Marc Lynch has a good piece up on the upcoming Iraqi elections. The Maliki government has disqualified about 500 Iraqi politicians from running in the upcoming elections because of, supposed, Baathist ties. Of course this just happens to include a lot of Sunnis. Some people on the list are, conveniently, political opponents of those who made up the list. Key quote……

As the disqualification of some 500 leading Iraqi politicians on the grounds of alleged ties to the Baath Party is continuing to roil Iraqi politics, Arab papers today report that both U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill and Vice President Joseph Biden have been intervening with Iraqi officials in an attempt to find a way to walk back the disastrous decision — perhaps by postponing the implementation of the committee’s decisions until after the election. The commission in turn is complaining about foreign interference, while Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki broke his silence by calling to “not politicize” the process (a bit late for that, no?) and some Iraqi outlets are screaming about alleged American threats. There is still a chance that the appeals process could provide an exit strategy, but this doesn’t seem hugely likely at this point; the final list of those disqualified is set to be released tomorrow.

Iraqi politicians, especially those associated with Mutlak’s bloc such as Ayad Allawi and Tareq al-Hashemi, have been loudly complaining about alleged conflict of interest and abuse of power behind the moves. The indefatigable Norwegian researcher Reider Visser deserves credit for unearthing that Ali Faysal al-Lami, who spent about a year in a U.S.-run prison on charges of complicity with attacks by Shia militias and runs the Parliamentary committee responsible for the disqualifications, is actually standing for election on Ahmed Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress list. Visser, like a number of Iraqi analysts, argue that they are using their official positions to stack the deck in their own favor: “It is they who effectively control the vetting process for the entire elections process. They enjoy full support in this from Iran; meanwhile their leaders are being feted in Washington, where Adil Abd al-Mahdi has just been visiting.” The committee’s defenders claim that it is simply enforcing the law. Finally, the editor of the Saudi al-Sharq al-Awsat complains that Iran’s allies in Iraq are using their control of the mechanisms of Iraqi democracy to seize power for themselves on behalf of Iran — and the similarity between the DeBaath “vetting” of candidates and Iran’s Guardians Council’s vettting of candidates has been noted.

While the Surge, really the SOIs joining our side, decreased violence in Iraq, the goals of political reconciliation have not been met. They probably will not as long as we are there. For the Maliki government we are there like a huge bodyguard (anyone else remember that movie My Bodyguard?). The Shia dominated government does not need to reconcile as we will clamp down on violence. This should have been expected. It should not slow down our withdrawal plans. This is something the Iraqis will have to work out on their own and will happen whether we leave next year or in five years.

On the other hand, I have no problem with us making it clear that there would be benefits to reconciling. Make the Maliki government ask us for help. Make that contingent upon reconciliation efforts. We need to get out of the position of supplicant.

By Timothy R. Furnish

Mr. Furnish, Ph,D., is the author of Holiest Wars: Islamic Mahdis, their Jihads and Osama bin Laden and The Caliphate: Threat or Opportunity? (forthcoming, 2010). He also maintains a website dedicated to covering Mahdism and Muslim eschatology: mahdiwatch.org. This article was first published in Perspectives: The Journal of the Psychological Operations Association, XX, 2, (2009), pp. 1, 6-19.

-snip-

The U.S. is already riding herd on a country with questionable territorial integrity next door in Iraq, and several Syrian states would present as big a foreign policy and security headache as a single Alawi-ruled one.

Read full article at:   History News Network

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Who inspires you to be a better person, parent, friend, co-worker? Or do you find your inspiration from something rather than someone? There’s not a single person who reached their level of success without having inspiration come from someone or something outside themselves.

Here’s some examples. I’m inspired by my sons to be a better person & father. Their ability to see the world without filters continually amazes me. What really astounds me is that they know what the term unconditional love means. Somedays I think “I’ve got this parent thing down only to have a shortcoming exposed the very next day. So I also get a healthy dose of patience & humility.

I find inspiration in colleagues; people who reached levels in their career that I’m sure they didn’t even know they were capable of. A great example of this is someone most people at Sage know. He’s a great husband to a beautiful woman & there’s no doubt that they have a wonderful relationship filled with life’s inherent blessings including two children.

Go to Facebook; other women flock to her postings as if each word came down from Mt. Sinai inscribed onto two plates carved from the finest granite.

He inspires other FBers to think beyond the white chalk line & his posting are always well commented on. In the short few years that I’ve known him I’ve disagreed about his point of view only once.

He inspires me to be a better employee, person, father, husband & friend.

It’s like owning a bengal tiger as a personal pet. There’s  that little portion in your brain that says owning a bengal isn’t one of your better decisions, but you go ahead & get the tiger. 

The tiger is a “good kitty” for the first 6 months & then one day his natural instinct kicks in & in a split second you’ve become a meal to your precious little kitty.  It was just a matter of time.

A  long time friend of mine loves to regale us with his drinking stories. Jimmy is a Irish Catholic with a strong Irish brogue who used to hold court in pubs  in Ireland & is one very funny man. Like the Bengal tiger alcohol was his friend for many years & then he crossed the line. He said that every trip to jail began with  a  bottle of tequila & the phrase, “Hey I’ve got an idea.”

Jimmy inspired me to not take myself so seriously. He’s been fighting cancer for the past couple of years & refuses to let it get him down. So what does he do? He spends his time, when he’s physically able; talking to terminal cancer patients & budding young alcoholics. He inspires me to be a better person & personifies the expression; “You can’t keep it if you don’t give it away.”

I was just talking to a group of six Marines kids earlier this week who were leaving for Iraq. They’ve never been to Iraq or Afghanistan, nor were these countries on their bucket list, but out of a sense of duty they joined the U.S. Marines knowing that their chance of going to the volatile Middle East was pretty high. 

 4 days ago their young lives changed forever as they boarded a military flight to protect each of us. Right now they’re in a country where people are killing each other based on their religious beliefs & consider it an honor to be a walking bomb, it’s a crazy way to exist. And some of our kids come home in body bags. There are no winners.

These young Marines inspire me with the bravery & sense of doing the right thing for my country.

Inspiration comes in all colors, sizes, demographics, etc. But they can’t inspire the truly uninspired & uninspirable. Don’t become one of them.

If the stories are true - and there does seem to be some confusion in the accounts – then Hamid Karzai’s government sneaked into law on 27 July an amended version of the Personal Status Law for Afghanistan’s minority Shi’ite population. (Around 15% of the country’s 30 million citizens – the vast majority of whom are Sunnis, to whom the new law does not apply.) 

The coming into law of this measure certainly does seem ‘sneaked’. With the likes of Barrack Obama, Gordon Brown, France’s Human Rights Minister Rama Yade and NATO boss Jaap de Hoop Scheffer joining the international chorus of protest against the original version of the bill in the Spring, Karzai promised to review the measure before implementing it. Now, just days before the increasingly tightly-contested elections, he appears to have sneaked it into law with some different words but the same meanings.

Human Rights Watch says it has seen a copy of the final law that requires Shia women to satisfy their husbands’ sexual appetites at least every 4 days, an article which critics have said could be used to justify marital rape. It enshrines a husband’s right to withdraw basic maintenance from his wife, including food, if she refuses to comply with his sexual demands. (Cue: Western media frenzy about frustrated husbands starving their wives…!)

The law also requires women to get permission from their husbands to work and grants guardianship of children exclusively to their fathers and grandfathers. Additionally, it is claimed that it effectively allows a rapist to avoid prosecution by paying ‘blood money’ to a girl who was injured when he raped her.

The law was designed, initially in secret, by a powerful, hard-line Shia leader, Ayatollah Asif Mohseni, and is supported by conservative Shia leaders in parliament. And it is clearly the votes of Shia fundamentalists Karzai is hoping to win with this measure.

The fact the new law is actually in flagrant contravention of Afghanistan’s post-Taliban constitution simply doesn’t seem to bother Karzai. Small wonder that the Pashtun people, who comprise most of the Taliban’s cannon fodder, regard Karzai’s people as far less trustworthy than the fundamentalists.

Which leads to the question: has the West once again, through an inability to understand cultural differences - different memes for the BLUE vMEME - inappropriately backed unhealthy, corrupt RED? (In recent history just think: the Shah in Iran…Saddam Hussein in Iraq….)

Perspective needed?
Of course, to Western GREEN, Karzai’s new law is horrendous – a betrayal of both the rights of Afghanistan’s post-Taliban women (supposedly protected by the constitution) and the democratic values the West’s costly military mission is meant to support.

But maybe some perspective is needed here…?

Certainly Karzai’s regime is riddled with corruption. The man himself appears neither to have the dread authority of a feudal lord nor the understanding of Western-style Democracy and the commitment to make it work. As such, he seems unfit to lead Afghanistan through the transition from primitive theocracy vs warlord banditry (pre-2001 invasion) to multicultural Democracy, the West’s avowed aim for this society. Yet the West, by its espousal of the bloodstained warlords of the Northern League and its use of their men as its footsoldiers in the 2001 invasion, approved corruption, blood lust, rape, torture, war crimes, etc, by small-minded leaders. What kind of people did the West really expect to emerge from the dust of battle to assume power in its new regime?

Karzai’s record shows him to be a formidable operator but he seems completely at sea at times in mastering his own government. It’s not beyond possibility that he personally is relatively clean; it’s just his regime, born from the Western-backed excesses of the Northern League, seems irredeemably corrupt.

