Who's Got It Worse, the Oppressed or the Oppressor? | Imam Taqi...
So, who\'s got it worse; the oppressed or the oppressor?
And doesn\'t it make sense, that the oppressed would have it much worse?
And yet,...
So, who\'s got it worse; the oppressed or the oppressor?
And doesn\'t it make sense, that the oppressed would have it much worse?
And yet, what does Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Taqi (A) say about all this?
Well, in this One Minute Wisdom Special, Sayyid Shahryar answers using the immaculate words of Imam al-Taqi (A), as we speak about how \"Who\'s Got It Worse, the Oppressed or the Oppressor?\"
Our congratulations to the believers, wherever you are, on the auspicious birth anniversary of the 9th divinely appointed Imam, Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Taqi (A).
#IslamicPulse #OneMinuteWisdom #OMW #Akhlaq #Ethics #Morality #Islam #Allah #Quran #AhlulBayt #Muslim #Shia #ImamTaqi #ImamJawad #Oppressor #Oppressed #9thImam #Palestine #israel #IslamicAwareness #Imamate
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[231] Hadith Explanation by Imam Khamenei | An Extravagance Even Worse...
Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei narrates and explains a tradition narrated from the 6th divinely appointed Imam, Imam Ja\\\'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq...
Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei narrates and explains a tradition narrated from the 6th divinely appointed Imam, Imam Ja\\\'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (A), where Imam Sadiq (A) warns us all of \\\"An Extravagance Even Worse Than That of The Rich\\\".
What is common thinking when it comes to what kind of people will usually commit \\\'Israf\\\' and extravagance?
What are some details regarding the \\\'Israf\\\' and extravagance that is committed by people that are relatively poor?
What are some definitions of the Arabic word \\\'Infaq\\\'?
What is the reason for which it is said, the \\\'Israf\\\' and extravagance of the poor can be more than that of the rich?
What are some examples of the \\\'Israf\\\' and extravagance of the poor?
Finally, how does this discussion teach us to live within our means?
Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei expounds upon the wise words of the 6th divinely appointed Imam, Imam Ja\\\'far al-Sadiq (A), where his eminence (A) speaks about how we must be wary of \\\"An Extravagance Even Worse Than That of The Rich\\\".
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Iran & The Fear Factor of America | Leader of the Islamic Revolution...
Iran & The Fear Factor of America | Leader of the Islamic Revolution
The people of Iran faced the same - if not worse - fear of America and...
Iran & The Fear Factor of America | Leader of the Islamic Revolution
The people of Iran faced the same - if not worse - fear of America and the front of global arrogance. It is one of the most utilized tool of the oppressors of any era. Under the divine Leadership, the people rose up and smashed this bunker of fear. Today, Iran is dignified and honored because of Islam and committed Muslims. Is it not a clear message for other nations?
#WakeUpCall
#DeathToAmerica
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Are the Iranian Youth Better Than Before Or Worse? | Leader of the...
We all know how spiritually elevated and committed were the Iranian youth at the time of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Even after the Revolution,...
We all know how spiritually elevated and committed were the Iranian youth at the time of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Even after the Revolution, they defended the Islamic System when attacked by the American-backed Saddam\'s regime. What about today? Some propose that Iranian youth are becoming secular, westernized, irreligious, materialistic and so on. What is the reality? The Leader speaks.
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What's Even More Worse than Evil? | One Minute Wisdom | English
Salutations and congratulations to all the believers across the world, wherever you are, on the auspicious birth anniversary of the 10th divinely...
Salutations and congratulations to all the believers across the world, wherever you are, on the auspicious birth anniversary of the 10th divinely appointed Imam, the 10th Successor to the holy Messenger of Allah (S), Imam Ali ibne Muhammad al-Naqi al-Hadi (A).
But have you ever wondered what can be even more worse than evil?
Or perhaps you have thought about what could be even better than a good deed?
And what could possibly be more beautiful than a beautiful set of words?
Finally, what could be even better than knowledge and wisdom?
Well, Sayyid Shahryar answers with the words of the 10th divinely appointed Imam, in this \\\"One Minute Wisdom\\\" special, celebrating the birth anniversary of his eminence, Imam Ali ibne Muhammad al-Naqi al-Hadi (A).
#IslamicPulse #OneMinuteWisdom #OMW #Akhlaq #Ethics #Morality #Islam #Allah #Quran #AhlulBayt #Muslim #Imam #Naqi #Hadi #Ali #Muhammad #10thImam #Imam #Good #Truth #Evil
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It\'s All God\'s Fault | One Minute Wisdom | English
Sometimes we end up committing sins, which is bad enough, but sometimes we go a few steps ahead and do something even worse.
What is that...
Sometimes we end up committing sins, which is bad enough, but sometimes we go a few steps ahead and do something even worse.
What is that something worse that we might end up doing after we have committed a sin?
And why is that something so bad?
And what do we attribute to Allah when we say \\\"It\\\'s All God\\\'s Fault\\\"?
