Intellectual and Cultural Document

Exclusively translated for Republican Yemen www.republicanyemen.net

The document clearly states the alleged God-given right for Houthis to rule in Yemen

Signed by: Houthis' leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi Scholar Abdulrahman Hussein Shayem Scholar Hussien Ben Yahya al-Houthi Scholar Hussein Majd Al-Din Al-Muayadi, may Allah bless him Scholar Ali Ali Masoud Al-Rabdhi Scholar Hammoud bin Abbas al-Muayyad

1 The Houthi Intellectual and Cultural Document ``` Exclusively translated for Republican Yemen www.republicanyemen.net

Praise be to Allah (God), Lord of the Worlds, Who said, "And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves"1. Prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his household.

On Friday 3/17/1433 AH2, a meeting was held by the committee tasked with drafting an agreement among followers of Zaidiyya3, in general, including the Mujahedeen4, foremost among which was Master Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, and some Zaidi scholars and their adherents, notably Scholar Abdulrahman Hussein Shayem and Scholar Hussien Ben Yahya al- Houthi. The committee reached the following:

First, matters regarding the principles of religion:

Our faith is that Allah is the One and Only; the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not nor is He begotten. None is equal or similar to Him. He is aware of all things and capable of everything. He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent. No vision can grasp Him - not in this world, nor in the hereafter - but His grasp is over all vision. He is the Ever-Kind, the Ever- Cognizant, and the Rich Who is not in need of others. He is not like his creatures and shall never be depicted (or pictured in an anthropomorphic way) like a body of organs (with hands, legs, etc) that stays, moves and be found in a specific time or place. We have absolute faith in Him as Fair and Wise Who does not wrong humans or tolerate corruption, nor does He ask for the unbearable or undoable as He gave us the will to choose, "let him who will believe, and let him who will reject (it)"5, for no one will be punished for what others have done, "No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another"6. "And that man can have nothing but what he does"7 .

We also have faith that Allah is Truthful in what He has promised the believers and in His commination to the disobedient. He never breaks His promises as He said, "There is no changing of My word, nor am I unjust to My creatures"8 and that Heaven is the permanent dwelling for those who believed and Hell is the rotting, lasting place for those who Allah judged them to be in and that intercession is not for disbelievers or wrong-doers (Those committing Al- Kabair)9 as he said, "They offer no intercession except for those who are acceptable, and they stand in awe and reverence of His (glory)"10. "For the wrongdoers there will be no devoted friend and no intercessor [who is] obeyed"11.

1- Text of Quran, Surah Ali 'Imran (Family of Imran) [3:103] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 2- After Hegira, when the Prophet Mohammed left Mecca for Medina in 622 A.D; an Islamic calendar that is in parallel with the Christian (AD) 3- Zaidiyyah or Zaidism is an offshoot of Shia 4- Those Muslims who proclaim themselves warriors for the faith 5- Text of Quran Surah Al-Kahf (the cave) [18:29] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 6- Text of Quran, Surah Al-An'am (the cattle) [6:164] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 7- Text of Quran, Surah Al-NAJM (the star) [53:39] a translated version by Yusuf Ali

8- Text of Quran, Surah Qaf (the letter Qaf) [50:29] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 9- Al-Kabair are major sins in Islam which are forbidden by Allah and His Messenger .

10- Text of Quran, Surah Anbiyāa (the Prophets) [21:29] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 11- Text of Quran, Surah Ghafir (the forgiver) [40:18] a translated version by Yusuf Ali

2 The Houthi Intellectual and Cultural Document ``` Exclusively translated for Republican Yemen www.republicanyemen.net

We do believe in the existence and oneness of God, the angels, the books of which God is the author, the Day of the Judgment, the great messengers, our Prophets: Muhammad (PBUH) being the last of them, and his book (the Quran) which Allah dedicated to this Ummah12 as a guide for the righteous and an ever-lasting miracle which has no modification, nor does it have more or fewer words to be added, removed, replaced or edited: "Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a [Lord who is] Wise and Praiseworthy"13 . This our great Quran; our constitution and our guide throughout the time and eras.

