al-Muraja'at: A Shi'i-Sunni Dialogue

al-Muraja'at
English * * * * * * * A Shi'i-Sunni Dialogue * * * * * * * Arabic
Between
Sayed Abdul-Husein Sharaful-Dein
a Shi'i Scholar from Lenbanon
and
Shaikh Salim al-Bishri
a Sunni Scholar from Egypt, the head of al-Azhar (1909-1916)

Sayed Abdul-Husein Sharaful-Dein Shaikh Salim al-Bishri

Author's Biography
Introduction and Foreword
Letter 1
1. Greeting the Debater,
2. Asking Permission to Debate.
Letter 2
1. Greetings Reciprocated,
2. Permission to Debate Granted.
Letter 3
1. Why do Shi`as not Uphold the Majority's Sects?
2. The Need for Unity,
3. Unity Achieved Only by Adhering to the Majority's Sects.
Letter 4
1. Juristic Proofs Mandate Adherence to the Sect of Ahlul-Bayt,
2. There is No Proof for Mandating Adherence to the Majority's Sects,
3. Generations of The First Three Centuries Never Knew Those Sects,
4. Possibility of Ijtihad,
5. Unity can be Achieved by Respecting Ahl alBayt's Sect.
Letter 5
1. Admitting Our Argument,
2. Asking for Detailed Proofs.
Letter 6
1. References to Proofs Mandating Following the `Itra,
2. The Commander of the Faithful Invites to Ahlul-Bayt's Sect,
3. Relevant Statement of Imam Zainul-`Abidin.
Letter 7
1. Requesting Proofs from Statements by Allah and His Messenger,
2. Proofs from Ahl alBayt are Circumventive.
Letter 8
1. Overlooking Our Previous Statements,
2. Error in Necessity of (Logical) Cycle,
3. Hadith of the Two Weighty Things,
4. Its Tawatur,
5. Non-Adherents to the `Itra Shall Stray,
6. Their Similitude to the ark of Noah, the Gate of Salvation, and the Security Against Religious Dissensions,
7. What is Meant by "Ahl alBayt" in this Regard,
8. Reasons for Similitude to Noah's Ark and the Gate of Salvation.
Letter 9
Requesting More Relevant Texts
Letter 10
A Glimpse of Sufficient Texts
Letter 11
1. Admiring Our Clear Texts,
2. Wondering at Compromising Them With the Majority's Beliefs,
3. Asking for Clear Signs from the Book. A Glimpse of Sufficient Texts
Letter 12
Qur'anic Proofs
Letter 13
Argument Regarding These Traditions Weak
Letter 14
1. Fallacy of Opponent's Argument,
2. Opponents do not Know Shi`as,
3. Distinction of Emphasizing Illegality of Falsifying Hadith.
Letter 15
1. A Flash of the Truth,
2. Requesting Details on Sunnis Relying on Shi`a Authorities.
Letter 16
A Hundred Shi`a Authorities Relied upon by Sunnis
Letter 17
1. Appreciating the debater's sentiments,
2. Admitting There is no Objection if Ahlel-Sunnah Rely on Shi`a Authorities,
3. His belief in the Miracles of Ahl al-Bayt,
4. Dilemma at Compromising the Above with what Ahl Al-Qibla do.
Letter 18
1. Sentiments Reciprocated,
2. Debater's Error in Generalizing Regarding Ahl al-Qibla,
3. The Nation's Politicians are the Ones Who Turned Away from Ahl al-Bayt,
4. The Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (without any argument) are not Inferior to others,
5. Which Fair Court Judges Calling Their Followers "Strayers"?
Letter 19
1. No Fair Arbitrator Would Call Followers of Ahl al-Bayt Strayers,
2. Following Their Sects is Carrying out the Responsibility,
3. It Could be Said that They Have the Priority to Lead,
4. Requesting Texts Relevant to the Khilafate.
Letter 20
1. A General Reference to the Texts,
2. A Reference to the House on the Day of Warning,
3. Sunni Reporters of this Hadith.
Letter 21
Raising Doubts about the Hadith's Authenticity
Letter 22
1. Proving the Text's Authenticity,
2. Why the Shaykhs Have Not Reported it,
3. Whoever Knows These Shaykhs Knows Why.
Letter 23
1. Convinced of the Authenticity of this Hadith,
2. Unreliability Based on Non-Sequential Narration,
3. Its Reference to Restricted Succession,
4. Its Rebuttal.
Letter 24
1. Why Relying on this Hadith,
2. Restricted Succession is Unanimously Rejected,
3. Revocation is Impossible.
Letter 25
