Wikipedia

Rafida: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→‎History: The source clearly views these traditions as weak but this was purposely removed from the article
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit
Tags: Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit
Line 1:
{{Short description|Shia sects which reject the legitimacy of the first three Muslim Caliphs}}
{{italic title}}
'''{{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}}''' ({{lang-ar|رافضة|lit=rejectors|translit=Rāfiḍa}}) is a derogatory nickname applied to the majority of [[Shia Islam|Shia Muslims]] who 'reject' the legitimacy of the first three [[Rashidun caliphate|caliphs]] [[Abu Bakr]] ({{reign|632|634}}), [[Umar]] ({{reign|634|644}}), and [[Uthman]] ({{reign|644|656}}), in favor of [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]] ({{reign|656|661}}), the cousin and son-in-law of the [[prophets in Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]]. Rooted in early Islamic history, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} is used in Sunni polemics against Shi'ism. The charge that Shias have rejected the Truth is frequently cited by [[Islamic extremism|Sunni extremists]] to justify their acts of violence against the Shia community. This nickname has been reinterpreted favorably by some Shia scholars to signify Shias' rejection of their oppressive Sunni rulers.
 
== Definition ==
 
The term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} or {{Transliteration|ar|Rawafid}} ({{lit|rejectors}}, {{singular}} {{Transliteration|ar|Rafidi}}) is a derogatory nickname used by [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslims]] to describe [[Shia Islam|Shia Muslims]], at least those of them who 'reject' the legitimacy of the first three [[Rashidun caliphate|Muslim caliphs]], namely, [[Abu Bakr]] ({{reign|632|634}}), [[Umar]] ({{reign|634|644}}), and [[Uthman]] ({{reign|644|656}}). One after another, these caliphs succeeded the [[prophets in Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]] after he died in 632 [[common era|CE]].{{sfn|Esposito|2003|p=262}}{{sfn|Madelung|2000|p=112}} In particular, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} is applied to [[Twelvers]], who constitute the majority of Shias.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=73}} Twelvers believe that, shortly before he died in 632 [[common era|CE]], Muhammad publicly designated his cousin and son-in-law, [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]], as his successor at the [[Ghadir Khumm]]. According to the Twelvers, early caliphs thus usurped Ali's right to succeed Muhammad. They also believe that Ali was succeeded by [[twelve Imams|eleven of his descendants]].{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}{{sfn|Amir-Moezzi|2014}} Rooted in early Islamic history, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} is still used in Sunni polemics, but has also been reinterpreted favorably by some Shia scholars to signify 'rejection' of all tyranny and the Shia struggle against oppressive Sunni rulers.{{Sfn|Esposito|2003|p=262}} Less commonly, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} has been applied to other Shia sects, such as the {{Transliteration|ar|[[ghulat]]}} ({{lit|exaggerators|extremists}}),{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}} who ascribed divinity to Shia imams, and were excommunicated by them.{{sfn|Momen|1985|pp=67{{ndash}}68}}▼
▲The term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} or {{Transliteration|ar|Rawafid}} ({{lit|rejectors}}, {{singular}} {{Transliteration|ar|Rafidi}}) is a derogatory nickname used by [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslims]] to describe [[Shia Islam|Shia Muslims]], at least those of them who 'reject' the legitimacy of the first three [[Rashidun caliphate|Muslim caliphs]], namely, [[Abu Bakr]] ({{reign|632|634}}), [[Umar]] ({{reign|634|644}}), and [[Uthman]] ({{reign|644|656}}). One after another, these caliphs succeeded the [[prophets in Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]] after he died in 632 [[common era|CE]].{{sfn|Esposito|2003|p=262}}{{sfn|Madelung|2000|p=112}} In particular, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} is applied to [[Twelvers]], who constitute the majority of Shias.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=73}} Twelvers believe that, shortly before he died in 632 [[common era|CE]], Muhammad publicly designated his cousin and son-in-law, [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]], as his successor at the [[Ghadir Khumm]]. According to the Twelvers, early caliphs thus usurped Ali's right to succeed Muhammad. They also believe that Ali was succeeded by [[twelve Imams|eleven of his descendants]].{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}{{sfn|Amir-Moezzi|2014}} Rooted in early Islamic history, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} is still used in Sunni polemics, but has also been reinterpreted favorably by some Shia scholars to signify 'rejection' of all tyranny and the Shia struggle against oppressive Sunni rulers.{{Sfn|Esposito|2003|p=262}} Less commonly, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} has been applied to other Shia sects, such as the {{Transliteration|ar|[[ghulat]]}} ({{lit|exaggerators|extremists}}),{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}} who ascribed divinity to Shia imams, and were excommunicated by them.{{sfn|Momen|1985|pp=67{{ndash}}68}}
 
