Published by SunniDefense © on June 19th, 2009
One of the most revered works on Answering-Ansar is their article on temporary marriage known as ‘Mut’ah, a comprehensive guide.’ The work has gone through several revisions ever since it was first published and is considered a beacon of truth and honesty according to Shī`īs. Earlier in one of the expositions, it was shown how the Answering-Ansar team transparently lied in this very same work by claiming that all Sunnī commentators of the Holy Qur’ān are in agreement that the 24th verse of Sura al-Nisā’ refers to nothing but temporary marriage.
This may come as another distressful burden to the discomfited supporters of Answering-Ansar, but the abovementioned case wasn’t the only instance where Answering-Ansar has lied aboutSunnī positions in ‘Mut’ah, a comprehensive guide’:
Another Blatant Lie
The Answering-Ansar team attempts to refute many texts in this work in order to prove the permissibility of temporary marriage, one of them being a piece of writing from a magazine called “Nida’ul Islam.”
The magazine piece mentions opinions of al-Madhāhib al-Arba`a [The Four Sunnī Schools of Jurisprudence] concerning the voidance of temporary marriage and then states:
“After the opinions of the four Mazahib, we report the opinions of scholars from other Mazahib below.”
The Answering-Ansar team replies back to this statement and writes:
Quoting Answering-Ansar:
Notice how the discussion begins: “We report the opinions of scholars from other Mazahib,” i.e., from other than the four official schools of thought in Sunni Islam (Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki, and Hanbali). Yet according to the standard Sunni view, anybody who is outside the four madhabs is a disbeliever. This is one of the main accusations made against the Shi’a, i.e., that they have split off from the Jamaa’ah (the majority) and are therefore outside of Islam. Yet in spite of that, this Wahabi has no problem quoting the opinion of these ‘ulama who, according to him, are outside of the four schools of thought. Is this justice, or is this the work of somebody who is taking an entirely bigoted approach to Shi’ism and the issue of Mut’ah?
Mut’ah, a comprehensive guide, page 42
These words, once again, show the level of Answering-Ansar’s credibility. They have blatantly lied about the vast majority of Muslims by claiming that the “standard Sunni view” is that one “who is outside the four madhabs is a disbeliever.”
Exposing the Lie
The differences between the four schools are of jurisprudence, not theological belief. Any Muslim can walk up to a reputable Sunnī scholar today and find out how true Answering-Ansar’s claim is. The questioner may find different responses based on the evaluations of the scholar, but there is no doubt that the answer will be opposite of what the Answering-Ansar team claims.
Following are the clear words of the Sunnī scholar Aĥmad ibn Ghanīm al-Nafrāwī al-Mālikī (d. 1124) that prove the Answering-Ansar team is nothing but an assemblage of liars.
al-Nafrāwī writes in al-Fawākih al-Dawānī:
قد انعقد إجماع المسلمين اليوم على وجوب متابعة واحد من الأئمة الأربع أبي حنيفة ومالك والشافعي وأحمد بن حنبل رضي الله عنهم وعدم جواز الخروج عن مذاهبهم وإنما حرم تقليد غير هؤلاء الأربعة من المجتهدين مع أن الجميع على هدى لعدم حفظ مذاهبهم لموت أصحابهم وعدم تدوينها ولذا قال بعض المحققين المعتمد أنه يجوز تقليد الأربعة وكذا من عداهم ممن يحفظ مذهبه في تلك المسألة ودون حتى عرفت شروطه وسائر معتبراته
“The consensus of the Muslims today has been reached over the obligation of following one of the four Imāms—Abū Ĥanīfa, Mālik, al-Shāfi`ī and Aĥmad ibn Ĥanbal (ra)—and the impermissibility of leaving their schools. And verily, following any of the independent jurists other than these four is declared forbidden [ĥurima], while all of them are upon guidance, due to the non-preservation of their schools caused by the deaths of their companions and the absence of their establishment.
Therefore, some of the research scholars said: The reliable position is that following the four is permissible, just as others from those who have their school preserved concerning that issue and established to the extent that its conditions and all the reliable positions have been known.”
- al-Fawākih al-Dawānī `alá Risāla Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī, of Aĥmad ibnGhanīm al-Nafrāwī (d. 1124), volume 2, page 356 [Beirut]
These words are clear as daylight and show that considering those outside the four schools to be disbelievers is not even an opinion among Sunnī scholars, much less the “standard Sunni view.”
Verily, Sunnīs have been studying and gaining knowledge from the Islamic works of many scholars such as Ibn Ĥazm (d. 456), al-Amīr al-Şan`ānī (d. 1182) and al-Shawkānī (d. 1250) who did not follow one of the four Imāms and their schools. Had they been considered disbelievers, Sunnīswould not have benefited from their works. It is amazing how the Answering-Ansar team quotes these scholars several times as Sunnīs when it comes to promoting their ideas; yet complain that they are disbelievers according to the “standard Sunni view” when Sunnīs quote them to merely relate their opinions. The cry for justice after such hypocrisy is indeed absurd.
Anyway, it has been shown that to say that anyone who is outside the four Sunnī schools of jurisprudence is a disbeliever according to “the standard Sunni view” is nothing but blatantly lying. This lie of the Answering-Ansar team should be another lesson to every reader, either Shī`ī orSunnī, about who they should trust when seeking the truth.
As for the Answering-Ansar team, we just have the following words of the Prophet (saws):
“Indeed, lying leads to deviance and deviance leads to the fire.”
- Şaĥīĥ al-Bukhārī, of Abū `Abd Allāh al-Bukhārī (d. 256) volume 7, page 95 [Beirut]
- Jāmi` Aĥādīth al-Shī`a, of al-Sayyid Ĥusayn al-Burūjardī (d. 1380), volume 13, page 568 [Qum]
It is only Allah (swt) who gives success, and blessings and peace be upon the Seal of the Prophets, his Pure Progeny and his Noble Companions
♦ ♦ ♦
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Works Cited
Shī`ī texts:
- Jāmi` Aĥādīth al-Shī`a
al-Sayyid Ĥusayn al-Burūjardī (d. 1380)
al-Matba`at al-`Ilmiyya
Qum, Iran
Sunnī texts:
- al-Fawākih al-Dawānī `alá Risāla Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī
Aĥmad ibn Ghanīm al-Nafrāwī (d. 1124)
Dar al-Fikr
Beirut, Lebanon
- Şaĥīĥ al-Bukhārī
Abū `Abd Allāh al-Bukhārī (d. 256)
Dar al-Fikr
Beirut, Lebanon
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