Meaning Of Word “Shia” in Quran

“And most surely Abraham was among the Shia of him (i.e., Noah)”

(Quran 37:83)

The word “Shia” means: followers, members of party. As such, the term “Shia” alone has no negative or positive meaning unless we specify the leader of the party. If one is a Shia (follower) of the most righteous servants, then there is nothing wrong with being Shia, especially if the leader of such party has been assigned by Allah. On the other hand, if one becomes the Shia of a tyrant or a wrong-doer, he shall meet with the fate of his leader.

In fact, Quran indicates that on the Day of Judgment people will come in groups, and each group has its leader in front of it. Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty, said:

“One day we shall call every group of people by their respective Imams.”

(Quran 17:71)

In the Day of Judgment, the destiny of the “followers” of each group highly depends on the destiny of his Imam (provided that they really followed that Imam).

Allah mentioned in Quran that there are two types of Imams. Some Imams are those who invite people to Hell fire. They are tyrannical leaders of each era (like Pharaoh, etc.):

“And We made them (but) Imams inviting to the Fire; and on the Day of Judgment no help shall they find. In this world we continued to curse them; and on the Day of Judgment they will be among the hateful.” (Quran 28:41-42).

Certainly, being the members of the parties of such Satanic Imams has been severely denounced in Quran, and the followers of such parties will meet the fate of their leaders.

However, Quran also reminds that there are Imams who are appointed by Allah as Guides for the mankind:

“And we assigned from among them some Imams who guide by our authority since they were patient and believed firmly in Our Signs.” (Quran 32:24)

Certainly, the true followers (Shia) of these Imams will be the real prosperous on the day of resurrection. Thus being a Shia does not mean anything, unless we know the Shia of whom.

Shia in Quran

Allah mentioned in Quran that some of His righteous servants were Shia of His other righteous servants. An example was Prophet Abraham (AS) who was mentioned in Quran specifically as the Shia of Noah:

“And most surely Abraham was among the Shia of him (i.e., Noah)” (Quran 37:83)

(Notice that the word “Shia” is explicitly used, letter by letter, in the above verse as well as the following verse.) In another verse, Quran talks about the Shia of Moses (AS) versus the enemies of Moses:

“And he (Moses) went into the city at a time when people (of the city) were not watching, so he found therein two men fighting, one being of his Shia and the other being his enemy, and the one who was of his Shia cried out to him for help against the one who was of his enemy” (Quran 28:15)

In the above verse of Quran, one is named the Shia of Moses (AS) and the other one is named the enemy of Moses, and the people at that time were either the Shia or the enemy of Moses (AS). Thus Shia is an official word used by Allah in His Quran for His high rank prophets as well as their followers. Do you want to say Prophet Abraham (AS) was sectarian? How about Prophet Noah (AS) and Prophet Moses (AS)?

If somebody calls himself a Shia, it is not due to any sectarianism, nor any innovation. It is because Quran has used the phrase for some of His best servants. The above verses that I mentioned in support of Shia, has used this term singular form (i.e., one group of followers). This means that it has special meaning, such as: The Shia of Noah (AS), The Shia of Moses (AS).

Word Shia Used by Prophet

Also in the History of Islam, Shia has been specially used for the “followers of Ali (AS)”. The first individual who used this term was the Messenger of Allah himself:

The Messenger of Allah said to Ali: “Glad tiding O Ali! Verily you and your companions and your Shia (followers) will be in Paradise.”

Sunni references:

Fadha’il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p655

Hilyatul Awliyaa, by Abu Nu’aym, v4, p329

Tarikh, by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, v12, p289

Al-Awsat, by al-Tabarani

Majma’ al-Zawa’id, by al-Haythami, v10, pp 21-22

Al-Darqunti, who said this tradition has been transmitted via numerous authorities.

Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar Haythami , Ch. 11, section 1, p247

Thus the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) used to say the phrase of “Shia of Ali”. This phrase is not something invented later! Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) said that the True followers of Imam Ali (AS) will go to Paradise, and this is a great felicity.

Also Jabir Ibn Abdullah al-Ansari narrated that:

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: “The Shia of Ali are the real victorious in the day of resurrection/rising”

Al-Manaqib Ahmad, as mentioned in:

Yanabi al-Mawaddah, by al-Qundoozi al-Hanafi, p62

Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Hafidh Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, who quotes the tradition as follows: “We were with the Holy Prophet when Ali came towards us. The Holy Prophet said: He and his Shia will acquire salvation on the Day of Judgment.”

