Rafida

Rafida (Arabic: رافضة, romanized: Rāfiḍa, lit. 'those who reject') broadly refers to those Shia Muslims who 'reject' the legitimacy of the early Muslim caliphs in favor of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Rooted in early Islamic history, the term Rafida is used in Sunni polemics against Shi'ism.

Several Shia scholars view the term in a favourable light to signify Shias' rejection of whom they regard as oppressive Sunni rulers.

Definition

The term Rafida or Rawafid (lit. 'those who reject', sg. Rafidi) broadly refers to those Shia Muslims who 'reject' the caliphates of Abu Bakr (r. 632–634), Umar (r. 634–644), and Uthman (r. 644–656). One after another, these caliphs succeeded the Islamic prophet Muhammad after he died in 632 CE.

The term "Rawafid" (lit. 'those who reject', sg. Rafidi) was also used as a derogatory term to describe Shia Muslims. In particular, the term Rafida applied to Twelvers, who constitute the majority of the Shia community. Twelvers believe that, shortly before he died in 632 CE, Muhammad publicly designated his cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, as his successor at the Ghadir Khumm. According to the Twelvers, early caliphs thus usurped Ali's right to succeed Muhammad. They also believe that Ali was succeeded by eleven of his descendants. Rooted in early Islamic history, the term Rafida is still used in Sunni polemics, but has also been reinterpreted favorably by some Shia scholars to signify 'rejection' of all tyranny and the Shia struggle against whom they consider as oppressive Sunni rulers. Less commonly, the term Rafida has been applied to other Shia sects, such as the ghulat (lit. 'exaggerators' or 'extremists'), who ascribed divinity to Shia imams.

Context

By eleventh century, the Shia status as "rejectors of the Truth" was canonized by Hanbali scholars, who did not grant Islamic rights to Shia Muslims: They were not to be married with, meat slaughtered by them was not halal (permissible), and they could not lead prayers. With the fall of Abbasids in 1258, such attacks on Shi'ism intensified. They are labeled today as infidels or heretics by various Salafi and Wahhabi scholars, considered a bigger threat to Islam than Christianity and Judaism, and sometimes, there are frequent calls for their extermination. On these grounds, some Sunni Jihadist groups have justified acts of violence against the Shia community. A popular reference for these groups is the prominent Hanbali theologian Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328), a staunch anti-Shia who also accused the Shia of conspiring with nonbelievers to destroy Islam from within. In Saudi Arabia, where Wahhabism was officially promoted by the state, schoolbooks referred to Shias as the Rafida until 1993. They are still openly denounced in Saudi schoolbooks and state-sponsored media.

Several Imamite Shia scholars consider the term to be an honorific title and identify themselves as Rafida. In the contemporary era, many Shi'ites in Iraq and Lebanon view the term as a source of pride and use it as a symbol of revolt.

History

Origins

Origins of the term Rafida is uncertain. Perhaps the term is linked with the desertion of the Shia rebel Zayd ibn Ali (d. 740 CE) by some Kufan Shias, after the former refused to denounce the first two caliphs. They thus 'rejected' Zayd and became known as the Rafida. Zayd's rebellion was subsequently suppressed by the Umayyads and he was killed. Rather than the rejection of Zayd, more likely the term Rafida historically signified the rejection of the first three caliphs by most Imamite Shias.

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. For Sunnis, the term signified the rejection of the first three caliphs, whom Twelvers count among infidels for allegedly usurping Ali ibn Abi Talib's right to succeed Muhammad. Alternatively, for Zaydi Shias, who follow Zayd's teachings, the term denoted the rejection of Zayd by early Imamites.

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.

Rafida in Twelver Shia tradition

Even though the term Rafida is intended as derogatory, there are several Twelver Shia traditions, attributed to Shia imams, that reinterpret this term favorably. In one such tradition, Rafida are identified as a small group among the people of Pharaoh who rejected his rule, undaunted by his threats of punishment. This tradition referenced the verses 7:120–126 and 20:70–75 of the Quran. Twelver narrations state that the term Rafida also reportedly appeared in the Tawrat.

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, saying he never heard his family call them bad names. 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.

Rafida became a popular pejorative term against Twelvers used by the Zaydi scholars, who criticised their rejection of Zayd ibn Ali. 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 …'"

See also

• Criticism of Twelver Shia Islam
• Shia–Sunni relations
• Succession to Muhammad
• Takfir
• Words to denote religious opponents
• Al-Azhar Shia Fatwa

Sources

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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.