Twelve Imams of Shia

Shias [Shia in Arabic is both singular and plural.  A single person is shia, and multiple persons are also shia.word "shias" is only to help the English reader follow through.  But in Arabic, it is not correct to say "shias" (with an "s")], they believe in the "perfect, sinless and infallible" imams or leaders.  A Shia Imam, a man created from dust, does not sin, and he does not make mistakes.  He is perfect! Please understand it's one thing to follow the law and be a good and obedient citizen, but it's completely another thing to consider your head of state a perfect, sinless and infallible person. Some Muslims go way too far beyond the limits and lift the status of people who were created from dust.Even Prophets and Messengers made mistakes, but Allaah did not approve of their mistakes; rather, He pointed out their mistakes as a Mercy to them and their ummahs, and He forgave their mistakes and accepted their repentance as a Grace and Mercy, for Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. more on this http://sabirkhan.dailyforum.net/

1-‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) who was martyred in 40 AH.
2- Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) (3-50 AH)
3- Al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) (4-61 AH)
4- ‘Ali Zayn al-‘Aabideen ibn al-Husayn (38-95 AH), whom they call al-Sajjaad
5- Muhammad ibn ‘Ali Zayn al-‘Aabideen (57-114 AH) whom they call al-Baaqir
6- Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Baaqir (83-148 AH) whom they call al-Saadiq
7- Moosa ibn Ja’far al-Saadiq (128-148 AH) whom they call al-Kaadim
8- ‘Ali ibn Moosa al-Kaadim (148-203 AH) whom they call al-Rida (Reza)
9- Muhammad al-Jawaad ibn ‘Ali al-Rida’ (195-220 AH) whom they call al-Taqiy
10- ‘Ali al-Haadi ibn Muhammad al-Jawaad (212-254 AH) whom they call al-Naqiy
11- ‘Al-Hasan al-‘Askari ibn ‘Ali al-Haadi (232-260) whom they call al-Zakiy
12- Muhammad al-Mahdi ibn al-Hasan al-‘Askari, whom they call al-Hujjah al-Qaa’im al-Muntazar. They claim that he entered a tunnel in Samarra’, but most researchers are of the view that he did not exist at all, and that he is a Shi’i myth

 Bible History :According to christain scholers

  *Where a slash occurs, the first date is conservative, and the second is liberal.
**New Testament manuscripts are fragmentary. Earliest complete manuscript is from ca. 350; lapse of event to complete manuscript is about 325 years

 

Ahmediyya:

Note : Ahmediyya are not accepted as muslims in any of follwers of muhammed,as basic faith to enter islam is acceptance that God is one and Muhammed is last prophet of God and religion is completed without any "buts or ifs" but qaidian believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was actually second coming of jesus,he was the promised Messiah and Mahdi and he is prophet after Muahmmed.Ahmediyya,Mirzai or Qaidiani are synonymous.They are divied into two big communities ,they are compared below:

(comparsion by wikipedia Article)

 

