Some people have fallen victim to confusing al-Taqiyya with hypocrisy, when
in fact they (al-Taqiyya and Hypocrisy) are two opposite extremes. al-
Taqiyya is concealing faith and displaying nonbelief; while Hypocrisy is
the concealment of unbelief and the display of belief. They are TOTAL
opposites in function, form, and meaning.
The Quran reveals the nature of hypocrisy with the following verse:
"When they meet those who believe, they say: `We Believe;' but when
they are alone with their evil ones, they say: `We are really with
you, we (were) only jesting [2:14]."
The Quran then reveals al-Taqiyya with the following verses:
"A Believer, a man from among the people of Pharaoh, who had CONCEALED
his faith, said: "Will ye slay a man because he says, `My Lord is
Allah'?....[40:28]" (Emphasis Mine.)
Also:
"Any one who, after accepting Faith in Allah, utters unbelief, EXCEPT
under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in faith -- but such as
open their breast to unbelief, -- on them is Wrath from Allah, and
theirs will be a dreadful Chastisement [16:106]." (Emphasis Mine.)
And also:
"Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather
than believers: if any do that, (they) shall have no relation left
with Allah except by way of precaution ("tat-taqooh"), that ye may
guard yourselves ("tooqatan") from them....[3:28]"
Moreover:
And when Moses returned unto his people, angry and grieved, he said:
Evil is that (course) which ye took after I had left you. Would ye
hasten on the judgment of your Lord? And he cast down the tablets,
and he seized his brother by the head, dragging him toward him.
(Aaron) said: "Son of my mother! Lo! People did oppress me and they
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
were about to kill me. Make not the enemies rejoice over my
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
misfortune nor count thou me amongst the sinful people. [7:150]"
The Shia did NOT innovate or concoct anything new, they simply followed the
injunctions of Allah (SWT), as stated in the Quran, and the custom of the
Seal of Prophethood, Muhammad (PBUH&HF). Nonetheless, one must also examine
what the Shia themselves say about al-Taqiyya:
al-Shaykh Muhammad Ridha al-Mudhaffar in his book, "Aqa'id al-Imamiyah,"
wrote that:
"al-Taqiyya should conform to specific rules vis-a-vis the situation
wherein eminent danger is present; these rules, listed in many books
of Fiqh (Jurisprudence), along with the severity of the danger
determine the validity, or lack of, al-Taqiyya itself. It is not
mandatory to practice it (al-Taqiyya) at all times; on the contrary,
it is permissible, and sometimes necessary, to abandon it (al-Taqiyya)
altogether; as in the case where revealing the truth will further the
cause of the religion, and provide a direct service to Islam; and
(when the revealing of the truth is such that it constitutes) a jihad
(striving) for (Islam's) sake; (verily,) in such a situation, wealth
and life should be forsaken. Furthermore, al-Taqiyya is prohibited in
instances wherein the killing of innocent people and the spread of
corruption will result; and in cases wherein the marring of the
religion will result, and/or a significant harm will befall the
Muslims, either by leading them astray or corrupting and oppressing
them.
Either way, al-Taqiyya, as the Shia uphold it, does not make of the
Shia a secret cooperative that seeks to destroy and corrupt, as the
enemies (of the Shia) wish to present them; (these critics launch
their verbal attacks) without really heeding the subject (of al-
Taqiyya); and (without even) laboring to understand our own opinion on
the matter (of al-Taqiyya).
Nor does it (al-Taqiyya) mandate that the religion and its injunctions
become a secret of secrets that cannot be disclosed to those who do
not subscribe to its teachings. How so, when the books of the
Imamiyah (the Shia) that deal with the (subjects of) Fiqh, Kalam, and
beliefs are in abundant supply, and have exceeded the limits (of
publications) expected from any nation professing its beliefs."