1. His Belief in the Text,
2. Requesting More Texts.
Letter 26
1. Clear Texts Recounting Ten of `Ali's Exclusive Merits,
2. Why Rely Upon it.
Letter 27
Raising Doubts About the Status Hadith
Letter 28
1. The Status Hadith Stands on Most Solid Grounds,
2. Binding Proofs,
3. Its Sunni Narrators,
4. Why al-Amidi Suspects It.
Letter 29
1. Believing in Our Arguments Regarding the Hadith's Sanad,
2. Doubting its General Application,
3. Doubting its being Binding.
Letter 30
1. Arabs Regard it General,
2. Disproving Claim of Restriction,
3. Disproving its Non-Binding Application
Letter 31
Requesting Sources of this Hadith
Letter 32
1. Among Its Sources: the Prophet's Visit to Umm Salim,
2. The Case of Hamzah's Daughter,
3. Leaning on `Ali,
4. The First Fraternity,
5. The Second Fraternity,
6. Closing the Doors,
7. The Prophet Comparing `Ali and Aaron to the Two Stars
Letter 33
When was `Ali and Aaron Described as the Two Stars?
Letter 34
1. The Occasion of Shabar, Shubayr, and Mushbir,
2. The Occasion of Fraternity,
3. The Occasion of Closing the Doors.
Letter 35
Requesting Other Texts
Letter 36
1. Hadith by Ibn `Abbas,
2. `Umran's Hadith,
3. Buraydah's Hadith,
4. Hadith Recounting Ten Exclusive Attributes [of `Ali],
5. `Ali's Hadith,
6. Wahab's Hadith,
7. Ibn Abu `Asim's Hadith.
Letter 37
"Wali" is a Linguistic Denominator; so, Where is the Text?
Letter 38
1. Explaining the Implications of "Wali"
2. Proving its Connotation
Letter 39
Requesting the Wilayat Verse
Letter 40
1. The Verse of Wilayat and its Revelation in `Ali's Honour,
2. Why it was Revealed,
3. Why Using it as a Testimonial.
Letter 41
"Mumins" is Plural; Why Apply it to the Singular?
Letter 42
1. Arabs Address the Singular Using the Plural Form,
2. Testimonials,
3. Quoting Imam al-Tibrisi,
4. Quoting al-Zamakhshari,
5. What I have Stated.
Letter 43
Context Denotes "the Loved one," or the Like.
Letter 44
1. Context is not Indicative of "Supporter," or the Like,
2. Context does not Outweigh the Proofs.
Letter 45
Resorting to Interpretation, Following in the
Footsteps of the Predecessors, is Unavoidable.
Letter 46
1. Believing in the Ancestors does not Require Interpretation
2. Interpretation is Impossible
Letter 47
Requesting Testimonial Traditions
Letter 48
Forty Ahadith Supporting the Texts
Letter 49
1. Admitting `Ali's Merits,
2. Such Merits do not Necessitate his Caliphate.
Letter 50
Why Interpret Texts on His Behalf as Indicative of His Imamate
Letter 51
Rebutting the Arguments Through Similar Ones
Letter 52
Rejecting the Rebuttal's Premises
Letter 53
Requesting the Hadith Pertaining to the Ghadir Incident
Letter 54
Glitters of Ahadith Relevant to the Ghadir Incident
Letter 55
Why Use it as a Testimonial if not Transmitted Consecutively?
Letter 56
1. Natural Laws Necessitate the Consecutive Reporting of Hadith al-Ghadir
2. The Almighty's Benevolence
3. Concern of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)
4. Concern of the Commander of the Faithful
5. al-Husain's Concern
6. Concern of the Nine Imams
7. Shi`as' Concern
Letter 57
1. Interpreting Hadith alGhadir
2. The Link
Letter 58
1. Hadith alGhadir Cannot be Interpreted,
2. Pretext for its Interpretation is Speculative and Misleading.
Letter 59
1. Truth Manifests,
2. Evasion.
Letter 60
Evasion Refuted
Letter 61
Requesting Texts Narrated by Shi`a Sources
Letter 62
Forty Ahadith
Letter 63
1. Shi`a Texts Rejected as Testimonials,
2. Why Have Others Refrained from Quoting Them?
2. Why Have Others Refrained from Quoting Them?
3. Asking for More Texts.
Letter 64
1. Above Texts were Quoted upon Request,
2. Sahihs are Proofs against the Majority,
3. Not Quoted Because of Their Existence in Our Own Sahihs.
Letter 65
Requesting the Ahadith Relevant to the Inheritance
Letter 66
`Ali is the Prophet's Heir
Letter 67
Where is the Prophet's Will?
