Mustabsir

A mustabṣir (Arabic: المُستَبصِر) is someone who has converted from another religion or sect to the Twelver Shia faith. The issue of the "mustabsir" is discussed extensively in hadith books and various sections of jurisprudential texts, with specific rulings provided. For instance, according to fatwas of Shia jurists, the acts of worship that a "mustabsir" performed according to their previous faith do not need to be repeated after converting to Shia, except for "zakat of property" and the"zakat al-fitr", which must be paid again if they were given to a non-Shia.

Some well-known "mustabsirs" include 'Ali b. Mahziyar al-Ahwazi, Muhammad b. Mas'ud al-'Ayyashi (the author of Tafsir al-'Ayyashi), Muhammad Khudabanda, the Ilkhanid ruler, Sayyid Muhammad Tijani, and Ibrahim Zakzaky, the leader of the Shia community in Nigeria.

Definition of "mustabsir" and its usage in jurisprudential and hadith texts

In Shia culture, a mustabsir refers to someone who, through research and reasoning, converts from one of the Islamic sects or divine religions to the Twelver Shia. Fadl b. Hasan Tabrisi, a Shia exegete, defines a mustabsir in Majma' al-Bayan as someone who is rational and can discern truth from falsehood through reasoning and thought. Istibsar means becoming aware and insightful in religion.

The rulings about mustabsirs have been discussed in various jurisprudence discussions, such as daily prayer, fasting, zakat, hajj, inheritance, and retribution. The rulings of mustabsirs have been mentioned in the fatwas of Ibn Abi 'Aqil 'Ummani (d. 329 AH), who lived during the Minor Occultation, and Ibn Junaid, a 4th-century AH jurist. In the Four Major Hadith Books, hadiths related to mustabsirs are mentioned in chapters such as zakat and hajj. Additionally, many fiqh sources discuss the non-obligation of making qada of the acts of worship performed by mustabsirs.

According to the fatwa of the author of Jawahir, the rulings of Istibsar apply to all Muslim sects, including those deemed to be disbelievers, such as the Nasibis and the Ghulat; however, Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Tabataba'i Yazdi in ‘Urwat al-Wuthqa does not consider the rulings of istibsar to include the Ghulat.

Ruling on the previous acts of worship of the mustabsir

Some of the fatwas of Shi'a jurists regarding the previous acts of worship of a mustabsir are as follows:

Daily prayers and fasts before istibsar: According to the fatwas of Shi'a jurists, a mustabsir does not need to perform qada of any acts of worship performed before istibsar, except for zakat, provided that the previously performed acts were valid according to the mustabsir’s previous sect.

Missed daily prayers and fasts: According to the fatwa of most Shi'a jurists, it is obligatory for a mustabsir to perform qada of the daily prayers and fasts they did not perform before their conversion or performed contrary to their previous sect. However, Husayn Al 'Usfur (d. 1216 AH), a jurist and hadith scholar, believes there is no obligation to perform qada of these daily prayers and fasts.

Hajj: A mustabsir is not required to perform qada of the hajj that they performed according to their previous sect. However, some jurists, such as the author of Jawahir, Shaykh Tusi, and 'Allama Hilli, have stipulated that the mustabsir’s hajj must not have violated any of the essential pillars of hajj according to Shi'a.

Zakat on property and zakat al-fitra: If a mustabsir has given the zakat of their wealth to the followers of his previous sect before their istibsar, it is obligatory to pay it again; however, if they have given it to Shi'as, there is no obligation to pay it again, although Mohammad Taqi Amoli has held the view that in this case too, zakat must be paid again. According to the fatwa of Shahid Awwal in the book Al-Bayan, if one has given their zakat to a non-Shi'a and later becomes a mustabsir while the zakat object remains intact, they can take it back. The ruling for zakat al-fitra is similar to that of zakat on the property.

The ruling on the non-worship acts of a mustabsir

The ruling on the non-worship acts of a mustabsir, according to the Shi'a jurists, is as follows:

A new marriage of a mustabsir after istibsar (considering that the Tawaf al-Nisa has not been performed) has no problem and is valid.