If Karzai is becoming more and more a weakling desperately trying to cling to power through foul means or fair, then let’s not forget WHERE he came from and WHO put him where he is.

As to marital rape - and Mohseni denies his law explicitly authorises this as Islam is against women being forced to have sex – how ever offensive the very concept might be to sophisticated Western thinkers in the first decade of the 21st Century, let’s not get too precious about this. It was only in 1994 that the Criminal Justice Act made marital rape illegal in the UK.

Though there’s a good deal of no-consequences RED driving decisions at the personal level – eg: the recent expenses scandals – at the strategic/policy level British political thinking tends to have been dominated post-1960s by the BLUE, ORANGE and, increasingly, GREEN vMEMES. Afghanistan is largely dominated by the PURPLE, RED and, to some extent, BLUE vMEMES. So it’s perhaps unreasonable to expect Afghans overall to share the same values as a modern Western democracy. On the Spiral their thinking overall, as a society, is just not where much of the West is…yet.

(Which is not to say there aren’t individuals and even sections of Afghan society with much more complex thinking, just as there many parts of Britain where PURPLE and RED dominate the thinking of local populations, rather than BLUE or ORANGE.)

Using the Lower Quadrants of 4Q/8L, therefore, we can see that, if there is to be balance - homeostasis – then the thinking of the people in terms of what is socially acceptable behaviour (Lower Left) – has to be reflected in the laws under which they are governed (Lower Right). Actually, when you think of the Personal Status Law in these terms, Karzai has matched a law specifically to the sub-culture concerned. How ever offensive GREEN-led Westerners might find this law, in terms of 4Q/8L, it may not be too bad a match.

As to males having exclusive guardianship of children, as any Social Anthropologist will tell you, pre-industrial societies in Africa and the East often have had ways of managing descent and parenting which seem at odds with modern Western values - yet these ways have worked successfully for their societies for generations.

When the Western media work themselves up into the kind of outraged frenzy they have over the past 48 hours, it does nothing for the causes of our troops and diplomats in Afghanistan. All it does is drive another wedge between the Afghan government and the West and convince the hardliners that we have no understanding or respect for their values.

Of course, the Personal Status Law should be reported on - as should the marches against it in Kabul in April by women protestors (and the rough treatment they received) - but in ways that seek to understand it in terms of their culture primarily, rather than ours. Otherwise, we operate from what cross-cultural researcher John Berry (1969) called an imposed etic – treating other cultures as though they should be operating from our values and then judging them negatively because they don’t.

Afghanistan has greater priorities – first things first!
In the grand scheme of things, allowing a smallish ethnic minority to conduct their marital relations in a way many Westerners consider offensive these days is proverbial ‘small beer’.

What is ‘big beer’ is defeating the Taliban militarily while sucking their less ardent supporters into more mainstream politics. Using the Assimilation-Contrast Effect, we need to draw the moderates into consensus, not drive them into the arms of the extremists by condemning their values.

Does that mean I would condone a woman being faced with having to give in to her husband’s demands or going without food? Does that mean I want women being controlled by men?

Not a bit of it! But I don’t have to share Ayatollah Asif Mohseni’s values to appreciate that they are what we have to work with for that group of people.

From Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943) through the Graves Model (1971) to Spiral Dynamics (1996), the principle is clear: lower level needs and aspirations need to be met before people can move onto higher level needs and aspirations. First things first! PURPLE tribes need safety and security and good intra-tribal health which their leaders’ RED does not abuse to the point where trust in them becomes compromised. BLUE needs to really get into the machinery of the state to make it more efficient and less corrupt. BLUE also needs to dump the RED-BLUE zealots out of the mosques and make sure what is taught is focussed on those Pillars of Islam, such as Zakah (charity), which build up community cohesion.

Then ORANGE entrepreneurship can get on with wealth creation and the development of future-focused leaders, allowing GREEN to start to work its way through with the egalitarianism which will undermine male control of women and eventually outlaw marital rape.

Working through 4Q/8L’s Lower Quadrants, we need to make sure every level is developed healthily…organically. We can’t jump levels or apply incredible pressure and expect it all suddenly just to fall in place. Each level needs to be nurtured to its nodal peak and then encouraged to give way to the vMEME which is next.

Thanks to Don Beck’s MeshWORKS (1998) concept, it is possible to work with multiple vMEMES at once, thus making the process both faster and much more integrated. But close attention still needs to ensure that, as one vMEME’s health is developed, it supports the development of the health of the next vMEME above it on the Spiral.

Thus, from an Integrated SocioPsychology perspective, through gritted teeth, we can let Hamid Karzi introduce his ‘obnoxious law’ as a means to an end, knowing the respect it shows Shia traditions and values will help to minimise drift to the Taliban. And we know also that, eventually, GREEN will be strong enough in Afghanistan to dissemble that law.

But only if we work with the values those people have now – what is – rather what we think they should be. As John Berry undoubtedly would say, healthy cultural development is grown, not imposed. It’s a mistake the West has been making for 600 years – and it’s time we stopped!

The spate of bombings in Baghdad and Mosul are a precursor to what lies ahead. The Al-Maliki regime may put up a brave front and claim that the militia will not be allowed to come back, but the ground reality is quite different. With the news of American withdrawal from Iraq reaching the Middle East the various players have already started bracing up for the inevitable tug of war. Iraq, unlike most other countries of the Middle East is diverse and no single religious or ethnic group has a predominant presence in this country. The Shias are the largest faction making almost 55% of the population. The Sunni’s are around 35% and the rest are Kurds, Yezdis, Christians and others. The eastern Iraq around Basra is largely Shiite. The western Iraq is largely Sunnite and the northern region is Kurdish with Arbil as the largest Kurdish city in that part of the country.

The countries that border including Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and Turkey are all predominantly Sunnite. The only Shiite country that has a border with Iraq is Iran. The other fact is that most of the oil wells are either in the eastern parts of Iraq or the northern parts where the Kurds are in a majority. The death by hanging of Saddam Hussein was one of the most moving events of this century that has just begun. It was a sordid execution and one that was unnecessary. Was Saddam a war criminal? Did he rule with an iron hand? War criminal, no, but he did rule with an iron fist. How many people perished during his decades of reign? Ten thousand, twenty thousand? Most observers say that over the decades Saddam eliminated around five to ten thousand Iraqi’s he thought were a threat to his regime. And pray, how many have the allied forces killed in the Gulf War I and II and the subsequent western control over Iraq – more than a hundred thousand by conservative estimates. The exact numbers will never be known. The number of Iraqi’s displaced will also be a point of debate. Who is the criminal here?

Saddam ruled the land like only he could as the rules of the game are very different in the deserts of Arabia. A western style democracy in Iraq is a pipe dream. The diversity of Iraq makes it a particularly volatile country. Though in a minority, it was always the Sunnis who controlled the seat of power in Baghdad. The country is encircled by Sunnite nations and therefore it was but natural that they had a say in the affairs in Baghdad.  Saddam was executed by the western powers on the pretext that he ordered the execution of a few people in a small town named Dujail. The mindless bombing and execution of innocent Iraqi’s by the western powers has gone unnoticed. It was a carnage – both in the 1991 Gulf War and the subsequent invasion of Iraq in 2003. What will follow once the western forces are gone will be more chaos and bloodshed that will leave the country battered.

Bush and Blair never believed that the western powers will leave Iraq as has now been decided by the Obama administration. If the Americans and their allies leave Iraq by 2011 as was declared by the president, there will remain a vacuum ready to be filled. There will be a tug of war between the Sunnite countries surrounding Iraq and Iran on the other side. The west sided with the Shias all along and depended heavily on their support to control the tough desert terrain of Iraq. Besides, they needed to get rid of Saddam to nip in the bud any chances of a revolt by the powerful Sunnis of Iraq. The executioners were also hooded Shia thugs whom the allied forces had handed over Saddam. Saddam refused to cover his head when he went to the gallows. He asked his executioners who were jeering at him whether they were Arabs – for the way they were behaving. It takes a Saddam to rule a rugged land like Iraq. Had the allied forces known that they would have to leave Iraq, maybe they would have dealt with Saddam differently. But then it would have become difficult for the west to justify the invasion in the first place.

Americans are still not clear as to how they will withdraw and how they will ensure that a ‘responsible’ government takes charge in Baghdad once they are physically out of Iraq. The west has used the Shias for all these years to control the country. It will be difficult for them to do an about turn and start dealing with the Sunnis who are dead against the west now. The Americans are therefore desperate to have a regime change in Tehran so that they can ease their way out from Iraq handing over the reigns to the Shias in Baghdad whom they have depended on all this while. The uprising against Ahmedinijad and Khamenei should be seen in this light. Hillary Clinton’s admission that the Americans were actively involved in the on-going protests in Tehran is again a manifestation of the difficult situation that the Americans find themselves in. A regime change in Tehran will give some respite to Washington and they can then withdraw in peace. In present circumstances, it is clear that after the western withdrawal Tehran will increasingly try and influence Baghdad and a redrawing of boundaries is very much possible. Americans want to maintain status quo in the region and a ‘stability’ that suits them.

