The Zaidi Creed as a rational Godly belief system

308 Pages·2014·1.8 MB·English

The Zaidi Creed
Draft work
A compilation of key works explaining the Zaidi perspective on Belief in
God

Editor: Anwar Shaik

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Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 8
Summary of the Zaidi Islamic Worldview .................................................... 14
Translation of Al-‗Iqdu Ath-Thamīn fi Ma‘rifat Rabbil-‗Alamīn: (Tr. ―The
Precious Necklace Concerning Gnosis of the Lord of the Worlds) by Sayyid
Amir Al-Hussein bin Muhammad (Badruddīn) bin Ahmed bin Yahya bin
Yahya al-Yahyawi al-Hādawi al-Hasani al-Yemeni ......................................... 16
Translator‘s Introduction .............................................................................. 17
The Role of Prophets and Imaams (Leaders) ............................................ 18
Author‘s Biography .................................................................................. 19
The Content of the Book ........................................................................... 19
Translation of Al-‗Iqdu Ath-Thamīn fi Ma‘rifat Rabbil-‗Alamīn: ............... 23
Part 1: Divine Oneness (at-Tawhīd).............................................................. 24
The Proof that Allah Created the World ................................................... 24
Concerning Allah, the Exalted being Omnipotent .................................... 26
Concerning Allah, the Exalted being Omniscient ..................................... 26
Concerning Allah, the Exalted being Ever-Living .................................... 27
Concerning Allah, the Exalted being Pre-Existent ................................... 27
Concerning Allah, the Exalted Hearing and Seeing .................................. 28
Concerning Allah, the Exalted, Not Resembling Anything ...................... 28
Concerning the Verses of Description ...................................................... 30
Concerning Allah, the Exalted Being Independent ................................... 30
Concerning Allah Not Being Seen ............................................................ 31
Concerning Allah, the Exalted Being One ................................................ 32
Divine Justice (al-Adl) .............................................................................. 33
Concerning the Actions of the Slave Being From Them Only ................. 34
Concerning Allah Not Punishing Anyone Except for His Own Sin ......... 36
Concerning Allah Not Decreeing Except in Truth .................................... 37

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Concerning Allah Not Burdening One Beyond One‘s Capacity............... 38
Concerning Allah Not Committing Any Obscenities ............................... 38
Concerning Allah Not Doing What He Declares as Evil .......................... 39
Part 2: Hereafter and Prophethood ................................................................ 41
Concerning the Promise and Threat (al-Wa‘d wa al-Wa‘īd) .................... 41
Concerning the People of Major Sins ....................................................... 41
Concerning the Characteristics of the Believer and What is His Obligatory
Right .......................................................................................................... 43
Concerning the Characteristics of the Disbeliever (Kāfir) ........................ 43
Concerning the Characteristics of the Disobedient (Fāsiq) ....................... 44
Concerning the Difference between Allah‘s Actions and the Slave‘s
Actions ...................................................................................................... 45
Concerning the Necessity of Death and Annihilation ............................... 45
Concerning the Intercession ...................................................................... 47
Part 3: Prophethood ....................................................................................... 49
Concerning Knowing the Prophet: ............................................................ 49
Concerning Knowledge of the Qur‘ān ...................................................... 51
Part 4: Ima̅mate in Zaydism ......................................................................... 53
Ima̅mate..................................................................................................... 53
Concerning the Ima̅mate of al-Hassan and al-Hussein ............................. 57
Concerning the Ima̅mate after Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein ....................... 58
Regarding the proof of the traits of Ima̅mate that we mentioned: ............ 59
Concerning the Way of Knowing the Specifications of the Ima̅m ............ 61
Al-Jawāb ar-Rāqi `ala al-Masā‘il al-Irāqi (Answers to the Iraqi‘s Questions)
By Sayyid ‗Allāma Yahya bin al-Hussein al-Houthi ....................................... 64
Introduction ................................................................................................... 64
The First Issue: What is the difference between the Zaydi school and the
Twelvers? ...................................................................................................... 66

