Shia-Sunni debate under the microscope of Qur'an

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Salam , all . This thread is created to bring and discuss any differences and arguments between the Shia and the Sunni and the best possible solution from the book of All-knowing GOD , Qur'an . This thread is open for anybody who likes to see these two major sects in Islam to be united as a single body . As DIR rule , no argument but only discussion is allowed . If somehow the debate becomes essential , please open a new thread under the suitable section in RF and invite everybody to take up the issue there .

As we will use the Furqan , Qur'an to determine the solution for the differences between Shia and Sunni , it may can go in favor of anybody or can may defy both them . In a word no partiality is going to be adopted here .

But the most important thing , after all , is to keep your trust in the book of GOD , the Almighty :

[017:009] Verily this Quran doth guide to that which is most right (or stable), and giveth the Glad Tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward;

[006:019] Say: "What thing is most weighty in evidence?" Say: "God is witness between me and you; This Quran hath been revealed to me by inspiration, that I may warn you and all whom it reaches. Can ye possibly bear witness that besides God there is another God?" Say: "Nay! I cannot bear witness!" Say: "But in truth He is the one God, and I truly am innocent of (your blasphemy of) joining others with Him."

May ALLAH , the Almighty , accept our efforts to bring back unity in Muslim Ummah , Amen .

 

[Union]

Re. : The successor of Prophet Muhammad .
Shia : Prophet's cousin Ali and his family.
Sunni : Prophet's companion Abu Bakar/Omar/Uthman etc. .

Analysis from the Qur'an ​

In the Quran ALLAH , the Might and Magnificence belong to HIM only , has cited so many names of human beings in a praiseworthy manner . They were Prophets , relatives to prophets , their companions and sometimes other than those category . ALLAH , the Most High has chosen them and mentioned their incidents repeatedly for the lessons of the Muslims . It will be an addition of space for citing their names one by one because from the very boyhood we use to know them in our Islamic story books . But here we will focus on Musa (as) , his brother Harun (as) and his companion Talut (as) for a special interest . ALLAH (swt) mentioned them by their names and also described their respective incidents in the Quran .

ALLAH (swt) says about Moses (as) ;

[19:51-52] Mention in the scripture Moses. He was devoted, and he was a messenger prophet. We called him from the right side of Mount Sinai. We brought him close, to confer with him.

[7:144] He said, "O Moses, I have chosen you, out of all the people, with My messages and by speaking to you. Therefore, take what I have given you and be appreciative."

Then ALLAH (swt) renders high speeches about the brother and helper of Prophet Moses (as), named Harun (as) :

[19:53] And we granted him, out of our mercy, his brother Aaron as a prophet.

[25:35] We have given Moses the scripture, and appointed his brother Aaron to be his assistant.

[37:114] We also blessed Moses and Aaron.
[37:115] We delivered them and their people from the great disaster.
[37:116] We supported them, until they became the winners.
[37:117] We gave both of them the profound scripture.
[37:118] We guided them in the right path.
[37:119] We preserved their history for subsequent generations.
[37:120] Peace be upon Moses and Aaron.

ALLAH (swt) has chosen Moses and harun (as) to that much extent that HE honored them by sending Salam [37:120] upon them and preserved their history in HIS final Testament . ALLAH (swt) describes them repeatedly in the pages of the Quran to uphold the grave guidance that we can find from their great personalities.

Talut (Saul) was the companion of Moses (as) and was a great commander. He was chosen by ALLAH (swt) to be the successor of Moses (as) for the children of Israel . ALLAH (swt) describes him and praised him in the following verses :

[2:247] Their prophet said to them, "GOD has appointed Taloot (Saul) to be your king." They said, "How can he have kingship over us when we are more worthy of kingship than he; he is not even rich?" He said, "GOD has chosen him over you, and has blessed him with an abundance in knowledge and in body." GOD grants His kingship to whomever He wills. GOD is Bounteous, Omniscient.

[2:248] Their prophet said to them, "The sign of his kingship is that the Ark of the Covenant will be restored to you, bringing assurances from your Lord, and relics left by the people of Moses and the people of Aaron. It will be carried by the angels. This should be a convincing sign for you, if you are really believers."

[2:249] When Taloot (Saul) took command of the troops, he said, "GOD is putting you to the test by means of a stream. Anyone who drinks from it does not belong with me - only those who do not taste it belong with me - unless it is just a single sip." They drank from it, except a few of them. When he crossed it with those who believed, they said, "Now we lack the strength to face Goliath and his troops." Those who were conscious of meeting GOD said, "Many a small army defeated a large army by GOD's leave. GOD is with those who steadfastly persevere."

Now, lets turn our attention to the people of our generation , i.e., from the Ummah of last Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) . So far only three persons’ names from the Ummate Muhammadi can be found in the Quran . They are our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) , Zayd , Prophet’s adopted son [33:37] and Abee Lahab , the enemy of Prophet [111:1-5] . Zayd was mentioned in connection with the law of marriage and Abee Lahab was cursed in those verses for his extreme enmity with the Prophet (p) . The blessed name of our Prophet appeared 04 times in the Quran and in numerous verses directly or indirectly ALLAH (swt) praised of him and described so many important issues related with him .

An analogy can easily be established between Moses (as) and Muhammad (p) on the issue of their contemporaries and successors. Aaron (as) , the brother of Moses (as) was cited by name and was given the honor of Prophet hood and the status of helper to Moses (as) by ALLAH , the Almighty HIMSELF . On the other hand no names from the last Prophet’s family were mentioned in the Quran as his helper or successor. If ALLAH , the Omnipotent could have realized the importance to mention the name of Ali (May ALLAH be pleased with him ) as Muhammad’s (p) Wazir , HE , the Exalted must had done so as HE , the High did in case of Moses (as) and Aaron (as) . Again as we can see that ALLAH , the Omniscient mentioned Talut by his name and honored and chosen him to be the king and ruler of the children of Israel from Moses’ (as) companions , if ALLAH , the Most Knowledgeable could have thought it necessary to mention Abu Bakar or Umar (May ALLAH be pleased with them) from Muhammad’s (p) companions to be the next Khalifa after the Prophet (as) , HE must have mentioned it in the Quran . Rather we can see that ALLAH , the Majestic completely overlook this type of personification for this last nation and generalized this Khilafat or Imamat for the HIS Muttaqi worshipers [24:55] . One thing again we should remind our readers about the accurateness of the Quran that ALLAH , the Most High mentioned details whatever needed to be a Muttaqi in the Quran , as it is the guide for the Muttaqi [2:2] . To cross the limit over whatever ALLAH , the Most Merciful prescribed in the Quran will be nothing but challenging ALLAH’s (swt) wisdom .

Conclusion : According to Qur'an there is no specific person was assigned as the successor of Prophet Muhammad nor any group or family was chosen . Any qualified person as per the guideline of GOD in Qur'an can lead the nation as a leader .

 

[Union]

Re. : Ahle-Bayt (House-hold) of Prophet Muhammad .
Shia : Ali and his family . Wives of Prophet were excluded .
Sunni : Ali and his family . Wives of Prophet were included .

Analysis from the Qur'an​

The family members of Prophet Muhammad are known among Shia and Suni as 'Ahle-Bayt' or 'Al-Qaraba' Who are the real Ahle-Bayt of the Prophet, is an ever disputed issue among these two sects of Islam . According to Shia the wives of the Prophet are not the Ahle Bayt of Prophet while Sunni staunchly affirmed them to be his family members .

