A Guide to theTruth

Title: Excerpts from A Guide to the Truth
Author: Jafar Subhani
Project supervisor:Translation Unit, Cultural Affairs Department, the Ahl al-Bayt (a) World Assembly (ABWA)
Translator: Muhammad Abd al-Aziz
Editor: Sayyideh Iffat Shah
Proofreader: Sayyid Baqir Husayni
Publisher: ABWA Publishing and Printing Center
Edition:First printing, 2016

PREFACE—13
Chapter One:
The History and Development of Shiism
1- The Origins of Shiism—17
The Rational Way of Selecting a Leader—18
1- Shi‘ah in the Words of Allah’s Prophet (s)—21
2- The Imamate is a Counterpart of Prophethood—23
3- Hadith Manzilah—25
4- Hadith Ghadir—27
The Emergence of Shiism under the Auspices of these Directives—29
Shi‘ah during the Era of the Prophetic Mission—30
2- Shi‘as are a Minority and the Sunnis are the Majority—32
Chapter Two:
Shi‘ah Beliefs
1- Positions of Allah’s Saints and Supernatural Powers—39
What does Perfection mean?—40
The Effects of Devotion to Allah and Perfection of the Soul—41
The Holy Qur’an and Miracles of the Saints—42
1- Joseph’s Miraculous Cure of His Father’s
Blindness—42
2- The Powers of Solomon’s Companions—43
3- Other Powers of Solomon (‘a)—45
4- The Powers of Jesus Christ (‘a)—47
Esoteric Guardianship and the Issue of Exaggeration—49
2- Imploring the Assistance of Allah’s Saints (‘a)—51
1- Discharging Obligatory Duties—52
2- Invoking Allah’s Names and Attributes—52
3- Imploring Assistance through the Holy Qur’an—53
4- Imploring Allah’s Help through the Supplication of a Pious Brother—54
5- Imploring Help by means of the Noble Prophet’s Invocation during His Lifetime—55
6- Imploring the Assistance of the Noble Prophet (s) after His Death—58
Questions concerning Imploration—60
1- Is entreating prayer (du’a) from a dead person not tantamount to worshiping him?—61
2- Is entreating prayer (du‘a) from a dead person not worthless?—62
3- Is there a barrier between us and people who have
died?—63
3- Invoking the Assistance of Allah’s Saints (‘a)—64
What does the intercession of Allah’s saints (‘a) really mean?—65
1- The Hadith of Anas bin Malik (‘a)—66
2- The Hadith of Sawad bin Qarib—66
3- The Hadith of Abu Bakr—67
4- The Hadith of ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a)—67
5- The Hadith of a Youth—68
4- Entreating Allah in the Name of His Saints—69
5- Vowing for other than Allah—71
6- Celebrating Birthday and Death Anniversaries of Allah’s
Saints (‘a)—74
Affection and Reverence for the Noble Prophet (s) is One of the Basic Tenets of Islam—75
7- Making Pilgrimage to Holy Mausoleums—79
Making Pilgrimage to the Noble Prophet’s (s) Holy Shrine—81
8- Women and Making Pilgrimage to Holy Mausoleums, as well as Responses to Two Questions—84
9- Building Mausoleums on top of Graves—91
1- Preserving Graves of Prophets (‘a) is a Tradition practiced by all Pious Ancestors of Mankind—91
2- Preserving Relics is tantamount to Safeguarding Ideals—92
3- Elevating the Houses of Prophets (‘a)—94
4- Preserving Graves is a Sign of Love and
Affection—98
A Hadith from Imam Sadiq (‘a) in regard to Renovating Graves of Allah’s Saints (‘a)—99
10- Praying besides Graves of Allah’s Saints (‘a)—101
11- Mourning for Martyrs—107
Chapter Three:
The Status of the Holy Qur’an in the Eyes of Shi‘ahs
1- The Status of the Holy Qur’an in the Eyes of Shi‘ahs—113
2- Fatimah’s Qur’an—119
The Inspired Relater in Islam—122
Fatimah (‘a) is an Inspired Relater—123
3- ‘Ali’s Sacred Book—125
4- The Idea that Shiites attach more importance to Supplication (Du‘a) than Recitation of the Holy Qur’an—129
Chapter Four:
The Shi‘ah View of Imamate
1- Imamate in the Holy Qur’an—135
1- The Verse of Guardianship—135
2- The Verse of ‘Those Vested with Authority’—138
3- The Verse of Perfection of Religion—139
2- The names of the Imams (‘a) in the Holy Qur’an—141
1- Introducing by Name—142
2- Introduction by Number—142
3- Introduction by Attribute—142
Introduction by Name does not remove Differences—144
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