ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Shi'ism and Its Types During the Early Centuries Supplement 2 In reply to the Imam, Mu'awiyah is indignant at the Imam's considering himself to be the descendant of all the prophets. He writes: "Not sufficing with the kinship with Muhammad you have claimed kinship with all the prophets." Then he adds: "You should know that Muhammad was one of the apostles who had been sent to all mankind.

He delivered the message of his Lord and beyond that he did not own anything .... Now tell us, where is the merit in your relationship? And what is the merit in your right? Where in the Book of God do you find your name mentioned? Where in the Qur'an is mentioned anything about your kingdom, your imamate and your superiority? Yes, we do follow the imams and caliphs who have gone before us, and you too used to follow them." Then he refers to himself as 'Uthman's heir.

In his reply the Imam accuses him of enmity towards the prophets and of the love of his pagan forebears. There he adds: You should know that we are the family of the Apostle of Allah (s). The unbeliever does not befriend us and the believer does not harbour our enmity in his heart. You have denied the Imamate of Muhammad (s) and you imagine that he is an apostle and not an Imam. This denial leads you to deny the Imamate of all the apostles.

But we bear witness that he was an apostle and an Imam .... As to your denial of my relationship with the Messenger of Allah and my right, indeed our share and our right is there in the Book of God, and God has mentioned us along with the Apostle in the context of the division [of the spoils of war), where He has said: "Whenever you take any spoils of war, a fifth of it belongs to the Apostle and the kinsmen." (8:41) And in another place He says, "Give the kindred their right" (30:38).

Don't you see that our share has been mentioned along with the share of God and the share of the Apostle and your share has been mentioned along with the outsiders? You deny my Imamate and my authority Don't you see that God, the Exalted, has given us merit over all the world's people? (3:33) . . . If you can separate us from Abraham (a), Ismail, Muhammad and the Al of Muhammad in the Book of God, try to do so!

[^68] This letter has been cited by Abu Ishaq al-Thaqafi, the 3rd/9th century Shi'i historian (d. 283/).