The Holy Prophet, Founder of Shiite Faith
A clear message in the words of The Trusty Prophet:
“The opening
of a believer’s book of deeds, is the friendship and discipleship of Ali son of
Abi-Taleb. “
Also,
“He who
wishes to live and die as I have, and to be given residence in Eden, which its
trees have been implanted by My Lord; must love Ali and be his disciple after
me, and should love Ali’s friends and disciples too, and follow Imams who would
come after me, since they are my dynasty, are created with the same mettle as
mine, and have been given perception and knowledge.
Woe to those
who would deny their erudition and eminence, and would severe the linkage
between me and them! May God devoid them from my intercession! ”
The Key Word “Shiite”
“Shiite”
literally means disciple, friend or companion, and its gerund means conformity
and obedience. This term specifically applies to those who are disciples of Ali
and his immaculate progenies and who believe in their being Imam; in a way that
if the word “Shiite” would be used without any conditionals or adverbs, all the
minds shall turn to those persons who believe in these Immaculate Imams as
their leaders.
Azhari
writes: “… Shiite is the group of people who love the dynasty of The Holy
Prophet and have accepted their discipleship.”
In the book
“Melal-va-nehal”, Shahrestani writes: “ Shiite are those who specifically
follow Ali, believe both outright and privately in his being Imam and his
vicariate according to The Holy Prophet’s testament and prose, and believe that
leadership (being Imam) shall never be given to someone outside his
descendants.”
Ibn-e-Kholdoun
in the foreword to the book “Al-Ebar” writes: “Shiite literally means friends
and disciples, and it is used by Islamic thinkers (Faghihs) and religious
logicians (Motakallems) _latter and former_ to refer to the disciples of Ali
and his descendants.
Abu-Mohammad-Hasan-Ibn-e-Mousa
who lived in the third century hejri
in his book “Feragh-al-Shia” writes:
“There are four major sects: Shiite, Mo’atazeleh,
Morje’eh and Khavarej.
Shiite is the faction belonging to
Ali son of Abi-Talib who were called by the name of “Shiite of Ali” in the
times of The Holy Prophet and after, and were famous for being completely
attached to Ali and the belief in his being Imam; these include: Meghdad-Ibn-e-Aswad,
Salman-e-farsi, Abouzar Al-Ghafari, Ammar son of Yasir and those who had the
friendship _with obedience_ of Ali. Those were the first ones who were called
“Shiite” amidst Muslims, since in the ancient times the name of Shiite had been
used to refer to the disciples of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets.”
Abu-Hatam
Sahl-ibn-Mohammad Sajestani (died in the year 250 hejri) in his book “Az-Zinah”
writes: “The word Shiite in the time of The Holy Prophet was the title for four
of his comrades: Salman-e-farsi, Abizar Al-Ghafari, Meghdad-Ibn-e-Aswad and
Ammar-Ibn-e-Yasir.”
In the past
and at the present, some of the inadequately informed or malicious writers,
have recognized Shiite, like so many other Islamic sects, as a byproduct of
political disputes, and others have thought of it as the final result of
religious debates and doctrinal quarrels, and have then searched for its
historical origin. But if they would have looked at the matter with an
impartial and scrutinizing outlook, they should have understood well that the
faction Shiite had been founded at the time of The Holy Prophet and in fact,
the historical origin of Shiite is the same as the origin of Islam; and from
the very first day that The Holy Prophet spilled the seeds of Shiite on the
sapling of Islam, and till the moment that he answered the call of the lord,
has been constantly irrigating this pure sapling and had reinforced its roots.
When the paradigm {} was sent down to
The Holy Prophet, he called a meeting with clan of Bani-Hashem (literally,
descendants of Hashem), and after warning them about believing in God and the
life after death, he said to them: “Who among you would help me, so that he shall
become my brother, my heir, my minister, and after my death, my administrator
and vicar (caliph) among yourselves?” None of those who were present gave an
affirmative answer, except for Ali; and so The Holy Prophet told them: “This is
my brother, my heir, my minister, and after my death, he would be my
administrator and vicar among you; so listen to his words and follow his
orders.”
So, the call for becoming Shiite and
for following Ali, has been made simultaneously with the call for giving the
testimony (declaring faith in Allah and his prophet, Mohammad).
When was the title “Shiite” given to disciples of Immaculate Imams?
