Shi'i Spirituality for the Twenty First Century

239 Pages·2020·5.827 MB·English

by  Rebecca Masterton

RReebbeeccccaa MMaasstteerrttoonn iiss aa lleeccttuurreerr iinn tthhee ffiieelldd ooff SShhi?‘ii
Studies, having taught at Birkbeck College, and
Islamic College, London. She has also worked as a
producer and presenter for a range of TV channels,
including Press TV and Ahlulbayt TV, covering a
range of social, political and spiritual issues. Her
published articles can be found on Academia.edu.
Currently she runs the Centre for Shi‘i and Cultural
Studies, an online educational facility.
When Islamic spirituality is mentioned, most people
assume that it is represented by Sufism. Sufism,
however, consists of a wide variety of philosophies
and practices, many derived from the teachings of
Prophet Muhammad through his progeny, the
Twelve Imams. The Twelve Imams are followed by
the majority of Shi‘i Muslims today, yet little is
known about the spiritual dimensions of Shi‘i Islam
outside of fairly closed circles.
This book comprises a collection of talks that reflect
upon the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, his
daughter Fatima, his granddaughter Zaynab, and the
Twelve Imams, and it considers how our lives may be
illuminated and our hearts strengthened in the
fraught atmosphere of an often toxic modern age.
£10.00/$12.00
ISBN 978-1-5262-0841-5
LIGEIT READING
9 781526 208415
www.light-reading.co.uk
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Shi‘i Spirituality
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Twenty-First Century
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Also by the author
Passing Through The Dream... (London: Light Reading, 2008)
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SHI‘1 SPIRITUALITY
FORTHE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Rebecca Masterton
A
44A
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First published 2020
© Copyright: Rebecca Masterton
© Cover image: Hasan Almasi
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
ISBN 978-1-5262-0841-5
Contents
Introduction 1
Lectures
1. Transforming Our Way of Being 4
2. In Search of a Deeper Islam: Entering the
Prophetic Path 12
3. The Return to Our Primordial Nature 20
4. The Ethics of Brotherhood in Islam according to
Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib 28
5. The Place for Islam in the Modern World 37
6. Being Muslim in a Secular Environment 45
7. Divine Justice 48
8. Mawlid: Celebrating the Birth of Prophet
Muhammad 60
9. Ghadir: Fulfilling the Sunna of Allah 66
10. The Heart of Walaya 74
11. Imamate as the Protecting Vessel of the Heart 81
12. The Ontological Imam 87
13. Zuhd in the Life of Imam ‘Ali 94
14. Humanity in Nahj al-Balagha 103
15. The Esoteric and Symbolic Significance of Fatima 116
16. Imam al-Husayn’s Stand against Materialism 124
17. Sayyeda Zaynab: Preserving a Gift of the Ahl
al-Bayt: Seeing the Inward Reality of Things 132
18. Conversations with Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq 138
19. Initiation and the Qualities of the Shi‘a 145
20. Following the Scholars in the Time of Occultation 151
Articles
A comparative exploration of the spiritual authority of the
aiuliya’in the Shi! and Sufi traditions with reference to the
works of the Dhahabi Order and Allamah Tabataba’i 161
Walaya as a Response to the Self-Other Dichotomy in
European Philosophy 200
Introduction
What is Shi‘i Islam?
Shi‘i Islam is called so after the word ‘shi‘a’, meaning ‘follower’,
referring to the followers of Prophet Muhammad’s cousin ‘Ali
after the former’s death. The Shi‘a have always been a minority.
Litde is known about their beliefs outside of scholarly circles and
the somewhat insular Shi‘i communities themselves. This
collection of lectures and articles aims to introduce something of
this tradition to wider circles. The lectures have been offered
directly to audiences that are concerned with applying Shi‘i Islamic
teachings in their lives, and using them to address many
contemporary issues. The articles go more deeply into theological
and philosophical issues.
Shi‘i Islam is inherendy esoteric. Many of its esoteric doctrines
have passed into Sunni Islam and become what is now known as
‘Sufism’. Shi‘i beliefs are based upon the Qur’an and prophetic
narrations. Shi‘i Islam holds that after Prophet Muhammad, there
were twelve Imams (imam means ‘leader’), the first of whom was
‘All, the second and third borne of the Prophet’s daughter, Fatima,
and the remaining nine inheriting the position from their
predecessor. One of Fatima’s names is ‘the confluence of the two
lights’, meaning the meeting point of prophethood and imamate.
Prophet Muhammad is believed to be the final prophet in a line of
prophets going back to Adam, but as God never leaves humanity
without guidance, He selects successors to inherit the prophetic
knowledge and to take care of die message, explaining its inner
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meaning to diose that have the capacity to understand. Prophet
Muhammad himself is also said to have been both a prophet and
an imam, in die same way that Prophet Abraham was (which is
mentioned in the Qur’an). The Imams, while not being prophets,
are more than mere administrators. They are said to be able to speak
every language; to read the minds of people and know what
questions they are going to ask before doing so; to be able to be in
more dian one location at once; to know how and when their
companions are doing to die; to intercede with God for the faidiful
Slii‘a and assist them. The Shi‘i tradition is replete with accounts of
how someone asked for the assistance and intercession of an Imam
and the}7 would be healed, or their problem would be solved. Even
today, people report many such events.
Shi‘i Islam upholds the use of the intellect. The intellect is
central to the path. It is seen to have both a rational and an
intuitive aspect and both need to work together. The Imams
themselves were scientists and Shi‘i Islam encourages being
scientific and engaging in inquiry. There is no such statement as
‘Because God said so’. The early collections of narrations, going
back to the time of Prophet Muhammad, show that he, his
daughter Fatima and all the Imams, were eager to discuss and
explain, and to answer questions. Engaging in much prayer and
fasting is considered to have litde use if the person does not
understand what they are doing and why.
The teachings of Prophet Muhammad, as narrated by his
descendants, encourage an attitude of worldly detachment,
modesty, humility, brotherhood and charity. The struggle with the
self is of prime importance: reflecting upon one’s own soul and
correcting oneself. The ‘Fourteen Infallibles’ (the Prophet, his
daughter Fatima and the twelve Imams) are considered as
manifestations of the Names of God. They are the Great Signs of
God. Therefore, attaining cognisance of the essence of the
2 Shi'i Spirituality for the Twenty-First Century