The Shiite Apologetics
Prologue
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Those who are aware of the conditions prevailing on the world of Islam know well that the Islamic Ummah has nowadays transformed into ummahs, each having its own customs and conventions. Consequently, the direction of Muslims lives is determined by those who see their sovereignty and survival in aggravating discords, for which they variously invest making use of any possible means.
It goes without saying that there are differences, mostly theological, among the Islamic sects. The Islamic theologians, Mutakallimun, have established these differences, of which the generality of Muslims are unaware. In comparison with these differing issues, there are many more things in common. Those heading the disagreements emphasize a magnification of the differences and refuse to talk about the common points in the principles, usul, and subsidiaries, furu`.
In a gathering of the Approximation of the Islamic Sects. I was assigned to deliver a lecture about how the Islamic sects explain the personal status (of their followers), including marriage, divorce, inheritance. Much to the amazement of the participants, the article I presented to the conference showed that there is unanimity between the present four Sunni schools and Shiism in most of the above matters, an issue that was unbelievable to the participants before.
They (the Sunnis) are keeping aloof from realities, imagining the Shiites as a sect having been severed from other Islamic sects. Using their mass media, they talk day
and night against this history-long oppressed sect and do nothing other than serve the common enemy, all grist to the enemys mill. I advise this misinformed group that they have a closer contact with the Shiites and the Shiite scholars, for it will remove the veil of misinformation and introduce the Shiites as their full blood brothers they have been in search of for ages. And this is an actualization of the Quranic verse Surely this Islam is your religion, one religion (only), and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me. 21:92.
A chronic trick the colonial rule plays among the Islamic nations has been the instillation and propagation of doubtful issues, aiming at harming the glorious Islamic Revolution. This fraudulence has variously been in circulation in the Middle East and other areas for the last centuries.
Many pilgrims to the house of God whose minds have been confused by the enemies evil propagations against the Islamic Revolution, and who meet Iranian pilgrims during the Hajj ceremony, have raised questions for which they require answers.
To meet this requirement, Mr. Sayyid Reza Husayni, a highly esteemed scholar, has, under my supervision, collected a great number of the questions, often of religious and cultural type, in the present book. Our intention was to answer them as briefly as possible. Further elucidation and explanation should be left for another occasion.
We hope that this insignificant service will meet Imam Zamans acceptance, may our souls be sacrificed for him.
Qum, Houzeh Ilmiyyeh
Ja'far Sobhani,
1994
In the Name of God
For a long time we cherished the hope of translating a book that could explain the Shiite treasure of learning in a simple, non-technical language, when we came upon The Shiite Apologetics, which answers some of the fundamental questions in a fluent, sincere and unbiased language and in a manner that is in harmony with their primordial inclinations.
We hope that the present book that has made use of authentic hadith sources, would answer some of the accusations made against the Shiites, making it easy for readers to see things for themselves and judge the reality.
Sayyid Iraj Razzaghi
Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Reza Hashemi
Gholam Hasan Khavari