We may
presume, that the title “Shiite” has been given to disciples of the household
(this phrase is used to refer to the descendants of The Holy Prophet and from
now on would be replaced by “dynasty”), long after the emersion of Islam;
meaning that when the friends and disciples of inmates began to increase in
number and were scattered across different regions, were given this title
(Shiite) to be distinguished from other people. But it had not been so; since if
we scrutinize the sayings of The Holy Prophet, we shall see clearly that the
allocation of this title to the disciples of the Ali and the holy dynasty (Imams
who came after him), happened simultaneously with the rise of Islam, and this
fruitful foliage, dates back to the same era that the sapling was planted; and
at last we come to the conclusion that the Holy Lawgiver has given this title
to the disciples of immaculate Imams.
What that
comes in the following, are some glimpses of sayings of The Holy Prophet which
we put at disposal of you esteemed readers, so that they would express this
unequivocal truth, clearly.
In these
sayings of The Holy Prophet which with successive imputation have been narrated
by Sunni writers, the title “Shiite” has been used by The Holy Prophet to refer
to the disciples of The Premiere of Believers (Ali) and other Imams among the holy
dynasty:
1)
Kharazmi
has quoted Jabir as saying: “we were in attendance to The Holy Prophet when Ali
came in; The Holy Prophet said: ‘My brother has come amongst you.’ Then he
faced Ka’abeh (God’s Harem) and remarked: “Vow to the one who has my life in
his hands, this Ali and his disciples are, without doubt, the blessed on the
day of reckoning.” Then he added: “Certainly he was the first among you who
declared his faith in me; Between you, he is the most loyal to the God’s
covenant, the most ready to rise for orders of God, the most righteous in the
affairs of peasants, the best divider who divides equally, and the most
esteemed in the eyes of God.”
Jabir said: “it was on this occasion
that the following paradigm (ayat)
was sent down to The Holy Prophet:
{}
Whenever Ali was to enter the company adherents of The Holy
Prophet, they would say: ‘The best of the people has arrived.’ ”
2)
Kharazmi has cited
Hafiz-ibn-e-Mardouyeh that Yazid-ibn-e-Shorahil-e-Ansari,
the secretary of Ali, has said: “I heard Ali saying: “Once The Holy Prophet,
while was leaning on my chest, told me: ‘Oh Ali, haven’t you heard God’s saying
that {} ? Those are you and your Shiites; our meeting place shall be by the
side the pool of Kowsar; when all the nations and sects would come for the
reckoning, you would be called by the titles of “Reputed” and “Exonerated”.’ ”
”
3)
Ibn-e-Sabbagh-e-Maliki
has quoted Ibn-e-Abbas
as saying: “When the ayat {} was sent down, The Holy Prophet told Ali: ‘This
ayat is referring to you and your Shiites; on the day of reckoning you would come
to the presence of God, accompanied by them, and while you are contented with
God, God is also pleased with you; and then your enemies would come in, whilst
being angry and holding their heads high as the result of their shackles being
too tight.’”
4)
Hafiz
Jamaleddin Zarandi
has quoted Ibn-e-Abbas as saying: “When the ayat [] was sent down, The Holy
Prophet told Ali: ‘This ayat is referring to you and your Shiites; on the day
of reckoning you would come to the presence of God, accompanied by them, and
while you are contented [with] God, God is pleased with you too; and then your
enemies would come, whilst being angry and their hands tied up to their
necks.’”
“Who’s my
enemy?” Ali asked.
“He who
hates you and curses you”, The Holy Prophet answered.
And then he
said: “Every body who would say: ‘May God bless Ali!’ will be blessed by God.”
5)
God’s
Prophet told Ali once:
“You and
your Shiites shall be in paradise.”
6)
The Holy prophet addressed Ali:
“O Ali! Without doubt, you and your
descendants, children, dynasty, Shiites and the adherents of your Shiites, are
all pardoned by God.”
7)
The Holy Prophet once remarked:
“When the day of reckoning will be
held, people would be called by their names and their mother’s names; except
for him (i.e. Ali) and his Shiites, whom shall be called by their names and
their father’s names, since they are born legitimately.”
8)
The Grand
Prophet told Ali:
“You are the
first among my nation (Muslims) who would enter the paradise, and your Shiites
shall be sitting on rostrums made of light; while they are being content and
enlightened, gathering around me, I shall plead for God’s pardon for them and
they are among my neighbors tomorrow.”
