district Sargodha (Punjab, Pakistan), during
April 1932. He belongs to Dhakku branch of the Jat community. He
had two paternal uncles and both of them were Shia thinkers. Maulana
Imam Bakhsh was a religious teacher in Jahanian Shah, while Maulana
Sohrab Ali Khan was a reputed scholar of Uch Sharif. His father Rana
Tajuddin had the wish of making his son a great religious scholar.
However, he died in 1944 when Muhammad Hussain was only twelve
years old, after which the family members persuaded the widow that
Muhammad Hussain should look after the family business, but she
complied with the wish of her late husband and allowed her son to
continue with his education.
After secondary school education, he got admission in
Madrasah Muhammadia in Jalalpur Nankiana, Sargodha, where one of
his prominent teachers was Ayatollah Allama Hussain Bakhsh Jarra. In
1947, he initiated the study of Dars-i-Nizami under the tutalege of
Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir Naqvi in Jhang, and completed the study
Presented By: ShianeAli.com v
Presented by www.ziaraat.com
under the guidance of Ayatollah Syed Muhammad Yar Shah Naqvi
Najfi, the most prominent disciple of Allama Baqir Naqvi. In 1953, he
passed the examination of Maulavi Fazil from the University of Punjab,
and moved to Najaf in 1954 for higher education.
Before going to Najaf for higher religious education, he was
married to his maternal cousin in 1952. His teacher Allama Yar Shah
had links with ulema of Najaf, and he wanted Muhammad Hussain to
be married in a scholarly family of Najaf, but Muhammad Hussain
declined this proposal due to cultural differences. In 1954, his only son
Muhammad Sibtain was born. At the age of five, he got seriously ill and
died, as Muhammad Hussain did not have enough money for his
treatment. After Sibtain's death, Sheikh Najafi did not have children for
next eleven years. He married the daughter of Haji Muhammad Shafi
(Faisalabad) in 1970, and was blessed with three daughters from this
marriage. His first wife died in 1996.
In 1954, he moved to Hawza Ilmiye Najaf to finalize his
religious education. He attended the lectures of the following Marjas:
1. Grand Ayatollah Mohsin Al-Hakim for dars-e-kharij of Fiqh
2. Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Javad Tabrizi for dars-e-kharij
of Kifaya-tul-Usool
3. Grand Ayatollah Meerza Baqir Zanjani for dars-e-kharij
of Usool-e-Fiqh
4. Grand Ayatollah Bazurg Tehrani for Fehm-e-Hadees-o-Rajjal &
Kutb Shanasi
5. Grand Ayatollah Mahmood Shahroudi for dars-e-kharij of Fiqh
6. Grand Ayatollah Abdul Aala Sabzwari for dars-e-kharij of Fiqh
7. Grand Ayatollah Abul Qasim Rashti for Rasail-o-Makatib
8. Grand Ayatollah Abdul Hussain Amini (the writer of
famous Al-Ghadeer) for Ilm-e-Munazira
9. Grand Ayatollah Mulla Sadra for Satheeyat & Asfar
10. Grand Ayatollah Aqae Muhaqqiq for Darse Manzooma Sabzwari
11. Grand Ayatollah Aqae Fazel for Ilm-e-Kalam
12. Grand Ayatollah Abdul Karim Zanjani for Tanawwo dar Islami
Uloom-o-Funoon andIttehad-e-Islami

