The Islamic Center

Salam Imam,

I think i was the only sunni in the crowd during your lecture at Dearborn MI that muslimcongress had arrange for the weekend for Hazarat Ali birthday celebration. 

Since i am used to hear Shia's mullahs putting down our Sunni Khalifas but never ever expected from a Sunni Imam to put down our Rightous Khalifa Abu Bakar. 

Imam view about Abu Bakar is no different then any other Shia mullah's which is sad. 

After imam lecture i was very upset and left the building to cool down but next day i heard some people talking and they mention that Imam Asi is a Sunni Imam. You can imagine my reaction when i heard.

I wish i discover this before so i could have sat down and talk to you about your views about Khalifas.

BTW: i just wanted to mention to Imam Asi, while you were putting down Abu Bakar there was group of Shia's were enjoy it so much that they were saying wha wha wha.. 

I guess this is the reason they called you at the conference.

If you look at muslimcongress.org site there is a quote "Striving to UNITE muslim Ummah" 

i wonder how they going to Unite muslim ummah when they invite people like Imam Asi to there conferences.

Very SAD...

salam,

wat happene?  would like to listen to the talk is there any links to download the talk?

Here is a link to similar lecture that Asi has given some where in one of the Shia mosque.

You can hear people laughing in the background when Imam makes fun of our Caliph's Umar and Utman.

http://almusawwir.org/podcasts/asionislamichistory.mp3

Asalaamu `alaikum wa-rahmatullahi wa-barakatu,

It appears there is a recurring theme with Imam Al-Asi’s speeches at various select venues and masajid, many of which were conveniently scheduled on some dates that are very dear to the “Shi`a” people, but certainly not dear to Allah and his Prophet if we consider the Islamic teaching rather than fabrications in practice which have been established by disingenuous “Shi`a” mullahs.

The lecture that our dear brother ProudSunni posted seems to have been titled “…islamichistory.” Though, the lecture had hardly anything to do with Islamic history.

It appears that Imam Al-Asi persistently focuses on nothing other than battles that took place during the Caliphate of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in an attempt to appease overly obsessive Shi`a audiences that base their religious ideology on a political fanaticism centered around fan clubs that have been created for particular sahabah, or righteous companions of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), while maintaining an “Sunni/Muslim” façade.

This sort of obsession has led to the introduction to what Imam Al-Asi calls“commemorations” that Shi`as take part in, which in Islamic jurisprudence actually translates to innovation in religious practice and/or worship – the equivalent to practice which provides a first-class ticket to the hellfire based on the Prophetic saying “Every innovation is misguidance and going astray, and all what drives man astray leads to Hell-Fire.” This is especially concerning when considering that many hardliners of the so-called “Shi`a” take to the streets ofmajor “Islamic” cities (i.e. the “revolutionary” nation of Iran and the city of Karbala in Iraq), flogging themselves in this whirlwind of Islamically unqualified practices and illegally established rituals on particular days of the year.

It appears some have no shame in their approach to these issues -  the “revolution” card is deceptively drawn in order to emotionally rile groups of ignorant Muslims and lead them into a pit of cultural diversion from the etiquettes and manners of the Prophet (S) in approaching matters relating to social injustices and reform.

There is clearly a recurrent premise underneath nearly every single lecture and speech from Imam Al-Asi, and I feel that the extraction of this premise is key to understanding the motives behind them.