9)
God’s
Prophet remarked:
“I am the
tree which Fatima is its branch, Ali is its seed, Hassan and Hussayn are its
fruits and our Shiites are its foliage; the root of this tree and the main part
of it is in Eden and its other parts are in the other parts of paradise.”
10)
Once The Holy Prophet said in a
sermon:
“O’
you people, every body who shall take us, the holy dynasty, as his enemy, on
the day of reckoning will be risen as a Jew.”
“Even
if he would fast and say his prayers?” , asked Jabir-Ibn-e-Abdollah.
The
prophet answered:
“Yes;
even if he would fast and say his prayers and think that he is a Muslim; for
the sake of Islam, shedding his blood is prohibited and he shan’t be forced to pay
Jezyeh.
At the time of creation, my nation (Muslims) were all incarnated and presented
before me, all the nations passed before me; but I only asked God for the
pardon for my Shiites.”
11)
The
Holy Prophet once remarked:
“My
plea for God’s pardon for my nation is particular to those who love my dynasty
and only them, are my Shiites and disciples.”
12)
Ibn-e-Hajar
, with his own evidence, has quoted Ibn-e-Abbas as saying: “When the ayat [],
was sent down, The Prophet told Ali:
“This ayat is referring to you and
your Shiites; on the day of reckoning you would come to the presence of God,
accompanied by them, and while you are contented [with] God, God is pleased
with you too; and then your enemies would come, whilst being angry and their hands
tied up to their necks.”
“Who’s my enemy?” Ali asked.
“He who
hates you and curses you”, The Holy Prophet answered. Then he added: “How
fortunate are those who would race each other to the shades of heaven, on the
day of reckoning!”
It was
asked: “And who are those?”
“Your
Shiites and those who love you”, His holiness replied.
13)
Ibn-e-Hajar
in his book, Savaegh,
quotes Omm-e-Salameh
as saying:
“The night
that The Prophet was with me, Fatima came to the attendance of his holiness and
Ali came after him; in that moment The Holy Prophet remarked: ‘O’ Ali, you and
your adherents are in paradise; you and your Shiites shall be in paradise.”
14)
Zamakhshari
in his book, Rabi-o-alabrar,
has narrated that The Holy Prophet said:
“O’ Ali!
When the day of reckoning would come, I would be subjected to God’s beneficence
and kindness, and you would catch my cloth, your dynasty would catch yours, and
their Shiites would catch their cloth, and then we would wait to see that to
where we shall be taken.”
15)
Maghazeli
has quoted Anas-ibn-e-Malik
as saying:
“God’s
Prophet said: ‘Seventy thousand people of my nation shall enter paradise
without any accounting or interrogation.’
Then he
faced Ali and remarked: ‘Those are your Shiites and you are their Imam and
leader.’ ”
16)
Maghazeli
has quoted Kathir-ibn-e-Zeyd
as saying: “A’amash
entered the presence of Mansour
and when Mansour saw him, he said to him: ‘O’ Soleyman, come and sit here with
me, on the highest place among the company!’ ‘Wherever I may sit, there would
be the highest place,’ A’amash answered. And then he reminded them a quotation from The
Holy Prophet, stating:
“Just now
Gabriel came to my visit and said: ‘Ornament your fingers with agate rings,
since agate is the first among stones that has testified for God’s unity, for my
prophecy, for Ali’s administration and vicariate, for his dynasty’s being
Imams, and for his Shiites to end up in paradise.’ ” ”
17)
Maghazeli
has narrated that Salman-e-Parsi
has quoted The Holy Prophet as saying:
“O’ Ali, place
your ring on your right hand’s finger, so that you would be placed among the esteemed
servants of God.”
“And who are
those cherished servants of God?” asked Ali.
“Gabriel and
Michael”, The Holy Prophet replied.
“With what sort
of ring should I ornament my hand?” he asked.
God’s prophet
replied: “With red agate, since agate is the rock that has testified for God’s
unity, for my prophecy, for Ali’s administration and vicariate, for his
dynasty’s being Imams, and for those who love you, ending up in Eden, and for your
Shiites to live on in paradise.”
