The President of Iran and the Shia Belief in the "Lost Cause"
By John Baker

Islam is divided up into many different sects, however the two largest sects are: The Shias (20%) and the Sunnis (70%).

To understand Iran, its President and his harsh rhetoric you must understand the differences between these two sects of Islam.

The main concentration of Shia Muslims is in Persia (Iran) and South East Asia, a little more than 80% of the Iranian Muslim population are Shia Muslims. A sense of exclusiveness characterizes the Shias. the Shia see themselves as an “elect” (al-khassa) living among the generality (al-amma) of Muslims, according to Shia Scholars.

Shia Belief revolves around the figure of Ali. A cousin of Muhammad the “Prophet” . Ali was the first male Muslim, and he was the son-in-law of Muhammad. He was the last of the four early Caliph’s who succeeded Muhammad as the rulers of Islam. Ali’s “charisma”, said to comprise of personal “chivalry” and “wisdom” is revered by Shia Muslims. Muhammad was supposed to have said of him, “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate”. Ali his wife Fatima (daughter of Muhammad, and namesake of the village in Portugal where the Catholic “Visions of Fatima” supposedly occurred) and their two sons: Hassan and Hussain, are the key figures in Shia tradition. They are also widely revered by Sunni Muslims.

The Shia’s believe that Muhammad chose Ali as his successor and that he should have therefore been the first caliph. The only caliph that both Shias and Sunni’s accept is Ali. In particular the Shias reject the first three caliphates of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman.

To non-Muslims the causes of the Shia split with the Sunnis may appear obscure, but these are central to the parting of the ways. Shias believe that Ali should have been the first caliph of Islam not merely the fourth one – not only because he richly deserved the appointment but because he was Muhammad’s son-in-law. If Ali had been the first caliph, then his son Hussain would then have been caliph in place of Yazid, the very man who ordered Hussain’s death at Karbala.

The events of Karbala are of deep significance to Shias. After both his father and elder brother Hassan had been assassinated, Hussain led his family and followers against the caliph Yazid’s army at Karbala in 680, but they faced impossible odds. Hussains army of just seventy men were slaughtered on the battlefield by an army of thousands, and after the battle Hussains body was beheaded.

The idea of the martyrdom is crucial to Shias, who believe that, starting with Ali himself, all except one of the twelve Imams (that is, Ali and his direct descendents) were martyred. Loyalty to the ahl-al-abyt (the house of Muhammad) or Ali and his descendents – is at the core of the sect. The word Shia itself derives from “partisans” or group of supporters of Ali.

Shias believe that the each new leader of the community should be chosen by the previous Imam and they believe that he should be a descendent of Muhammad and thus Ali. For the Sunnis the caliphs held mainly political power. For the Shias their religious authority is far more important. . They could therefore regard Ali’s son Hassan as their Imam even when he had no political influence.

The Shia heartlands would remain in the region where the deaths of Ali and Hussain took place – present day Iraq and Iran. In particular the death, and in the manner it took place, of Hussain and his followers at Karbala ( the city of Karbala is in Iraq) have helped shape the Shia worldview. The need to stand up against all odds on a matter of principle, the readiness for martyrdom, total passion, disregard for death and acceptance of tragedy are familiar aspects of Shiism. It is termed by scholars as the “Karbala paradigm” or the “lost cause” paradigm. Iran’s foreign policy reflects this “lost cause” mentality and explains the President of Iran’s hard line stance, and how he views the world.

The main branch of modern Shiism is the Ithna Ashari or twelve Imam Shiism (twelvers) the majority of Shias in Iran and Iraq are twelvers including the President of Iran. According to this sect, the line of descent from Ali ended with the twelfth Imam, who is believe by Shias to not be dead but hidden (He was supposed to have went into hiding in 874 AD). I have spoken of the 12th Imam in a previous post. The 12th Imam is the Islamic “Messiah” (righteous descendant of the “Prophet” Mohammad, and from the same Arab tribe as Muhammad: the Banu Hashim, from which the Royal Family of Jordan claims descent). The concept of the hidden 12th Imam reinforces loyalty to the house of Ali through the belief that the 12th Imam will return one day as the Al-Mahdi (the expected one). It also strengthens the role of the Ulema (Shia community). For during the absence of the Imam the community was to await his return and be guided by its religious experts or Faqihs (Islamic Jurists). The Ayatollah Khomeini who came to power in Iran after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 was one such Faqih. And an Islamic council of Faqih’s are the ones who wield the main power in Iran today.

The Imam in Shiism is both the Political leader and religious guide who is himself “divinely” guided. He is the final authoritative interpreter of Allah’s will as formulated in Islamic Law, and thus has almost unlimited power. This concentration of power of religious authority is unique to the Shia and not accepted by the Sunnis. For Sunnis religious authority required to interpret lies in the consensus (ijma) or collective judgment of the community.

The Sunnis and Shias have divergent interpretations of history. For Sunnis, early Islamic success and power were signs of Allahs guidance and rewards to a faithful community as well as validation of Muslim belief and claims. For Shias, history was the enactment of the struggle and sacrifice of an oppressed and disinherited minority community endeavoring to restore Allahs rule over the entire earth. The struggle was to be lead by the Imam. The Shia were to struggle in Allah’s way, irrespective of the forces of “evil” ranged against them. The lives of the Imams were seen as embodying this struggle. Their martyrdom especially that of Ali and Hussain gave the Shia a model.

This leaves western nations with a paradox in dealing with Iran and its nuclear program. The more the western nations put pressure on Iran to abandon its Nuclear program the more Iran retreats into its “Karbala Paradox” view of the world. Viewing itself as being “persecuted” by the jahiliyyah societies (countries in a “State of Ignorance of the Guidance of Allah”). And this is how Iran and its President view the United States and not only the other western nations but other Muslim nations that do not have a government led by Faqih’s (Islamic Jurists) dispensing justice via Islamic Sharia Law.

But if the western nations led by the United States ease up the pressure on Iran, This allows Iran to pursue the primary goal of Islam and that is to overthrow all of the governments of the world who do not submit to Islamic Sharia law. As Islam regards the all people and nations of the world as three types of people: those who fight against Islam, those who have submitted to Allah and become Muslims and those who have submitted to Islamic rule but have remained in their own religion and pay the jazyah (infidel tax).

What is doubly dangerous about Iran’s President, since he is a twelver is that he has no qualms about starting a World War, as he believes that if enough Islamic blood is spilt and enough Muslims die it will bring the Al-Mahdi (the Expected one, the Islamic Messiah) forth to assist the Muslims in defeating the jahiliyyah societies, all other Religions and make the World Islamic and fully submitted to Allah.

(portions of this adapted from “Living Islam” by Akbar S. Ahmed)