Whatsoever , in this thread we will put this issue under the microscope of the Qur'an and we will try to find out the members of Prophet's family InshALLAH . There will be no favoritism in this finding as Qur'an will speak itself

At the very beginning , we like to mention the following verse which depicted the family circle of any Prophet in general .

[013:038] We did send apostles before thee, and appointed for them wives and children: and it was never the part of an apostle to bring a sign except as God permitted (or commanded). For each period is a Book (revealed).

This verse simply portrait that though messengers were not ordinary people like the others , still they are family oriented men bonded with their prime family members like their wives and their children . This verse mentioned by Allah , the Most High to remind us though Muhammad (p) was Prophet , he had a simple family life with his wives and children . Moreover this verse identified wives and the children of a person (here of a prophet) as the most close relatives or family members .

Secondly , we will now try to identify specifically the family members of the Prophet Muhammad (p) .

Wives :

Yes . In so many verse Allah , the Most high discussed about the wives of the Prophet . A few as such :

[033:006] The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves, and his wives are (as) their mothers. And the owners of kinship are closer one to another in the ordinance of Allah than (other) believers and the fugitives (who fled from Mecca), except that ye should do kindness to your friends. This is written in the Book (of nature).

[033:032] O wives of the Prophet! you are not like any other of the women; If you will be on your guard, then be not soft in (your) speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease yearn; and speak a good word.

[33:53] O you who believe, do not enter the prophet's homes unless you are given permission to eat, nor shall you force such an invitation in any manner…. If you have to ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a barrier. This is purer for your hearts and their hearts. You are not to hurt the messenger of GOD. You shall not marry his wives after him, for this would be a gross offense in the sight of GOD.


Sons :

No .

Daughters :

Yes . A verse can be found in the Quran to remind us that Prophet Muhammad (p) had daughters :

[033:059] O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

Brothers/Cousins :

No.

Sisters/Cousin :

No.

Uncle/Aunt :

No .

Moreover the following verse clearly identified the wives of the Prophet as his ahle-bayt :

[033:032] O wives of the Prophet! you are not like any other of the women; If you will be on your guard, then be not soft in (your) speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease yearn; and speak a good word.
[033:033] And stay in your houses and do not display your finery like the displaying of the ignorance of yore; and keep up prayer, and pay the poor-rate, and obey Allah and His Apostle. Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! and to purify you a (thorough) purifying.

[066:001] O Prophet! why do you forbid (yourself) that which Allah has made lawful for you; you seek to please your wives; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
[066:002] Allah indeed has sanctioned for you the expiation of your oaths and Allah is your Protector, and He is the Knowing the Wise.
[066:003] And when the prophet secretly communicated a piece of information to one of his wives -- but when she informed (others) of it, and Allah made him to know it, he made known part of it and avoided part; so when he informed her of it, she said: Who informed you of this? He said: The Knowing, the one Aware, informed me.
[066:004] If you both turn to Allah, then indeed your hearts are already inclined (to this); and if you back up each other against him, then surely Allah it is Who is his Guardian, and Jibreel and-the believers that do good, and the angels after that are the aiders.
[066:005] Maybe, his Lord, if he divorce you, will give him in your place wives better than you, submissive, faithful, obedient, penitent, adorers, fasters, widows and virgins.
[066:006] O you who believe! save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones; over it are angels stern and strong, they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, and do as they are commanded.

Conclusion : According to Qur'an the wives and the daughters were the Ahle-Bayt of Prophet Muhammad . Ali and his offsprings were not the Ahle-Bayt of the Prophet .

 

[Union]

Re. : The righteousness of the companions of the Prophet .
Shia : Some were righteous and some were corrupted.
Sunni : All were righteous .

Analysis from the Qur'an ​

The Quran which is the ultimate truth described some of those who witnessed the Prophet Muhammed , i.e. "Sahaba" in a very clear way, that leaves no doubt about how they were, and how they behaved. While some of the "Sahaba" were honored in the Quran for their stand beside the Prophet Muhammed and their supporting of him, so many of them were not that fortunate, and they were given the right description by God Almighty in the Quran. In the following part we will see how God, who knows all the secrets and declarations described some of these "Sahaba".

[Quran 48:18] "God is pleased with the believers who pledged allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts and, consequently, He blessed them with contentment, and rewarded them with an immediate victory. "

[Quran 48:29] "Muhammad - the messenger of God - and those with him are harsh and stern against the disbelievers, but kind and compassionate amongst themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, as they seek God's blessings and approval. Their marks are on their faces, because of prostrating. This is the same example as in the Torah. Their example in the Gospel is like plants that grow taller and stronger, and please the farmers. He thus enrages the disbelievers. God promises THOSE AMONG THEM who believe, and lead a righteous life, forgiveness and a great recompense."

As we can see, God was pleased with these "Sahabas" for what they did at that time, supporting the Prophet and standing with him against the aggressors.

