Praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds. Benedictions be upon Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and his Purified Progeny. Peace be upon the righteous Companions. Some of the controversial issues have divided the Muslims. These is- sues have been misused by the enemies of Islam to divide the Muslims and to weaken them. Therefore, in order to unite the Muslims and to defend the boundaries of Islam it is necessary to clear the misunderstandings regarding these differences. In sorting out these issues we have been ordered to confine ourselves within some limits. As the Almighty Allah says: "And obey Allah and His Apostle and so not quarrel for then you will be weak in hearts and your power will depart… " (Sura Anfal 8 : 46)It is a must for us today, and for all times to refer to Qur'an and Hadith in case of any difference of opinion. As the Almighty Allah says: "… then if you quarrel about anything, refer it to Allah and the Apostle… " (Sura Nisa 4 : 59)In this series we shall refer to the Qur'an and Hadith to guide us on the correct path in various controversial topics. We seek the help of the Almighty in this. Al-'Askari