In the Name of Allah, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful

And bless be upon Muhammad and his pure Household, and may Allah's curse be on his enemies from now until the Day of Resurrection! And there is no power or strength except for the Lofty Glorious Allah.

The Wise Allah has stated in His Glorious Book:

الم ﴿1﴾ أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لا يُفْتَنُونَ ﴿2﴾ وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ ﴿3﴾ أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَنْ يَسْبِقُونَا سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ ﴿4﴾ مَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ لآتٍ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴿5﴾ وَمَنْ جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿6﴾^[1]

"A, L, M; (ălif, lām, mïm).  Do men reckon that they will be left at ease for their saying, ‘We believe,’ and they will not be tried?  Certainly We tried those who preceded them. Therefore, Allah knows the ones who are the truthful and those who are the liars.  Do those who commit evil deeds reckon that they will get ahead of Us? What a bad judgment!  [Let him] who expects to meet Allah, [know that] Allah’s term is coming, and He is the Absolute Knowing Hearer.  And whoever strives, he strives only for his own, for indeed Allah is absolutely Independent of the creatures, (Qur'an: 29/1-6).' "

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The narratives that have been related by the Sunnite and Shiite on testing the people for the Guardianship

In Nahj-ul-Balagha, within a sermon that was being delivered to the people of Basra, it is said that a man stood in front of the Holiness and said: 'O Commander of the believers, do let us know of the sedition! Have you ever asked the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, anything considering this question of mine?' To his question, the Holiness got ready:

فَقَال عَليه السّلام: لَمّا أنْزَلَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ قَوْلَهُ: «الم، أحَسبَ النّاسُ أنْ يَتْرُكُوا أنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنّا وَ هُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ» عَلِمْتُ أنَّ الْفِتْنَة لَا تَنْزِلُ بِنَا وَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِه وَ سَلَّم بَيْنَ أظْهُرنَا، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ! مَا هَذِهِ الْفِتْنَة التَّى أخْبَرَكَ اللهُ تَعالَى بِهَا؟ فَقَالَ: يَا عَلِىُّ إنَّ امَّتى سَيُفْتَنوُنَ مِنْ بَعْدِى. فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أوْ لَيْسَ قَدْ قلْتَ لى يَوْمَ احُدٍ حَيْثُ اسْتُشْهِدَ مَنْ اسْتُشْهِدَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمينَ وَ حِيزَتْ عَنىِّ الشَّهادَة فَشَقَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَىَّ فَقُلْتُ لى: أبْشِرْ فَإنَّ الشَّهادَة مِنْ وَرائِكَ؟ فَقَالَ لى: إنَّ ذَلِكَ لَكَذَلِكَ، فَكَيْفَ صَبْرُكَ إذاً؟ فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ! لَيْسَ هَذَا مِنْ مَواطِنِ الصَّبْرِ وَ لَكِنْ مِنْ مَواطِنِ الْبُشْرَى وَ الشُّكْرَ فَقَالَ: يَا عَلِىُّ! إنَّ الْقَوْمَ لَيُفْتَنُونَ بِأمْوَالِهِمْ وَ يَمْنُوُّنَ بِدينِهِمْ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ وَ يَتَمَنوُّنَ رَحْمَتَهُ وَ يَأمِنُونَ سَطْوَتَهُ وَ يَسْتَحِلُّونَ حَرَامَهُ بِالشُّبُهَاتِ الْكاذِبَة وَ الْأهْواءِ الّساهِيَة، فَيَسْتَحِلوُّنَ الْخَمْرَ بِالنَّبِيذِ وَ لسُّحْتَ‏بِالْهَدِيَّة وَ الرِّبَا بِالْبَيْعِ. قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ! بِأىِّ الْمَنازِلِ انْزِلُهُمْ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ؟ أ بِمَنْزِلَة رِدَّة أمْ بِمَنْزِلَة فِتْنَة! فَقَالَ: بِمَنْزِلَة فِتْنَة!^[2]

Thereupon the Holiness said:

When Allah, the Glorified, sent down the verse:

'…Alif lam mim. What! Do people imagine that they will be let off on (their) saying: "We believe!" and they will not be tried, (Qur'an, 29:1-2).'

I came to know that the disturbance would not befall us so long as the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) is among us. So I said, "O' Prophet of Allah, what is this disturbance of which Allah, the Sublime, has informed you?" and he replied, "O' `Ali, my people will create trouble after me." I said, "O' Prophet of Allah, on the day of Uhud, when people had fallen martyrs and I was not among them, and this had been very annoying to me, did you not say to me, 'cheer up, as martyrdom is for you hereafter?' "The Prophet replied, "Yes it is so, but what about your enduring at present?" I said, "O Prophet of Allah, this is not an occasion for endurance, but rather an occasion for cheering up and gratefulness." Then he said:

"O Ali, people will fall into mischief through their wealth, will show obligation to Allah on account of their faith, will expect His mercy, will feel safe from His anger and regard His unlawful matters as lawful by raising false doubts and by their misguiding desires. They will then hold lawful (the use of) wine by calling it barley water, a bribe by calling it a gift, and taking of usurious interest by calling it sale." I said, "O Prophet of Allah, how should I deal with them at the time, whether  to hold them to have gone back in heresy or just in revolt." He said, in revolt (Nahj-ul-Balagha: Sermon 156)."

And Sheikh Tousi has quoted the Holiness Imam Sādiq, Upon Him be Peace, saying that the meaning of يُفْتَنُونَ is that people will be tried both by means their wealth or souls.

And also by means of his documents, Ay‘yashi has related the Holiness Imam Abu-al-Hassan, Upon Him be Peace, saying: 'Abbas went to the Holiness Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, and said: 'Stand up and come on with me so that I take the allegiances of the people for your benefit.' The Holiness answered: 'What! Do you think they are ready to pay homage?' He said: 'Yes, I do.' The Holiness said: 'Then, what about this statement of Allah:

الم، أحسب النّاس أن يتركوا أن يقولوا آمنّا ...؟      

'Do men reckon that they will be left at ease for their saying, ‘We believe,’ and they will not be tried…?'^[3]

And apart from this narrative , and the narrative of Nahj-ul-Balagha, Molla Mohsen Feiz Kashani says when this verse was revealed, the Messenger of Allah said: 'For sure there is a sedition on the way and when it occurs people will be tested by it to make out right from wrong. It is because the revelation will cease and the sword of enmity will remain with the people until the Day of Resurrection.' (The Commentary of Safi, page 412)^[4]

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In the commentary of أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لا يُفْتَنُونَ is a test concerning the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace

Sayyid Hashim Bahrani, May Allah be satisfied with, has related four narratives from the Sunnite, and five narrative by the Shiite in his book "Ghāyat-al-Maram" that all the translations of these blissful verses are by the Messenger of Allah and the immaculate Imams, peace be upon them all; and they have all stated that: Allah test His creatures concerning their following the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace. And in another occasion, it has been related from ibn Shahr Aashub quoting Abu Tālib Heravi with his documents from Al-Ghama and Abu Ayyub saying that; 'When the verse of …الم، أحسب النّاس was revealed:

قال النبى صلى الله عليه و آله و سلم لعمار: انه سيكون من بعدى هناة، حتى يختلف السيف فيما بينهم، و حتى يقتل بعضهم بعضا، و حتى يتبرا بعضهم من بعض. فاذا رايت ذلك فعليك بهذا الاصلع عن يمينى على بن أبى طالب، فان سلك الناس كلهم واديا فاسلك وادى على، و حل عن الناس..

يا عمار! ان علِيا لا يردك عن هدى، و لا يردك الى ردى. يا عمار: طاعة على طاعتى، و طاعتى طاعة اللهِ.^[5]

'The Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, said to Ammar: 'After me there will come such a time of seditions and disbelief that swords will be exchanged among the people. Some will kill the others, and some will hate some others! Then, when you come across with such terrible state, it is your duty to back this man sitting on my right side, he who has thin hair in front of his head, I mean this Ali bin Abī Tālib. So, if all the people take a way other than Ali's, it is your duty to take the way that Ali has taken – and keep away from the people.'

'O Ammar! Ali does not take you away from the right path, and he does not lead you to the lowness. O Ammar! To obey Ali means obeying me and to obey me is just obeying Allah.'

And among the narratives, there is this one by the Sunnite concerning the statement of Allah:

أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لا يُفْتَنُونَ

'…do men reckon that they will be left at ease for their saying, ‘We believe,’ and they will not be tried, (Qur'an: 29/2)?'

He has said that:

 قال على عليه السلام: قلت: يا رسول الله! ما هذه الفتنة؟ قال: يا على! بك، و انت المخاصم، فاعد للخصومة! و قال على عليه السلام «ثم اورثنا الكتاب الذين اصطفينا من عبادنا» نحن اولئك.^{[6] & [7]}

Ali bin Abī Tālib, Upon Him be Peace, said I asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the so called sedition?' The Messenger of Allah stated: 'This trial of the people is only for your sake, it is you that going to be the target of the hatred of the enemy, so be prepared against the hatred and the enmity of them towards you.' And Ali, Upon Him be Peace, concerning the verse: 'And after that, We bestowed the Book as the heritage to the worshippers whom We had chosen;' he states: "We are the chosen worshippers of Allah who the Book has been given.'

And concerning this subject, Ali bin Ibrahim has related it in his "Commentary Book" that, 'my father has related me of Muhammad bin Fozail quoting the Holiness Abu-al-Hassan Musa bin Ja‘far, Upon Him be Peace, has stated that: "Abbas went to the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, and said: 'Do come with me so that the people to swear allegiance with you.' The Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, told Abbas: 'Do you think they will swear allegiance?' He answered: 'Yes, I do."'

The Holiness stated:

الم، احسب الناس ان يتركوا ان يقولوا آمنا و هم لا يفتنون- و لقد فتنا الذين من قبلهم (اى اختبرناهم) فليعلمن الله الذين صدقوا و ليعلمن الكاذبين- ام حسب الذين يعملون السيئات ان يسبقونا سآء ما يحكمون- من كان يرجوا لقآء الله فان اجل الله لآت؟‏

'…do men reckon that they will be left at ease for their saying, ‘We believe,’ and they will not be tried;' Allah states: Whoever wills to meet the Creator, death will approach him, and whoever abstains his desires against and passions, he struggles for his soul – and indeed Allah is free from needs.'^[8]

And concerning this subject, Muhammad bin Abbas has quoted Ahmad bin Houdat, quoting Ibrahim bin Ishaq, he too is quoting Abdullah bin Hammad and also quoting Sama'at bin Mehran saying that:

قَال^[9] رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه و آله و سلم: كَانَ ذَاتَ لَيْلَة فِى الْمَسْجِدِ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ قُرْبَ الصُّبْحِ دَخَلَ أميرُ الْمُؤمِنينَ عليه السلام، فَنادَاهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه و آله فَقَالَ: يَا عَلِىُّ! قَالَ: لَبَّيْكَ. قَالَ: هَلُمَّ إلَىَّ. فَلَمَّا دَنَا مِنْهُ قَالَ: يَا عَلِىُّ! بِتُّ اللَّيْلَة حَيْثُ تَرَانِى، فَقَدْ سَأَلْتُ رَبِّى ألْفَ حَاجَة فَقَضَاهَا لِى؛ وَ سَألْتُ لَكَ رَبِّى أنْ يَجْمَعَ لَكَ امَّتِى مِنْ بَعْدِى، فَابَى عَلَىَّ رَبِّى، فَقَالَ: الم، أحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أنْ يَتْرَكُوا أنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَ هُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُون.‏^[10]

[Imam Ali, Upon Him be Peace,] has stated that once the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, had passed the night in the mosque, and at dawn, Ali bin Abī Tālib, Upon Him be Peace, had walked into the mosque, then, by seeing him, the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, had called him and Ali had said: 'Here am I at your service.' So, the Messenger of Allah sated: 'Do come closer to me.' When Ali got closer to the Messenger, he stated: 'O Ali! As you see, I have secluded in the mosque all through the night, and I have asked my Creator a thousand requests and He has granted all of them. And I requested Allah to bring the people around you and settled down the differences. However, Allah avoided this request and stated: '…do men reckon that they will be left at ease for their saying, ‘We believe,’ and they will not be tried?''

And concerning this subject, Hussein bin Ali has quoted his father, Upon Him be Peace, saying:

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ «الم، أحَسِبَ النَّاسُ» فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ! مَا هَذِهِ الْفِتْنَة؟ قَالَ: يَا عَلِىُّ! إنَّكَ مُبْتَلىُ وَ مُبْتَلِىً بِكَ؛ وَ إنَّكَ مُخَاصَمُ، فَأعِدُّ لِلْخُصُومَة.^[11]

'When the verse… الم، أحَسِبَ النَّاسُ was revealed, I asked the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, 'what is this test and trial?'

The Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, answered: 'O Ali, you will be tested, and so will the nation for your sake be tested. And you will be hated by the people so prepared for facing such enmities and turmoil!'

After the demise of the Messenger, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, when the usurpers wanted to get the Caliphate out of the Commander of the believer, Upon Him be Peace's hand, the people faced a great test and trial – it was indeed very great and dangerous one.

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The companions of the Messenger of Allah coming together in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah and arguing with Abu Bakr

Some of the people were supporting the Commander of the believer, Upon Him be Peace, they were rather a considerable people, and some were supporting the enemies. There were a lot of sessions and discussions; even the companions of the Messenger went to the mosque and began discussing with Abu Bakr in the presence of the people gathering in the mosque. Abu Bakr fell short in answering them; he descended the pulpit and left the mosque for home; since then, there was uproar and disorder in Medina for three successive days. Then, Omar brought Abu Bakr to the mosque and, in the mean time, for his protection, Othman with his a hundred-men army, and Moghirat bin Sheba also with a hundred, and Moaz also with a hundred armed men of his were following him – they had all unsheathed the swords and were ready to defend Abu Bakr.

In such disorder state, if the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, revolted along with the loyal companions of the Messenger of Allah and fought them to get his right, without doubt, there would be sever bloodsheds and a great many men would be killed in spot. Then, immediately after the demise of the Messenger, Medina would change into a disorder state and their fighting would last for a long time. In that case, the disbelievers and pagans, who were expecting for an occasion to attack the Muslim and weaken the Islam, would jump on the chance and carry out their plans and the Messenger's years of struggle for establishing the Islam would collapse and come next to nothing!

Therefore, according to the will of the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, who had said: "If you did not have enough men to support you, and you could not carry out your plan at once, and on the hand you noticed that Medina was in danger, do not draw your sword to fight. In that terrible state wait and be patient, though such a patient is harsher than bitter!^[12] Doing so saves Islam." Otherwise, fighting has no benefit and causes the memorizers of the Qur'an and the rightful companions of the Messenger of Allah die, and then nothing will remain to support the religion of Allah! Then, Islam will become a brief history presenting it to rise, and after a short while to fall and wade away – without having any benefit in the world! In fact, one can understand the Holiness Ali, the Commander of the believers' wisdom, bravery, patience and generosity by his tolerating such situation that the Messenger of Allah had enjoined him to do so. This is the real position of the sait and friend of Allah who sacrifices his passions for the satisfaction of the beloved!^[13]

It has been put in the book of " بَعْضُ فَضَائح الرَّوافِض‏"that ibn Abi-al-Hussein bin Abi-al-Fazl Ghazvini Razi, at the very time of writing and publishing it, “فضائح الرّوافض‏” hs written in the rejection of this book and published it,^[14] he has responded it in details. in the section of the fiftieth disgrace, that if the Messenger of Allah had assigned Ali as the Caliph but according to what the Shiite claim, then, he would call his wives, ibn Abbas, Abuzar, Salman and Ammar as the witnesses to it – they would be aware of the case and today would question what the matter was. The Messenger of Allah did assign Ali as the Caliph, and this is what he said. Why do you dispute concerning the Guardianship?

Whay! Di they hide such a clear text! All were frightened of Abu Bakr and Omar? Did they forget Allah's promise and blurred the surface of the sun? Were they afraid of the son of Abu Ghakkafa Taimi and the son of Khttab? Had the pure companions not seen that which after five hundred years Bu Ja‘far Babawia, Bu Ja‘far Babawia Tousi, Satan-at-Tagh and Yusuf bin Abd-ur-Rahan saw? Or that they saw it but turned blind eyes to it. Or were Ali, Abbas and all the Bani Hashim unable? And did Umm Salema and the others take out their verdict?        

In the book of "بعض مَثَالِبِ النَّوَاصِب‏" which Abi a-Hussein bin Abi al-Fazl Ghazvini has written at the same time that the book of "فضائح الرّوافض‏" was published has answered their questions fully; the very questions that are found in Sunnite's books and are in the public libraries.

And now we are to bring the very questions and statements as they are in the original books, the only thing we are going to do is that we add their Arabic translations of them.

First of all, he has mentioned some subjects and said that … the news in the Imamate and the Guardianship and supposedly obedience, proximity, generosity, jihad, brotherhood and the virtues of the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, are those that the Shiite and the Sunnite have related; so that, according to hundreds of the foreigners, not be kept secret or lost. Let him be perished who goes to the library of Saveh, Hamedan, Ghazvin and Isfahan but still thinks that he is not the extremist Shiite or to be of the narrators of the Sunnite until he gets to know that: it is neither the innovation of Bu Ja‘far Babwiia, nor the saving of Bu Ja‘far Tousi! A hundred curses be upon the enemies of Sayyid Mortaza and both Bu Ja‘fars and two Mofids!

There are news relating the already mentioned ones, they are recorded in the books of the immaculate Imams, they are not extravagant; all the Imams have acc3epted them, and all the pure companions agree with them that an Imam must be wiser than his followers.

It is the proper answer to that saying: When the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, passed away, the companions had discussion concerning the Caliphate, which is brighter than the sun. And if the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, had written his will concerning Ali, then, why the companions who were present on the day they swearing allegiance to Abu Bakr, did not object it and did not speak their opinions that the right was with Ali – and the Messenger had clearly explained it?

First of all it is a dull account, and it is the sign of ignorance: that is if the companions knew it, then why they did not reveal it on the day of Saghifa? The answer to this question is that, it is crystal clear and more reliable by having such authentic documents in our disposal. The Sunnite have related Ali bin Ja‘far and the board of the trust that: When they pay homage to Abu Bakr at the Saghisa Bani Saeda, before long the companions, the Immigrant, the Supporters and the great men in the Household went to the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, and unanimously said:

يا أمِيرَ الْمُؤمِنينَ! تَرْكْتَ حَقّاً أنْتَ أوْلَى بِهِ مِنْ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ، وَ قَدْ أرَدْنَا أنْ نُنْزِلَهُ عَنْ مِنْبَرِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه و آله و سلم.

'O the Commander of the believers! You have given away your right; you deserve the Caliphate more than this man does! And we have decided to bring him down from the pulpit of‏ the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants.

They asked for Ali's permission and then went to the mosque. At that moment, Abu Bakr was on the pulpit. First, the Immigrant objected him and rejected his Caliphate.

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Khalid bin Saeed bin Aas arguing with Abu Bakr about the previous records of the Commander of the believers, Upon him be Peace

The first man who stood up and said his word was Khalid bin Saeed bin Aas. After praising the Almighty Allah, and blessing Muhammad Mostafa, he started his speech clearly and loudly:

 يَا أبَا بَكْرٍ! اتَّقِ اللهِ وَ انْظُر مَا تَقَدَّمَ لِعَلٍّى مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه و آله: أمَا عَلِمْتَ أنَّ النَّبِىَّ قَالَ لَنَا فِى يَوْمِ بَنى قُرَيْظَة- وَ قَدْ قَتَلَ عَلِىُّ عِدَّة مِنْ رِجَالِهِمْ وَ اولِى النَّجْدَة مِنْهُمْ-:

مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ! اوصِيكُمْ بِوَصِيَّة فَاحْفَظُوهَا، وَ مِودعُ إلَيْكُمْ سِرّاً فَلا تُضَيِّعُوهُ: ألَا وَ انَّ عَلِيّاً إمَامُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِى، وَ خَليفَتِى فيكُمْ، بِذَلِكَ أوْصَانِى جَبْرَئيلُ عَنْ رَبِّى.

ألَا وَ ان لَمْ تَحْفَظوُنى فِيهِ، وَ تُوَازِرُوهُ وَ تَنْصُرُوهُ اخْتَلَفْتُمْ فى أحْكَامِكُمْ، وَ اضْطَرَبَ عَلَيْكُمْ أمْرُ دينِكُمْ، وَ وَلَىَ عَلَيْكُمْ شِرَارُكُمْ! أخْبَرَنى جَبْرَئيلُ عَنْ رَبِّى.

ألَا وَ انَ أهْلَ بَيْتِى هُمُ الْوَارثُونَ لِأمْرِى، وَ الْقَائِمُونَ بِأمْرِ امَّتى. اللَّهُمَّ فَمَنْ أطَاعَهُمْ مِنْ امَّتِى وَ حَفِظَ فِيهِمْ وَصِيتّى [فَاحْشُرْهُمْ فِى زُمْرَتى، وَ اجْعَلْ لَهُمْ نَصِيباً مِنْ مُرَافَقَتِى يُدْرِكُونَ بِهِ نُورَ الْآخِرَة. اللَّهُمَّ وَ مَنْ أسَآءَ خَلَافَتِى فى أهْلِ بَيْتى فَاحْرِمْهُ‏] الْجَنَّة التَّى عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَ الْأرْضُ اعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِين.‏

'O Abu Bakr, do beware Allah! And observe what priority has Ali! In many cases, Ali bin Abī Tālib has priority to the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants. Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, on the day of Ghoraza, when Ali had killed some of the enemies' chiefs and brave men, told us:

"O the community of the people! I am giving you a piece of advice, do take and keep it with you; and now I am revealing a secret to you, try not to underestimate it! Be aware that, after my demise, surely your Imam is Ali, and so is my Caliph among you Ali. Concerning this covenant, my Creator has commanded me through Gabriel.

"Be aware that if that only my Household are the inheritors of the Guardianship to my affairs and they are the true up risers.

O my Creator! Whoever among my nation who supports my Household, and fulfills the enjoinments of mine concerning them, do assign them to be of mine! And make them be friends of mine so that to receive the light in the Hereafter!  O my Creator! And if anyone is enemy and shows his enmity towards the Guardianship that I have trusted to my Household, do avoid him entering the paradise whose vastness is from the earth to the sky and has been prepared for the pious."

It is a highly hyperbole statement and the learned consider to be commented; it is related that the statement is from the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad Mustafa, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, against Abu Bakr's being the Guardianship. However, the usurper Caliph was after his desire and did not accept it fully until Omar Khattab stood up and said:

اسْكُتْ يَا خَالِدُ! فَلَسْتَ مِنْ أهْلِ الْمَشْوَرَة!

'O Khalid, keep quiet! You are not of the board of the Council!' He answered Omar:

بَلِ اسْكُتْ أنْتَ يَا بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ فَوَ اللهِ مَالَكَ فِى قُرَيْشٍ مُفْتَخَر.

'But that is you who must keep quiet, o son of Khat‘tab! By Allah, there is no honor for you among the Quraish!' So Omar sat down.

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The argument of Abuzar Ghaffari with Abu Bakr and his companions in the Mosque of the Messenger

And after him, Abuzar Ghaffari stood up on his feet and first praised Allah, and honored blessing upon Muhammad Mustafa, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, and then said:

يَا مَعَاشِرَ قُرَيْشٍ! قَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ وَ عَلِمَ أخْيَارُكُمْ أنَّ النَّبِىَّ صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم قَالَ: الْأمْرُ مِنْ بَعْدِى لِعَلِىِّ بْنِ أبيطَالِبٍ، ثُمَّ لِلْحَسَنِ، ثُمَّ لِلْحُسَيْنِ، ثُمَّ لِلْأئِمَّة مِنْ وُلْدِ الْحُسَيْنِ فَتَرَكْتُمْ قَوْلَهُ، وَ نَبَذْتُمْ أمْرَهُ وَ وَصِيَّتَهُ؛ وَ كَذَلِكَ تَرَكَتِ الْامَمُ الَّتِى كَفَرَتْ بَعْدَ أنْبِيائِهَا فَغَيّرَتُ وَ بَدَّلَتْ، فَحَاذَيْتُمُوهَا حَذْو النَّعْلِ بِالنَّعْلِ وَ الْقُدَّة بِالْقدَّة، وَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ تَذُوقُونَ وَبالَ أمْرِكُمْ وَ جَزَآءَ مَا قَدْ قَدَّمَتْ أيْدِيكُمْ، وَ أنَّ اللهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبيد.

'O you the community of the Quraish, for sure you know, as well those who have chosen among you know that the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, stated: After me, the Guardianship belongs to Ali bin Abī Tālib, after his it goes to Hassan and Hussein; then it is for the Imams of the progeny of Hussein. You paid no attention to the stamen of the Messenger! And throw away his command and will, and also the previous nations became disbelievers after their messengers. They did as you have done now! They became disbelievers and changed the will and command of their messengers! You also did the similar thing, you two are alike a pair of shows, one odd resembles the other! Or you are a two bows, either of them is similar to the next. You will soon see the consequence of you action, and you will be paid according to what you have done – indeed Allah does not oppress His creature.'