The northern Iraq of predominantly Kurdish population has seen peace and prosperity after a long time.  They will hate to see the Americans go. Arbil was almost like a capital of the Kurdish Autonomous Region. Now after the withdrawal, the Kurds will again become vulnerable. The northern parts also become important because of the abundance of oil wells in the region. The PUK and the PKK will again have to take to the guns. Not that they had abandoned their weapons but the Kurdish population did feel safe with the west in control of the country. Bush is hailed as a hero in these parts. The Turks will try and push the Kurds to the limits again. The Kurdish question is another sticking point in this whole equation.

The west will be loath to let go Iraq quiet so easily. Not after more than 4000 American men and women and almost 200 British soldiers have died fighting in these inhospitable deserts. If at all Obama will miss anyone it is Saddam. Let us not forget that Saddam had close links with the CIA in his early years and the Americans treated him as an ally during the Persian War giving him arms and ammunition. Even then they wanted to make sure that the boundaries were not changed. I think Obama has jumped the gun and did not think this through. He signed the Guantanamo closure with a flourish on the first day in office and now his team is trying to work out as to how to go about it. Guantanamo has been much more difficult than what the president had anticipated. Iraq will be an even trickier situation. If the west is unable to unseat Ahmedinijad in the near future, they might take a U turn and try and look for a possible Sunni leader who fits the bill. The choices either way are not too attractive. A Saddam emerges once in a life time. If the west does not isolate Kurdish Iraq, the Kurds will be the biggest losers in this whole game.  We are looking at shaky times. The Sunnite nations sitting around Iraq like hawks are now ready to pounce at the immense possibilities that lie ahead for them in their neighborhood. Most of them including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey are all close allies of the west. The west is therefore back to square one. They just might do an about turn and start wooing the Sunnite population in right earnest, with the help of their allies in the Middle East. Israel will also be more comfortable with a Sunnite rule and would hate to see an expanded role for Tehran now that they are on the cusp of becoming a nuclear weapon state. Obama will need to give the Iraqi question a long hard look. He may regret having promised to withdraw from Iraq during the hustings, unless of course, he is lucky enough to find another Saddam who can control the dichotomous nation that is Iraq. And that is a remote possibility.

More Muslim a-holes getting emotional over their Mickey Mouse religion and their silly “holy” book, the Quran. These people are no more ignorant (I suppose) than the radical Christians with their silly Bible; the difference is that by and large Christians are much more civilized than these cretins are. In any event, the bottom line with the Muslims is always the same; violence. These people really aren’t good at anything except killing. Their whole existence it seems is about their faith, their obsession with Allah, the praying, and all the rest of the baggage that goes along with it.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if say, Australia could be evacuated and the one billion plus Muslims around the world could be rounded up (like the fairy tale in the book of Genesis where Noah collected all the animals and housed them in the ark). How long do you think it would be until the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis began slaughtering one another? There is no doubt in my mind that they would probably destroy one another within a decade or so. Hey, it will never happen, but one can always dream… TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

ISLAMABAD – Days of rioting between Christians and Muslims in eastern Pakistan following allegations that a Quran was defiled escalated Saturday, leaving six Christians dead, including a child, authorities said.

Members of a banned Muslim organization began torching Christian homes in the Punjabi city of Gora on Thursday after accusing them of desecrating pages from Islam’s holy book, Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti said.

“There is no truth in the allegation,” he told The Associated Press, adding that he had himself visited Gojra on Friday and asked police to provide protection to Christians who were facing threats.

He accused the police of ignoring his instructions and said hundreds of radical Muslims on Saturday burned more Christians homes and killed six, including four women and a child.

Television footage from the scene showed houses burning and streets strewn with debris and blackened furniture as mobs ran at each other. Local media also reported gunfights had broken out between Christian and Muslim communities and that rioters had blocked the local railway line.

Pakistan is predominantly a Sunni Muslim state where Christians are a tiny minority. Although the two sides generally live peacefully, since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S., pro-Taliban militants have periodically targeted churches and Christians, suspecting them of sympathizing with Washington.

Bhatti said the attackers belonged to the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba group, which is accused of launching attacks against the security forces and carrying out bombs attacks at public places in the country in recent years.

Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah said authorities had investigated the allegation of a Quran being defaced “and our initial reports say that there has not been any incident of desecration.”

Sanaullah said that although the situation had calmed down by Friday, “some miscreants and extremists entered the city today and pushed people toward armed clashes.”

Another minister, Dost Mohammad Khosa, said the issue of the alleged desecration had been settled.

“Today, somebody opened fire at a peaceful rally that was passing by a Christian neighborhood. That made things worse. We are sure some miscreant elements have tried to exploit the situation,” he said.

Faislabad Commissioner Tahir Hussain told local television that representatives of the two communities were to meet later Saturday in an effort to calm the situation.

“Let’s hope for the best. The emotions of the Muslims are very high,” he said. “And the Christians again they have faced the wrath and they have faced the casualties, and their emotions are also very high.”

Sunday July 26

Shia in America – Adherents of many stripes debate whether to embrace or resist nation

By RACHEL ZOLL Associated Press

DEARBORN,Mich.- The hotel conference room was divided: men on the left,women on the right. The speaker, a compact, bearded man in a safari vest, had come to talk about current events and the Quran.

In the weeks leading up to the gathering, post-election protests had shaken Iran, and the audience of American Shia Muslims wanted to know what to make of the turmoil.

Imam Mohammad al-Asi, a Michiganborn activist, sounded like a spokesman for the Iranian government. The Iranian protesters, he said,were aiding “the political Jews and the political Christians,” the U.S. government and the Zionists, in a plot to eradicate Islam.

He cited verses from the Quran that he said backed his views. Then, his voice rising, he ticked off his list of American transgressions against Muslims, from supplying Israel with bombs to building U.S. military bases in Islamic countries.

“Can’t you see the shaytani character of the U.S. government?” al-Asi demanded, using the Arabic word for “satanic.” This was more than a single defiant speech.

It was part of a struggle over the future of American Shiism.

Far smaller in numbers and less established than U.S. Sunnis, Shias are wrestling with their ideological differences: Is America a place they should embrace, tolerate or resist? The debate mixes politics and faith, and spans the spectrum from hardline separatists to eager-to-Americanize immigrants.

Whichever outlook prevails will determine whether Shiism can find a place in the nation’s religious mainstream.

via Missoulian: Shia in America – Adherents of many stripes debate whether to embrace or resist nation.

Question Fourteen

Does calling on others (Du`a’) necessarily mean worshipping them (`Ibadah) and is it therefore a kind of polytheism?

Answer:

This question has been raised because some verses of the Holy Qur’an, such as the following ones, outwardly prohibit requesting anyone but God:

“And that the Mosques are Allah’s, therefore call not upon anyone besides Allah.” 72:18

“And do not call besides Allah on that which can neither benefit you nor harm you.” 10:106

Some people, sticking to such verses as a pretext, take calling on God’s saints-after their deaths – as polytheism.

Let us first explain the meaning of Du`a’ and `Ibadah in order to clarify the answer to the question.

There is no doubt that the word “Du`a’” in Arabic means ‘invocation’ and the word `Ibadah means worshipping. So we can never consider these two words as synonyms; neither can we say that any kind of calling upon someone equals worshipping him for the following reasons:

a) The word “Du`a’” has been used in the Holy Qur’an in some contexts such as Chapter 71; we can never claim that it denotes worshipping:

“He said: my Lord! I have called unto my people night and day.” 71:5

Can one claim that Noah meant he had been worshipping his people night and day? Thus, we cannot say that Du`a’ (calling) and `Ibadah (worshipping) are synonymous and that if one calls a prophet or a saint, he has necessarily worshipped them just because these words (may) entail worship.

b) The word Du`a’ –calling – as used in the above verses conveys the concept of worshipping because these verses actually refer to the idolaters who took their idols as gods. The humbleness the idolaters showed, the prayer they performed and the humble entreaty they made were doubtlessly all directed to the idols that they considered as the ones with the right to intercede and to forgive and with the power to act freely in the affairs which are related to this world and the next. It is self-evident that any calling upon these beings equals worshipping them. The clearest example to this assertion comes from the verse of the Qur’an which reads: “And their gods on whom they called besides Allah availed them naught.” 11:101

Thus, the verses mentioned (at the beginning of the chapter) are unrelated to the topic in question, which is the issue of a servant of God requesting another one while the former considers the latter neither a god or a lord nor one who can act freely and bring about changes in the affairs of the world or of the hereafter, but believes him to be a dear and honorable servant of God chosen by Him to the position of Prophethood and Imamate, one whose prayers God has promised to answer, as stated in the following verse:

“And if, then they wronged themselves, they had but come unto thee and asked forgiveness of Allah, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found Allah forgiving and Merciful.” 4:64

c) The verses themselves contain clear evidence of the fact that the “calling” referred to above, is not a general, ordinary request for the needs to be fulfilled; rather, it is related to worshipping. This is why the word “worship” – service – follows the word “calling” in the following verse:

“And your Lord says: Call upon me, and I will answer your prayer; surely those who are too proud for My service shall soon enter hell abased.”

This clearly means that the calling made (by polytheists) was an invocation to creatures credited with God’s attributes.
Conclusion:

Following the three preliminary arguments just outlined, we can safely conclude that the Qur’an’s principal aim in these verses is to prohibit the idolaters from calling upon their idols, whom they considered as God’s partners, prudent and able to intercede. If the idolaters showed humbleness, lamented, implored and begged for intercession or prayed for what they needed, it was because they believed their idols to be small gods responsible for Godly deeds. They assumed that the Lord has transferred the responsibility for some terrestrial and celestial tasks to the idols. How can these Verses have reference to asking a pure soul who, in the caller’s opinion, has gone no further that complete devotion and is indeed a beloved and honored servant of God?