Imam Khomeini in his book, "Islamic Government," also presents his view on
al-Taqiyya. He believes that al-Taqiyya is permitted only when one's life
is jeopardized. Whereas in cases wherein the religion of Allah (SWT),
Islam, is in danger, it is not permitted even if it leads to one's death:
The Imams, may peace be upon them, imposed on the jurisprudence very
important ordinances and committed them to shouldering and preserving
the trust. It is not right to resort to dissimulation on every issue,
small and big. Dissimulation was legislated to preserve one's life or
others from damage on subsidiary issues of the laws. But if Islam in
its entirety is in danger, then there is no place for dissimulation
and for silence. What do you think a jurisprudent should do if they
force him to legislate or innovate?... If dissimulation forces on us
to jump on the sultan's bandwagon then it should not be resorted to
even if such refrainment leads to the death of the person concerned,
unless his jumping on the bandwagon constitutes a real victory for
Islam and the Muslims, as in the case of Ali Ibn Yaqtin and Nasiruddin
in al-Tusi, may Allah have mercy upon their souls.
In his book, "Shi'ite Islam" (translated into English by Sayyed Hussein
Nasr), the Shi'i scholar Allama Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai defines
Taqiyya as the situation where a person "hides his religion or certain of
his religious practices in situations that would cause definite or probable
danger as a result of the actions of those who are opposed to his religion
or particular religious practices." He goes on to define the nature of the
danger:
The exact extent of danger which would make permissible the practice
of Taqiyya has been debated among different Shia scholars. In our
view point, the practice of Taqiyya is permitted if there is definite
danger facing one's own life or the life of one's family, or the
possibility of the loss of the honor and virtue of one's wife or of
other female members of the family, or the danger of the loss of one's
material belongings to such an extent as to cause complete destitution
and prevent a man from being able to continue to support himself and
his family.
Tabatabai cited two verses from the Quran in support of al-Taqiyya:
"...except for precaution and dissimulation that you may protect yourselves against them..."(Quran 3:28) : ( / (_)
For the above verse, the great Sunni scholar, Mawdudi, has a commentary in
support of Taqiyya. Notice that in the above verse, the words "tattaqu" and
"toqat" have exactly the same root as Taqiyya.
The second verse is the following:
"Any one who becomes unbeliever after being believer, EXCLUDING the
one who is under compulsion and force while his hurt is firm in faith,
but the one go on in disbelief, Wrath of Allah is on to them and they
will have a dreadful penalty," (Quran 16:106)
As mentioned in both Sunni and Shi'ite sources this verse was revealed
concerning 'Ammar Ibn Yasir. After the migration (hijrah) of the
Prophet, the infidels of Mecca imprisoned some of the Muslims of that
city and tortured them, forcing them to leave Islam and to return to
their former religion of idolatry. Included in this group who were
tortured were Ammar and his father and mother. Ammar's parents refused
to turn away from Islam and died under torture. But Ammar, in order
to escape torture and death, outwardly left Islam and accepted idol
worship, thereby escaping from danger. Having become free, he left
Mecca secretly for Medina. In Medina he went before the Holy
Prophet--upon whom be blessings and peace--and in a state of penitence
and distress concerning what he had done, he asked the Prophet if by
acting as he did, he had fallen outside the sacred precinct of
religion. Then Prophet said that his duty was what he had
accomplished. The above verse was then revealed.
The two verses cited above were revealed concerning particular cases
but their meaning is such that they embrace all situations in which
the outward expression of doctrinal belief and religious practice
might bring about a dangerous situation. Besides these verses, there
exist many traditions from the members of the Household of the
Prophet, ordering Taqiyya when there is fear of danger.
Some have criticized Shia by saying that to employ the practice of
Taqiyya in religion is opposed to the virtues of courage and bravery.
The least amount of thought about this accusation will bring to light
its invalidity, for Taqiyya must be practiced in a situation where man
faces a danger which he cannot resist and against which he cannot
fight.
Resistance to such a danger and failure to practice Taqiyya in such
circumstances shows rashness and foolhardiness, not courage and
bravery. The qualities of courage and bravery can be applied only
when there is at least the possibility of success in man's efforts.
But before a definite or probable danger against which there is no
possibility of victory--such as drinking water in which there is
probably poison or throwing oneself before a cannon that is being
fired or lying down on the tracks before an onrushing train--any
action of this kind is nothing but a form of madness and contrary to
logic and common sense. Therefore, we can summarize by saying that
Taqiyya must be practiced only when there is a definite danger which
cannot be avoided and against which there is no hope of a successful
struggle and victory.
