Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Letter 42

Muharram 4, 1330

I Arabs Address the Singular Using the Plural Form,

1) The answer to your question is that Arabs apply the plural expression while addressing an individual due to the nice effect it produces [i.e. respect].

II Testimonials,

2) A testimony to this fact is what the Almighty says in Surat Al-i-’Imran:

Those to whom some people said: "A large army has been raised against you; so, fear them," yet it only increased their faith, and they said: "Allah suffices us, and He is the One upon Whom we depend most." (Qur'an, 3:173)

The person implied in these verses of Al-i-’Imran is none other than Na’im ibn Mas’ud al-Ashja’i, according to the consensus of scholars of exegesis, traditionists, and chroniclers. Yet Allah Almighty has applied to him, the singular person that he is, the plural form just to express respect for those who did not listen to his statements nor heeded his dissuading calls.

Abu Sufyan had given him ten camels in order to demoralize and frighten the Muslims regarding the strength of the polytheists, and he did just that. Among his statements then was: "People have gathered a mighty force to attack you; so, fear for your own lives."

Many Muslims disliked the idea of fighting that force just because of his statement, but the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, came out accompanied by seventy cavaliers to meet them, and they all returned from the battle-field safely, whereupon this verse was revealed praising the seventy believers who came out with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, heedless to the dissuasion of those who wished to demoralize them.

In applying the word "people" for just one individual, a nice and divine point is made which is complimenting the seventy men who came out with the Prophet. This surely sounds more eloquent when used as such; it is better than saying: "Those to whom a man said that a large army had been raised..., etc.," as is obvious. There are nUmarous verses in the Holy Qur'an similar to this one, as well as in the Arabic language as a whole. The Almighty Allah says: "O you who believe! Remember Allah's blessing unto you when some folks intended to lay their (evil) hands upon you, and He protected you against their harm."

In fact, the person who intended to lay his evil hands upon them and hurt them was a man from the tribe of Muharib named Ghawrath - others say it was ‘Amr ibn Jahsh of Banu al Nadir - who unsheathed his sword and shook it intending to strike the Holy Prophet (pbuh), but Allah, the Almighty and the Glorified, foiled his attempt, according to the narration of the incident as recorded by traditionists, authors of chronicles, and scholars of exegesis, and as transmitted by Ibn Hisham in the campaign of That al Riqa' in Vol. 3 of his book titled Sirah. Allah has applied the collective plural "people" for this lone man just to express His blessings, the Dear One, the Omnipotent, upon the Muslim masses manifested in the safety of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny.

In the Mubahala verse, He has applied both the singular and the plural forms to the "sons," "women," and "selves" to both the Hasanain, Fatima, and ‘Ali in particular, just to honour to their lofty status, may Allah be pleased with them. Examples for the application of the plural form for the individual wherever necessary are innUmarable and beyond recounting, and they all prove the license to use the plural form while talking about one individual whenever there is a nice eloquent effect thereto.

III Quoting Imam al-Tibrisi,

3) In his interpretation of this verse, inMujma’ul Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an , Imam al-Tibrisi comments on the usage of the plural form to refer to the Commander of the Faithful as a token of respect and veneration, stating that lexicographers describe the singular using the plural form to show respect and veneration. He says: "Sucn an application is too well known in their language to require proofs."

IV Quoting al-Zamakhshari,

4) In his Kashshaf, al-Zamakhshari mentions another nice point when he says: "If you wonder how it can be accurate to use the plural with ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, I will tell you that he is addressed in the plural form, although he is only one man, so that people may follow his example and earn rewards like his, and so that Allah may point out the fact that a believer's attitude should be like ‘Ali's, that is, being eager to do deeds of righteousness and goodwill by looking after the poor, so much so that even the performance of something which does not permit any delay, such as saying the prayers, should not make them postpone it till they are through."

V What I have Stated.