The “day of rising” may also refer to the day of rising of al-Mahdi (AS). But in more general term, it means the Day of Judgment. Also it is narrated that:

The Messenger of Allah said: “O Ali! On the Day of Judgment I shall resort to Allah and you will resort to me and your children will resort to you and the Shia will resort to them. Then you will see where they carry us. (i.e. to Paradise)”

Rabi al-Abrar, by al-Zamakhshari

Furthermore, it is narrated that:

The Messenger of Allah said: “O Ali! (On the Day of Judgment) you and your Shia will come toward Allah well-pleased and well-pleasing, and there will come to Him your enemies angry and stiff-necked (i.e., their head forced up).

Al-Tabarani, on the authority of Imam Ali (A.S)

Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p236

A more complete version of the tradition which has also been reported by the Sunnis, is as follows:

Ibn Abbas (R.A) narrated: When the verse “Those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of the creation (Quran 98:7)” was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said to Ali: “They are you and your Shia.” He continued: “O Ali! (On the Day of Judgment) you and your Shia will come toward Allah well-pleased and well-pleasing, and your enemies will come angry with their head forced up. Ali said: “Who are my enemies?” The Prophet (PBUH&HF) replied: “He who disassociates himself from you and curses you. And glad tiding to those who reach first under the shadow of al-’Arsh on the day of resurrection.” Ali asked: “Who are they, O the Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “Your Shia, O Ali, and those who love you.”

Al-Hafidh Jamaluddin al-Dharandi, on the authority of Ibn Abbas

Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, pp 246-247

Then Ibn Hajar provides a bizarre commentary for the first tradition, saying:

The Shia of Ali are the Ahlussunnah since they are those who love Ahlul-Bayt as Allah and His Prophet ordered. But others (i.e., other than Sunnis) are the enemies of Ahlul-Bayt in reality for the love outside the boundary of law is the great enmity, and that was the reason for their fate. Also, the enemies of Ahlul-Bayt were al-Khawarij and their alike from Syria, not Muawiyah and other companions because they were Muteawweloon, and for them is a good reward, and for Ali and his Shia is a good reward!

Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p236

And this is how Sunni scholars cope with the prophetic traditions in favor of “Shia of Ali”! They say that they are the real Shia!

Let us look at one more tradition in this regard:

The Messenger of Allah said to Ali: “The first four individuals who will enter the Paradise are me, you, al-Hasan, and al-Husain, and our progeny will be behind us, and our wives will be behind our progeny, and our Shia will be on our right side and in our company.”

Al-Manaqib, by Ahmad

Al-Tabarani, as quoted in:

Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p246

From the above pieces of evidence, the word “Shia” is used by Allah in Quran for His prophets as well as their followers. Further, His blessed Prophet, Muhammad (PBUH&HF) has repeatedly used this word for the followers of Imam Ali (AS).

Ali (AS) and his Shia are the best of creations

It is in praise of the Shia of Ali that Allah (swt) sent down the following revelation:

“Those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of the creatures. Their reward from their Lord shall be everlasting gardens, below which flow rivers, they will abide there forever. Well pleased is God with them and they are well pleased with Him.” (Qur'an 98:7)

Muhammad bin Ali narrates that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: “The best of creations are you Ali and your Shias.” (Tafsir ibne Jarir, Vol 33, page 146, Cairo edition)

Jalaladin Suyuti, (849-911AH) is one of the highest ranked Sunni scholars of all time. In his commentary of this verse, he records through 3 asnad (chains) of narrators, that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) told his companions that the verse referred to Ali and his Shia: 
“I swear by the one who controls my life that this man (Ali) and his Shia shall secure deliverance on the day of ressurection.” 
(TDM Vol 6, pg 379, Cairo edition)

The 3 Sahaba who narrated this hadith are (1) Ali(as) himself (2)Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari (ra) (3)Abdullah ibne Abbas (ra). They are acknowledged by the majority school as truthful narrators of hadith. Had this been in a Shia book, our opponents would have deemed it a forgery, but it’s presence in their own books has perplexed the minds of many of their scholars.

There are no hadith in which the Prophet (PBUH&HF) guaranteed paradise for a specific Sahaba and his followers, with the sole exception of Ali (as) and his Shia. Other Sunni scholars have also recorded this hadith from Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari in their commentaries of the above verse. 
(Tafsir Fatha ul bayan Vol 10, pg 333, Egypt edition & Tafsir Fatha ul Qadir, Vol 5, pg 477)

Hadhrath Abdullah ibne Abbas narrates that when this verse descended the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: “Ali you and your Shia will be joyful on the Day of Judgement” (ibid Suyuti)

Ahmad ibn Hajr al Makki quotes from Imam Dar Qatany in his Al Sawaiqh al Muhriqa pg 159 (Cairo edition): “O Abul Hasan! you and you Shia will attain paradise.” 