[Quran 9:101] Among the Aarabs around you, there are hypocrites. Also, among the city dwellers, there are those who are accustomed to hypocrisy. You do not know them, but we know them. We will double the retribution for them, then they end up committed to a terrible retribution.
[Quran 9:73] O you prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern in dealing with them. Their destiny is Hell; what a miserable abode!
[Quran 9:74] They swear by God that they never said it, although they have uttered the word of disbelief; they have disbelieved after becoming submitters. In fact, they gave up what they never had. They have rebelled even though God and His messenger have showered them with His grace and provisions. If they repent, it would be best for them. But if they turn away, God will commit them to painful retribution in this life and in the Hereafter. They will find no one on earth to be their lord and master.
[Quran 9:75] Some of them even pledged: "If God showered us with His grace, we would be charitable, and would lead a righteous life.
[Quran 9:76] But when He did shower them with His provisions, they became stingy, and turned away in aversion.
[Quran 9:77] Consequently, He plagued them with hypocrisy in their hearts, till the day they meet Him. This is because they broke their promises to God, and because of their lying.
[Quran 9:78] Do they not realize that God knows their secrets, and their conspiracies, and that God is the Knower of all secrets?
[Quran 9:79] Those who criticize the generous believers for giving too much, and ridicule the poor believers for giving too little, God despises them. They have incurred a painful retribution.
[Quran 9:80] Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them - even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times - God will not forgive them. This is because they disbelieve in God and His messenger. God does not guide the wicked people.
[Quran 9:97] The Aarabs are the worst in disbelief and hypocrisy, and the most likely to ignore the laws that God has revealed to His messenger. God is Omniscient, Most Wise.
[Quran 2:8-15] Then there are those who say, "We believe in God and the Last Day," while they are not believers. In trying to deceive God and those who believe, they only deceive themselves without perceiving. In their minds there is a disease. Consequently, God augments their disease. They have incurred a painful retribution for their lying. When they are told, "Do not commit evil," they say, "But we are righteous!" In fact, they are evildoers, but they do not perceive. When they are told, "Believe like the people who believed," they say, "Shall we believe like the fools who believed?" In fact, it is they who are fools, but they do not know. When they meet the believers, they say, "We believe," but when alone with their devils, they say, "We are with you; we were only mocking. "God mocks them, and leads them on in their transgressions, blundering.
[Quran 63:1] When the hypocrites come to you they say, "We bear witness that you are the messenger of God." God knows that you are His messenger, and God bears witness that the hypocrites are liars. "
[Quran 4:60-63] Have you noted those who claim that they believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, then uphold the unjust laws of their idols? They were commanded to reject such laws. Indeed, it is the devil's wish to lead them far astray. When they are told, "Come to what God has revealed, and to the messenger," you see the hypocrites shunning you completely. How will it be when a disaster hits them, as a consequence of their own works? They will come to you then and swear by God: "Our intentions were good and righteous!" God is fully aware of their innermost intentions. You shall ignore them, enlighten them, and give them good advice that may save their souls.
[Quran 4:141] They watch you and wait; if you attain victory from God, they say (to you), "Were we not with you?" But if the disbelievers get a turn, they say (to them), "Did we not side with you, and protect you from the believers?" God will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection. God will never permit the disbelievers to prevail over the believers.
[Quran 4:142] The hypocrites think that they are deceiving God, but He is the One who leads them on. When they get up for the Contact Prayer (Salat), they get up lazily. That is because they only show off in front of the people, and rarely do they think of God.
[Quran 63:4-5] When you see them, you may be impressed by their looks. And when they speak, you may listen to their eloquence. They are like standing logs. They think that every call is intended against them. These are the real enemies; beware of them. God condemns them; they have deviated. When they are told, "Come let the messenger of God pray for your forgiveness," they mockingly turn their heads, and you see them repel others and act arrogantly.
[Quran 33:18-19] God is fully aware of the hinderers among you, and those who say to their comrades, "Let us all stay behind." Rarely do they mobilize for defense. Also, they are too stingy when dealing with you. If anything threatens the community, you see their eyes rolling with fear, as if death had already come to them. Once the crisis is over, they whip you with sharp tongues. They are too stingy with their wealth. These are no believers, and, consequently, God has nullified their works. This is easy for God to do."
[Quran 47:16] Some of them listen to you, then as soon as they leave they ask those who were enlightened, "What did he just say?" God thus seals their hearts and, consequently, they follow only their opinions.
[Quran 47:29-30] Did those who harbor doubts in their hearts think that God will not bring out their evil thoughts? If we will, we can expose them for you, so that you can recognize them just by looking at them. However, you can recognize them by the way they talk. God is fully aware of all your works.
[Quran 48:11] The sedentary Aarabs who stay behind will say, "We have been preoccupied with our money and our families, so ask forgiveness for us!" They utter with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say, "Who can protect you from God, if He willed any adversity for you, or if He willed any blessing for you?" God is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

It is interesting to know that the Quran has told Muhammed that he (Muhammed ) does not know these hypocrites among his "Sahaba", because they look the same like everyone else. ONLY GOD knew them. See 9:101.

Cont...

 

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[Quran 9:38-39] O you who believe, when you are told, "Mobilize in the cause of God," why do you become heavily attached to the ground? Have you chosen this worldly life in place of the Hereafter? The materials of this world, compared to the Hereafter, are nil. Unless you mobilize, He will commit you to painful retribution and substitute other people in your place; you can never hurt Him in the least. God is Omnipotent.
[Quran 5:54] O you who believe, if you revert from your religion, then God will substitute in your place people whom He loves and who love Him. They will be kind with the believers, stern with the disbelievers, and will strive in the cause of God without fear of any blame. Such is God's blessing; He bestows it upon whomever He wills. God is Bounteous, Omniscient.
[Quran 8:27-28] "O you who believe, do not betray God and the messenger, and do not betray those who trust you, now that you know. You should know that your money and your children are a test, and that God possesses a great recompense. "
[Quran 8:25] "Beware of a retribution that may not be limited to the evildoers among you.* You should know that God's retribution is severe. "
[Quran 33:12] The hypocrites and those with doubts in their hearts said, "What God and His messenger promised us was no more than an illusion!
[Quran 61:2-3] O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do? Most abominable in the sight of God is that you say what you do not do.
[Quran 57:16] Is it not time for those who believed to open up their hearts for God's message, and the truth that is revealed herein? They should not be like the followers of previous scriptures whose hearts became hardened with time and, consequently, many of them turned wicked.
[Quran 49:17] They act as if they are doing you a favor by embracing Submission! Say, "You are not doing me any favors by embracing Submission. God is the One who is doing you a great favor by guiding you to the faith, if you are sincere.
[Quran 9:24] Proclaim: "If your parents, your children, your siblings, your spouses, your family, the money you have earned, a business you worry about, and the homes you cherish are more beloved to you than God and His messenger, and the striving in His cause, then just wait until God brings His judgment." God does not guide the wicked people.
[Quran 49:14] The Aarabs said, "We are Mu'mens (believers)." Say, "You have not believed; what you should say is, `We are Muslims (submitters),' until belief is established in your hearts." If you obey God and His messenger, He will not put any of your works to waste. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
[Quran 9:45] "The only people who wish to be excused are those who do not really believe in God and the Last Day. Their hearts are full of doubt, and their doubts cause them to waver."
[Quran 9:47] Had they mobilized with you, they would have created confusion, and would have caused disputes and divisions among you. Some of you were apt to listen to them. God is fully aware of the transgressors.
[Quran 9:81] The sedentary rejoiced in their staying behind the messenger of God, and hated to strive with their money and their lives in the cause of God. They said, "Let us not mobilize in this heat!" Say, "The fire of Hell is much hotter," if they could only comprehend.
[Quran 47:29-30] Did those who harbor doubts in their hearts think that God will not bring out their evil thoughts? If we will, we can expose them for you, so that you can recognize them just by looking at them. However, you can recognize them by the way they talk. God is fully aware of all your works.
[Quran 8:6] They argued with you against the truth, even after everything was explained to them. They acted as if they were being driven to certain death.
[Quran 47:38] You are invited to spend in the cause of God, but some of you turn stingy. The stingy are stingy towards their own souls. God is Rich, while you are poor. If you turn away, He will substitute other people in your place, and they will not be like you.
[Quran 9:58] Some of them criticize your distribution of the charities; if they are given therefrom, they become satisfied, but if they are not given therefrom, they become objectors.
[Quran 47:16] Some of them listen to you, then as soon as they leave they ask those who were enlightened, "What did he just say?" God thus seals their hearts and, consequently, they follow only their opinions.
[Quran 9:61] Some of them hurt the prophet by saying, "He is all ears!" Say, "It is better for you that he listens to you. He believes in God, and trusts the believers. He is a mercy for those among you who believe." Those who hurt God's messenger have incurred a painful retribution.

From the above Quranic verses we can see that the "Sahabas" like all the people of all generations were either good or bad.

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an there were among the companions of the Prophet who were utterly corrupted but some were really pious and righteous .

 

[Union]

Re. : Infallibility of the Prophets and Imams.
Shia : All prophets and Imams were infallible .
Sunni rophets and Leaders can may commit mistakes , but Prophets were rectified by Almighty GOD .

Analysis from the Qur'an​

This is one of the very crucial debate in between the Shia and Sunni . For Shia all the Prophets and Imams were infallible and the the part and parcel crierion for a human to be qualified to be a prophet and leader for Islam . But Qur'an does not support this claim . Only GOD is free from errors and mistakes , no human . Moreover though GOD has chosen the Prophets and Messengers above all human race , still they commited mistakes which well documented in the Qur'an . Few examples are cited below :

Prophet Adam made mistakes :[020:121] In the result, they both ate of the tree, and so their nakedness appeared to them: they began to sew together, for their covering, leaves from the Garden: thus did Adam disobey his Lord, and allow himself to be seduced.
[020:122] But his Lord chose him (for His Grace): He turned to him, and gave him Guidance.

