In the Name of Allah the Most Compassionate the Most Merciful
Professor Hussaini Ghazvini:
We all know that one of the problems of Shias` world is the invasion which is aimed at the Shias` pure culture from any aspects. Though it is not a newly emerged issue, this invasion has always been on Shias` pure culture throughout the history. From the time Amir-al-Momeneen to the time after Prophet`s demise particularly after short-term absence, these bombardments have always been posed upon Shias in a new form.
The books which have been written about the bombardment and invasion imposed upon Shias are representing a fact which shows that today, the enemies of Ahl-al-Beit and Shias` culture are really furious about Shias` culture getting expanded and they are doing their best to isolate and disgrace Shias` culture.
The first anti-Shia book, available in libraries, is Al-Osmanie written by Mr. Jahez (died in 255 Hejira). He has written this book to invade Shias` culture severely and also to insult Amir-al-Momeneen and deny his bravery in a way that some Sunni didn’t consider being silent about this bombardment as something fair so they started writing books in rejecting this book.
As far as my memory serves me, the first book which was written to reject Jahez`s is for Eskafi, a considerable Sunni scholar. In the life time of Jahez, there were plenty of objections in a way that he had to write a book to reject his own book.
As soon as we enter to the battlefield against these bombardments we have to fight like a man. As once a poet said:
If a man is supposed to die, he had better die like a man!
After Jahez, it was Ghazi Abdul-Jabar (died in 415 Hejira) who wrote a book called Al-Moghani Fi Imamat in 20 volumes which now Wahhabis use it talk against Shias; Late Sayyed Morteza Alam Al-Hoda answered him back severely by writing a book called Al-Shafi Fi Imamat.
For years, people like late Sheikh Tusi, Alame Amini used his bool, written by Sayyed Morteza; and it is undoubtedly a book about which scholars are ignorant in the seminary schools; this must be taught as the source book in universities. Though it has been written thousand years ago but its statements taste new when it comes to defending the Guardianship. The next one who severely invaded Shias` culture, after Ghazi Abdul-Jabar Motazeli, was Ibn-Teimie (died in 728 Hejira); He wrote a book called Menhaj al-Sonat which is used as an authentic documents against by some Sunni extremists and all Wahhabis. Today, in Wahhabi seminary schools from Saudi Arabia and other countries, the statements of this is being discussed and analyzed; and they truly try to distribute the Ibn-Teimie`s school of thought.
Late Alame Heli has a book “Menhaj al-Keramat” which has written to reject Menhaj al-Sonat. After him Fazle Ibn-Ruzbahan wrote a book,Ebtal Al-Batel, to reject what Alame Helli has already written; then late Ghazi Nuralloah Shushtari wrote a book, Ehghagh Al-Hagh which is in 38 volumes and is considered as a great encyclopedia for defending Ahl-al-Beit.
Later on, Dehlavi wrote a book called Tohfat-al-Esna Asharie which includes what Ibn-Teimie, Ghazi Abdul Jabar, and Fazl Ibn-Ruzbahan have already said alongside some harsh, offensive, rude and abusive words that is now used against Shias. Late Mir Hamed Husain wrote a book called Abaghat about which late Alame Amini said: “I couldn’t have written the book Alghadir, if this book hadn’t beeb published”. There is no published book as precious as Abaghat in the history.
After him, plenty have written books about which late Alame Amini severely responded them back.
Today`s bombardment against Shias is quite different with the one in past in terms of quantity and quality. In past they used to publish books in thousand copies but today they publish and distribute books in million copies. In 1385 AH, in Khartoum, the book, an anti-Shia book, written by Dr.Musa Musavi, the late Sayyed Abulhassan Esfehani`s grandchild, was published and distributed in 8 million copies all around the Islamic countries. Are our all publications as many as this one?
When I was in Mecca, in 1385, On Zel-Haje 11 o 12, Saudi Arabia published an 8-page Persian booklet and distributed it among the Iranian tents and I took one and brought it to Iran. The Saudi commercial minister said in an interview that during the Haj rituals, they have distributed 10 millions of pamphlets, CDs among pilgrims in the house of God; 90 percent of them were anti-Shias statements like “Shias are apostates. Shias are polytheists and heretic”
According to the statistics I know and Ayatollah Sobhani has written in the beginning of his book, The Young Shia Answers, 40 thousands Wahhabi websites are working against Shias 24 hours a day. But couple of months ago, as the ministry held a festival, we could manage to count all the Shia websites in English, Arabic, French, German etc. they all were about 5 thousand websites.
This is not a fair and right encounter. If we try to move forward for defending Ahl-al-Beit then everything will be alright.
