Shaykh Abu Ja’far has said that our view about Taqiyya1 was that it was mandatory. Anyone who abandoned it was like a person who abdicated from obligatory prayers.

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) was once asked about a man, who was openly invective towards his enemies. Imam sent him a message pointing out that he by doing so, he was putting him and many of his supporters at risk, as it would incite people against them. He invited their attention on the following Qur’anic Verse:

وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ

“Revile not those unto whom they pray beside Allah lest they wrongfully revile Allah through ignorance…” (6:108).

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a), while elucidating this Verse said that (our followers) should not shout insults on these people (enemies of Ahl al-Bayt) lest they started reciprocating by insults against our Imam Ali (‘a). Anyone who insulted a friend of God was like a person who had hurled abuse at God. Anyone who affronted God, would be held by the nose and thrown by Him into the hell. The Prophet of God had said, “O, Ali a person who abuses you, abuses me and who abuses me abuses Allah.”

Taqiyya is compulsory and it should not be abandoned before the coming of Al-Mahdi (‘a) and whosoever discarded it before the Qaim’s arrival would be excommunicated from Imamia faith. He will be considered as a rebel of God, the Prophet and our Imams.

Imam was asked about the explanation of a Qur’anic Verse:

إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ

“…Surely the most honourable of you with Allah is the one who is most abstinent and virtuous” (49:13).

Imam replied that – atqakum - stood for a person who was most particular about Taqiyya. God had permitted to exhibit friendship with the infidels, in the state of Taqiyya, when you were fearful for your life. He had not barred from dispensing justice and treating them well. However, under normal conditions it was not necessary for the faithful to choose infidels as their friends in place of believers.

The Qur’an said:

لَّا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ

“Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just” (60:8).

إِنَّمَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَأَخْرَجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ وَظَاهَرُوا عَلَىٰ إِخْرَاجِكُمْ أَن تَوَلَّوْهُمْ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُمْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

“Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong” (60:9).

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) said, “If I hear with my own ears that a person is cursing me, then I conceal myself behind a tree so that he might not see me.”

Imam further elaborated, “Show as much apparent care to your enemy as you can, but stay on guard against him in your private life.”

Imam also said, “To deceive a faithful is equivalent to committing shirk, and to be diplomatic with a hypocrite in his house is an act of worship. If someone prays with his enemies, while standing in the first row is like a person who had prayed in the company of the Prophet in the leading row.”

The same Imam [Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a)] has also commanded us: “To become their strength instead of weakness by accompanying their enemies’ funeral cortège to the graveyard, pray with them in their mosques and seek wellbeing of their sick. May God shower His blessings on him who ignites our love in our enemy’s hearts and does not display us in their eyes as their foe?”

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) was told about the storytellers. Imam replied that God might curse them as they ridiculed us. He was then asked if it was sensible to listen to their tales and episodes. Imam strictly replied - no. It was also narrated from the same Imam that whosoever listened to someone with complete attention was like a person who worshipped him. Therefore, if the speaker was a godly person and articulated about God and His religion then his listener was an obedient servant of God, and if he was telling satanic tales and futile affairs then his listener was also an attendant of Satan.

Someone asked Imam about his views of the Qur’anic Verse related to the poets:

وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ

“And as to the poets, those who go astray follow them” (26:224).

Imam replied that the word ‘poet’ was used in the Verse for those people who described false episodes. The Prophet of God has said that if someone approached a religious distorter (Bidati) and demonstrated his respect to him, he was then like a person who tried to demolish the pillars of Islam.

This was also our belief that a person who opposed anyone with our religious maxims, then he was like a person who had opposed us in the entire religion.

• 1. In this chapter the honourable author had provided very basic information about Taqiyya, without explaining its nomenclature and the places of its enactment.