And that Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib is the companion, trustee and successor of the Messenger (Muhammad PBUH)14 of Allah, Commander of the Faithful. Then comes Al-Hassan, then Al- Hussein, then the imams15 from their children, such as Imam Zaid, Imam Al-Qasim Bin Ibrahim, Imam Al-Hadi, Imam Al-Qasim Al-Ayani, Imam Al-Qasim Bin Muhammad, and those imams of their offspring who follow suit.

Our Faith is that the guidance approach to survive and be safe from delusion is to stick to al- Thaqalayn16 (the two weighty / precious things):

 The Book of Allah, the source of light and guidance, "Wherewith Allah guideth all who seek His good pleasure to ways of peace and safety. and leadeth them out of darkness. by His will. unto the light.- guideth them to a path that is straight17. It is (the Quran) an intercessor - an associate whose association is beneficial - whose intercession will be accepted and a solicitor whose words are believed. Whoever gives it the lead it will take him to paradise. Whoever leaves it behind (it) will then drive him to hell. It is a guide that shows the best path. It is the book that contains details, explanations, and accomplishments. It is a criterion and not a useless thing. Its wonders do not end and its rare facts do not become old. In it there is the torch of guidance, and the lighthouses of wisdom. It serves as proof of veracity of knowledge, "for one who wants to verify the truth of his Knowledge".18  The other Thaqal is the prophet's 'Itrah19 who are the Ummah's guide and the companions / fellows of the book (Quran) until the last day, "the Ever-Kind, the Ever Cognizant informed me that the two will not separate until they come back to me by the Pond (of al-Kawthar on the Judgement's Day)"20, and they are Allah's concerns (argument) on His land (earth).

We believe that inviting all to do good, enjoy what is right and forbid what is wrong as well as standing up to those who are ignorant are of the most crucial religious duties that people have to do. It is also a religious duty commanded by Allah to be loyal to worshippers of Allah and to be foes of the enemies of Allah ___ according to Sharia __ especially the heads

12- It is an Arabic term that refers to the Islamic community 13- Text of Quran, Surah Fussilat ( Explained in Detail ) [41:42] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 14- Peace be upon him; an honorific phrase used by some Muslims after any mention in speech or print of the Islamic prophet 15- the plural form of imam; a Muslim religious leader of chief; one who leads prayers 16- it refers to a saying (Hadith) of prophet Muhammad. Click here to read more from Wikipedia 17- Text of Quran, Surah Al-Ma'idah (the table) [5:16] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 18- Text of Hadith (Prophetic tradition) 19- 'Itrah refers in Arabic to Ahl al-Bayt which means the prophet's kindred (household, family) 20- Text of Hadith Mosnad Hanbal: volume 5 page, 182

3 The Houthi Intellectual and Cultural Document ``` Exclusively translated for Republican Yemen www.republicanyemen.net

of infidelity in our time, foremost among which are America, Israel and whoever help, befriend and/or stand with them in their hostility against Islam and Muslims; "Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, loving those who resist Allah and His Messenger"21.

Second, learning and teaching Allah's religion are of His commands: some are fard ʿain22, others are fard kifāyah23.

Every individual has to have knowledge of the religion and carry out what Allah ordered the worlds to do. Muslim scholars who are worshippers and right-doers have a special rank to whom Allah has given. "Allah will rise up, to (suitable) ranks (and degrees), those of you who believe and who have been granted (mystic) Knowledge. And Allah is well- acquainted with all ye do".24" Say: Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?"25 . Therefore, they have to be treated with special respect and adoration.

Any type of criticism that scholars may face is not intended to those scholars of Ahl al-Bayt (the prophet's kindred; descendants; household), their Shiites, or their sciences, but to those who do not see the necessity of jihad against the unjust and do not necessitate doing the right thing or forbidding the wrong who call for overlooking wrong-doing and obey those who are not meant to be obeyed.