Please refer to Shi'ite Islam
Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatai
Translated by Seyyed Hossein Nasr
pp 223-225
It is apparent then, from the above quotes, that the Shia are NOT advocates
of hypocrisy, secrecy, and cowardice, as some of the Wahhabis, among
others, purport.
The following is from the book of Moojan Momen, which is entitled "An
Introduction to Shi'i Islam: History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi'ism,"
When discussing the sixth Shi'i Imam (successor to the prophet), Imam
Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS), he writes:
The doctrine of Taqiyya (dissimulation) was widely used at that time.
It served to protect the followers of Imam al-Sadiq at a time when al-
Mansur [the caliph] was conducting a brutally oppressive campaign
against the Followers of the Members of the House of Prophet and their
supporters.
The word "al-Taqiyya" literally means: "Concealing or disguising one's
beliefs, convictions, ideas, feelings, opinions, and/or strategies at a
time of eminent danger, whether now or later in time, to save oneself from
physical and/or mental injury." A one-word translation would be
"Dissimulation."
The above definition must be elaborated upon before any undertaking of this
topic is to ensue. Although correct, the definition suffers from an
apparent generalization, and lacks some fundamental details that should be
construed:
First, the CONCEALMENT of one's beliefs does NOT necessitate an ABANDONMENT
of these beliefs. The distinction between "concealment" and "abandonment"
MUST be noted here.
Second, there are numerous exceptions to the above definition, and they
MUST be judged according to the situation that one is placed in. As such,
one should NOT make a narrow-minded generalization that encompasses all
situations, thereby failing to fully absorb the spirit of the definition.
Third, the word "beliefs" and/or "convictions" does NOT necessarily mean
"religious" beliefs and/or convictions.
With the above in mind, it becomes evident that a better, and more accurate
definition of "al-Taqiyya" is "diplomacy." The true spirit of "al-
Taqiyya" is better embodied in the single word "diplomacy" because it
encompasses a comprehensive spectrum of behaviors that serve to further the
vested interests of all parties involved.
==================================
al-Taqiyya According to the Sunnis
==================================
Some Sunnis assert that al-Taqiyya is an act of pure hypocrisy that serves
to conceal the truth and reveal that which is the exact opposite (of the
truth). Furthermore, according to those Sunnis, al-Taqiyya constitutes a
lack of faith and trust in Allah (SWT) because the person who conceals his
beliefs to spare himself from eminent danger is fearful of humans, when, in
fact, he should be fearful of Allah (SWT) only. As such, this person is a
coward.
======================================
Sunni Sources in Support of al-Taqiyya
======================================
The following exposition will Insha Allah demonstrate the existence
of al-Taqiyya in the Quran, Hadith, the Prophet's (PBUH&HF) custom, and the
companions' custom. As usual, Sunni books will be used to further the
argument. This is in keeping with the commitment to reveal the truth by
showing that the Sunnis reject the Shia's arguments, while THEIR OWN books
are replete (full) with the SAME ideologies that the Shia uphold! Although
some Wahhabis staunchly argue their aforementioned statements, and
aggressively defame the Shia and refute their doctrines, they have failed
to explain the validity of their argument vis-a-vis the existence of these
SAME doctrines in their own books, as has been demonstrated in ALL the past
posts about the Shia. Those who think that they are the true protectors of
the custom of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and the only guardians of the Islamic
Faith, how can they explain their own rejection of that which they are
supposed to protect? Rejecting al-Taqiyya is rejecting the Quran, as will
be shown shortly.
Let's Begin...
Reference 1:
-----------
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti in his book, "al-Durr al-Manthoor Fi al-Tafsir al-
Ma'athoor," narrates Ibn Abbas', the MOST renowned and trusted narrator of
tradition in the sight of the Sunnis, opinion regarding al-Taqiyya in the
Quranic verse: "Let not the believers take for friends or helpers
unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, (they) shall have no
relation left with Allah except by way of precaution ("tat-taqooh"), that
ye may guard yourselves ("tooqatan") from them....[3:28]" that Ibn Abbas
said:
"al-Taqiyya is with the tongue only; he who has been COERCED into
saying that which angers Allah (SWT), and his heart is comfortable
(i.e., his TRUE faith has NOT been shaken.), then (saying that which
he has been coerced to say) will NOT harm him (at all); (because) al-
Taqiyya is with the tongue only, (NOT the heart)."
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