Prophet Jonah made mistakes : [021:087] And remember Zun-nun, when he departed in wrath: He imagined that We had no power over him! But he cried through the deptHs of darkness, "There is no god but thou: glory to thee: I was indeed wrong!"
[021:088] So We listened to him: and delivered him from distress: and thus do We deliver those who have faith

[037:139] So also was Jonah among those sent (by Us).
[037:140] When he ran away (like a slave from captivity) to the ship (fully) laden,
[037:141] He (agreed to) cast lots, and he was condemned:
[037:142] Then the big Fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame.
[037:143] Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified God,
[037:144] He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection.
[037:145] But We cast him forth on the naked shore in a state of sickness,
[037:146] And We caused to grow, over him, a spreading plant of the gourd kind.
[037:147] And We sent him (on a mission) to a hundred thousand (men) or more.
[037:148] And they believed; so We permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while.

[068:048] So wait with patience for the Command of thy Lord, and be not like the Companion of the Fish,- when he cried out in agony.
[068:049] Had not Grace from his Lord reached him, he would indeed have been cast off on the naked shore, in disgrace.
[068:050] Thus did his Lord choose him and make him of the Company of the Righteous.

Prophet David made mistakes : [038:021] Has the Story of the Disputants reached thee? Behold, they climbed over the wall of the private chamber;
[038:022] When they entered the presence of David, and he was terrified of them, they said: "Fear not: we are two disputants, one of whom has wronged the other: Decide now between us with truth, and treat us not with injustice, but guide us to the even Path..
[038:023] "This man is my brother: He has nine and ninety ewes, and I have (but) one: Yet he says, 'commit her to my care,' and is (moreover) harsh to me in speech."
[038:024] (David) said: "He has undoubtedly wronged thee in demanding thy (single) ewe to be added to his (flock of) ewes: truly many are the partners (in business) who wrong each other: Not so do those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, and how few are they?"...and David gathered that We had tried him: he asked forgiveness of his Lord, fell down, bowing (in prostration), and turned (to God in repentance).
[038:025] So We forgave him this (lapse): he enjoyed, indeed, a Near Approach to Us, and a beautiful place of (Final) Return.
[038:026] O David! We did indeed make thee a vicegerent on earth: so judge thou between men in truth (and justice): Nor follow thou the lusts (of thy heart), for they will mislead thee from the Path of God: for those who wander astray from the Path of God, is a Penalty Grievous, for that they forget the Day of Account.

Prophet Solomon Made mistake :[038:031] When the horses standing on three feet, and touching the ground with the edge of the fourth foot, and swift in the course, were set in parade before him in the evening,
[038:032] he said, verily I have loved the love of earthly good above the remembrance of my Lord; and have spent the time in viewing these horses, until the sun is hidden by the vail of night:
[038:033] Bring the horses back unto me. And when they were brought back, he began to cut off their legs and their necks.

Prophet Moses made mistake : [028:015] And he entered the city at a time when its people were not watching: and he found there two men fighting,- one of his own religion, and the other, of his foes. Now the man of his own religion appealed to him against his foe, and Moses struck him with his fist and made an end of him. He said: "This is a work of Evil (Satan): for he is an enemy that manifestly misleads!"
[028:016] He prayed: "O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul! Do Thou then forgive me!" So (God) forgave him: for He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Prophet Muhammad made mistake : [066:001] O Prophet! Why holdest thou to be forbidden that which God has made lawful to thee? Thou seekest to please thy consorts. But God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

[008:067] It is not fitting for an apostle that he should have prisoners of war until he hath thoroughly subdued the land. Ye look for the temporal goods of this world; but God looketh to the Hereafter: And God is Exalted in might, Wise.
[008:068] Had it not been for a previous ordainment from God, a severe penalty would have reached you for the (ransom) that ye took.

[009:043] God give thee grace! why didst thou grant them until those who told the truth were seen by thee in a clear light, and thou hadst proved the liars?

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an Prophets , Messengers and religious leaders - all are fallible human .

 

[Union]

Re.: Imamah- the fundamental doctrine of Islam .
Shia : Yes , it is .
Sunni : No , it is not .

Analysis from the Qur'an​

According to Shia the Usul-e-Din (the fundamental/root doctrines of religion) are as followings :

01. Tawhid (The Oneness of GOD)
02.Nubuwat (The Prophet hood )
03.Adl (Justice of GOD)
04. Imamah (Successor of Prophet Muhammad )
-Jafri sects : 12 Imams
-Ismaili sect : 07 Imams
-Zaydi sect : 05 Imams
05.Qiyamah (Ressurection and the day of judgment)

From those five doctrines , only the doctrine of Imamah became the hot topic of debate among the Shia and Sunni . The Sunni deemed it to be unnecessary while Shia griped it hard not to be separated from the basic doctrine .

In Qur'an ALLAH (swt) explained all the fundamental doctrines of Islam with a very clear note . See the first verse mention this :


[002:003] Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them;

[002:004] And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter.

[002:046] Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they are to return to Him.

[002:062] Those who believe (in the Quran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in God and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

[002:177] It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in God and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and a dversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing.

[002:285] The Apostle believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in God, His angels, His books, and His apostles. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostles." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys."

[003:084] Say: "We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to God do we bow our will (in Islam)."

[004:039] And what burden Were it on them if they had faith in God and in the Last Day, and they spent out of what God hath given them for sustenance? For God hath full knowledge of them.

[004:136] O ye who believe! Believe in God and His Apostle, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Apostle and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth God, His angels, His Books, His Apostles, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.

Hence we glean from the Qur'an that the main article of the fundamental doctrines for Muslims are :

01.Beliefs on the Oneness of GOD .
02.Beliefs on the Prophets
03. Beliefs on the scriptures .
04. Beliefs on the angels.
05. beliefs on the last day of Judgment .

Conclusion : According to Qur'an , Imamah , i.e., the divine successor-ship of Prophet was never been made the Usool-e-Din for Islam .

 

[Union]

Re. : Divine appointment of Imams (successor-ship of Prophet Muhammad).
Shia : Imams are chosen divinely .
Sunni : Only Prophets were divinely appointed , not Imams .

Analysis from the Qur'an
​

Previously we have seen that Almighty ALLAH didn't disclose the successor of Prophet Muhammad and left it open for any person , who may establish the rule of GOD on the face of the earth. One of the verse in this regard is as follows :

[024:055] Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He made rulers those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; they shall serve Me, not associating aught with Me; and whoever is ungrateful after this, these it is who are the. transgressors.

The other verse as mentioned in 4.59 , to follow the man in charge (Ulool-Amar) :

[004:059] O ye who believe! Obey God, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to God and His Apostle, if ye do believe in God and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.

But the authority of Ulool-Amar is cancelled if there any dispute may arise . This verse also proves the point that apart from the authority of Prophet no one after him was divinely appointed . Otherwise it is impossible to see Ulool Amar in the circle of dispute and finally taking them out from the formula of authority and leaving being ALLAH and HIS messenger in the equation .

