1. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims
  2. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

6 Questions

What line of argument do the Ahlul Sunnah use to support the belief that Abu Talib (ra) died as a disbeliever? How do the Shi'a respond to it?
Amina Inloes

Sunni view:
(a) He never openly converted
(b) Some quotations from Sunni hadith and history books and interpretations of Qur'an.

Shi'i view:

(a) He was obviously a clear supporter of the Prophet and couldn't have done that if he were openly a Muslim.

(b) Hadith and quotations such as the marriage khutbah he is said to have recited for the Prophet (S) and Khadijah

In my view, the important thing is to maintain respect for him as a human being and not make this into a purely sectarian issue. Often, certain issues are hotly debated between Sunnis and Shi'is not for their own sake, but because they are closet debates aiming to prove "I'm right and you're wrong", which is more about ego or group identity than the actual issue at hand. 

Further details can found rather copiously online!
Was Abu Talib's name Imran? If so, can this be found in any of our books?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

There are different narrations about the real name of Abu Talib (AS).

1. Some say that his name and Kunyah is same : Abu Talib. (Al-Mustadrak Alal Saheehayn byAl-Haakim Al- Nisaboori  Vol 3, P 103).

2. Some say that his name is Shaybah ( Ibn Asaakir in Tareekh Dimishq V 66, P 309). But this claim is very weak among the scholars.

3. Some say that his name is Imran (Ibn Shahr Ashoob in Al-Manaqib 3:43, and Ibn Onbah in Omdatul Talib P 20) and other scholars.

4. Some say that his name is Abd Munaaf and they take the evidence from the will of his father to him in poetry which is narrated in many books like tareekh Al-Ya'qoobi, V 2, P 13, Al-Manaaqib by Ibn Shahr Ashoob  1:34, Al-Fadhaa'el By Ibn Shathaan Al-Qummi 45, Omdatul Taalib by Ibn Anabah 21 and others.

It is possible that his name was Imran and Abd Munaaf , as the society of that time used to give more than one name like Ali and Haidarah were two names for Ameerul Mo'mineen Ali (AS.

Wassalam.