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Within Shi'ite Islamic tradition,^[1] the concept of Taqiyya (التقية - 'fear, guard against')^[2] refers to a dispensation allowing believers to conceal their faith when under threat, persecution or compulsion.^[3]

The word "al-Taqiyya" literally means: "Concealing or disguising one's beliefs, convictions, ideas, feelings, opinions, and/or strategies at a time of imminent danger, whether now or later in time, to save oneself from physical and/or mental injury." A one-word translation would be "Dissimulation." ^[4]

Definition

Rules

According to many Shia, Taqiyyah can only be legally used by a Muslim verbally when he or she is being wrongly persecuted. The situation may be when revealing the truth is more important than saving one's life. In such a case, one must not conceal the faith and must uphold the truth. When one is guilty and is trying to conceal his or her guilt he is not said to be using taqiyyah, he or she is considered a liar and Taqiyyah isn't valid in this case. In effect, the practice of al-taqiyyah is a resolution to a given aporia or paradox. Namely, the devotee 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).^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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." ^[5]

And the following

"[Yusuf Ali 3:28] Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah: except by way of precaution, that ye may Guard yourselves from them. But Allah cautions you (To remember) Himself; for the final goal is to Allah."^[6]

Ibn Kathir says:“(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 is allowed until the Day of Resurrection. ( http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=3&tid=8052 )

History

612

According to Twelver Shia, the first use of Taqiyya historically took place during the time of Muhammad when the Quraishites began torturing Muslims. Ammar ibn Yasir, a follower of Muhammad, whose parents were tortured in front of him by the Qurashis has renounced Islam & praised the Qurashi God "Hubal" to save his parents' lives. Yasir's parents were killed in front of him in the end, because they didn't renounce Islam. 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 as it might weaken one's faith and belief. By contrast, the Shi'a and some Sunnis believe that life should be preserved. In a life-threatening emergency, they believe that the saving of one's life takes precedence over anything else.^{[citation needed]}

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.

Muslim view

Muslims have a mixed view of the practice.

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…” ^[7]

The full text of al-Ghazali's book Ihya ulum al-din, is available from alwaraq.net. A copy of the relevant chapter, Ma yurakhkhas min al-kadhib-The extent to which lying is permitted, is also available. A loose translation of some of the passages follows:

Speech is a means to ends. If a praiseworthy end can be achieved by both truth and falsehood, then lying is forbidden. If a praiseworthy end can be achieved only by lying, then it is permissible provided that the achievement of the intended goal is permissible. Lying is mandatory if the intended goal is mandatory, for example, if lying would protect the life of a Muslim. So if telling the truth entails revealing the location of a Muslim hiding from a tyrant, then lying is mandatory, although lying should be avoided if possible.Prophet Muhammed said: "He who is silent on the truth is a mute devil."
[One should try to avoid lying] because one should not open the door of lying to the soul, as it may be tempted to lie in unnecessary situations, and lying is a priori impermissible except in extreme circumstances.

The evidence for the exception in the case of extreme circumstances is the narration of Um Kulthuum who said, "I've never heard the Messenger of God صلى الله عليه و سلم permit any degree of lying except in three circumstances: reconciliation, war and one spouse to another."

So these three circumstances have explicit textual support. Similarly, other praiseworthy goals fall into the same category. For example, if a tyrant asks a person about his property to take it away unjustly, it is permissible to lie about it. If a ruler asks about a sin a man has committed between himself and Alimighty God, then he has the right to deny it. So he may say, "I did not fornicate" and "I did not steal."

As for the reputation of others, he should also deny [that they did shameful actions].

The bottom line is that lying is impermissible, yet in these aforementioned cases, telling the truth results in situations that are also impermissible. So one must compare one with the other and judge accurately. If a person knows that the damage from telling the truth is worse from the point of view of God's commandments, he is permitted to lie. If the goal of lying is less important than the goal achieved from telling the truth, a person must tell the truth. And a person may not be able to determine which side of the situation has more validity. In this case he should lean towards telling the truth because the rule is that lying is impermissible except for extreme duress, and if one is not able to be certain of the duress, lying remains impermissible. Furthermore, since knowing degrees of value is difficult, a person should be careful to avoid lying if at all possible. And if the harm would befall him personally [as opposed to befalling others], then it is better to abandon one's own goals and needs and refrain from lying. If the harm would befall others, it is essential not to take that harm lightly and cause it to befall them. Most of people's lies are for their own selfish ends such as property and position, the loss of which [does not justify lying].

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.^[8] 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.^[9] 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."

