[poonnassunlix]

I was doing a little reading on the Habashis last night. and found some quite disturbing information. It is not just from one source, but from many. In fact be they Sufis, traditionalists, Ikhwanis or Salafis pretty much everyone who is a Muslim seems to dislike and distrust them.

It also became clear that the only people who liked them were enemies of Sunni Islam such as Daniel Pipes, the Syrian Regime, Hezbollah etc. and the Habashis friendship patterns suggest that at the top they have quite different motivations than the ones that they claim.

A new group has recently emerged with ambitious thoughts, and a variety of rulings. They are called Ahbash or Habashies (Ethiopians, or Abyssinians), not because they come from that land, but because their leader Abdullah AlHabashy hales from Harare in Somalia.

The Ahbash present their leader to the public as: " the new scholar, a role model for the researchers, and a representative of the scrutineers, the cream of the working scholars, the Imam who narrates traditions, the pious to extreme, the better worshipper, owner of majestic gifts, the elder Abu AbdelRahman Abdullah ben Muhammad ben Yousef ben Abdullah ben Jame' Alharary AlShiby, Al'Abdary the chief jurisprudent of Somalia, born in the city of Harare c 1339 ah / 1920 ad" (note1).

However, those who do not follow the Ahbash say that he is Abdullah AlHabashy, comes from a country the inhabitants of which hate him to an extent that they began referring to him as the father of lies and divisiveness, as per the declaration of one of those related to him, his brother in law, Yousef ben AbdulRahman AlHarary who now resides in the Madina Almunawarra, in Saudi Arabia.

He refers to him thus because of his big part in the rebellion of "Kulub" in Harare with support from Adis Ababa where he helped the enemies of the Muslims, in particular the governor of "Endragy" the brother in law of Hilasilasy, against the Muslim organisations working to the Holy Qur'an in Harare in 1367 ah / 1940 ad. (note 2) http://islamicweb.com/beliefs/cults/habashi_beliefe.htm


This is a segment from an article was first published in the International Journal of Middle East Studies 28 (1996), 217-229.

.... In an unprecedented step in 1992, the Ahbash ran two candidates in Lebanon's parliamentary elections, one of whom, Dr. Trabulsi, won a seat in Beirut. Despite their commitment to pacifism and moderation, the Ahbash are engaged in a life-and-death struggle with what they call "Hizb al-Ikhwan" -the Brotherhood Party" -particularly Fathi Yakan's al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya and its transnational allies.

Beyond their doctrinal and ideological conflicts, al-Ahbash and al-Jama'a have engaged in bloody clashes around the 'Umar al-Kabir Mosque in Sidon and the 'Isa bin Maryam Mosque in Tripoli.79 Spokesmen for al-Jama'a and its Egyptian Islamist allies have denounced Shaykh Habashi as "an individual who plans to divide the Sunnis of Lebanon".80

Yakan has accused the Ahbash of serving Zionism and protecting its interests in the Middle East.81 He has also attacked Habashi for deviating from the Prophet's teachings by following the Mu'tazila and for his categorical rejection of Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and Sayyid Qutb. 82

Yakan further criticizes the Ahbash for their wholesale use of takfir -an accusation of unbelief (kufr) against their enemies; he calls them "the denouncer's faction" (al-firqa al-mukaffira).83

RELATIONS WITH OTHER GROUPS

In contrast to their profound enmity toward Yakan's Jamaa al-Islamiyya, the Ahbash have "normal" and "friendly" relations with Hizballah, while expressing misgivings about the latter's violent activities.84

Despite their doctrinal sympathy with 'Ali and Shi'ism, the Ahbash are careful not to appear too close to the Shi'a, which risks alienating their Sunni constituency, as happened to Shaykh Sha'ban of Harakat al-Tawhid of Tripoli.85

.... the Ahbash and Hizballah concluded an undeclared alliance in Beirut that assured the election of their respective candidates, 'Adnan Trabulsi and Muhammad Burjawi.86

While maintaining amicable ties, the Ahbash have been singularly reluctant to support Hizballah's call for an Iranian-style Islamic order in Lebanon as a substitute for its present consociational system.

In view of their strong endorsement of consociationalism and their opposition to an Islamic state, the Ahbash have found a natural ally in the Amal movement, which also shares with the Ahbash a proSyrian orientation. These shared interests prompted the Ahbash to support the election of Amal leader Nabih Barri as speaker of the Lebanese Parliament. 87

With respect to Lebanon's Sunni religious establishment-the Sunni Juridical Office-the Ahbash maintain an uncooperative attitude. http://ddc.aub.edu.lb/projects/pspa/al-ahbash.html

To those people on Sunniforum who are associated with the AICP/Ahbash, personally if I was you brothers I would run a mile from them and find new teachers, there is something very, very wrong with the leadership of that group.