And I knew well that the religion of Muhammad is the best of...

And I knew well that the religion of Muhammad is the best of all religions that exist. [^12] يا شاهد الله عليّ فاشهد أني على دين النبيّ أحمد من ضلّ في الدين فإنّي مهتدي O witness of Allah! Bear witness that I believe in the religion of Prophet Ahmad. (Bear witness that) if anyone deviates from the religion, I will remain with the guided.

[^13] In the last days of his blessed life, Abu Talib urged the chiefs of Quraysh to completely support the Messenger of Allah (S) as shown in the following odes: أربعة الخير نبيّ بنصر أوصي عباسا القوم شيخ و عليّا ابني حقيقته الحامى الأسد وحمزة النّاسا دونه تذودوا أن وجعفرا ولدت ما و أمّي لكم فداء كونوا أتراسا النّاس دون أحمدَ نصرِ في I admonish four people to assist the Prophet of Goodness: my son ‘Ali, the chief of (our) clan ‘Abbas, Hamzah the Lion (of God) who is protecting his truth, and Ja‘far (my son).

May my mother and her children be your ransom!— be like a shield in assisting Ahmad vis-à-vis the people. [^14] When a just and fair person considers all these eloquent literary works, which bespeak with utmost explicitness of the conviction and belief of Abu Talib in the One God and the prophethood…