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PEACE BE ON YOU
ASALAMOALIKOM
Welcome to Shia Texts.
You will find here books and articles written about the faith and history of Shia Muslims. Contents are updated every year. Some posts are left blank for later additions of important texts.
Our team hopes that from this website you will benefit, and enjoy adding to your knowledge about your research on the Shia Faith. Thank you.
Here is brief account of what is Shia Islam:
EARLY SHIA HISTORY
Essentially, Shia Islam is about making contact with one true God who is creator of the universe. Humans can make contact with God through His own chosen representatives. These divine men and women of light are pure and sinless. They are infallible guides for humanity. They are our perfect role models. By loving these men and women, and hence following their ways, God gives human beings success and happiness in this world and in life after death.
The last messenger sent by God to guide humanity towards Himself was Holy Prophet Muhammad, son of Abdullah. God gave him the book Koran which was for entire humanity. When Muhammad died in A.D. 632, he appointed Ali son of Abu Talib as his successor according to intructions from God. Thus Muhammed left behind Koran and Ali for the all the world.
People who followed Muhammad's true successor, they became known as Shia [Party] of Ali. Others denied Ali. They refused to obey Prophet's orders. They rejected the choise of God, and abandoned Ali. Immediately after death of Prophet Muhammad in 632, they selected their own men to lead them. First of these illegal rulers was Abu Bakr. Then came Umar, Uthman, Muaweya, Yazid, and so on. These men was corrupt and evil. Their reign was ruthless. These dictators percecuted friends and family of Muhammad.
Abu Bakr killed many disciples of Muhammad who had refused to acccept him and who wanted Ali to lead just as God had commanded. To slay his opponents, Abu Bakr used pretext that they are refusing to pay religious charity.
Abu Bakr also confiscated the property of Muhammad. Lands of Fadak, and other estates which should have been inherited by Prophet's daughter Fatima were stolen. No inheritance was allowed for daughter of Muhammad.
To force Ali to accept Abu Bakr, the vice president Umar attacked the house of Fatima, daughter of Muhammed. Ali was inside. Ali did not fight back. He had been instructed by the Prophet to remain patient and not to shed blood. Umar tied Ali with ropes and dragged him in order to force him to recognise the new regime in Medina.
Other rulers like Uthman promoted those who had hated the Prophet. He placed all the former enemies of Muhammad as governors across the muslim world.
When Muaweya became caliph he went to war with Ali in 656. He had Ali and his son Hasan killed. Muaweya's son Yazid massacred Husayn and family of the Prophet Muhammad at Karbala in 680.
Within 50 years of Muhammad's death, the knees of muslim rulers were soaked in blood of holy family. Thousands of other innocent muslims were also butchered.
Even Muhammad's wife Aisha took part in mass killings of muslims in Basra. She long held hatred for Ali and his children. Aisha gave orders to Uthman's army to slaughter the lovers of Ali in the city of Basra.
This was a very short summary of events in early years of Islamic history.
The books on this website provide full details of the terrible oppression endured by Prophet Muhammad's family following his demise.
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