And that striving for God’s sake is an obligation on all as it is commanded by the Quran and Hadith and was conducted by imams of Ahl al-Bayt peace be upon them. No one denies this except those who are ignorant or in disagreement with Ahl al-Bayt peace be upon them.

Overall, everyone agrees on the approach of Ahl al-Bayt peace be upon them, their origins and beliefs which the imams passed from the dawn of Islam to the present time. We, however, see that the approach of early imams, such as Al Hadi and Al Qasem, is close to the Quranic way and the common sense.

Prophetic Tradition

Our stance on Sunna (prophetic tradition) is the same of Al Hadi's, peace be upon him, which he mentioned in the book of Sunna. He made a condition for its validity that it has to be within the context of the Quran, neither ruler nor opposition to the text of Quran, and to be related to those guides from the household (descendants) of Muhammad to ensure authenticity of the sayings (Hadith) and their attributions to the Messenger (PBUH) except for Hadiths that are not Mutawatir 26 or those lacking consensus. For those enjoying a consensus or known to be authentically attributed to the prophet BPUH, they are a strong argument by themselves, "Nor

21- Text of Quran, Surah Al Mujadilah (the disputer) [58:22] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 22- Farḍ ʿain is an obligation every individual Muslim has to do 23-Farḍ kifāyah is an obligation not all Muslims are ordered to do. If a group of Muslims does it, the others don't have to 24-Text of Quran, Surah Al Mujailah [58:11] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 25-Text of Quran, Surah AZ ZUMAR [39:9] a translated version by Yusuf Ali 26- It is a kind of Hadith which is believed to be the most rightful source as it is narrated by early Islamic figures of significance such as the companions and followers/ successors

4 The Houthi Intellectual and Cultural Document ``` Exclusively translated for Republican Yemen www.republicanyemen.net does he speak from [his own] inclination"27. "So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you"28.

Preference

As far as preference (Istifa) is concerned, what we believe in is that God Almighty chooses whoever He prefers among individuals or groups as He said: "Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of ‘Imran above all people"29, in addition to what the Messenger of Allah said: "Indeed Allah has chosen Isma'il from the children of Ibrahim, and He chose Banu Kinanah from the children of Isma'il, and He chose the Quraish from Banu Kinanah, and He chose Banu Hashim from Quraish, and He chose me from Banu Hashim". We believe that Allah has favored Ahl al-Bayt and made them guides to the Ummah and inheritors of the Book until life ends on earth as He makes a specific person at a particular time be a beacon for people and capable of taking care of the Ummah and promoting it in all its fields, "It's certain that against every innovation with plots to destroy faith there will be an (religious) authority from my family as guardian of faith and as its defender. (Such) authority will speak on inspiration from Allah to declare the truth and bring it to light, repulse and foil the evil plots of the agents of wickedness and speak for the weak. O people of Intelligence, take a lesson from it and trust Allah"30 . And our approach of proving and designating it is the same of Ahl al-Bayt's, peace be upon them.

Uṣūl al-fiqh (the principles of Islamic jurisprudence)

As for the principles of Islamic jurisprudence, anything that contradicts the holy Quran or becomes an alternative to Al Muhammad (the family of Muhammad) shall be rejected and criticized by all. For matters to be accepted and approved, they have to be in line with Quran and be dedicated to better understanding sharia texts within the context of the family of Muhammad, not to mention the crucial role in having sincerity to the Almighty God and following the causes of guidance, "If ye fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion (to judge between 31 right and wrong)" . "And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them 32 to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right" . "But to those who receive Guidance, He increases (The light of) Guidance, And bestows on them Their Piety and Restraint (From evil"33.