5) I personally have a nice and more precise point. When the Almighty applied the plural rather than the singular form, as many do, then those who hated ‘Ali as well as all those who were envious of and in competition with Banu Hashim would not be able to tolerate hearing it in the singular form, for they would then be unable to hide the truth or water it down. Because of their desperation, they might even do something quite harmful to Islam. It is quite possible that it was for this reason that the verse was revealed in the plural form though applied to the singular: in order to avoid the harm resulting from disgracing those folks.

The verses after that particular one vary in form and status, gradually preparing them for wilayat, till Allah perfected His religion and completed His blessing, as was his usual habit, peace be upon him and his progeny, and that of the wise in attaining what otherwise is quite difficult to attain. Had the verse come in the singular form, those folks would have then put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their own clothes and become stubborn, arrogant, and naughty.

This is a sublime wisdom manifested in all the verses of the Holy Qur'an which were revealed to highlight the attributes of the Commander of the Faithful and those among his purified household, as is quite obvious. We have explained these statements and brought irrefutable proofs and obvious testimonies in our booksSabil al-Muminin and Tanzil al-Ayat , and praise be to Allah for His Guidance and Support, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 43

Context Denotes "the Loved one," or the Like.

Muharram 4, 1330

May Allah bless your father! You have, indeed, dispelled my doubts and thus overcome my suspicion, so much so that truth has become manifest. Nothing remains to say other than the fact that the context of the said verse denotes the prohibition of taking the infidels for walis.

The verses which precede and succeed it testify to this fact, and this supports the claim that the connotation of the word "wali" in this verse is the supporter, loved one, friend, or the like; so, what would your answer be? Kindly state it, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 44

I Context is not Indicative of "Supporter," or the Like,

II Context does not Outweigh the Proofs.

Muharram 5, 1330

1) Here is my answer: This verse, if one were to scrutinize it, overlooking the verses which precede it and which prohibit taking the infidels for walis, does not connote praising the Commander of the Faithful or recommending him for leadership and imamate by threatening dissidents with his might or by warning them against being punished by him. This is so because in the preceding verse, if and when scrutinized independently, Allah Almighty states:

"O ye who believe! If anyone of you relinquishes his religion, then Allah will raise a people whom He loves and who love Him, soft-hearted with the believers, mighty against the unbelievers, struggling in His Path, not fearing anyone while doing so. This, indeed, is Allah's favour; He grants it to whomsoever He pleases, and Allah is vast in knowledge (Qur'an, 5:54)." 175

This verse is revealed on behalf of the Commander of the Faithful (as), warning others of his might and that of his followers, as the Commander of the Faithful has himself stated on the Battle of the Camel and is stated by Imams al-Baqir and al-Sadiq.

The same meaning is applied by al-Tha’labi in his Tafsir al-Qur'an. It is also narrated by the author of Muj'maul Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an from ‘Ammar, Huthayfah, and Ibn ‘Abbas. It is interpreted in this way according to the consensus of Shi’as who narrate it consecutively from the Imams of the Purified Progeny (as).

The verse of the wilayat will thus come after hinting to his wilayat and referring to the necessity of accepting his imamate. Its context would then be an explanation of that hint, and an elaboration on the hint that preceded it which suggests his government; so, how can it be said that this verse was revealed in the context of prohibiting taking the infidels for walis?

2) The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, has himself equated the status of the Imams among his descendants to that of the Holy Qur'an, indicating that they both shall never separate from each other, and that they are equal in significance to the Book (Qur'an) itself; through them can right be distinguished from wrong. To them, taking this verse as a proof is consecutively reported. The meaning they have always applied to the word "wali" in such a context is identical to the one which I have applied above; therefore, context does not bear any weight if you take it to contradict their texts,176 for all Muslims are in consensus regarding the application of context as a proper argument.

When context and proof collide with one another, they abandon the connotation of the context and yield to the judgement of the proof. This is so due to the fact that the connotation of this verse's context is not relied upon, since the Glorious Book itself is not arranged in the order of its compilation, according to the consensus of all Muslim scholars, but according to the sequence of the revelation of its verses.