Finally, what does Allah actually want for us?
Sayyid Shahryar explains using the wise and eloquent words of the tenth divinely appointed Imam, Imam Ali ibne Muhammad al-Naqi (A).
Hey, remember, it\\\'s never God\\\'s fault, but it most probably is yours.
Still, it\\\'s never too late to make amends, even if it is your fault.
#IslamicPulse #OneMinuteWisdom #OMW #Akhlaq #Ethics #Morality #Islam #Quran #AhlulBayt #God #Fault #Sin
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US Government Immorality Will Lead to Bankruptcy - English News Report
The Comptroller General of the United States proclaims that our current standard of living is unsustainable unless drastic action is taken He warns...
The Comptroller General of the United States proclaims that our current standard of living is unsustainable unless drastic action is taken He warns that funding shortfalls for the Medicare program is five times worse
7m:56s
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Worse Then 1929 - Are You Prepared-English
Ron Paul is the only Presidential candidate talking about this impending market collapse and talking about the dollar crisis and impending recession
Ron Paul is the only Presidential candidate talking about this impending market collapse and talking about the dollar crisis and impending recession
3m:23s
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Healthcare System in the USA - THE AMERICAN DREAM - English
The health care system in the US is ranked 37th overall in the world even though it spends almost double per capita of what other industrialized...
The health care system in the US is ranked 37th overall in the world even though it spends almost double per capita of what other industrialized countries spend. 47 million are not insured and almost 2 million filers and their dependents per year claim medical bankruptcy. The Real News Network spoke to Dr. Steffie Woolhandler of Harvard Medical School and Dr. Don McCanne of Physicians for a National Health Program who say John McCains health care proposals would make things worse than they are now and Barack Obamas proposals wont work and wont be enough to fix the problems. The US government must do more on behalf of the American patient
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16th July - Full Speech of Iranian President Ahmedinejand in Mashad -...
Iran's president lashes out at Western powers for their opposition to the outcome of the June 12 presidential election.
In a Thursday address to...
Iran's president lashes out at Western powers for their opposition to the outcome of the June 12 presidential election.
In a Thursday address to thousands of people in the northeastern city of Mashad, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the West has gone as far as setting up satellite channels to influence Iranians against their better judgment.
Ahmadinejad, who was speaking during his first provincial trip after the June 12 presidential vote, said foreign countries have no right to insult the choice made during the election.
"During the whole election process, certain foreign countries attempted to push the country to the brink of civil war," argued Ahmadinejad.
Iran turned into a scene of opposition rallies after the re-election of president Ahmadinejad with nearly two-thirds of the vote.
President Ahmadinejad's rivals -- Mehdi Karroubi and Mir-Hossein Mousavi -- reject the election result as fraudulent and have yet to acknowledge the Iranian president's re-election.
On June 20, the unrest over the result of the vote took a turn for the worse after protesters, who demanded a re-run of the 10th presidential election, gathered to hold a rally without the official permission of the country's Interior Ministry.
The day turned bloody -- increasing the post-vote deaths to at least 20 -- when, according to Iranian officials, terrorist elements infiltrated the rallies.
Ahmadinejad went on to say that the West has trouble tolerating an independent nation that takes a stand against their policies.
He said Iran would respond to any aggressors in a way that they would forget how to return home.
"I have told the enemies that this nation will strike you in the face so hard you will lose your way home," he said.
The president said the high voter turnout in the recent elections has caught Westerners off guard and "has foiled all their evil plans".
On the Iranian nuclear issue, Ahmadinejad said that his government would remain open to "logic and dialogue" to end the international deadlock.
He, however, issued a warning. "If each and every one of the Western countries that oppose Iran's nuclear program joins forces, they would still fail to deprive the Iranian nation of its inalienable nuclear rights," he said.
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Occupied Palestine West Bank Bedouin School under threat from Israel -...
The UN says that access to education is a basic human right. But for Palestinian children living in the occupied West Bank, getting to school...
The UN says that access to education is a basic human right. But for Palestinian children living in the occupied West Bank, getting to school itself is a challenge.
One Bedouin community lost three children in road accidents on their long walk to school.
Making matters worse, Israeli authorities are trying to block the building of a school near the community's home outside Jerusalem.
2m:35s
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Difficult Ramadan in Gaza - 04 Sep 2009 - English
For the last eight months, Abu Hassan and his family have been living in a refugee camp after their home was destroyed during Israel's war on Gaza....
For the last eight months, Abu Hassan and his family have been living in a refugee camp after their home was destroyed during Israel's war on Gaza.
Since the war ended in early January, life has been a daily struggle for many families like Abu Hassan's - their situation now made even worse during the month of Ramadan.
Even the simple act of breaking fast has become a daunting task for hundreds of refugees.
2m:34s
9491
Thousands homeless in Turkey floods - 09Sep09 - English
Desperate attempts are being made across northwestern Turkey to rescue people trapped by flooding triggered by two days of torrential rainfall -...