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Ima̅mate..................................................................................................... 66
Infallibility of the Ima̅ms .......................................................................... 86
Temporary Marriage (nikā muta‘) ............................................................ 87
Anal Intercourse with Women .................................................................. 92
The Feet in Ablution (wudu) ..................................................................... 93
The Second Issue: Regarding the issue of infallibility–Who is infallible? ... 94
Third Issue: When was the 12er school created? .......................................... 95
Fourth Issue: What is obligatory regarding the distribution of the fifth of
one‘s wealth (khums)? .................................................................................. 95
Fifth Issue: Is it permissible for women to visit the graves, can she do so
along with men? ............................................................................................ 97
Sixth Issue: Who are the People of the House? ............................................ 97
Seventh Issue: Is it permissible to visit graves, kiss (taqbīl) them, and
circumambulate them like the circumambulation of the Ka‘ba? What does
the visitor say? .............................................................................................. 97
Eighth Issue: What is intercession and what is its use? .............................. 101
Hadīth of the Two Weighty Things ............................................................ 109
Hadīth of the Ark ........................................................................................ 112
Hadīth of the Stars (an-Nujūm) ................................................................... 112
Verse of Affection ................................................................................... 114
Incident of the Cloak (al-Kisā).................................................................... 116
Hadīth of the Pond (al-Ghadīr) ................................................................... 119
‗Ali‘s Adjuration (munāshada) in the Courtyard (ar-Rahba) ...................... 122
Hadīth of Position (al-Manzila) .................................................................. 125
Hadīth of Love (al-Hubb) ........................................................................... 127
Ima̅m Zaid ibn Ali ibn al Husayn‘s Biography Compiled By Muhammad Yahya
Salem ‗Azzan Reviewed and Approved by Badrul Deen ibn Amir uddeen Al
Houthi ............................................................................................................. 135
Introduction ................................................................................................. 135

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Preface ........................................................................................................ 138
Pre-Birth ...................................................................................................... 139
Life-Stages and Personality Development .................................................. 142
Birth and Blooming of Ima̅m Zayd ......................................................... 142
The Environment and Circumstances Surrounding Ima̅m Zayd‘s
Development ........................................................................................... 144
Personality Features ................................................................................ 147
Devotion and Reverence ......................................................................... 147
His Courage ............................................................................................ 148
His Articulation and Eloquence .............................................................. 149
His Austerity and Self-Discipline ........................................................... 150
Sincerity and Altruism ............................................................................ 151
As a Scholar ............................................................................................ 152
Ima̅m Zayd: Kin and Fellow of the Quran .............................................. 153
Explaining the Qur‘anic Text .................................................................. 154
Ima̅m Zayd: Refined by the Sunnah ....................................................... 161
Ima̅m Zayd and Rationality..................................................................... 162
Ima̅m Zayd‘s Fiqh ................................................................................... 163
Ima̅m Zayd as Viewed by His Contemporaries ....................................... 165
Respect and Reverence ........................................................................... 166
Correcting Confused Concepts ............................................................... 171
Explaining the Meaning of Qadar (Predestination) ................................ 178
The Many and the Few............................................................................ 181
Consolidating the Ma‗ruf and Dismantling the Munkar ......................... 182
Cultural Revolution ..................................................................................... 184
Islamic Culture: Pro-Active and Re-Active ............................................ 184
Ima̅m Zayd and Cultural Correctness ..................................................... 187

