Investigating Islam's Shortcomings

There had been many operational accidents at my work place, which lead to serious customer complaints, process shutdowns and technical malfunctions. We used to investigate the incidents and accidents using different techniques, Tripod being one of them.

Developed by Shell International, Tripod is a theory for understanding incidents and accidents. It is developed to explain how and why incidents happen, and allow the root causes and deficiencies to be uncovered and addressed.

Working back from the 'main event' (the incident), the tripod tools allows us to understand fully what happened and how an incident happened. To understand why the incident happened, the next step is to determine what barriers where in place to prevent those objects and agents acting in the way they did and why they failed. Tripod Beta teaches to look at the immediate causes of either the act that led to the incident, the psychological precursors to that, and ultimately underlying cultural deficiencies.

To investigate an incident which occurred today, we had to investigate the events which lead to that certain point in time which created that incident. This was the only way to figure out what went wrong and where.

I learnt that no accident or incident is abrupt or sudden, there are always events which build onto and lead the way for the event to happen. I also learnt during the investigations, that other than machinery failure and design faults, major underlying causes of an event were procedural violations and irresponsible human behavior. An organization with weak and incomplete procedures would have a higher rate of event occurrence. Similarly, an organization with strong procedures, but management failure would result in weak corporate culture and values and thus results in a higher number of incidents in violation of the existing procedures. 

Today, an event, incident or accident, whatever you want to call it, has occurred. This is the militant movement happening across the globe in the name of Jihad. This has shaped the political relationships across the globe today and different theorists have different view points on the same.

Pakistan is facing a militant onslaught in the name of Islam. The Taliban, Afghani or Pakistani, backed by India, Israel, USA or Saudia is for time to decide. Every one has theories and no one can prove what they state. There is a state of such confusion that no one knows what to believe in. And rightly so. And we should not be concerned about such theories, neither should we be concerned about the Taliban.

Ofcourse it takes alot of finances to run operations the way the Taliban are operating within Pakistan. Monthly estimates for every 1000 men, including their salaries, arms and ammunitions, training, transportation and other overheads, requires atleast USD 2 million per month. People who can invest such amounts of money obviously have their motives and they have the right to have any motive they want to own.

I am more concerned about the common man, a Pakistani, who is harboring emotional links towards such militia. Labeling them as terrorists is a long shot, there are people today who are justifying what the Taliban are doing in the name of Islam today. 

I will be calling the militancy, the talibanisation, as the accident which has occurred today, in the organization of Islam.

Prominent party leaders with their statement stating that even a dog killed by America is a martyr, with the intention of declaring the taliban commanders death as martyrdom, is disrespect to the Martyr's of Islam and is blasphemy. They have proved that they are not only misguided, but will also share the onus of the outcome, the "Accident" has created. And any one who approves such statements, even in his heart, testifies to the weakness of his faith.

They said: If you desist not, O Lut! you shall surely be of those who are expelled.He said: Surely I am of those who utterly abhor your practice
Quran [26:167-168]

To abhor the forbidden, to tabarra, to dissociate from evil, is a sunnah of the prophets and is a very tough task.

Why is this the accident? Talibans have killed scores of people inside mosques in Pakistan in the name of Islam. They have done the same with Imambargas. How many innocent muslim families have been effected, no one knows for sure. How many schools have the Taliban destroyed? Today, the mosques in India and USA are safer than the mosques in Pakistan. How many powerful criminals, who are above the law, have the taliban executed to date?  How many poors have the taliban liberated from the Vaderas and Chaudhries to date? Infact how many brothel houses in Pakistan were destroyed by the Talibans to date? How many indian and american soldiers have the taliban killed to date?

People targeting innocent muslims can not be Islam sympathizers, let alone a follower of the Prophet (SAW).

This is not why i have termed the Talibans as "The Accident". Loss of life and loved ones is very painful, but we are Allah's creations and eventually to him we all shall return. It is easy for Allah to make more nations, better and powerful than us and our predecessors.

O you who believe! whoever from among you turns back from his religion, then
Allah will bring a people, He shall love them and they shall love Him, lowly before the believers, mighty against the unbelievers, they shall strive hard in Allah's way and shall not fear the censure of any censurer; this is Allah's Face, He gives it to whom He pleases, and Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing
Quran [5:54]

They are the accident, for it is because of such people, the global community has started to target Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Islam. They are the accident because they are the unwanted and the uncontrolled outcome, which Islam never intended.

Rasool (SAW) has said;

Narrated 'Ali: The Prophet said, "Do not tell a lie against me for whoever tells a lie against me (intentionally) then he will surely enter the Hell-fire."
Sahih Bukhari,Volume 1, Book 3, Number 106

If to lie against the Prophet (SAW) will make Hell fire cover the liar, what will be the outcome of people who kill and spread fitnah in his (SAW) name?

I was recently forwarded a disturbing book about Prophet Muhammad (SAW), may its author meet equal recompense for the derogatory contents he has compiled; 

Sanao Menghwar and his wife, a Hindu couple residing in Karachi, Pakistan, were traumatized one November evening in 2005, when upon returning from work they discovered that all their three daughters were missing. After two days of futile searching, they found out that their daughters had been kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam. The police arrested three Muslim youths in connection with the crime, who were later granted bail by a court because they were minors. The girls remain missing. “Kidnapping Hindu girls like this has become a normal practice. The girls are then forced to sign stamped papers stating that they’ve become Muslims,” says Laljee, a Hindu resident of Karachi. “Hindus here are too frightened to vent their anger — they fear victimization,” he added. Many Hindu girls meet similar fates in Pakistan. They are abducted, forced to convert to Islam and forced to marry a Muslim man while their parents are denied the right to see or talk to them. “How can a Muslim girl live and maintain contact with kafirs (infidels)?” remarked Maulvi Aziz, the cleric representing a Muslim kidnapper in another case that was taken to the court.