As such, there are quite a few verses which give a meaning that contradicts their context. Take, for example, the Verse of Purification. The fact that the chapter where it exists deals with women is quite clear in restricting its connotation to the five individuals [men and women] who were covered with the mantle. Generally speaking, to interpret a verse in a way which contradicts its context does not in any way violate its miraculous aspect, it does not harm its eloquence, and it does not hurt to resort to it whenever irrefutable proofs demand it, Wassalamo Alaikom.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 45

Resorting to Interpretation, Following in the Footsteps of the Predecessors, is Unavoidable.

Muharram 6, 1330

Had it not been for the caliphate of the Righteous Caliphs, which is correct beyond any doubt, we would not have had any choice other than accepting your view and interpreting this verse and others according to your own judgement, but to cast doubts about the soundness of their caliphate, may Allah be pleased with them, is out of the question. Resorting to interpretation, then, is unavoidable, since we have believed in them as well as in those who swore the oath of allegiance to them, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 46

Muharram 6, 1330

The three righteous caliphs, may Allah be pleased with them, are, indeed, the subject of the study and debate; to use such caliphate, however, to rebut our arguments is totally rejected.

I Believing in the Ancestors does not Require Interpretation

1) To believe in those caliphs, as well as in those who swore allegiance to them, does not require interpreting the arguments. In justifying their caliphate, you yourselves resort to interpretation, as we will clarify if necessary.

II Interpretation is Impossible

2) Interpreting the texts which we have stated to you is impossible; so is the case with what we have not stated yet, such as the Ghadir'shadith and that of the Will, particularly when backed by irrefutable traditions which support one another, the latter being sufficient by themselves to require reference to manifest texts. Whoever acquaints himself with the latter will find them irrefutable testimonials and unequivocable verdicts, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 47

Requesting Testimonial Traditions

Muharram 7, 1320

I wish you had stated those traditions supporting such texts and thereby complemented your research, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 48

Forty Ahadith Supporting the Texts

Muharram 8, 1330

Consider forty such supportingahadith :

1) Consider the statement of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, while holding ‘Ali's neck, "This is the Imam of the righteous, the slayer of the debauchees; victorious is whoever supports him, forsaken (by Allah) is whoever abandons him." He (pbuh) raised his voice while saying the last phrase. This is included by al-Hakim as narrated by Jabir on page 129, Vol. 3, ofAl-Mustadrak ,177 where the author comments saying: "This is onehadith the authenticity of which is attested to by its own chain of narrators, though both authors (ofsahih books) did not record it."

2) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "It has been revealed to me that ‘Ali has three exclusive merits: that he is the chief of the Muslims, the Imam of the righteous, and the leader of those whose foreheads radiate with the mark of faith."

It is included by al-Hakim at the beginning of page 138, Vol. 3, of hisMustadrak 178 where the author comments: "This is onehadith the accuracy of which is attested to by its own chain of narrators, though both authors (of thesahih books) did not record it."

3) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "It has been revealed to me that ‘Ali is the chief of the Muslims, thewali of the pious, and the leader of those whose foreheads radiate with the mark of faith." It is recorded by Ibn al-Najjar]179 and many other authors of books of traditions.

4) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, to ‘Ali: "Welcome, chief of the Muslims, Imam of the pious!" It is included by Abu Na’im inHilyat al-Awliya' .180

5) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "The first to enter through this door is the Imam of the pious, the chief of Muslims, the head of the religion, the seal of the wasis, and the leader of those whose foreheads radiate with the mark of faith," whereupon ‘Ali entered and he, peace be upon him and his progeny, stood up happily excited, hugged him and wiped his sweat saying: "You shall fulfill my covenant, convey my message, and after me clarify whatever seems to be ambiguous."181

6) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Allah has promised me that ‘Ali is the standard of guidance, the Imam of whoever accepts my wilayat, the light for whoever obeys me, and the word which I have mandanted unto the pious."182 As you see, these sixahadith contain obvious texts regarding his imamate and the obligation to obey him, peace be upon him.

7) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, pointing to ‘Ali, "This is the first to have believed in me, the first to shake hands with me on the Day of Resurrection; he is the foremost friend, and he is the faruq of this nation who distinguishes between right and wrong; he is the chief of the believers."183

8) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "O you group of the Ansars! Shall I lead you to that which, as long as you adhere to it, you shall never go astray? It is ‘Ali; love him as you love me, and respect him as you respect me, for Gabriel has commanded me to say so to you on behalf of Allah, the Almighty, the Omniscient."184

9) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "I am the city of knowledge, and ‘Ali is its gate; whoever aspires to attain knowledge, let him approach through the gate."185

10) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "I am the house of wisdom and ‘Ali is its gate."186

11) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "‘Ali is the gateway of my knowledge, the one who is to explain to my nation after me what I have been sent with; loving him is a mark of genuine faith, and hating him is hypocrisy."187

12) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, to ‘Ali: "You shall clarify to my nation all matters wherein they differ." This is recorded by al-Hakim on page 122, Vol. 3, of hisMustadrak 188 as reported by Anas. The author then comments: "This is an authentichadith according to the endorsement of both Shaykhs [Bukhari and Muslim], although they did not quote it themselves."

In fact, whoever scrutinizes thishadith and others similar to it will come to know that ‘Ali's status with relevence to the Messenger of Allah is similar to that of the Messenger of Allah to the Almighty Himself, for Allah says to His Messenger: "We have sent you Our revelations only so that you may clarify for them all the matters in which they dispute, and as guidance and mercy unto those who believe;" while in thishadith the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) tells ‘Ali: "You shall clarify to my nation all matters wherein they differ after me."

13) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, as recorded by Ibn al-Sammak from Abu Bakr, "‘Ali's status to me is similar unto that of mine to my Lord."189

14) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, as recorded by al-Dar Qutni in Al-Afrad where the author quotes Ibn ‘Abbas citing the Prophet saying: "‘Ali ibn Abu Talib is (like) the gate of salvation to the Israelites; whoever enters through it becomes a true believer [mu'min], and whoever gets out of it becomes infidel."190

15) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, on the day of ‘Arafat during Hijjatul Wada’ [the farewell pilgrimage]: "‘Ali is of me, and I am of ‘Ali, and nobody pays my debts other than I or ‘Ali."191

"It is the statement of a glorious Messenger empowered by the One Who manifests the Throne, Able, Obeyed: how trustworthy He is! Nay! Your fellow is not possessed at all." (Qur'an, 81:19-22)

"He does not speak out of his own personal inclination; it is but a revealed inspiration." (Qur'an, 53:3-4)

So, whither are you going? And what shall you say about these clear arguments and explicit texts?

If you carefully scrutinize this much, examine the wisdom behind making such an announcement during the supreme pilgrimage in front of the witnesses, truth will then appear to you most manifestly. And if you examine his words how few, and their meaning how encompassing, you will then have a great reverence for him, for he has learned a great deal and digested and researched what he has learned.

None other than ‘Ali remains to be worthy of discharing any responsiblity. No wonder, then, that he, and only he, executes the Prophet's own will, taking his own position of leadership as vicegerent and vizier; praise be to Allah Who has guided us to all this, for without Allah's guidance, we would not have been thus guided.

16) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Whoever obeys me obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me disobeys Him; and whoever obeys ‘Ali obeys me, too; and whoever disobeys ‘Ali also disobeys me." This is recorded by al-Hakim on page 121, Vol. 3, of his Mustadrak, and by al-Thahbi in hisTalkhis . Both authors have relied on the authority of both Shaykhs to endorse this hadith.

17) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "O ‘Ali! Whoever abandons me abandons Allah; and whoever abandons you abandons me, too." This is recorded by al-Hakim on page 124, Vol. 3, of his Sahih, where he comments saying: "Thishadith is authentic through isnad, though the Shaykhs did not record it."

18) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, as quoted by Umm Salamah, "Whoever denounces ‘Ali denounces me, too," which is recorded by al-Hakim at the beginning of page 121, Vol. 3, ofAl-Mustadrak as ascertained by both Shaykhs, and it is narrated by al-Thahbi in hisTalkhis where the author testifies to its authenticity.