Desperate attempts are being made across northwestern Turkey to rescue people trapped by flooding triggered by two days of torrential rainfall - the worst in eighty years. At least Twenty Eight people are reported to have been killed but officials are saying that the death toll could get higher. Parts of the Istanbul are already under water and forced thousands from their homes. The race is now on to try to stop the situation from getting any worse - with more rain forecast for later in the week.
4m:36s
5128
Fallujah fallout worse than Hiroshima? Iraq report sounds alarm -...
The use of depleted uranium munition by U.S.-led forces during the war in Iraq is possibly causing cancer and genetic diseases among the local...
The use of depleted uranium munition by U.S.-led forces during the war in Iraq is possibly causing cancer and genetic diseases among the local population. Such are the findings of a recent study by a group of researchers. To find out more, RT speaks to the authors of the report, Professor Christopher Busby - scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risks, and Malak Hamdan - a British-Iraqi scientist.
7m:2s
12302
US military stuck in perpetual warfare - English
Fifty years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned United States citizens against the military industrial complex but it seems that warning was...
Fifty years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned United States citizens against the military industrial complex but it seems that warning was not taken to heart. Author Russ Baker says fifty years later, it is much worse than what Eisenhower warned against, it keeps us in a state of low grade panic all the time.
6m:7s
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***VIEWER DISCRETION*** Turkey leads anti-Syria smear campaign - 13Jun11...
Turkey's smear campaign against the Syrian government is much worse than the propaganda spread by Arab media to tarnish the image of Damascus with...
Turkey's smear campaign against the Syrian government is much worse than the propaganda spread by Arab media to tarnish the image of Damascus with regards to its recent unrest.
While Syrian officials and residents of crisis-hit Syrian regions have repeatedly said that armed groups are responsible for the deadly clashes in the country, Turkey has tried to portray Iran and the Lebanese Resistance Movement, Hezbollah, as being behind the unrest in Syria and that they help Damascus quell protests.
The Turkish NTV news channel recently claimed that the Syrian soldiers who refused to open fire on protesters were shot dead by their commanders.
The broadcaster reported that a Syrian soldier taking refuge in the country says that he and his comrades were trying to avoid hurting protesters by firing warning shots, but those who refused to open fire on protesters were shot dead.
"I've seen Iranians and Hezbollah operators giving instructions to shoot, and those who refused were immediately shot dead," the alleged fugitive Syrian soldier told NTV, adding that the soldiers were mostly shot from behind or in the neck.
The Turkish broadcaster has also claimed that Syrian forces have opened fire on unarmed civilians in al-Rastan.
"We opened fire on everyone, the young, the old... Women were raped in front of their husbands and children," the army defector told NTV.
Political analysts in Middle East affairs have accused Ankara of playing a double game -- claiming to support the Damascus government in order to have greater influence in the Middle East, while at the same time supporting and providing a safe haven for armed gangs seeking to incite revolt in Syria.
Iranian analyst Hadi Mohammadi says that the United States has now formed operational headquarters in southern Turkey close to the border with Syria to direct the riots in the Arab country after its attempts to cause unrest in southern Syria were unsuccessful.
Mohammadi said that the United States has assigned Turkey to carry out its anti-Syria plan. It has hence provided aid to the Turkish Army to assist Syrian dissidents in crossing into Turkey and settle in tent villages set up in Turkey's Hatay Province.
Meanwhile, a mass grave with bodies of at least 10 Syrian security forces was discovered near the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour on Monday.
Syria's state TV says the victims were killed by armed gangs and the bodies bore marks of torture.
Heavy clashes were reported as troops and tanks moved into the city on Sunday and gunmen targeted civilian areas including a hospital.
The government says it entered the town to restore order after some 120 security forces were killed there about a week ago. People in Jisr al-Shughour gathered to thank government troops for protecting them against the gunmen.
8m:45s
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Cracking Stuxnet - A 21st-century cyber weapon against Iran - Ralph...
When first discovered in 2010, the Stuxnet computer worm posed a baffling puzzle. Beyond its unusually high level of sophistication loomed a more...
When first discovered in 2010, the Stuxnet computer worm posed a baffling puzzle. Beyond its unusually high level of sophistication loomed a more troubling mystery: its purpose. Ralph Langner and team helped crack the code that revealed this digital warhead's final target -- and its covert origins. In a fascinating look inside cyber-forensics, he explains how.
The idea behind the Stuxnet computer worm is actually quite simple. We don't want Iran to get the Bomb. Their major asset for developing nuclear weapons is the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The gray boxes that you see, these are real-time control systems. Now if we manage to compromise these systems that control drive speeds and valves, we can actually cause a lot of problems with the centrifuge. The gray boxes don't run Windows software; they are a completely different technology. But if we manage to place a good Windows virus on a notebook that is used by a maintenance engineer to configure this gray box, then we are in business. And this is the plot behind Stuxnet.