==Context==
 
By eleventh century, the Shia status as "rejectors of the Truth" was canonized by [[Hanbali]] scholars, who did not grant Islamic rights to Shia Muslims: They were not to be married with, meat slaughtered by them was not [[halal]] (permissible), and they could not lead prayers.{{sfn|Nasr|2007|loc=§1}}{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}} With the fall of [[Abbasids]] in 1258, such attacks on Shi'ism intensified.{{sfn|Nasr|2007|loc=§1}} They are labeled today as infidels or heretics by various [[Salafi]] and [[Wahhabi]] scholars,{{sfn|Yamani|2008|pp=151{{ndash}}152}}{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=113}} considered a bigger threat to Islam than [[Christianity]] and [[Judaism]],{{sfn|Nasr|2007|loc=§1}}{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=113}} and there are frequent calls for their extermination.{{sfn|Jones|2005|p=21}}{{sfn|Yamani|2008|pp=151{{ndash}}152}}{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=114}} On these grounds, some [[Islamic extremism|Sunni Jihadist groups]] have justified their acts of violence against the Shia community.{{sfn|Shorok|2017|pp=14{{ndash}}15}}{{sfn|Steinberg|2014}} A popular reference for these groups is the prominent Hanbali theologian [[Ibn Taymiyya]] ({{died in|1328}}), a staunch anti-Shia who also accused the Shia of conspiring with nonbelievers to destroy Islam from within.{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=111}} In [[Saudi Arabia]], where Wahhabism is the state religion,{{sfn|Ibrahim|2006|pp=21{{ndash}}22}}{{sfn|Jones|2005|p=23}} schoolbooks referred to Shias as the Rafida until 1993. They are still openly denounced in Saudi schoolbooks and state-sponsored media.{{sfn|Prokop|2003|p=81}}{{sfn|Jones|2005|pp=23{{ndash}}24}}
 
Some [[Imami Shi'ism|Imamite Shia]] scholars consider the term to be an honorific title and identify themselves as {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}}.{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}} In the contemporary era, some Shias in Iraq and Lebanon view the term as a source of pride and use it as a symbol of revolt against tyranny.{{Sfn|Esposito|2003|p=262}}
 
==History==
 
===Origins===
Origins of the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} is uncertain. Perhaps the term is linked with the desertion of the Shia rebel [[Zayd ibn Ali]] ({{died in|740}} [[common era|CE]]) by some [[Kufa|Kufan]] Shias, after the former refused to denounce the first two caliphs. They thus 'rejected' Zayd and became known as the Rafida. Zayd's rebellion was subsequently suppressed by the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyads]] and he was killed.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}{{sfn|Daftary|2013|p=146}}{{sfn|al-Abdul Jader|2010|p=11}} Rather than the rejection of Zayd, more likely the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} historically signified the rejection of the first three caliphs by most Imamite Shias.{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=73}}
 
Over time, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} became a popular pejorative for Imamite Shias, that is, the majority of the Shia community, known today as the Twelvers.{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}} For Sunnis, the term signified the rejection of the first three caliphs,{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}} whom Twelvers count among infidels for allegedly usurping Ali ibn Abi Talib's right to succeed Muhammad.{{sfn|Dakake|2007|p=107}}{{sfn|Friedlaender|1907|p=22}} Alternatively, for [[Zaydism|Zaydi Shias]], who follow Zayd's teachings, the term denoted the rejection of Zayd by early Imamites.{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}}
 
==={{transl|ar|Rafida}} in Sunni tradition===
The term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} appears in some Sunni traditions of dubious authenticity. In one such tradition, Muhammad predicts the emergence of a group that would reject ({{Transliteration|ar|yarfuduna}}) [[Islam]]. In another one, he orders Ali ibn Abi Talib to kill the Rafida for they are polytheists. Elsewhere, the Rafida, who are allegedly similar to [[Jews]], are blamed for introducing into Islam the concept of [[anthropomorphism]] ({{Transliteration|ar|tashbih}}), which is allegedly a hallmark of Judaism.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}
 