The rationality in the above verses are enough to pursue the fact in hand . Still we will examine the word' Imam' in Qur'an and its implication within the scope of the current discussion . It is noteworthy firstly that Nabi and Rasool are always used in positive manner in the Qur'an , especially when discussing the authoritative mission from Almighty GOD . But the term Imam is used both in a positive and also in a negative manner . For instances , just see the following two verses :

[009:012] And if they break their oaths after their agreement and (openly) revile your religion, then fight the Imams of unbelief -- surely their oaths are nothing -- so that they may desist.
[028:041] And We made them Imams who call to the fire, and on the day of resurrection they shall not be assisted.

In both verses mentioned above Imams are portrayed as evil characters .

Conclusions : According to the Qur'an Imams are not divinely appointed persons from GOD , the Almighty .

 

[Union]

Re. : The perfectness of 'Hadith' .
Shia : No other book is perfect apart from the book of GOD , i.e., the Qur'an .
Sunni : Bukhari and Muslim are 100% perfect along with the book of GOD , i.e., the Qur'an .

Analysis from the Qur'an
​

Almighty GOD has challenged that any book revealed/composed other than HIM fallible and imperfect . In this connection , HE , the Exalted challenged in Qur'an :

[004:082] Do they not consider the Quran (with care)? Had it been from other Than God, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy

In other word any book composed other than the GOD , should contain contradictions and anomalies . As Bukhari and Muslim were composed by fallible human they can't be 100% perfect and free from errors . Otherwise GOD's challenge in 4.82 doesn't make sense . Also within the fold of Islam Almighty GOD took the responsibilities to preserve the Qur'an from any distortions , as we can see from the following verses :


[015:009] We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).

[041:042] No falsehood can approach it from before or behind it: It is sent down by One Full of Wisdom, Worthy of all Praise.

[010:015] But when Our Clear Signs are rehearsed unto them, those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, Say: "Bring us a reading other than this, or change this," Say: "It is not for me, of my own accord, to change it: I follow naught but what is revealed unto me: if I were to disobey my Lord, I should myself fear the penalty of a Great Day (to come)."


More specifically , to deal with issue , Almighty GOD has used the Arabic term 'Hadith' in Qur'an and threw a profound challenge that nobody can make a 'Hadith' like the Qur'an and also confirmed the fact that any 'Hadith' created by human is the rival to Qur'an and to distract the Muslim from the real Islam as these are not presenting the real Islam . Please read the following verse in this connection :

[031:001] Alif Lam Mim.
[031:002] These are verses of the Book of Wisdom
[031:003] A guidance and a mercy for the doers of goodness,
[031:004] Those who keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and they are certain of the hereafter.
[031:005] These are on a guidance from their Lord, and these are they who are successful:
[031:006] And of men is he who takes instead frivolous/idle/baseless/ 'Hadith' (Wamina alnnasi man yashtaree lahwa alhadeethi) to lead astray from Allah's path without knowledge, and to take it for a mockery; these shall have an abasing chastisement.
[031:007] And when Our verses are recited to him, he turns back proudly, as if he had not heard them, as though in his ears were a heaviness, therefore announce to him a painful chastisement .



[052:030] Or do they say: A poet, we wait for him the evil accidents of time.
[052:031] Say: Wait, for surely I too with you am of those who wait.
[052:032] Nay! do their understandings bid them this? Or are they an inordinate people?
[052:033] Or do they say: He has forged it. Nay! they do not believe.
[052:034] Then let them bring a 'Hadith' it if they are truthful (Falya/too bihadeethin mithlihi in kanoo sadiqeena).
[052:035] Or were they created without there being anything, or are they the creators?
[052:036] Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay! they have no certainty.
[052:037] Or have they the treasures of your Lord with them? Or have they been set in absolute authority?
[052:038] Or have they the means by which they listen? Then let their listener bring a clear authority

Conlusion : According to the Qur'an , it is the only infallible book . Any other book authored by human , e.g., Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are imperfect and erroneous .

 

[Union]

Re. : Donkey meat - The dietary Law.
Shia : It is allowed to eat but Makruh (dislike-able).
Sunni : It is not allowed to eat .

Analysis from the Qur'an ​

It is reported from the Sunni Sahih Hadith that the donkey was Halal prior to the battle of Khaybar and in the battle of Khaybar Prophet Muhammad announced it to be Haram. , i.e., forbidden to consume . But Qur'an prohibited only the meat of swine/pig , otherwise all meats are Halal :

[002:173] He has only forbidden you what dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that over which any other (name) than (that of) Allah has been invoked; but whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring, nor exceeding the limit, no sin shall be upon him; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Therefore the donkey meat is certainly Halal . Also Almighty GOD repeatedly instructed not to overrule anything in terms of Halal and Haram what HE , the Exalted decided :

[016:116] And, for what your tongues describe, do not utter the lie, (saying) This is lawful and this is unlawful, in order to forge a lie against Allah; surely those who forge the lie against Allah shall not prosper.
[016:117] A little enjoyment and they shall have a painful punishment.

[010:059] Say: Tell me what Allah has sent down for you of sustenance, then you make (a part) of it unlawful and (a part) lawful. Say: Has Allah commanded you, or do you forge a lie against Allah?

[007:032] Say: Who hath forbidden the adornment of Allah which He hath brought forth for His bondmen, and the good things of His providing ? Say: Such, on the Day of Resurrection, will be only for those who believed during the life of the world. Thus do we detail Our revelations for people who have knowledge.

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an the meat of donkey is allowed to consume .

 

[Union]

Re. : Tawassul (means of reaching to GOD).
Shia : Twassul through Shia 12 Imams is mandatory .
Sunni : Tawassul is not necessary .

Analysis from the Qur’an​

The verses of Qur’an give us a quite clear indication that seeking the GOD , asking help from HIM and to pursue HIM do not need any middle man . GOD is ever living and ever alert . He is Omniscient and Omnipotent . HE can pursue and acknowledge anybody from any part of the universe instantly . The intetntion of the caller is more important to HIM and not what virtuous people we want to put in middle , whether dead or alive . The following verses of the Qur’an are quite crystal-clear on this issue which don’t even need any more of explanations .


[005:035] O ye who believe! Do your duty to God, seek the means of approach unto Him, and strive with might and main in his cause: that ye may prosper.

[039:003] Is it not to God that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors other than God (say): "We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to God." Truly God will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But God guides not such as are false and ungrateful.


[017:057] Those whom they call upon do desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord, - even those who are nearest: they hope for His Mercy and fear His Wrath: for the Wrath of thy Lord is something to take heed of.

[002:186] When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way.

[040:060] And your Lord says: "Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer): but those who are too arrogant to serve Me will surely find themselves in Hell - in humiliation!"

[010:018] They serve, besides God, things that hurt them not nor profit them, and they say: "These are our intercessors with God." Say: "Do ye indeed inform God of something He knows not, in the heavens or on earth?- Glory to Him! and far is He above the partners they ascribe (to Him)!"

[007:194] Verily those whom ye call upon besides God are servants like unto you: Call upon them, and let them listen to your prayer, if ye are (indeed) truthful!

Conclusion : According to the Qur’an , Tawassul is not only unnecessary rather very close to associating with GOD , the Almighty .

 

[Union]

Re. : Mutah Nikah (Temporary Marriage).
Shia : It allowed .
Sunni : It is not allowed .