So we start with a Windows dropper. The payload goes onto the gray box, damages the centrifuge, and the Iranian nuclear program is delayed -- mission accomplished. That's easy, huh? I want to tell you how we found that out. When we started our research on Stuxnet six months ago, it was completely unknown what the purpose of this thing was. The only thing that was known is very, very complex on the Windows part, the dropper part, used multiple zero-day vulnerabilities. And it seemed to want to do something with these gray boxes, these real-time control systems. So that got our attention, and we started a lab project where we infected our environment with Stuxnet and checked this thing out. And then some very funny things happened. Stuxnet behaved like a lab rat that didn't like our cheese -- sniffed, but didn't want to eat. Didn't make sense to me. And after we experimented with different flavors of cheese, I realized, well, this is a directed attack. It's completely directed. The dropper is prowling actively on the gray box if a specific configuration is found, and even if the actual program that it's trying to infect is actually running on that target. And if not, Stuxnet does nothing.
So that really got my attention, and we started to work on this nearly around the clock, because I thought, well, we don't know what the target is. It could be, let's say for example, a U.S. power plant, or a chemical plant in Germany. So we better find out what the target is soon. So we extracted and decompiled the attack code, and we discovered that it's structured in two digital bombs -- a smaller one and a bigger one. And we also saw that they are very professionally engineered by people who obviously had all insider information. They knew all the bits and bites that they had to attack. They probably even know the shoe size of the operator. So they know everything.
And if you have heard that the dropper of Stuxnet is complex and high-tech, let me tell you this: the payload is rocket science. It's way above everything that we have ever seen before. Here you see a sample of this actual attack code. We are talking about -- round about 15,000 lines of code. Looks pretty much like old-style assembly language. And I want to tell you how we were able to make sense out of this code. So what we were looking for is first of all is system function calls, because we know what they do.
And then we were looking for timers and data structures and trying to relate them to the real world -- to potential real world targets. So we do need target theories that we can prove or disprove. In order to get target theories, we remember that it's definitely hardcore sabotage, it must be a high-value target, and it is most likely located in Iran, because that's where most of the infections had been reported. Now you don't find several thousand targets in that area. It basically boils down to the Bushehr nuclear power plant and to the Natanz fuel enrichment plant.
So I told my assistant, "Get me a list of all centrifuge and power plant experts from our client base." And I phoned them up and picked their brain in an effort to match their expertise with what we found in code and data. And that worked pretty well. So we were able to associate the small digital warhead with the rotor control. The rotor is that moving part within the centrifuge, that black object that you see. And if you manipulate the speed of this rotor, you are actually able to crack the rotor and eventually even have the centrifuge explode. What we also saw is that the goal of the attack was really to do it slowly and creepy -- obviously in an effort to drive maintenance engineers crazy, that they would not be able to figure this out quickly.
The big digital warhead -- we had a shot at this by looking very closely at data and data structures. So for example, the number 164 really stands out in that code; you can't overlook it. I started to research scientific literature on how these centrifuges are actually built in Natanz and found they are structured in what is called a cascade, and each cascade holds 164 centrifuges. So that made sense, it was a match.
And it even got better. These centrifuges in Iran are subdivided into 15, what is called, stages. And guess what we found in the attack code? An almost identical structure. So again, that was a real good match. And this gave us very high confidence for what we were looking at. Now don't get me wrong here, it didn't go like this. These results have been obtained over several weeks of really hard labor. And we often went into just a dead-end and had to recover.
Anyway, so we figured out that both digital warheads were actually aiming at one and the same target, but from different angles. The small warhead is taking one cascade, and spinning up the rotors and slowing them down, and the big warhead is talking to six cascades and manipulating valves. So in all, we are very confident that we have actually determined what the target is. It is Natanz, and it is only Natanz. So we don't have to worry that other targets might be hit by Stuxnet.
Here's some very cool stuff that we saw -- really knocked my socks off. Down there is the gray box, and on the top you see the centrifuges. Now what this thing does is it intercepts the input values from sensors -- so for example, from pressure sensors and vibration sensors -- and it provides legitimate code, which is still running during the attack, with fake input data. And as a matter of fact, this fake input data is actually prerecorded by Stuxnet. So it's just like from the Hollywood movies where during the heist, the observation camera is fed with prerecorded video. That's cool, huh?
The idea here is obviously not only to fool the operators in the control room. It actually is much more dangerous and aggressive. The idea is to circumvent a digital safety system. We need digital safety systems where a human operator could not act quick enough. So for example, in a power plant, when your big steam turbine gets too over speed, you must open relief valves within a millisecond. Obviously, this cannot be done by a human operator. So this is where we need digital safety systems. And when they are compromised, then real bad things can happen. Your plant can blow up. And neither your operators nor your safety system will notice it. That's scary.
