Imam Reza (a.

Imam Reza (a.s.) said: “Ali (a.s.) followed in the footsteps of the Messenger of Allah (S) in avoiding armed conflicts. After becoming the Prophet, the Messenger of Allah (S) did not fight the infidels during 13 years of his stay in Mecca and first 18 months in Medina. The reason was that for such a long time, he had very few helpers and supporters. But his refraining from Jihad for such a long time did not make his prophethood invalid.

In the same way, the Imamate of Ali (a.s.) was not affected, if he did not take up arms.” We should know that the action of Prophet and Imam is according to divine Knowledge. The past, present and future; all are exposed on the Prophet and the Imam (a.s.). After the passing away of the Holy Prophet (S) there was such a shortage of friends and helpers for Ali (a.s.) that only four companions of the Prophet were on his side: Miqdad, Ammar, Salman and Abu Dharr.

On the other hand, most companions of the Prophet became aloof from him and were in support of the three Caliphs. Previous…