12er 'ithna Ashari Shias

[Javed]

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Maulana Sahib,

Do we Ahle Sunnah wal Jamaat consider the 12er 'ithna Ashari Shias as Kaffir ?

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,


Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Most Beloved, and Final Messenger of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa aalihi wa Sallam)



Jazak'Allah for your question. The 'Ithna' 'Ashariyyah, is the sect from the shi'ite sect, which believes in the Twelve Imams. They also believe that the Last Imam, Imam Mahdi shall return, as He has not died, but merely disappeared.


This sect, is not a sect from the sects of Ahl as-Sunnah wal Jama'ah, as it believes that the Most Beloved Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) is the Last Messenger, but believes Hadrat 'Ali (Radi Allahu Ta'ala anhu) to be their First Imam.


This is contrary to the beliefs of the Ahl-as-Sunnah wal Jama'ah, as we believe that the first Khalifah after the Beloved Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) is Sayyadina Abu Bakar Siddiq (Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu).


Any one who believes different to this is not of the Ahl-as-Sunnah wal Jama'ah, and will be regarded as misguided, and not kaffir, by the Ahl as-Sunnah.



Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab


M. Waseem Ashrafi