Muriel Degauque was a 38-year-old Belgian woman who, according to a neighbor who knew her since childhood, was an “absolutely normal” little girl who liked to go for sled rides when it snowed. She converted to Islam when she married a Muslim man. Later she traveled with her husband through Syria to Iraq, where she blew herself up in an attack on an Iraqi police patrol on November 9, 2005. Five policemen were killed outright and a sixth officer and four civilians were seriously injured.
Understanding Muhammad, by Ali Sina Page 2 and 3

The above excerpts are not a lie. He indeed compiled the truth and thanks to such "Accidents", the author has managed to misguide millions with his assessment of the Prophet's (SAW) personality and teachings. 

With reference to the above events, the unfortunate author concludes in the same book, before attacking the life of Prophet (SAW) in the worst means imaginable;

These acts are insane, yet none of the perpetrators were insane. They were “absolutely normal” people. What motivated them to commit these heinous crimes? The answer is Islam. Such occurrences are daily events in the Islamic world. Everywhere Muslims are busy killing people for what they believe.
Understanding Muhammad, by Ali Sina Page 3

The author has based his conclusion on the following basis, which is as far away from the truth, as beautifully as he has stated;

Muslims are twigs from the tree of Islam and the root of that tree is Muhammad. They share his character, his attitude and his mindset. You could say each Muslim is a mini Muhammad of a sort. To them, he is the best part of creation, the most perfect human being and
the example to follow.
Understanding Muhammad, by Ali Sina Page 4

I can state with pride that Allah has endowed the Ahlulbayt (AS) and their followers, the honor of defending the honor of his Habib, Muhammad (SAW).

The accident has occurred, and it is time we look at the root causes (which you may not agree to but trust me it will make sense), the events which lead to this, what barriers were and are in place to prevent from such accidents to occur and how "procedural violations" added to the outcome.

Let us all be very clear that the Quran has warned us already about this Fitnah;

And there are some people who say: We believe in Allah and the last day; and they are not at all believers. They desire to deceive Allah and those who believe, and they deceive only themselves and they do not perceive. There is a disease in their hearts, so Allah added to their disease and they shall have a painful chastisement because they lied. And when it is said to them, Do not make mischief in the land, they say: We are but peace-makers. Now surely they themselves are the mischief makers, but they do not perceive. And when it is said to them: Believe as the people believe they say: Shall we believe as the fools believe? Now surely they themselves are the fools, but they do not know.
Quran [2:8-13]

They are themselves the mischief makers and they do not perceive it. It is therefore not surprising that they blow themselves up in mosques while shouting Allah hu Akbar.

Some people are now saying lets stop looking at the past and worry about the future, forget that the problem lies in what happened in the past. It is such people who are now afraid to face the past because of what has been done and because such people still harbor affiliations to the personalities and events of the past. To investigate what is going on today we must look at the past. We must trace back the chain of events into the past to have an open minded and critical assessment of how different events unwrapped and lead to a mess we are into today.  

Some Muslims have a soft corner for the Taliban because they recite Allah Hu Akbar and kill in the name of Allah? Islam is not new to such forms of Muslims.

The circumstances in which the Prophet (SAW) left this world were so sensitive that just 50 years after his demise, the Prophet's grandson was brutally martyred on the sands of Kerbala, by Muslims, by caliphs, by the sons of the companions of Prophet (SAW). Three generations of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) (his (SAW) daughter (AS), her sons (AS) and their sons (AS)) were martyred within 50 years of the demise. These killings were not sponsored by CIA or RAW and Israel was not behind them. These were classic examples of Muslims killing not Muslims, but the family of Holy Prophet (SAW), and more importantly, the family of Ali (AS).

Banu Ummaya's enmity was with Imam Ali (AS) only;

Thereafter addressing the courtiers, Yazid said: “Do you know how did it happen? It was the outcome of Husain’s error in judgment. He remained under the impression that his father is better than Yazid’s father; his mother is better is better than Yazid’s mother; his grandfather is better than Yazid’s grandfather. And he himself is better than Yazid, hence he deserves more to rule over the country than Yazid. His stand that his father was better than my father was wrong. Ali and Mu’awiyah fought with each other and the world saw who emerged successful in the contest.
http://www.islam786.com/historyofkarbala.htm

The ahlulbayt (AS) were opposed on the appointment of the first caliph and the gift of Banu Ummayah was given to Islam by the second Caliph Umer. Banu ummayah opposed the Ahlulbayt (AS) just as their father Abu Sufyan had opposed Rasool (SAW) throughout the conquests of Islam upto Fatah Mecca. Prophetic traditions (which can be challenged in terms of them belonging to Rasool (SAW) or being fabricated for political reasons) give Saad bin Abi Waqas the glad tidings of paradise as a part of Ashra Mubashra. Ironically, it was his son, Umer bin Saad (the cursed) or Pisr e Saad, who led Yazeed's army against Imam Hussain (AS) at Kerbala.

When Imam Husain’s sincere efforts to bring round the enemy failed, encounter became inevitable. Umar bin Sa’d strung his bow and shot an arrow towards the camp of Imam Husain (radiyallahu ‘anh) saying: “Be witness! I have shot the first arrow.”
http://www.islam786.com/historyofkarbala.htm

It forces us to think what sort of a son did a "Blessed" companion leave behind him?

