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Cultural Relations Between Christianity and Shia Islam 1 - Al-Shia The Scientific and Cultural Website of Shia belief Cultural Relations Between Christianity and Shia Islam 1 2021-06-24 1098 Views Shia , Cultural relations , The Christianity The history of the Shia and Christian cultural relations is comparatively old. Of these relations may be mentioned inter-religious dialogue in the area of theology (i.e. Kalam) that took place in a spirit of complete mutual understanding.

In the works of the Shia, this is discussed in detail. Among such dialogues, one may refer to discussions between the spiritual leaders of the two creeds, particularly dialectic between the Muslims and Catholicons, preserved in the oldest Shii books.

The commentators of hadith have explained Catholicons in the following manner: “Catholicons is the greatest spiritual leader of Christianity of every age.” Most probably this word is the same as Catholic in the present sense, though for an author, it is difficult to say which term is an alternative to the other. 1) Muhammad bin Ali bin Babwayh al-Qummi, known as al-Shaykh al-Saduq (d.

280/901 A.D.), has recorded four polemical discussions between the highest spiritual leader of Christians and Shia scholars of eminence and theologists in his works. It is probable that the dialogue of Catholicons with Imam Ali (PBUH) took place during 657 A.D.(1) But the culminating point of these controversies has been during the early 10th century A.D.,(2) i.e., in the 2nd century Hijrah, during the periods of Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) and Imam Al-Reza (PBUH),(3) the 6th and 8th Imams of the Shia.

2.Another point that is indicative of the close cultural relations between the Shia and Christianity is the recording of the sayings, characters and biographical accounts of Christ in the books of the Shia, which surpasses all such accounts of Christ in the works of all other sects of Islam. It is noteworthy that the name of Hazrat Isa has occurred in the Quran 25 times and the name of Messiah (PBUH) recurs 36 times in the Quran.

And the circumstances of his birth and his way of preaching and his ascension are repeatedly narrated in the Quran. But despite this emphasis, the books of non-Shii authors do not contain detailed accounts of Christ’s sayings and character. For instance, in Sihah al-Sittah (i.e., six authentic compendia of hadith of Ahl al-Sunnah), we do not come across even a single utterance of Christ.

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