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In Islamic tradition, Taqiyya (التقية - 'fear, guard against')<ref>The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Ed. John Bowker. Oxford University Press, 2000. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed 9 June, 2006.</ref> is the dispensation allowing believers to conceal their faith when under threat, persecution or compulsion. It is based on Qur'an verses 3:28 and 16:106 as well as hadith, tafsir literature, and juridical commentaries.<ref>"Taqiyah" Oxford Dictionary of Islam. John L. Esposito, Ed. Oxford University Press. 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed 9 June, 2006.</ref> 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 word "al-Taqiyya" literally means: "Concealing or disguising one's beliefs, convictions, ideas, feelings, opinions, and/or strategies at a time of eminent danger, whether now or later in time, to save oneself from physical and/or mental injury." A one-word translation would be "Dissimulation."

This concept has sometimes been used by political critics of Islam to suggest that Muslims will routinely lie to anyone who is not a Muslim if it helps them spread the Islamic religion by force. See Taqiyya Libel for more.

Contents 1 Definition 1.1 Rules 2 Qur'an 3 History 3.1 612 3.2 618 4 Muslim view 4.1 Sunni view 4.2 Shi'a view 5 Similar concept in other religions 5.1 Judaism 5.2 Druze 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links

[edit] Definition

[edit] Rules

Taqiyya, like any other Islamic tenet, has guidelines and limits. According to many Shia, 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.

When one is guilty and is trying to conceal his or her guilt, in Islam, he is not said to be using taqiyya, he or she is considered a debauchee.

In the Hadith Volume 5, Book 59, Number 369, we see Mohamed make a specific provision for Muslims to lie if it will help them to kill an enemy.

Allah's Apostle said, "Who is willing to kill Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His Apostle?" Thereupon Muhammad bin Maslama got up saying, "O Allah's Apostle! Would you like that I kill him?" The Prophet said, "Yes," Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Kab). "The Prophet said, "You may say it."

In effect, the practice of al-taqiyya is a resolution to a given aporia or paradox. Namely, the devoutee is forced to choose between on the one hand, the threat or harm of a sacred body (their own, or another’s); and on the other a temporary disavowal of faith, or the sacred word. In either case, a devotee is harmed. Therefore, it is thought that the lesser of two evils is to conceal, while not abandoning one’s faith (the word).

The apparent (profane) and illicit version is the figure that is AWOL, or “absent without official leave”.

Kierkegaard suggests there is no need for such dissimulation when the true believer of faith will act as if… knight of faith. Similarly, if Kierkegaard is right, faithful citizen will always act in total reverence for the law insofar as the word always prevails no matter how absurd experience gets. For an example of such a faith going wrong see Franz Kafka’s The Trial.

[edit] Qur'an

Shi'as justify the practice using the following verse from the Qur'an:^{[citation needed]}

"[Yusufali 16:106]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." <ref>http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/016.qmt.html#016.106</ref>

And the following

"[Shakir 3:28] Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends (awliyaa) rather than believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing of (the guardianship of) Allah, but you should guard (tattaqoo) yourselves against them, guarding carefully (tuqatan); and Allah makes you cautious of (retribution from) Himself; and to Allah is the eventual coming."<ref>http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/003.qmt.html#003.028</ref>

According to the Islamic interpretation of these verses, 3:28 is telling that believers should not take unbelievers as Walis rather than believers; those who do it will lose the wilayat (5:55) of God, that is unless they are using taqiya/protecting themselves, and doing so with caution.

Here is the interpretation of Ibnu Kathir (a Sunnite, relative of Mohammad): “(unless you indeed fear a danger from them) meaning, except those believers who in some areas or times fear for their safety from the disbelievers. In this case, such believers are allowed to show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly.For instance, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Ad-Darda' said, "We smile in the face of some people although our hearts curse them. Al-Bukhari said that Al-Hasan said, "The Tuqyah [i.e. deceptive outward behavior] is allowed until the Day of Resurrection. ( http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=3&tid=8052 )

Also:

(40:28 by Shakir): And a believing man of Firon's people who hid his faith said...

[edit] History

[edit] 612

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This article has been cited as a source or otherwise recommended by the mainstream press. See Wikipedia:Wikipedia as a press source for details.

The first use of Taqiyya historically during the time of Muhammad when, according to Muslim tradition, the Quraishites began torturing Muslims. Ammar ibn Yasir, a follower of Muhammad, whose friends are said to have been killed for being Muslim by the Quraish, was confronted by a Quraishite. 'Ammar pretended to renounce Islam and thus saved his life. According to a canonical hadith, the prophet Muhammad later gave his permission for him to repeat such an act if he was placed in danger again.^{[citation needed]}

Most 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 did not renounce their faith. For example, Ammar's parents had both been tortured and killed in front of Ammar but did not renounce the faith.

Sunnis believe that God decides when someone is going to die. Therefore, they believe it is wrong to deny the faith in order to escape torture or death. By contrast, the Shi'a and some Sunnis believe that life is a gift from God and should be preserved. In a life-threatening emergency, they believe that the preservation of life takes precedence over anything else, in the same way that it is permissible to eat pork during famine.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 618

Sa'id ibn Zayd and Fatimah bint al-Khattab were married and both hid their faith from Umar ibn al-Khattab,^{[citation needed]} until Umar found out they were Muslims. Umar also became a Muslim that same day.

