Look at him and see how he reacted when they came to him...

Look at him and see how he reacted when they came to him seeking to swear the oath of allegiance to him as the new caliph on the condition that he should rule according to the “sunnah” of the shaykhain (the two shaykhs, namely Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab), whereupon he said, “I shall not rule except according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.” Ali had no need for the caliphate if it was at the expense of the Prophetic Sunnah, for he is the one who had said, “Your caliphate to me is like a goat's sneeze except when I uphold one of the commandments of Allah.” His son, Imam al-Husayn, has made his famous statement which is still ringing in the ears of history: “If Muhammad's faith is to be straightened only if I am killed, then O swords!

Take me!” For this reason, Shi`as look at their brethren from “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah” with eyes of love and affection, desiring nothing for them except guidance and salvation. To them, the price of guidance is recorded by authentic traditions better than this life and everything in it.

The Messenger of Allah has said to Imam Ali upon sending him to conquer Khaybar, “Fight them till they testify that There is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; so if they utter it, their lives and wealth will be protected against your might, and Allah will judge them.

If Allah guides through you even one single person, it is better for you than everything on which the sun shines (or better than all red camels).”[^1] Ali's main concern was, after all, to guide people and to bring them back to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.

For this reason, his Shi`as nowadays are mostly concerned about refuting all the charges and lies piled up against them, and about introducing to their brethren from “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama'ah” the truth about Ahlul Bayt and, hence, guide them to the Straight Path. Surely in the tales there is a lesson for men of understanding. It is not a narrative that could be forged but a verification of what is before it and a distinct explanation of all things, and a guide and mercy to those who believe.

(Holy Qur'an, 12:111) [^1]: Muslim, Sahih, Vol. 7, p. 122 “Kitab al-Fadail” (Book of Virtues), the chapter dealing with the merits of Ali ibn Abu Talib . Previous…