Al-Sayyid al-Hakeem Passes Away

Al-Sayyid al-Hakeem Passes Away
2021/09/03

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Indeed, we belong to Allah, and to Him do we indeed return.

His Eminence, Grand Ayatullah al-Sayyid Muhammad Sa’eed al-Tabataba’i al-Hakeem, has passed away to and returned to his Lord, the Most High. We pay our condolences to the nation of Islam, especially to the followers of the Ahlulbait (Peace be upon them) and the Islamic seminaries (Hawzas).

 We pray to Allah Almighty to bestow upon him His extensive and abundant mercy and blessings, and to raise him with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Ahlulbait (peace be upon him).

There is no power or strength, except that of Allah, the Most High, the Most Mighty.

 

The Office of His Eminence al-Sayyid al-Hakeem, 25 Muharram 1443 (3 September, 2021)

Day Questions

What are the beliefs of Shia? Do they differ from Sunnis’ beliefs?

The beliefs of Sunnis are not different than those of Shias with respect to the belief in the two testimonies. The difference is in the concept of Imamate – the leadership of the nation of Islam after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) – where the followers of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) believe in the Imams from the Ahlulbait as the religious and the political leaders of the Muslim nation after the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), as this is mentioned in a very clear and frank way in the tradition of Thaqalain. It is reported in the books of traditions of Shias and Sunnis that the Prophet said: "I leave among you the two weighty things, the book of Allah and my progeny; as long as you follow both of them, you will never be misguided".

If someone makes a promise to complete the recitation of the Holy Quran, does he have to correct the mistakes for the recitation to be fulfilled?

The subject of the vow is the correct recitation in the normal way based on the information the person possesses. If he realized that there was a mistake, then he should correct it. If he realizes that he made a mistake after some time has passed or after he has completed the recitation of the Quran, then it is not obligated to repeat the recitation correctly, although it is better to repeat those verses that were read incorrectly.

Many people around the world believe in reincarnation. What is the view of Islam on reincarnation?

There is no doubt that reincarnation is an invalid concept. The entity of the human being does not change after death. Almighty Allah resurrects him after his death in his original form and identity and he will be judged for his actions. Allah almighty said: "And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then, And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then." (Quran 99:7-8)

I have a Sunni friend who asked me why Shias mourn mainly for Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) whereas there were many martyrs in Karbala?

Shias mourn all the martyrs of Karbala. They remember their faithful dedication to sacrifice themselves with praise and respect, whether they were among the Ahlulbait or among the other companions. It is customary in some Shia communities to specify a day within the first ten days of Muharam to remember one of the martyrs of the companions of the Imam as well as a specific day for Abbas bin Ali (peace be upon him) and other members of the Ahlulbait.The Ziyarats that were narrated from the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them), were specified for Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), while they also mention the companions with praise and Salam. It is natural that Shias will mainly mourn for Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) since he was the Imam and the rest were his followers and companions, in addition to his relation to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny).

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