When the Qur’an declares: “and that the mosques are Allah’s, therefore call not upon any one with Allah”, it is addressing the pagan Arabs who worshipped idols, celestial bodies, angels and the Jinn. This verse and the like speak of calling upon a person or a thing while considering him or it a deity, and no doubt, such a calling upon these creatures by someone with such beliefs is equal to worshipping them. But what do these verses have to do with asking for the help and blessings of a person when the caller does not attribute Godly position, prudence or devotion to the addressee but is just imploring a worthy and beloved servant of God?

Some may think that we can only call upon saints while they are still alive and if we do so when they are not, it is polytheism.

In answer to this problem it suffices to say that firstly we call upon the pure spirits of the righteous servants of God like our Prophet and the Imams who, according to the Holy Qur’an are alive in the Barzakh – the intermediate state between death and Resurrection – in a horizon above the martyrs. We are not calling upon the bodies buried in the earth. If we call upon them at their shrines, it is because this makes us more conscious of and connected with the Saintly spirits. Furthermore, according to certain traditions, prayers are answered in these precincts. Secondly, the question of life or death of the saints can hardly be a criterion for the issue of monotheism or polytheism.

The Shi’ite Apologetics

Question Thirteen

Does asking for help from others than God connote polytheism?

Answer:

Based on wisdom and on the logic of revelation, not only all human beings but also all phenomena in the world are in need of God to give them life as they are in need of Him to give them the ability to be effective. The Holy Qur’an says, “O mankind! You are poor in relation to Allah, and Allah is the Absolute, the Owner of Praise.” (35:15). In another verse, The Qur’an attributes all victories to God and says, “Victory comes only from Allah, the mighty, the wise” (3:126).

It is based on this immutable principle of Islam that we Muslims say in our prayers, “Thee do we worship and of Thee do we beg assistance.” (1:5).

To clarify the above question, we can say that seeking others’ help, but not God’s, can conceivably assume two dimensions. First, if we consider one whose help we are seeking, a human being or a phenomenon, as being entirely independent in origin and as one that enjoys freedom of action and is needless of God in assisting, such an attitude is no doubt pure polytheism and is refuted in the Qur’an which says, “Say, who is the one who can withhold you from Allah if He intends to do you evil or desires mercy for you? They will not find for themselves besides Allah any guardian or a helper.” (33:17). The second attitude considers the one that is called upon as a mere creature in need of God and dependent on Him, one on whom God has bestowed power to solve some of the problems people have.

Based on the latter mentality, one whose help we seek is a medium set by God the Sublime as a “means” to fulfill some of the needs of the people. This way of seeking help is actually begging God’s assistance because it is He who has created these mediators and has bestowed upon them the power. Man’s life is principally based on the foundation of asking the means and causes for help to the extent that without their help his life would be deranged.

Now, if we take them as the means of the realization of God’s assistance and as those whose existence as well as their effectiveness come from God, then such seeking help is incompatible neither with monotheism nor with worshipping the One God.

If a monotheist farmer uses such helping factors as soil, water, air and light in planting the seed and producing fruit, he in reality pursues God’s assistance because it is He who has given the factors and instruments their potentiality and power. It is obvious that such an invocation is in full agreement with the spirit of worshiping the Unique One.

In fact, the holy Qur’an itself orders us to seek help form such phenomena as patience and prayer when it says,” Seek assistance through patience and prayer.” (2:152). Although showing perseverance is clearly done by man, and we have been commanded to seek assistance from patience and prayer, this does not contradict the formula we repeat in the daily prayer, “… and from Thee do we seek assistance.”

The Shi’ite Apologetics

Question Twelve

Is it not “Shirk” (polytheism) to ask the real interceders to intercede?

The argument in support of the above question holds that intercession is Allah’s exclusive right, as stated in the Holy Qur’an. “Say Allah’s is the intercession altogether” (39:42). Therefore, asking others to intercede is not in accord with the principle of worshipping only the One God.

Answer:

The polytheism referred to above is certainly different from the specific ones, such as dualism and associating someone with Allah in creating the world and managing it. The above mentioned shirk or polytheism signifies worshiping something or someone other than Allah.

No doubt, what “worship” means should first be precisely defined so as to clarify the issue at hand.

1) We are not authorized to interpret any homage paid to creatures as an act of worship, nor are we allowed to consider any request made from a servant of God as such. According to the clear text of the Qur’an, the angels prostrated before Adam: “When I have shaped him, and breathed My spirit in him, fall you down, bowing before him. (38:72-73)” The prostration that was done upon God’s command had had, in reality, no connotation of worshipping Adam; otherwise, God would not have ordered it. On the other hand, Jacob’s sons and even Jacob himself prostrated before Joseph: “And he raised his parents upon the throne and they fell down in prostration before him” (12:100). If such humbleness that they showed could have meant worshipping Joseph, then Jacob, the noble Prophet, who had been divinely protected against error, would not have conceded to it, nor would he have agreed with his sons’ performing it, while it is obvious that prostration is unequalled by any other form of humbleness that one shows.

We should, therefore, differentiate between the issue of paying homage to someone and invoking his aid on the one hand, and worshipping him on the other.

Worshipping, in reality, signifies taking someone as God and adoring him, or taking a phenomenon – which is created by God – as having been invested with the ability of performing what is specifically God’s, such as managing the affairs of the world and forgiving the sins. However, if we humble ourselves before someone without considering him to be God or conceiving him as having been entrusted with Godly acts, then such respect or humbleness is none but similar to that rendered by the angels to Adam or that of Jacob’s sons before Joseph.

Now, concerning the above question, if we suppose that right to intercede has been entrusted upon real interceders in such a way that they can intercede uncategorically and forgive sins, such a belief can then equate polytheism or shirk because we have asked for a Godly act from someone other than God Himself.

However, if we assume that a number of pious servants of God do not possess the station of intercession but have the right to ask forgiveness for the sinners under certain conditions – the most important of which is God’s permission – such an assumption, then, cannot entail polytheism, nor does it entail that God’s actions are entrusted to them. Rather, it is asking someone for something which he is entitled to be asked.

During the Holy Prophet’s life, sinners used to go to him, so he would ask God for their sins to be pardoned. The Noble Prophet did not call them polytheists. In his Sunan, Ibn Majah quotes the Prophet as having said,

“Do you know what options God has given me tonight?”

“God and His messenger know better,” we said.

“God permitted me to choose between His admission of half of my people into Paradise and (my having) the right to intercede and I choose intercession.”

We said, “O Messenger of Allah, call on Allah that we may be worthy of enjoying intercession.”

He said, “Intercession embraces every Muslim,”[1]

This narration clearly states that the holy Prophet’s companions used to ask the Prophet himself for intercession by saying, “Call on Allah….” We read in the Holy Qur’an, “… and had they, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Apostle (also) asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” 4:64

Elsewhere, quoting Jacob’s sons, the holy Qur’an says “O Our father! Ask forgiveness for our faults, as surely we are sinners” (12:97). Prophet Jacob also promised them to ask forgiveness but never accused them of polytheism. He said, “I will ask for your forgiveness from my Lord; surely He is Forgiving, and Merciful” (12:98)

Footnotes:

[1] Sunan Ibn Majah, vol. 2, the chapter “On Mentioning Intercession” P. 586.

The Shi’ite Apologetics

Question Twenty-Five

Does Resorting to Saints imply associating others with God and is it a source of innovation ?

Answer:

The defining element of “resorting to saints to seek nearness to God – tawassul – refers to having a person well-esteemed in Allah’s eyes act as an intermediary for one to attain nearness to God. Lisan al-`Arab, a lexicon by Ibn Manzur, gives the following defining example for the word tawassul:

“He made entreaties to someone means he approached someone through the position of anything that might attract his attention.”[1]

The Glorious Qur’an says, “O believers, fear God and seek the means to approach Him, and struggle in His way so that you may achieve salvation.” 5:34

Jawahiri in his sihah al-Lughah gives the following definition for wasilah (the intermediary): “Wasilah is something by which we aspire to approach someone.” Hence the intermediary that we resort to can be either be our own worthy deeds and sincere worship rendered to God or a meritorious person who enjoys a high standing in the eyes of God, both having the capability to serve as intermediaries to make us closer to the Lord of the universe.

Forms of Tawassul

1. Our Worthy Deeds:

In his commentary he has made on the Qur’anic verse: “… and seek the means to come to Him”, Suyuti has quoted Qutadah as having interpreted it to mean: “Approach Allah through obeying Him and doing things that please Him.”[2]

2. Resorting to Honorable People’s Prayers:

Relating the story of Prophet Yusuf, the Holy Qur’an quotes his brothers in this way “They said: O our father, ask forgiveness of our faults for us; surely we were sinners” Jacob said, “… I will ask for you forgiveness from my Lord; surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” 12: 97-8. This verse clearly shows that Yusuf’s brothers beseeched their father to pray, considering it a means of forgiveness. Their father, not reprimanding them (for such an appeal), answered their request.