But it gets worse. And this is very important, what I'm going to say. Think about this. This attack is generic. It doesn't have anything to do, in specifics, with centrifuges, with uranium enrichment. So it would work as well, for example, in a power plant or in an automobile factory. It is generic. And you don't have -- as an attacker -- you don't have to deliver this payload by a USB stick, as we saw it in the case of Stuxnet. You could also use conventional worm technology for spreading. Just spread it as wide as possible. And if you do that, what you end up with is a cyber weapon of mass destruction. That's the consequence that we have to face. So unfortunately, the biggest number of targets for such attacks are not in the Middle East. They're in the United States and Europe and in Japan. So all of the green areas, these are your target-rich environments. We have to face the consequences, and we better start to prepare right now.
Thanks.
(Applause)
Chris Anderson: I've got a question. Ralph, it's been quite widely reported that people assume that Mossad is the main entity behind this. Is that your opinion?
Ralph Langner: Okay, you really want to hear that? Yeah. Okay. My opinion is that the Mossad is involved, but that the leading force is not Israel. So the leading force behind that is the cyber superpower. There is only one, and that's the United States -- fortunately, fortunately. Because otherwise, our problems would even be bigger.
CA: Thank you for scaring the living daylights out of us. Thank you Ralph.
(Applause)
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Ron Paul vs Bernanke: Is Gold Money? -English
The so-called repayments are the result of Enron-type accounting and worse. They were funded by new Fed loans and changes in accounting rules, not...
The so-called repayments are the result of Enron-type accounting and worse. They were funded by new Fed loans and changes in accounting rules, not from profits. They placed an even greater burden on taxpayers. As for money, its most basic definition is anything used as a medium of exchange. For centuries, gold has been the most recognized form of money in the world.] YouTube 2011 Jul 13
5m:32s
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[INfocus] Anniversary of the July war of 2006 - 31Jul2011 - English
In July 2006, the Arab-Israeli struggle was taken to a new level with a 33-day Israeli attack on Lebanon.
The war caused Lebanon widespread...
In July 2006, the Arab-Israeli struggle was taken to a new level with a 33-day Israeli attack on Lebanon.
The war caused Lebanon widespread destruction and damaged its infrastructure severely. And even with the billions of dollars worth of damage, what was worse than that was the fact that thousands of Lebanese civilians were killed.
25m:27s
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[INfocus] Anniversary of the July war of 2006 - 31Jul2011 - English
In July 2006, the Arab-Israeli struggle was taken to a new level with a 33-day Israeli attack on Lebanon.
The war caused Lebanon widespread...
In July 2006, the Arab-Israeli struggle was taken to a new level with a 33-day Israeli attack on Lebanon.
The war caused Lebanon widespread destruction and damaged its infrastructure severely. And even with the billions of dollars worth of damage, what was worse than that was the fact that thousands of Lebanese civilians were killed.
25m:17s
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[Africa Today] Is there an alternative to western aid in famine hit...
It is the world's biggest humanitarian crisis and it seems to be getting worse.
Thousands of people are on the move fleeing from both war and...
It is the world's biggest humanitarian crisis and it seems to be getting worse.
Thousands of people are on the move fleeing from both war and famine and of all the countries affected, its Somalia which is most stricken with half of its seven million population at severe risk. While the UN sponsored transitional government has complained of food holding by some aid agencies the al-Shabaab militia says these NGO's have no business in the areas they control.
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[ENGLISH e-Book] Al-Ghadir and its Relevance to ISLAMIC UNITY by Shaheed...
Message of Thaqalayn
\"Al-Ghadir\" and its Relevance to Islamic Unity
________________________________________
Ayatullah Murtaza...
Message of Thaqalayn
\"Al-Ghadir\" and its Relevance to Islamic Unity
________________________________________
Ayatullah Murtaza Mutahhari
Translated by Mojgan Jalali
Vol. 3, No. 1 and 2 (1417 AH/1996 CE)
The distinguished book entitled \"al-Ghadir\" has raised a huge wave in the world of Islam. Islamic thinkers shed light on the book in different perspectives; in literature, history, theology, tradition, tafsir, and sociology. From the social perspective we can deal with the Islamic unity. In this review the Islamic unity has been dealt with from a social point of view.
Contemporary Muslim thinkers and reformists are of the view that unity and solidarity of Muslims are the most imperative Islamic exigencies at the present juncture when the enemies have made extensive inroads upon the Islamic community and have tried to resort to different ways and means to spread the old differences and create new ones. We are aware that Islamic unity and fraternity is the focus of attention of the Holy Legislator of Islam and is actually the major objective pursued by this Divine religion as firmed by the Qur\'an, the \"Sunnah\", and the history of Islam.
For this reason, some people have been faced with this question: Wouldn\'t the compilation and publication of a book such as \"al-Ghadir\" which deals with the oldest issue of differences among the Muslims- create a barrier in the way of the sublime and lofty objective of the Islamic unity?
To answer this question, it is necessary first to elucidate the essence of this issue, that is, the Islamic unity, and then proceed to examine the role of the magnum opus entitled \"al-Ghadir\"and its eminent compiler \'Allamah Amini in bringing about Islamic unity.