Analysis from the Qur’an​

The Arabic term for marriage is ‘Nikah’ . In Qur'an marriage is only one kind : to establish a social/family bond between a man and a woman without the intention of breaking unless necessary . In other word it is of a permanent nature .

On the other hand ‘Mutah’ simply means privilege pleasure, benefits , content etc. and not any kind of additional or special marriage method. The verse that supposedly deemed to be the proof of Mutah is verse 24 of chapter 04 , which is as follows :

[004:024] Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess: Thus hath God ordained (Prohibitions) against you: Except for these, all others are lawful, provided ye seek (them in marriage) with gifts from your property,- desiring chastity, not lust, seeing that ye derive benefit/pleasure ((Istamatum)) from it , give them their dowers (at least) as prescribed; but if, after a dower is prescribed, agree Mutually (to vary it), there is no blame on you, and God is All-knowing, All-wise.


The whole context of the verse is marriage (Nikah) . As we can see that Almighty ALLAH imposed obligation upon the man to pay dowry to the woman during the wedlock . Then HE gave the man the opportunity / privilege/benefit (Mutah) of using the money of dowry if the wife agrees to give it back to the husband . The Arabic reader will notice the term ‘Bi Amwalikum’ means your wealth then to achieve Mutah/benefit ‘of it’ (Bihi) , i.e., the wealth given to the wife as dowry . . Hence it is very clear that Mutah/pleasure/benefit/enjoyment can be acquired from the wealth that a husband will provide to the wife , if the wife agrees to give back .

The term 'Mutah' related to wealth is also used in the following verses within the context of marriage , but this time in favor of the woman .

[002:236] There is no sin on you, if you divorce women while yet you have not touched (had sexual relation with) them, nor appointed unto them their dowry. But bestow on them benefit (Mutah), the rich according to his means, and the poor according to his means, a gift of reasonable amount is a duty on the doers of good.

[033:049] O ye who believe! If ye wed believing women and divorce them before ye have touched them, then there is no period that ye should reckon. But content (Mutah) them and release them handsomely.

Hence the relation of Mutah in the context of marriage is with the wealth / dowry – sometimes it is beneficial for the man (ref.4.24) , sometimes for the woman (ref. 2.236&33.46)



Scatterly , we can find so many instances where the same term Mutah is used in so many different context irrelevant to marriage . For example :

01. Mutah of the Meccans due to Prophet Abraham’s prayer :

[2:126] Abraham prayed: "My Lord, make this a peaceful land, and provide its people with fruits. Provide for those who believe in GOD and the Last Day." (God) said, "I will also provide for those who disbelieve. I will let them enjoy(umattihu), a little, then commit them to the retribution of Hell, and a miserable destiny."

02. The tribe of Jonah achieve Mutah because of believing GOD :

[010:098] Why was there not a single township (among those We warned), which believed,- so its faith should have profited it,- except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the penalty of ignominy in the life of the present, and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while.

03.Mutah of believers for praying to GOD :

[011:003] "(And to preach thus), 'Seek ye the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance; that He may grant you enjoyment, good (and true), for a term appointed, and bestow His abounding grace on all who abound in merit! But if ye turn away, then I fear for you the penalty of a great day:

04. Believers will achieve Mutah in Jannah :

[028:061] Is he whom We have promised an excellent promise (Paradise), which he will find true, like him whom We have made to enjoy the luxuries of the life of (this) world, then on the Day of Resurrection, he will be among those brought up (to be punished in the Hell-fire)?

[037:148] And they all believed; so WE permitted them to enjoy life for a long while.

For more instances please refer to the following verses of Qur'an 11:48,15:88,20:13121:44,25:18,26:205,26:207,28:61,31:24,33:16,33:28,33:49,37:148,43:29 etc.

Conclusion : According to the Qur’an , there is no existence of Mutah (Temporary) marriage in Islam . There only one type of marriage –the permanent marriage.

 

[Union]

Re. : Shahda (Testimony in Islam) .
Shia :'Ash-hadu ala ilaha illallah wash-hadu anna Muhammadar rasulallah wash-hadu anna Aliyyun waliyullah'.
Sunni : 'La Ilaha IllaALLAH Muhammad-ur RasulALLAH '.

Analysis from the Qur'an​

Qur'an mentioned Shahda in the following verse :

‏3:18 شهد الله انه لااله الا هو والملائكة واولوا العلم قائما بالقسط لااله الا هو العزيز الحكيم

[003:018] There is no god but He: That is the witness of God, His angels, and those endued with knowledge, standing firm on justice. There is no god but He, the Exalted in Power, the Wise.

Hence the real Shahada is 'La Ilaha IllALLAH' , nothing more and nothing less . In addition Almighty GOD confirms that this is the Shahda :

01- of ALLAH (swt) , Himself.
02- of all the angels.
03- of all knowledgeable people .

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an , the Shahada is 'La Ilaha IllALLAH' .

 

[Union]

Re. : Taqiyya (Dissimulation , Concealing faith , Holy deception )
Shia : It is an obligatory virtuous feature of Islam .
Sunni : Avoidable/worthless unless extremely necessary .

Analysis from the Qur'an​

'Taqiyya' is an Arabic term whose primary root meaning is 'caution' . It literally means willful lying , concealing one's faith etc. In Shia Islam , it is regarded as one of the pillar-stone of Islam and the most venerated virtue or quality a Muslim should possess . Few Hadith become incumbent to produce here otherwise I may be accused of lying against Shiasm :

Ali bin Musa, he said: “ The one who is not wari (pious) has no religion and the one who does not practice Taqiyyah has no Iman ( deep faith).” So he was asked, "O grandson of the Messenger, until when (is one required to practice Taqiyyah)?" He replied, “Until a certain day (i.e. the day Imam Mahdi appears). Whoever does not practice Taqiyyah before the appearance of Imam Mahdi, is not one of us.” (Kashf al-Ghummah Al-Ardabili, pg. 341).

"Nine tenths (90%) of religion (Shiism) is Taqiyya (dissimulation), hence one who does not dissimulate has no religion." (Al-Kafi vol.9 p.110)

"He who conceals his religion has saved it, and he who makes it public has destroyed it."

"A believer who does not practice Taqiyya is like a body without a head." (Tafseer al-Askari)

"Mix with them (i.e. non-Shia) externally, but oppose them internally." (Al-Kafi vol.9 p.116)

"Taqiyya is necessary and the one who abandons it is excluded from the religion (of the Shia)." (Ehsan-ul-Fatawa Fi Shaeah-e-Aqa'id, p. 26)

"The most beloved thing on the surface of Earth is Taqiyya." (Usul Kafi, Part 2. Kitab Imaan wal Kufr, Bab Taqiyyah, Line 12, Riwayah 4, page 217, New Iranian Edition)

"The Imam has mentioned that Taqiyya is the coolness of his eyes." (Usul Kafi, Part 2, Kitab Imaan wal Kufr, line1, Riwayah 14, page 217, new Iranian Edition].

On the other hand , Sunni regard this practice to be very unnecessary unless it becomes as much as urgent to guard or save someones life . They don't advocate it to be any important part of Islam nor propagate to practice it on daily basis , as opposite to Shiasm .

Whatsoever , ALLAH , the ALL-knowing has approved that only to guard someone's life , which aligning the Sunni view :

[003:028] Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing of (the guardianship of) Allah, but you should guard(tattaqoo) yourselves against them, guarding(tuqatan) carefully; and Allah makes you cautious of (retribution from) Himself; and to Allah is the eventual coming.