18)
Akhtab
Khwarazm has
quoted Ibn-e-Abbas, with successive chain of evidence, as saying: “God’s
Prophet was in his house when Ali went to see him by dawn, since he wished that
nobody should overtake him in meeting with The Holy Prophet; Ali entered the
house while the prophet was in apron of the house with Dahiah-ibn-e-Khalifeh-Kalbi.
Ali said: ‘May God reward you on behalf of us, Ahl-e-Beyt (The Prophet’s own
dynasty).’
Then
Dahiah remarked: ‘I love you and I have some encomium for you that I want to
inform you of; you are The Premier of believers, the leader of reputed and exonerated
people, and chief to all of Adam’s children on the day of reckoning … . The
banner of Gloria shall be in your hands, while you and your Shiites would go
quickly to paradise with The Holy Prophet and his sect; Without doubt, he who
accepted being your friend and disciple shall be salvaged, and he who was your
enemy, is lost and hopeless; Mohammad’s lovers love you and your enemies would
never have Mohammad’s intercession; come near me, you who are chosen by God.’
Then
he lifted up the prophet’s head from his own lap and put it on Ali’s and went
away. After a while, The Holy Prophet lifted up his own head and asked: ‘What’s
all this fuss about?’ Ali told The Prophet about his own adventure. Then The
Holy Prophet remarked:
‘O’
Ali, he was not Dahiah, but he was Gabriel who called you by the name which God
calls you by, and it’s God that has put your love in the hearts of believers,
and has put your fear and awe in the hearts of infidels.’ ”
19)
Hakim
has cited Zeyd who
narrates that The Holy Prophet once said:
“Whoever
wants to live as I have lived and die as I would die, and to be resident in
Eden which has been promised to me by my Lord, must accept Ali’s discipleship,
since he surely won’t cause your deviation from the right path and won’t enter
you in the path of ruin.
20)
Khwarazmi
has cited Mousa-ibn-e-Ja’afar
who has also cited his fathers, quoting Ali,
The Premier of Believers, as saying:
“The
Holy Prophet once said: ‘When I entered the paradise, I saw a tree which from
its branches ornaments and fine dresses were hung, and under that tree black
and white horses were kept, and in the middle of that garden Huralyns (women of
paradise) were standing, and on top of it was Rezwan. So I asked Gabriel:
‘whose tree is this?’ He replied: ‘This tree belongs to your cousin, Ali; When
God orders people to enter the paradise, Ali’s Shiites are brought in, till
they reach this tree. At that moment they would wear those beautiful ornaments
and dresses and get on those horses; and at this time the preacher says: ‘these
are Ali’s Shiites who have endured all the hardships and harassments in the
world (for the sake of their beliefs) and so are rewarded with such a place.’ ’
’ ”
21)
Kharazmi
has cited Ja’afar son of Mohammad, and he in turn
has cited his own father and his father has cited Ali son of Hussayn,
and he has quoted his father
as saying: “The Holy Prophet said:
“O
Ali, you among my nation, are like Jesus son of Mary whose nation was divided
into three sects: Those who believed in him and were called apostles, those who
despised him and were his enemies i.e. Jews, and those who exaggerated about
him and stepped outside the circle of faith.
My
nation, regarding their relations toward you, would also divide into three
groups: The sect who are your Shiites and so they are believers, the group
which are your enemies and are called Traitors, and the sect who exaggerate
about you and so they are deviated and deniers; So you and your Shiites shall
be in paradise, your Shiites’ friends and lovers shall be in paradise too, but
your enemies and those exaggerate about you will be thrown in fire (Hell).’
22)
Khwarazmi
according to the claims of Anas
has quoted The Holy Prophet as saying:
“When
the day of reckoning would be held, they would call Ali’s name by seven titles;
Seddigh (Veridical), Dall (Instructor), A’abed (Devout), Hadi (Guide), (Mahdi) Guided,
Fata (Chivalrous), and Ali (Elevated). You and your Shiites shall enter the paradise
without accounting.”