Islamic Unity
What is meant by the Islamic unity? Does it mean that one Islamic school of thought should be unanimously followed and others be set aside? Or does it mean that the commonalties of all Islamic schools of thought should be taken up and their differences be put away to make up a new denomination which is not completely the same as the previous ones? Or does it mean that Islamic unity is in no way related to the unity of the different schools of Fiqh (jurisprudence) but signifies the unity of the Muslims and the unity of the followers of different schools of Fiqh, with their different religious ideas and views, vis-a-vis the aliens?
To give an illogical and impractical meaning to the issue of the Islamic unity, the opponents of the issue have called it to be the formation of a single Madhhab, so as to defeat it in the very first step. Without doubt, by the term Islamic unity, the intellectual Islamic \'Ulama\' (scholars) do not mean that all denominations should give in to one denomination or that the commonalties should be taken up and the different views and ideas be set aside, as these are neither rational and logical nor favorable and practical. By the Islamic unity these scholars mean that all Muslims should unite in one line against their common enemies.
These scholars slate that Muslims have many things in common, which can serve as the foundations of a firm unity. All Muslims worship the One Almighty and believe in the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet (s). The Qur\'an is the Book of all Muslims and Ka\'abah is their \"qiblah\" (direction of prayer). They go to\"hajj\" pilgrimage with each other and perform the \"hajj\" rites and rituals like one another. They say the daily prayers and fast like each other. They establish families and engage in transactions like one another. They have similar ways of bringing up their children and burying their dead. Apart from minor affairs, they share similarities in all the aforementioned cases. Muslims also share one kind of world view, one common culture, and one grand, glorious, and long-standing civilization.
Unity in the world view, in culture, in the civilization, in insight and disposition, in religious beliefs, in acts of worship and prayers, in social rites and customs can well turn the Muslim into a unified nation to serve as a massive and dominant power before which the big global powers would have to bow down. This is especially true in view of the stress laid by Islam on this principle. According to the explicit wording of the Qur\'an, the Muslims are brothers, and special rights and duties link them together. So, why shouldn\'t the Muslims use all these extensive facilities accorded to them as the blessing of Islam?
This group of \'Ulama\' are of the view that there is no need for the Muslims to make any compromise on the primary or secondary principles of their religion for the sake of Islamic unity. Also it is not necessary for the Muslims to avoid engaging in discussions and reasons and writing books on primary and secondary principles about which they have differences. The only consideration for Islamic unity in this case is that the Muslims- in order to avoid the emergence or accentuation of vengeance - preserve their possession, avoid insulting and accusing each other and uttering fabrications, abandon ridiculing the logic of one another, and finally abstain from hurting one another and going beyond the borders of logic and reasoning. In fact, they should, at least, observe the limits which Islam has set forth for inviting non-Muslims to embrace it:
\"Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner... \"(16: 125)
Some people are of the view that those schools of fiqh, such as, Shafi\'i and Hanafi which have no differences in principle should establish brotherhood and stand in one line. They believe that denominations which have differences in the principles can in no way be brothers. This group view the religious principles as an interconnected set as termed by scholars of Usul, as an interrelated and interdependent set; any damage to one principle harms all principles.
As a result, those who believe in this principle are of the view that when, for instance, the principle of \"imamah\" is damaged and victimized, unity and fraternity will bear no meaning and for this reason the Shi\'ah and the Sunnis cannot shake hands as two Muslim brothers and be in the same rank, no matter who their enemy is.
The first group answers this group by saying: \"There is no reason for us to consider the principles as an interrelated set and follow the principle of \"all or none\". Imam \'Ali (\'a) chose a very logical and reasonable approach. He left no stone unturned to retrieve his right. He used everything within his power to restore the principle of \"imamah\", but he never adhered to the motto of \"all or none\". \'Ali (\'a) did not rise up for his right, and that was not compulsory. On the contrary, it was a calculated and chosen approach. He did not fear death. Why didn\'t he rise up? There could have been nothing above martyrdom. Being killed for the cause of the Almighty was his ultimate desire. He was more intimate with martyrdom than a child is with his mother\'s breast. But in his sound calculations, Imam \'All (\'a) had reached the conclusion that under the existing conditions it was to the interest of Islam to foster collaboration and cooperation among the Muslims and give up revolt. He repeatedly stressed this point.
In one of his letters (No.62 \"Nahj al Balaghah\") to Malik al-Ashtar, he wrote the following:
\"First I pulled back my hand until I realized that a group of people converted from Islam and invited the people toward annihilating the religion of Muhammad(s). So I feared that if I did not rush to help Islam and the Muslims, I would see gaps or destruction which calamity would be far worse than the several-day-long demise of caliphate.\"
In the six-man council, after appointment of \'Uthman by \'Abdul-Rahman ibn \'Awf, \'Ali (\'a) set forth his objection as well as his readiness for collaboration as follows:\"
You well know that I am more deserving than others for caliphate. But now by Allah, so long as the affairs of the Muslims are in order and my rivals suffice with setting me aside and only I am alone subjected to oppression, I will not oppose (the move) and will give in (to it).\" (From Sermon 72, \"Nahj al- Balaghah\").