3. Persons Highly Honored by God:

This kind of tawassul has been acknowledged by the Companions of the Prophets (a.s) and the distinguished Muslims of the early days of Islam as following narrations indicate:

1. Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Musnad quotes `Uthman ibn Hunayf as having said, “A blind man came to the Prophet (a.s) and said, ‘Supplicate God to restore my eyesight’. The Prophet (a.s) said, ‘I can supplicate if you desire, or I can put it off until later, which is better.’ The man asked the Prophet to supplicate. The holy Prophet ordered him to make a ritual ablution, wudu’, taking care in doing it, perform a prayer of two rak`ah and invoke God in the following manner: “O God, I implore thee, and turn to thee through thy Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of mercy; O Muhammad, I turn to my Lord through you for my request to be granted. O God, let him be my intercessor.”[3]

This tradition has been generally confirmed by the traditionists as Hakim Nayshaburi, who having narrated it in his Mustadrak, calls it sound.

Quoting Abu-Ishaq, Ibn Majah says, “This tradition is sound.” In his Abwab al-Ad`iyah (The Gates of Supplication), Tirmidhi confirms that this tradition is sound. Also, Muhammad Nasib al-Rifa`i, in his al-Tawassul ila al-Haqiqah, says “No doubt this tradition is sound and known (to all), one in which it is proved that the blind man’s eyesight was restored to him through the supplication of the Prophet (a.s).[4]
It is clearly understood from this tradition that it is permissible to resort to the holy Prophet, asking him to serve as an intermediary for the needs to be granted. What is more the Messenger of God himself ordered the blind man to supplicate in that particular manner and implore God through the intermediary of the Prophet. This is what restoring to the saints, tawassul, really means.

2. Abu-`Abdullah Bukhari has mentioned the following in his Sahih “Whenever there was a drought, `Umar ibn al-Khattab went to Ibn ‘`Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle, and said, ‘O God, when the Prophet was alive we implored for rain through Thy Prophet, and Thou sent us rain. Now, we turn to Thee by resorting to the uncle of our Prophet. So, give us rain water”, and rain was given them.”[5]

3. So popular was the issue of resorting to the saints that the early Muslims wrote poems in which the Prophet was referred to as the intermediary between the Muslims and God.

a) Sawad Ibn Qarib wrote an ode concerning the holy Prophet, a part of which is as follows:

“I witness that there is no god but Allah,
That thou art entrusted with all Divine secrets,
And that thou, the son of the honored, the pure,
are the closest intermediary among the prophets.[6]

The Prophet listened to the poem but did not prevent (Sawad) from reading it, nor did he accuse him of polytheism and innovation in religion

b) In the following quatrain Shafi`i also points to the same fact discussed above:[7]

The Prophet’s descendents are means for me;
They are my intermediaries towards Him.
I hope that for their sake tomorrow I will be given
my book onto my right hand.

Although the number of the traditions handed down concerning the permissibility of tawassul is very great, the issue is thus made clear in the light of the above narrations and the references that have been made to Prophet’s Sunnah, the behavior of the Companions and of the great Islamic scholars, with no need to go into further details. All these prove that claims of those who consider resorting to the saints as polytheism and an innovation in religion are baseless.

Footnotes:

[1] Lisan al-`Arab, vol. 11, p. 724.
[2] Al-Durr al-Manthur, vol. 2, p. 280, printed in Egypt.
[3] Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 4, p. 138, On narrations quoted from `Uthman Ibn Hunayf; Al-Hakim’s al-Mustadrak `ala al-Sahihayn, vol. 1, the book on Salat al-Tatawwu`, p. 313, printed in Beirut; Sunan Ibn Majah; vol. p.441; printed by Dar Ihya’ al-Kutub al-`Arabiyyah; al-Taj, vol. 1, p. 286; al-Suyuti’s al-Jami` al-Saghir, p. 59; Ibn Taymiyyah’s al-Tawassul wa’l-Wasilah, p. 98, printed in Beirut.
[4] Al-Tawwassul ila al-Haqiqah, p. 158, printed in Beirut.
[5] Sahih al-Bukhari, part 2, the book of Al-Jam`, Bab al-Istisqa’, p. 27, printed in Egypt.
[6] Zayni Dahlan’s al-Durar al-Saniyyah, p. 29, as quoted by al-Tabari.
[7] Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani’s al-Sawa`iq al-Muhriqahh, p.178, printed in Cairo.

The Shi’ite Apologetics

BAGHDAD – Iraq’s government provided heavy security for a Shi’ite pilgrimage that commemorates the death of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, which culminated with less violent incidence than in previous years, Reuters reported on July 18.  Since 2003 the pilgrimage to the Kadhimiya shrine has been targeting by Sunni al Qaeda, leading to thousands of deaths.

Tawassul to the beloved ones of Allah is a matter which is in vogue amongst the Muslims of the world and from the day the Islamic Shariat was conveyed through the Holy Prophet (s) its legality was also declared by the way of Islamic traditions.

It was only in the 8th century A.H. that tawassul was rejected by Ibn Taymiyya and two centuries later Muhammad ibn ’Abd al-Wahhab intensified this objection. Tawassul was introduced to be unlawful and heresy and occasionally was labelled as worshipping the awliya And it is needless to mention that worshipping other than God amounts to polytheism and is forbidden.

We shall later on have a separate discussion regarding the meaning of worship (‘ibada) and we shall remind you that tawassul to the divine leaders on the one hand will be counted as worship and polytheism and on the other hand will be considered as desirable and mustahab having no sign of worship. However, we shall not discuss them here. What is important to know is that tawassul to the awliya Allah is done in two ways:

1. Tawassul to themselves. For example we say:

“O Lord I take recourse to your Messenger Muhammad (s) in order that you fulfil my wish.”

2. Tawassul to their position and reverence before Allah and their rights.

Like we say:

“O Lord I take their position and their respect which they have before Thee as the means for my need to be fulfilled by Thee.”

From the viewpoint of the Wahhabis, both these types are declared to be forbidden whereas the Islamic traditions and the practice of the Muslims bear witness contrary to the views of the Wahhabis and recommend tawassul of both these types.

At first, we shall mention the Islamic traditions one by one and then state the practice of the Muslims. By paying attention to both these reasonings, the matter of heresy and unlawfulness will automatically cease to exist.

But, whether tawassul to divine leaders amounts to their worship or not will be discussed in the section of ‘meaning of worship’ and that section will be the most insightful part of our discussion.

Traditions

There are many traditions mentioned in the traditional and historical books which bear testimony to the correctness and verity of the matter of tawassul to the divine leaders themselves and their position. Here, we mention a part of those traditions:

First Tradition – Tradition of ‘Uthman ibn Hunayf

A blind person aproached the Holy Prophet (s) and said: “Request Allah to cure me.” The Holy Prophet (s) replied: “If you wish so I will pray for you but be patient for that is much better.” The blind man asked the Holy Prophet (s) to pray for him. The Holy Prophet (s) ordered him to take proper Wuzu and then recite two Raka’t (units) of salat and this ‘Dua’: O’ Lord! I request from Thee; I pay attention to Thee through (the channel) of your prophet Muhammad, Your blessed prophet.

O Muhammad, I turn to my Lord for the fulfillment of my need through you so that my need is answered.

O Lord, accept his intercession for me….

A Word about the Reference of this Tradition

The authenticity and verity of the reference needs no word from us. Even the leader of the Wahhabis i.e. Ibn Taymiyya has declared its reference to be correct and has said that by Abu Ja’far whose name has come in the sanad of the tradition is meant Abu Ja’far al-Khutami and he is a reliable man. [1]

Al-Rifa’i, a contemporary Wahhabi writer who strives to cast down the credibility of the traditions on tawassul, says with regard to this tradition as such:

“Undoubtedly this tradition is correct and well-known.”[2]

In the book of al-Tawassul, Rafa’ee says: “This tradition has been mentioned by al-Nasa’i, al-Bayhaqi, al-Tabarani, al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim in his al-Mustadrak and two recent writers have inserted the sentence instead of [3]

Zayni Dahlan writes in Khulasat al-kalam that: “This tradition has been narrated – with reliable chains of narration – by al-Bukhari, Ibn Maja, al-Hakim in his al-Mustadrak and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti in his al-Jami’”.

The writer narrates this tradition from the following references:

1. Sunan Ibn Maja, vol 1 page 441 from the publications of Dar Ihya al-kutub al-’arabiyya, (ed. by Muhammad Fu’ad ‘Abd al-Baqi), tradition no. 1385.

Ibn Maja narrates from Abu Ishaq

‘This tradition is correct’

Thereafter he adds:

“al-Tirmidhi has narrated this tradition in the book of Abwaab-ul-Adeeya and said

‘This tradition is truly correct and Gharib’

2. Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal vol. 4 page 138. He has narrated this tradition in three ways from the Musnad of ‘Uthman ibn Hunayf printed from al-Maktab al-Islami, Mu’assassa Dar Sadir, Beirut.

3. al-Mustadrak of al-Hakim vol. 1 page 313 printed from Hyderabad. After narrating the tradition he says:

“This tradition is correct according to the criteria set by the shaykhayn and they have not narrated it”.

4. Al-Jami’ al-Saghir written by al-Suyuti narrated from al-Tirmidhi and Mustadrak al-Hakim page 59.

5. Talkhis al-Mustadrak written by al-Dhahabi (died in 748) which is printed below al-Mustadrak.

6. Al-Taj al-Jami’ vol. 1 page 286. This book is the collection of the traditions of the five books of Sihah except Ibn Maja.