23)
Hamouini
according to his evidence has claimed: “The leader of the world, Sharaf-oddin
informed me about this quotation with hard evidence from … from Ali who said:
“The Holy Prophet
once said: ‘O’ Ali, surely God has pardoned you, your family and children, your
Shiites, your Shiites’ adherents, and the lovers of your Shiites’ adherents; I
annunciate to you that you are free from and clean of Sherk (belief that God
has or had some associates) and are full of knowledge.’ ”
24)
Ibn-e-Maghazeli
with reference to Ja’afar-ibn-e-Mohammad
quotes him as saying: “My father Mohammad-ibn-e-Ali narrated that his fathers
quoted The Holy Prophet as saying:
“O’
Ali! Surely our Shiites, on the day of reckoning, would rise from their graves
with all their sins and vices, while their faces are as bright as full moon,
and all the hardships have been taken from them, and the entering ways are easy
for them to pass and they are secure and at mercy; people are scared, but they
aren’t; people are sorrowful, but they are free from all the sorrows; from
their shoelaces a light glitters, they are riding white camels which have
wings, and those camels are docile, and would obey them without any difficulty,
their necks are like red gold and softer than silk; and all these endowments
are because of their place and value before God.” ”
25)
Ibn-e-Asaker
has cited Abi-Abd-e-allah, Ja’afar son of Mohammad,
who has cited his father Mohammad son of Ali, Baghir,
who has also cited his father Ali-ibn son of Hussayn,
who has cited his father Hussayn son of Ali,
who cites his father Ali, The Premier of Believers, that he has quoted The Holy
Prophet as saying:
“O
Ali, when the day of reckoning would come, a group of people will rise from
their graves whose clothes are made from light, are riding steeds radiant with
light with bridles made from red rubies, and angels will escort them to the
place of reckoning.”
“God be praised! Who are these people and how
respected by God are they?” Ali asked. The Holy Prophet replied:
“Those
are your disciples, Shiites and lovers; they love you since they love me, and
they love me since they love God, and they are the salvaged and redeemed people
on the day of reckoning.”
26)
Ahmad
has cited Zeyd, who
has cited his father, and his father Ali son of Hussayn has cited his father
and then his grandfather, Ali who said: “I complained about people’s envy
towards myself. Then The Holy Prophet said:
‘Don’t
you want to be one of the first four persons who enter the paradise? Well, those
are me, you, Hassan and Hussayn;
whilst our wives are on our left and right side, and our children are on their
behind, and our Shiites shall be following us.’ ”
27)
Ibn-e-Asaker
has cited Yahya-ibe-e-Abdoallah,
who in turn has cited his father, and his father has cited
Ja’afar-ibn-e-Mohammad,
and his holiness has cited his fathers quoting The Holy Prophet as saying:
“Surely
in paradise, there is a fountain from which spouts a liquid, sweeter than
honey, softer than butter, colder that snow, more fragrant than musk, and in
that fountain there is a fragment of clay which God created us from, and our
Shiites had been created by the same kind of clay, and he who is not created
from this clay wouldn’t be from us or our Shiites; and that clay is the promise
which God has taken from them, about the discipleship (Velayat) of Ali son of
Abi-Talib.”
28)
Ghandousi
has cited Mohammad son of Hanafiyeh who has quoted his father, Ali as saying:
“One day I was sleeping, when The Holy Prophet came in and looked at me and he
roused me with his foot and said:
‘Wake
up you, whom I whish my father and mother would have been immolated for you!
Gabriel has just come to me and said: ‘Enunciate him (ALi) that God has chosen
his progenies as Imams, and shall pardon him, his family, his Shiites and those
who love him, and he who would insult him or do him wrong, shall be thrown in
fire.’ ’ ”
29)
Sayyed
Shahab-oddin Ahmad
with his own evidence has cited Zeyd the son of Ali the son of Hussayn son of
Ali, who in turn has quoted The Holy Prophet, on the day that Kheybar was
conquered, as remarking:
“If
I wasn’t afraid that my nation would say about you what some of Christians has
said about Jesus son of Mary, I would have said something about you which would
make people take the soil from the place which you pass, when you walk amongst
them; and take the surplus of water from your Wozou (a ritual before saying
prayers involving washing the face and hands with water) with the hope to be
healed by it; suffice it to say that you
are from me and I’m from you , you would inherit me and I’d inherit you, and
you are to me, what Aaron was to Moses, with the difference that there would be
no prophet after me. You would free me from my remaining obligations and you
shall fight on my principles, and you will be the closest of people to me in
the afterlife; tomorrow (in the afterlife) you shall be my vicar on the side of
the pool,
you’d drive hypocrites away from the pool, and you will be the first person who
would join me by the side of the pool; you shall be the first among my nation
to enter the paradise. Without doubt, your Shiites would reside on rostrums
made of light, whilst their faces are white and shiny and I am surrounded by
them; I shall plea for God’s pardon for their sins and tomorrow they would be
my neighbors in paradise. Surely your enemies would enter the fire, whilst their
faces are black and dark; war with you is war with me, and peace with you is
peace with me; your secrets are mine too, and your children and dynasty are
mine also; your flesh is my flesh and your blood is my blood. Surely you are
always right and the truth shall always emanate from your tongue, your heart
and between your eyes; the faith has intermixed with your flesh and blood, in
the same way that it has intermixed with mine. Surely the almighty God has
ordered me to announce that you and your
dynasty will be in paradise, and your enemy will be in hell; your enemy shall
not join me by the side of the pool of Kowsar and your adherent shall not be
absent from there.”
