Ask a Shia

[Karbala]

Salam,


Muslimah:


Shia is just a name which has become popular amongst a group of people. As i said i personally like to refer to myself as "muslim" who happens to follow the way of the Prophet (saw) through his AhlulBayt. Similarly a "sunni" is just a name for a group of people who also claim to follow the way of AhlulBayt. There is nothing wrong with these names even though they are not found in the Quran.


When I say Shia foundation relies on the Quran I meant the core beliefs e.g. Imamah, 'Isma, Tawassul/Shafa'a etc. Hadith is important in explaining these things but that only comes secondary to the Quran. The Quran is the primary judge/ reference. Any dispute or disagreement must first be referred to the Quran and only after the Quran can anything be obtained from Hadith. The hadith is a tool to understand the Quran and not the other way round. There are other tools in understanding the Quran e.g. Aql, empirical science etc. But the ultimate source is the Quran no doubt.


Hence I do not pick and choose Hadith as I desire. I follow rules for verifying information in the light of the Quran. The Quran will always take primary importance in judging any hadith.


I hope you understand what I am trying to say.