Presented By: ShianeAli.com vi
Presented by www.ziaraat.com
He wrote following books:
Faizan ur-Rahman fi Tafsir ul-Quran
It is a 10-volume comprehensive Tafsir of the Qur‟an.
Masail ush-Sharia (Translation of Wasael ush-Shia)
It is an Urdu translation of a great Shia book of Hadith
compiled by Shaikh Hur al-Aamili. Thirteen volumes out of twenty
have been published.
Kawakib-e-Muzayya (Translation of Al-Jawahar as-Sunnia
fil-Ahadees-al-Qudsia)
It is an Urdu translation & explanation of Shaikh al-Hur al-
Aamili's book on Hadithe Qudsi.
Ahsan ul-Fawaid fi Sharh al-Aqaid
It is a two volume Urdu translation & explanation of Sheikh
Saduq's famous Risala "Al-Aqa‟id". It contains all the Shia beliefs, and
their truthfulness in the light of the Qu‟ran and Hadith.
Usool ush-Sharia fi Aqaid ush-Shia
This book discusses the beliefs of Ghali's, Tafwizi's and
Shaykhi's denominations, who are propagating their thoughts under the
guise Shia Islam, and negates them in the light of Quran and Hadith.
Aitaqadat-e-Imamia
It is an Urdu translation & explanation of Allama Majlisi's
"Risala tul-Lailia".
Aqsam-e-Tauheed
Mukhtasir Aqaid ush-Shia
Qawaneen ush-Sharia fi Fiqh-e-Jafariya (Tawzih ul-
Masail)
It is a book of Fiqh in two volumes, covering all the aspects of
human life according to the Jafaria School of Jurisprudence, including
the modern human issues. The superiority of Jafari Jurisprudence over
Presented By: ShianeAli.com vii
Presented by www.ziaraat.com
other Islamic Schools of has been proved in the light
of Qu‟ran and Hadith.
Khulasa tul-Ahkam
It is an abridged version of Qawaneen ush-Sharia.
Hurmat-e-Ghina Aur Islam
This book discusses the prohibition of ghina in Islamic Sharia.
Hurmat-e-Reeshtarashi
This book discusses the prohibition of shaving beard in
Islamic Sharia.
Namaz-e-Juma Aur Islam It is a book proving that Juma
Prayers are wajib even during the occultation of the 12th Imam. It was
published by Syed Muhammad Dehlavi in Karachi.
Iqd ul-Juma'n (Translation of Mafatih al-Janan)
Ayatollah Najafi had translated Mafatih al-Janan during his stay
at Najaf, but did not publish it, as another translation of the same book
was available from Lahore. Grand Ayatollah Bazurg Tehrani has
mentioned it in his famous book "Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia" (A
list of Shia Books), and Grand Ayatollah Hussaini in his book
"Ziyarat".
Zaad-ul-Ibad li-youmil-Ma'ad
It is a collection of supplications from reliable Shia books.
Saadat-ud-Darain fi Maqtal al-Hussain
It is a comprehensive account of the Battle of Karbala that took
place in sixty one Hijra, and the tragic martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali.
Faiz ur-Rehman (Translation of Lu'lu wal Marjan)
Ayatollah Najafi translated Allama Noori's famous book Lu'lu
wal Marjan during his stay at Najaf, but did not publish it as another
translation "Jawahir ul-Bayan" was published from Sargodha. Grand
Ayatollah Bazurg Tehrani has mentioned it in his famous book "Az-
Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia", and mentioned in its foreward that its
treatment of the prohibition of ghina is indeed useful.
Presented By: ShianeAli.com viii
Presented by www.ziaraat.com
Shuhada-e-Khamsa kay Haalat-e-Zindagi
It contains biographies of the five Shia martyred scholars.
1. Shaheed-e-Awal Muhammad Jamal uddin Makki Amili
2. Shaheed-e-Sani Zain uddin Amili
3. Shaheed-e-Salis Qazi Nurullah Shustari
4. Shaheed-e-Rabey Mirza Muhammad Kamil Dehlavi
5. Shaheed-e-Khamis Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr
Isbat ul-Imamat
It is a book on the issue of Khilafat & Imamat, and establishes
that Imam Ali was the true successor of the Prophet. (Read online)
Grand Ayatollah Bazurg Tehrani has mentioned it in his famous book
"Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia".

Tahqeeqat ul-Fariqain fi Hadis as-Saqalain
It is a book presenting extensive research from both Shia &
Sunni sources of Hadith on the authenticity of Hadith‟e Saqalain.
Grand Ayatollah Bazurg Tehrani has mentioned it in his famous book
"Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia".
Tajalliat-e-Sadaqat fi Jawab Aftab-e-Hidayat
It is a book written in two volumes in response to an anti-Shia
book "Aftab-e-Hidayat" by Maulavi Karam Deen.
Tanzeeh ul-Imamia amma fi Risala Mazhab ush-Shia
It is the book in response to an anti-Shia risala "Mazhab ush-
Shia" by Pir Siyyalvi.
Khatm-e-Nabuwwat ber Khatmi Martabat
This book proves Khatme Nabuwwat (Prophethood has come
to an end after Muhammad.)
A'dab ul-Mufeed wal Mustafeed (Translation of Munia
tul-Murid)
Ayatollah Najafi translated Shaheed-e-Sani's famous
book Munia tul-Murid during his stay at Najaf, but did not publish it as
another translation by Mufti Inayat Ali Shah was published.
Presented By: ShianeAli.com ix
Presented by www.ziaraat.com
Grand Ayatollah Bazurg Tehrani has mentioned it in his famous book
"Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia".
Islah ul-Majalis wal-Mahafil
This book discusses the wrong customs associated
with majlis of Imam Hussain, and how to correct them.
Islah ur-Rusoom az-Zahira ba Kalam al-Itrat at-Tahira
It is a comprehensive book that discusses entire bid„ah's
(Improper innovations) and false customs in Islamic society, and how
to correct them.

Presented By: ShianeAli.com x
Presented by www.ziaraat.com