Letter 68
The Will's Texts
Letter 69
Argument of the Will's Deniers
Letter 70
1. The Will Cannot be Repudiated,
2. Why Denied,
3. Deniers' Arguments not Binding,
4. Reason and Intellect Require it.
Letter 71
Why Reject the Hadith of the Mother of Believers and the best Among the Prophet's Consorts?
Letter 72
1. She Was Not the Best of the Prophet's Consorts,
2. The Best is Khadija,
3. A General Hint to the Reason Why her Hadith was Discarded.
Letter 73
Requesting an Explanation to our Rejection of `Ayesha's Hadith
Letter 74
1. Explaining Why We Reject her Hadith,
2. Reason Confirms the Will,
3. Her Claim that the Prophet Died on Her Chest is Refuted.
Letter 75
1. Mother of the Believers is not Ruled by Emotions,
2. The Pleasant and the Ugly are Denied by Reason,
3. Why Oppose the Claim of the Mother of Believers?
Letter 76
1. Her Yielding to Sentiment,
2. Rationale Regarding the Pleasant and the Unpleasant,
3. Rejecting the Claim of the Mother of Believers,
4. Preference of Umm Salamah's Hadith over Hers.
Letter 77
Why Prefer Umm Salamah's Hadith to `Ayesha's?
Letter 78
More Reasons for Preferring Umm Salamah's Hadith
Letter 79
Consensus Endorses al-Siddiq's Caliphate
Letter 80
No Consensus
Letter 81
Consensus Concluded When Dispute Dissipated.
Letter 82
Consensus Was Not Concluded; Dissension Did Not Dissipate
Letter 83
Can You Compromise the Text's Accuracy With the Companions' Truthfulness?
Letter 84
1. Compromising the Text's Accuracy With Their Truthfulness,
2. Rationalizing the Imam's Reluctance to Demand his Right.
Letter 85
Requesting Narration of Incidents Wherein They Did Not Follow the Texts of Hadith
Letter 86
1. Thursday's Calamity,
2. The Reason Why the Prophet Repealed His Order Then.
Letter 87
Justifying and Discussing the Calamity
Letter 88
Pretexts Refuted
Letter 89
1. Admitting the Falsehood of Such Pretexts,
2. Requesting Narration of Other Incidents.
Letter 90
Usamah's Regiment
Letter 91
1. Justifying Their Behaviour Towards Usamah's Regiment,
2. No Hadith Curses its Draft Dodgers.
Letter 92
1. Their Pretexts do not Contradict our Statement,
2. Al-Shahristani's Hadith is Documented.
Letter 93
Requesting Narration of Other Incidents
Letter 94
His Order (s) to Kill the Renegade
Letter 95
Justifying not Killing the Renegade
Letter 96
Justification Rejected
Letter 97
Requesting Narration of all Such Incidents
Letter 98
1. Glittering Proofs,
2. Reference to Other Incidents.
Letter 99
1. Their Preference of the Common Interest in Those Instances,
2. Requesting the Rest.
Letter 100
1. The Debater Digresses from the Subject-Matter,
2. Responding to His Request.
Letter 101
Why didn't the Imam Cite the Ahadith of Caliphate and Wisayat on the Saqifa Day?
Letter 102
1. Why the Imam Abstained on the Saqifa Day from Citing Such Texts,
2. Reference to his and his Followers' Arguments Despite Obstacles.
Letter 103
Looking for His and His Followers' Arguments
Letter 104
1. A Few Incidents When the Imam Argued,
2. The Argument of al-Zahra.
Letter 105
Requesting Narration of Other Such Incidents
Letter 106
1. Ibn `Abbas's Argument,
2. Arguments of al-Hasan and al-Husayn,
3. Arguments of Prominant Shi`ah Sahabah,
4. Reference to their Applying the Will as an Argument.
Letter 107
When did they Mention the Will?
Letter 108
The Recommendation as Evidence
Letter 109
Why do Some Fanatics Question the Derivation of the Shi`a School of Muslim Law from the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt?
Letter 110
1. Shi`ah Faith is Sequentially Derived from the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt,
2. Advancement of Shi`ahs in Recording Knowledge During the Sahabah's Epoch,
3. Their Authors Contemporary to the Tabi`in, and the Latter's Followers.
Letter 111
Conviction
Letter 112
Appreciation
Glossary

Index