Earlier, Mawla Ali (AS) had the tough task, to lead muslims into battle, with fellow muslims, for the first time in the history of Islam. Mawla Ali (AS) faced off with Talha and Zubair, both who were acclaimed to be promised paradise as a part of the Ashra Mubashra in the battle of Jamal where both were eventually killed. The opposition to Imam Ali (AS) was also commandeered by Ayesha wife of Prophet (SAW). The opposition had not only opposed Imam Ali (AS) regarding whom the Prophet (SAW) had said (and now I understand who were being warned by the Prophet (SAW));

As the Prophet pulled up his reins, the whole entourage came to a halt. Those who had gone ahead were summoned back. The pebbles and thorns were brushed aside and a makeshift pulpit of saddles was set up. People clustered round, the Prophet bent down and lifted Ali in his hands, and showing him to the crowds on all sides of the pulpit and proclaimed,  "Allah is my Mawla, Of whomsoever I am the Mawla, This Ali is his Mawla. Whoever obeys 'Ali, obeys me, whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, whoever disobeys 'Ali disobeys me, whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah"
Kanz ul Ummal, hadith numbers 32973-32976
Mustadrak al Hakim Volume 3 page 123
Riyadh ul Nadira Volume 3 page 110

Click below for scanned page:
The Ghadir Declaration, by Dr Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri, page 49

Imam Ali's opposition had opposed an established Muslim leader, an Islamic state, the forces of the caliphate, and as per Sunnis, the forth righteous guided caliph himself.

Subsequently, Mawiya had convinced Syria to avenge Uthman's murder from Imam Ali (AS). The propoganda against Mawla Ali (AS) by Banu Ummaya was so strong that when Imam Ali (AS) was martyred in a mosque, people in Syria were bewildered as to what does a man like Ali (AS)  have to do with mosques. Mawla Ali (AS) was on the verge of victory against Mawya but on his trick of raising the Quran on spears, a group of Imam Ali's army revolted against him (AS). This group later became the Khawarij or Kharjites.

These Khawarij believed that Quran was the only source of jurisprudence and started to declare many Sahabas including Imam Ali (AS) as kuffars. Does this ring any bells on what is going on today and what the Quran had said and quoted earlier pertaining to the people who spread fitnah in the name of guidance?

Mawla Ali (AS) had set out for syria again to put Mawiya to sword when he received the news that the Kharijites had butchered the governor of Nahrawan, Abdullah ibn Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, and his maid, tearing a child from her womb. The Imam (AS) had to change his course and decided to deal with the threat of Kharijites before marching towards Syria. The kharijites were defeated and history reports only 9 survivors who fled, dispersed and recruited.

Imam Ali (AS) was later martyred in a mosque by Abdur Rehman Ibn Muljim, a muslim. It is not therefore new for us and Shias of Ali (AS) to be killed by muslims inside mosques in the name of Allah.

Half a century after the battle of Kerbala which lead to small pockets of rebellions, the Banu Abbasids succeeded in convincing the people that Caliphate was the right of hashmites and belonged to the family of the Prophet (SAW) and thus belonged to them as they were from the lineage of his (SAW) uncle, Abbas (RA).

The abbasids hunted the Ummayads, well maybe as they deserved.

The Abbasids lived up to their vow to take revenge on the Omayyads. A reign of terror was let loose. The Omayyad men were hunted like rabbits and slaughtered. Only old men, women and children were spared. The bones of the Omayyad rulers (except those of Omar bin Abdul Aziz) were dug up and burned. In Damascus, Abdullah bin Ali, coaxed eighty of the Omayyad princes to dinner on the pretext of amnesty. As the princes sat down, they were tied with ropes, wrapped in carpets and clubbed to death.
http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-age-of-faith/the-abbasid-revolution/

The Abbasids were equally hostile to the Ahlulbayt (AS) because their claim to caliphate belonging to the clan of Muhammad (SAW) was more rigid and applicable to the Ahlulbayt (AS). They felt threatened by the Imams of the Ahlulbayt (AS) present at that time. This hostility can be embodied by their poisoning of many Shia Imams, and by the destruction of shrine of Imam Hussain (AS) in order to stop shia pilgrimage. It is therefore not surprising that even today the Jaloos of Imam Hussain (AS) requires heavy artillery to protect it from the "true muslims", the lashkars.

This also brings to light the fact that when the Ansars and Muhajireens disputed on the appointment of the first Caliph, Abu Bakr settled the argument (in absence of Imam Ali (AS) who was performing Rasool's (SAW) burial rights at that time) by stating that the caliph must be from the clan of the Prophet (SAW), and therefore must be a Qureyshi, on the basis of which Abu Bakr himself being a Qureshi, was elected. This statement of Abu Bakr suited Imam Ali's right to caliph more than his, because if the caliph must have been from the tribe of the Prophet (SAW), then why must he be a Qureyshi and not a Hashmi as the Prophet (SAW) was a hashmite and so was Imam Ali (AS). Imam Ali's position on caliphate has been captured by historians explicitly;

Beware! By Allah the son of Abu Quhafah (Abu Bakr) dressed himself with it (the caliphate) and he certainly knew that my (Ali's) position in relation to it was the same as the position of the axis in relation to the hand-mill. The flood water flows down from me and the bird cannot fly upto me. I put a curtain against the caliphate and kept myself detached from it. Then I began to think whether I should assault or endure calmly the blinding darkness of tribulations wherein the grown up are made feeble and the young grow old and the true believer acts under strain till he meets Allah (on his death). I found that endurance thereon was wiser. So I adopted patience although there was pricking in the eye and suffocation (of mortification) in the throat. I watched the plundering of my inheritance till the first one went his way but handed over the Caliphate to Ibn al-Khattab after himself.
Peak of Eloquence, Sermon 3, Sermon of ash-Shiqshiqiyyah

A similar message was conveyed by Imam Hussain (AS) in his letter to the people of Basrah where in the Imam (AS) clearly told the Ahlulbayt's viewpoint on caliphate, justification for their silence, and the importance of their (AS) leadership to the spirit of Islam;

God chose Muhammad, peace and blessings on him, over all other creatures. He distinguished him to convey his message. After admonishing his servants and conveying his message, God took his soul back. We are from his family and those entrusted with his authority. We are his trustees and inheritors. We have greater right than anyone else to execute the Prophet's functions. Instead, the people have arrogated to themselves our rights. We did not protest because we detested causing division and wanted the best for the community. But we knew that we were more entitled to that station than those who have usurped it. They have done some things well and pursued the Truth.