Two months ago, we criticized the festival of reading Sahih-Bokhari in Zahedan. They invited the judge from Medina, he came and humiliated all Shias and said: “ All those who implore to Prophet and Imams are polytheists and Prophet fought against all the polytheists of his own time” He came from Saudi Arabia and talked like that in Iran. He questioned not only Shias but also Sunni who believe in imploration.
Now, in Egypt, the tombstone of Muhammad Ibn-Edris Shafei, the head of Shafei sect, is a place where people gather around like pilgrims. The tombstone of Abuhanife and Ahmad-ibn-Hanbal in Baghdad, Malik Ibn-Anas in Medina before Wahhabis` dominance, were all shrines. Ahmad ibn-Hanbal himself said: “ I had a problem I visited Abuhanife`s tombstone and I implored to him and asked him to answer my request. The issue of imploration is not merely related to the Shias but the whole Islamic world except some few Wahhabis believe imploration as something legal and religious; and they consider the strategies of Wahhabis as anti-religion and anti-Quran strategies.
Quran itself explicitly stated the issue of imploration:
وَ مَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَ اسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَحِيمًا.
Surah Nesa verse 64
We sent no messenger save that he should be obeyed by Allah 's leave. And if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come unto thee and asked forgiveness of Allah, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found Allah Forgiving, Merciful.
Do Shias say something else?!!!. All great Sunni scholars like Sarakhsi, a great Hanafi scholar in his book Mabsut, the greatest and most comprehensible Hanfi book, Ibn Abedein , a considerable Hanafi scholar in Al-Rad Mohtar, and Ibn-Ghedame, a great scholar favored by Wahhabis in Al-Moghanim under the chapter of visiting Prophet Muhammad, say that one of the ritual is to say the mentioned verse after visiting Prophet Muhammad and then claimed to be guilty and ask for forgiveness.
Doesn’t god, in Surrah Joseph, explicitly state that the children of Jacob said:
قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا اسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا خَاطِئِينَ
They said: O our father! Ask forgiveness of our sins for us, for lo! we were sinful.
Surah Joseph verse 97
What difference does it make when Jacob`s children say: استغفر لنا or when Shias say يا رسول الله اشفع لنا.
If imploring to someone except god is apostasy and polytheism, why Jacob didn’t told his children that they were polytheists and apostates? Whereas he said:
سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّي.
Questioning the imploration is like questioning the culture of Quran and the culture of companions about which they really proud of.
This man objected imploration as if there is no other problem in the Islamic world; and no objected what said neither in newspaper nor in magazines, websites and Medias. They have uploaded the book written by Ibn-Jibrin. He considers Shias as apostates as four undeniable reasons!!. He issues an order to annihilate the shrines of Imams. And after annihilation he sends a congratulation note on his website.
We don’t have any problems with our Sunni brothers. We consider them as our brothers and we have repeatedly announced that insulting Sunnis is an unforgivable sin. We don’t have any problems with them but we cannot the stand the issue that how simply they are advocating Wahhabis by using the facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a country which has been stayed firm because of the thousands martyrs. After what I said, about 500 Sunni website and weblog stood against me and almost 14 Shia websites supported me, you see how active they are. Today, Wahhabis are standing against Shias by all means. Almost 26 Wahhabi satellites are now working 24 hours a day, like in Emirate, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, London and America. In one them someone said I am Shia and I am proud of being Shia but I consider Imam Mahdi as nothing but a superstitious. You see, a new kind of Shia!!! One of their fundamental and main programs is questioning the Shias` beliefs. Whatever Wahhabis say in Saudi Arabia, they say them in Farsi language. So, we have a huge responsibility against this bombardment.
The supreme leader in any period, proper to its time, had brilliant lectures on the bombardment and he had some special phrases like “the cultural invasion” “a cultural night raid” and so on. Last year, he interpreted this bombardment as the Cultural NATO by which enemies are standing against us. I`m not sure how truly, we listened to his advices.
Those who are responsible first are the seminary schools, me, you who are proud of being the soldiers and servants of Imam Mahdi. I we ignore even the tiny issues, we will be questioned hereafter. Today, being ignorant about Ahl-al-Beit is not a trivial sin.
I have repeatedly said that we are all hearing Imam Mahdi saying "هل من ناصر ينصرني" but no one is doing anything about it. Today, defending the guardianship is not like before which cost us a lot. Even by creating a free weblog we can defend the guardianship and we have no excuse avoiding that.
I was talking to one of the officials about the new upcoming wave of bombardment, I said: We have to have at least 20 million websites against these 40 thousand Wahhabi websites, so that if any of them starts bombarding us, all our websites could stand against them at the same time, as Quran says:
تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ
Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby ye may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others beside them whom ye know not. Allah knoweth them. Whatsoever ye spend in the way of Allah it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged.
Surah Anfal verse 60
I mean they should feel safe and secure so that they think they could start talking against Shias.
I would like to point out something to you dears.