These indicate that in this issue \'Ali (\'a) condemned the principle of \"all or none\". There is no need to further elaborate the approach taken by \'Ali (\'a) toward this issue. There are ample historical proofs and reasons in this regard.
\'Allamah Amini
Now it is time to see to which group the eminent \'Allamah, Ayatullah Amini - the distinguished compiler of the \"al-Ghadir\" - belonged and how he thought. Did he approve of the unity of the Muslims only within the light of Shi\'ism? Or did he consider Islamic fraternity to be broader? Did he believe that Islam which is embraced by uttering the \"shahadatayn\" (the Muslim creed) would willy-nilly create some rights for the Muslims and that the brotherhood and fraternity set forth in the Qur\'an exists among all Muslims?
\'Allamah Amini personally considered this point - i.e. the need to elucidate his viewpoint on this subject and elaborate whether\"al-Ghadir\" has a positive or a negative role in (the establishment of) Islamic unity. In order not to be subject to abuse by his opponent - be they among the pros and cons - he has repeatedly explained and elucidated his views.
\'Allamah Amini supported Islamic unity and viewed an open mind and clear insight. On different occasions, he set forth this matter in various volumes of the \"al-Ghadir\'. Reference will be made to some of them below:
In the preface to volume I, he briefly mentions the role of \"al-Ghadir\" in the world of Islam. He states: \"And we consider all this as service to religion, sublimation of the word of the truth, and restoration of the Islamic \'ummah\' (community).\"
In volume 3 (page 77), after quoting the fabrications of Ibn Taymiyah, Alusi, and Qasimi to the effect that Shi \'ism is hostile to some of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Household of the Prophet) such as Zayd bin \'Ali bin al-Huseyn, he notes the following under the title of \"Criticism and Correction\":
\"These fabrications and accusations sow the seeds of corruption, stir hostilities among the \'ummah\',create discord among the Islamic community, divide the \'ummah\', and clash with the public interests of the Muslims.
Again in volume 3 (page 268), he quotes the accusation leveled on the Shi\'ahs by Sayyid Muhammad Rashid Rida to the effect that \"Shi\'ahs are pleased with any defeat incurred by Muslims, so much as they celebrated the victory of the Russians over the Muslims.\" Then he says:
\"These falsehoods are fabricated by persons like Sayyid Muhammad Rashid Rida. The Shi\'ahs of Iran and Iraq against whom this accusation is leveled, as well as the orientalists, tourists, envoys of Islamic countries, and those who traveled and still travel to Iran and Iraq, have no information about this trend. Shi\'ahs, without exception, respect the lives, blood, reputation, and property of the Muslims be they Shi\'ahs or Sunnis. Whenever a calamity has befallen the Islamic community anywhere, in any region, and for any sects, the Shi\'ahs have shared their sorrow. The Shi\'ahs have never been confined to the Shi\'ah world, the (concept of) Islamic brotherhood which has been set forth in the Qur\'an and the \'sunnah\'(the Prophet\'s sayings and actions), and in this respect, no discrimination has been made between the Shi\'ahs and the Sunnis.\"
Also at the close of volume 3, he criticizes several books penned by the ancients such as \"Iqd al-Farid\" by Ibn Abd al-Rabbih, \"al-Intisar\" by Abu al-Husayn Khayyat al-Mu\'tazili,\"al Farq bayn al-Firaq\" by Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi, \"al-Fasl\" by Ibn Hazm al-Andulusi, \"al-Milal wa al-Nihal\" by Muhammad ibn Abdul-Karim al-Shahristani \"Minhaj al-Sunnah\" by Ibn Taymiah and \"al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah\"by Ibn Kathir and several by the later writers such as \"Tarikh al-Umam al-Islamiyyah\" by Shaykh Muhammad Khizri, \"Fajr al Islam\" by Ahmad Amin, \"al-Jawlat fi Rubu al-Sharq al-Adna\" by Muhammad Thabit al-Mesri, \"al-Sira Bayn al-Islam wa al-Wathaniyah\" by Qasimi, and \"al- Washi\'ah\" by Musa Jarallah. Then he states the following:
\"By quoting and criticizing these books, we aim at warning and awakening the Islamic \'ummah\' (to the fact) that these books create the greatest danger for the Islamic community, they destabilize the Islamic unity and scatter the Muslim lines. In fact nothing can disrupt the ranks of the Muslims, destroy their unity, and tear their Islamic fraternity more severely than these books.\"
\'Allamah Amini, in the preface to volume 5, under title of\"Nazariyah Karimah\" on the occasion of a plaque of honor forwarded from Egypt for \"al-Ghadir\", clearly sets forth his view on this issue and leaves no room for any doubt. He remarks:
\"People are free to express views and ideas on religion. These (views and ideas) will never tear apart the bond of Islamic brotherhood to which the holy Qur\'an has referred by stating that \'surely the believers are brethren\'; even though academic discussion and theological and religious debates reach a peak. This has been the style of the predecessors, and of the \'sahaba\' and the\'tabi\'un\', at the head of them.