Article of faith	Mainstream Islam	Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement	International Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Return of Jesus	Differs, but most believe that at the “end of days” Jesus himself will descend from heaven in the flesh.	References to the second coming of Jesus among the Muslims are allegorical in that one was to be born and rise as a prophet within the dispensation of Muhammad who by virtue of his similarity, and affinity with Jesus and the similarity between the Jews of Jesus' time and the Muslims of the time of the promised one (The Mahdi) is called by the same name. The prophecy of the second coming was fulfilled in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad	References to the second coming of Jesus among the Muslims are allegorical in that one was to be born and rise as a prophet within the dispensation of Muhammad who by virtue of his similarity, and affinity with Jesus and the similarity between the Jews of Jesus' time and the Muslims of the time of the promised one (The Mahdi) is called by the same name. The physical coming of Jesus (an old Israelite prophet) would disqualify Muhammad as the final prophet. The prophecy of the second coming was fulfilled in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.
Status of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad	Differs, but often considered an apostate. Many mainstream Muslims believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was one of the 30 false claimants to prophethoodabout whom the prophet Muhammad warned Muslims 1400 years ago.	Mujaddid (Islamic Reformer) of the 14th Islamic century. The promised Mahdi and the second coming of Jesus. Referred to as a prophet in the metaphorical sense only (as other recognized Islamic saints and sufis are similarly referred to). Not a prophet in the technical meaning of the word.	A prophet (with all the qualities of a prophet like Jesus) but subordinate and deputy to the Prophet Muhammad. The Messiah, Imam Mehdi and Mujaddid of the 14th Islamic century and the second coming of Jesus.
Who is a Muslim?	Professing the Kalima required to become a Muslim. In Pakistan,professing Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to be an apostate is a pre-requisite to be considered a Muslim.	Anyone professing the Kalima is a Muslim and cannot be declared a non-Muslim by anyone else.	Anyone professing the Kalima cannot be declared a disbeliever by anyone else, provided he/she inlcudes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as a prophet in the meaning of the Kalima which encompasses all prophets.As Kufr arises from the denial or rejection of even a single prophet(Nabi) and the International Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to be a prophet, one who does not believe in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's claims is outside the fold of Islam, even though they may not have heard the name of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad	The meaning of “Seal of the Prophets” is that Muhammad is the last of the prophets. However, since Jesus already came as a prophet before Muhammad, he would not be considered the last prophet should he return.	The meaning of “Seal of the Prophets” is that Muhammad is the last of the prophets. No prophet, either new or old can come after him.Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Mujaddid (reformer) of the 14th century Hijra and not a true prophet.	Muhammad brought prophethood to perfection, he sealed prophethood and religious law, thus being the last law-bearing prophet, new prophets can come but they must be subordinate to Muhammad and cannot exceed him in excellence nor alter his teaching or bring any new law or religion.
Jesus, Son of Mary	Born of a miraculous birth from the virgin, Mary. Did not die on the cross but was transported to heaven,where he lives to return in the flesh to this world shortly before Doomsday.Since Jesus (considered a prophet) came before Muhammad, his return to Earth would not disqualify Muhammad as the “last” prophet. Jesus will come to earth not as a prophet but as a follower of Muhammad and preach the teachings of Muhammad.	Similar to International Ahmadiyya Muslim Community belief except that the question of Jesus's virgin birth is not an essential requirement of faith and is left to the individual's personal conviction.	Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary. He survived the crucifixion and did not die an accursed death.Instead he travelled east to India in search of the Lost Tribes of Israel.Jesus lived a full life and died on earth, specifically Jesus's tomb lies in Kashmir under the name Yuz Asaf.
Armed Jihad	Many Muslims believe that Jihad becomes an option when there is no other choice left i.e. in self-defense. Some mainstream Muslims hold the view that there are two different types of Jihad: Jihad Al-Akbar, (considered the greater Jihad) is the personal struggle with one's own soul and Jihad Al-Asghar (considered the lesser Jihad) is the external, physical effort, often implying fighting or war.[citation needed]	Jihad primarily means to strive or exert to the fullest. On an ongoing basis this refers to striving against the devil, ones low desires (self) and the peaceful propagation of Islam with special emphasis on spreading the true message of Islam by the pen. In special circumstances Jihad could be an armed struggle but only as a defensive war against extreme persecution.	Jihad primarily means to strive or exert to the fullest. On an ongoing basis this refers to striving against the evil of ones low desires (self) and the peaceful propagation of Islam with special emphasis on spreading the true message of Islam by the pen. Claim that as per prophecy, the messiah rendered the concept of violent Jihad unnecessary in modern times. They believe that the answer of hate should be given by love. As their khalifas said that 'if anyone attacks us we must not attack him and should treat them with love and kindness' this is called "Jihaad-e-Akbar" (The Greater Jihad).

Question: What is ruling of christmas in Islam ?

No candles? * No Christmas tree * No sleigh? * No reindeer? * No mistletoe? * No bells? * No elves? * No stockings by the chimney? * No Christmas Carols * & NO SANTA ?

Before going further into this topic, I want to mention Islamic teachings about human relations. In addition to regulating how Muslims conduct affairs and relations with his fellow Muslims, Islam guides Muslims towards noble dealings and good conduct with people in general, without any kind of discrimination due to differences in faith or race.A key part of this is the Muslim's relation with his non-Muslim family, relatives, friends, neighbors etc. He should deal with them on the basis of justice and righteousness.God expects us to stay away from mocking the religious beliefs of others, no matter how much we disagree with them. He says in the Quran: "And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides God, lest they insult God wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do" (Quran, 6:108).
In particular, when dealing with Jews and Christians, Allah says: And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, "We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our God and your God is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam)."(Quran, 29:46)