You are in the front of this holy battle field and you are more deserved to be here more than anyone else. As Motahari the martyr say in his book “Revolution”:
“Considering the hugeness of the revolution and the upcoming expansion for the Shias culture, Shias world is about to face a new wave of doubts. I recommend the seminary students to work 20 times harder than before and prepare themselves to respond the doubts”
You see, that how brilliantly this dear martyr prognosticated the future at that time. I only can say: المؤمن ينظر بنور الله Now we can understand what he was talking about.
In his book under the name “Imamat and leadership” he has stipulated:
“We believe that unity is the essential part of Islam and something undeniable, though we are not ready for unity because we can`t forget about doing our recommended rituals. We cannot forget about our recommended rituals just because of unity. What truly harms unity and make us disunited are the harsh and offensive words which hurt the feelings of Sunnis whereas scientific discussions are totally related with wisdom and rationalism.”
We should put his statements into our considerations. Then he says:
“What we need in unity is not the unity in different point but in shared points. Because the first type of unity needs an ideological unity. Two men with different viewpoints cannot be fighting in a same side. But considering the shared points we could be unified even with different ideologies and beliefs.”
Today, even with their broad activities, they have come up with a conclusion that Shias` culture is crossing the boundaries. Young Sunni and Wahhabi are simply attracted to Shias` culture, the only culture which is derived from Quran and the practice of Prophet Muhammad. In a way that one of the Wahhabi scholar says:
إن الوهابية علي يقين بأن المذهب الإثني عشري هو الذي سوف يجذب إليه كل أهل السنة و كل الوهابي.
“We, Wahhabis, are now sure that in the future all Sunnis and Wahhabis will be attracted to Twelve Imam Shias”
Dr. Ghafari, in the introduction of the book called “the Principles of Shias` Sect” p 9 and 10 officially warns the Saudi Arabia and said “Shias` sect will deviate our young men. I know some tribes who were all turned to be Shias.”
Someone came from Lebanon and quoted something from Hassan Nasrollah. After the 33 day battle between Hezbollah and Israel, plenty of young Sunni, Wahhabis and Christians were attracted to Shias` culture and we don’t have people to let these newly Shias know about the fundamental beliefs.
One our friend lived in Mali for two years. He said: “During these two years, we vividly talked about the pure culture of Shias and more than 300 thousand Sunni people turned to be Shias.”
Every week either from inside the country or through phone lines people call us and they say that they have turned to be Shias. I was talking to one of the scholar from Khorasan, he after two months called and said: “That 20 minutes really changed my mind” He came to my house after a year; we were accompanying Ayatollah Shobeiri Zanjan, Sobhani, Khazali and Moghtadaee; he officially said that he turned to be Shia and left. He has about 150 seminary school students and he is trying to invite them to the culture of Ahl-al-Beit in an unobservable way.
We don’t want Sunnis to be Shias. We won`t be happy even if they`ll be Shias. We are happy that we are expanding the truths of Shias` culture internationally. We are happy that we are letting people aware of these things. It has been history that a sect was turned to be another sect like Shafei to Hanafi, Hanafi to Hanbali, Maleki to Shafei.
What I want to tell you is that Imam Mahdi`s voice saying "هل من ناصر" is more tangible now, particularly in your province (Zahedan). You are expected to be more active. We expect you to get more familiar with the culture of Ahl-al-Beit. I think that the seminary schools in Zahedan have to form the research and scientific groups.
Today, the Shias` culture is under the bombardment unfairly. We expected Sunnis to do everything but not this one. Of course they are in minority. In your province, 95 percent are Sunni like in Kordestan and they haven’t any problems with Shias. They pose their own ideas and they are free under the constitutional law of Islamic Republic of Iran; they defend their own cultures. But advertising the Sunni`s culture is something and bombarding Shias` culture is different issue.
Some of the books written in this province are illegally published; like the magazines in which they bombard Shia`s culture.
In a magazine the questioned the story of Ghadir and they considered what Ibn-Kasir Damesghi said as a sound theory; they say that the story of Ghadir refers to when people of Yemen complained Ali and then prophet came and said: “Oh people , don’t complain Ali, he is a good man and "من كنت مولاه علي مولاه" went. So as you say, the whole story of Prophet gathering people in that blazing hot desert for three days was just because he wanted to say that Ali was a good man and whoever loves him should not complain him!!!
The seminary school of Zahedan should have written an article to severely respond them back in the same magazine in its next number. They should have disgraced those who been deviated by Wahhabis.
I warned you about the danger in a meeting with someone when I was in your province, attending the festival of sects. Some of your Sunni scholars had a Sunni perspective in the previous festival but this year they had the same ideas as Wahhabi do; they said why we, Shias, say Oh Ali or Oh Husain, they said this polytheism. I was really shocked. It seems that Wahhabis are trying to deviate the scholars who are not that much knowledgeable.