Also
in addition, it has been quoted in another case:
“No
one from the nation (ummah) would be your equal.”
After
hearing this statement, Ali bowed to the ground and said:
“God
be praised and thanked, who endowed me with the gift of Islam and has guided me
by Quran; and has made me loved by the best of people, the last of the God’s
messengers and the chief of all prophets, by his kindness and munificence.”
30)
Khwarazmi
has cited Ali, who in turn has quoted The Holy Prophet as saying:
“Surely
there are guards in heaven and those guards are the angels; also there are
guards on earth and these guards are your disciples and Shiites.”
31)
Ali
Hamedani has
cited Ali, who quotes The Holy Prophet as saying:
“O
Ali! Announce to your Shiites that I’m their Shafi (savior) on the day of
reckoning, when nothing, neither wealth nor children would be of use to them,
except for my plea for God’s pardon for their sins.”
32)
Jabir
has quoted the Holy Prophet as saying:
“When
the day of reckoning would come, Gabriel and Michael shall bring me two sets of
keys; one set belongs to the gates of paradise, while the other set belongs to
the gates of hell; and on the keys to the gates of paradise, the names of the Shiites
of Mohammad and Ali are engraved.”
33)
Abi-Harrirah
has been cited on quoting Ali, who in turn quotes The Holy Prophet as saying:
“Fatimah
is more loved by me than you are, and you are more dear to me than her; somehow
I see you by the side of the pool of Kowsar, and I see that you are driving
people away from it. There are chalices by the side of that pool, as many as
all the stars in the sky; and you and me, Hassan and Hussayn, Fatimah, Aghil
and Ja’afar are
residents of paradise; [They are brothers with one another, and are sitting on
heavenly couches, opposite each other.] You are with me and your disciples and
Shiites are in paradise.” At this point, The holy Prophet read the ayat {} and
said: “In a way that nobody sees the back of the head of his companions.” meaning
that they are all sitting opposite each other and face to face with each other.
34)
Ibn-e-Shazan
has cited Abu-Harrirah who has quoted The Holy Prophet as saying:
“Indeed
God created a hundred thousand angels in the forth level of heaven, and three
hundred thousand in the fifth level; and in the seventh level of heaven he
created an angel whose head is below the dwelling place of God, and his two
legs are in depths of the earth, and created angels that their number is
greater than number people in the tribes of Rabi’ah and Mozar; they don’t drink
or eat except that they salute Ali son of Abi-Talib and those who love him, and
they plea for God’s pardon for his Shiites, friends and companions who are
among the sinners.”
35)
Ibn-e-Shazan
has cited Mousa son of Ja’afar,
whom in turn has cited his fathers, whom in succession have quoted The Holy
Prophet as saying:
“When
God almighty created Eden, he said to it: ‘Become adorned!’ and so it became adorned,
elegant and glorious; then God said to it: ‘Be at peace and become tranquil! I
swear to my own honor and magnificence that I did not create you (Eden) but for
the sake of believers! Bless you and your inhabitants!’ ”
Then
The Holy Prophet remarked:
“O’
Ali! Eden has not been created but for you and your Shiites.”
36)
Ibn-e-Shazan
has cited Ayyub Sajestani
as saying:
“I was orbiting
Ka’abah (God’s house in Mecca) when suddenly I saw Anas son of Malik. He said:
‘do you want me to tell you something that would make you happy? I was standing
in the presence of The Holy Prophet in Mosque of Medina, and while his holiness
was sitting, he said:
“Go
at once and bring Ali to me.”
