Today, I have perfected for you your religion…
Would that Muslims have turned Shia on that day!
Eid al-Ghadeer
Eid al-Ghadeer is the greatest and most important eid to Allah.
All Muslims in the east and the west of the earth celebrate two eids; the first is the Eid al-Fitr after the end of Ramadan, and the second is Eid al-Adhha immediately after performing the hajj.
Muslims, since the beginning until now, keep on celebrating these two eids everywhere in the world. They call the first eid as ‘the minor eid’ and the other one as ‘the major eid’.
However and unfortunately, Muslims have disagreed on the third eid, which is the greatest of all eids and called Eid al-Ghadeer. It is the day when Allah the Almighty declared to have perfected the religion and completed His favor on Muslims.
One, who studies history, can undoubtedly discover that this disagreement has come out of the political situation of the men of the Saqifah within the first moments after the Prophet’s death. They permitted themselves to behave unlike the clear texts of Qur’an and Prophet’s traditions
and impose their will on Muslims by force.
Because of this, Imam Ali (a.s.), who had been appointed as the caliph after the Prophet (S) according to many clear texts, was kept away from caliphate and replaced by another one chosen by Quraysh
based on their desires and ambitions. Thus, this was the first relapse that afflicted the Muslims soon after the death of their prophet, paving the way for the quarrel of untruth against the truth and of jahiliyyah (ignorance of the pre-Islamic era) against Islam.
There is no doubt that the following verse of Qur’an has a direct relation with the Eid al-Ghadeer:
And Muhammad is no more than a messenger; the messengers have already passed away before him; if then he dies or is killed will you turn back upon your heels? Qur'an, 3:144
The Messenger of Allah (S) celebrated the Eid al-Ghadeer when Allah the Almighty ordered him to appoint Ali (a.s.) as the caliph after him and introduce him to the nation. The Messenger of Allah (S) called out, “Allahu Akbar” when the present Muslims finished paying their homage to Imam Ali (a.s.) and Gabriel came to the Prophet (S) revealing this verse to him:
This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed my favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion. Qur'an, 5:3
The Prophet (S) said:
Allah is Great. Praise be to Allah for perfecting the religion and completing the blessing and the contentment of the Lord with the guardianship of my brother and cousin.
On the same day, the Prophet (a.s.) held a meeting to congratulate Imam Ali (a.s.) and there was not one of the Muslim men and women present on that day, who did not come to Imam Ali (a.s.) to congratulate him on that guardianship.
However, it did not last long! Only two months after the celebration of that great eid, the nation disavowed and denied the eid and the hero of the eid, and chose someone else against the will of Allah claiming at one time that Ali was too young and then at another time that the Hashimites had already had the honor of the Prophethood and so they should not get the position of caliphate as well. And, a third time it was said that the people of Quraysh would not agree on the one who had killed their heroes, defeated their brave knights, and crushed their pride.
Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) had no guilt in all that at all, except that he had sold his life for the contentment of Allah and sacrificed everything he had for supporting the religion that his brother and cousin had received from the heavens, never minding any blame in the way of Allah and nothing of this worldly life’s vanities could turn his determination away.
I cannot account Imam Ali’s virtues or show his qualities. I know certainly that:
If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would surely be consumed before the words of my Lord are exhausted.
It sufficed him as pride and honor that Allah the Almighty had perfected the religion with his imamate, completed His favor with his caliphate, and been pleased with the Muslims who believed in his guardianship. And it sufficed him as glory and virtue that the Messenger of Allah (S) had made him as the Imam (Chief) of the pious, the master of Muslims, the leader of the honorable and enlightened ones and the head of people in religion.
I am in no need of showing a proof on the fact of the Eid al-Ghadeer or proving the narrations and historical events on it, for the ummah has agreed unanimously on the reality of this event , whether the Shia, who celebrate it every year, or the Sunna who try to misinterpret it.
We have read the sayings of the celebrators as we have read the sayings of the misinterpreters. We have read the sayings of the adherents, who have understood from those texts, traditions, and celebrations that imamate is a fundamental principle of the religion.