Therefore it is needless to speak and discuss about the reference of this tradition.

You hand over this tradition to somone who is acquainted with Arabic language and a person whose mind is completely free from the controversies of the Wahhabis in the matter of tawassul and ask him what the Holy Prophet (s) has commanded him in the du’a which he taught the blind man and how he guided him as to how one’s ‘Duas’ are easily answered! He will immediately reply: “The Holy Prophet (s) has taught him to consider the blessed Prophet as a channel and to seek tawassul from him and ask God to fulfil his wish. This matter can easily be understood from the following sentences:

.A

O Lord, I ask Thee and turn towards Thee through the channel of your Prophet.

The word is pertaining to the previous two words and

In clearer terms, he asks from God through the channel of ‘Nabi’ and also turns to God through him. Moreover by ‘Nabi’ is meant Nabi himself and not the ‘Dua’ of Nabi; to imagine that it means the du’a of Nabi is deficieint of any reason.

Anyone who predetermines the word of du’a has no reason other than pre-judgement since, the one who commends such a word and does not think Tawassul to people to be correct forcibly strives to predetermine the word of ‘Dua’ so that nobody opposes his idea and eventually he may say: “It means tawassul to the ‘Dua’ of the Prophet (s) and not the Prophet himself and tawassul to the ‘Dua’ of someone is proper.

.B

In order to clarify that asking God for the Sake of the Prophet and paying attention to Him through His channel is the right purpose, the word of is mentioned along with the sentence which clarifies the fact much better and makes the meaning more apparent.

(C) The sentence shows that he (i.e. the blind man) is referring to Prophet Muhammad himself and not his du’a.

(D) The sentence means O God make him as my intercessor and accept his intercession towards me. In all of these sentences what is said and explained is the very personality of the Holy Prophet (s) and his great position and there is no talk of the du’a of the Holy Prophet.

With this explanation all the five objections which the Wahhabi writer al-Rifa’i has mentioned in the book al-Tawassul ila haqiqat al-tawassul is done away with and we have brought the details of the objections and their reply in our book, al-Tawassul. Interested readers can refer to them on pages 147 to 153.

Second Tradition: Tawassul to The (Right) Of Questioner

‘Atiyya al-’Awfi narrates from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri that the Holy Prophet (s) said: “Anyone who leaves his house for salat and recites in this state the following du’a, he will meet the mercy of Allah and one thousand angels will seek forgiveness for him.” [4]

‘O God I ask Thee by the right of the questioners and by the honour of the steps which I take in Thy direction, I have not left the house for the purpose of disobedience or recreation or hypocrisy. I have left for keeping away from Thy anger and achieving Thy satisfaction. I ask Thee to keep me away from the Fire and forgive my sins for nobody forgives the sins except Thee’.

This tradition clearly bears testimony to the fact that man, while asking God for his need to be fulfilled can take the position and status of a pious person as his channel and the reasoning of this tradition brings to light our objective. [5]

Third Tradition: Tawassul to the Right of Holy Prophet (s)

After disobedience of Allah, Adam (‘a) in the light of the words which were manifested from God, repented as Qur’an says:

Then adam received (some) words from his lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely He is oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful. (Baqarah: 37)

Regarding the interpretation of (words) which has come down in this verse, a group of commentators and traditionists, by relying on the following tradition are having a view, which by paying attention to its text will become clear for us.

Al-Tabarani in Al-Mu’jam al-saghir, al-Hakim Naysaburi in al-Mustadrak, Abu Nu’aym al-Isfahani and al-Bayhaqi in the book of Dala’il al-nubuwwa, Ibn ‘Asakir al-Shami in his al-Ta’rikh, al-Suyuti in al-Durr al-Manthur and al-Alusi in Ruh al-Ma’ani [6] have narrated from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab that the Holy Prophet (s) has said:

[7]

When Adam committed the sin he raised his head towards the sky and said (O God) I ask Thee by the right of Muhammad that You forgive me. God revealed to him: “Who is Muhammad?”

Adam replied: When You created me, I raised my head towards the ‘Arsh’ (Throne) and I saw that on it was written “There is no God except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. I said to myself that Muhammad must be His greatest creature that Allah has kept His name besides his own name. At this moment, it was revealed to him that Muhammad was the last of the Prophets from his Progeny and if it was not for Muhammad, God would have not created him.

Our View about this Tradition:

1. In the Holy Qur’an the word of (words) is applied to personalites contrary to what is common amongst us. For example:

“That Allah gives you the good news of Yahya verifying a Word from Allah,” (Aal-Imran:39)

“O Maryam, surely Allah gives you good news with a Word from him (of one) whose name is the Messiah, Isa son of Maryam.” (Aal-Imran:45)

“The Messiah, Isa son of Maryam is only an Apostle of Allah and His Word,” (Nisa: 171)

Say: If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord.(Kahf: 109)

“With seven more seas to increase it, the words of Allah would not come to an end.” (Luqman: 27)

Considering that the word of has come in the verse under our discussion, we can say that by is meant the same noble personalities to whom tawassul is sought and in the aforesaid tradition, only the name of Muhammad is mentioned from amongst the names of those personalities. Therefore, in Shia traditions, this reality is narrated in two ways. Sometimes is interpreted as a name of these holy personalities and sometimes it refers to their sparkling light. Here is both the interpretations:

[8]

Adam saw the names which were written in ‘arsh (throne) and did tawassul to them. It was told to him that these names were the most honourable creatures of Allah and they were Muhammad, ‘Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn. Adam repented by doing tawassul to them.

Another Shia tradition mentions that Adam saw the sparkling light of these five personalities. For knowing this tradition, please refer to Tafsir al-burhan. [9]

2. By referring to the historical and traditional books it becomes clear that tawassul of Adam (‘a) to the Holy Prophet (s) was one famous and well-known matter. As, Imam Malik told Mansur al-Dawanaqi in the shrine of the Holy Prophet (s) as such:

[10]

“He (Holy Prophet) is your clannel and your father, Adam’s channel.”

The Islamic poets have put this reality into a form of verse

On account of him, Allah accepted the ‘Dua’ of Adam and saved Noah inside the ship. They are such people through whom Adam’s sin was pardoned and they are those who are the channels to Allah and the sparkling stars. [11]

Fourth Tradition: Tawassul of Prophet (s) by the Right of Prophet (s) and by the Rights of Previous Prophets

When Fatima, daughter of Asad passed away and the Holy Prophet (s) was informed about her death he came and sat besides her and said:

‘O my mother after my mother, may God have mercy upon you. Then he asked Usama, Abu Ayyub, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and a black slave to prepare one grave. When the grave was ready the Holy Prophet (s) made a niche in the side of the grave and buried her with his own hands and then recited this ‘Dua’:

‘O Allah the One who gives Life and Death: the One who is All-Living and never dies, Have mercy on Fatima daughter of Asad and make her abode vast by the right of your Prophet and the Prophets who came before me.’

The writer of Khulasat al-kalam says:

“This tradition is narrated by al-Tabarani (in his al-Mu’jam), Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim and they have confirmed its authenticity”. [12]

Sayyid Ahmad ibn Zayni Dihlan writes in the book al-Durar al-saniyya fi al-radd ‘ala al-wahhabiyya as such:

The famous traditionist Ibn Abi Shayba has narrated this tradition from Jabir. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr and Abu Nu’aym too have narrated this tradition from Ibn ‘Abbas and Anas respectively. Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti has brought all these matters in al-Jami’ al-kabir.[13]

The writer narrates this tradition in the afore-mentioned form from two books that some of them contains the supplication related to our discussion while others do not.

1. Hilyat al-’awliya (Abu Nu’aym al-Isfahani, vol. 3 page 121.

2. Wafa’ al-wafa’ (al-Samhudi} vol. 3 page 899.

Fifth Tradition: Tawassul to Prophet (s) Himself

Some of the Islamic traditionists have narrated that an Arab accompanied with some villagers approached the Holy Prophet (s) and said:

[14] [15]

“We have come to you while we are neither having a camel with us to groan nor a child to sleep”. Thereafter he recited these poems

We have come to you while blood drops from the bossom of the horses; the mother has been restrained from her baby. We are not having anything with ourselves for people to eat except for bitter leaves which they eat in the year of famine and some bad food from wool and blood. We are having no alternative but to seek shelter in you, and in whom can people seek shelter except the Prophets.

Then,

The Holy Prophet (s) said:

‘Yes, my objective was the same as you have recited.’ Then Ali (‘a) read a portion of his elegy and the Holy Prophet (s) asked blessings for Abu Talib on top of the pulpit.’

After this a man from the tribe of Bani Kanane stood up and recited some lines where the first line meant as follows: “All the praise is for You. O Allah; praise from Your worthy slaves. By resorting to the Holy Prophet (s), we have become satiated by the rainfall.”