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(and still are)the minority and severely persecuted and oppressed by extremist Sunni rulers(especially the Ismailis.^{[citation needed]} Shi'as say that Sunnis would sometimes force them to curse the Twelve imams that Shias believe are a part of the House of Ali - believing that no devout Shi'a could commit such an act ^[10]. As a result, 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:

1) Taqiyah is done for safety reasons. For example, a person fears that he might be killed or harmed, if he does not observe Taqiyah. In this case, it is obligatory to observe Taqiyah.

2) Reconciliatory Taqiyah. This type of Taqiyah is done when a person intends to reconcile with the other side or when he intends to soften their hearts. This kind of Taqiyah is permissible but not obligatory.
3) Sometimes, Taqiyah may cause a more important obligation to be lost or missed, if so it is forbidden. For example, when I know that silence would cause oppression and infidelity to spread and will make people go astray, in such a situation it is not permissible to be silent and to dissimulate.

4) Sometimes, Taqiyah may lead to the death of an innocent person. If so, it is not permissible. It is therefore haram (forbidden) to kill another person to save your own life.^[11]

References

^ Kohlberg (1977) p. 395
^ The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Ed. John Bowker. Oxford University Press, 2000. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed 9 June, 2006.
^ "Taqiyah" Oxford Dictionary of Islam. John L. Esposito, Ed. Oxford University Press. 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed 9 June, 2006.
^ http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter6b/1.html
^ http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/016.qmt.html#016.106
^ http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/003.qmt.html#003.028
^ Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, The Reliance of the Traveller, translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Amana publications, 1997, section r8.2, page 745
^ http://www.amislam.com/khutoot2.htm#TAQIYYAH
^ http://www.raza.co.za/Deviant%20Sects%20&%20Scholars/Deviant_Shia%20Beliefs.htm
^ Hujr ibn Adi, for example.
^ Ayatollah Sistani's official website

External links

Al-Taqiyya/Dissimulation, from Al-Islam.Org (Shi'a site)
Innovations in Taqiyyah by Mufti of Sipaa Sahaba (Shi'a site).
The Shi'a concept of Taqiyyah (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 RealPlayer
Lying in Islam - By Abdullah Al Araby (non-Muslim perspective)
The Taqiyya Libel Against Muslims- by Sheila Musaji, editor of The American Muslim [1] (Muslim Perspective)

[1] Kohlberg (1977) p. 395

[2] The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Ed. John Bowker. Oxford University Press, 2000. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed 9 June, 2006.

[3] "Taqiyah" Oxford Dictionary of Islam. John L. Esposito, Ed. Oxford University Press. 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed 9 June, 2006.

[4] ttp://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter6b/1.html

[5] ttp://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/016.qmt.html#016.106

[6] ttp://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/003.qmt.html#003.028

[7] Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, The Reliance of the Traveller, translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Amana publications, 1997, section r8.2, page 745

[8] ttp://www.amislam.com/khutoot2.htm#TAQIYYAH

[9] ttp://www.raza.co.za/Deviant%20Sects%20&%20Scholars/Deviant_Shia%20Beliefs.htm

[10] Hujr ibn Adi, for example.

[11] Ayatollah Sistani's official website

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@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 <blockquote>
-Speech is a means to ends. If a praiseworthy end can be achieved by both truth and falsehood, then lying is forbidden. If a praiseworthy end can be achieved only by lying, then it is permissible provided that the achievement of the intended goal is permissible. Lying is mandatory if the intended goal is mandatory, for example, if lying would protect the life of a Muslim. So if telling the truth entails revealing the location of a Muslim hiding from a tyrant, then lying is mandatory, although lying should be avoided if possible. [One should try to avoid lying] because one should not open the door of lying to the soul, as it may be tempted to lie in unnecessary situations, and lying is a priori impermissible except in extreme circumstances.<br><br>
+Speech is a means to ends. If a praiseworthy end can be achieved by both truth and falsehood, then lying is forbidden. If a praiseworthy end can be achieved only by lying, then it is permissible provided that the achievement of the intended goal is permissible. Lying is mandatory if the intended goal is mandatory, for example, if lying would protect the life of a Muslim. So if telling the truth entails revealing the location of a Muslim hiding from a tyrant, then lying is mandatory, although lying should be avoided if possible.Prophet Muhammed said: "He who is silent on the truth is a mute devil."
+ [One should try to avoid lying] because one should not open the door of lying to the soul, as it may be tempted to lie in unnecessary situations, and lying is a priori impermissible except in extreme circumstances.<br><br>
 The evidence for the exception in the case of extreme circumstances is the narration of Um Kulthuum who said, "I've never heard the Messenger of God صلى الله عليه و سلم  permit any degree of lying except in three circumstances: reconciliation, war and one spouse to another."<br><br>