Ruling on Divorce of a mustabsir: If a mustabsir divorces his wife according to their own sect before his istibsar, and this divorce is not considered valid by Shi'a, then based on the fatwa of Sayyid Mohsen Hakim (died: 1390 AH), the divorce is not valid, and he can return to that woman after istibsar without a new marriage contract. However, according to the view of Shaykh Tusi, the divorce is valid, and separation occurs.

Ruling on vows, covenants, oaths, and endowments: If a vow, covenant, or endowment made by the mustabsir before their istibsar is not valid according to Twelver Shi'a, then acting upon it is not obligatory. However, if it is valid according to Twelver Shi'a, it is obligatory, even if it was considered invalid according to their previous sect.

The impact of istibsar on purity or impurity: According to the fatwa of the author of Jawahir, if a mustabsir has washed something impure according to Shi'a rulings before their istibsar, there is no need to wash it again after istibsar; but, if they had washed it according to their previous sect, which is contrary to Shi'a rulings, then it is obligatory to wash it again.

Famous mustabsirs

Ali b. Mahziyar Ahwazi: He was a close companion of Imam Javad (a) and Imam al-Hadi (a), who was originally Christian and later converted to Shia Islam.

Muhammad b. Mas'ud 'Ayyashi: He was a Shi'a commentator on the Qur'an in the 4^th century AH and the author of Tafsir 'Ayyashi. He was initially Sunni.

Jalal al-Din Muhammad b. Sa'd Dawani, known as Muhaqqiq Dawani: He was a philosopher and theologian of the 9^th century AH who initially followed the Sunni school and later became Shi'a. He explicitly professed his Shi'a beliefs in his book Nur al-Hidayah.

Rufa'a b. Musa Nakhkhas Asadi Kufi: He was one of the companions and narrators of Imam al-Sadiq (a) and Imam al-Kazim (a). According to Shaykh Tusi, he was initially Waqifi and later became Shi'a.

Ahmad b. Dawud b. Sa'id Fazari: Shaykh Tusi mentioned him among the companions of Imam al-Hadi (a) in his book on rijal. He was a prominent Sunni hadith scholar but later became Shi'a.

Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad Khudabandeh, known as Öljaitü (d. 716 AH): He was one of the rulers of the Ilkhanate dynasty in Iran and the first to officially recognize Shi'a Islam during his reign. He was initially a Christian and then converted to Buddhism. Shortly after, he adopted the Hanafi school of thought and later the Shafi'i school. Ultimately, he was influenced by Shia scholars and embraced Shia Islam. According to Shobeyri Zanjani (born 1306 SH), a Shia marja', he remained a Twelver Shia Muslim until the end of his life.

Muhammad Mar'i al-Amin al-Antaki (d. 1383 AH): He was an Egyptian Sunni scholar, educated at al-Azhar University, and held the position of Qadi al-Qudat (Chief Judge), who chose to adopt Shia Islam. He is the author of the book al-Shi'a wa Hujajuhum fi al-Tashayyu'.

Sayyid Muhammad Tijani Samawi (born 1936): He is a Tunisian scholar and the author of the book Thumm-a Ihtadayt-u (Then I Was Guided). He was initially a Maliki and later chose to become the Shi'a.

Ibrahim Zakzaky (born 1953): The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, he initially followed the Maliki sect but became Shi'a after meeting Imam Khomeini.

Hasan Shahhata (d. 1392 SH): He was an Egyptian Hanafi scholar who converted to Shia in 1996 CE (1375 AH).

Edoardo Agnelli (d. 2000): He was Italian and the son of a famous Italian capitalist. Influenced by the Qur'an, he converted from Christianity to Shia Islam.

Monographies

Mawsu'at-u min Hayat al-mustabsirin, published by Markaz al-Abhath al-'Aqadiyya, introduces many mustabsirs from various countries in fourteen volumes.

Barrasi-ye 'Elal-e Gerayesh-e mustabsirin be Tashayyu' dar Panjah Sal-e Akhir, written by Mir Mohsen Nour-Mohammadi, Qom, Dar al-Kutub al-Tarikhiyyah Nashirun, first edition, 1394 SH.