\"Notwithstanding all the differences that we have in the primary and secondary principles, we, the compilers and writers in nooks and corners of the world of Islam, share a common point and that is belief in the Almighty and His Prophet. A single spirit and one (form of) sentiment exists in all our bodies, and that is the spirit of Islam and the term\'ikhlas,\"
\"We, the Muslim compilers, all live under the banner of truth and carry out our duties under the guidance of the Qur\'an and the Prophetic Mission of the Holy Prophet (s). The message of all of us is \'Surely the (true) religion with Allah is Islam ... (3:18)\' and the slogan of all of us is \'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.\' Indeed, we are (the members of) the party of Allah and the supporters of his religion.
In the preface to volume 8, under the title of \"al-Ghadir Yowahhad al-Sufuf fil-Mila al-Islami\", \'Allamah Amini directly makes researches into the role of \"Al- Ghadir\" in (the establishment of) Islamic unity. In this discussion, this great scholar categorically rejects the accusations leveled by those who said: \'Al-Ghadir\' causes greater discord among the Muslims. He proves that, on the contrary, \"Al-Ghadir\"removes many misunderstandings and brings the Muslims closer to one another. Then he brings evidence by mentioning the confessions of the non-Shi\'i Islamic scholars. At the close, he quotes the letter of Shaykh Muhammad Saeed Dahduh written in this connection.
To avoid prolongation of this article, we will not quote and translate the entire statements of \'Allamah Amini in explaining the positive role of \"al-Ghadir\" in (establishing) Islamic unity, since what has already been mentioned sufficiently proves this fact.
The positive role of \"al-Ghadir\" is established by the facts that it firstly clarifies the proven logic of the Shi\'ahs and proves that the inclination of Muslims to Shi\'ism - notwithstanding the poisonous publicity of some people - is not due to political, ethnic, or other trends and considerations. It also verifies that a powerful logic based on the Qur\'an and the \"sunnah\" has given rise to this tendency.
Secondly, it reflects that some accusations leveled on Shi\'ism - which have made other Muslims distanced from the Shi\'ah- are totally baseless and false. Examples of these accusations are the notion that the Shi\'ites prefer the non-Muslims to the non- Shi\'i Muslims, rejoice at the defeat of non-Shi\'ite Muslims at the hands of non-Muslims, and other accusations such as the idea that instead of going to hajj pilgrimage, the Shi\'ahs go on pilgrimage to shrines of the Imams, or have particular rites in prayers and in temporary marriage.
Thirdly, it introduces to the world of Islam the eminent Commander of the faithful \'Ali (\'a) who is the most oppressed and the least praised grand Islamic personality and who could be the leader of all Muslims, as well as his pure offspring.
Other Comments on \"al-Ghadir\"
Many unbiased non-Shia Muslims interpret the \"al-Ghadir\" in the same way that has already been mentioned.
Muhammad Abdul-Ghani Hasan al-Mesri, in his foreword on\"al-Ghadir\", which has been published in the preface to volume I, second edition, states:
\"I call on the Almighty to make your limpid brook (in Arabic, \'Ghadir\' means brook) the cause of peace and cordiality between the Shia and Sunni brothers to cooperate with one another in building the Islamic \"ummah.\"
\'Adil Ghadban, the managing editor of the Egyptian magazine entitled \"al-Kitab\", said the following in the preface to volume 3:
\"This book clarifies the Shi\'ite logic. The Sunnis can correctly learn about the Shi\'i through this book. Correct recognition of the Shi\'ahs brings the views of the Shi\'ahs and the Sunnis closer, and they can make a unified rank\".
In his foreword to the \"al-Ghadir\" which was published in thepreface to volume 4, Dr. Muhammad Ghallab, professor of philosophy at the Faculty of Religious Studies al-Azhar University said:
\"I got hold of your book at a very opportune time, because right now I am busy collecting and compiling a book on the lives of the Muslims from various perspectives. Therefore, I am highly avidfor obtaining sound information about \'Imamiyah\' Shi\'ism. Your book will help me. And I will not make mistakes about the Shi\'ahs as others have\".
In this foreword published in the preface to volume 4 of the\"al-Ghadir\", Dr. \'Abdul-Rahman Kiali Halabi says the following after referring to the decline of the Muslims in the present age and the factors which can lead to the Muslims\' salvation, one of which is the sound recognition of the successor of the Holy Prophet (s):
\"The book entitled \"al-Ghadir\" and its rich content deserves to be known by every Muslim to learn how historians have been negligent and see where the truth lies. Through this means, we should compensate for the past, and by striving to foster the unity of the Muslims, we should try to gain the due rewards\".
These were the views of \'Allamah Amini about the important social issues of our age and such were his sound reflections in the world of Islam.
Peace be upon him.
Text Source: http://www.al-islam.org/mot/default.asp?url=ghadir-relevance.htm
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