Therefore, you should not worry too much about such "absurd notions".

Therefore, you should not worry too much about such "absurd notions". So, if, according to them, Hazrat Ali was god, he naturally would be superior to the Holy Prophet; La Haula wala Quwwata Ilia Billah. In fact, the claim that "Hazrat Ali was greater than the Holy Prophet" is just rubbish. Hazrat Ali spent every moment of his life obeying the commands given to him by the Holy Prophet; his fondest claim was that he was the first to follow the footsteps of the Holy Prophet.

His lectures and letters in 'Nahjul-Balaghah' are full of such references for the whole world to see. So, according to his own claims, Hazrat Ali was a follower, helper, and successor of the Holy Prophet. He himself never claimed more than that. Any body claiming any thing else has the responsibility to prove it from the books known to the Muslims. Imam Raza (A.S.) has explained the cause of their misunderstanding in a lengthy Hadith, a gist of which will not be out of place here.

Imam (A.S.) said that "these astray unbelievers" did not get this idea into their brain but because they overestimated the value of their own selves. This led them to believe whatever got into their brains without seeking guidance from the representatives of Allah.

This continued and in the end "they belittled the honour of Allah and thought nothing of His dignity and degraded His great prestige, as they did not know that Allah is the Omnipotent Himself, "Ghani" (Above every need) Himself, that His Power is not borrowed (from someone else) nor is His Wealth to be exhausted" "Then they looked to a servant of Allah whom He had given some special powers to show his nearness with Him...

Then the Imam (A.S.) gives the example of some people who sought an audience with a certain King and were told that the King would pass in a procession with all his knights and nobles through that avenue. They were also told that when they saw the King, they were to bow down and show their allegience to him; and also that they were not to include anybody else in that courtesy. "They promised to do accordingly. Then, lo, there came a knight of the King resplendent in the court robes and armour.

These people thought that must be the King. They saluted him like the King, and even when he said that he was just a servant of the King they refused to listen - because they did not know the splendour of the King. They were dazed with the entourage of the Knight and said that nobody could be above him.