The Higher Realms

              In reply to “Hadith of Ghadir Khumm [A Sunni Perspective, by Ibn-Hashmi]"   In the name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful Peace and blessings upon Muhammad (SAW) and his pure progeny I recently read an article posted by ibn al-Hashimi on Ghadir "from a Sunni Perspective".  http://gift2shias.com/2013/10/24/hadith-of-ghadir-khumm-a-sunni-perspective/#comments Unfortunately the article is quiet non-academic in nature and a misrepresentation of one of the most glorious and blessed events in the history of mankind. I will not answer each and everything in the article simply because addressing the main premise will take care of everything else. However, I will comment on the approach that was taken in the article and then move on to answering some of the specific points that were raised. 1)    The article is replete with quotation of comments from Shia forum members. These comments are portrayed as if they are representativ

What is Taqwa? Taqwa is one of the central concepts of Islam and has been repeatedly mentioned in the Holy Quran and the narrations from the prophet and Ahl-ul-Bait. Most people translate Taqwa as fear of Allah, God Consciousness or self-restraint. However, a more concise and linguistically correct definition is as follows. Quoting Shaheed Mutahhari: “ The term   taqwa   comes from the Arabic root “wa-qa-ya” which means “protection” or “support.”   Taqwa   is not meant to mean “fear” or “avoidance”, but because having fear is a prerequisite to protecting oneself from something and to avoid it, it may sometimes refer to having fear.”  “... a person creates a state and power in his soul that gives him a spiritual and moral security. That is, if he does find himself in a situation where the means and causes of sin are around him, that spiritual state protects him and prevents him from committing sins. This is similar to a person who creates a medical immunity in his body s