Lillah thumma lil-Tarikh = Kashf al-Asrar wa Tabriat al-Aimma al-Athar
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dar al-Amal
Lillah thumma lil-Tarikh: Kashf al-Asrar wa Tabriat al-Aimma al-Athar (For God, Then for History: Uncovering the Secrets and Exonerating the Pure Imams) is a polemical book attributed to Husayn al-Musawi, a self-described Twelver Shi'i scholar from al-Najaf, offering an insider critique of Twelver Shi'i doctrines and clerical practices .
Authorship and Background
According to the author's autobiographical introduction, he was born in Karbala and raised in a religious Shi'i household by a father who was a Shi'i scholar . He pursued religious studies in the traditional seminaries (hawza) of al-Najaf, eventually obtaining a certification of ijtihad from the senior jurist Muhammad al-Husayn Al Kashif al-Ghita . In the publisher's preface by Jam'iyyat Salah al-Din al-Khayriyya, dated 14 Safar 1422 AH (May 2001 CE), it is noted that the author used a pseudonym rather than his real name due to fears of assassination or retribution .
The author recounts that he maintained close ties with prominent Shi'i authorities (maraji'), including Al Kashif al-Ghita, Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, Ruhollah Khomeini, and Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din . He mentions being influenced by the critical writings of other figures who challenged prevailing Shi'i doctrines, such as Musa al-Musawi (author of al-Shi'a wa-l-Tashih) and Ahmad al-Katib (author of Tatawwur al-Fikr al-Shi'i), though he noted that unlike them, he opted to remain inside Iraq .
Contents and Methodology
The work is framed as an analytical testimony aimed at defending the Imams of the Prophet's household (Ahl al-Bayt) by exonerating them from beliefs, historical claims, and legal rulings that the author argues were falsely ascribed to them in standard Shi'i collections . The author combines personal anecdotes and private conversations with Najaf scholars alongside citations from authoritative Twelver sourcebooks .
Key subjects discussed in the book include:
- Attitudes toward Ahl al-Sunna: The author argues that classical Shi'i sources and contemporary clerics treat Sunnis as ritual enemies (Nawasib) and deem them ritually impure, recounting personal incidents from his youth and seminary studies .
- Ahl al-Bayt and Early Partisans: Examining reports in works such as al-Kafi that record grievances by the early Imams against the conduct and betrayal of their followers in Kufa .
- Historical Infiltrations: Arguing that historical figures such as Abd Allah ibn Saba and Hisham ibn al-Hakam introduced foreign and corrupting beliefs into Shi'ism, citing classical biographical (rijal) lexicons to argue for Ibn Saba's historical reality against modern Shi'i denials .
- Legal Practices and Clerical Conduct: Criticizing practices surrounding temporary marriage (mut'a), non-traditional marital permissions (i'arat al-farj), sodomy, and the collection of khums, alleging widespread abuse among seminary teachers and religious leaders .
- Genealogy: Questioning the widespread claims of Hashemite descent (sayyid status) among clerics across Iraq and Iran, asserting that lineages were frequently fabricated .
Reception
The book gained widespread circulation in Sunni polemical and educational circles, where it was cited as a primary eyewitness testimony by a former seminary insider against Twelver Shi'i doctrine . Contemporary Sunni researchers frequently cite its excerpts when discussing internal debates over Shi'i jurisprudence and the historical treatment of the Companions . Conversely, the work is strongly rejected by Shi'i interlocutors, who dispute the existence of the author and regard the book and its claims as fabricated anti-Shi'i polemics.
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