In the beginning...

In the beginning, I resented such a campaign due to the rude and nonsubjective method whereby they describe the Shī’a faith and which I also noticed to often rely on exaggeration and sensationalism.

Although I was born in Palestine for a Sunni Palestinian couple, and although the vast majority of Palestinians are “followers of the Sunnah and Jamā’ah,” and despite my belief then that the sect following the “Sunnah and the Jamā’ah” was the right one, yet I could not see how the Shī’ahs could be “unbelievers.” All I knew about them was their high regard for Ali (‘a), that they prefer him over all other sahābah.

But I did not know why other than the status which most Sunnis believe he is worth of, that is, his being no more than the fourth of the “righteous caliphs;” he is simply a sahābi whose status they equated with that of other sahābah , including Mu’āwiyah and ‘Amr ibn al-’Ās.

But this “exaggeration” in raising the status of Ali (‘a), in my view, did not warrant their expulsion from the Islamic creed altogether, despite many of their claims that the Shī’ahs prefer Ali (‘a) over the Seal of Prophets (ṣ), that they believe Gabriel made a mistake in bringing the divine message down, even the claim often put forth that they consider Ali (‘a) as a Allāh, that they have a copy of the Qur’ān different from theirs, in addition to other such claims.

But I did not pay attention to any of that because as long as I live, I shall never forget what my theology teacher at the high school once said: “Shī’ahs are many sects some of which do, indeed, regard Ali (‘a) as a Allāh.

But the Shī’ah Ithna-’Ashari sect, also called the Ja’fari sect, is the closest one to the Sunnis, and those who adhere to it are Muslims.” Since these words came from someone whose righteousness, piety, vast knowledge and information acquired, in addition to his moderation and subjectivity when criticizing those whose views differed from those of Islam or from his Sunni sect, these words kept ringing in my ears for many days and years.

Add to this the fact that I was very much influenced by one of my relatives who invited others to the Path of Allāh and I have no doubt in his sincerity and concern about the unity of the Muslims, Sunnis and Shī’ahs. This concept found its firm grounds in my soul till it became a de facto reality especially when I came to know that most Sunni scholars and callers of our time regard the Shī’ahs as Muslims who believe in the Unity of Allāh.