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The Status of Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet‘s Household) ............................ 187
The Post Prophetic Khilafah ................................................................... 192
Leadership After al-Hasan and al-Husayn .............................................. 193
Words of Wisdom ................................................................................... 195
Ima̅m Zayd on Political Terrain .................................................................. 198
Reasons and Motivations ........................................................................ 198
The Start and the Constructive Phases .................................................... 201
Ima̅m Zayd in al-Sham ............................................................................ 204
Ima̅m Zayd and Hisham Face to Face ..................................................... 204
A Flagrant Plot ........................................................................................ 208
Ima̅m Zayd in Kufah ............................................................................... 209
Preparing for Armed Confrontation ........................................................ 210
The Legality of Opposition to Oppressors .............................................. 215
Persistent Objectives ............................................................................... 217
Armed Confrontation .................................................................................. 220
The Start of the Revolution ..................................................................... 220
The Battle Flow ....................................................................................... 221
Hoisting the Banner and Fulfilment of Deen .......................................... 222
Kufah Under Ima̅m Zayd‘s Control ........................................................ 223
The Tragic Infliction ............................................................................... 225
The Eternal Will ...................................................................................... 225
In the Aftermath of the Revolution ............................................................. 227
The Honourable Remains........................................................................ 227
Persecution of Ima̅m Zayd‘s Supporters ................................................. 229
The Consequence of Oppressors ............................................................. 231
Ima̅m Zayd: A Continuing Revolution ................................................... 232
Zayd‘s Legacy ............................................................................................. 234

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Some Names of Zayd‘s Companions and Narrators ............................... 234
His Books and Missives .......................................................................... 235
Closing ........................................................................................................ 237
References and Citations ............................................................................. 238
Further Questions, Answers & Contributions ............................................. 242
Zaidism: The Key to Muslim Unity? .......................................................... 242
A Zaidi Reply to Ahlus Sunnah .................................................................. 243
A Sunni View of Zaidism ........................................................................... 245
A Zaidi Reply to Ahlus Sunnah .................................................................. 247
Questions about Zaidi Ima̅mate answered .................................................. 248
Tarawih in Ramadan- A Zaidi Perspective ................................................. 253

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Introduction
All praises are due to Allah. I thank Him, seek His assistance and beg His
forgiveness. I bear witness that there is none worthy of workship except Allah,
and the Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. O Allah, salute and bless
Muhammad, his family and all those who accept their guidance from now to
eternity.
Monotheistic worshippers face two major challenges presently. On the one
hand, we are attacked from secular exponents, for denying science and
rationality. On, the other hand, we face internal discord amongst ourselves
about what religion really should be about. Monotheism finds itself divided
between several major religions, most well-known of those being Christianity,
Judaism and Islam. The division has however reached deeply within each of
these to produce various schisms. Within the house of Islam, certain major
philosophical and practical perspectives define the main divisions that exist.
Now we can approach the problem of division and discord, internal to religion
in three ways. Firstly, we can ignore it, and jealously stick to what we have
been taught by our parents. We can go further to scoff and scorn those who
differ with us. In fact, we can even bring whatever force we can muster to bear
on them, and hope for a victory of our belief system. In the end, we, as sincere
believers in our perspective can hope that we, as being God‘s true expression
of religion, will be victorious with His aid. If we ponder deeply about this
option, then we certainly see a great deal of acrimony and even bloodshed. In
fact, much of our human family‘s history over the past few thousand years is a
history of the God-fearing slaughtering the God-fearing. I can see no further
benefit in this path, and reject it.
There is a second way of dealing with the problem. That is to declare all
religions and schisms as evidence of the generally flawed nature of religion.
This way of dealing with the problem accepts that finding common grounds
will be elusive forever. Those who argue it say that the deistic world-view,
simply means accepting God, not religion. It is up to the individual to fashion
his own unique relationship with God. Confining God to the private, personal
sphere, means banishing God from the social sphere. It means, worshipping
God as individuals, while rejecting any social or collective submission to God.

