Each time he confirmed that the followers of Ali (a.

Each time he confirmed that the followers of Ali (a.s.) would be the winners, because they supported the truth and kept away from and let down the untruth. He also confirmed that the followers of Ali (a.s.) were the followers of the Prophet (S) himself. Here, we mention the following tradition that has been mentioned by Ibn Hajar in as-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah and other Sunni scholars.

The Messenger of Allah (S) said to Ali: Are you not pleased that you shall be with me in the Paradise, and al-Hasan, al-Husayn and our progeny after us, our wives after our progeny and our Shia (followers) to our left and right sides? [^1] Many times, the Prophet (S) said about Ali (a.s.) and his followers: By Him, in whose hand my soul is, this (Ali) and his Shia are certainly the winners on the Day of Resurrection.

[^2] It is very natural that the Prophet (S) praised the followers of the truth and distinguished them with a sign by which they would be known throughout the ages, so that Muslims would know the suppressed truth and be guided to it through the nearest way. Because of the Prophet’s praise and continuous instructions, a group from the best of his companions became adherents to Imam Ali (a.s.). They were famous for their love and support to him after the death of the Prophet (S).

Among these great companions there were Salman al-Farisi, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Ammar ibn Yasir, Huthayfah ibn al-Yaman and al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad. Thus, the word “ shia ” became a surname for these men. Dr.

Mustafa Kamil ash-Shaybi mentions this fact in his book ‘The Relation between Sufism and Shiism’ , and the same is mentioned by Abu Hatim in his book az-Zeenah when saying, “The least name of a creed that appeared in Islam was the “Shia” and this was a surname of four companions who are Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Ammar ibn Yasir, Salman al-Farisi, and al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad.” This shows clearly that the orientalists and some of Muslim researchers, who had quoted from those orientalists, were not truthful when they said that Shiism was a political phenomenon that came out as a result of the circumstances after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (a.s.).

It also clearly demonstrates the falsehood of those who tried to attach Shiism to the Persians. In fact, these people just reveal their own ignorance and fanaticism.