Series: Confessions of a British spy, Memoirs of Hempher - Part IV-A

Contributed by bineshan on 18 Jan 2009 - 12:10 PM

Confessions of a British spy

PART IV-A


When I arrived in Basra, I settled in a mosque. The imam of the mosque was a Sunnite person of Arabic origin named Shaikh 'Umar Tai. When I met him I began to chat with him. Yet he suspected me at the very beginning and subjected me to a shower of questions. I managed to survive this dangerous chat as follows:

"I am from Turkey's Igdir region. I was a disciple of Ahmad Effendi of Istanbul. I worked for a carpenter named Khalid." I gave him some information about Turkey, which I had acquired during my stay there. Also, I said a few sentences in Turkish. The imam made an eye signal to one of the people there and asked him if I spoke Turkish correctly. The answer was positive. Having convinced the imam, I was very happy. Yet I was wrong. For a few days later, I saw to my disappointment that the imam suspected that I was a Turkish spy. Afterwards, I found out that there was some disagreement and hostility between him and the governor appointed by the (Ottoman) Sultan.


Having been compelled to leave Shaikh 'Umar Effendi's mosque, I rented a room in an inn for travelers and foreigners and moved there. The owner of the inn was an idiot named Murshid Effendi. Every morning he would disturb me by knocking hard at my door to wake me up as soon as the adhan for morning prayer was called. I had to obey him. So I would get up and perform the morning prayer. Then he would say, "You shall read Qur'an-al karim after morning prayer." When I told him that it was not fard (an act commanded by Islam) to read Qur'an al-karim and asked him why he should insist so much, he would answer, "Sleeping at this time of day will bring poverty and misfortune to the inn and the inmates." I had to carry out this command of his. For he said otherwise he would send me out of the inn. Therefore, as soon as the adhan was called, I would perform morning prayer and then read Qur'an al-karim for one hour.


One day Murshid Effendi came to me and said, "Since you rented this room misfortunes have been befalling me. I put it down to your ominousness. For you are single. Being single portends ill omen. You shall either get married or leave the inn." I told him I did not have property enough to get married. I could not tell him what I had told Ahmad Effendi. For Murshid Effendi was the kind of person who would undress me and examine my genitals to see whether I was telling the truth.


When I said so, Murshid Effendi reproved me, saying, "What a weak belief you have! Haven't you read Allah's ayat purporting, If they are poor, Allahu ta'ala will make them rich with His kindness'?" I was stupefied. At last I said, "All right, I shall get married. But are you ready to provide the necessary money? Or can you find a girl who will cost me little?" After reflecting for a while, Murshid Effendi said, "I don't care! Either get married by the beginning of Rajab month, or leave the inn." There were only twenty-five days before the beginning of the month of Rajab.


Incidentally, let me mention the Arabic months; Muharram, Safar, Rabi'ul-awwal, Rabi'ul-akhir, Jemaziy-ul-awwal, Jemaziy-ul-akhir, Rajab, Shaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Zilqada, Zilhijja. Their months are neither more than thirty days, nor below twenty-nine. They are based on lunar calculations.


Taking a job as an assistant to a carpenter, I left Murshid Effendi's inn. We made an agreement on a very low wage, but my lodging and food were to be at the employer's expense. I moved my belongings to the carpenter's shop well before the month of Rajab. The carpenter was a manly person. He treated me as if I were his son. He was a Shiite from Khorassan, Iran, and his name was Abd-ur- Rida. Taking the advantage of his company, I began to learn Persian. Every afternoon Iranian Shiites would meet at his place and talk on various subjects from politics to economy. Most often than not they would speak ill of their own government and also of the Khalifa in Istanbul. Whenever a stranger came in they would change the subject and begin to talk on personal matters.


They trusted me very much. However, as I found out later on, they thought I was an Azarbaijani because I spoke Turkish.


From time to time a young man would call at our carpenter's shop. His attirement was that of a student doing scientific research, and he understood Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. His name was Muhammad bin Abd-ul-wahhab Najdi. This youngster was an extremely rude and very nervous person. While abusing the Ottoman government very much, he would never speak ill of the Iranian government. The common ground which made him and the shop-owner Abd-ur-Rida so friendly was that both were inimical towards the Khalifa in Istanbul. But how was it possible that this young man, who was a Sunni, understood Persian and was friends with Abd-ur-Rida, who was a Shii? In this city Sunnites pretended to be friendly and even brotherly with Shiites. Most of the city's inhabitants understood both Arabic and Persian. And most people understood Turkish as well.


Muhammad of Najd was a Sunni outwardly. Although most Sunnites censured Shiites, in fact, they say that Shiites are disbelievers this man never would revile Shiites. According to Muhammad of Najd, there was no reason for Sunnites to adapt themselves to one of the four Madhhabs; he would say, "Allah's Book does not contain any evidence pertaining to these Madhhabs." He purposefully ignored the ayat al-karimas in this subject and slighted the hadith ash-Sharifs.


