The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) told us at Ghadir that Imam Ali (as) is our maula, and also tells me that he will have twelve successors from Quraysh. So, therefore, I do adhere to the teachings of Imam Ali in Nahjul Balagha, Imam Zain al-Sajjad in Sahifa as-Sajjadiya, Imam Ja'far in his madhab, and Imam Mehdi as my Caliph.
What was the message of all of these great prophets? Worship God and follow His messengers. So, consequentially, I worship, I read Qur'an, and I propagate to non-Muslims. Alhamdulilah, I am helping others on the Way.
Am I Shi'i? What makes someone part of the Shi'ah? I do not believe in the infallibility of any prophet or imam, because God says in the Qur'an:
"If God were to punish men according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: when their Term expires, verily God has in His sight all His Servants." (35:45)
Prophets were humans, Imams were humans, humans are humans, and we all have temptations and inclinations to do evil. The difference between the men we revere is that they had abstained from it to their maximum capabilities. This does not mean they were infallible, though - Adam (as) still ate the forbidden fruit, and Jonah (Yunus) (as) still ran away from his prophetic duty, and they were both prophets. Of course they were not evil, they were human.
I also do not believe in many other Shi'ah traditions such as the "14 Ma'soomen" existing as lights before creation, I do not hit myself on 'Ashura, I do not call on anyone other than God, I do not believe Imams had higher statuses than Prophets, nor do I think we should practice these traditions. But, we must face reality, and love our Muslim brothers who still follow the Qur'an and Sunnah, pray, fast, etc., no matter what their interpretation is, they are Muslims.
Evil and Philosophy
What is evil? Philosophy asks the question, how could a good God create evil? Islam's answer is very simple: God did not create evil; rather, God created free will. The simplest ayah concerning evil is from the end of the Qur'an:
"From the evil of that which He created" (113:2)
"Min sharey ma khalaq" in Arabic. This ayah proves my point, because it talks about the evil "of that which" created. It does not say "God created evil" but rather than His creations are capable of evil.
God created us with two inclinations: an inclination to do good and an inclination to do evil. What is the meaning of good and evil? To be good is to submit to God by following his commandments (the exact meaning of "Islam"). For example, God tells us not to kill, therefore it is evil to kill and good to abstain from killing.
Is God capable of evil? Of course not, because if evil is to go against God's will, God is not capable of going against His own will. For example, God cannot lie because He is the Truth, God cannot be unjust because He is the Just, etc.
Back to Muslim Unity
The Prophet (pbuh) had always preached brotherhood. To me, anyone who accepts the Qur'an and Sunnah is a Muslim, so this would include Sunni Muslims, Shi'i Muslims, most Sufis and some smaller sects. Sects such as the Ahmedi/Qadianis, Isma'ilis, Nation of Islam, etc. I would not consider under the fold of Islam. Of course, this does not mean they are not deserving of our mercy or compassion, because universal brotherhood with our religions is an ultimate goal in Islam. They may not be Muslims to us, but they still have high regard for our prophets.
What does the Qur'an say about Muslim unity and brotherhood? Very much:
"And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves." (3:103)
"The believers are but a single brotherhood. Make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers and fear Allah so that you may receive mercy." (49:10)
"As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, you have no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah. He will in the end, tell them the truth of all that they did." (6:159)
The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) said...
"The Muslims are like a body, if one part of the body hurts, rest of the body will also suffer."
"Believers are brethren, their lives are equal to each other and they are as one hand against their enemy."
"It is not permissible for two Muslims to be annoyed and angry for more than three days."
"When Muslims are angry with each other for three days. If they do not compromise then they go away from the limits of Islam and the one who compromise first will enter Jannah (Paradise) earlier."
What more must be said? Ignorance is bliss, unity is strength, and we are stronger as a brotherhood than as two contending groups.
Concentrate on your prayers, start studying the Qur'an, and of course, educating yourself. Life is too serious for these petty differences, and a social union between the Muslims is absolutely necessary. May God bless you and all of us, and pray for our success.
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