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Thinking carefully about this, will make us realise that a conflict between the
private and the public spheres is created by this approach. Are we not also
detracting from the very definition of an almighty creator, by banishing Him
from the public sphere?
The third way of dealing with the problem of intra-religious discord is to
embark on the cumbersome process of analyzing the philosophies, practices
and creeds that define each religion and each schism. This is no small task.
Our biggest problem is arriving on a common set of criteria by which we will
evaluate each belief or practice. Is it impossible though? I believe not. There
are common, universal human values that I believe can be invoked for this
purpose. All we need to do is find some common ground on those values, and
we would have laid a good foundation for a process of evaluating all the
various religions and sects. This book is a small contribution along this path.
It is easy to become polemical when evaluating and contemplating competing
belief systems, when one is yourself located within one of those competing
systems. Plenty of polemic works have therefore seen the light of day over the
centuries. I hope that this will not be categorised with them, for the following
reasons. Firstly, I have never been beholden to any scholarly fraternity, and
write in the absence of any such pressure. Secondly, I have funded every effort
that I have made in generating my ideas from my own funds. I have therefore
experienced no pressure from a business or a government on my work.
Thirdly, I have not developed any ideas in conformance with my established
community thinking and practice. There are no enticements, or ―deals‖ that I
hope for upon completion of this work. I serve no established religious or
revolutionary cause in wrting these words. I serve only the cause of human
harmony and understanding, which I believe lies in approximating reality or
truth as closely as possible. That, I believe is what God expects from me, and
that is, why I believe I, as was you, and every human being, have been gifted
with the most powerful instrument in the universe, namely our rational minds.
I proceed with these then in mind…
It cannot be denied that a correct and authentic interpretation of Islam is hotly
contested now, as it has been throughout history. Some examples will illustrate
my point: Shortly after the death of the Prophet (S), the Ridda wars took place,
during which some northern tribes sought to interpret the collection of Zakah

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(obligatory 2.5% alms to the state) in a radically different way. The Caliph
Abu Bakr (R), declared them apostates, and waged a war on them. Several
years later, wars again raged between the Caliph and Imam, Ali bin Abu
Taalib, may Allah ennoble his face, and Muawiyah, the first Ummayad king.
Here the argument centered ostensibly around the meting out of justice to the
assassins of Ali‘s prececessor, Uthman. Imam Ali, as the legitimately elected
Caliph, declared Muawiyah a renegade and waged a bloody war in which many
thousands died. Notable about the Siffin war between Ali and Muawiyah was
the placing of Quranic pages on the spears of Muawiyah‘s troops, so as to
symbolize their commitment to the Quran. Both sides therefore invoked the
Quran, and claimed to represent authentic Islam.
Fast forward 1400 years to present times, and the strife within the house of
Islam remains as violent as ever. Countless acts of violence have taken place
during which mosques or other religious symbols have been destroyed
especially in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan. The source of the conflict? Mutual
claims of Sunni‘s and Shi‘ites to be in possession of an authentic interpretation
of Islam. Many television broadcasts are available on the internet, that display
this intense enmity. Some Saudi Sunni scholars have in recent years even
declared it a sacred duty to execute Shi‘ites as apostates. Twelver Shi‘ites in
turn regard Sunnism as a deficient version of Islam, invalidating any ritual
prayers performed behind a Sunni Muslim.
Apostacy has become a useful tool by some to deal with intra-Islamic religious
discord. The charge of apostacy is a blunt but effective instrument to stop any
opposing view. In the absence of a supreme political and military centre of
Islam globally, the scholars have found that the branding of apostacy, with its
resultant alienation and excommunication of the target subject can serve as a
useful deterrent. It is with great sincerety and a sense of duty that these scholars
often resort to declarations of apostacy, feeling that that they are through that,
defending the pristine authenticity of Islam. When a mufti such as Mufti Bin
Baaz of Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa of apostacy on the Hezbollah movement
during that the hight of that movement‘s war against Israel in 2006, it was not
necessarily because Saudi Arabia feels politically challenges by the Hezbollah-
Iran axis, but also because he (Ben Baaz) truly believes that his Salafist
Hambalist Sunni world view represents Islam in all its authenticity; that Imami

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