[016:106] He who disbelieves in Allah after his having believed, not he who is compelled while his heart is at rest on account of faith, but he who opens (his) breast to disbelief -- on these is the wrath of Allah, and they shall have a grievous chastisement.

Qur'an doesn't encourage this practice in daily life nor made it obligatory or virtuous upon the Muslim . This should be adopt only when one is been threatened to life .

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an there is no warrant for the aggressive interpretation of the term 'taqiyya' to imply willful deception or lying at any given moment for any wider good.

In contrast, the Qur'an acknowledges situations whereby a believer may be forced / coerced by circumstances to exercise 'caution' of outward religious expression. This is especially if by not doing so, they would expose themselves to persecution and death.

 

[Union]

Re.: Whom to commemorate in Salah (Prayer) ?
Shia : Prophet Muhammad and Ali by name and his family .
Sunni rophet Abraham by name and his family, Prophet Muhammad by name and his family .

Analysis from the Qur'an
​

Salah (Prayer) is the most important form of worship of Muslim community . As worship is the matter of concern in salah , it naturally involves GOD only . Qur'an mentions the purpose of Salah :

[006:162] Say, `My Salat and my sacrifice and my life and my death are all for ALLAH, the Lord of the worlds;

[20:14]"I am God, there is no god except Me, so serve Me and hold the Salat for My remembrance."

[29:45]Recite what is inspired to you of the Book and hold the Salat, for the Salat prohibits evil and vice; but certainly the remembrance of God is the greatest. God knows everything you do.”


As per the above verses the only purpose of Salah is to worship ALLAH (swt) and only to commemorate HIM . Hence mentioning and commemorating any human , whether s/he is Prophet or some saints , is completely against the teaching of ALLAH (swt) .

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an , in Salah no one should be commemorated except GOD alone .

 

[Union]

Re.:The appearance of Imam Mahdi (The Guided One-savior of Islam).
Shia: It is true and one of the fundamental doctrine of Islam.
Sunni : It is uncertain and not among the fundamental doctrines .

Analysis from the Qur'an​

Imam Mahdi is the 12-th Imam of Shia Islam . According to them he is in occultation for almost 1000 years and is going to appear at the end of time . He will be savior for Muslim and will serve as leader . On the other hand Sunni are divide into two opinions , one of which deem it to be unauthentic because of its absence in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim , other deem it to be true as the appearance of Imam Mahdi has reported numerously in some other Hadith sources .

Whatsoever , Qur'an doesn't mention anything about the appearance of Imam Mahdi at the end of time . In the same time it is also needed to be understood that if Qur'an doesn't mention something , it doesn't necessarily mean that it is absent or unrealistic . But what would very much certain by this overlooking concept of Almighty ALLAH - it is not part of Islamic creed nor has any relevance with Islam .

Apart from this fact , we can confirm the fallacy of the importance of the appearance of Imam Mahdi by observing the other facts that are going to occur in the end-time as predicted by Almighty GOD in Qur'an . Those are as follows :

[047:018] Do they then only wait for the Hour,- that it should come on them of a sudden? But already have come some tokens thereof, and when it (actually) is on them, how can they benefit then by their admonition?

[054:001] The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder.

[027:082] And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), we shall produce from the earth a beast to (face) them: He will speak to them, for that mankind did not believe with assurance in Our Signs.

[044:010] Then watch thou for the Day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke (or mist) plainly visible,

[018:094] They said: "O Zul-qarnain! the Gog and Magog (People) do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them?


[021:096] Until the Gog and Magog (people) are let through (their barrier), and they swiftly swarm from every hill.

[082:001] When the Sky is cleft asunder;
[082:002] When the Stars are scattered;
[082:003] When the Oceans are suffered to burst forth;
[082:004] And when the Graves are turned upside down;-
[082:005] (Then) shall each soul know what it hath sent forward and (what it hath) kept back.

[069:013] Then, when one blast is sounded on the Trumpet,
[069:014] And the earth is moved, and its mountains, and they are crushed to powder at one stroke,-
[069:015] On that Day shall the (Great) Event come to pass.
[069:016] And the sky will be rent asunder, for it will that Day be flimsy,


From the above verses we can glean the facts which are going to happen as the signs for the end of time and deemed to be very important to GOD . Therefore if the appearance of Imam Mahdi is such an important sign for Islam , it also needed to be listed by ALLAH (swt) along with facts mentioned above . Hence using this rational observations it is certain that the appearance of Mehdi is not any creed of Islam .

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an , the appearance of Mahdi as a savior for Muslim is baseless and as a consequence it is obviously not any fundamental doctrine of Islam.

 

[Union]

Re. : The time and number for Sala (Prayer)
Shia : 05 no. but 03 times a day .
Sunni : 05 no. and 05 times a day .

Analysis from the Qur’an​

ALLAH (swt) is the origantor of all laws and rituals in Islam . More than hundred verses in the Qur’an dealt with the Salah , the most important duty to GOD . There only three names of Salah in Qur’an :

01. Salatul Fajr (Dawn prayer)
02. Salatul Isha (Evening prayer )
03. Saltul Wusta (Middle Prayer ) .

Those are found in the folloing verses :

[024:058] O you who believe! let those whom your right hands possess and those of you who have not attained to puberty ask permission of you three times; before the morning prayer (Salatul Fajr), and when you put off your clothes at midday in summer, and after the prayer of the nightfall(Salatul Isha); these are three times of privacy for you; neither is it a sin for you nor for them besides these, some of you must go round about (waiting) upon others; thus does Allah make clear to you the communications, and Allah is Knowing, Wise.

[002:238] Carefully observe the appointed prayers, and the middle prayer(Salatul Wusta), and be assiduous therein, with devotion towards God

Having found that , we can also find their timings in the following verse :

[011:114] Establish worship at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night. Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.

[017:078] Establish worship at the going down of the sun until the dark of night, and (the recital of) the Qur'an at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Qur'an at dawn is ever witnessed.

[002:187] It is made lawful for you to go in unto your wives on the night of the fast. They are raiment for you and ye are raiment for them. Allah is Aware that ye were deceiving yourselves in this respect and He hath turned in mercy toward you and relieved you. So hold intercourse with them and seek that which Allah hath ordained for you, and eat and drink until the white thread becometh distinct to you from the black thread of the dawn. Then strictly observe the fast till nightfall and touch them not, but be at your devotions in the mosques. These are the limits imposed by Allah, so approach them not. Thus Allah expoundeth His revelation to mankind that they may ward off (evil).

Fajr and Isha are the self-contained explanatory terms which people had been using for thousands years in their practical life from the very primitive age. Even a small boy can tell which one is dawn and which one is evening time by looking at the natural phenomenon of the sky. Even after that ALLAH (swt) , clarified what is the range of these two Salawat .

Verse 11:114 is talking about two timings of salah which are located at the edges of the day , meaning at Dawn and at Dusk . To add further clarification of the length of this period ALLAH (swt) used ‘Zulfa Min Allail’ , meaning ‘ from the closest parts of the night’ . This becomes more clear when taking verse 2:187 for defining Fajr and verse 17:78 for defining Isha . According to 2:187 Fajr starts from the closest part of the night when the white thread is appearing in sky . And as per 17:78 , Isha starts from the rubbing of the sun , i.e., the sunset to closest part of the night when it is completely dark .