I send you my messenger with this letter. I invited you to the Book of God and Sunnah of his prophet, peace and blessings on him. The sunnah has surely died, as innovations become alive. If you listen to me and obey me, I will guide you to the right path. May God' Pease and Mercy be with you.
Maqtal e Hussain by Abu Makhnaf, Page 34-35

The Fatamids founded their own empire and that too on account of the same claim the Abbasids had laid; the right to caliphate due to close relations with the Prophet (SAW). The Fatamid movement was led by Abd Allah Al-Akbar who claimed to be a descendant of Janab Fatima (AS) through Ismail bin Imam Jaffar (AS).

The caliphates decayed and were subsequently eliminated when the mongols invaded Baghdad and killed the last Abbasid caliph. Interestingly;

Muslims feared that a supernatural disaster would strike if the blood of Al-Musta'sim, a direct descendant of Muhammad's uncle and the last reigning Abbasid caliph in Baghdad, was spilled. As a precaution and in accordance with a Mongol taboo which forbade spilling royal blood, Hulagu had Al-Musta'sim wrapped in a carpet and trampled to death by horses on 20 February 1258. The Caliph's immediate family was also executed, with the lone exceptions of his youngest son who was sent to Mongolia, and a daughter who became a slave in the harem of Hulagu
Annals of history: Invaders: Destroying Baghdad by Ian Frazier, in The New Yorker 25 April 2005

The caliphs had used the name of the Prophet (SAW), and Allah's will in form of destiny (that it is Allah who gives the throne), to justify their right to leadership. People followed the caliphs as the representatives of Islam and feared that their disobedience would lead to expulsion from the boundaries of Islam. Today we follow the same mindset and do not question what our leaders and scholars and ulemas propagate in the name of Islam.

Today, some of us are fighting for the restoration of the caliphate under the one Ummah concept. And the people of Pakistan are so innocent, that we gather to liberate Kashmir, liberate Palestine, fight Jihad in Afghanistan, fight for the muslims in Myanmar, yet we do not see the fire inside our own country, Pakistan. All Muslims were suppose to be one nation, but unfortunately this is not the case. Every nation today has their own vested interests which are demarcated by the geographical boundaries. Saudia is the second largest Oil Exporter to the USA after Canada and the People of Pakistan intend to suffocate the country economically in the name of Islam? The Muslim Iraq invaded the Muslim Iran in 1979 for oil fields and to repel the Islamic revolution of Iran which might had led to insurgency by the oppressed shias in Iraq. Saudia sponsored and supported NATO's offense against Iraq in the 1990s in response to Iraq's offensive against the Muslim Kuwait. Kuwait had funded Iraq against Iran during the war and Iraq was due to pay billions of US$ debt to Kuwait. Kuwait's oil pricing and production strategy damaged Iraq's economy which lead to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Additionally, the Islamic ideology failed to keep Bangladesh as a part of Pakistan.

These were all attacks by muslim nations, on muslim nations and sponsored by muslim nations. These were not attacks on Islam. All wars have had economic motives fueled by political interests of individual nations behind them. The American war of Iraq or Afghanistan is not a war against Islam. America today has safer and thousands of mosques where Muslims pray freely, then unfortunately, in Pakistan today. This does not mean that the Muslims of Pakistan should not retaliate against such invasions, but the fact remains that such retaliations and foreign policy matters will always remain under the authority of the state to declare.

The prophet (SAW) had given very clear instructions to the Muslims towards the state;

Narrated Junada bin Abi Umaiya: We entered upon 'Ubada bin As-Samit while he was sick. We said, "May Allah make you healthy. Will you tell us a Hadith you heard from the Prophet and by which Allah may make you benefit?" He said, "The Prophet called us and we gave him the Pledge of allegiance for Islam, and among the conditions on which he took the Pledge from us, was that we were to listen and obey (the orders) both at the time when we were active and at the time when we were tired, and at our difficult time and at our ease and to be obedient to the ruler and give him his right even if he did not give us our right, and not to fight against him unless we noticed him having open Kufr (disbelief) for which we would have a proof with us from Allah."
Sahih Bukhari,Volume 9, Book 88, Number 178

To create a state within a state is only Fitnah, mischief, and precisely what Mawiya tried to do.

Verily, those who swore allegiance to Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman have sworn allegiance to me on the same basis on which they swore allegiance to them. (On this basis) he who was present has no choice (to consider), and he who was absent has no right to reject; and consultation is confined to the muhajirun and the ansar. If they agree on an individual and take him to be Caliph it will be deemed to mean Allah's pleasure. If any one keeps away by way of objection or innovation they will return him to the position from where he kept away. If he refuses they will fight him for following a course other than that of the believers and Allah will put him back from where he had run away. By my life, O Mu'awiyah, if you see with your intellect without any passion you will find me the most innocent of all in respect of `Uthman's blood and you will surely know that I was in seclusion from him, unless you conceal what is quite open to you (and accuse me of a crime I have not committed). Then you may commit any outrage (on me) as you wish and that is an end to the matter.
Imam Ali's Letter to Mawiya, Letter # 6, Peak of Eloquence

There can only be one leader of the state, one army of the state, one police of the state, one foreign policy of the state. The talibans of today intend to create a state within a state and their fitnah is a great fitnah. Let us not be impressed by their slogans of Allah Hu Akbar. The mischief makers at the time of Saleh (AS) also believe in Allah and promised in his name to kill his prophet;

And there were in the city nine persons who made mischief in the land and did
not act aright. They said: Swear to each other by Allah that we will certainly make a sudden attack on him (Saleh AS) and his family by night, then we will say to his heir: We did not witness the destruction of his family, and we are most surely truthful.
Quran [27:48-49] 

The Americans and the Indians exist today but Muslims are familiar with killing fellow muslims since the demise of Prophet (SAW). They are familiar to killing muslims in mosques, and innocent children and women in their houses, and familiar in declaring other muslims as non muslims and issuing fatwas to kill them. Imam Hussain (AS) was also labelled a heretic and rebel by the notable scholars of the time and by the state which deemed his blood to be halal and extremely permissible.