Zeini Dahlan, the Mufti from Mecca and a considerable figure of Saudi Arabia (died in 1304) , has a book which criticizes Wahhabis in which he explicitly says that when Muhammad ibn-Abudl Wahhab started working in Saudi Arabia, he said that all Muslims, with no exceptions, were apostates and polytheists. He said: “Whoever wants to be a Wahhabi must say five testimonies”. First he has to testify the monotheism of God and say the second testimony for Prophet Muhammad. He said: “We are Muslims and say our pray, you say your pray while your polytheists” “You went for Haj but you were polytheists and after becoming a Wahhabi you have do some new rituals. When you become a Muslim, you have to testify that you were apostates and polytheists before you become a Wahhabi. You have to testify that your parents passed away as apostates and you are not allowed to ask for forgiveness for them; you have to testify that all the scholars before you passed away as apostates and you are not allowed to ask for forgiveness for them”
Al-Dor Soniat v 1 p 46
When Wahhabis wanted to occupy the Mecca in 1218, they beheaded thousands of Sunni scholars just because they couldn’t expand the Wahhabi culture as long as they were alive. They neither care about Sunnis nor for Shias. So, I demand you to form some scientific committees and donate one hour of your time studying about Amir-al-Momeneen; take a vow that you would defend Ahl-al-Beit even for an hour a day.
Questions:
The first Question:
You were supposed to have a debate with Professor Abdul-Hamid. What happened? Why it didn’t take place?
Answer:
Mr. Molavi Abdul-Hamid, in the Friday pray, insulted national network, Dr.Tijani, and Dr. Esma al-Emad and I, as plenty of friends requested, invited him for a debate but he invited me for Mubahele (mutual cursing). I told him that Prophet had debate first and when he saw that there wasn’t any result in the debate, he started Mubahele. So he has to come for a debate and we can`t come up with a good result we go for Mubahele. The last thing he said was “ we are not safe in our country, we can`t have a debate with you here, we`d like to have a debate with you outside the country”. I considered as his weakness in knowledge and we are ready whenever they want us to have a debate. Lately Molavi Abdul-Majid invited us for a debate, we also expressed our readiness. Of course it is more of a friendly chat.
Question:
When we, Shias, want to utter Salavat, we salute Prophet Muhammad and his household, but Sunni don’t do the same, why?
Answer:
They have plenty of traditions in Sahoh-Moslem and Sahih-Bokhari:
حدثني سعيد بن يحيى حدثنا أبي حدثنا مسعر عن الحكم عن ابن أبي ليلى عن كعب بن عجرة رضي الله عنه، قيل: يا رسول الله! اما السلام عليك فقد عرفناه، فكيف الصلاة؟ قال: قولوا اللهم صل على محمد و على آل محمد كما صليت على آل إبراهيم انك حميد مجيد، اللهم بارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على آل إبراهيم انك حميد مجيد.
Sahih-Bokhari v 6 p p 27
After revelation of the verse:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَ مَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation.
Surah Ahzab verse 56
They visited Prophet and they said: “Oh Prophet we know hot say hello to you, but how shall we salute you” Prophet said: “Say:
اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على آل إبراهيم ... .
There is also a tradition that says Prophet forbid people to salute in a shortened way:
فإن ابن حجر يروي في الصواعق، ص144: أن النبي (صلى الله عليه و آله) قال: لا تصلوا علي الصلاة البتراء، فقالوا: و ما الصلاة البتراء؟ قال: تقولون: اللهم صل على محمد و تمسكون، بل قولوا: اللهم صل على على محمد و آل محمد.
Prophet say: “Don’t salute me in a shortened way” they asked : “What do you mean” He said: Don’t just say اللهم صل على محمد say اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد.
But Sunni salute Prophet quite opposite to the practice of Prophet or what traditions have said in their authentic books, even opposite of what they say in Tashahod in praying; they just say:
اللهم صل على محمد.
Question:
What do you think about Shias standing against Sunnis, because they truly bombard Shias` beliefs?
Answer:
We don’t have any problems with Sunnis, we have problems with Wahhabis. We don’t have any complaint about Sunnis; they have never bombarded our beliefs. Some of the Sunnis have been deviated by Wahhabis; they are spreading the culture of Wahhabis under the name of Sunnis and those are the people whom we have problems with.
Question:
Considering that Wahhabis are way over the boundaries in this Province, is it proper to remain silent just because of unity?
Answer:
No, this is against what late Imam Khomeini said:
“Wahhabis are spreading an Islam which is derived for the Abusofyan and American school of thought.”
Our supreme leader also, last year, said:
“No one is allowed to be ignorant in revealing the true nature of Wahhabis. We have to do our best in responding the Wahhabi doubts”
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Dr.Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ghazvini