In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
Today, we live in a world rife with numerous ideological schools that affect and construct the assumptions of every human being who buys into such ideas. These ideas affect our understanding of politics, morality, ethics and other aspects such as how we approach the Creator (if we believe in a deity) in addition to how we view others.
That is why today, one finds that in the abundance of different approaches being advocated on pulpits and channels that claim adherence to Shiism, there seems to be a plethora of contradictory principles and approaches which are broadcasted as legitimate approaches to reaching Allah and understanding the worldview of Islam.
Yet, did you know that a handful of these approaches find their roots in the mysticism of Sufi role models? These same role models never even drank from the pure spring of the teachings of the Holy Prophet’s progeny and rightful successors, the Family Muhammad (peace be upon them). Hence, their teachings can be deemed as somewhat unreliable, and this ideological territory within the Islamic worlds proves to be nothing but unrealistic and highly fabricated.
Yes, you will be told that Scholar X or Authority Y supports it. You will be asked to choose a side, maybe even emotionally blackmailed into believing that you are too foolish to recognize something that blatantly contradicts the teachings of the Imams (peace be upon them). You will be told that you can’t possibly question anything that a ‘so-called’ scholar says. This is a tactic that effectively blocks people from ever finding out what the truth – the right path – is.
Brothers and sisters, this is irrational. It is emotional blackmail and it is patronizing. For every position out there, you will find at least a handful of ‘scholars’ who advocate it, regardless of how deviant it may be.
Let us agree that there is one principle we shall adopt, which can get us out of this dilemma once applied.
1. Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said:
You may go to the East and the West, you will never find correct knowledge except in the thing that emanates from us; the Ahlul-Bayt.
Bihar al-Anwar
2. Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said:
Everything that has emanated from other than this House, is invalid.
Wasa’il al-Shi’a
You must search for the teachings that find their direct legitimacy and authenticity in the narrations of the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon them). It is from there that all doctrinal truth is derived. From here, you will access the truths of this beautiful religion. You will not reach the truth through Rumi, Ibn ‘Arabi or any other mystical ‘guides’ who do not even attribute themselves to the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon them) and their teachings.
The Office of Sheikh al-Habib