Yasser Al-Habib

Sheikh Yasser al-Habib (ياسر الحبيب born 20 January 1979) is a Kuwaiti Twelver Shia scholar, and the head of the London-based Khoddam Al-Mahdi Organization, as well as Al-Muhassin mosque in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, and the writer of The Lady of Heaven.

al-Habib's work focuses on Islamic history, drawing on Shia and Sunni sources.

al-Habib started his religious activities in Kuwait, starting off as a member of the Dawah Party, later he founded a non-profit religious organization named Khoddam Al-Mahdi Organization, and he also expressed his religious views regarding Abu Bakr and Umar, and criticized them sharply.

This resulted in anger from several Sunni speakers in Kuwait, such as Othman al-Khamees, and other Arabic-speaking Sunni communities, which finally led to the arrest of al-Habib.

In 2001, he founded Khoddam Al-Mahdi Organization in Kuwait.

al-Habib was reportedly arrested on the afternoon of 30 November 2003, in connection with an audio cassette recording of a lecture he gave to an audience of ten to twenty people in a closed environment on Islamic historical issues.

Later, in February 2004 he was released under an annual pardon announced by the Emir of Kuwait on the occasion of the country's National Day, but his rearrest was ordered a few days later.

al-Habib fled Kuwait before he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years imprisonment, and spent months in Iraq and Iran before gaining asylum in the United Kingdom.

al-Habib was interviewed by Elaph, a well-known Arabic online newspaper, where he stated that he was born in a religious Kuwaiti family of Iranian descent, and started his education in the Kuwaiti governmental schools, before joining Kuwait University and graduating from its Political sciences faculty.

Besides his secular studies, al-Habib stated that he studied the traditional Islamic sciences under the guidance of his teacher Ayatollah Mohammed Reza Shirazi.

On 20 January 2004, he was reportedly convicted of "questioning the conduct and integrity of some of the 'companions' of the prophet Muhammad" in a lecture he had delivered, and sentenced to ten years in prison in Kuwait.

However, his imprisonment was cut short in 2004 by a royal pardon on the occasion of the country's National Day; his rearrest was ordered a few days later, as his name was included in the royal pardon through a clerical error.

He fled the country first to Iraq, then to Iran.

Then, he went to London and was able gain asylum in Britain.

Now, he works in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, and had started his religious and political activity, such as founding Al Muhassin Mosque and setting up Fadak (TV channel).

He recorded two lectures in English, titled: Who killed the Prophet Muhammad and Why do Shiites hate Umar Ibn al-Khattab.

Sunni Al-Sha'ab newspaper described Sheikh al-Habib as a traitor and apostate in its main page, at the time that al-Habib cursed Abu Bakr and Umar.

al-Habib said: Wahhabism is a criminal and violent ideology, founded by a mentally ill man named Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhab about three centuries ago.

Its main principle is that all Muslims who perform Tawassul and visit their graves are regarded as apostates and infidels.

Therefore, the seizure of their life, property and women would, like that of the infidels, be religiously lawful and permissible!

Sheikh al-Habib refers to Sunnis as Bakris, meaning the followers of Abu Bakr.

He says that the real Sunnis (Ahlul Sunnah) are the ones who follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, that is Shia Muslims.

He continues that Sunnis today follow the Sunnah and teachings of Abu Bakr instead, having rejected Ali ibn Abi Talib and Ahlulbayt.

He explains in one of his lectures titled Bakris think they are Sunnis, but in reality are not that when people wanted to distance themselves from the Shia, and follow Muawiyya, they started calling themselves the Jama'ah.

He explains that the reality behind why people called themselves Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama'ah only began after the Umayyad ruler Umar bin Abdul Aziz forbade the Sunnah (tradition) of cursing Ali ibn Abi Talib publicly (as previously invented by Muawiyah).

It was upon then that people protested to this new prohibition, declaring that Umar bin Abdul Aziz had prohibited the Sunnah of cursing Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Thus they began calling themselves Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama'ah; stressing that they adhere to the Sunnah of cursing Ali ibn Abi Talib, and that they are the Jama'ah of Muawiyah.

He also refers to those whom claim to be Shi'a but do not denounce Abu Bakr, Umar, Aisha and other personalities in Islamic history such as Khalid ibn al-Walid, as Batris.

He described Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah (the Lebanese marja who died on 4 July 2010) as Batri.

al-Habib said that Fadlallah left a great number of doctrinal deviations, ignorant views and bad conduct which he introduced to the religion of Islam.

In September 2010, al-Habib angered the Sunni Muslims by calling Aisha, "an enemy of God" which led Kuwait to revoke his citizenship accusing him of trying to stir up discord among Muslims.

In October 2010, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei tried to calm tensions between Shias and Sunnis by issuing a fatwa against insulting Muhammad's companions and wives.

"Cursing the wives of the prophets and the wives of the Great Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is one of the taboos and prohibitions."

After Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued the fatwa outlawing the insult of Sunni Dignitaries (Aisha, Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattāb), al-Habib responded by calling the Islamic Republic of Iran "oppressive".

He continued by referring to Khamenei as "so-called Ali al-Khamenei – who pretends to be a Shia scholar".

His reasoning for naming the Iranian government as "oppressive" was because the "regime in Iran today unjustly arrests anyone who celebrates the occasion of Farhat-ul-Zahra and prevents people from visiting the tomb of Abu Lulu".

Senior Iranian cleric Naser Makarem Shirazi has referred to al-Habib as a "hired agent or a mad man" and stated: "Recently, an illiterate fool non clergy U.K citizen in the name of Shia has insulted sacred matters of Sunni Muslim brothers".

al-Habib has been criticized by several figures and leaders who claim to speak in the name of Shiism including leader of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah and Ali Khamenei (who also issued a fatwa against insulting of Muhammad's companions) and Naser Makarem Shirazi.

Yasser al-Habib has published many books and articles throughout the years, here are some of his works.

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