SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Sheikh Abdallah Obeid is one of the leading Shia figures in North America. He is the head of the Voice of Human Justice Association, representative of Ahel Bayet International Assambley, member of the Islamic Shiite Supreme Board and leader of Imam Al-Reda Institution in Montreal-Canada. In a dialogue with SHAFAQNA reporter, he summarized, in few words, the reasons why Shia Islam is the right belief and the right path to follow. He stated:
This question is very wide and has different aspects, but the major thing about Shia is Ahlulbayt, the household of the Prophet (P). In other religions, they have one or two role models. For example, in Christianity, they have the mother as a role model and they have Jesus as a role model, Issa (P). So they cannot have a role model for the whole family, but within Shiism, in the household of the holy Prophet (P), there is a ruler and a role model for everybody. If you talk about the father, he is Muhammad (P), if you want to talk about the husband, he is Imam Ali (A.S), if you talk about the wife as a role model of ladies, she is Fatima al-Zahra (A.S), even the kids Hassan and Hussein and Zainab (A.S), so it’s a complete household. None of the religions and none of the beliefs had that idea that to have a complete family to be an example, except in Shiism. So if you want to talk about the grandfather Muhammad (P), as the grandfather of Hassan and Hussein, if we want to talk about the relationship between father and daughter it’s represented in Muhammad (P) and Fatima (A.S), if we want to talk about the cousin and the supporter and the young man who loved Muhammad (P) we are going to talk about Imam Ali’s (A.S) relation and the Prophet as brotherhood, as relation, as working together, so none of the religions can claim that it has a complete full house for humanity as a role model, except Shiism. If we look at any other beliefs, if we talk about Mosa (P) (Moses) we are going to say Moses and Aeron are two brothers but that’s all, role model for brothers only. If you want to talk about Jesus and Marry, it is a mother and son relation, but there is no father, there is no brother, there is no grandson.
If you come to Islam, the real Islam of Shia, you are talking about a complete family, you are talking about a role model for the family and this is what we believe. Shia is a complete Islam for everybody and a complete solution for the social, political human around the world.
Shiism is the solution, because if Shiism talks about the just leader then you have Imam Ali (A.S), if you want to talk about the president, the leader, the judge, you talk about Muhammad (P) as a role model. If you want to talk about building civilizations, and I can quote from Bernhard when he said: “Whenever I talk about Muhammad, I can find that Muhammad changes nomad society towards a civilization that is one of the leading civilizations”, and lots of thinkers and writers they talk about this Islam to be part of nationwide solution. It is not only a family but it is about building a society.
Islam, and especially Shiism, is the solution for all problems of the humanity, because it had the compete link, the full house for all the solution. Shia talks politics, Shia talks social, Shia talks in marriage, Shia can enter even in counseling the kids, solving the human problems, talking about abortion, which is a major issue in the West, talking about drugs, talking about wine drinking, talking about adoption and everything.
So we can believe as Shia, as Muslims, Islam is a system of life. It is not a religion of practice, it is a complete system of life that if a person follows, it is going to give him the satisfaction in this life, in the grave and then in the hereafter.
Note: contact information of Sheikh Abdallah Obeid is in the attachment below the comments section (PDF file)
