Hawzah News Agency - There are some people who accused the shi’ites of innovating, because of religious dissimulation, whilst it is one of religious rules and Quran and Sunna have referred to this matter.

More explanation: the meaning of dissimulation is as follow; when the life, property and reputation of a Muslim are in danger, he can hide his belief. There is a general consensus among Muslims about this matter and it is derived from Quran and Sunnah (tradition). One of Quran teachings: whenever the life, property and reputation of a Muslim are in danger, he can hide his belief. In religious law of Islam, it is called dissimulation (al-Taqiyya).

Accepting dissimulation is right and necessary, based on wisdom. Because on one side, preserving the life, property and reputation is necessary and on the other side, manifesting one’s belief and following it, are all religious duties. So when a person is choosing one of those obligatory duties, he should give precedence to the most important one, according to wisdom.

Actually religious dissimulation is considered as weapon for the weak against evil-doers. It is obvious that if there was not any danger, a man would not hide his belief and would not act against his own faith. Based on the clarification of Quran in the story of ‘Ammaar Yaaser; a person who is captured by wrong-doers, for being saved, can say blasphemous words –while his heart remains in his belief-. (1)

In another verse, the believers have been prohibited to not appoint a disbeliever as their Wali (leader), and he who does that will be far from God, unless by the way of dissimulation. (2)

Mentioning this verse, the commentators consensually say that the principle of religious dissimulation is legitimate, and he who is familiar with jurisprudential and exegetical sources, will realize that dissimulation is one of Islamic principles and those mentioned verses in Quran cannot be ignored; one of Pharaoh's people, who was in secret a believer (3). Concerning the recent verse, none of people can deny the religious dissimulation (Al-taqiyya).

It should be said that those verses are not only about dissimulating before non-Muslims and preserving life, property and reputation in significant occasions. A person may manifest his belief before Muslims or acts according to his belief and feels his life, property and reputation are in danger from Muslims, in these situations the rule of religious dissimulation is legitimate. It means, in such these situations, when a person feels danger from both of wrong-doers and Muslims, he can dissimulate.

There are other people who have referred to this matter, like as Fakhr Raazi:”in Shafi’i religion, in addition to dissimulation before non-Muslims, -for saving one’s life- it is also lawful (Halaal) for Muslims to dissimulate before other Muslims”. He also says:” the rule of dissimulation (al-Taqiyya) is legitimate for preserving the life, is it the same for property? Probably it is. because messenger of God –S.A- has said:”respecting the property of Muslims is similar to their life” and also he has said:” he is martyr, who be killed in that path of saving his property”. (4)

Abu Huraira says: “I heard two narratives (hadith) from messenger of God –S.A- and I narrated one of them among people, but not another one, because in that case, I would be killed”. (5)

There have been cruelty, violence and injustice in the history of caliphs of Omavi and Abbaasi. In the era of Ma’mun, in addition to the Shi’ites, the Sunnite scholars of hadith have been rejected and isolated, for they dissimulated in the respect of <Quran’s creation>. And when Caliph Ma’mun enforced his belief that Quran is created, except than one, nobody disapproved, and most of hadith scholars dissimulated in this regard and hidden their disagreement. It was a well-known story. (6) (7)

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1. The An-nahl (The Bee) Sura: 106 (whosoever disbelieves in Allah after believing except he who is forced while his heart remains in his belief but he who opens his chest for disbelief, shall receive the anger of Allah and for such awaits a mighty punishment)

2. The Al-E-Imran (Family of Imran) Sura: 28

3. The Al-ghafir (Forgiver) Sura: 28

4. The comment of Fakhr Raazi: volume 8, page 13

5. Mahaasen Al-ta’avil: volume 4, page 82

6. Taarikh Tabari: volume 7, page 195-206

7. The aspects of Shi’ite creed, page 280