Taqiyya
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In Shi'a Islamic tradition, Taqiyya (التقية) is the dissimulation of ones religious beliefs when one fears for one's life, the lives of one's family members, or for the preservation of the faith. It is most often used in times of persecution or danger. Some Sunnis assert that Taqiyya is an act of hypocrisy that serves to conceal the truth. According to them, Taqiyya constitutes a lack of faith and trust in God because the person who conceals his beliefs to spare himself from danger is fearful of humans, when he should be fearful of God only.
The practice was a method of self-preservation for the Shi'as who historically were the minority and persecuted by Sunni Muslims. Sunnis would sometimes force Shi'as to curse the House of Ali - believing that no devout Shi'a could commit such an act. As a result of this persecution, the idea of Taqiyya emerged. In other words, if a Shi'a Muslim's life is in danger, he may lie as long as he holds his faith true in his heart.
Shi'as justify the practice using the following verse from the Qur'an:
- Any one who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief,- except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith - but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty. Sura 16:106
Taqiyya, like any other Islamic tenet, has guidelines and limits. According to many Shi'a Muslims, Taqiyya can only be legally used by a Muslim verbally when he or she is being wrongly persecuted. The situation may be when no matter whichever course of action an individual chooses he has to commit an evil. In that case, he should select the lesser evil.
Shi'as cite the first use of Taqiyya historically during the time of Muhammad when Muslims were beginning to be tortured by the Quraishites. 'Ammar bin Yasir, a follower of Muhammad, whose friends had been killed for being Muslim by the Quraish, was confronted by a Quraishite. 'Ammar pretended to renounce Islam and thus saved his life.
Many Sunnis criticize Ammar for his actions or question the reliability of the story. Sunnis cite the examples of many Muslims who were tortured and murdered merely based on their belief during the time of Muhammad, Umayyad and Abbasids but didn't renounce their faith. Sunnis believe that God decides when someone is going to die. Therefore, it's wrong to deny the faith in order to escape torture or death. By contrast, the Shi'a believe that life is a gift from God and should be preserved. In a life-threatening emergency, the preservation of life takes precedence over anything else.
See also: Marrano
External links
- Al-Taqiyya/Dissimulation, from Al-Islam.Org (http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter6b/1.html) (Shi'a site)
- Innovations in Taqiyyah by Mufti of Sipaa Sahaba (http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/taqiyyah/en/index.php) (Shi'a site).
- Regarding Shiite Muslims (http://www.understanding-islam.com/related/text.asp?type=question&qid=2608) A Sunni site with an opinion on Taqiyya (middle of the page).