Rafida
Rafida (
Definition
The term Rafida or Rawafid (lit. 'rejectors', sg. Rafidi) broadly refers to those
The term "Rawafid" (lit. 'those who reject', sg. Rafidi) was also used as a derogatory term to describe
Context
By eleventh century, the Shia status as "rejectors of the Truth" was canonized by
Several
History
Origins
Origins of the term Rafida is uncertain. Perhaps the term is linked with the desertion of the
Over time, the term Rafida became a popular pejorative for Imamite Shias, that is, the majority of the Shia community, known today as the Twelvers.[19] For Sunnis, the term signified the rejection of the first three caliphs,[19] whom Twelvers count among infidels for allegedly usurping Ali ibn Abi Talib's right to succeed Muhammad.[22][23] Alternatively, for Zaydi Shias, who follow Zayd's teachings, the term denoted the rejection of Zayd by early Imamites.[19]
Rafida in Sunni tradition
The term Rafida appears in some Sunni traditions. In one such tradition, Muhammad predicts the emergence of a group that would reject (yarfuduna) Islam. In another one, he orders Ali ibn Abi Talib to kill the Rafida for they are polytheists. Elsewhere, the Rafida, who are allegedly similar to Jews, are blamed for introducing into Islam the concept of anthropomorphism (tashbih), which is allegedly a hallmark of Judaism.[4]
Rafida in Twelver Shia tradition
Even though the term Rafida is intended as derogatory, there are several Twelver Shia traditions, attributed to
Rafida in Zaydi Shia tradition
According to Zaydi traditions, Rafida referred to those Kufans who deserted and refused to support Zayd, who had a policy not to condemn the first two Rashidun Caliphs,[24][25] saying he never heard his family call them bad names.[26][27] Zayd ibn Ali considered Ali the best leader after Muhammad, but refused to condemn the caliphate of Abu Bakr and Umar. As a result, the majority of the Kufans deserted Zayd ibn Ali, hence the term Rāfiḍa due to their rejection.[28]
Rafida became a popular pejorative term against Twelvers used by the Zaydi scholars, who criticised their rejection of Zayd ibn Ali.[29] According to Zaydi sources, the term was used by Zayd ibn Ali against some Kufans, because of their rejection of Zayd ibn Ali's claim to Imamate:
"Allah is Most Great! I swear by Allah, you all are the Rafidites mentioned by the Messenger of Allah in his statement: 'After me there will be a people who will reject the jihad with the good of the Ahl al-Bayt and they will say that there is no commanding the good or forbidding the evil! They will mimic in the religion and follow their whims …'"[30]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ "Rāfiḍah". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023.
Rāfiḍah, (Arabic: "Rejectors"), broadly, Shīʿite Muslims who reject (rafḍ) the caliphate of Muḥammad's two successors Abū Bakr and ʿUmar. Many Muslim scholars, however, have stated that the term Rāfiḍah cannot be applied to the Shīʿites in general but only to the extremists among them who believe in the divine right of ʿAlī to succeed Muḥammad and who condemn Abū Bakr and ʿUmar as unlawful rulers of the Muslim community.
- ^ a b c Esposito 2003, p. 262.
- ^ Madelung 2000, p. 112.
- ^ a b c d e f Kohlberg 2012.
- ^ a b Momen 1985, p. 73.
- ^ Amir-Moezzi 2014.
- ^ a b c Nasr 2007, §1.
- ^ a b Yamani 2008, pp. 151–152.
- ^ a b Steinberg 2014, p. 113.
- ^ Jones 2005, p. 21.
- ^ Steinberg 2014, p. 114.
- ^ Shorok 2017, pp. 14–15.
- ^ Steinberg 2014.
- ^ Steinberg 2014, p. 111.
- ^ Ibrahim 2006, pp. 21–22.
- ^ Jones 2005, p. 23.
- ^ Prokop 2003, p. 81.
- ^ Jones 2005, pp. 23–24.
- ^ a b c d e Kohlberg 1979, p. 677.
- ^ Daftary 2013, p. 146.
- ^ al-Abdul Jader 2010, p. 11.
- ^ Dakake 2007, p. 107.
- ^ Friedlaender 1907, p. 22.
- ISBN 9789971775520.
- ISBN 9781139503310.
- ISBN 978-9960892863.
- ISBN 9780748642199.
- ^ حلمي, مصطفى. "Dr". alukah.net. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ Kohlberg 1979, p. 677-679.
- ^ al-Hussein al-Houthi, Allāma Yahya. Al-Jawāb ar-Rāqi 'ala al-Masā'il al-Irāqi. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
Sources
- al-Abdul Jader, A.S. (2010). "The Origin of Key Shi'ite Thought Patterns in Islamic History". In Suleiman, Y. (ed.). Living Islamic History: Studies in Honour of Professor Carole Hillenbrand. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748637386.
- ISBN 9789004269613.
- ISBN 9780857723338.
- ISBN 9780791470336.
- Delong-Bas, N.J. (2004). Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195169911.
- ISBN 9780195125597.
- Friedlaender, I. (1907). "The Heterodoxies of the Shiites in the Presentation of Ibn Ḥazm". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 28: 1–80.
- Ibrahim, F. (2006). The Shi'is of Saudi Arabia. SAQI. ISBN 9780863569036.
- Jones, T. (2005). "The Iraq Effect in Saudi Arabia". Middle East Report. 237: 20–25.
- Kohlberg, E. (1979). "The Term 'Rāfida' in Imāmī Shī'ī Usage". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 99 (4): 677–679. JSTOR 601453.
- Kohlberg, E. (2012). "al-Rāfiḍa". In Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam (Second ed.). ISBN 9789004161214.
- Madelung, W. (2000). "Review of Islamic Legal Orthodoxy: Twelver Shiite Responses to the Sunni Legal System, by D.J. Stewart". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 120/1: 111–114.
- ISBN 9780300035315.
- ISBN 9780393066401.
- Prokop, M. (2003). "Saudi Arabia: The Politics of Education". International Affairs. 79/1: 77–89.
- Shorok, K. (2017). We are Saving Iraq: The Legitimising Discourse of The Popular Mobilisation in Iraq (PDF) (Thesis). University of Oslo.
- Steinberg, G. (2014). "Jihadi-Salafism and the Shi'is: Remarks About the Intellectual Roots of Anti-Shi'ism". In Meijer, R. (ed.). Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement. Oxford Academic.
- Yamani, M. (2008). "The two faces of Saudi Arabia". Survival. 50/1: 143–156.
External links
- rafida.org
- Haddad, F. (2013). "The Language of Anti-Shiism". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2013-08-11.
- Zelin, A.Y.; Smyth, P. (2014). "The Vocabulary of Sectarianism". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2014-03-16.