Ad-Daylami mentioned in his book Firdous ul-Akhbar that Umm Salama (the Prophet’s wife) said that the Prophet (s.a.w.a) had said:“Ali and his Shia (followers) are the winners on the Day of Resurrection.”  The same was also mentioned by al-Manaawi in Kunuz ul-Haqa’iq p. 98, and Al-Qanduzi in Yanabi’ ul Mawaddah p.188 and 237, Istanbul Edition.

Sabt bin al-Jawzi in his book Tadhkirat ul-Khawaas p.59, has narrated a hadith by Abu Sa’id al-Khudri that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) looked at Ali bin Abu Talib and said: “This Man and his Shia are the winners on the Day of Resurrection.”

Al-Khatib al-Khawarizmi mentioned in Al-Manaaqib p178, a hadith reported by Yazid bin Shurahil al-Ansari, Imam Ali’s clerk, that he had heard Imam Ali(AS) saying, “The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said to me while he was leaning on my chest, O Ali! you have heard Allah’s saying: Those who believe and do good; they are surely the best of men (The Qur’an 98:7). They are you and your Shia. My rendezvous and yours will be at the Pond when the nations gather for the Judgment and you (and your Shia) will come with honor and radiance.”

This tradition was also mentioned by as-Suyuti in his ad-Durr ul-Manthur vol 6, pg 379, Egyptian edition. The same tradition has been reported by Muhammad Ibn Jarir adDabariy who is considered Imamul Mafassarin in the Sunni world (died about 1125 years ago) while commenting on the same verse.

Al-Khatib ul-Baghdadi mentioned in his Muwazzih Awham uj-Jam’ wa at-Tafriq vol 1, p 43, a tradition from Muhammad bin Amr bin al-Hasan, from Zaynab, from Fatima (AS) the daughter of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) that the Prophet said to Ali, “O Abul-Hasan (Ali)! you and your Shia will be in Paradise.” Al-Haythami also mentioned in his book Majma’uz-Zawa’id vol 10, p 21, Egyptian edition that Umm Salama(RA) said: “When the Prophet (PBUH&HF) was in my house one night, Fatima and Ali sat with him. He raised his head towards them and said: “O Ali! be delighted, You and your Shia will be in Paradise.”

He (Al-Haythami) also mentioned, in vol 9, p 173, a tradition narrated by Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said to Ali, “You and your Shia are with me in Paradise.” The same was mentioned by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in his book The History of Baghdad vol 12, p 289, Egyptian edition. Ibnul-Maghazili ash-Shafie has mentioned, in Al-Manaqib p 293, tradition No. 335, a hadith from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) had said, “Seventy thousand from among my ummah will enter Paradise without there being any reckoning.” Then he looked at Ali and said: “They are from your Shia and you are their Imam.”
This hadith was mentioned ibn Hasnawayh al-Musily in Durr Bahr il-Manaqib, p 119 also.

Special meaning for Word Shia

The word Shia is used here in its special meaning, and moreover, it is not in plural form (Parties), rather the above verses and traditions are referring to a special party, i.e., one single party. If Shia meant sectarian, neither Allah would use it for His high rank prophets nor Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) would have praised them.

However there are some verses in Quran which uses the plural form of Shia that is “Shi-ya’a” which means “Parties/groups”. This is a general meaning of this term, and not the special meaning in singular form which has been given in previous examples. Of course, only one single party is accepted by Allah and the rest are severely denounced because they have separated from that unique party. So it is clear why Allah denounced “Groups/Parties/sects” (plural form) who separated from that unique group in some verses of Quran. There can’t be two righteous groups (with conflicting ideas) at the same time, because between the two leaders one is surely better and more qualified, and thus the claims and the motives of the other leader goes under question.

However I did not locate the exact term of “Ahlussunnah wal-Jama’ah”, nor did I find “al-Wahhabiyyah”, “al-Salafiyyah” anywhere in the Holy Quran or the traditions of the Prophet. I agree that we should follow the Sunnah of Prophet, but I would like to discover the origin of the exact term here. We Shia are proud to follow the Sunnah of Prophet. However, the question is that which Sunnah is genuine and which one is not. The word “Sunnah” by itself does not serve the purpose of knowledge. All Muslims irrespective to their persuasions claim that they follow the Sunnah of Prophet (PBUH&HF). Please refer to the article titled “Quran and Ahlul-Bayt” for a detailed discussion in this regard.

