The Book Of God

All Muslims should take the Book of God as their model. They should be united and avoid any type of activity that would cause division especially at this time when the unbelievers and the forces of arrogance are plotting to cause division between Muslims and spilling their blood at each other’s hands.

When Imam Ash‘ari was on his deathbed, he called all his students around him and said, “Bear witness that I never did takfir upon any of the People of the Qiblah [Muslims] because all of them have one object of worship, and all of them are under the flag of Islam.”

What we have said makes it incumbent upon us to respect the sentiments and beliefs of others and not to relate to them in a way that leads to division. The levelling of insults at the Companions, which the Shi‘is have been accused of, is an unjust act that is totally wrong. Shi‘is should dissociate themselves from this type of activity. They should see the Companions as examples, as Imam ‘Ali ibn Husayn (A) said in the following prayer:

. اللَّهُمَّ وَ أَصْحَابُ مُحَمَّدٍ خَاصَّةً

الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الصَّحَابَةَ

وَ الَّذِينَ أَبْلَوُا الْبَلَاءَ الْحَسَنَ فِي نَصْرِهِ ،

وَ اسْتَجَابُوا لَهُ حَيْثُ أَسْمَعَهُمْ حُجَّةَ رِسَالَاتِهِ .

O Allah! And as for the Companions of Muhammad specifically, [bless] those who did well in companionship, who stood the good test in helping him, responded to him, assisted him, hastened to receive him in kindness and strove to respond to his call1.

• 1. The prayer is from Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyah, supplication 4, for the Companions that supported the Prophet (S). Excerpt is from the message of Grand Ayatollah Ja‘far Subhani to the hajj pilgrims.