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From: bes@tybalt.caltech.edu
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Ya Ali, etc.
Message-ID: <1991Jun22.012206.21717@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 22 Jun 91 01:22:06 GMT
Sender: bes@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Behnam Sadeghi)
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 19
Approved: bes@tybalt.caltech.edu

Assalamu Alaikum,

Since I received several Emails about this, I have to clarify
something I said.  I wrote: to believe that anybody is "inherently"
able to help other people appears to be "shirk."  What I mean
by "inherently," is "independently of powers that God has given
to the person."   To give an example, I may ask my parent for help
& protection.  If I believe he/she is able to provide this independently
of the powers God has given him/her, then that would probably be "shirk."
But if I believe that any help he/she gives me is itself with the help
of God, then that wouldn't be "shirk."

Sorry, I won't be able to reply to further Emails, as I am leaving
town (& the country) tomorrow.

Eid Mubarak,
Behnam Sadeghi

P.S.  "shirk" means associating any human or object with God.