At the end of the day, the whole fight is about materialism, which Islam came to conquer. Wealth has been the main cause why nations (modern and past) went to war, why caliphs oppressed their people, why the Ahlulbayt (AS) were hunted and opposed, and why Islam was opposed.

The poors of the time of Muhammad (SAW), died rich men, like the Caliph Usman and companion Saad ibn Abu Waqas. The caliphate of Ummayads and Abbasids fought for the throne and manipulated religion as much as they could to ensure the throne remained with them. Imam Hussain's (AS) head was severed by the cursed in love of the bounty they would receive from their cursed leadership.

It was already foretold by our Prophet (SAW);

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) further said: “Every nation has its fitnah (trial or temptation), and the fitnah of my Ummah is wealth.”
al-Tirmidhi, 2336

And why shouldn't we do anything for wealth after all? It is with wealth that the life is truly enjoyed. When the afterlife comes, it will be dealt with then only, let us not be bothered by it at this moment. Let us enjoy the present, and forget about the past and the future....!!!

Maybe this is the reason we loot banks, rob houses, charge excessive interest rates on loans. This is why we commit suicide if our stock values in the stock exchange market drops.

An event pertaining to Imam Ali (AS) sheds light on how Islam intends to see wealth as;

Qambar, the servant of Hazrat Ali (A.S.) relates the following incident: "Once and only once Hazrat Ali (A.S.) got annoyed with me. It was the occasion when I showed him the money that I had hoarded. It was from my share of income given to me like others from the Muslim treasury and the gift I had received from the members of his family. I had no immediate use of it and had collected the amount. It was not much, being barely 100 dirhams. When I showed him the amount he looked annoyed and what pained me more was that he looked sad. "I enquired as to why he was so sad. He said, Qambar, if you had no use of this money, were there not people around you who were in need of it, some of them might have been starving and some ill and infirm, could you not have helped them. I never thought that you could be so heartless and cruel, and could love wealth for the sake of wealth. Qambar, I am afraid you are not trying to acquire much from Islam, try more seriously and sincerely. Take these coins out of my house.""I took them out and distributed them amongst the beggars in Kufa mosque."
http://www.shia-azadari.com/madras/page.asp?catid=25&scatid=471

The Quran also states:

Woe to every slanderer, defamer, Who amasses wealth and considers it a provision (against mishap); He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal. Nay! he shall most certainly be hurled into the crushing disaster, And what will make you realize what the crushing disaster is? It is the fire kindled by Allah, Which rises above the hearts. Surely it shall be closed over upon them, In extended columns.
Quran [104:1-9]

The teachings of the Quran are synonymous with the lives of the Ahlulbayt (AS) . The Ahlulbayt (AS) are unparalleled in terms of closeness to Rasool (SAW), in terms of knowledge, piety, wisdom, Ismat, bravery, chivalry and sacrifices for Islam. They were not taught by Prophet (SAW), but were brought up by Prophet (SAW). They were included in the Durood we all send on the Prophet (SAW) daily. It is therefore for this reason the Prophet (SAW) left behind not only one, but two weighty things;

Yazid b. Hayyan reported, I went along with Husain b. Sabra and 'Umar b. Muslim to Zaid b. Arqam and, as we sat by his side, Husain said to him: Zaid. you have been able to acquire a great virtue that you saw Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) listened to his talk, fought by his side in (different) battles, offered prayer behind me. Zaid, you have in fact earned a great virtue. Zaid, narrate to us what you heard from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). He said: I have grown old and have almost spent my age and I have forgotten some of the things which I remembered in connection with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), so accept whatever I narrate to you, and which I do not narrate do not compel me to do that. He then said: One day Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) stood up to deliver sermon at a watering place known as Khumm situated between Mecca and Medina. He praised Allah, extolled Him and delivered the sermon and. exhorted (us) and said: Now to our purpose. O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah's call, (would bid good-bye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family. .............
Sahih Muslim Book 031, Number 5920

It is very important for us that we understand the Quran the way it was supposed to be understood. That is why Quran was not left behind the Prophet (SAW) on its own, but he (SAW) also left behind his Ahlulbayt (AS).

Remember what Ali Sina said about the Muslims which i had quoted earlier?

Muslims are twigs from the tree of Islam and the root of that tree is Muhammad. They share his character, his attitude and his mindset. You could say each Muslim is a mini Muhammad of a sort. To them, he is the best part of creation, the most perfect human being and
the example to follow.
Understanding Muhammad, by Ali Sina Page 4

Based on the above, Ali Sina went on to ridicule the Prophet (SAW) and challenged the very spirit of his message.

Ali Sina misread the life of the Prophet (SAW) and therefore had used the word "Muslims" instead of the word "Ahlulbayt (AS)" in his description above. The above para is perfectly what the Ahlulbayt (AS) were. Muslims do not share the character, attitude and mindset of Rasool (SAW) but the Ahlulbayt (AS) did. That is why the Prophet (SAW) left behind the Quran and the Ahlulbayt (AS), not anyone else. Remember Mubahila and who the Prophet (SAW) selected for his sons, his women and his nafs? None other than Imam Hassan (AS) and Hussain (AS), Janab Zahra (AS) and Imam Ali (AS) respectively.