We also have to remember that even if for many nominal Christians, the celebration is not really about participating in religious traditions, Christmas is a time for families to get together. In a number of cases it is the only time of year families get together, either because family members are scattered in different parts of the country or the world, because of communication and relationship problems, or because in west today, the family unit is becoming weaker and weaker.
Christmas, celebrated in December, is surrounded by so much media hype that many of the shops have begun to display their Christmas range from as early as October. After three months of "jingle bells," shoppers have had enough.Christmas season has been aggressively promoted in every aspect of business, in schools, in every public place. High pressure sales tactics have invaded the home through television, radio, magazine and newspaper, captivating the imagination with every kind of attraction day and night for a month or more every year. The commonly accepted notion that happiness is derived largely from possessions and entertainment is the driving force behind the month.
What, then, is Christmas about? The actual feast of Christmas, celebrated on December 25 by most Christians and on January 7 by the Orthodox, remembers the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him).The actual date of celebration, December 25th, cannot be traced back any further than the fourth century after Christ.
Christmas celebration was and still is intended by practising Christians as a remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) who is considered by many of them as God incarnate or the second person in a trinity, and thus they celebrate the birth of "divinity." The word itself is an abbreviated form of "Christ Mass," i.e., sacrament in commemoration of Christ.The feast celebrates the belief that God sent His son into the world to redeem it from the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, and Christmas is the time when Jesus was born.
Histroy:
No one disputes that the event and all its symbols came from pagan religions; it has nothing to do with the birth or teachings of Jesus Christ. For one thing, no one knows with certainty the date of birth of Jesus Christ. "In fact, dates in almost every month in the year were suggested by reputable scholars at one time or another," (The American Book of Days)
Celebration of birthdays is itself a pagan idea, never promoted by any Prophet or Book of God, including the Bible.Pagan world did have prayers and celebrations during the winter season.Those who worshipped the sun god because of its apparent power, used to become concerned about the fate of their god, in a world of many gods, as days became shorter and air very cold. It looked like the sun was being defeated by the god of snow that brought death and misery with it. "... in Rome, the sun in its winter solstice was at its weakest on December 25 and had to be born anew with the help of bonfires, lights, processions and prayer." (Reader's Digest Book of Christmas).The Roman pagan celebration was called Saturnalia. The Persians also had similar celebrations for Mithras, their sun god. this day is also considered to be the birthday of the Hindu god, Krishna. It also coincides with the annual Tree Festival which had long been celebrated in Northern Europe before the Christian era .The evergreen tree(Christmas tree),why, because it keeps its green needles throughout the winter months, was believed by pre-Christian pagans to have special powers of protection against the forces of nature and evil spirits. The end of December marked the onset of a visible lengthening of daylight hours - the return of warmth and light and defeat of those evil forces of cold and darkness. At a particular stage of its development, the church is known to have adopted certain of the popular pagan practices into Christianity for political or social reasons.
Though early Church leaders opposed it strongly and didn`t celebrate the birth of jesus. The early church fathers Origen (d.255), St. Irenaeus (d. 202), and Tertullian (d. 220) do not include Christmas or its date on their lists of feasts and celebrations. Many modern scholars, using the details given in the bible, suggest that Jesus' birthday was likely before October or after March. So, although we don't know when Jesus was born, it seems quite unlikely that it was on December 25th.
In 1822 a Dr. Clement Moore, professor of divinity, wrote a poem titled "The visit of St. Nicholas." The poem became popular and Santa Claus was born. The reason for popularity? "... the time was ripe. A myth was needed, and the recreation of `old Christmas' was well in the wind." (William Sanson, A Book of Christmas). Some decades later The New York Sun answered an eight year old's question: Is there a Santa Claus? The answer has become classic and is worth noting. "Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see." So Santa Claus is divine, and judging from the Christmas celebrations, certainly more important than Jesus Christ himself.
Early church leaders wanted to Christianize the pagan festivities, but their operating principle became: :When you can't beat them, join them. For as Pope Gregory declared in 601 CE, "... from obdurate minds it is impossible to cut off everything at once." It was a license for another pearl of "wisdom": When in Rome, do as the Romans do"And so they did. First slowly and then rapidly. The “Son of God” replaced the sun god. Saturnalia was replaced by the ceremony for Christ or Christ Mass, which later became Christmas. For several centuries it was solely a church anniversary, observed by religious services. "At Christmas, men and women were not, repeat not, to dress up or mime; there were not to be auguries, such as superstitions about fire; houses were not to be decorated, no presents given, no well-laden tables, and a strict watch was to be kept on drink." But false religion drives out true religion. Consider Christmas gifts, a carryover from the Roman practice of giving dolls as gift in lieu of their earlier barbaric custom of offering human sacrifices. "The early Church frowned on gift giving as a pagan custom. But the people enjoyed it too much to abandon it, and so finally the Church accepted the idea and sanctioned it." (Barbara Rinkoff, The Family Christmas Book). With the advent of Capitalism, the old pagans got a new supporter in the form of the adman. George Bernard Shaw observed: "Christmas is forced on a reluctant ... nation by...shopkeepers and the press." This is how they can serve God, and make money at the same time. This in itself is a pagan idea and it is alive and well today.