It is recorded by Ahmad among theahadith narrated by Umm Salamah on page 323, Vol. 6, of his Musnad, and by al-Nisa'i on page 17 of Al-Khasa'is al-Alawiyya, in addition to many other traditionists. So is the statement of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, as included among theahadith narrated by ‘Amr ibn Shash thus: "Whoever harms ‘Ali harms me, too."192

19) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Whoever loves ‘Ali loves me, too; and whoever despises ‘Ali despises me, too." Thishadith is recorded by al-Hakim who describes it as authentic on page 130, Vol. 3, ofAl-Mustadrak , and it is narrated by al-Thahbi in hisTalkhis where he admits reference to its authenticity for the same reason. Such is the case of ‘Ali's statement:193 "I swear by the One Who has cleft the seed [so that a plant may grow therefrom] and created the breeze from nothing, the Ummi Prophet (pbuh) has promised me that nobody loves me except a true believer (mu'min), and nobody hates me except a hypocrite."194

20) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "O ‘Ali! You are a leader in this life and the life hereafter; whoever loves you loves me, too, and whoever loves me is loved by Allah; your foe is my foe, and my foe is Allah's foe; woe unto whoever despises you after me."195 This is recorded by al-Hakim at the beginning of page 128, Vol. 3, ofAl-Mustadrak , and its authenticity is ascertained by both Shaykhs.196

21) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "O ‘Ali! Glad tidings to whoever loves and believes in you, and woe unto whoever hates you and tells lies about you." This is recorded by al-Hakim on page 135, Vol. 3, of hisAl-Mustadrak , where he comments saying: "Thishadith is authentic by way of its being consecutively reported (through isnad, consecutive reporting). Neither shaykh records it."

22) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Whoever wishes to live the way that I have lived and die the way that I shall die and reside in the Eternal Garden, which is promised to me by my Lord, let him accept ‘Ali as his/her wali, for surely he never gets you out of guidance, nor will he ever hurl you into misguidance."

23) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "I enjoin whoever believes and trusts in me to be mindful of the wilayat of ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, for whoever accepts him as thewali accepts me as such, and whoever accepts me as thewali has indeed accepted Allah as such; and whoever loves him loves me, and whoever loves me loves Allah; and whoever hates him hates me, too, and whoever hates me hates Allah, the Almighty, the Omniscient."

24) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Whoever is pleased to live my life and die my death, and then reside in the Garden of Eden, planted for me by my Lord, then let him take ‘Ali as thewali after me, and let him accept the authority of whoever ‘Ali places in charge, and let him follow the examples of my progeny after me, for they are my offspring: they are created out of my own mould and blessed with my understanding and knowledge; therefore, woe unto those who deny their favours from among my nation, who cut their ties with them; may Allah never grant them my intercession."

25) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Whoever loves to live my life and die my death and enter the Garden my Lord has promised me, the Garden of Eternity, then let him take ‘Ali and his descendants after him as his walis, for they shall never take you out of guidance, nor shall they ever drag you into misguidance."197

26) At the beginning of page 156, Vol. 6, of Kanz al-’Ummal, al-Daylami quotes Ammar citing the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) telling ‘Ammar the following: "O ‘Ammar! If you see ‘Ali walking on one path while other people walk on another, walk with ‘Ali and leave the people, for he shall never lead you to destruction, nor shall he ever take you out of right guidance."

27) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, according to onehadith narrated by Abu Bakr, "My hand and ‘Ali's are equal when it comes to justice." This ishadith 2539 recorded on page 153, Vol. 6, of Kanz al-’Ummal.

28) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "O Fatima! Are you not pleased that Allah, the Unique, the Sublime, has looked unto the inhabitants of the earth and chose from among them two men: one of them is your father and the other is your husband?"198

29) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "I am the Warner, and ‘Ali is the Guide; through you, O ‘Ali, shall guidance be attained after me." This is recorded by al-Daylami who quotes Ibn ‘Abbas, and it ishadith 2631 on page 157, Vol. 6, ofKanz al-’Ummal.

30) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "O ‘Ali! Nobody is permitted to remain in the state of janaba other than I and you."199 Likewise is thehadith recorded by al-Tabrani as quoted by Ibn Hajar in hisAl-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa as narrated by Umm Salamah, al-Bazzar, and Sa’d; so, refer tohadith 13 of Al-Arba’in al-Nawawiyya which he quotes in Chapter 9. The latter quotes the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "Nobody is permitted to be in the state of janaba in this mosque except I and ‘Ali."

31) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "I and this (meaning ‘Ali) are the Proofs unto my nation on the Day of Judgement." This is recorded by al-Khatib as narrated by Anas. How could the father of al-Hassan (as) be Proof just like the Prophet (pbuh) was, had he not been his vicegerent and successor?

32) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "It is written on the gate of Paradise: ‘There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, ‘Ali is the Brother of the Messenger of Allah.'"200

33) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "It is written on the Throne's leg: ‘There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I (God) have supported him (Muhammad) through ‘Ali, and I have aided him through ‘Ali."

34) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Whoever wishes to discern Noah's determination, Adam's knowledge, Ibrahim's clemency, Moses' discretion, Christ's asceticism, then let him look unto ‘Ali." This is recorded by al-Bayhaqi in hisSahih and by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Musnad.201

35) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "O ‘Ali! There is a resemblance in you to Jesus (as) who was hated by the Jews to the extent that the latter even cast doubts about his mother's honour, and loved by the Christians to the extent that they attributed to him a status which is not his."

36) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "The foremost (among believers) are three: Joshua son of Nun [of the tribe of Ephraim - tr.] who was the foremost to believe in Moses, the believer implied in Surat Yasin [Chapter 36 of the Holy Qur'an] who was the foremost to believe in Jesus, and ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib who was the foremost in believing in Muhammad (pbuh)."202

37) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "The foremost in testifying (to the Prophets' truth) are three: Habib al-Najjar, the believer implied in Surat Yasin, who said: ‘O my people! Follow the Messengers (of God);' Izekiel [whose name means "Strength of God" - tr.], the believer from the family of Pharaoh, who said: ‘Do you intend to kill a man just for saying that his Lord is Allah?,' and ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, who is superior to all of them."203

38) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, to ‘Ali: "The nation will turn treacherous to you; you shall live adhering to my faith and will be murdered for safeguarding it; whoever loves you loves me, too, and whoever hates you hates me, too, and this (‘Ali's beard) will be drenched with blood from this (‘Ali's head)."204 ‘Ali (as) himself has said: "One of the Prophet's predictions is that the nation will be treacherous to me after his demise."

Ibn Abbas has quoted the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, telling ‘Ali, "You will certainly encounter a great deal of hardship after me;"205 ‘Ali inquired: "Shall I be able to keep my faith intact?" and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, answered him in the affirmative.

39) Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Among you is one who will fight for its (Qur'an's) interpretation just as I fought for its revelation." The audience was very excited. Among them were Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Abu Bakr asked: "Am I the one?" and the Prophet's answer was negative. ‘Umar inquired: "Is it I?" and the Prophet (pbuh) answered: "No; but it is the one who is mending the shoes," meaning thereby ‘Ali; therefore, we visited ‘Ali to convey the good news to him, but he did not even raise his head, as if he had already heard it from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny."206

Similar narrative is thehadith narrated by Abu Ayyub al-Ansari during ‘Umar's caliphate. According to al-Hakim, who relies on two references which he indicates on page 139 and the page that follows it, Vol. 3, of his Mustadrak, ‘Umar has said that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, ordered those who reneged from their faith, and who dissented, to be fought. Ibn ‘Asakir, as indicated inhadith 2588 on page 155, Vol. 6 of Kanz al-’Ummal, states that ‘Ammar ibn Yasir has said that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said, "O ‘Ali!

