ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Brother of the : Imam ‘Ali The Home Conference ======================= Three years after the commencement of his proph- ethood the Holy Prophet declared that ‘Ali is his brother his executor and successor. This was in accordance with the logical and natural course.

The Prophet needed a strong and truly helpful minister to support him and to aid him in spreading the message and building the State which is expected to be built on the foundation of the principles of the Heavenly Message. This was not unprecedented in the history of prophethood. Moses asked his Lord to support him with a minister from the members of his family Aaron his brother.

A minister who is strong enough to face the dangers which the Holy Prophet was expected to face ought to become his deputy and caliph who replaces him when anything happens to him. By this the Holy Prophet would have taken whatever he could take of precaution in order to secure the continuity of the Message and its defusion when he departs from this world instead of leaving its future to chances. The reader may recall that we have discussed in the fifth chapter (vol.

what the Messenger did when his Lord commanded him after three years from the commencement of the Message to warn his closest relatives when the following verses were revealed: "And warn thy nearest kinsmen. And lower thy wing to the believers who follow thee. Then if they disobey thee say: I am free (of responsibility) for what ye do..." The Holy Qur'an chapter 26 verses 214-216. The Holy Prophet at that time invited the children of Abdul-Muttalib who were the closest of his kinsmen.

They were at that time thirty or forty men. He invited them for a banquet which contained a small amount of food and milk. They ate and drank from the little food and milk until they were satisfied. When the opportunity came the Holy Prophet spoke to them saying (and the Imam ‘Ali reported it): "O children of Abdul-Muttalib by God I know of no young man from among the Arabs ever brought his people better than I brought to you.

I have brought to you the best for you in this world and in the Hereafter. Certainly God has commanded me to invite you to it. Who is among you that will be my minister in this mission and he will become my brother my executor and my successor among you?" The audience kept silent.