Part 71

Even those who study Islamic history mention al-Mu'izz li Deen-Illah alFatimi as if he was one of the heroes of history. All of this is the result of a failure to interpret our history in the light of the proper Islamic creed. In fact, some of the historians who have written our history were influenced by the Orientalist schools or by Rafidi Shiite thought, and they were paid to erase the facts and distort history. The Batini-Islamic conflict is still ongoing nowadays. Ideas do not die; they only change their cloaks. The enemies of Islam are still teaching, in secret and openly, night and day, to put an end to the correct belief which the Ummah received from the beloved Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), his noble Companions and unblemished members of his household, may Allah be pleased with them all. The Maghrebi people's resistance of the 'Ubaydi Fatimid state The Sunni scholars in the Maghreb used various means of resisting Shiite influence, such as passive resistance, debate and dialogue, and armed resistance. There were also other types of resistance such as writing prose, poetry and so on. Passive resistance The first method used by the Sunni scholars of the Maghreb in resisting Shiite trends was passive resistance: collective boycotts by means of which the Maghrebi scholars would have nothing to do with anyone who had any connection to Shiism or the ruling system. This was represented in their boycott of the judges and officials appointed by the state, and those who were able to do so refused to pay taxes to the state.486 Another manifestation of this boycott was their refusal to attend Friday congregational prayers, which had become an occasion when the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) were cursed from the pulpit. For this reason, Friday prayers ceased altogether for a while in Qayrawan.487 Some of the Sunnis thought that praying against the heretics was enough, as in the case of the preacher 4 Abd as-Samad,488 and Abu Ishaq as-Siba'i az-Zahid. The latter used to recite a prayer for healing in which, after reciting al-Fatihah (the first chapter of the Quran), al-Ikhlas (Quran 112) and al-Mi4wadhatayn (Quran 113 and 114), he would say, "And by virtue of my hatred for 'Ubayd-Allah and his progeny, and my love for Your (MESSENGER (SAAW) and his Companions and the members of his household, heal everyone for whom I recite this prayer."489 Yet another example of passive resistance was the boycott and avoidance of everyone who was involved with the ruling powers, who had anything to do with the sultan or who tried to justify their rule, in accordance with the verse 'You [O Muhammad (SAAW) will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred [people].' (Quran 58: 22) One such person was Khalaf ibn Abil-Qasim al-Baradhi'i (d. 400 AH),490 against whom the religious scholars of Qayrawan protested because of his connection to the rulers of Banu 'Ubayd. He used to accept gifts from them, and he even wrote a book to prove that their lineage was sound. Their anger against him increased when they found some poetry praising Bani 'Ubayd written in his own hand:491 Those are people who, when they build, they build well and when they make a promise they fulfil it. Because of all that, the religious scholars of Qayrawan issued a fatwa stating that his books were to be rejected and were not to be read, and as a result he was forced to migrate to Sicily, where he attained a high status in its ruler's court.492 Debate and dialogue Resistance by means of debate and dialogue was the strongest and most prevalent means of opposition demonstrated by the Sunni scholars in the Maghreb against the Rafidi Shiites. Many scholars became famous in the field of these debates about the Islamic belief system. They acted as the voice of the Sunnis, speaking and defending the religion. Among those who featured prominently in the field of debate was Shaykh 'Abdullah ibn atTabban (d. 371 AH). He rose to fame because of his debates with Bani 'Ubayd. People travelled from all over to meet him because of his knowledge of how to defend the way of Ahl as-Sunnah (the 'People of the Sunnah'). In addition to his brilliance in debating, this imam was courageous and did not fear death. Al-Maliki and ad-Dabbagh mentioned that 'Abdullah who was known as al-Muhtal494 the governor of Qayrawan, persecuted the scholars. They met in the house of Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani, and Ibn at-Tabban said to them, "I will go to him (the governor) and sell my soul to Allah instead of you, because if you were to be killed, Islam will be greatly weakened."495 He did indeed go to the governor and establish proof against him and his group, whom he had brought to debate with at-Tabban. After he had defeated them in argument, they were not ashamed to suggest that he join their group, but he refused, saying, "A shaykh who is sixty years old and knows what Allah has permitted and what He has forbidden, and refutes the seventy-two sects,496 and you say that to him?