Middle east/persian gulf defense forum: Shia islam question

Id be delighted.

One save the zoastrian influenced abrahamic for another discussion.

Lets see.

1)Zoastrians had a priesthood which often competed for power with the Shah and the Nobles.
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=75486&rendTypeId=4

Shi'ism has a priesthood which aided by different and opposing groups overthrew the Shah.
[linked image]

2)The zoastrians had several rituals in which one purged darkness from the body, thru self feggelation, one can see this continue on the 10th murhraam the supposed day of Hussein being killed.

3) the Myth of Ali Marrying a persian princess. This allowed shi'ism to follow an alternate path, that of everything we knew before the arabs follows a path thru ali Ali who was usurped by the savage arabs who briefly conqured us.

4) the Cursing of Omar Conqurer of Persia you are aware that those greatest in emnity in the breast of every shia are exactly the same ones who defeated sanassid Iran?

5)http://projects.publicintegrity.org/iranintelligence/Iran%20(D)/html/iran/Persian/Religion.html
Persians perceive Shiism as a unique Persian identity within the Muslim world. The Shi'a traditionally see themselves as the righteous few struggling against the unjust many. Persians interpret their Shi'a faith as another way to stand apart from the Sunni majority and resist the encroachment of neighboring Turks and Arabs.

(U) Iranian Culture and Shiism
(Click graphic for video)
(U) To further make Shiism their own, Persians adopted the legend that Zayn al-Abidin, Imam Husayns son (and Imam Alis grandson), married the daughter of the last Persian king before the Arab conquest, Yazdigird III. They also believe that a Persian named Salman was one of the early Muslims most devoted to Ali and his family. In this way, Shiism was shifted out of its purely Islamic context and linked with the Persian historical tradition.

(U) Sheyk Lotfolah Mosque
(U) Both Shi'a and Sunnis derive their religious laws and practices from the Koran and are expected to give alms, fast during the month of Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Sunnis typically pray five times a day, the Shi'a three. Shiite Islam is distinguished from Sunni Islam by differences in belief about who were the rightful successors to the Prophet Mohammed. The Shi'a believe that Ali, the Prophets cousin and son-in-law, was Mohammeds only rightful successor and that he was murdered by usurpers. As a result of this difference, Persian and other Shiite Muslims worship twelve imams thought to be the Prophets true successors. While the first eleven Imams were martyred, the Shi'a believe that the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, went into hiding in the 9th century. They expect his return to usher in a messianic age in which justice returns to the earth. The name Shi'a is derived from the phrase Shiat Ali (the party of Ali).

(U) To Persian and other Shi'a Muslims, Ali was the Prophets rightful successor. Besides having a family connection to the Prophet, Shi'a believe Ali and his son, Husayn, stood for strength, bravery, and defense of the rights of the oppressed. After Ali's assassination, Husayn carried on the quest for justice and piety, but was himself killed at the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D. Since that time followers of Ali and Husayn have had to suffer persecution by Sunni Muslims for their committment to their faith.

(U) Many attributes of Iranian Twelver Shiism have strong continuity with ancient Iranian Zoroastrian customs and theology. For instance, Iranian Shiism focuses on shrines rather than mosques as the center of religious life. Also, the Shii dichotomy between forces of good beset by the forces of oppression also adopts the Maneachist doctrine. Twelver Shiism, then, is in many ways a continuation, rather than a break, with the ancient Persian heritage.

(U) Husayn's Martyrdom as a Symbol of Suffering, Dissent, and Nationalism

(U) Husayn Holy Shrine in Karbala
(now in Iraq)
(U) In Shiism, there is a rich lore of martyrdom and oppression. The overtones of opposition, martyrdom, and revolt in Shiism set the Shia apart from other Muslims. This sense of Shia difference resonates with the Persian cultural sense of being a unique people who have a distinctive history.

(U) Shiism encourages self-sacrifice in fighting enemies, and contributes to a spirit of resistance against foreign exploitation and domination. In Iran, this resistance is often expressed in the ritualized depiction of the martyrdom of Husayn through passion plays performed during the month of Muharram and at other times of the year. In this way, Shiism often blends with expressions of Persian nationalism.