The oppressive gang will fight you; but you are on the right track; whoever refrains from supporting you is not of me." Abu Tharr al-Ghifari, as al-Daylami is quoted at the close of page 155, Vol. 6, of Kanz al-’Ummal, has quoted the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "I swear by the One in whose hands my life is placed that among you is a man who shall fight after me for the interpretation of the Qur'an just as I fought the polytheists for its revelation."

Muhammad ibn ‘Ubaydullah ibn Abu Rafi’, as indicated by al-Tabrani in his Mujma’ al-Kabir and indicated on page 155, Vol. 6, of Kanz al-’Ummal, has quoted his father and grandfather Abu Rafi’ saying that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, has addressed him thus: "O Abu Rafi’! A group of people shall fight ‘Ali after me; Allah has made mandated that they should be fought. Whoever is unable to fight them with his hands, let him fight them with his tongue; if he still is unable to do so, then by his heart." Al-Akhdar al-Ansari207 has quoted the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "I fight for the revelation of the Qur'an, while ‘Ali fights for its interpretation."

40) He, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: "O ‘Ali! I am superior to you due to my being a Prophet, while you are superior to all other people due to seven merits: You are the foremost among them to believe in Allah, the most just in fulfilling Allah's Promise, the most obedient to the Commandments of Allah, the most equitable, the most fair in dealing with the public, the most far-sighted in all issues, and the one who enjoys the highest status in the sight of Allah."

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri quotes the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "O ‘Ali! You possess seven qualities about which nobody can dispute with you: You are the first to truly believe in Allah, the most just in fulfilling Allah's Promise, the most obedient to Allah's Commandments, the most compassionate to the public, the most informed of all issues, and the highest among them in status."208

There is no room here to quote all such traditions which, as a whole, support one another and are all indicative of one meaning, and that is: ‘Ali is second only to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, in faring with this nation, and that he is next only to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, in leading it. These traditions convey such a meaning, even if their texts are not consecutively reported, and this much should suffice as an irrefutable proof, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 49

Muharram 11, 1330

I Admitting ‘Ali's Merits,

1) Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Ahmad ibn Hanbal has said: "Nobody among the companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has possessed as many virtues as ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib has."209 Ibn ‘Abbas has said, "No verses of the Book of Allah have descended in honour of any man [besides the Prophet] as much as they have in honour of ‘Ali."210 On another occasion, he has said, "As many as three hundred verses of the Glorious Book of Allah, the Sublime, have been revealed in praise of ‘Ali;" and yet in another instance he has said,211

"Whenever Allah reveals ‘O ye who believe...,' ‘Ali is implied as their prince and dignitary; and Allah even rebuked the followers of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, on several occasions, in His precious Book while always speaking well of ‘Ali." ‘Abdullah ibn Ayyash ibn Abu Rabi’ah has said, "‘Ali possessed a very sharp edge in knowledge; he has the seniority in embracing Islam; he is the son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, and he is thefaqih of his Sunnah, the hope for victory during wartime, and the most generous in giving."212

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked once about ‘Ali and Mu’awiyah; he said:213 "‘Ali used to have quite a few enemies. His enemies looked for something whereby they could find fault with him. Having found none, they came to a man [Mu’awiyah] who had fought and killed him, and they praised that man only out of their spite of ‘Ali." Isma’il the judge, al-Nisa'i, Abu ‘Ali al-Nisaburi and many others have said that nobody, among all the companions of the Prophet (pbuh), was praised as much as ‘Ali was.214

II Such Merits do not Necessitate his Caliphate.

2) There is no argument about your point, yet an argument is raised if you claim that the Prophet (pbuh), during his lifetime, had promised him the caliphate. All these texts are not bound proofs to support such a claim; they simply enUmarate the imam's attributes and virtues, and the number of such texts is indeed high.