Numerous references have been narrated for this portion but the writer has narrated from the following documents:

a. ‘Umdat al-qari fi sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 7 page 31 written by Badr al-Din Mahmud bin Ahmad al-’Ayni (died in the year 855) printed by Idara al-taba’a al-muniriyya.

b. Sharh Nahjul-Balagha by Ibn Abi al-Hadid, vol. 14 page 80.

c. al-Sira al-Halabiyya by ‘Ali bin Burhan al-Din al-Halabi, vol. 3 page 263.

d. al-Hujja ‘ala al-dhahib ila takfir Abi Talib, written by Shams al-Din Abi ‘Ali Fakhar bin Ma’ad (died in the year 630), printed in Najaf, ‘Alawi press, page 79.

e. Sira Zayni Dihlan in the margin of al-Sira al-Halabiyya, vol. 1 page 81.

Sixth Tradition: Tawassul to the Self of Prophet (s)

I bear witness that there is no God except Allah. You (O Prophet) are trustworthy upon every hidden thing from the senses. From amongst the Prophets you are the most nearest channel towards Allah. O the son of the honourable and noble! you command us whatever you receive. O, the most righteous Apostle! Although acting upon your commands causes the hair on the head to turn white, you be my intercessor on the Day when the intercession of the intercessors will be useless for Sawad bin Qaa’reb even to the extent of string of dates. [16]

Till here we were able to mention some of the traditions of tawassul which have come in the historical and traditional books of Ahl al-Sunnah.

However in the traditions of Shi’a leaders, the matter of tawassul to holy personalities is so clear and obvious that it can be wittnessed in most of their ‘Duas’ (supplications).

Should we learn Islamic teachings and instructions from Ibn Taymiyya and Muhammad ibn ’Abd al-Wahhab or acquire them from the Household of the Messengership and the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s) who by the order of Hadith al-Thaqalayn, are (The Lesser Weight) and witness to Qur’an. Amongst the numerous ‘Duas’ that have come in al-Sahifa al-’Alawiyya [17] or in du’a ‘Arafa or in al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, we shall content ourself with only one of them which is most suitable in connection with the previous tradition.

Seventh Tradition: The Leader of the martyrs says in du’a ‘Arafa

“O Lord at such a moment that You have made it obligatory and honourable upon me, I turn towards You by Muhammad, Your Prophet, Your Messenger and Your best of those created by You.” [18]

Practise of the Muslims Regarding Tawassul

The practise of the Muslims during the time of the Holy Prophet (s) and also after him was that they were always seeking ‘tabarruk’ to the awliya Allah themselves as well as to their position and status. Now we shall mention some of them here:

(1). Ibn al-’Athir ‘Izz al-Din ‘Ali bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin ‘Abd al-Karim al-Jazari (died in 630 AH) writes in the book Usd al-ghaba fi ma’rifat al-sahaba as such:

In the year when famine reached its peak, ‘Umar requested for rain through the channel of Abbas. God satiated them through him and every place became green. Thereafter ‘Umar faced the people and said: “I swear by Allah that al-’Abbas is our channel towards Allah and he is having a high station before Allah.”

Hassan ibn Thabit recited a poem in his honour and said: “When famine had severely engulfed the entire area, the Leader requested for rain.”

Thereafter the clouds in the sky, through the brightness of al-’Abbas satiated the people. Al-’Abbas who is the Uncle of the Prophet (s) and alike the father of the Prophet (s) has inherited such a position and status from him. Almighty Allah enlivened the places through him and every spot began to be filled with greenery after despair and disappointment. When it rained, people everywhere started seeking tabarruk by touching the body of al-’Abbas and they said: Bravo O Saqi (cupbearer) of the two holy sanctuaries. [19]

Observation of the period of history, an example of which has also benn mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari, shows that one of the means of tawassul was through the honourable personalities who were embodiment of nearness (to God) and meritorious and possessed virtues that make them suitable for tawassul. What an elegant manner to express this is to say:

‘This is by God a means for seeking nearness to God and at His House’

(2). Al-Qastallani (died in the year 923 AH), who was a contemporary to Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, writes in his book al-Mawahib al-ladunniyya bil-manha al-muhammadiyyah fil seerat al-nabawiyyah that has been printed in Egypt that:

“When ‘Umar requested for rain through Abbas he said: ‘O people! The Holy Prophet (s) used to look at Abbas from a father’s angle. You follow him and take him as your channel towards Allah.’” This action nullifies the notion and thought of those who have completely prohibited tawassul or have prohibited it for personalities other than Holy Prophet (s). [20]

(3). When Mansur asked the grand Mufti of Medina, Malik bin Anas, whether he should face the qibla and recite du’a or face the Holy Prophet (s), the latter replied:

“Why do you turn your face away from him? He is your means and your father, Adam’s channel on the Day of Judgement. You resort to him and take him as your intercessor as Almighty Allah accepts his intercession. Allah declares (in Quran) that if those who do injustice upon themselves…” [21]

(4). Ibn Hajar al-Haythami in the book of al-Sawa’iq al-muhriqa (which al-Qadi Nurullah al-Shustari refuted under the title of al-Sawarim al-muhriqa) has narrated the following two couplets:

“The Household of the Holy Prophet (s) is my channel towards Allah and it is through their means that I have hope that my book of deeds will be given in my right hand.” [22]

By taking into consideration these testimonies and words, one can claim that the Holy Prophet (s) and the outstanding personalities are one kind of channel which Qur’an has ordered for that as:

“O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek means of nearness to Him.” (Maida: 35)

And (Channel) is not confined to observance of the wajib (obligatory) and haram (prohibited) acts. Instead, even the mustahab (recommended) acts such as tawassul to Prophets is a (channel) too. Can we find fault with so many scholars in understanding the meaning of while they are the authorites in (passing) judgement and the protectors of traditions and are reckoned to be the Islamic scholars! Those who do not give importance to these kinds of specifications and testimonies and think of their justification and interpretation are those who because of their prejudice do not intend to reap the benefits of these testimonies and evidences. For presenting an example of their prejudice and dicrimination, we bring here a matter which al-Bukhari has narrated about this historical event and hence see with the vision of reality, how the curtain of prejudice has brought about deviation and chaos in this matter. We have replied to them in the book of al-Tawassul page 135 to 140.

(5) al-Bukhari narrates in his al-Sahih as such:

During the period of famine, ‘Umar bin al-Khattab would take resort to al-’Abbas bin ‘Abd al-Muttalib and say: ‘O God ! previously we were taking resort to Your Prophet and You were sending Your mercy on us; Now we take resort to Your Prophet’s uncle send Your mercy on us.’ At this moment it started to rain and everything got satiated. [23]

There is nothing to be said about the authenticity and consensus regarding this tradition. Even al-Rifa’i who, under various pretexts, rejects the reliable traditions on tawassul has admitted the authenticity of this tradition and says:

“Certainly this tradition is correct….If the purpose of the tradition is a proof upon the correctness of tawassul to people then we are the first people to take the step to accept that purpose and act upon it.” [24]

By paying attention to the sentences of the Caliph himself which he narrates to al-’Abbas about tawassul and especially when he swears by Allah

This is by God a means for seeking nearness to God and at His House [25]

It becomes clear that the reality of tawassul in this case is tawassul to the self or to the position and status of al-’Abbas before God.

In this regard, Muhammad bin Nu’man al-Maliki (died in the year 683 AH) narrates in his book Misbah al-zalam fi al-mustaghithin bi khayr al-’anam the manner of tawassul of ‘Umar to al-’Abbas as such:

“O God we ask for rain through the channel of thy Prophet’s uncle and we take his authority and previous record in Islam as our intercessor. At this moment, the mercy of Allah showered upon everyone. ‘Abbas ibn ‘Utba ibn Abi Lahab recited a poem in this regard and said: ‘By the blessings of my Uncle, the land of Hijaz and its inhabitants got satiated. And at sunset, ‘Umar did tawassul to his (Al-Abbas’s) virtouness.’” [26]

In the same way, Hassan bin Thabit too recited a poem regarding this matter:

“The cloud satiated (everything) due to the sparkling face of Abbas”.

Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani says in the book of Fath al-bari fi sharh Sahih al-Bukhari:

Al-Abbas in his du’a said:

“The people resorted to me because of the bond of relationship which I have with Thy Prophet”. [27]

As the respected readers have observed, there is no place of doubt that the aim was tawassul to the position and status of Abbas and we are aware that from ancient times there is a saying that:

“Anytime, a judgement is derived from a topic, its content will be a testimony against the topic (and) a testimony upon the proof of judgement.”

That is to say, if the Holy Qur’an says:

…Securing the necessities of life for the women is a matter concerning those whose wives bear children for them… (Baqarah: 233)

It is a judgement due to expression of the reason of judgement and since women bring children for the men, their expenses in daily life should naturally be met by the men.

If we say: A learned man and a scholar should be respected, it is because of his knowledge and wisdom.

Therefore if ‘Umar says he wishes to indicate the reason for doing tawassul to al-’Abbas. In other words, from among so many people, why should we do tawassul to him? As al-’Abbas himself said:

‘Because of my status in relation to your Prophet.’ Taking into consideration these reasonings, we can decisively say that the Muslims in the beginning of Islam were doing ‘tawassul’ to the righteous and virtuous personalities.

(6) Poem of Safiyya in grief of the Holy Prophet (s):

Safiyya, daughter of Abd al-Muttalib and aunt of the Holy Prophet (s) recited a poem in grief of the Holy Prophet (s). Two of its lines are:

“O Prophet of God you are our hope. You were a righteous person and never did you oppress anyone. You were good and kind to us; O our Prophet, amongst your nation whosoever (claims to be) in grief should shed tears for you.” [28]

This part of the poem which was presented in the presence of the companions of the Holy Prophet (s) and which has been narrated by the historians informs us of the following points:

Firstly, conversation with the spirits or so to speak, the address to the Holy Prophet (s) after his demise was an action which was permitted and was a common practice. As she said: which is against the views of the Wahhabis, this kind of conversation is neither polytheism nor useless.