It should be emphasized that the Messenger of Allah never wished to divide Muslims into groups. Prophet ordered all people to follow Imam Ali (AS) as his agent during his life time, and as his Caliph after him. Prophet wished everybody does that. But unfortunately those who heeded him were few and were known as “Shia of Ali” who were subject to all sort of discrimination and prosecution, and suffered from day one of the demise of the Mercy to Mankind, Muhammad (PBUH&HF). If everyone (or say the majority Muslims) had obeyed what prophet wished, then there wouldn’t exist any group or school within Islam. Allah said in Quran:

“Hold fast to the Rope of Allah, all of you together and do not separate” (Quran 3:103)”

The Rope of Allah which we should not separate from, are the Ahlul-Bayt. In fact, some Sunni scholars narrated from Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (AS) saying:

“We are the Rope of Allah about whom Allah has said: ‘Hold fast to the Rope of Allah, all of you together and do not diverge (3:103)’”

Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p233

Tafsir al-Kabir, by al-Tha’labi, under commentary of verse 3:103

Thus, if Allah denounces the sectarianism, He denounces those who separated from His Rope, and not those who hold fast to it!

Ali & Quran

Also some said the Rope of Allah is Quran. This is also true. But by looking at the following tradition narrated by Ummi Salama (RA) who said:

The Messenger of Allah said: “Ali is with Quran, and Quran is with Ali. They shall not separate from each other till they both return to me by the Pool (of Paradise).”

Al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p124 on the authority of Umm Salama

Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 9, section 2, pp 191,194

Al-Awsat, by al-Tabarani; also in al-Saghir

Tarikh al-Khulafa, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, p173

Then we can conclude that Imam Ali is *the Quran verbatim *. That is, Imam Ali is the Strong Rope of Allah also, because they (Quran and Ali) are non-separable. In fact, there are a huge number of traditions in authentic Sunni sources where Prophet said Quran and Ahlul-Bayt are inseparable and if Muslims want to remain in the right path, they should stick to both of them. (Please refer to the article titled: Quran and Ahlul-Bayt). Therefore, one can conclude that those who separated from Ahlul-Bayt are the sectarian who divided into sects and were denounced by Allah and His prophet due to their divergence.

In fact, the opinion of majority is not a good criteria to distinguish the false from the truth. If you look at the Quran, you will see that Quran severely denounces the majority of by frequently saying that “the majority do not understand”, “the majority do not use their logic”, “the majority follow their whims”…

In another verse, Allah said:

“You are the best nation (Ummah) that has been raised up for the (benefit of) people. You enjoin the good and forbid the evil…” (Quran 3:110).

The best nation is also the Ahlul-Bayt. Let us remember that according to Quran, “nation” does not mean the whole people. This is even clear from the above verse that such Ummah (nation) are raised for benefiting the people. Thus Ummah can be only a subset of people and not the whole people. In fact one person can be a nation. Sometimes the act of a single person is worthier than the deeds of the whole nation. This was the case for Prophet Muhammad, Imam Ali, as well as the case for Prophet Abraham, peace be upon them all. Quran states that Abraham (AS) was a nation (Ummah), meaning that his deeds was more valuable than all other people. Allah stated:

“Lo! Abraham was a nation (Ummah) who was obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the idolaters” (Quran 16:120)

Thus, one single individual can be a nation in the language of Quran. As for the Verse 3:100, it is interesting to note that some Sunni scholars have narrated from Abu Ja’far {Imam Baqir (AS)} that:

Abu Ja’far (AS) said about the verse ‘You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) people.(3:110)’: “The Members of the House of the Prophet.”

Ibn Abi Hatam, as mentioned in:

Al-Durr al-Manthoor, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti under commentary of verse 3:110 of holy Quran.

The Truthfull

Also Allah mentioned in Quran:

“O’ you who believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful“ (Quran 9:119)

According to some Sunni Commentaries, “the truthful” means Imam Ali (A.S):

Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Hafidh Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, two reports: one from Ibn Mardawayh by Ibn Abbas and the second from Ibn Asakir by Abi Ja’far (AS).

This means that people should have feared Allah and should not have separated from Imam Ali (AS) after the demise of Prophet (PBUH&HF). This unfortunately did not happen at large, and therefore, unfortunate divisions followed it.

With respect to the world al-Siddeeq — “The Truthful”, there are many Sunni narrations in which the Messenger of Allah said:

The Truthful are three: Hazqeel (who was) the believer of the family of Pharaoh (see Quran 40:28), and Habeeb al-Najjar (who was) the believer of the family of Yaasin (see Quran 36:20), and Ali Ibn Abi Talib who is the most virtuous one among them (see Quran 9:119).”

Abu Nu’aym and Ibn Asakir, on the authority of Abu Layla

Ibn al-Najjar, on the authority of Ibn Abbas

Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 9, section 2, pp 192-193

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have shown in this article that the term Shia has been used in Quran for the followers of the great servants of Allah, and in the traditions of the Prophet for the followers of Imam Ali (AS). One who follows such divinely appointed Guide is safe from the disputes in the religion and has grasped the Strong Rope of Allah, and has been given the glad tiding of Paradise.