Ijtihad (Independent Reasoning)

The kind of Ijtihad34 that leads to divide in regard to religion; disagreement about acknowledging God and other principles of Sharia; or not following the approach of Ahl al-Bayt is strictly not accepted nor can it be approved. This kind of Ijtihad does harm to our religion since it damages the unity of Muslims and the formation of the Ummah, which Lord of the Worlds ordered, "let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good,

27- Text of Quran, Surah Al-NAJM (the star) [53:3] the translated version by Yusuf Ali 28- Text of Quran, Surah Al—Hashr (The Exile, The Banishment) [59:7] the translated version by Yusuf Ali 29- Text of Quran, Surah Ali 'Imran [3:33] the translated version by Yusuf Ali 30- Text of Hadith 31- Text of Quran, Surah, Al-Anfal (The Bounties) [8:29] the translated version by Yusuf Ali 32- Text of Quran, Surah, Al-Ankaboot (The Spider) [29:69] the translated version by Yusuf Ali 33- Text of Quran, Surah, Muhammad (the Prophet) [47:17] the translated version by Yusuf Ali 34- Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question.,

5 The Houthi Intellectual and Cultural Document ``` Exclusively translated for Republican Yemen www.republicanyemen.net

enjoying what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity" 35. Any Ijtihad that calls for not abiding by God's order to which we are obligated to obey Ahl al- Bayt and make them leaders of the Ummah shall be completely rejected. However, Ijtihad is accepted and required when efforts are exerted to search for what is mandatory in the religion and Sharia of Lord of the Worlds to know more about our religion __ especially in terms of modern issues __ and when it sticks to the Quranic method and the approach of Ahl al-Bayt, leading to no dispute among the Ummah or disobeying those whom Allah made in charge of the Ummah and ordered us to adhere and obey. Furthermore, it has to go with the rules made by imams of Ahl al-Bayt peace be upon them.

Ilm al-Kalam (Islamic theology)

As for criticism over Illm al-Kalam,36 it is not meant for the Usul al-Din37or beliefs adhered by imams of Ahl al-Bayt. It's rather the style of philosophers, Muʿtazila38and others in accordance with their approach and method which are different from that of Ahl al-Bayt's peace be upon them.

This is our faith and our consensual vision on these matters, to which other visions and issues that may arise from this or that party are to be referred. May Allah bless and guide us all to what He loves. May our Ummah be united in its word for the sake of Muhammad (PBUH). Allah is our guide towards success. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Done on 3/21/1433 AH Corresponding to 13 February 2012

35- Text of Quran, Surah Ali 'Imran (Family of Imran) [3:104] the translated version by Yusuf Ali 36- 'Ilm al-kalam is the study of Islamic doctrines and beliefs 37- The Principles of Religion which outline the essential beliefs in accordance with the Qur'an and the teachings of the Twelve Imams 38- Al Muʿtazila is a rationalist school of Islamic theology

6 The Houthi Intellectual and Cultural Document ``` Exclusively translated for Republican Yemen www.republicanyemen.net

"This is our faith and our vision," Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi wrote 3/22/1433 AH.

Signed by:

Hussein Yahya al-Houthi, may Allah bless him Abdulrahman Hussein Shayem, may Allah bless him Hussein Majd Al-Din Al-Muayadi, may Allah bless him Ali Ali Masoud Al-Rabdhi, may Allah bless him

Praises be to Allah alone for the goodness of things and the union of thought and word. It is certain that each of the disputed wants only the truth and everyone knew that it is okay to have differences in what does not touch or question the principles of Sunnah or the Holy Qur’an. Therefore, we must adhere to what is Mutawatir and understood by our ancestors, Zain Alabdin, al-Hadi, and the descendants of the family of our prophet peace be upon them.

Written by Imam and Scholar Mohammed bin Mohammed al-Mansur, the principal of Wills (commandments) and Endowments. Rabi' al-awwal (the third month of the Islamic calendar) 1433 AH. Scholar Mohammed bin Mohammed al-Mansur Hammoud bin Abbas al-Muayyad

7 The Houthi Intellectual and Cultural Document ```