It was Muhammad's (SAW) own grandson, his son, Imam Hussain (AS), who laid down his life and the life of the progeny of Muhammad (SAW) to safeguard his (SAW) message. Imam Hussain's (AS) sacrifice proved that Muhammad (SAW) was neither a poet, nor a madman. Kerbala proved that Muhammad (SAW) did not illude Islam for throne, for if he (SAW) did, his progeny would have accepted the throne and became a part of it, and not martyred on the sands of Kerbala in hunger and thirst.

Maybe, it (Kerbala) was the evidence that Muhammad (SAW) was not a liar, but a truthful Prophet of Allah, and what ever He (SAW) said and did, was a divine order, and not a move for personal and family power. Yes, Kerbala is the evidence, that the message of Muhammad (SAW) was true. If Muhammad (SAW) had lied, and in reality, there was no God, no hereafter, then all that would matter was this world. If there is nothing after death, then my efforts will only be to gather the treasures of this world so that i can enjoy this life. Imam Hussain's gesture, of sacrificing his sons and brothers for an unseen world proved the existence of that unseen world, for if Muhammad (SAW) was a fraud (god forbid), and prophethood was only a drama to gain worldly power, then his son Hussain (AS) would have known about the propaganda of his grandfather and would have joined the caliph rather than giving utmost importance to the message of Rasool (SAW).
http://www26.brinkster.com/sdolshah1/kerb.html , Kerbala; A Heavy Illation @ SDOL.org

I personally think that when merit is not only not rewarded but also suppressed, accidents will always happen. I have played and watched alot of sports, and when team selections are not based on merit, and the captain is not the most hard working, professionally competent and skillful person worthy of captaincy, the team succumbs to issues like politics and non performances.

Even if I ignore that Rasool (SAW) made Ali (AS) the chief of Medina in his (SAW) absence at Tabuk, and that Ali (AS) was given the Zulfiqar at Uhud, and that Ali (AS) was the hero of Badr, and that Ali (AS) was given the hand of daughter of Prophet (SAW) in wedlock, and that Ali (AS) was given the flag of Khyber about which the Prophet (SAW) had said;

Narrated Sahl: On the day (of the battle) of Khaibar the Prophet said, "Tomorrow I will give the flag to somebody who will be given victory (by Allah) and who loves Allah and His Apostle and is loved by Allah and His Apostle." So, the people wondered all that night as to who would receive the flag and in the morning everyone hoped that he would be that person. Allah's Apostle asked, "Where is 'Ali?" He was told that 'Ali was suffering from eye-trouble, so he applied saliva to his eyes and invoked Allah to cure him. He at once got cured as if he had no ailment. The Prophet gave him the flag. 'Ali said, "Should I fight them till they become like us (i.e. Muslim)?" The Prophet said, "Go to them patiently and calmly till you enter the land. Then, invite them to Islam, and inform them what is enjoined upon them, for, by Allah, if Allah gives guidance to somebody through you, it is better for you than possessing red camels."
Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 253

Even if I ignore that Rasool (SAW) had said;

“Oh Allah, turn the truth in whichever direction ‘Ali turns”
 al Mustadrak, Vol. 3, Page 124
al Khatib in Ta'rikh Baghdad, xiv, 321;
al Haythami in Majma` al Zawa'id, vii, 134, 235; 243;
al Muttaqi in Kanz al Ummal, vi, 157.

Click below for scanned page:
al Mustadrak, Vol. 3, Page 124

And also;

Abu Said al Khudri reports: "We sat waiting for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hp) when he came out to meet us. The strap of his sandal was broken and he tossed it to Ali. Then he (pbuh&hp) said: "A man amongst you will fight the people over the tawil (interpretation) of the Quran in the same way as I have fought over its tanzil (revelation)." Thereupon Abu Bakr said, 'Is that I?' The Prophet (pbuh&hp) said: "No." Then Umar asked him, 'Is that I?' "No." said the Prophet (pbuh&hp). "It is the mender of the sandal (i.e. Ali)."
al Hakim in Mustadrak, iii, 122;
Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Musnad, iii, 33, 82;

Even if i Ignore that Ali (AS) was a part of the Ahlulbayt (AS) who were under the cloak of Rasool (SAW) when Ayah Tatheer or Aya of Purification was revealed, and that Ali (AS) was Nafs-ur-Rasool at Mubahila,  

Imam Ali (AS) was not taught by the Prophet (SAW) but brought up by him (SAW);

From the time of his weaning, Allah had put a mighty angel with him to take him along the path of high character and good behaviour through day and night, while I used to follow him like a young camel following in the footprints of its mother. Every day he would show me in the form of a banner some of his high traits and commanded me to follow it. Every year he used to go in seclusion to the hill of Hira', where I saw him but no one else saw him. In those days Islam did not exist in any house except that of the Prophet of Allah - peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his descendants - and Khadijah, while I was the third after these two. I used to see and watch the effulgence of divine revelation and message, and breathed the scent of Prophethood

When the revelation descended on the Prophet of Allah - peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his descendants - I heard the moan of Satan. I said, "O Prophet of Allah, what is this moan?" and he replied, "This is Satan who has lost all hope of being worshipped. O Ali, you see all that I see and you hear all that I hear, except that you are not a Prophet, but you are a vicegerent and you are surely on (the path of) virtue."

I was with him when a party of the Quraysh came to him and said to him, "O Muhammad, you have made a big claim which none of your fore-fathers or those of your family have made. We ask you one thing; if you give us an answer to it and show it to us, we will believe that you are a prophet and a messenger, but if you cannot do it, we will know that you are a sorcerer and a liar."

