O Thabit, why are you arguing with the people?

O Thabit, why are you arguing with the people? Stop debating with them (attempting to convince them to join your creed) and do not summon them to your belief. I swear by Allah that if all the inhabitants of the skies and all the inhabitants of the earth help each other to mislead a servant (of Allah) whom Almighty Allah wants to guide, they shall never be able to do so.

Stop arguing with the people and do not impose your belief on anyone even if you believe one will respond because he is your brother, cousin, or neighbor. Verily, if Almighty Allah wants somebody to join the truth, He will make his soul responsive. As a result, he will follow that which is decent and reject that which is vile. Then, Almighty Allah will cast in his heart a word that will inspire the correct attitude.

[^1] To make this clear, such commands to refrain from arguing with people about doctrine and such warnings against inviting them to accept beliefs are meant for no reason other than to avoid divisive disputes and unwanted discrepancies. This fact is confirmed by another tradition also reported by Shaykh al-Kulayni from one of the Holy Imams (‘a): وَلاَ تُخَاصِمُوا بِدِينِكُمُ النَّاسَ، فَإنَّ الْمُخَاصَمَةَ مُمْرِضَةٌ لِلْقَلْبِ.

فَإنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ لِنَبِيِّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ: ﴿إِنَّكَ لا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ﴾ وَقَالَ: ﴿ أَفَأَنْتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ Do not dispute with people about your religion, for dispute gives rise to rumors. Almighty Allah has said to His Prophet (S), ‘Surely, you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases. (28:56)’ He has also said, ‘Will you then force mankind to become believers?

(10/99) ’ [^2] At the same time, some other traditions encourage inviting others to the true faith when there is a suitable chance or when this would not lead to dispute, because inviting to the true faith is a religious duty.[^3] In this way, we can understand why the Holy Imams of the (‘a) have always laid stress on demonstration of the pillars of religion in general and loyalty to the divinely commissioned leadership of the (‘a) (i.e. wilayah ) in particular.

They have also discriminated between Islam and atheism ( kufr ), and Islam and faith ( iman ). Of course, all such demonstrations mean to highlight the features of the true faith.

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