We believe that he, may Allah glorify his countenance, was worthy of all of them and of even more, and I am sure you have come across several times as many such texts suggesting his nomination for the caliphate. Yet a nomination is not akin to a binding pledge for caliphate, as you know, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 50

Why Interpret Texts on His Behalf as Indicative of His Imamate

Muharram 13, 1330

Anyone like you, who is deep in thinking, gifted with a far insight, an authority on linguistic sources and derivatives, aware of its meanings and connotations, deriving guidance from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, believing in his wisdom and conclusive prophethood, appreciative of his deeds and statements

("He does not speak of his own inclinations (Qur'an, 53:3),

" certainly cannot miss the gist of such texts, nor do their conclusions, which are derived from logic and common sense, remain secret to him. It is not possible that you, the recognized authority on Arabic (i.e.athbat 215 ) that you are, fail to perceive that these texts have all granted ‘Ali a very sublime status, one which Allah Almighty and His Prophets do not grant except to the successors of such Prophets, to the ones they trust most to take charge of their religion, to the custodians of such religion.

If they do not explicitly indicate the caliphate for ‘Ali, they undoubtedly hint to it, leading to such conclusion by necessity. Such an obligation is quite obvious from their precise meaning. The Master of Prophets (pbuh) is above granting such a lofty status to anyone other than his successor, his vicegerent.

Yet whoever deeply scrutinizes the texts concerning ‘Ali (as) and very carefully and fairly digests their implications will find their vast majority aiming at endorsing his imamate, indicative of it either through explicit announcements, such as the previously quoted ones, and such as the Covenant of al-Ghadir, or by virtue of necessity, such as the ones stated in Letter No. 48.

Take, for example, his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "‘Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with ‘Ali; they both shall never separate from each other till they meet me by the Pool [of Kawthar],"216 and his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "‘Ali to me is like the head to the body,"217 and his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, according to a tradition narrated by ‘Abdul Rahman ibn ‘Awf,218 "I swear by the One in Who hold my life, you will have to uphold the prayers, pay the zakat, or else I shall send you a man of my own self, or like my own self," then the Prophet (pbuh) took ‘Ali's hand and said: "This is he;" up to the end of countless such texts. This is an obvious benefit to which I attract the attention of all seekers of the truth, one which unveils what is ambiguous, delves deeply in independent research. He (pbuh) has only followed what he himself comprehends of the moral obligations of such sacred texts, without being overtaken by his own personal emotions or inclinations, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 51

Rebutting the Arguments Through Similar Ones

Muharram 14, 1330

Their debaters may refute your claim by citing texts which enUmarate the virtues of the three righteous caliphs, and by citing other texts praising the posterity from the Muhajirun (Meccan Immigrants) and the Ansar (Medenite Supporters); so, what would you say to that?

Sincerely,

Letter 52

Rejecting the Rebuttal's Premises

Muharram 15, 1330

We believe in the virtues of all posterity since the time of the Muhajirun and the Ansar, may Allah be pleased with them and they with Him, and these are beyond count or reckoning. Certain verses of the Book (Qur'an), in addition to a few Sunnisahih books, must suffice you for a testimony in this regard. We have scrutinized these, too. We have not found them at all, and Allah knows best, to be in contradiction to the texts that praise ‘Ali (as), or even in any way eligible to disqualify him [from caliphate].

Yes, our opponents may stand alone in narrating theahadith which are not authentic according to our sources. Their use of suchahadith to disprove our views is rejected and is not expected from any unbiased arbitrator. We by no means can take them into serious consideration. Do you not see how we do not argue by quoting the texts narrated only by our own sources?

On the contrary, we base our arguments on their own narrations regarding events such as the Ghadir incident or the like. But we have scrutinized the texts pertaining to these virtues recorded by their sources, and we could not find any clues in them opposing such caliphate, nor do they contain anything suggesting it; therefore, they have not been relied upon by anyone to prove the legitimacy of the caliphate of the three righteous caliphs, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 53

Requesting the Hadith Pertaining to the Ghadir Incident

Muharram 16, 1330

You have repeatedly referred to the Ghadir incident. Please narrate its story from Sunni sources so that we may look into it, Wassalam.

Sincerely,