We have read the sayings of the dissenters who have misinterpreted the texts as to be no more than a personal opinion that Muhammad adopted about his cousin and husband of his daughter to endear him to the hearts of haters and enviers.
After that, we know the situation of the adherent supporters who were few, poor and disabled. And we also know the situations of the disappointing opponents who were in great numbers, wealthy and arrogant. Therefore, they violated the sanctity of the Prophet’s household, beginning with the Chief of all women of the world - Fatima (a.s.). Then they broke out many wars against Imam Ali (a.s.) - the master of all guardians; al-Jamal, Siffin, and then an-Nahrawan were fought until at last they assassinated him in the mihrab during his prayer. He prostrated thereafter, to thank Allah for all that!
However, they were not satisfied with all this until, they killed the two Masters of the youth of the Paradise - Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) with poison and then Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) by sword in Kerbala along with his family and loyal companions.
From all this, we know that the Eid al-Ghadeer was the trial for this nation, which disagreed and was divided and separated like the Jews and the Christians as the Prophet Muhammad (S) had predicted.
We also knew that the holy imamate, which is one of the fundamental principles of religion, was suppressed and subdued. Its people had nothing to do, except to be patient and submissive. This divine imamate was replaced with false emirate that was “a slip away from whose evil Allah had kept Islam and Muslims safe”.
Until after that time, the tulaqa’ (prisoners set free) and the profane wished for, but no one rode on the ship of rescue that Muhammad (S) had made except for a very few loyal companions. The current of this worldly life and the love of power swept away the rest of Muslims, who turned their backs to the infallible Imams of guidance and followed creeds they themselves invented. It had a proof neither in the Book of Allah nor in the Sunna of His messenger.
This is, in brief about the event of Eid al-Ghadeer, the Hero of al-Ghadeer, and the plot that was born after the Day of al-Ghadeer. For more details, I suggest for readers to read my book ‘To be with the Truthful’.
Today, we have to know that both the Sunni and the Shia are victims of the false history or in fact, the victims of the plots and transgressions that had been done by other than us. Surely, these are the results of the crimes that our ancestors had committed, and Allah knows that we are free from them. We are just followers and nor heretics. We have been created on nature and our parents were the cause of our being Shia or Sunni, guided or deviant.
We still have to know that the deviation, which has been ongoing for fourteen centuries, cannot be reformed in a few years. Whoever believes in this just deceives himself and wishes for the impossible.
It goes without saying that the infallible Imams (a.s), from Imam Ali (a.s.) to Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a.s.), spared no any effort to unite the nation and guide it to the right path. They sacrificed their lives and the lives of their children to keep the Religion of Muhammad (S) untouched, but most of people were unfaithful and resistant to the Truth which they detested terribly.
We also have to know that efforts of faithful and truthful reformers failed and the hope of unity was broken against the rock of the blind fanaticism and offensive ignorance. Hills and mountains of nationalities and races besides governments stood in the face of these hopes. Behind all of these, there were and are those who were enemies to us, whose friendliness could not be wished for. They were active since the beginning of the Mission until today. They have spared no effort to put out the Light of Allah. Besides these, there are many opportunists who do not think except of their own benefits, which the unity of Muslims seriously threatens.
In addition to all those, there is the cursed Iblis about whom Allah the Almighty has said:
He said: As Thou has caused me to remain disappointed I will certainly lie in wait for them in Thy straight path. Qur'an, 7:16
We have to know too, that time has elapsed. Fourteen centuries have passed while we have been sleeping, bewildered, drunken and confused. The ornaments and embellishments of this life have intoxicated our minds, and many incurable diseases have gnawed our bodies. In the same time, our enemies worked and are still working day and night for scientific and technological development.
It was due to this that they were able to colonize our countries, subdue us, and suck our blood and treasures - claiming that we were underdeveloped nations which should be developed, or that predatory beasts must be tamed. They controlled every way and closed every door before us. They began counting our breaths so that if anyone of us sneezed, even one sneeze at the end of every century - they counted it against him and asked him to prove the source of that flu, fearing infection for their own selves, which might result in unpleasing outcomes.