(U) Husayns death at Karbala in 680 A.D. created a martyr figure with a powerful and lasting emotional appeal. Thus there is a sense of melancholy in Shiism that derives from the suffering and martyrdom of the Imams. This melancholy can erupt in outbursts of deep emotion and passion among Shia Persians, and the month of Muharram is set aside to draw out intense expressions of grief and mourning for Husayn and the other Imams.

The remembrance of Karbala is like a live being which not only grows constantly, but also displays new appearances. It moves with the times. In Iran and among Shia countries, mourning for the Sayyid al-Shuhada (Lord of Martyrs) has always been in the process of expansion and transformation, depending on the conditions of the time, the process of thinking and the situation of the Shiah. Aspects of it (that is, the remembrance of Husayn) are lawful and satisfactory to the original founder, and other aspects are deviating and superstitious.

Remembering Karbala
(U) Conversion to Islam

(U) Persians believe that their conversion to Islam is the proof of Islams divinity. They believe that without Islams divine message, the lowly Arabs would never have been able to conquer the Persian Sassanian dynasty. The fact that so distinguished a culture as Persia could recognize the truth of Islam is itself a testament to Islams perfection. It was only after Persians began to influence Islam that it became a truly great religion, instead of a desert cult of a small Arab clan.

(U) The gradual religious conversion of Persians to Islam was eased by the similarity in beliefs the new religion held in common with Zoroastrianism. Both religions share a belief in monotheism, a struggle between good and evil, the presence of angels, the notion of a Judgment Day, and a promise of justicebeliefs that had been taught first by Zoroaster a millennium earlier and later influenced all the Semitic religions of the region, including Islam.

(U) Yet there were aspects of Islam in conflict with Persian culture. Islam demands that each believers allegiance be given only to Allah and not shared with any cultural or political system. Rather, Islam calls upon the faithful to commit their allegiance to a larger community of Muslims known as the Ummah, which was dominated by Arabs. It also carries a message of equality among all believers. These two concepts introduced anti-royalist elements foreign to early Persian culture that directly challenge the Persian tradition of charismatic kingship and the loyalty Persians historically have felt for their culture and state. Though it did not succeed in eliminating the sacred ideal of the just and virtuous king in Persian culture, tension has remained between these two traditions into the modern period.

Islam is fundamentally opposed to the whole notion of monarchy. Anyone who studies the manner in which the Prophet established the government of Islam will realize that Islam came in order to destroy these palaces of tyranny. Monarchy is one of the most shameful and disgraceful reactionary manifestations.The crimes of the kings of Iran have blackened the pages of history.

Ayatollah Khomeini on Islam and monarchy
(U) Iranian Shiism has also been influenced by many beliefs and practices of Zoroastrianism, the religion of Iran before the Arab conquest. Zoroastrianism, based on the teachings of Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra), is one of the earliest monotheistic religions. Its dualistic doctrine of good in constant battle with evil, and the eventual triumph of the good, influenced every religion in the Middle East, including Islam. The focus of the Zoroastrian maxim good thoughts, good words, good deeds on the individuals actions, however, exerted a stronger influence on Shi'ite Islam, which encourages self-sacrifice, demonstrable virtue, and social justice. This maxim is often repeated by Persians and Iranians of all ethnicities and religions.

(U) Sufism

(U) Persians have a strong mystical tradition that pervades Persian culture and arises out of Sufi teachings and earlier Zoroastrian religious influences. Sufi Muslims seek the truth of God in personal experience and Divine love. Sufis reject materialism and orthodox Islams literal reading of religious texts, in favor of asceticism and direct spiritual experience. Sufis emphasize passion and ecstasy in their love for the divine. They believe God is part of all creation, not transcendent. Through meditation, hypnosis, fasting, dancing, or drumming, Sufis hope to disconnect from the material world and achieve union with God.

(U) Sufi Dancing
(U) The Persian cultural theme of the tension between the internal and the external has its roots in Sufism. Persians believe safety and purity are found in the direction of the internal, whereas danger lies outside. It is Sufi ethic to reject the external world and seek greater rewards in the internal world: purity and knowledge of the self and God. Persians view the compromise of the self in the external world as the source of corruption.

