SunniPath's stance on Shia

I've been reading SunniPath's stance on the shia and you are completely wrong. It must be a case of not knowing enough about them as is the same with many other 'Ulama which leads to the declaration of them as Muslims. I have spent a lot of time debating with the shia, about 8 years in total, and the mainstream ithna 'ashariyya usuli's are no doubt kufaar, with the ithna 'ashari akhbari's aswell who openly admit their belief that Al Quraan has been changed etc. The problem is many ordinary shia aren't actually aware of the kufr beliefs of their sects so can't be classed as kufaar. These beliefs include, 1. Imaams are higher than Prophet's a.s., and this is a MAIN part of their usulud deen under Imaamah. They try to cite a reference from Al Quraan which they completely misinterpret. 2. Cursing of As Sahaabah r.a.. They might lie to you in open saying that they don't do it but i have seen it myself, the same people who told me they don't do it. It is called taqiyyah and it isn't a made up thing by 'anti-shia'. Taqiyyah is a reality not only for protecting themselves when under danger but also for 'protection of their deen' i.e. lying about their faith in order to gain converts. 3. Al Quraan has been changed. This is also a reality about which they lie and many references can be given to their books. .... InshaaAllah SunniPath will ammend it's views on the shia.

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

This opinion of yours is contrary to what the imams of Sunni Islam have said. As Ibn Abidin mentioned, none of the mujtahid imams made blanket takfir of the Shia.

Rather, as Mufti Taqi Usmani has written in a recent fatwa that can be found at the Amman Message site, we only declare someone who denies something necessarily known of the religion to be a kafir--and this is not the case with common Shias.

This is also the fatwa of numerous leading Sunni scholars--all of whom have signed this historic declaration, which is an important step towards restoring civility and repairing the wounds and bloodbaths that have arisen from blind sectarianism. It is not a denial of the major differences that exist; but it is an acknowledgment of the common ground that does also exist.

Please search SunniPath Answers (http://qa.sunnipath.com) for related answers.

And Allah alone gives success.

Faraz Rabbani