The Messenger of Allah said: "What do you ask for?" They said: "Ask this tree to move for us, even with its roots, and stop before you." The Prophet said, "Verily, Allah has power over everything. If Allah does it for you, will you then believe and stand witness to the truth?" They said "Yes". Then he said, "I shall show you whatever you want, but I know that you won't bend towards virtue, and there are among you those who will be thrown into the pit, and those who will form parties (against me)." Then the Holy Prophet said: "O tree, if you do believe in Allah and the Day of Judgement, and know that I am the Prophet of Allah, come up with your roots and stand before me with the permission of Allah." By Him who deputed the Prophet with truth, the tree did remove itself with its root and came with a great humming sound and a flapping like the flapping of the wings of birds, till it stopped before the Messenger of Allah and cast its higher branches over the Prophet, while some of its branches came down onto my shoulders, and I was on the right side of the Holy Prophet

When the people saw this they said by way of pride and vanity. "Now you order half of it to come to you and the other half of it remain (in its place)." The Holy Prophet ordered the tree to do the same. Then half of the tree advanced towards him in an amazing manner and with greater humming. It was about to touch the Prophet of Allah. Then they said, disbelieving and revolting, "Ask this half to get back to its other half and be as it was." The Prophet ordered it and it returned. Then I said, "There is no god but Allah! O Prophet of Allah, I am the first to believe in you and to acknowledge that the tree did what it did just now with the command of Allah, the Sublime, in testimony to your Prophethood and to heighten your word”. Upon this all the people shouted, "Rather a sorcerer, a liar; it is wonderful sorcery, he is very adept in it. Only a man like this (pointing to me) can stand testimony to you in your affairs."

Certainly, I belong to the group of people who care not for the reproach of anybody in matters concerning Allah. Their countenance is the countenance of the truthful and their speech is the speech of the virtuous. They are wakeful during the nights (in devotion to Allah), and over beacons (of guidance) in the day. They hold fast to the rope of the Qur'an. revive the traditions of Allah and of His Prophet. They do not boast nor indulge in self conceit, nor misappropriate, nor create mischief. Their hearts are in Paradise while their bodies are busy in (good) acts.
Sermon 190 or 192 (in some books), Known as "al-Khutbah al-Qasi`ah" (Sermon of Disparagement), Nahjul Balaga

And even if i ignore that Rasool (SAW) conveyed a message at Gadeer, pertaining to Mawlayat of Ali (AS), and also that the claim with which Abu Bakr earned the right to caliphate (as Abu Bakr argued with the ansar that the Caliph must be from Qureysh as the Prophet (SAW) was from Qureysh), suited Mawla Ali (AS) more (then the Caliph must also be from Banu Hashim as the Prophet (SAW) was a Hashmi), even if i ignore everything, even then Imam Ali's knowledge, bravery, patience was unparalleled and these attributes merited caliphate before anyone else.

The Quran gave an excellent example in the Prophet (SAW);

Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar for him who hopes in Allah and the latter day and remembers Allah much
Quran [33:21] 

That was the bar Allah had set. The shias, do not lower the bar, but claim that the Ahlulbayt (AS) were the legal heirs of the Prophet (SAW) and were a reflection of the Prophet (SAW) himself. This was the difference between the Companions (RA) and the Ahlulbayt (AS);

Allah then gave us determination to protect His religion and defend His honour. The believers among us expected (heavenly) reward from it, and the unbelievers among us gave their support because of kinship. Those who accepted Islam from among the Quraysh were away from the distresses in which we were involved either because of a pledge that protected them or because of the tribe that would rise to support them. They were therefore safe from killing. The way with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and his descendants) was that when fighting became fierce and people began to loose ground he would send forward members of his family and through them protect his companions from the attacks of swords and spears. In this way `Ubaydah ibn al-Harith was killed on the day of Badr, Hamzah (ibn `Abd al-Muttalib) on the day of Uhud and Ja'far (ibn Abi Talib) on the day of Mu'tah. One more person, whom I can name if I wish, desired to seek martyrdom as they did; but their deaths approached, while his death had not yet approached.
Letter 9 of Imam Ali to Mawiya, Nahjul Balaga

In Mawla Ali's own words;

A party of Muhajirs met martyrdom. They were killed in the cause of Islam and Allah. everyone of them was blessed by Allah with a status and rank. Out of them those who belonged to my family and tribe, Bani Hashim, were granted an excellent status by Allah. Hamza (the uncle of the Holy Prophet (s) and Imam Ali (a)) received the title of Chief of Martyrs (Sayyid al-Shuhada). The Holy Prophet (s) himself called him by this name after his martyrdom and at his funeral ceremony. The Holy Prophet (s) recited Takbir ('Allahu Akbar') seventy times as a mark of distinction for him, which is not for any other Muslim. Some Muhajirs lost their hands in the battlefield but when one of us (Ja'far, cousin of the Holy Prophet (s) and brother of Imam Ali (a)) lost both of his hands and died in the battlefield, Allah granted him angelic wings and the Holy Prophet (s) informed us that this martyr received the title of Tayyar (one who flies in Paradise). If Allah had not disapproved man's habit of eulogizing and praising himself, I would have given several such instances which speak of the enhancement of my prestige and status before Allah, instances which are accepted and can be testified by faithful Muslims about which the hearers will have no reason to doubt. Do not be like a man whom the Devil has laid astray. Accept the obvious truth when it faces you.

Listen O' Mu'awiya! We (Ahlul Bayt, the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s)) are unique examples of the creation of Allah. For such a status, we are not under obligation to any person or tribe but the Almighty Allah who granted us these blessings. Human beings have received and will receive perfection through us. The perpetual supremacy and inherent superiority do not prevent us from making contact with human beings or with your clan, we have married amongst you and have established family connections with your (as well as with others) clan, though you do not belong to our class.