Now let us see the timing of Middle (Wusta) Salah . As we have already known that Wusta is not the name of any part of the day , hence ALLAH (swt) must have used this term to define its position and in turns to guide us where this Salah should be suited to . As we have seen that in Qur’an , there mentioned two Salah in terms of time of a day , hence this Wusta Salah must be sited in between them . Now the question is which part of the day? There is no doubt that it is situated between Dawn and Dusk , but to get the range of time , Almighty ALLAH , has guided us with the following noble verses :

[062:009] O true believers, when ye are called to prayer on the day of the assembly, hasten to the commemoration of God, and leave merchandizing. This will be better for you, is ye knew it.

[062:010] And when prayer is ended, then disperse yourselves through the land as ye list, and seek gain of the liberality of God: And remember God frequently, that ye may prosper.

According to the above mentioned verses, there is a Salah in a time of a day when the businesses start with full swing and also there will be enough time after the completion of Salah to disperse for more business . Therefore this time needs to be in somewhere in noon where the business is in peak speed and halfway far to be dark to make enough business again . Also , as per the verse , this special Salah should be in the Day of Jummah (assembly) only , when Muslim will gather in flock . It could be anytime of the week though Muslim now choose to bound it to Friday . Anyway , this is also fine as Almighty ALLAH didn’t restrict it in any specific day .

Conclusion : According to the Qur’an , there 03 Salah obligatory for Muslims :
01. Fajr Salah at Dawn , everyday
02. Isha Salah at Evening , everyday
03. Wusta Salah at noon only in the day of assembly .

 

[Union]

Re. rostration in Salah on Turaba(Stone/Mud/earth)
Shia : It is obligatory in Salah .
Sunni : It is not obligatory nor necessary in Salah .

Analysis from the Qur'an​

Prostration (Sujud) is the very important part of the Prayer (Salah) . Shia Muslim carry a piece of stone/earth , preferably made of the soil found in Karbala , Iraq to prostate upon it during Salah . As per the Shia Fiqh , it is mandatory to prostrate on the earthly materials . On the other hand Sunni do not adhere to this Fiqhi decree and allow prostration anywhere , on anything clean and pure .

ALLAH (swt) also didn't mention prostration on turaba in Qur'an though prostration is mentioned very frequently in Qur'an as the obligatory part of the Salah. Few verses are mentioned below :


[004:102] And when thou (O Muhammad) art among them and arrangest (their) worship for them, let only a party of them stand with thee (to worship) and let them take their arms. Then when they have performed their prostrations let them fall to the rear and let another party come that hath not worshipped and let them worship with thee, and let them take their precaution and their arms. Those who disbelieve long for you to neglect your arms and your baggage that they may attack you once for all. It is no sin for you to lay aside your arms, if rain impedeth you or ye are sick. But take your precaution. Lo! Allah prepareth for the disbelievers shameful punishment.

[002:125] And when We made the House (at Makka) a resort for mankind and sanctuary, (saying): Take as your place of worship the place where Abraham stood (to pray). And We imposed a duty upon Abraham and Ishmael, (saying): Purify My house for those who go around and those who meditate therein and those who bow down and prostrate themselves (in worship).


[022:026] And (remember) when We prepared for Abraham the place of the (holy) House, saying: Ascribe thou no thing as partner unto Me, and purify My House for those who make the round (thereof) and those who stand and those who bow and make prostration.

[048:029] Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel - like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers - that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah hath promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward.

[004:101] And when ye go forth in the land, it is no sin for you to curtail (your) worship if ye fear that those who disbelieve may attack you. In truth the disbelievers are an open enemy to you.

[009:018] He only shall tend Allah's sanctuaries who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor-due and feareth none save Allah. For such (only) is it possible that they can be of the rightly guided.


[007:031] O Children of Adam! Look to your adornment at every place of worship, and eat and drink, but be not prodigal. Lo! He loveth not the prodigals.

[009:107] And as for those who chose a place of worship out of opposition and disbelief, and in order to cause dissent among the believers, and as an outpost for those who warred against Allah and His messenger aforetime, they will surely swear: We purposed naught save good. Allah beareth witness that they verily are liars.
[009:108] Never stand (to pray) there. A place of worship which was found upon duty (to Allah) from the first day is more worthy that thou shouldst stand (to pray) therein, wherein are men who love to purify themselves. Allah loveth the purifiers.

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an , Prostration is mandatory in Salah , but on anything, not need to perform upon Turaba alone.

 

[Union]

Re. : Ablution (Wudu) .
Shia : Washing face->Washing hands->Wiping face->Wiping feet .
Sunni : Washing face->Washing hands->Wiping face->Washing feet .

Analysis from the Qur'an​

ALLAH (swt) mentioned the ruling of ablution in the following verse :

[005:006] O ye who believe! When ye rise up for prayer, wash you faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and rub your heads and your feet up to the ankles. And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves. And if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it. Allah would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks .

According to the above verse the process of Ablution is composed of 4 steps :
01. Washing face
02. Washing hands up to elbow
03.Rubbing/Wiping face.
04. Rubbing/Wiping feet up to ankles .

For those who are familiar with the debate on this issue of washing or wiping the feet , for them a little hints , why wiping is right and not washing :

* The original Qur'an is without any diacritical mark , hence the current spelling Arjulakum may not be right . It may can be also Arajulikum . Hence this argument among Sunni is not worthy as the original Qur'an doesn't contain Fatah or Kasra .

* The next step to solve this problem is to rely on the tradition of recitation . As the tradition of recitation also developed after introducing the diacritical marks in Qur'an , hence it also could be biased . Apart from this fact , there are plenty references can be found in favor or recital 'Arjulikum' . Hence , this attempt of relying on the recital tradition also not that much helpful to solve the debate .

* Now what left , is , the common sense and logical analysis of the verse . Let us go back to the Qur'an again and let us look at the verse 5.6 with very simple and impartial minds :

Action 01 : Wash , Objects of Action 01 : faces and hands up to elbow.
>>>>>>>>>>Separated by 'And'<<<<<<<<<<
Action 02: Wipe/Rub , Objects of Actions 02 : Heads and feet up to ankles .

Hence the above simple analysis of the verse in question approves that wiping the feet and not washing .

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an , the ablution is as follows :

01. Washing face
02. Washing hands up to elbow
03.Rubbing/Wiping face.
04. Rubbing/Wiping feet up to ankles .

 

[Union]

Re. : Finishing Salah .
Shia : Salah is Finished after Tashaud.
Sunni : Salah is finished after paying Salam .

Analysis from the Qur'an​

According to the Qur'an Tashaud and As-Salam are not the parts of the Salah . The ending of Salah can be found from the following verse , just after the Prostration :

[004:102] When thou (O Apostle) art with them, and standest to lead them in prayer, Let one party of them stand up (in prayer) with thee, Taking their arms with them: When they finish their prostrations, let them Take their position in the rear. And let the other party come up which hath not yet prayed - and let them pray with thee, Taking all precaution, and bearing arms: the Unbelievers wish, if ye were negligent of your arms and your baggage, to assault you in a single rush. But there is no blame on you if ye put away your arms because of the inconvenience of rain or because ye are ill; but take (every) precaution for yourselves. For the Unbelievers God hath prepared a humiliating punishment.

Conclusion : According to the Qur'an , Sujood is the end-marker of Salah .