(U) Zoroastrianism

(U) Most contemporary Persians acknowledge Zoroastrianism as an underlying foundation for many of their cultural traditions, even though only a small number of Persians continue to practice Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism was the first religion of the Persian people, and Zoroastrian concepts are deeply embedded in the culture of all Persians. Pre-Islamic Iranian culture and Shiism are intertwined in ways that transcend formal, orthodox religious practice, enhancing the broad influence of both cultural traditions. For example, the common Shiite practice of visiting the shrines of imams and saints extends from a shrine culture that was prevalent in Zoroastrian Iran before the introduction of Islam.

(U) Zoroastrian fire temple
(U) Approximately 0.2 percent of the Persian population (approximately 70,000 people) practice Zoroastrianism as their spiritual faith. These Zoroastrian Persians consider themselves the original and purest Persians. They are primarily located in the city of Yazd in the center of the Persian plateau. Zoroastrians base their beliefs on the teachings of Zoroaster, who is also known as Zarathustra.

(U) Zoroastrianism took root on the Persian plateau around the 6th century BC. The Zoroastrian religion became associated with Iranian state traditions in the time of the ancient king, Cyrus, and later during the second Persian empire. The Zoroastrian holy book, the Avesta, praises truth and order and concludes that man is capable of discerning the right path. This conception of truth and order is captured in the Zoroastrian concept of sacred kingship that is central to Persian culture. In the Zoroastrian formulation, a kings divine right to rule is confirmed by his ability to preside over an ordered, just society. The liberation of his people from want, illness, and disorder is the measure of a kings virtue. If a king abandons divine guidance and justice, he loses his legitimacy to rule.

Good thoughts, good words, good deeds.

Zorastrian Spiritual Credo
(U) Zoroastrianism is characterized by dualistic conception of the cosmos. The Zoroastrian God, Ahura Mazda, is the spiritual embodiment of truth and righteousness but is not all-powerful. Rather, Ahura Mazda is in constant battle with Ahriman, the embodiment of evil. Zoroastrians view this battle as a representation of the internal struggle of man, who must choose between good and truth, or evil. Dualism is expressed in other aspects of the religion, including the conflicting ideas of heaven and hell, a good God and the devil, and light and dark.

(U) Persian Zoroastrians are proud that Zoroastrianism, as one of the first monotheistic religions, significantly influenced the development of later Middle Eastern monotheistic religions, including Christianity and Islam. Zoroastrian concepts of the devil, hell, a future savior, a judgment day, resurrection of the dead, an afterlife, and the individual and worldly struggle between good and evil had a major impact on other monotheistic faiths.

(U) Light is an important symbol to Zoroastrians. Light represents the presence of the good and the divine, and Zoroastrians worship it as a representation of god. Similar to Christian altars, Zoroastrians keep fires perpetually burning in places called fire temples. The fire in the central fire temple in Yazd, the historic center of the religion, has been continuously lit for 1,500 years.

(U) The Persian New Year, Nowruz, is a Zoroastrian holiday celebrating the spring equinox.

(U) The Constitution of Iran provides a seat in the Majlis (National Parliament) directly elected by the Zoroastrian community, as well as one for Jews and Armenians. Though Zoroastrianism was founded in Iran and has had a profound impact on Persian culture, it has the smallest number of official adherents of Irans recognized religions.

[linked image]

"The word As-shams (the sun) is feminine, and Qamar (moon) is masculine. The sun burns itself to give light and life to everything around, and the moon is Muneer, meaning it reflects the light; it radiates the brilliance of the sun. So when we shine as men, the implication is that we are reflecting the glorious light of our women."
~Sheikh Abdullah Adhami

The ones who dedicate the flags to make you brave,
They also consecrate the headstone on your grave,
Ritual remembrance when no one knows your name,
Don't help a single widow learn to fight the pain. Motorhead "No Voices in the Sky"

Shia islam question

Re: Shia islam question

Re: Shia islam question

Re: Shia islam question

Re: Shia islam question

Re: Shia islam question

Re: Shia islam question

Re: Shia islam question

Re: Shia islam question

Re: Shia islam question