[Elsewhere, including as stated in part I of his confessions, Hempher had tried to portray the Shi'ah as dangerous based on the suggestion that the Shi'ah consider the Sunni and Christians as disbelievers: "The most dangerous of such people are the Shiites in Iran. For they put down people who are not Shiites as disbelievers"; while as he mentioned in that same part I, the Christians consider Muslims as disbelievers: "It is hoped that, from the world of the unknown, he (Jesus) will cast an eye on us and grant us the good luck of evicting the unbelievers (Muslims) from their centers"; and here he stated: "Sunnites censured Shiites, in fact, they say that Shiites are disbelievers". So, how is it that the Shi'ah are dangerous?!!! While the greatest oppressors whom humankind have suffered from, such as the state of Israel and … have been Jews, and the rulers of the 'Middle ages', European kings and emperors, Adolf Hitler and … have been Christians, and the usurpers of Caliphate, the Bani Omayyah and Abbaasi, the Taliban, Bin Laden (Laaden), Saddam Hussein and … have been Sunni!!!]


Concerning the matter of four Madhhabs: A century after the death of their Prophet Muhammad, four scholars came forward from among Sunnite Muslims: Abu Hanifa, Ahmad bin Hanbal, Malik bin Anas, and Muhammad bin Idris Shafi'i. Some Khalifas forced the Sunnites to imitate one of these four scholars. They said no one except these four scholars could do ijtihad in Qur'an al-karim or in the Sunnat. This movement closed the gates of knowledge and understanding to Muslims. This prohibition of ijtihad is considered to have been the reason for Islam's standstill.


[As spy Hempher discovered in his research, "A century after the death of their Prophet Muhammad, four scholars came forward from among Sunnite Muslims … Khalifas forced the Sunnites to imitate one of these four scholars"; while the Shi'ah existed at time of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HP), for, Hadrat Ali (PBUH) was living at time of the Prophet and not one century later and he was the Prophet's minister; in fact the Prophet himself used the name Shi'ah for the followers of Ali (PBUH), for instance when Mohammad (PBUH&HP) said to Ali (PBUH): "You and your Shi'ah will enter to Allah, while Allah is Pleased and you are pleased, but your enemies will face Allah's Wrath." (Sunni Documents: Nahaayah of Ibne Athir, …).]


Shiites exploited these erroneous statements to promulgate their sect. The number of Shiites was smaller than one-tenth that of Sunnites. But now they have increased and become equal with Sunnites in number. This result is natural. For ijtihad is like a weapon. It will improve Islam's fiqh and renovate the understanding of Qur'an al-karim and Sunnat. Prohibition of ijtihad, on the other hand, is like a rotten weapon. It will confine the Madhhab within a certain framework. And this, in its turn, means to close the gates of inference and to disregard the time's requirements. If your weapon is rotten and your enemy is perfect, you are doomed to be beaten by your enemy sooner or later. I think, the clever ones of the Sunnites will reopen the gate of ijtihad in future. If they do not do this, they will become the minority and the Shiites will receive a majority in a few centuries.


The arrogant youngster, Muhammad of Najd, would follow his nafs (his sensuous desires) in understanding the Qur'an and the Sunnat. He would completely ignore the views of scholars, not only those of the scholars of his time and the leaders of the four Madhhabs, but also those of the notable Sahabis such as Abu Bakr and 'Umar. Whenever he came across a Koranic (Qur'an) verse which he thought was contradictory with the views of those people, he would say, "The Prophet said: I have left the Qur'an and the Sunnat for you.' He did not say, I have left the Qur'an, the Sunnat, the Sahaba, and the imams of Madhhabs for you.' Therefore, the thing which is fard is to follow the Qur'an and the Sunnat no matter how contrary they may seem to be to the views of the Madhhabs or to the statements of the Sahaba and scholars."


During a dinner conversation at Abd-ur-Rida's place, the following dispute took place between Muhammad of Najd and a guest from Kum (Qom), a Shiite scholar named Shaikh Jawad:


Shaikh Jawad: Since you accept that 'Ali was a mujtahid, why don't you follow him like Shiites?


Muhammad of Najd: Ali is no different from 'Umar or other Sahabis. His statements cannot be of a documentary capacity. Only the Qur'an and the Sunnat are authentic documents.


Shaikh Jawad: Since our Prophet said, "I am the city of knowledge, and 'Ali is its gate," shouldn't there be difference between 'Ali and the other Sahaba?


Muhammad of Najd: If 'Ali's statements were of a documentary capacity, would not the Prophet have said, "I have left you the Qur'an, the Sunnat, and 'Ali"?


