The basic tenets of ‘Alawite beliefs
18-4-2015 | IslamWeb
Question:
Salamualykum warhamtu Allahi wa baraktuhWhat are few main points in Alawites belief that contradict the Quran and Sunnah, which are easy and clear to explain to others Jazakum Allahu Khairan
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
The fundamental doctrines of the ‘Alawites (also known as Nusayris) are the following:
1) ‘Ali was entitled to succession; they claimed that Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had pledged allegiance to ‘Ali thrice in secret and once in public.
2) The infallibility of the Imaams; they maintain that the Imaam is in a higher rank than the Prophet because even Prophets are liable to error and sin and that there is no verse in the Quran suggesting otherwise; however, the Imaams are infallible as explicitly stated in the Quran.
3) Taqiyyah - whereby a believing individual can deny his faith or commit otherwise illegal or blasphemous acts when he is in fear or at risk of significant persecution. They hold that concealing their beliefs (in that case) is an aspect of the perfection of their faith.
4) Esoteric knowledge; they believe that they (their Imaams) are solely endowed with esoteric knowledge and therefore their interpretation of the Quran is the absolute truth, and they are the only ones able to uncover its secrets, being infallible.
Based on these fundamentals, they claim a divine triad or trinity, which is the core of ‘Alawite belief. The triad comprises three emanations of the one God: the supreme aspect or entity called the "Essence" or the "Meaning" represented by ‘Ali, together with two lesser emanations known as his "Name" (Ism) or "Veil" (Hijab) represented by Muhammad, and his "Gate" (Baab) represented by Salmaan. They hold that ‘Ali is the Lord of the worlds, and that the Quran is from him and every Prophet who was sent, it was ‘Ali who sent him to speak on his behalf; and he was with every messenger embodied in the image of a guardian of his. They symbolize this triad with the symbol ‘A.M.S, (i.e. Ali, Muhammad and Salmaan).
They also hold that the acts of worship mentioned in the Quran including all the religious obligations and prohibitions therein are actually names of places. The names of the sacred months to them are Faatimah, Al-Hasan, Al-Husayn, and ‘Ali ibn Al-Husayn. They claim that the Day of Judgment is nothing but the return of the hidden Imaam, Saahib Az-Zamaan (the Lord of the Age).
This sect holds corrupt beliefs that have absolutely nothing to do with Islam, and myths and illusions that were never revealed by Allaah Who says (what means): {They are not but [mere] names you have named them – you and your forefathers – for which Allaah has sent down no authority. They follow not except assumption and what [their] souls desire, and there has already come to them from their Lord guidance.} [Quran 53:23]
We supplicate Allaah to safeguard us all from overt and covert tribulations of misguidance.
Allaah Knows best.