Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 12/125
Newsletter for January 2012
Article 1 - Article 2 - Article 3 - Article 4 - Article 5 - Article 6 - Article 7 - Article 8 - Article 9 - Article 10 - Article 11 - Article 12
Let's Bring Shias and Sunnis Closer!
In his recent Fatwa, Shaikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi points out, there
is much that Sunnis and most Shias share, and this must form the
basis for developing a genuine Islamic ecumenism.
By Yoginder Sikand
The Qatar-based Shaikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi is considered to be one
of the world's leading Islamic scholars. Author of numerous
books, he is known for his open-minded attitude One issue on
which the Shaikh has written extensively relates to relations
between different Islamic groups, sects and movements. He
decries extremist interpretations of the faith that readily
brand all other Muslims as infidels and outside the pale of
Islam.
Instead, he pleads for moderation and dialogue among Muslims,
seeing this as mandated by the Quran and the Prophetic example.
Relations between Shias and Sunnis have been strained for much
of Muslim history. Many Shias and Sunnis see each other as
apostates or even as 'enemies' of Islam. Given the vehement
opposition to the Shias among many, if not most, Sunni 'ulema,
Shaikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi's attitude towards Shias is
particularly remarkable. Two fatwas recently issued by him
relating to the Shias (accessible on the website
www.islam-online.net )
suggest his serious willingness to engage in genuine dialogue
with Shias and to tolerate differences, within broad limits,
among Muslims. The first of these fatwas deals with the issue of
inter-marriage between Shias and Sunnis. The Shaikh responds to
the question by explaining the conditions for an ideal marriage.
'Matrimonial life', he says, 'should be based on mutual
understanding between the spouses'. 'Heated arguments and
continuous debates', he says, would threaten to ruin the
marriage, leading to 'battle between the spouses'. One possible
cause of serious conflict between spouses could be, the Shaikh
says, if one of the partners, being a Sunni (here the Shaikh
does not identify the person as such) supports 'Abu Bakr' and
the other (presumably a Shia) 'defends Ali'. The Shaikh clearly
says that he does not regard such a marriage as forbidden (haram)
but, yet, he states, 'I don't prefer it'. This is because it
would inevitably lead to conflict and eventual marital
breakdown. He says that just as a Muslim man is allowed to marry
a Christian woman, he could also marry a Shia woman. Yet,
although he considers it legally permissible for a Sunni man to
marry a Shia woman, he argues that such a marriage is 'not the
ideal one'. However, he further qualifies his statement by
stressing that if the Shia woman is a 'moderate Shi'ite', prays
in the mosque along with Sunnis and 'does not support conflict
with the Sunnis', a Sunni man can marry her if he 'really wants
to'.
Interestingly, he adds in conclusion, 'It goes without saying
that the above fatwa is also applicable in case the man is a
Shi'ite and the woman is a Sunni'.
The Shaikh's second fatwa deals in greater detail with
Shia-Sunni relations, particularly addressing the question of
dialogue between the two groups. The fatwa, issued in March 2004
in reply to a question put to the Shaikh by a certain Husain
from Iraq, bears the revealing title, 'Overlooking Differences
Between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims'. In reply to the question,
the Shaikh begins by highlighting the importance that Islam
places on Muslim brotherhood. This, he suggests, points to the
urgent need for Shia-Sunni dialogue. He then lays down certain
broad rules for Sunnis to follow in dialoguing with Shias. The
most important rule, he says, is to 'concentrate on the points
of agreement', not on areas of difference. Of the former, the
most salient are those that deal with 'the fundamental issues of
religion'. On the other hand, he suggests, most of the points of
difference between Shias and Sunni have to do with 'minor'
issues, and hence must not be allowed to become an obstacle in
the process of dialogue.
He argues that both Shias as well as Sunnis share many
fundamental beliefs, such as faith in one God, in Prophet
Muhammad (Pbuh) as the 'Seal of the Prophets', in all the
heavenly scriptures and prophets, and in the Quran as God's
word. Shias as well as Sunnis agree in the matter of the 'five
pillars' of Islam-the testimony to the oneness of God and to
Prophet Muhammad as being God's messenger, the specified
prayers, zakat, haj and fasting in the month of Ramadan. He goes
so far as to argue that the differences between Shias and Sunnis
in the ways in which the 'five pillars' are understood are 'like
the scholarly difference in opinion among the Sunni schools
themselves, such as the Hanbali, Hanafi and Maliki schools'.
In his effort to bring Shias and Sunnis closer, the Shaikh
approvingly refers to the well-known Sunni scholar Imam Ash-Shawakani,
who, he writes, 'referred to eminent scholars of jurisprudence
among the Sunnis and Shi'ites on equal footing'. The Shaikh
maintains that in matters of jurisprudence, on issues concerning
both 'worship' and 'transactions', there is probably no 'crucial
difference' between Shias and Sunnis. The Shaikh is not
unmindful of the differences, on certain issues, between the
Sunnis and most Shias, although he considers them relatively
insignificant, at least compared to what they share in common.
In highlighting the commonalities between the two, he also
argues against a widely held view in some Sunni circles, of all
Shias as believing in certain doctrines that are not accepted by
the Sunnis.
Overall, then, the Shaikh's relatively open-minded approach to
the vexed issue of Shia-Sunni relations is in sharp contrast to
that of many conservative Sunni 'ulama, particularly the
so-called 'Wahhabi' scholars, who insist that the Shias are
heretics and are outside the fold of Islam. As the Shaikh sees
it , intra-Muslim rivalry, particularly between Shias and
Sunnis, only plays into the hands of forces that are inimical to
Muslims as a whole. 'All Muslims should be alert', he warns,
'against the schemes and plots planned by the enemies of Islam'.
'They...want us to disagree and fight each other...in the name
of belief', he says, and appeals to Shias and Sunnis 'not to
give them this chance'. The Shaikh's fatwas make it clear that
dialogue can only take off when both partners are willing to
recognise what they share in common. As the Shaikh points out,
there is much that Sunnis and most Shias share, and this must
form the basis for developing a genuine Islamic ecumenism.
(The writer can be reached at ysikand@islaminterfaith.org)
HOME - NEWSLETTERS - BOOKS - ARTICLES - CONTACT - FEEDBACK
DISCLAIMER:
All material published by Al-Huda.com / And the Message Continues is the sole responsibility of its author's).
The opinions and/or assertions contained therein do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of this site,
nor of Al-Huda and its officers.