[edit] Muslim view

Muslims have a mixed view of the practice.

[edit] Sunni view

Although Taqiyya is generally thought of as a Shi'a term according to principles defined by Shafi'i theologian al-Ghazali, lying, including protection of oneself or others, is permissible under certain circumstances:

“Speaking is a means to achieve objectives. If a praiseworthy aim is attainable through both telling the truth and lying, it is unlawful to accomplish it through lying because there is no need for it. When it is possible to achieve such an aim by lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible..., and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory. ...One should compare the bad consequences entailed by lying to those entailed by telling the truth, and if the consequences of telling the truth are more damaging, one is entitled to lie…” <ref>Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, The Reliance of the Traveller, translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Amana publications, 1997, section r8.2, page 745</ref>

On the other hand, most Sunnis generally assert that the Shi'a doctrine of taqiyya isn't in accordance with its acceptable use (to save one's life). They assert that Shi'as have been using taqiyya as a tool of deception, not to save their own lives, but to cause strife for the Sunni Calipha (which was resented by Shi'as) and to legitimize their own minority faith in the eyes of a majority by whom it is constantly surrounded.<ref>http://www.amislam.com/khutoot2.htm#TAQIYYAH</ref> They point to the prominent Shi'a work Al Kafi (v9 p116) as evidence to what they call the Shia misuses of taqiyya. It reads, "Mix with them [non-Shi'a] externally but oppose them internally." They say that although taqiyya to save one's life can be considered legitimate at times, the way Shi'as have applied taqiyya by misrepresenting historical occurrences and sayings is forbidden.<ref>http://www.raza.co.za/Deviant%20Sects%20&%20Scholars/Deviant_Shia%20Beliefs.htm</ref> Allegations such as these are found in many Sunni writings, classical and contemporary. For example, in Minhaj as-Sunnah, Shaykh Ibn Tayymiah of the Hanbali school of Sunni jurispudence said to narrate knowledge from everyone but the Shi'a "because they invent ahaadeeth and adopt them as part of their religion."

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, a 13th century Sunni Shafi'i Islamic scholar writes:

Suyuti, a 15th century Sunni Islamic scholar writes:

[edit] Shi'a view

Taqiyya does not constitute a part of either the Shi'a Roots or Branches of Religion, in the same manner as, for example, the Hijab rules do not.

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 <ref>Hujr ibn Adi, for example.</ref>. Doing so would be a violation of the Branches of Religion named tawalla.

As a result of this persecution, the practice of Taqiyya normalized. 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.

Ayatollah Sistani, a 21st century Shi'a Islamic scholar states:

[edit] Similar concept in other religions

[edit] Judaism

Diana Steigerwald,Religious Studies, California State University:

Jewish law allows violation of all laws under duress (ones), save for idolatry, forbidden sexual intercourse, and murder. For the latter, one is expected to give his or her life. There is no actual prohibition against pretending to be an adherent of another religion, unless this would lead to a violation of the aforementioned laws, and Maimonides justified this behavior by the Jews of Yemen in his Iggereth Teiman ("Letter to Yemen"). Under the Spanish Inquistion, following the Reconquista, some Jews in Spain and Portugal publicly professed Catholicism, but more or less remained true to the Jewish faith. They were called Marranos by the Christians.

[edit] Druze

The Druze people have practiced taqiyya for generations, concealing the tenets of their faith from outsiders in order to avoid persecution.

[edit] See also

• Marrano

[edit] References

<references/>

[edit] Further reading

• Bar-Asher, Me'ir Mikha'el (1999). Scripture and Exegesis in Early Imami Shiism. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 90-04-11495-5
• Cook, Michael (2003). Early Muslim Dogma: A Source-Critical Study. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-54572-2
• Daftary, Farhad (1992). The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-42974-9
• Emadi, Hafizullah (1998). The end of taqiyya: reaffirming the religious identity of Ismailis in Shughnan, Badakhshan - political implications for Afghanistan. Middle Eastern Studies. 34(3), 103-120.
• Emadi, Hafizullah (2000). Praxis of taqiyya: perseverance of Pashaye Ismaili enclave, Nangarhar, Afghanistan. Central Asian Survey. 19(2), 253-264.
• Firro, Kais (1999). The Druzes in the Jewish State: A Brief History. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 90-04-11251-0
• Gleaves, Robert (2000). Inevitable Doubt. Two Theories of Shi'i Jurisprudence. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 90-04-11595-1
• Misri, Ahmad ibn Naqib al- (1997). The Reliance of the Traveller, translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Amana Publications.

[edit] External links

• Al-Taqiyya/Dissimulation, from Al-Islam.Org (Shi'a site)
• Innovations in Taqiyyah by Mufti of Sipaa Sahaba (Shi'a site).
• http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/creed_of_shia_explained/en/chap7.php (Shi'a site)
• A critical perspective on dissimulation in Islam (Christian site)
• Regarding Shiite Muslims A Sunni site with an opinion on Taqiyya (middle of the page).
• Shaikh Dimashqia rejects Taqiyya as a Sunni doctrine Requires RealPlayerar:تقية

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