Secondly, by the decree of the sentence the Holy Prophet (s) was the hope of the Islamic society in all the conditions. Even after his demise, his relation with us is not disconnected. Here we shall mention some of the valuable writings of the great Sunni authors regarding ‘Tawassul’ towards the Holy Prophet (s). Refering to these books will clarify for the Islamic scholars the position of this matter and will manifest the fact that the matter of Tawassul, contrary to the views of the Wahhabis, was a practice in vogue amongst the Muslims.

(1) Ibn al-Jawzi (died in 597) has written a book by the name of al-Wafa bi ‘ahwal al-Mustafa’, and has earmarked one chapter for tawassul to the Holy Prophet (s) and another chapter for ‘seeking shifa from his grave’.

(2) Shamsuddin Muhammad bin Nu’man al-Maliki (died in the year 673 AH) has written a book by the name of Misbah al-zalaam fi al-mustaghithin bi khayr al-’anam and Sayyid Nur al-Din al-Samhudi has narrated a lot from him in his book Wafa’ al-wafa’ in the chapter of ‘Tawassul to the Holy Prophet (s)’.

(3) Ibn Dawud al-Maliki al-Shadhili has brought in his book al-Bayan wa al-’ikhtisar the tawassul of scholars and pious people to the Holy Prophet (s) in difficulties and hardships.

(4) Taqi al-Din al-Subki (died in the year 756 AH) has analyzed this matter in his book Shifa al-siqam pages 120 to 133.

(5) Sayyid Nur al-Din al-Samhudi (died in the year 911 AH) has discussed this matter and brought testimonies to it in his book Wafa al-wafa’ , vol. 2, pages 413 to 419.

(6) Abu al-’Abbas al-Qastallani (died in the year 932 AH) in his book al-Mawahib al-ladunniyya.

(7) Abu ‘Abdulla al-Zurqani al-Maliki (died in the year 1122 AH) in his book Sharh al-Mawahib al-ladunniyya vol. 8 page 317.

(8) al-Khalidi al-Baghdadi (died in the year 1299 AH) author of Sulh al-’Ikhwan. Apart from this, he has written a risala (treatise) in reply to Sayyid Mahmud al-’Alusi Baghdadi about tawassul to the Holy Prophet (s) and has been printed in the year 1306 AH.

(9) al-’Adawi al-Hamzawi (died in the year 1303 AH) has discussed about tawassul in the book of Kanz al-matalib, page 198.

(10) al-’Azami al-Shafi’i al-Quda’i', author of Furqan al-Qur’an. This book has been printed along with the book al-’Asma wa al-sifat of al-Bayhaqi in 140 pages.

By referring to these books some of which have presented the facts and most prominent amongst them being Sulh al-’Ikhwan and Furqan al-Qur’an, one can know what was the practise of the Muslims in every period concerning tawassul to the Holy Prophet (s) and will reveal the exaggerations of Ibn Taymiyya and followers of his deviated ideology of Wahabism.

In the end, we shall once more remind you of what Qur’an says:

“O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful”. (Mai’da: 35)

This verse in general orders to seek tawassul but what exactly is tawassul is not mentioned in this very verse.

There is no doubt that performing the religious duties is a channel (for tawassul) but it is not confined to this meaning only. Instead by paying attention to the short history of tawassul to the awliya Allah, it will become clear that this action itself is one of the channels. Moreover, this matter will fully become clear by referring to the conversation of Imam Malik with Mansur and also the incident of the second Caliph requesting for rain by doing tawassul to al-’Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet (s).

Notes:

[1] In al-Musnad of Ahmad, Abu Ja’far has come with the word of Khutami although in Sunan of Ibn Maja Abu Ja’far has come independently.

[2] al-Tawassul ila haqiqat al-tawassul, page 158.

[3] Same reference.

[4] Sunan of Ibn Maja al-Qazwini which is one of the six Sihah. vol. 1 page 261-262 chapter of ‘Mosques’ Egyptian edition, and refer to al-Musnad Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal vol. 3 hadith no. 21.

[5] The command which has come in the verse of (Sura al-Baqarah:35) is not a authoritative command. Instead, it is an order in the guided sense or so to say an advisory aspect and opposition to such a command will not result in punishment and chastisement. Its consequence will be that the person will only be faced with the effect of the state of the action itself. If a doctor commands his patient who is suffering from cold not to eat sour things and muskmelon, opposing his command will have no result other than intensification of his cold. In the Holy Qur’an many verses testify that the divine prohibtion was of a guided nature resulting in nothing but expulsion from heaven which is reckoned to be the effect of state of the action itself. Please refer to verses 118 and 119 of Sura Taha and the book of ‘Correct Tafsir of difficult verses of Qur’an’ the tenth matter from pages 73 to 82.

[6] Mustadrak al-Hakim, vol. 2 page 615; Ruh al-Ma’ani vol. 1 page 217; al-Durr al-Manthur, vol. 1 page 59 narrated from al-Tabarani, Abu Nu’aym al-Isfahani and al-Bayhaqi.

[7] The text of the hadith is taken from al-Durr al-Manthur and differs slightly from the text of al-Hakim in his al-Mustadrak although both are same in their contents.

[8] Majma’ al-bayan vol. 1 page 89; Tafsir al-burhan, vol.1. page 86-88; ahadith no .2, 5, 11, 12, 14 and 27.

[9] Tafsir al-burhan, vol. 1 page 87 ahadith no.13, 15 and 16.

[10] Sayyid Ahmad Zayni Dihlan writes in the both al-Durar al-saniyya, page 10 that al-Qadi ‘Iyad has narrated this incident with correct reference. Imam al-Subki in his book Shifa al-Saqam, al-Samhudi in Wafa’ al-wafa’, and al-Qastallani in al-Mawahib al-ladunniyya. Ibn Hajar said in al-Jawhar al-munazzam that this incident has been narrated with correct references. Al-’Allama al-Zurqani writes in Sharh al-mawahib that Ibn Fahd has narrated this with a good (hasan) chain of narration and al-Qadi ‘Iyad has narrated it with an authentic (sahih) chain of narration. The text of the conversation of al-Mansur with Imam Malik will be mentioned later in the text.

[11] Kashf al-’irtiyab, pages 307, 308.

[12] Kashf al-’irtiyab, page 312 narrated from Khulasat al-kalam.

[13] al-Durar al-saniyya, page 8.

[14] is derived from which means the noise of a camel.

[15] is derived from which means the noise of a child while sleeping.

[16] al-Durar al-saniyya, page 27 written by Zayni Dihlan and al-Tawassul ila haqiqat al-tawassul, page 300

[17] al-Sahifat al-’Alawiyya, ad’iya of Amir al-mu’minin which al-Shaykh ‘Abdallah Samahiji has collected.

[18] Mafatih al-jinan, du’a ‘Arafa.

[19] Usd al-ghaba, vol. 3 page 111. Egyptian edition.

[20] al-Mawahib al-ladunniyya, vol. 3 page 380 Egyptian edition and in Ibn Hajar Asqalani, Fath al-bari, vol. 2, page 413 (Lebanon print). It has also been reported in Sharh al-mawahib by al- Zurqani (1055 AH – 1122 AH).

[21] Wafa’ al-wafa’, vol. 2 page 1376.

[22] al-Sawa’iq al-muhriqa, page 178 (Cairo print).

[23] Sahih Bukhari, chapter of Salat al-’istisqa, vol. 2 page 32.

[24] Although, it was worthy to say because technically, tradition is that which must be narrated from the Holy Prophet (s) and our discussion too is about historical events and we reminded you previously of the traditions of tawassul.

[25] Usd al-ghaba, vol. 3. page 111.

[26] Wafa’ al-wafa’, vol. 3 page 375 narrated from Misbah al-zalam.

[27] Fath al-Bari, vol. 2 page 413 (print of Dar al-Ma’rifa Lebanon).

[28] Dhakha’ir al-’uqba fi manaqib dhawi’l qurba, page 252 written by al-Hafiz Muhibb al-Din al-Tabari, born in 615 AH and died in 694 AH, (print of Maktab al-Quds, Cairo); and Majma’ al-zawa’id, vol. 9 page 36, (2nd edition) written by al-Hafiz Nur al-Din al-Haytami.

Let it not remain unsaid that the sentence of in the first line has appeared as in the aforesaid book.

Wahhabism

Presence in Iraq

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090630/ap_on_an/us_us_iraq_future_analysis

Today is the day the Iraqi people take back their towns and cities. The American presence is now out of them. This is a day to be celebrated. Obama promised it, and it’s being done.

“The withdrawal of American troops is completed now from all cities after everything they sacrificed for the sake of security,” said Sadiq al-Rikabi, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. “We are now celebrating the restoration of sovereignty.”

“All of us are happy — Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds on this day,” Waleed al-Bahadili said as he celebrated at the park. “The Americans harmed and insulted us too much.”

Whether this is the universal belief in Iraq makes no difference to me: we had no business there in the first place. I wish nothing but the best for the people of Iraq, and hope no more American lives are lost over there.

jammer5