ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Origin of Shi'tte Islam and It's Principles Introduction BISM - ILLAH - IR - RAHMAN - IR - RAHEEM (In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the Merciful) AL- HAMDU L'ILLAH (All praise be to God) Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and good exhortation, and reason with them in the best way. Lo! your Lord best knows those . who go astray from His path, and He knows best those who are rightly guided.

(Qur'an, 16:125) It was about two years ago that I received a long letter from an Iraqi student in Egypt. Briefly speaking, the writer of the letter had had an exchange of views with some eminent scholars of al-Azhar. Perhaps they talked about Najaf al-Ashraf, the scholars of that seat of learning and their ways of studies and also about those devoted to the spiritual atmosphere at the mausoleum of Hazrat Ali (a.s.).

There is no doubt, of course, that the educated class of Cairo are all praise for the great seat of learning at Najaf and are also well impressed with the intellectual advancement of its scholars. In spite of all this they do not refrain from saying: "Oh! What a pity! They are Shi'as." The writer of the letter says that he was very astonished and often used to plead with them, "Gentlemen! The Shi'as are a Muslim sect and a part of the Muslim community." But their reply was, "No, Sir!

The Shi'as are not Muslims. What has Shi'ism to do with Islam? It is wrong to count it as a sect among the sects and a religion among the religions of the world; it was a plan devised by the Iranians and a political stunt to overthrow the Umayyad rule and bring about the 'Abbasid Caliphate. What has it to do with the ways prescribed by God?" After this, this young man writes. "Respected Sir, at present I am young and have no knowledge of religions.

I know neither the philosophy of religious growth, nor do I know the history of its flourishing. Consequently I have entertained some doubts." After writing these words this student of the great college at Cairo desired that I should unveil the truth and rid him of that mental worry. In this connection he also wrote that if his request proved futile and he was misled from the right path, I would stand responsible for that.

Accordingly I considered the reply necessary and wrote to him in a letter answering him according to his intelligence. I must admit, however, that my own worries were more than the doubts of this youth.