This defeat of Christianity at the hands of paganism must be contrasted with Islam's resounding victory over it. Before Islam, Arabia was a pagan country--big time. But none of the pagan customs survived after Islam. None whatsoever.There was no such thing as `the people wanted it very much so the church allowed it.' Islam completely eradicated not only the beliefs but also the practices and the symbols of paganism. This in itself is a miracle that serious students of comparative religions must reflect upon.Throughout Islamic history there have been attempts to introduce bid’ah(innovation) as innocent good practices, but unlike Christianity, there have always been rightly guided scholers who fought them strongly. The struggle continues today. Yes, Muslims can learn from Christmas. Those of us who may be wondering what is wrong with Milad Nabi (Muhammed 'Peace be upon' him birthday celebration) celebrations may do well to realize that Christmas also started as Milad (celebration) for Jesus Christ.
Let's consider some very important evidence about the event called "Christmas":
No proof for his birth in December - nor for exactly 2006 years ago for that matter. New Testament claims he was born during the reign of King Herod. He was already dead 6 years before.
No proof for Christmas trees - actually, the Bible (Jerimiah 10) forbids the act of cutting down trees or holly or anything and then taking it into the house and decorating it up.
Nothing about Santa Claus except a bishop who attended the Council of Nicea in 325 A. D. named, Saint Nicholas who was generous with money and used it to help a man get his two older daughters married off by throwing a bag of silver into their open window for their dowry, thus earning himself the title of St. Nick.

Question :  What is ruling of baptism in Islam?

Dear questioner, thank you very much for having confidence in us, and we hope our efforts, which are purely for Allah’s Sake, meet your expectations.

In his response to the question in point, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, former president of the Islamic Society of North America, states the following:

“The word 'Baptism' comes from the Greek 'Baptein' which means 'to plunge, to immerse, or to wash.' It was an ancient custom to wash or to make ablution. Islam has preserved this tradition in the form of ablution and ritual Ghusl for the purpose of purification purpose. Allah mentions in the Qur'an that He made water a source for purification. Allah Almighty says: “And He it is Who sendeth the winds, glad tidings heralding His mercy, and We send down purifying water from the sky.” (Al-Furqan: 48)

Like all other Prophets of Allah, Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, also washed himself to purify himself. During his time Yahya (John, the Baptist) used to call people to repent and purify themselves in the River Jordan. It is mentioned that Jesus also went to him and took a bath of purification (Mark 1:9-11).

After that Allah appointed Jesus as His Prophet and Messenger and he began preaching Allah's Message. Jesus was a servant of Allah. He used to pray and for his prayers he must be purifying himself.

Jews in his time also used to do a lot of ritual washings. The Old Testament speaks a lot about the use of water for the purpose of purification. (See Numbers 19:1-22; Leviticus 14-15-16:24-28)

After Jesus left this world, Paul became a leader of some Christians. It was he who gave a new interpretation of Jesus' Baptism. He told them that when a person takes a Baptism in water, actually he immerses himself in Jesus' blood and dies with him and then he is resurrected like Jesus into a new person. (See Romans 6:3-4).

Paul gave a new definition of Baptism. For him it was something to do with Original Sin and then the alleged death and resurrection of Jesus. (See Colossians 2:12)

For Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, and his followers the Baptism was just a bath or ablution to purify themselves physically, ritually and spiritually, but with Pauline interpretation it became a symbol of belief in Jesus' so-called death and resurrection.

We, as Muslims, accept the early tradition and that is what Islam has preserved and reaffirmed. We do not accept the later interpretation and doctrinal aberrations.”

 

 

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