They took much from Islam and did according to it, whereas we turned away from much of what Allah had ordered us to do. Here, there is no need of more explanations and details, because “a word is enough for a wise man”.
Today, we have woken up from our lethargy and have begun clapping and dancing to the tunes of unity. Each one of us has claimed to be the hero of this unity. We have imagined that this was a simple matter and that we would unite the nation overnight by calling out some slogans and holding some conferences.
Since I have opened my eyes towards this life, I have heard of “unity”. In my first school I learned songs of unity whose meaning flowed with my blood in my veins. I grew up and every day I dreamt of unity. Now, I am more than fifty years of old, but I have not seen any sign or even ghost of this unity.
After being desperate for the unity of Muslims, and even of the unity of the Arabs, I was satisfied with a minor unity between two neighboring countries. In the morning, I was very delighted for that unity and in the evening of the same day that it was born, I wept for it. Two people who were twins had nothing that separated them except that which was called - “the government verdicts”.
By that time, I knew that the destinies of people was in the hands of a few persons who controlled them as they liked; if they liked, they would unite them, and if they liked something else, they would set them against each other and throw them into wars, and then you would see the same people who used to embrace each other, fight each other.
Since the enemies had power and dominance by which they could separate people who were united for hundreds of years, suppress them and make them dissipate in spite of their own power and influence. So certainly they would not let Muslims, who had been suppressed for hundreds of years, meet and unite to form a powerful entity that would endanger their benefits and interests, even though these people were poor, underdeveloped and under great debts.
Suppose that we were united - what would we get from this poverty and underdevelopment? If we thought of driving the colonists away and cutting the hand of the thieves, we must be prepared with enough power and forces to repel the unjust and control the rioters. And how can we do that while we still buy the arms and weapons, which are not used except for killing Muslims and making citizens dread themselves?
If we advance one day, they will advance sixty years, and if we prepare one force against them, they will prepare seventy! If we want to face them in war, they will not trouble themselves much! They will incite our brothers in nationality or religion against us, and then one will kill another, while they will remain but delighted audiences clapping their hands.
The Gulf war is not far! Only some soldiers were killed from them, but hundreds of thousands of Muslims were buried alive. And the one, who used to threatened to burn Israel yesterday and many stupid Arabs believed him, came to burn his own people in the north and the south with the Napalm. Even the mosques and holy shrines were not safe from his evil mercenaries whom we saw coward and inactive towards disbelievers, but against the Muslims - they were ravenous beasts.
The young Islamic Republic of Iran made every effort to unite the Muslims and offered every sacrifice in this way. It paid a very heavy price with the blood of its most loyal people. It resisted the west and the east and faced an international blockade (sanction). Its leader died while bemoaning the indifference of Muslims, as his grandfather the leader of the pious (Imam Ali a.s.) had bemoaned before.
From the eternal sayings of Imam Khomeini (may Allah have mercy on him) is this one, “If every Muslim spits once, the Muslims shall make Israel sink.”
If Muslims are stingy with even one spit, so how is it expected that they will sacrifice their properties and lives? Therefore, many of them have friendly relations with Israel. So, do not look forward to unity, O you the inattentive!
Is it unknown to you that fifty thousand Palestinians wait every day for the mercy of Israel, and they hurry up every morning to work with meanness and disgrace to gain the daily bread for themselves and their families? If Israel closes its doors, these people shall die of hunger. So where are their Muslim brothers whom Allah has enriched with His favors to the extent that one emir of them receives income that is too much more than the needs of those people who are obliged not to resist or fight Israel, as long as they feel that Israel is the benefactor and the cause of their livelihood.
Peace be on Ali (a.s.) who said:
Poverty is about to be atheism. If poverty were a man, I certainly would kill him.
It is true that there is powerfulness in unity, but it is supposed that there is power in every one of its elements. If all the elements of unity are weak and sick, then in their unity there shall be but more weakness and sickness. How is it possible for one, who is always busy thinking of the hunger of his stomach and the sickness of his body, to believe in unity?
About what shall I talk to you? Shall I talk to you about the children who cannot find any weapon except the stones to resist, although all the stones have been swept away? Perhaps, some of them look for a stone to place it on his abdomen to suppress hunger!
What makes one laugh and cry at the same time is that you see some drawlers try, with all their abilities, to convince us that the Stone Revolution has troubled and shaken Israel. In fact, this is a mere propaganda to justify the savage doings of Israel, that if one Israelite soldier is wounded by those stones, tens of innocent children shall be killed by machine guns and bombs.
So, where are the Arab countries that had united under the shade of the Arab Assembly since tens of years and promised of liberating Palestine?
Where are the Muslim countries that lead the Muslim World and claim to liberate Jerusalem?
Have you seen even one of these countries offer help, assistance, or arms to those children with stones (in Palestine) or the mujahidin who face the bombs and missiles of the enemy without having any other arms to reply with, except the stones? We have seen them in the Gulf War…we have seen our Arab Muslim brothers take out their hidden arms and spend millions from their wealth to overthrow the Iraqi government that in return threatened to do away with the Israelite government, agents and reactionaries!
However, the truth was that they were all plotting to do away with the Shiite Revolution. And actually, the Iraqi regime remained as it was, and so did Israel, the agents and the reactionaries, whereas the Shia were buried alive and the rest of them were displaced in the deserts and wild lands. Thousands of refugees are still living in camps under lowly conditions they face from the Saudis and insults from the Wahabis.
I talk to you about the fate of Muslims in Afghanistan upon whom Allah had bestowed victory. They came out fighting with each other and enmity between their children and families, destroying their own houses with their own hands, after being instigated by foreign, unfaithful hands!
I talk to you about the destiny of the Muslims in Yugoslavia where the powers of atheism had gathered together to remove them all from Eastern Europe. I talk to you about the Muslims in India, and about what I myself have seen. Their dignities were often violated and always to the extent that Alawid Muslim women were sold in the markets like animals.
I talk to you about the Muslims in Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and all of Africa who die of hunger in thousands every day, whereas the dogs and cats in Europe enjoy all kinds of delicious food. The dignity and holiness of Muslims are violated, whereas many societies for defending and protecting animal rights are there and more are being founded.
Stop lying and deceit! Stop hypocrisy and misleading! If the people of one country are not in accordance with each other, then how can we ask the Muslims of different countries to unite?
The sayings are too many, but the doings are too little!
One look at the history that we lived since the war of 1948 up until the Persian Gulf War would be enough. Victory was always with disbelievers. Every time the share of Muslims was defeat, loss, lowliness and disgrace. So take a lesson from the wrath of Allah, O people of understanding!
Recently, we said that we would not negotiate with Israel and that which was taken away by force, would not be taken back except by force. And today, we run after Israel and beg it to give back to us our lands that it had extorted from us. We entreat its close lovers to intercede for us!
Our hearts have become tired and bored, and our minds confused and submissive and now we believe neither in unity nor in the victory that shall come one day!
Can it be believed that the emirs of the Gulf, the kings and the rulers shall unite with the poor, the hungry and the destitute some day?
Yes, they unite in speech only! The testimony of “there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (S)” is just a saying! Faith is just a saying, and even the prayer, zakat, fasting and the hajj have all become sayings in sayings!
It is not difficult for an orator to say for example: “our god is the same, our prophet is the same, our Book is the same, and our qiblah is the same; therefore, O Muslims, be united! Be united!”
How easy it is to adopt a slogan saying “no Shiism, no Sunnism, but Islamic unity”!
However, it has disappeared from the minds of all these people to live the painful reality and face the naked truth with no cloak to mislead!
They have come to us in the last few years with a new opinion, as if it was unknown to their ancestors and to the infallible Imams! They said it should be prohibited to discuss the matters of history lest some of the Muslims be provoked. They went too far in that, until they said that there was no difference between the Shia and the Sunni except in the branches of religion exactly as there is difference between the Sunni sects themselves. They gave up the matter of imamate which to them is a fundamental that is separate from the fundamentals of religion.
As a result of this new situation, minds have become frozen and have stopped to search for the truth after their minds had been liberated claiming that they (those claiming Muslims) should be united in order to face the common enemy! These people have forgotten that our actual enemy is hidden inside our selves, living inside our houses, and being brought up by our eyes.
It is a wonder that when you talk to one of them about Marx and Lenin, he becomes proud and blooms and he considers you as a learned man. However, when you mention Imam Ali (a.s.) and the infallible Imams of his progeny, he frowns and is depressed, and then accuses you of defaming the Orthodox Caliphs. Worse than that is that when you argue with him with clear evidences and proofs, then he pretends to adopt the slogan of the Islamic Unity and accuses you of trying to divide the Muslims.
After that, would we abuse those who call for the unity of beliefs according to the Book of Allah and the pure Sunna of His messenger and then accuse them of trying to divide the Muslims?
In fact, some ulema hide the truth willingly and when they are asked, they do not answer fearing that they may be accused of striving against the Islamic unity.
I think that the scientific research to get to the sought truth is not a danger threatening the unity of Muslims, because it is not more than provoking some people’s emotion - that shall disappear in the end when truth is arrived at.
The danger and the worst of dangers is to keep the mouths shut, tongues tied and prevent people from researching with frozen minds and keep them away from the truth under the pretense of unity! This is the very thing that the Baathist regime in Iraq did to separate between the Shia and the Sunni. The talk about Shiism was prohibited lest the Sunni would know the truth of the Shia.
It is the same thing like that which the first caliphs did when they prohibited people from writing down or mentioning the traditions of the Prophet (S). Therefore, the truth was hidden from most of Muslims who did not know about the Eid al-Ghadeer and what happened on that Day, which made the Jews and Christians say to them, “If this (Qur’anic) verse was revealed about us, we would highly regard that day and take it as eid even if only two people remained from us:
This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you. Qur'an, 5:3
The companions could not find an answer to that.
Some others have come to us relying on Imam Ali’s saying:
I will submit as long as the affairs of Muslims are safe and when there is no oppression except against me only.
These people have forgotten that it was Imam Ali (a.s.) who revived the event of al-Ghadeer after it had been buried and made to be forgotten. He made thirty companions from those who had attended the day of al-Ghadeer, bear witness and he invoked Allah against those who denied it. Then, after him, his two sons (Imam al-Hasan a.s. and al-Husayn a.s.) revived it during the season of the hajj before great masses of Muslims. In this concern, Imam Ali (a.s.) said:
Do not be revilers or cursers, but you say that their doings were so and so, in order to be more effective in argument.
We must take Imam Ali (a.s.) as our example and not take only one of his sayings (“I will submit…”) and leave the others; that we believe in some of the Book and disbelieve in some!
It is right that Imam Ali (a.s.) was willingly patient for the sake of the welfare of Islam and Muslims, because he did exactly what he said. He fought the breakers of covenants (nakitheen - in the battle of al-Jamal), the unjust (qasiteen - who falsely sought arbitration in the battle of Siffeen) and the renegades (mariqeen - in the battle of an-Nahrawan), until he straightened the pillars of religion, provided safety to all Muslims, and pardoned his enemies whenever the matter concerned the oppression against him only.
Those who argue against us by Nahjul Balaghah, must believe in everything in it, and not argue by what complies with their desires only. If there is praise to someone unknown mentioned in Nahjul Balaghah, they say: this is Imam Ali’s speech about our master Umar al-Farouq. He praises and commends him!
Yet, if you say to them (that Imam Ali a.s.) has said, “By Allah, ibn Abi Quhafah (Abu Bakr) has dressed himself in it (assumed the caliphate) and he knew well that my position to it was like the position of the axis to the quern that flood flows down from and birds cannot ascend me in flight”, they say that this is the speech of ash-Shareef ar-Radhy
and not Ali’s. Yes, they love Ali (a.s.) and pray Allah to be pleased with him when he is sincere to the caliphs and does not disobey them.
These people forget that the self of Ali (a.s.) is like the self of Muhammad (S) and the heart of Ali (a.s.) is like the heart of Muhammad (S) from where Allah has kept away all impurity and purified with thorough purification. Ali (a.s.) was a true copy of the Messenger of Allah (S) whom Allah had described as “on exalted standards of character” and that the hearts of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) had no place for grudge or hatred.
For that, this was the Prophet (S) and that was the guardian - Muhammad (S) was the warner and Ali (a.s.) was the guide. The first one fought for the revelation and the second one fought for the interpretation. For that, Allah chose him (Imam Ali a.s.) for imamate by which He perfected the religion and completed the favor. As an honor to him, Allah crowned him with the imamate on the day of the Major Eid (of al-Ghadeer).
Ali (a.s.), with his patience and loyalty, did not overlook his right for even one day. You (Sunnis) have mentioned in your Sahihs that he did not pay homage (to the caliph) for four months during which he argued against them (the men of authority) with every proof and evidence, and he said to Umar one day:
Milk a milking that you shall have a half of it, and support him (Abu Bakr) today, to recompense you tomorrow…
Muhammad is my brother and father-in-law…
You also have narrated that he (Imam Ali a.s.) took out his wife Fatima (a.s.) with him and they both frequented the meetings of the Ansar who apologized, saying to her:
O the beloved of the Messenger of Allah (S), if your husband and cousin preceded us, we would not prefer anyone to him at all.
Imam Ali (a.s.) said in reply:
Would I leave the Messenger of Allah (S) without washing (ritually before the burial) and go out disputing with the people for his succession (caliphate)?
Fatima (a.s.) said:
Abu Hasan did not do except what he was required to do and they did not do except what Allah shall judge them for.
Did Ali (a.s.) not complain when burying his wife in the night by addressing the Messenger of Allah (S) saying:
Peace be on you O Messenger of Allah (S) and on your daughter who is coming to be your neighbor. She shall tell you about the rising of your Umma against me and the extorting of her right. So keep on asking her and know from her what happened?
Did Ali (a.s.) not refuse the caliphate when he was asked to follow the way of the two previous caliphs in rule? Does this show that he accepted and was pleased with what they did?
Did Ali (a.s.) not refuse the caliphate when people forced him to assume it and did he not accept it when he made thirty men witness for him about (the reality of) the event of al-Ghadeer and that the Messenger of Allah (S) had appointed him on that day as the caliph over all Muslims, until he said:
Whoever does not consider Ali as his guardian, is not a Muslim?
Thus, Imam Ali (a.s.) revived the Eid al-Ghadeer after it was about to be buried forever. Nevertheless, most of Muslims do not know this and they cannot believe in those events, claiming that the courage of Imam Ali (a.s.) would not let him keep silent before his right.
I say to these people that the courage of Imam Ali (a.s.) was not greater than the courage of the Messenger of Allah (S) about whom Imam Ali (a.s.) said:
When war became violent, we protected ourselves behind the back of the Messenger of Allah (S).
Nonetheless, the Messenger of Allah (S) kept silent and gave up his right when he accepted all the conditions of the polytheists for the welfare of Islam and Muslims, until one of his companions accused him of being indifferent to the religion by saying to him:
Are you really the Messenger of Allah (S)?
It was the same situation when some ignorant ones accused Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) of degrading the believers when he concluded a truce with Mo’awiyya to spare the bloods of Muslims.
Thus, the Eid al-Ghadeer is the borderline between the truth and falsehood. It stands between the perfecting of the religion and its comprehensiveness with the Book of Allah and the Sunna of His Prophet (S) on one hand and its imperfection and being in need of the ijtihad of mujtahids on the other. It is between the completion of the favor and its belonging to the grateful on one hand and the wrath of Allah on the renouncers on the other hand. It is between the infallible imamate that Allah has made among His loyal, pure servants and the usurped caliphate that the tulaqa’ (freed captives) and sinners had assumed.
When I remember the great martyr Sayyid Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr (may Allah have mercy on him), I do not and shall never hesitate even for one moment to announce the right of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). One day, he (Martyr as-Sadr) said to his companions, “When the letter of at-Teejani came to me from Tunisia, telling that some of our Shia brothers had celebrated the Eid al-Ghadeer for the first time there, I cried and praised Allah that He had planted the seed of Shiism there.”
The attendants understood then that the crying of Sayyid as-Sadr was because of his delight that some believers had been guided at his hand. However, with the passing of years, I have understood that his crying was for the great injustice against Imam Ali (a.s.) and the pure progeny of the Prophet (S), because the injustice against them was an injustice against Islam and all Muslims. Sayyid as-Sadr had cried for most of the Muslims who had not heard about the Eid al-Ghadeer and had not known about its great value and importance near Allah the Almighty.
After this brief discussion about the Eid al-Ghadeer and its importance, I have to show my opinion as to the sought solution for the unity of Muslims. Anyhow, my opinion is not a personal one, but it is a following of the texts of the Qur'an and the Prophet’s Sunna, because after these two holy sources, my opinion and the opinions of all people shall be just deviation and supposition, and surely, supposition is nothing before the truth.
I think that the unity of Muslims shall not come true except when it is built on a firm basis, the basis of the same beliefs and the clinging to the firm rope of Allah, because the Prophet Muhammad (S) said:
If they disagree in the religion, they shall become the party of Iblis.
The signs of the unity were declared by the Messenger of Allah (S) when he said:
I have left among you the Two Weighty things which if you keep to, you shall never go astray after me at all; the Book of Allah and my household, my family. The all-comprehensive, the all acquainted (Gabriel) has told me that they will never separate until they will come to me at the Pond (in the Paradise).
So whoever, whether knowingly or unknowingly, keeps to them is from the propagandists for the unity that the Messenger of Allah (S) had ordered and whoever turns his back to them is from the propagandists for separation and disagreement, which the Messenger of Allah (S) had forbidden. If such a man claims that he is the leader of unity and uniting, his claim is certainly false, as long as he follows other than these Two Weighty things.
What one of scholars has said to me might reveal clearly the intentions of the Sunni propagandists of unity, whom no Muslim doubts about their love for the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). He said to me,”
I asked him, “What is our sign that you wait for?”
“We (the Sunni) cannot unite with you except by the appearance of your sign. He said, “Al-Mahdi whom you claim to be alive and hidden. When he comes to us, only then we can unite with you and know that you are truthful.”
It is a painful conclusion, but it is inevitable, for this nation cannot unite except by his (Imam al-Mahdi) appearance. Even if we suppose that most of the Sunni shall return to the truth, there shall be some obdurate people there until the Last Day.
It is necessary at the end of this brief discussion to remind of the will of the leader of the umma and founder of the Islamic Republic (Imam Khomeini may Allah have mercy on him) to close the way before pretenders. He prohibited disputing between the Shia and the Sunni for the sake of unity. He began his will by the tradition of ath-Thaqalayn (two weighty things), and after explaining the tradition, he directly said,
“We must say that what had been afflicted on the two trusts of the Prophet (S) by the tyrants afflicted the Muslim nation and in fact entire humanity in a way that the pen is not able to express. We have to mention at this point that the tradition of ath-Thaqalayn has been mentioned by so many narrators (mutawatir tradition) and it is well known among all Muslims. It has been mentioned in the main Sunni books of Hadith, such as the six Sahihs and other books in different wordings and in many places.
This Prophet’s tradition is an irrefutable argument over human beings especially the Muslims with their different creeds. All the Muslims, on whom the argument has been cast, have to undertake this responsibility. If the ignorant have an excuse, the scholars of the different sects have no excuse.”
After Imam Khomeini had disclosed the stages of the plot against the Book of Allah and the Immaculate Progeny (S) and showed that the tyrants had made the Qur'an as a means to establish governments hostile to the Qur'an, although the call of the Messenger of Allah (S) “I have left among you the Two Weighty Things” was still resounding in their ears. They tried their best through different plots and tricks to keep away the true interpreters of the Qur'an and the real scholars of the Prophet’s Hadith. He said,
“We are proud that we are followers of the creed that strives to release facts of the Holy Qur’an that all invite to the unity among all Muslims, and, in fact among all human beings.
We are proud that we are followers of the creed that forms foundation of the Messenger of Allah (S) by the command of Allah and the foundation of Ameerul Mo'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) - loyal servant who was free from all ties and had been was ordered to liberate humanity from enslavement and all kinds of fetters.
We are proud that the book Nahjul Balaghah, which is, after the Qur'an, is the greatest course of material and moral life and the greatest book for liberation of human beings. Its moral and administrative teachings are the best way for deliverance from our infallible Imam.
We are proud of our infallible Imams right from the Imam Ali (a.s.) to the Saviour of humanity - Imam al-Mahdi (thousands of blessings and peace on him) who by the power of Allah the All-Powerful is still alive and watchful of all affairs.”
Then he said in the end of his will, “I ask from the Muslim nations with all seriousness and all humility to take the infallible Imams as their examples and not to listen to any one who misleads, opposes the truth and the creed, and to know that any deviant step may form the beginning of the decline of the creed and the government of the Divine Justice.
…from that, they have not to be indifferent at all to the Friday Prayer, congregational prayers, and the rituals of consolation of the immaculate Imams (a.s.), especially the master of the wronged and martyred Imam al-Husayn (a.s.).
…and to know that the teachings of the Imams (a.s.) serve to liven up this great historical Islamic mission, and that the cursing against those, who were unjust toward the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) is all but a heroic, public cry in the face of the unjust rulers throughout history and forever. And you know that cursing the Umayyads (may Allah curse them) and the talking about their injustice - though they have become extinct and gone to the Hell - is but a cry in the face of all oppressors of the world.
It is necessary to mention openly in the consolation, eulogies, and elegies of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) the disasters of the oppressors’ oppression in every land and every time, including this very time. This is the age of the oppression by the United States of America, the Soviet Union and their followers among whom are the Aal Sa’ud (the rulers of the Saudi dynasty) also - the betrayers of the Divine Sanctum, may the curse of Allah, of His angels and of His messengers be on them. We must mention their injustice openly accompanied with invoking curse against them.
Let us all know that which lead to the unity of Muslims are these rituals that keep intact the identity of Muslims, especially that of Twelver Shia.
What I have to remind of is that my will does not concern the great Iranian people only, but my will is for all Muslim peoples and all wronged nations in the world with their different races and beliefs.”
This is the will of the leader of the ummah. It is clear in showing the necessity of openly mentioning the injustice of the unjust and cursing them. Thus the claim of those, who claimed that Imam Khomeini had prohibited that (unity), is a false claim without any proof at all.
In the end, I would like to say that all Muslims have to ride the Ship of Safety (of the infallible Imams a.s.) if they seek the real unity. We see that the Prophet Noah (S) made, by the command of his Lord, a small ship which could not hold except a few believers, but the Prophet Muhammad (S) prepared, by the command of his Lord, a large ship which can hold the entire nation and all believers can ride on it. Certainly, the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) are not for the Shia only, but they are for all mankind.
May Allah make us all successful in doing all that which has welfare for all human beings and may He make us keep to the guardianship of Ameerul Mo'minin Imam Ali (a.s.) and his infallible progeny. May Allah make you and us celebrate the Eid al-Ghadeer again and again with glory and victory!
The last of our prayer is that praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds, and blessing and peace be on the noblest of messengers our master Muhammad and on his pure progeny.
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Author: Dr. Muhammad at-Tijani as-Sammawi