Regards,

Maybe Imam Al Asi should do a lecture pointing out the mistakes which Imam Khomeini made during his rule. Imam Khomeini's first decision as ruler was to hold innocent Americans as hostages. What caused him to do this injustice ? Is this the sunnah of Imam Ali (as) or Ahlul Bayt ? No its not. When Imam Ali (as) and Muawiyah were fighting against each other, Muawiyah stopped the water supply from Imam Ali's camp. On the contrary,  when Imam Ali (as) got the hold of the water he allowed Muawiyah's troops  to drink from it. I mean these lessons are taught in pre school to the shias yet Imam Khoemini failed to apply these morals when he held innocent Americans as hostages.  Also, because of his bidah he gave Americans an excuse to attack Iran.  What occured after this ? It caused  Iraqi Shia to fight  against Iranian shias. At the same time  both shia groups believed in the same Imam which is al Qaem. What's the point of disucssing the battle of  Siffin and Jamal in the shia mimbars when you end up fighting againt each other too ? Now if we go deeper, Imam Khomeini's life he made an agreement with the Americans that he would only allow the release of the American hostages, if they give Iran spare parts for their military arms.  The Persian war continued for about a decade, and Iran's economy went toward a negative direction. During Imam Khomeini's rule the  poverty level rose to around 45% in the first 6 years. When people requested Imam Khomeini to take some action this was his reply "Do not worry because the 12th imam is coming soon." What type of excuse is this ? Next Imam Khomeini initally designated Ayatollah Hosein-Ali Montazeri to be successor. However, Hosein-Ali Montazeri rejected many of the sunnah/methods which was practiced by Khomineni, and  as result he was withdrawn from power. Yet, we see Shias tell us how Umar (ra) prevent Imam Ali (as) from power for the rejecting his sunnah. What is the point of history if you can't take lessons ? As for unity, this concept was started by Imam Khominie, yet Iran can't even allow one sunni mosque to be built  in Tehran ? Why doesn't Imam Al Asi point these facts out.

As for other facts, I have learned a lot from Imam Al Asi's lecture. In fact with his lectures online I have managed to bring 2 shias toward the Ahle sunnah madhab.

Dear Jilanui,

I make my statements from the following starting point. I give unqualified support for the Islamic Revolution and critical support for its political choices and conduct.

Iran has the right to have a state that serves the interests of its people and no outside nation should interfere in that. The Islamic Republic came into being to reaffirm the right of the Iranian people to run their national affairs free from the interference of foreign powers and corporations. If one tries to discuss the Islamic Republic without dealing with the long history of foreign interference then that is disingenuous to say the least. Many of its current problems are because some people are tired of being independent and paying the price for it. Some of its presidential candidates have been making conciliatory noises to countries which have been opposed to the Islamic Republic from the start. It does not mean that those who hold the line are not sometimes cavalier with their political utterances and postures.

The political choices on who should succeed as leader, whether the embassy should have been occupied, whether the diplomats should have been held hostage, whether the Iran-Contra dealings were correct, whether the fatwa against Rushdie was necessarily correct can all be discussed. However, one can completely disagree with all or some of the political decisions of the Islamic Republic without rubbishing the leadership and its choices. You raise these issues as if Imam Khomeini was the first one to have to make political choices that were not, on the face of it, his first and best option? Read the Sirah and you will see the zigzagging of the political choices of the Prophet. You have the idea of the Sirah of 23 years as a linear frame. Yet when we recall the Sirah we call it up instantly. Some parts we emphasise and others we de-emphasise. That is how our memory works. Do not judge the Islamic Republic by standards other than those that recognise the messiness of the real world.

It is hard to have poverty reduction programmes when your country is fighting an eight-year war. This point of your is not a serious matter to discuss further. When your house is on fire you do not redecorate the living room until the fire has been put out.

Let us talk about a country where there should be an end to thirty years of economic, political, economic and cultural sanctions. Then we hold that country to account for its economic performance, political, cultural and human rights practices. We can then hold legitimate discussions about a proper role for the government in the lives of its citizens, the role of the public and private sectors, separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches, the independence of the judiciary. We can even have a discussion on the role of the clergy in the republic.

To have these discussions when a country is under siege not only from non-Muslims but even from its Muslim neighbours is sad. Iran with all its problems allows for more public participation in the affairs of the country than all of its neighbours. Like any other country it has factions who stand for different things. Moreover like any revolution some of its torchbearers monopolise power and gravitate towards corruption.

I mention these issues because I believe that the issues that you place on al-Asi’s plate should be addressed elsewhere. You seem to have a lot of time to write notes on this forum. Why not start your own blog and then we can have very critical discussions about our past and the mistakes and gains we make today. Hopefully the rest of us, in mutually critical ways can learn from one another. We hope not to make the mistakes of communist parties which slavishly followed the Stalinist programme and failed their peoples. Many who are proud Sunnis or proud Shiis do this well enough and Al-Asi’s voice causes them to have heartburn. To those I suggest that they take something for the pain and have a bit of a lie-down. We have serious discussions to engage in. We have to learn from one another and make better choices. In fact we have communities with real problems where we find ourselves. We have unemployment, poverty, lack of housing, poorly performing schools, women who are marginalised, single parent families and drug-filled neighbourhoods top deal with. We contact this site and talk to others so that we may learn from one another and take lessons from our common past into our communities. Jilani please leave us alone to get on with these tasks.