==={{transl|ar|Rafida}} in Twelver Shia tradition===
Even though the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} is intended as derogatory, there are several Twelver Shia traditions, attributed to [[imamate in Shia Islam|Shia imams]], that reinterpret this term favorably. In one such tradition, Rafida are identified as a small group among the people of [[Pharaoh]] who rejected his rule, undaunted by his threats of punishment. This tradition referenced the verses 7:120{{ndash}}126 and 20:70{{ndash}}75 of the [[Quran]]. Twelver narrations state that the term {{transl|ar|Rafida}} also reportedly appeared in the [[Tawrat]].{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}}
 
==={{transl|ar|Rafida}} in Zaydi Shia tradition===
In some Zaydi sources, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} refers to those Kufans who deserted Zayd because he did not condemn the first two caliphs,{{sfn|Haider|2014|pp=196{{ndash}}197}} saying he never heard his family call them bad names.{{sfn|Suleiman|2010|p=11}} Over time, {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} became a popular pejorative applied to Imamite Shias by Zaydi scholars, who criticized their rejection of Zayd.{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979}}
 
==Footnotes==
Line 42 ⟶ 60:
* {{cite book |author-last=Esposito |author-first=J.L. |url=https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary00bada/mode/2up |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2003 |isbn=9780195125597 |author-link=John Esposito |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite journal|author-last=Friedlaender|author-first= I.|title=The Heterodoxies of the Shiites in the Presentation of Ibn Ḥazm|journal= Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume= 28|year=1907|pages= 1{{ndash}}80|url= https://doi.org/10.2307/592759}}
* {{cite book|title=The Origins of the Shī'a: Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century Kūfa|author-first=N.|author-last=Haider|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2014|isbn=9781107424951}}
*{{Cite book|title=The Shi'is of Saudi Arabia|author-first=F.|author-last=Ibrahim|publisher=SAQI|year=2006|isbn=9780863569036}}
*{{cite journal|author-last=Jones|author-first=T.|title=The Iraq Effect in Saudi Arabia|journal= Middle East Report| volume=237|year= 2005|pages=20{{ndash}}25|url=https://doi.org/10.2307/30042471|url-access=subscription}}
Line 56 ⟶ 73:
* {{Cite thesis |title=We are Saving Iraq: The Legitimising Discourse of The Popular Mobilisation in Iraq |author-first=K. |author-last=Shorok |year=2017 |url=https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/61307/1/Khalil_M-NA4590.pdf |publisher=University of Oslo}}
* {{Cite book|author-last=Steinberg|author-first=G.| chapter=Jihadi-Salafism and the Shi'is: Remarks About the Intellectual Roots of Anti-Shi'ism|editor-first=R.|editor-last= Meijer|title=Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement|year= 2014|publisher=Oxford Academic|url=https://academic.oup.com/book/1728/chapter-abstract/141343162?redirectedFrom=fulltext|url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Suleiman|editor1-first=Yasir|title=Living Islamic History: Studies in Honour of Professor Carole Hillenbrand|date=21 Apr 2010|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=9780748642199|edition=illustrated}}
*{{Cite journal |author-last=Yamani |author-first=M. |title=The two faces of Saudi Arabia |journal=Survival |volume=50/1 |year=2008 |pages=143{{ndash}}156}}
{{Refend}}
 
==External links==
*{{Cite web |last=Haddad |first=F. |date=2013 |title=The Language of Anti-Shiism |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/08/09/the-language-of-anti-shiism/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811064416/http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/09/the_language_of_anti_shiism |archive-date=2013-08-11 |website=Foreign Policy}}
*{{Cite web |author1-last=Zelin |author1-first=A.Y. |date=2014 |title=The Vocabulary of Sectarianism |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/01/29/the-vocabulary-of-sectarianism/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316212559/http://mideastafrica.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/01/29/the_vocabulary_of_sectarianism |archive-date=2014-03-16 |website=Foreign Policy |author2-first=P. |author2-last=Smyth}}
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafida"