Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Letter 59

Muharram 28, 1330

I Truth Manifests

1) I have never seen, in the past or in the present, anyone more gentle in his tone, more strong in his argument, than your own self. Now truth has manifested itself due to the proofs which you have brought forth, thus uncovering the mask of doubt, revealing the pleasant countenance of conviction.

No longer do we claim that the meaning of "wali" and "mawla " inhadith al­Ghadir is "foremost," or that it implies the "supporter," or the like, nor anything akin to what that man who asked for a sure torment had suggested; your view regarding the "mawla " stands on firm grounds, and is taken for granted.

II Evasion

2) I wish you agree to our interpretation of the saidhadith which is endorsed by a group of learned‘ulema , including imam Ibn Hajar in hisAl-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa , and al­Halabi in hisSirat . They argue that even if we agree that he (‘Ali) is the most worthy of imamate, the [Prophet's] intention here is futuristic; otherwise, he would have become the Imam in spite of the presence of the Prophet (pbuh) [which is an impossible situation, since the Prophet, as long as he was alive, was the sole Imam­tr.], who did not mind the forthcoming of an Imam after him.

It is as though the Prophet (pbuh) had said: "‘Ali shall be the Imam as soon as he receives the oath of allegiance;" so, such a situation will not collide with the precedence of the three Imams; it thus safeguards the honour of the good ancestors, may Allah Almighty be pleased with them all.

Sincerely,

Letter 60

Evasion Refuted

Muharram 30, 1330

You have, may Allah support the truth through your person, asked us to be convinced that the gist ofhadith al­Ghadir is that ‘Ali is the most worthy of imamate when and if the Muslims choose him as such and swear the oath of allegiance to him, hence his priority to which thehadith hints is futuristic, rather than immediate. In other words, such a priority will take place when and if it is forcibly taken, rather than being actual, so that it does not clash with the caliphate of the three Imams who preceded him [in ruling the Muslims].

We ask you in the light of the truth, the dignity of justice, the honour of fairness, and the logic of fair play, if you yourself are convinced of it so that we may follow suit and follow in your footsteps. Do you agree to give such an explanation yourself, or can it be attributed to you, so that we may follow in your footsteps and do as you do?

I do not think that you are convinced or pleased with a view such as this. I am convinced that you yourself wonder about anyone who would accept to derive such a meaning for thishadith when the text does not at all suggest it, nor can anyone conceive it as such; nay, it even challenges the wisdom and discretion of the Prophet (pbuh)..., astaghfir-Allah.

It neither agrees with his great deeds nor very serious statements made on the Ghadir Day, nor with the irrefutable proofs which we brought forth above, nor with what al­Harith ibn al­Nu’man al­Fahri understood, and what is emphasized by Allah and His Messenger, as well as all the companions.

Yet even the pending priority does not actually agree with the general meaning of this hadith, for it obviously does not necessitate that ‘Ali (as) should not have been themawla of the three caliphs, nor themawla of anyone who died while being contemporary to any of them.

This is exactly the opposite of the conclusion driven home by the Prophet (pbuh) who asked: "Do I not have more authority over the believers than the believers themselves have?" and people answered him in the affirmative; then he (pbuh) said: "To whomsoever I have been themawla (i.e. master of each and every Muslim individual, without any exception), ‘Ali is hismawla ."

So, as you see, nobody is made the exception [other than, of course, the person of the Prophet Himself.] implied in this statement; ‘Ali is indeed themawla without any argument. Both Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, having heard the words of the Prophet (pbuh) on the Ghadir Day, said to ‘Ali:241 "You have, O son of Abu Talib, become themawla of every believing man and woman,"thus admitting that he had become the master of every believing man and woman, generalizing the application to all believing men and women since the sun set on the Day of the Ghadir.

Once ‘Umar was asked: "Your conduct with ‘Ali is quite different from that of any other companion of the Prophet (pbuh)." ‘Umar responded by saying: "Why, he is mymawla ," as stated by Dar Qutni on page 36 ofAl-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa .

He thus admitted that ‘Ali was his master, and he (Ali) had not been chosen to be a caliph yet, nor had he yet received the oath of allegiance from anyone. Consider how his (‘Umar's) statement proved that ‘Ali was hismawla and themawla of every believing man and woman right then, not by virtue of futurity, since the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, on behalf of the Almighty Allah, conveyed the same on the Ghadir Day. ‘Umar once asked ‘Ali to arbitrate in a case brought forth before him involving two bedouins disputants.

One of them asked: "Is this man (‘Ali) to judge between us?" ‘Umar immediately leaped in rage, took the man by the neck and said to him: "Woe unto you! Do you know who this man is? He is yourmawla , mymawla , and themawla of all believers; whoever rejects him as themawla is certainly not a Muslim," as stated near the conclusion of Chapter 11 of Ibn Hajar'sAl-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa . Those who have recorded this incident are quite a few.

You, may Allah support the truth through your person, are aware of the fact that had the philosophy of Ibn Hajar and his supporters regarding the Ghadirhadith been accepted, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, would have been proven to be tampering with his own mission and responsibility - we seek refuge with Allah against thinking in such a manner - hallucinating in his speeches and deeds - Allah is above letting His Messenger do that - without having, according to such a philosophy, any purpose in that awesome situation other than making an announcement that after ‘Ali had been elected as caliph, he would be most fit for it, and that, the theory goes on, nobody should monopolize it, for ‘Ali and all other companions, and Muslims in general, are in that respect equal. What characteristic did the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, intend then and there to attribute to ‘Ali, and ‘Ali alone, from among all others who are well­known for their history in serving Islam, if such philosophy, O Muslims, is proven accurate?

As regarding their claim that had ‘Ali's priority regarding the Imamate not been futuristic, he would have become then the Imam in spite of the presence of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, we say that such a claim is indeed quite odd; it is the watering down of the truth, an unmatched misrepresentation which ignores the covenants of all prophets, caliphs, kings and princes to their successors. It overlooks the meaning of the hadith: "You to me are like Aaron to Moses except there will be no prophet after me."

It is an attempt to forget his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, in thehadith relevant to his kin when he warned them saying, "Therefore, listen to him [to ‘Ali] and obey him," and to other nUmarous texts in this meaning. Even if we suppose that due to the presence of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, ‘Ali's priority of the imamate could not be effective immediately, then obviously it had to be effective after his demise, following the unanimously accepted rule of interpreting a statement the absolute truth of which is unattainable by its closest meanings. As regarding the honour of the good ancestors, it is safeguarded without forcing such an interpretation as we will explain if necessary, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 61

Requesting Texts Narrated by Shi’a Sources

Safar 1, 1330

As long as the honour and dignity of the good ancestors are protected, then there is nothing wrong with considering all theahadith regarding the Imam (as), the ones to which you have referred, includinghadith al­Ghadir or any other one, without the need for an interpretation.

You may also know otherahadith relevant to this subject with which the Sunnis are not familiar; so, may I request you to narrate them so that we may acquaint ourselves therewith? Wasslam.

Sincerely,

Letter 62

Forty Ahadith

Safar 2, 1330

Yes, we will narrate to you consecutively reportedahadith with which the Sunnis are not familiar. These are narrated by members of the purified progeny of Muhammad (pbuh), of which we relate forty:242

1) Al­Saduq Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn al­Husayn ibn Babawayh al­Qummi has included in his bookIkmal ad­Din wa Itmam al­Ni’mah, as transmitted by ‘Abdul­Rahman ibn Samrah, one particularhadith in which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, addresses ‘Abdul­Rahman thus: "O Abu Samrah! If views differ and opinions vary, then refer to ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, for he is my nation's Imam, and my successor over them after me."

2) In the same reference, i.e. theIkmal , al­Saduq quotes Ibn ‘Abbas narrating onehadith in which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, says: "Allah, the Praised One and the Sublime, cast a scrutinizing look at the inhabitants of the earth and chose me from among them to be the Prophet, then he cast another look and chose ‘Ali as the Imam and commanded me to take him as my brother, and appoint him as thewali and vizier."

3) Al­Saduq, also in theIkmal , traces onehadith to Imam al­Sadiq (as) who quotes his father and ancestors citing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "Gabriel has told me that the Lord of Power, exalted is His Greatness, has said: ‘Whoever comes to know that I am the Lord without any partner, and that Muhammad is my Servant and Messenger, that Ali ibn Abu Talib is Muhammad's successor, and that the Imams from his descendants are My Arguments, then I would let him enter Paradise through My Mercy.'"

4) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , traces anotherhadith to Imam al­Sadiq (as) who quotes his father and grandfather citing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "The Imams after me are twelve: The first is ‘Ali and the last is al­Qa'im [al­Mahdi]; they are my successors and the executors of my will."

5) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , traces yet anotherhadith to al­Asbagh ibn Nabatah who says that the Commander of the Faithful ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) once approached, his hand in the hand of his son al­Hasan, and said: "The Messenger of Allah once came to us and his hand was in mine like this, saying: ‘The best of creation after me, and their master, is this brother of mine who is the Imam of every Muslim, the prince of every believer after me.'"

6) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , tracing onehadith to Imam al­Rida (as) who quotes his forefathers citing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "Whoever likes to uphold my religion and embark upon the Ark of Salvation after me, let him follow the example of ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, for he is the executor of my will, and my vicegerent over my nation during my lifetime and after my demise."

7) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , attributes anotherhadith by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, to Imam al­Rida (as) who quotes his ancestors stating that the Prophet (pbuh) once said: "I and ‘Ali are the fathers of this nation; whoever knows us very well also knows Allah, and whoever denies us also denies Allah, the Unique, the Mighty. And from ‘Ali's descendants are my grandsons al­Hasan and al­Husayn, who are the masters of the youths of Paradise, and from al­Husayn's descendants shall be nine: whoever obeys them obeys me, and whoever disobeys them also disobeys me; the ninth among them is their Qa'im and Mahdi."

8) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , traces anotherhadith through isnad to Imam al­Hasan al­‘Askari (as) who quotes his ancestors up to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, addressing Ibn Mas’ud thus: "O Ibn Mas’ud! ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib is your Imam after me; he is my successor over you."

9) Quoting onehadith related by Salman, al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , says that once Salman visited the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, and found al­Husayn ibn ‘Ali (as) sitting on his lap, and the prophet was kissing him and saying: "You are a master, son of a master, an Imam and son of an Imam, brother of an Imam, father of Imams, and you are Allah's Argument, the son of His Argument (Hujjah), and father of nine Arguments from your loins, the ninth of them is their Qa'im."

10) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , quotes anotherhadith traced also to Salman who quotes a lengthyhadith by the Messenger of Allah in which he (pbuh) says: "O Fatima! Have you not come to know that we are Ahl al­Bayt? Allah has made the Hereafter dearer to us than this life, and Allah the Exalted, Praised is His Name, cast a look at the inhabitants of the earth and chose me from among His creation; then he cast a second look and chose your husband and inspired me to marry you to him and take him aswali and vizier, and to make him my successor over my nation. So, your father is the best of prophets, your husband is the best of wasis, and you are the first to join me."

11) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , quotes a lengthyhadith and mentions in it that a meeting of over two hundred men from the Muhajirun (Meccan Immigrants) and the Ansar (Medenite Supporters) were seeking knowledge and studying jurisprudence, and that each one of them started bragging about himself, while ‘Ali (as) remained silent.

They asked him: "O father of al­Hasan, what stops you from saying something?" In response to their question, he (as) only reminded them of a statement made by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in which he said: "‘Ali is my brother, vizier, heir, executor of my will, successor over my nation, and thewali of every believer after me; so, admit all of this about him."

12) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , quotes a lengthyhadith narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn Ja’far, al­Hasan, al­Husayn, ‘Abdulllah ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Umar ibn Abu Salamah, Usamah ibn Ziyad, Salman, Abu Tharr al-Ghifari, and al­Miqdad who all say that they heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying: "I have more authority over the believers than the believers themselves have; my brother ‘Ali has after me more authority over the believers than the believers themselves have."

13) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal ad-Din wa Itmam al-Ni’mah , quotes al­Asbagh ibn Nabatah who cites Ibn ‘Abbas saying that he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying, "I, ‘Ali, al­Hasan, al­Husayn, and nine from the progeny of Husayn are Purified."

14) Al­Saduq has also quoted in his Ikmal Ibn Abayah ibn Rab’i citing Ibn ‘Abbas saying that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: "I am the master of the Prophets, while ‘Ali is the master of the wasis."

15) Al­Saduq has also quoted in hisIkmal onehadith transmitted by Imam al­Sadiq (as) through isnad stating that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said: "Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty, favoured me over all other prophets, and favoured ‘Ali over all other wasis, and favoured from ‘Ali's descendants al­Hasan and al­Husayn, and chose from al­Husayn's progeny the wasis who safeguard the faith against the distortion of extermists, the adulteration of liars, and the misinterpretations of those who have strayed."

16) Al­Saduq, also in hisIkmal , has quoted ‘Ali (as) citing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "The Imams after me are twelve: the first of them is ‘Ali, and the last is al­Qa'im through whom Allah, the Exalted and the Mighty, shall open the east of the earth as well as the west."243

17) Al­Saduq has also quoted in hisAmali a lengthyhadith narrated by ‘Ali (as) in which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, says, "‘Ali is of me, and I am of ‘Ali who is created of my own mould; he solves people's disputes regarding my Sunnah; he is the Commander of the Faithful, the leader of the foremost among all men, and the best of wasis."

18) Al­Saduq, also in hisAmali , has quoted another lengthyhadith reported by ‘Ali (as) in which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, says: "‘Ali is the Commander of the Faithful according to the Wilayat of Allah, the Exalted and the Mighty, which He tied in a knot upon His Throne and required the angels to witness; ‘Ali is Allah's Vicegerent and Proof [Hujjatullah]; he is the Imam of the Muslims."

19) Al­Saduq, also in hisAmali , has quoted Ibn ‘Abbas relating that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: "O ‘Ali! You are the Imam of the Muslims, the Commander of the Faithful, the leader of the foremost renown of all men, Allah's Proof after me, and the master of all wasis."

20) Al­Saduq, also in hisAmali , has cited Ibn ‘Abbas quoting the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying: "O ‘Ali! You are my successor over my nation, and you are to me like Seth to Adam."

21) Al­Saduq, also in hisAmali , has quoted Abu Tharr al­Ghifari saying, ""We were once in the company of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) at his mosque when he said: ‘A man will enter through this door who is the Commander of the Faithful and the Imam of the Muslims,' whereupon ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib came in, and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) welcomed him, turned his glorious face to us and said: ‘This is your Imam after me.'"

22) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has cited Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah al­Ansari quoting the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying: "‘Ali ibn Abu Talib is the foremost among them in accepting Islam, and he is the most learned... He is the Imam and successor after me."

23) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has also quoted onehadith correct through isnad related by Ibn ‘Abbas who quotes the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying: "O people! Whose words are better than Allah's? Your Lord, Mighty is His Grace, has commanded me to assign ‘Ali over you as the most outstanding Imam, as my own successor and executor of my will, and that you should regard him as my brother and vizier."

24) In hisAmali , al­Saduq also quotes onehadith correct through isnad narrated by Abu ‘Ayyash who says: "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) once ascended the pulpit and delivered a sermon in which he said: ‘My cousin ‘Ali is also my brother, vizier, successor, and the one who pays my dues on my own behalf.'"244

25) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has also quoted onehadith correct through isnad reported by the Commander of the Faithful who says: "Once, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) delivered a sermon in which he said: ‘O people! The month of Allah has approached,' and he continued his sermon recounting the attributes of the month of Ramadan. I asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah! What is the best of deeds in this month?' He replied: ‘It is staying away from whatever Allah has forbidden you,' then he burst weeping, so I inquired: ‘What grieves you, O Messenger of Allah?' and he answered: ‘O ‘Ali! I am grieving at what horrible forbidden things that will happen to you in the same month,' adding, ‘You are my wasi, the father of my descendants, and my successor over my nation during my lifetime and after my death; your bidding is as good as mine, and so is your forbidding.'"

26) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has quoted anotherhadith narrated by ‘Ali, peace be upon him, thus: "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said: ‘O ‘Ali! You are my brother and I am yours; I have been chosen to be the Prophet while you have been chosen to be the Imam; I take charge of the revelation [of the Holy Qur'an] while you take charge of its implementation; you are the father of this nation. O ‘Ali! You are mywasi and vicegerent, my vizier and heir, and the father of my offspring.'"

27) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has also quoted onehadith the isnad of which is authentic as transmitted by Ibn ‘Abbas who says: "While the Ansar were assembling at Quba' Mosque, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: ‘O ‘Ali! You are my brother and I am yours; you are the executor of my will and my own successor, and the Imam of my nation after me: Allah will assist whoever assists you, and He will be the enemy of whoever antagonizes you.'"

28) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has also quoted a lengthyhadith narrated by Ummu Salamah in which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) addresses her thus: "O Ummu Salamah! Listen and bear witness: This ‘Ali ibn Abu Tlib is the executor of my will; he is my successor, the one who tries my enemies, and the one who safeguards my Pool [of al­Kawthar]."

29) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has also quoted Salman al-Farisi saying, "I have heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying: ‘O Muhajirun and Ansar! Shall I lead you to that which, as long as you adhere to, shall never let you stray after me?' They said: ‘O yes, Messenger of Allah!' He (pbuh) said: ‘This ‘Ali is my brother and the executor of my will, my vizier, heir and successor; he is your Imam; therefore, love him as much as I love him, and respect him as much as I respect him, for Gabriel has enjoined me to say so to you.'"

30) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has also quoted through isnad onehadith related by Zayd ibn Arqam in which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted saying: "Shall I lead you to that which, as long as you adhere to, will protect you against annihilation and straying? Your Imam andwali is ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib (as); therefore, do support him, listen to his counsel, and believe in him, for Gabriel has ordered me to say so to you."

31) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has quoted Ibn ‘Abbas relating onehadith in which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says: "Allah, the Praised, the Sublime, has inspired to me: ‘I have selected from your nation a brother and heir for you, a successor and executor of your will.' I inquired: ‘O Lord! Who is he?' He replied: ‘It is he who loves me and I love him...,' till He said in His divine statement: ‘It is ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib.'"

32) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has quoted Ibn ‘Abbas citing anotherhadith related by his ancestors in which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says: "During my isra' (night journey), my Lord, Exalted is His Might, promised me that ‘Ali is the Imam of the pious, the leader of the foremost among renown men, the religion's chief."

34) In hisAmali , al­Saduq has quoted onehadith through isnad to Imam al­Rida (as) who quotes his ancestors citing the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying: "‘Ali is of me, and I am of ‘Ali; may Allah wage war against those who fight ‘Ali; ‘Ali, indeed, is the Imam of creation after me."

35) Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn al­Hasan al­Tusi, the sect's shaykh, in his Amal quotes onehadith narrated by ‘Ammar ibn Yasir in which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted telling ‘Ali, "Allah has decorated you in a way that is most dear to Him: through asceticism to the extent that you do not feel deprived of any of this life's pleasures, and none of them feels deprived of you, and He has endowed you with the love for the destitute, making their fellowship welcomed by you, and they welcome you as their Imam; therefore, congratulations to whoever loves you and believes in you, and woe unto whoever hates you and tells lies about you."

36) In hisAmali , Shaykh al­Saduq has also quoted onehadith through isnad to ‘Ali (as) who has said while preaching from Kufa's pulpit: "O people! The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) granted me ten attributes that are dearer to me than anything upon which the sun shines: He (pbuh) has said to me: ‘O ‘Ali! You are my brother in this life and the life hereafter, and you are the closest to me among all creation on the Day of Resurrection; your residence in Paradise faces mine; you are my heir, the executor of my will after me, faring with both my foes and family; you protect my family on my own behalf during my absence; you are my nation's Imam; you execute justice among my followers; you are my friend, and my friend is the friend of Allah; your enemy is my enemy, and my enemy is surely the enemy of Allah.'"

37) In al­Saduq's book titledAl-Nusus ‘ala al-A'Imma , which contains texts relevant to the Imams, al­Hasan ibn ‘Ali (as) is quoted saying: "I have heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say the following to my father: ‘And you are the inheritor of my knowledge, the substance of my own judgment, and the Imam after me.'"

38) Also in his work containing texts about the Imams, al­Saduq quotes ‘Umran ibn Hasin saying: "I have heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say to ‘Ali, ‘You are the Imam and successor after me.'"

39) Also in his same work, al­Saduq quotes ‘Ali (as) citing the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying to him: "O ‘Ali! You are thewasi over those who have died among my household, and the caliph of those who are alive among my nation."

40) Also in the same reference cited above, al­Saduq quotes al­Husayn ibn ‘Ali (as) saying: "When Allah revealed the verse: ‘And those who are kin of each other are more worthy of each other in the Book of Allah,' I asked the Messenger of Allah to interpret it, and he said: ‘You are the kin; when I die, your father ‘Ali is the most worthy of me and my station; when your father dies, your brother al­Hasan is most worthy of it; and if al­Hasan dies, then you are most worthy of his station.'"

This is the conclusion of what we wanted to quote in such a hurry. Its ratio to the remainder of the texts is like that of one bouquet to the remainder of all flowers, or the drop of water to the ocean; yet a portion should suffice; praise be to the Lord of the worlds, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 63

Safar 3, 1330

I Shi’a Texts Rejected as Testimonials,

1) As long as these texts are not quoted by non­Shi’as, Sunnis are not bound to accept them as testimonials.

II Why Have Others Refrained from Quoting Them?

2) Had they been verified, why has nobody else quoted them?

III Asking for More Texts

3) Let us refer only to thehadith narrated by Sunnis in this regard, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 64

Safar 4, 1330

I Above Texts were Quoted upon Request,

1) We have cited those texts in order to acquaint you with them and in response to your own request.

II Sahihs are Proofs against the Majority,

2) Our own testimonial against your argument is what we have already quoted from your ownsahihs .

III Not Quoted Because of Their Existence in Our Own Sahihs.

3) The reason why those texts were not included is due to the prejudice, with which we are familiar, of those who concealed their grudge, and hid their animosity, from the party of Pharaoh during the early epoch of Islam, worshippers of authority and domination who spent everything they possessed of might and means to hide the contributions of Ahl al­Bayt and put out their light in every land.

They forced people to deny their feats and attributes through means and methods of both tempting and terrorizing, through their wealth once, and through their positions and political stature another. They bestowed their favours upon those who denied these merits, dismissing, banishing or even murdering those who believed in them.

You know that the texts related to the imamate, and the promises of caliphate, are held with apprehension by those who fear that such texts may jeopardize their thrones or undermine the very foundations of their governments. The safety of these texts against the tampering of such people, of that of their followers and flatterers, and their ability to reach us through many sources and methods, is, indeed, a miracle testifying to their own truth. This is so due to the fact that those who denied the status of Ahl al­Bayt, usurped the positions rightly and divinely assigned to them, used to incur the worst punishment upon anyone who showed love for Ahl al­Bayt.

They would shave his beard, convey him on the back of a donkey and tour the market­places, humiliating him, beating him and depriving him of even the most simple and basic human right, till he would lose all hope for justice from those rulers and despond of having friends in the community.245

So, if anyone spoke well of ‘Ali (as), he would be disowned, and retribution would fall upon him; therefore, his possessions would be confiscated, and he would be executed. How many tongues praising ‘Ali were cut off? How many eyes which looked at him with respect were gouged? How many hands which pointed out to him were amputated? How many feet which walked towards him affectionately were sawed? How many homes of his followers were burnt? And how many of their families were banished...?

Among the narrators ofhadith and "protectors of the legacy" were people who worshipped those monarchs and tyrants as well as their rulers other than worshipping Allah, the Exalted, the Sublime, and they sought nearness to them with all their resources of scholarship, thus distorting, testifying for the authenticity of this or against the authenticity of that, just like many whom we see these days of flatterers among shaykhs, hired scholars, bad judges who race to please the rulers by endorsing their policies, be they just or unjust, calling their edicts correct, be they truly correct or corrupt; so, the ruler does not even have to ask them for a verdict in support of his regime or to indict his opponents, for they do so according to his own wish and according to the requirements of his policy, even if this means opposing the Book and the Sunnah, thus violating the nation's consensus, out of their own eagerness to safeguard their positions, or due to their coveting of a position they aspire to acquire. What a distance separates these from those!

The latter did not value their governments, while the others needed their monarchs so badly, since they would use them to fight Allah and His Messenger. For this reason, they enjoyed with the monarchs and rulers a special lofty status, and their word was heeded; therefore, they commanded authority and prestige, and they were fanatical against the accurateahadith if the latter pointed out to an attribute of ‘Ali (as) or of other members of the household of Prophethood; so, they would reject it strongly, dropping it violently, attributing to its narrators Rafidism - and Rafidism is the worst vice according in their judgment. This is their policy towards the traditions lauding ‘Ali, especially if they are held in high esteem by the Shi’as.

As regarding the flatterers, these have had friends in the specially high class in every land; they would speak highly of them, and they have for followers secular scholars who would publicize their views, from among those who make a show of asceticism and piety, among the leaders and tribal chiefs.

When the latter hear what they say regarding rejecting those authenticahadith , they would hold their statements as gospel­revealed and would publicize them among the commoners and the ignorant, thus making them well­known in every land and using them as principles upheld in every time. There is another group of people who were custodians ofhadith in those days, and who were forced by fear to overlook theahadith praising ‘Ali and Ahl al­Bayt (as).

If those poor folks were asked about what those flatterers were saying regarding rejecting the accuratesunan containing ‘Ali's contributions and those of Ahl al­Bayt (as), they would fear, if they told the general public of what they knew, that a blind, deaf and dumb dissension might occur.

They were, therefore, forced out of fear to seek shelter by side­tracking the subject for fear of being rebuked by the flatterers and those who publicize for them, and for fear of those who repeat their words like parrots from among the populace and ignorant commoners.

Kings and rulers ordered people to denounce the Commander of the Faithful. They pressured them to do so once by tempting them with money, and once by threatening them with their armies and dreadful promises of retribution, thus forcing them to belittle him and his lineage, so much so that they painted a disgusting picture of him in their books and narratedahadith whereby ears feel offended, making the cursing of his name from the pulpits a tradition followed by the Muslims during both ‘Iids and on Fridays.

The Light of Allah cannot be put out, and the contributions of His walis cannot be hidden; otherwise, those traditions would not have reached us through the sources of both groups, accurately and explicitly implying his caliphate. No texts are more consecutively reported than the texts in his praise, and I, by Allah, wonder about the favours which He has bestowed upon ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, His servant and the brother of His Messenger, how his light pierced through the clouds, the pitch of darkness, and survived the tumultuous waves, letting its ray shine on the world like midday sun!

4) You may refer, in addition to all the irrefutable proofs you have heard, to the text of inheritance, for it by itself is an irrefutable proof, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 65

Requesting the Ahadith Relevant to the Inheritance

Safar 5, 1330

Please narrate to us thehadith of inheritance as transmitted by Sunnis, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 66

Ali is the Prophet's Heir

Safar 5, 1330

There is no doubt that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, has left ‘Ali with a legacy of knowledge and wisdom as much as the Almighty permitted His prophets and wasis to inherit, so much so that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said: "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate; therefore, whoever wishes to attain knowledge, let him approach through the gate."246

He, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: "I am the storehouse of wisdom, and ‘Ali is its door... ‘Ali is the gateway of my knowledge, the one who explains after me the Message with which I have been sent; loving him is indicative of genuine faith, and hating him is hypocrisy."

According to Zayd ibn Abu ‘Awfah, he, peace be upon him and his progeny, has addressed ‘Ali thus: "You are my brother and heir;"247 whereupon ‘Ali inquired: "And what will you bequeath unto me?" He, peace be upon him and his progeny, answered: "Whatever Prophets before me used to bequeath." In another hadith, he, peace be upon him and his progeny, according to Buraydah, has said: "The heir of my knowledge is ‘Ali."248

Refer also to thehadith on the day of warning. During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, ‘Ali (as) used to say: "By Allah, I am his brother, successor and cousin, and the heir of his knowledge; so, who is more worthy of all this other than myself?"249

Once ‘Ali was asked: "How did you come to inherit your cousin rather than your uncle?" He answered: "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, gathered the descendants of ‘Abdul Muttalib, who were quite a few, and each one of them had such an appetite that would consider tree trunks edible and would drink water though not potable, and he prepared for them a mudd of food (a dry measure approximately Tangier 46.61, about one and three­quarters of a pound); yet they all ate till they were satisfied, while the food looked as if it was not touched.

Then he, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: ‘O descendants of ‘Abdul­Muttalib! I have been sent to you in particular, and to all people in general; so, who among you pledges to be my brother, friend and heir?' Nobody stood; so, I stood, though the youngest among the attendants, but he (pbuh) told me to sit. He repeated his statement twice, and each time, I was the only one who stood up, and every time he would tell me to sit. On the third time, he shook hands with me; thus did I come to inherit my cousin instead of my uncle.'"250

According to al­Hakim'sAl-Mustadrak ,251 and to al­Thahbi'sTalkhis , who both testify to its authenticity, Qatham ibn al­‘Abbas was asked once: "How did ‘Ali come to inherit the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) rather than your own selves?" He answered: "It is so due to his being the foremost among us in following him, and in keeping company with him more than anyone of us."

It was well­known that ‘Ali, rather than his uncle al­‘Abbas or any descendant of Hashim, was the heir of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny. They accepted that as a fact, though they were informed of the reason why such inheritance was confined to ‘Ali alone, who was the Prophet's cousin, rather than to al­‘Abbas, his uncle, or to any other uncle or relative of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny. For this reason, they used to ask ‘Ali (as) once and once Qatham, and the latter used to answer them as stated above in a way that is satisfactory to the understanding of those inquirers.

Otherwise, the answer would be that Allah, the Exalted and omni­Scient, looked upon the people of the earth and chose from among them Muhammad (pbuh) and elevated him to be the Prophet, then He cast another look and selected ‘Ali and inspired to His Messenger, peace be upon him and his progeny, to take him as his heir and successor.

On page 125, Vol. 3, ofAl-Mustadrak , al­Hakim, having quoted Qatham stating the above, says: "The judge of judges [supreme judge, or grand mufti], Abul-Hasan Muhammad ibn Salih al­Hashimi, has told me that he once heard Abu ‘Umar the judge saying: ‘I heard Isma’il ibn Ishaq the judge, having been informed of what Qatham had said, saying that a man inherits another through either a blood relationship or sincere loyalty, and men of knowledge do not dispute the fact that [under normal circumstances] a cousin does not become the heir while the uncle [his father] is still alive.'

According to such consensus, ‘Ali inherited the Prophet's knowledge rather than they." As a matter of fact, chroniclers are sequential in narrating such a fact, especially through the sources of the purified progeny, and suffices us for proof is the Will and its clear texts, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 67

Where is the Prophet's Will?

Safar 6, 1330

Sunnis are not familiar with any will left for ‘Ali, nor are they acquainted with any of its contents; so, please oblige and tell us its story, Wassalam.

Sincerely,