Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 2 of 2

'Ali ibn Abi Tilib 561
against them when he is not able to do so, but if he is able to do that
verbally, then be should do that. Otherwise he should do that in his
heart, but still he should not lie and say with his tongue something
that is not in his heart; he should practice his religion either openly or
concealing it. Nevertheless, he should still not show agreement with
everything in their religion; rather the most that his taqiyyah may
involve is for him to be like the believer in the household of Pharaoh;
he did not show agreement with them with regard to all of their
religion, but at the same time he did not lie or say anything.
Outwardly pretending to follow the false religion is something else
altogether; Allah (B) did not allow that at all except in the case of
one who is forced and compelled to such a degree that he has to speak
words of disbelief. Allah (&) may excuse him for that, but the
hypocrite and liar will not be excused at all. Moreover, the believer
who lives among the disbelievers and has no other choice and is
concealing his faith should treat them in accordance with the faith in
his heart, on the basis of sincerity, wishing them well even if he does
not agree with their religion, as Yoosuf as-Siddeeq did with the
people of Egypt, who were disbelievers. This is unlike the Rififidi who
does not leave any harmful action that he is able to do without doing
it to those who differ from him."1053
Shaykh S hin al-'Awdah summed up the differences in the
way taqiyyah is understood by Ahl as-Sunnah and the Rzfidis,
saying: "Taqiyyah, for Ah1 as-Sunnah, is a temporq exception that
is different from the norm, but for the Shia it is something that is
obligatory and enjoined until the return of the hidden Imam of Ah1 al-
Bayt. Acting on the basis of taqiyyah, for Ahl as-Sunnah, ends as
soon as the reason for it ends, hut for the Shia, it is an ongoing
obligation for all that will not end until the appearance of their
Mahdi, who will never emerge. The taqiyyah of Ahl as-Sunnah is to
be used with the disbelievers in most cases, although it may be used
with evildoers and oppressors, but the taqiyyah of the Shia is, in