How can you be our equal when the Holy Prophet (s) belongs to us and Abu Jahl, the worst enemy of Islam was from amongst you. Asadullah (lit. "the Lion of Allah" - a title of Imam Ali (a)) is from amongst us, while Asadul Ahlaaf (lion of the opposing groups, who had sworn to fight against Islam and the Holy Prophet (s)) was from you. The two foremost leaders of the youth of Paradise (Imam Hasan (a) & Imam Husayn (a)) are from us and the children of Hell are from you. The best woman in the world (title bestowed by Allah upon Fatima (a)) the beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet (s) is from us, and the slanderer and the wood-carrying woman who tried to spend every hour of her life in doing harm to the Holy Prophet of Islam (s), was your aunt. There are so many other things similar to the few mentioned which praise us and speak ill of your clan and which show how far and superior we are to you. We were faithful followers of the commandments of Allah and you and your clan always opposed Islam and accepted it out of sheer expediency simply to save yourselves from humiliation and disgrace. Our sincerity in Islam and our services to its cause are the facts of history and history cannot deny your enmity against Islam and the Holy Prophet (s).

The credit which you want to take away from us and the honor which you want to deprive us of is the one which the Holy Qur'an is carefully guarding for us. It says: "Some relatives are superior and have excellence over others, according to the Book of Allah" [ Qur'an, 33:6 ] and in another place in the very same Book, Allah informs mankind that: "The nearest people to Abraham, are those who follow him and those who follow the Holy Prophet (s) and the true believers. Allah is the guardian of the true believers" [ Qur'an, 2:68 ]. Therefore we hold two excellences: That of close relationship to the Holy Prophet (s) and that of loyally accepting his teachings. Do you know on the day of Saqifa, Muhajirs told Ansar that they were superior to them because they in one way or the other, were related to the Holy Prophet (s) and therefore they deserved the caliphate and with the aid of this argument the Muhajirs carried the day. If success can be achieved with the help of this argument and if it has got a grain of truth in it then according it, we and not you, deserve the caliphate. If not, then the Ansar still hold their claim over the caliphate.
Nahjul Balaga, Letter 28, A reply by Imam Ali to the letter sent by Mawiya

The sunnis on the other hand, lower the bar, and accept fallible to be heirs of the infallible Prophet (SAW). This is no disrespect to the Companions and the Khalfa-e-Salasa. They are accountable for their affairs before Allah as you and me. The fact remains that they were inferior to the Prophet (SAW) and his Ahlulbayt (AS) even according to sunni beleifs as well.

When the bar is lowered, there is then no limit. Some factions of sunnis even lower the bar of leadership, and Mawiya is one of their rightly guided caliphs. And it does get ugly. Some even lower the bar further and consider Yazeed (Laeen) to be their Ameer ul Momineen as well. Proof? Not long ago, a very prominent Muslim speaker Zakir Nayak used “Radhi Allaho Anho” for Yazeed (the impure). When we do not have the courage to look back at history and pin point exactly where things started to go wrong, then we will have leadership today too which will end up having soft corners for the rebels and savages who blow up innocents in their worship places.

To take state action against fellow muslims is a very tough task and only leadership the likes of Mawla Ali (AS) could have taken the right steps to ensure the survival of Islam, and not of heretic muslims.

It is fair to conclude the Tripod results conclude the following as key contributing factors to the accident;

1. Procedural violations
2. Management failure leading to weak corporate culture
3. Mis-hirings of the wrong talent and assigning the wrong tasks to the wrong employee group
4. Unfair employee appraisal

Wherein, the accident has been defined earlier above, the procedure being the Quran, Management being the leadership or Caliphate, corporate culture being the spirit of muslims, Mis-hiring being giving the wrong status to the wrong people, and employee appraisal being promoting into key positions.

I do not blame our enemies, the jews and the christians and the Hindus (not all of them, but those who hate and are aggressive to Islam), for it is the duty of the enemy to destroy. The blame today is on our leadership, political and religious, which has to date failed to tell the nation that if the Taliban are Islamic heroes, or the cancer which will eat away the nation and the religion.

The eyes are a wonderful gift which can see. But the eyes alone are not enough. To see, one needs light. Without a doubt this light is the Quran and Seerah of Rasool (SAW) only, which left behind the Ahlulbayt (AS) as well. The third requirement to see, is distance. One must be at a certain distance to see or else the image is only blurred and incomprehensible. We must distant ourselves from our biases and from what we have been taught by the clerics of today who are paid for their preachings (Remember what Rasool (SAW) said about wealth)!! We must distant ourselves from our sins because that is the only condition when Quran will actually guide us.

This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who guard (against evil).
Quran [2:2]

I do not ask you to follow Mawla Ali (AS) and understand what he means to Islam and its success even today. But atleast filter your heart and if you oppose the Imam (AS), then oppose openly, so that we know that when you defend Yazeed (laeen), and when you defend the murderers today, we should know to which party you belong to without any further confusions.

And whoever takes Allah and His messenger and those who believe for a guardian,
then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant.
Quran [5:56]

So let people like Ali Sina know, that Islam is something else and its followers are something else, the muslims are something else and the Ahlulbayt (AS) are something else. When Muharram comes, mourn for Imam Hussain (AS). This will create curiosity in people as to why we are crying and when they inquire, let them know what the son of Rasool (SAW) did to prove the truthfulness of his grandfather (SAW).

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The Précis

The current situation in Pakistan and other parts of the globe where Islamic militancy is killing innocent Muslims, one must ponder where we went wrong and what the solution is.

One must distant himself from his biases to critically assess the chain of events which has lead to where we are today.