Shaykh Tabarsi (a.

Shaykh Tabarsi (a.r.) has stated: In the debate of His Eminence, Hujjat Qa’im Muntazar Sahib az-Zaman, peace be upon him and his ancestors Saad bin Abdullah Qummi Ashari has said: “I became involved in a debate with a Nasibi (Ahle Bayt hater) who was the strongest among Nasibi debaters. One day during the debate he told me: Death be on you and all your co- religionists.

You Rafidis lay curse on the Emigrants and Helpers and deny their love for the Holy Prophet while the Siddiq was the most exalted persons among the companions and he had precedence in accepting Islam. Don’t you know that the Messenger of Allah took him along to the cave on the night of migration due to the risk to his life, just as he was concerned for his own safety. Because he knew that he would be his caliph and successor.

Therefore he wanted to protect his life like he was concerned about his own security. So that the religion may not be destroyed after him.

In those very circumstances he made ‘Ali sleep on his bed as he knew that even if he were killed there would be no problem for Islam in the future because there were people among the companions who could have taken his place, therefore he did not accord much importance to his (‘Ali) getting killed.” Saad says: I replied to it but the replies were not so effective.

So he said: “You Rafidis say that the first and the second caliphs were hypocrites and you support it by what happened on the Lailatul Uqbah.” Then he said: “Come let us see if they accepted Islam willingly and happily or it was under duress and pressure?” Here I did not give any reply, because if I said it was under duress it would not be correct as Islam at that time was not dominant and if I said they accepted willingly it would negate their hypocrisy.

I returned from this debate with a heavy heart, took a paper and wrote down forty odd questions that were difficult for me and said to myself that I must hand it over to the representative of Maula Abu Muhammad Hasan bin ‘Ali Askari (as) (that is Ahmad bin Ishaq who resided in Qom). But when I went to him I learnt that he had left on a journey. I departed in his pursuit and when I reached him I told him all that had happened.

Ahmad bin Ishaq said to me: Come let us go together to Surre man Raa (Samarrah) and ask our master, Hasan bin ‘Ali (as) about this. So I accompanied him to Surre man Raa till we reached the house of our master and asked for permission to enter, which was given and we went inside.