Shaikh Jawad: Yes, we can assume that he (the Prophet) said so. For the stated in a hadith ash-Sharif, "I leave (behind me) Allah's Book and my Ahl al-bayt." And 'Ali, in his turn, is the greatest member of the Ahl al-bayt.


[The Shaikh was referring to the very well known 'Hadith Thaqalain' which has been documented clearly in the most famous Sunni books such as Saheeh Moslem, Sonan Termadhi, …, as well as many Shi'ah documents; we cordially invite you to read the article: "Only God" in the site kindfather.com]


Muhammad of Najd denied that the Prophet had said so.


Shaikh Jawad confuted Muhammad of Najd with convincing proofs.


However, Muhammad of Najd objected to this and said, "You assert that the Prophet said, I leave you Allah's Book and my Ahl al-bayt." Then, what has become of the Prophet's Sunnat?"


Shaikh Jawad: The Sunnat of the Messenger of Allah is the explanation of the Qur'an. The Messenger of Allah said, "I leave (you) Allah's Book and my Ahl al-bayt." The phrase 'Allah's Book' includes the 'Sunnat', which is an explanation of the former.


Muhammad of Najd: Inasmuch as the statements of the Ahl al-bayt are the explanations of the Qur'an, why should it be necessary to explain it by hadiths?


Shaikh Jawad: When hadrat Prophet passed away, his Ummat (Muslims) considered that there should be an explanation of the Qur'an which would satisfy the time's requirements. It was for this reason that hadrat Prophet commanded his Ummat to follow the Qur'an, which is the original, and his Ahl al-bayt, who were to explain the Qur'an in a manner to satisfy the time's requirements.


I liked this dispute very much. Muhammad of Najd was motionless in front of Shaikh Jawad, like a house-sparrow in the hands of a hunter.


Muhammad of Najd was the sort I had been looking for. For his scorn for the time's scholars, his slighting even the (earliest) four Khalifas, his having an independent view in understanding the Qur'an and the Sunnat were his most vulnerable points to hunt and obtain him. So different this conceited youngster was from that Ahmad Effendi who had taught me in Istanbul! That scholar, like his predecessors, was reminiscent of a mountain. No power would be able to move him. Whenever he mentioned the name of Abu Hanifa, he would stand up, go and make ablution. Whenever he meant to hold the book of Hadith named Bukhari, he would, again, make ablution. The Sunnis trust this book very much.


Muhammad of Najd, on the other hand, disdained Abu Hanifa very much. He would say, "I know better than Abu Hanifa did ." In addition, according to him, half of the book of Bukhari was wrong.


[As we, in kindfather.com, were getting the confessions of spy Hempher ready to be added to the site, we ran across the following comment from a Sunni translator who had translated the confessions of the British spy to Turkish:

"Qur'an al-karim and hadith ash-Sharifs contain many words, rules, commandments and prohibitions each of which denotes various other meanings. The scientific work carried on to explore these meanings and to apply the right ones to the right cases, is called Ijtihad. Performing ijtihad requires having profound knowledge. For this reason, the Sunnis prohibited ignorant people from doing ijtihad. This does not mean to prohibit ijtihad. After the fourth century of the Hegiral Era, no scholars were educated so highly as to reach the grade of an absolute mujtahid (scholar profoundly learned enough to perform ijtihad); therefore, no one performed ijtihad, which in turn naturally meant the closure of the gates of ijtihad. Towards the end of the world, Isa (Jesus) 'alaihis-salam' shall descend from heaven and Mahdi (the expected Islamic hero) shall appear; these people shall perform ijtihad."

We as the Shi'ah, address the following question to our Sunni brothers and sisters: Had Allah -the Omnipotent, the All-Knowing, the most Compassionate and Benevolent- not foreseen your aforementioned problem, when He sent His last and most perfect Prophet (PBUH&HP) with His Perfect, Ever-living and Eternal Religion, i.e. His Religion which is to live until the end?!!! Yes of course He has, Allah the Almighty, has -for the same reason and others- appointed twelve Infallible Imams (PBUT) who were trained in turn by the Prophet (PBUH&HP) himself (the Prophet taught every thing to Ali, as Ali was the Gateway to his Knowledge, and then each Infallible Imam transferred this Knowledge to the next Imam -PBUT-), and therefore, one of the Infallible Imams (PBUT) with the Prophet's Knowledge has always been present with the people of each era and has trained scholars and guided people, continuously until the Appearance of the last of them and after, i.e. Mahdi the last infallible descendant of the Prophet through his daughter Fatimah and Ali (PBUT), along with the Prophet Jesus (PBUH). The Shi'ah are the followers of these twelve Allah-Chosen and Prophet-Appointed Knowledgeable people. We cordially invite you to read the articles: "Second coming of Jesus (PBUH)", "Ascension of Jesus (PBUH)", "Ascension of Mohammad (PBUH&HP)" and "Who is Mahdi?" in the site kindfather,.com]


To be continued …

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