And
so I went. I saw Ali and Fatima together, I told Ali: ‘The Holy Prophet is
asking for you.’ He set off and when he reached there, The Holy Prophet told
him:
“Say
Hello to Gabriel, Ali!”
Ali
said: “Hello to you, Gabriel” and Gabriel greeted him in return. The Holy
Prophet remarked:
“This
is Gabriel and he says that God has greeted you and has said: “Bless you, your Shiites
and your adherents! And woe to your enemies, when the day of reckoning would
come! The preacher would acclaim from the heaven: ‘Where are Mohammad and Ali,
so as to become present before God?’ And (when they come) God tells his
prophet: ‘Enter Ali to the vicinity of the pool of Kowsar, and give this
chalice to him, so as to satiate his friends and Shiites with water, and
wouldn’t satiate his enemies, and would order his adherents’ deeds to be
accounted easily and they would be set towards paradise.’ ” ”
37)
Ibn-e-Shazan
has quoted Hazighah son of Yamaan
as saying: “The Holy Prophet rose and kissed the space between Ali’s eyes and
said:
“You
Abu-al-Hassan, are
a companion among my companions, you would always land where I land, and surely
in paradise you have the rank of “Intermediate”; God bless you and your
disciples (Shiites) whom would come after you.”
38)
Ibn-e-Shazan
has cited Abdullah son of Abbas, whom in turn quotes The Holy Prophet as
saying:
“O
Ali! Gabriel has just told me some thing about you that made my eyes kindle and
my heart to become happy; Gabriel told me that God has said: “Give my greetings
to Mohammad and tell him that Ali is the imam of guidance, the beacon in the
darkness and complementary to inhabitants of the world. Surely he is the
grandest of all the truthful and the greatest of all the discriminating
(between right and wrong); and indeed I have sworn to my own magnificence that I
shall not send into hell, those who have accepted his discipleship and have
submitted themselves to him and to the imams who would come after him; and I
have sworn to my greatness that I shall not enter to paradise those who have
not accepted his discipleship and have not submitted themselves to him and the
imams who would come after him. And indeed, this is my saying that I will fill
all the levels of hell with his enemies and fill all the levels of paradise
with his Shiites and friends.”
39)
Ibn-e-Shazan
has cited Sa’ied Khadri
who in turn quotes The Holy Prophet as saying:
“On
the night of the ascension, I didn’t pass any thing in heaven, and I didn’t pass
any fender or curtain, unless I found angels of God, who were saying: “May it
be pleasant to you, Mohammad! Since you are endowed with gifts which haven’t
been endowed to anyone other than you; A brother such as Ali, children such as
Fatima (his wife) and Hassan and Hussayn, and their adherents as your Shiites
whom are given to you. O’ Mohammad! You are the greatest of all the prophets,
and Ali is the greatest of all administrates (successors); and Fatima is the
chief of all women of the world, and Hassan and Hussayn are the best persons
among the dynasty of all the prophets who are in paradise or are yet to enter
the paradise; and his Shiites are the best and greatest of those whom are encompassed
by the day of reckoning.” ”
40)
Khwarazmi
has cited Zeynab, the
daughter of Ali, who in turn has cited Fatima, the daughter The Holy Prophet,
who has narrated that once The Holy Prophet told Ali:
“O’
Ali, son of Abi-Talib! You should know that indeed you and your Shiites shall
be in paradise. Soon a group of people would emerge who claim that they love
you; but then they will quit Islam, in the same way that an arrow emerges from
a bow; and they would be called Khavarej
(aliens). So if you would ever face them, kill them, since they are surely
pagans.”
***
What
has been said in the form of all these narrations which have been quoted from
The Holy Prophet with evidence presented by Sunni writers and citers, should
give one the conclusion that the word “Shiite” has been used by The Holy
Prophet to refer to the disciples and lovers of The Premier of Believers, Ali
son of Abi-Talib; and in fact the founder of the Shiite faith, is The Holy
Prophet. It’s our obligation to accept the great advice from The Holy Prophet
as to follow The Premier of Believers (Ali) and his immaculate dynasty; since
God has told us in Quran: { } and with reference to the aforementioned
quotations and narrations, once again it’s clear that the phrase “Masters of
Affairs” refers to Ali, The Premier of Believers, and all the other Immaculate
Imams.
Yes,
let’s reach for the rope that connects us to God and by doing so, avoid
divisions and schisms, as is mentioned in Quran:
{} ,
{}
