al-Shia wa al-Tashih
- Author died
- 1417 AH
- Editions
- al-Shia wa al-Tashih
al-Shia wa al-Tashih: al-Siraʿ bayn al-Shia wa al-Tashayyuʿ ("The Shiʿa and Correction: The Conflict Between the Shiʿa and Shiʿism") is a reformist treatise by the Iraqi Shiʿi author Musa al-Musawi (d. 1417 AH / 1997 CE), examining theological doctrines, historical developments, and juristic practices within Twelver Shiʿism and advocating internal doctrinal reform.
Background and Purpose
Al-Musawi grew up in the household of the supreme religious authority of the Shiʿi community, his grandfather Sayyid Abu al-Hasan al-Musawi. In the book's preface, the author presents the work as a call addressed to Shiʿis across all eras and regions, aimed at bridging the sectarian rift with Sunnis and returning Shiʿism to its early foundational principles. He asserts that the true core of tashayyuʿ—defined as love for Ali ibn Abi Talib and the Prophet's household (Ahl al-Bayt)—is distinct from the historical distortions that subsequently developed within the community. The book was published in Los Angeles in 1987 CE (1408 AH).
Themes and Contents
Al-Musawi divides the historical development of sectarian conflict into three main epochs: the intellectual conflict that emerged after the Major Occultation (al-Ghaybah al-Kubra); the emergence of the Safavid state under Shah Ismail I in 907 AH; and contemporary doctrinal disputes.
The book addresses several major doctrinal and juristic issues:
- Caliphate and the Companions: The author argues that belief in Ali's entitlement to the caliphate does not by itself preclude harmony with Sunnis, pointing to the Zaydiyya as an example. He contends that the primary source of sectarian strife is the disparagement and condemnation directed by Imami literature toward the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the Mothers of the Believers.
- Critique of Doctrinal Exaggeration (Ghuluw): Al-Musawi critiques various doctrines attributed to the Imams in major classical Shiʿi hadith works—such as al-Kafi, al-Tahdhib, al-Istibsar, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, and Wasa'il al-Shia. He calls for purging these texts of exaggerations, particularly claims of absolute infallibility (ʿismah), divinely bestowed knowledge (al-ʿilm al-ladunni), divine inspiration (ilham), foreknowledge of the unseen (al-ikhbar bi-l-ghayb), and rituals involving the veneration of shrines.
- Eschatology and Narrations on the Mahdi: He reviews the history of the Minor Occultation and Major Occultation, while rejecting violent apocalyptic reports attributed to Muhammad al-Baqir and Ja'far al-Sadiq regarding the return (rajʿah) and vengeance against early Muslim figures.
- Friday Prayer: The author criticizes the widespread omission of Friday congregational prayer (Salat al-Jumʿah) among Shiʿis, urging the public to establish it or join congregations where it is held.
- Financial and Political Doctrines: He questions the extension of the khums tax to regular commercial earnings and critiques the contemporary doctrine of the Guardianship of the Jurist (Wilayat al-Faqih).
- Mourning Practices: Al-Musawi condemns violent Ashura mourning rituals, such as striking heads with blades (tatbir), stating that these customs were imported from India during the British colonial era and exploited by colonial authorities to present Muslims as uncivilized.
Reception
The book received significant attention in comparative sectarian studies. Contemporary Sunni writers frequently cite it as an internal critique that exposes contradictions in classical and modern Shiʿi positions from the pen of an author originating from a leading Shiʿi family. At the same time, commentators note that al-Musawi wrote as a reformist who still maintained the validity of Shiʿism and Jaʿfari jurisprudence in principle, seeking to eliminate what he viewed as alien accretions and to align Shiʿi practice more closely with the broader Muslim community.
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