Please leave us alone ? What kind of response is this ? If 12r shias can sit in their

cultural centers and criticize thesunni Imams/calipahs why can't we as sunnis criticize the Iranian Ayatollahs ?Just because I criticize the Islamic Repubic of Iran does this mean I conclude that  Imami shias have no right to have anIslamic state ? I didn't say that there anywhere. Instead you brought this point up so you can go brush away mistakes of the Islamic Republic of Iran . Secondly you point that Iran has wen tunder an economic turmoil because they were under an 8 year war period ? My reply to this who told Iran to hold Americans as hostages? The Islamic Republic itself decided to challege the western powersby holding innocent Americans. I recall there was a period when British troops were found in Iran's waters. What did Iran do inresponse? They released them and there was no war occured after this. Anyway, I am not going to go into detail since you want to be left alone and not talk about the past. I will leave this quetions for Imam Al Asi himself, On the contrary why don't you answer one question. The Islamic Republic of Iran is asking Sunnis and shia to unite, so they can face a common enemy which is Israel. If they want this unity so badly, then please tell me why they don't start with this unity concept in their own country ? Iran has a 20% Sunni population yet there is still not a single sunni working with the Iranian goverment and there is not a single sunni mosque in Tehra. On the contrary, you can find Temples, Chruches, Synagoguesand even Sikh Gurudwara in Iran. Can you explain the reasoning behind this ?

To ProudSunni:

I've listened to the link that you posted

http://almusawwir.org/podcasts/asionislamichistory.mp3

Personally, I see nothing wrong with what Imam Al Asi said here. For Sunnis we just need to read up on our history books. I mean you were so senisitive that you couldn't even wait till Imam Al Asi finished his lecture ? If you remained patient you could have Imam Al Asi's questions upfront, and gotten your answers right there.

asalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh...i agree with brother Miqdad's response about imam Al Asi...alhamdulillah after listening to Imam's khutbahs i have learnt how to shed my sect shell and this is by Allah's grace and mercy..Alhamdulillah..listening to imam's khutbahs especially when it came to history of the khulafah and the sahaba did have a small pinch in the heart but alhamdulillah that does not affect the mind that is willing to understand mankind's nature of weakness and proneness to fault...we learn from our mistakes..but if we deny our faults then how are we ever to improve?...i have learnt many things from imam Asi and have entered ventures i don't think i would have ever bothered myself with listening and being taught by sad to say mechanical khateebs and who dare not mention anything to do with worldwide issues...in fact the way i understood Islam is that it is only spiritual and personal..yet i could not understand why the prophet's of Allah encountered such hostility...but now...i thank you imam...jazakallahu kheiran.

Assalaamualaykum.

Imam Muhammad Al Asi's contribution to the rejuvenation of Islamic political thought is often mis-understood. It is so unfortunate that rather than discuss the issue the discussion takes a twist towards a Sunni/Shi'i slant and as usual, the shallow political understanding leads to these types of judgemental attitudes. People who are willing to understand the Islamic message beyond sectarian undertones can realise the backlash that terminology generates. If anyone were to follow the works of Imam Muhammad Al Asi, they would readily recognise the straight-forward approach of Imam Muhammad Al Asi and it's direct extraction from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It is the unwillingness of Sunnis and Shi'is alike to identify and correct the extremes and the deviations within these madh'habs that render people like Imam Muhammad Al Asi persona non grata in all circles. Anyone with a profound understanding of Islam would identify and vouch for his Islamic heritage and the common grounds he shares with such towering personalities as Taqi Ud Din Nabhani, Al Imam Ruhullah Musavi Al Khomeini, Malcolm X, Abu Al A'la Al Mawdudi, Syed Qutb, Hassan Al Banna, Abdul Hamid ibn Badees, Abdur Rahman Al Kawakibee, etc.

Allah knows how we hate to use the labels, but we had to make the point...

Wa Salaamualykum

Proud Sunni, I want you to refer to what  happened in Medina during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet regarding the period when Abu Sufyan wa passing with goods belonging to the Qureish and the prophet ,as an economic strategy against the qureish usurpers of the Muhajirin belongings ,recommended and held the goods.Compare it to what the Iman did against the americans.