Mystery of the Shia

€œKnowing the contents of this informative book is a necessity for every Muslim. I believe that the contents of this book can have a huge impact on the lives of many Muslims in the West, and it can be a good start for gaining more knowledge about the religion of Islam. I would also encourage the Muslim community to appreciate and support this work. I want to take this opportunity to thank brother Mateen for his hard work and efforts. May Allah (SWT) increase his blessings and bestow His mercy upon him.€

- Sheikh Mustafa Akhound, Imam Ali Center, Springfield VA


The idea that prompted me to write this book was due to the fact that so many new converts to Shia Islam would always ask me why we did things differently than other sects. They would be exposed to different things upon going to various mosques. They would ask me why people pray with their hands by their sides while others would fold their arms, why was the call to prayer different, what is that €œstone€ we prostrate on, etc.? I used to find myself explaining these things on a daily basis, so I decided to write these questions and answers down and share them with people who came to me. That was the first phase of this project. Later on I decided to add the Usul-e-Deen (roots of religion) and Furu-e-Deen (branches of religion) being that these differ from other schools of thought as well. After I looked at what I had put together I thought that this would be a very beneficial piece of information for new converts to Islam. This was designed to help them not only to learn why Shia believe and practice the way we do, but also to learn with clear proofs from the sources. I then proceeded to add a few other chapters to help give a good basic foundation for one to start in their quest for knowledge.

In total this work deals with a variety of topics including:

€ Usul-e-Deen
€ Furu-e-Deen
€ The Word Shia and its Meaning
€ The 30 rights of a Muslim
€ Forbidden acts of a Muslim
€ Some Important Dates and Things to Know
€ Cleanliness in Islam
€ Wudhu
€ Salat
€ Ahadith showing the importance of knowing the Ahl ul Bayt (as)
€ Why we say bismillah aloud in salat
€ Why we say hayya ala khayril amal in adhan
€ Why we dont fold our hands in salat
€ Why we takbir 3 times after salat
€ Why we dont say as-salatu khayrum min nawm in our fajr adhan
€ Why we prostrate on turbah
€ Why we say aliyan waliyallah in our adhan and iqamah