But he noticed some eyes winking and some tongues backbiting...

But he noticed some eyes winking and some tongues backbiting with sarcasm and mockery until he heard someone saying: "He ordered you to obey your son." (1) They meant Ali when the Prophet (s) had appointed him as his guardian. But Abu Talib didn't pay any attention to what they said. In fact he answered them with a word that disappointed them and supplied his son Ali with a great power of encouragement: "Let him (Ali) alone. He would never fail to assist his cousin (Muhammad) ....

(2) This was not the first word that Ali had heard from his father showing his contentment with his supporting his cousin; the master of the humanity. Abu Talib had seen Ali offering the prayer behind the Prophet (s) in the first moment of the mission in a secret place for fear of the polytheists. Then Ali answered his father: "O father! I have believed in Allah and His Apostle. I have believed in all what the Prophet has said.

I have offered the prayer with him and followed him." Abu Talib said to his son: "As long as he invites you for goodness, you are to keep to him." (3) What a fine word it was that showed a deep faith rooted in the heart of its sayer. The Prophet (s) would invite but to goodness and so every reasonable one had to keep to him.

This was also another evidence showing the ____________ 1 Refer to al-Kamil by ibnul Atheer, vol.2 p.41, at-Tabari's Tareekh, vol.2 p.63, Ghayatul Maram p.70, 78, 153, 164, 185, 320, 322, 613, al-Ghadeer, vol.2 p.279-283, vol.3 p.209, A'yan ash-Shia, vol.2 p.98-102, vol.39 p.164, the Thesis of aj-Jahidh p.31 and ad-Da'wa by the father the author of this book, vol.1 p.124, 241.

2 Al-Ghadeer, vol.2 p.58, al-Issaba, vol.4 p.216, as-Seera al-Hashamiyya, vol.1 p.264, As-Seera an-Nabawiyya, vol.1 p.176, as-Seera al-Halabiyya, vol.1 p.306, Sharh Nahjol Balagha, vol.3 p.305, Yanabee'ul Mawadda p.168 (vol.2 p.28), ar-Riyadh an-Nadhira, vol.2 p.159, Ghayatul Maram p.500, Abu Talib p.50, al-Abbas p.23, al-Ghadeer, vol.7 p.356, ath-Tha'labi's Tafseer, Oyoonul Aathar, vol.1 p.94 and Assna al-Matalib p.10.

faith of Abu Talib otherwise he wouldn't encourage his son to keep to the Prophet (s) with his mission. If it was not so, he would prevent his son from following Muhammad and to deny his mission and to direct his son to the right way according to his own thought. Abu Talib was certain that his nephew was inspired by the Heaven; therefore he encouraged his son to keep to him.