Then, he sat down. As if this statement is not of Bu Ja‘far and Mofid, it seems to be of Abuzar's. It is a good proof to stop the anti-Shiite usurper not to say: 'why did they not reject it, why did they not bring a proof!' But he is both and blind!

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The argument of Salman Farsi and Mighdad bin Aswad with Abu Bakr in the mosque

After him Salman Farsi stood up. First he praised Allah, and honored blessing upon Muhammad Mustafa, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, and he loudly started his lecturing:

يَا أبَا بَكْر إلَى مَنْ تُسْنِدُ أمْرَكَ إذَا نَزَلَ بِكَ الْقَضَآءُ! وَ إلَى مَنْ تَفْزَعُ إذَا سُئِلْتَ عَمَّا لَا تَعْلَمُ [مَا عُذْرُكَ فِى التَّقَدُّمْ‏] وَ فِى الْقَوْم منْ هُوَ أعلَمُ مِنْكَ! وَ أقْرَبُ بِرَسُولِ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم قَرَابَة مِنْكَ، قَدَّمَهُ النَّبِىُّ فى حَيَاتِهِ، وَ أوْعَزَ إلَيْكُمْ عِنْدَ وَفَاتِهِ، فَنَبَذْتُمْ قَوْلَهُ، وَ تَنَاسَيْتُمْ وَصِيّتَهُ! فَعَمّا قَلِيلٍ يَصْفُو لِكَ الْأمْرُ وَ قَدٍ أثْقَلْتَ ظَهْرَكَ بِالْأوْزَارِ، وَ حَمَلْتَ إلَى قَبْرِكَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاكَ فَإنَّكَ سَمِعْتَ، مَا سَمِعْنَا، وَ رَأيْتَ مَا رَأيْنَا- إلى آخره.^[15]

'O Abu Bakr! When the destiny of Allah comes to you then who are you going to trust your affairs? Who are you going to rely on? Who are you going to take shelter to support you against dangers – when you are questioned of that which you know nothing to answer!

[And what is your excuse of taking the lead] and for sure, there must be one among the tribe wiser than you are, and his closeness to the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, to be closer than yours. He is the one whom the Messenger loved in his life time, and at his death time, he nominated him as the Imam for nations!

You ignored the statement of the Messenger, and did not take care of his will; you pretended that you had forgotten it! On the other hand, you assumed that you would take the Guardianship! But you are leaning back to the heavy load of your crimes you have made, and are sending them to your grave in advance! Yow have not heard that which we are aware of; on the other hand, you have seen what we know nothing about … up to the end.

Let the anti-Shiite man know that they rejected the fact, because it is the straight word of the Immigrants and the Supporters, it is not invented by the Separators of Qum or Kashan, and right has been with Ali and will be the same forever.

And after him, Meghdad bin Aswd al-Kendi stood up

يا أبَا بَكْر! إرْبَعْ عَلَى ظَلْعِكَ [وَ قِسْ شِبْرَكَ ^[16] بِفِتْرِكَ‏] وَ الْزَمْ بَيْتَكَ! وَ ابْكِ عَلَى خَطِيئَتِكَ! وَ ارْدُدْ هَذَا الْأمْرَ [إلَى‏] مَنْ هُوَ أحَقُّ بِهِ مِنْكَ! فَلَا تَغْتَرِرْ بِدُنْياكَ! وَ لَا تُغْرِرْكَ قُرَيْشُ [وَ غَيْرُها]! فَعَمَّا قَلِيلٍ تَضْمَحِلُّ عَنْكَ دُنْيَاكَ! وَ تصِيرُ إلَى آخِرَتِكَ! وَ قَدْ عَلِمْتَ أنَّ عَلِيّاً صَاحِبُ هَذَا الْأمْرِ، فَأعْطِهِ مَا جَعَلَهُ اللهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ لَهُ فَإنَّ ذَلِكَ خَيْرُ [لَكَ‏] فى دُنْيَاكَ، وَ أسْلَمُ لَكَ فى آخِرَتِك!

'O Abu Bakr‏, get knowing your defects, you are too week so stop doing the things that you cannot tolerate them! Cut your coat according to your cloth, and do not exceed your limit, be careful and cry for your sins and mistakes! Do give this Guardianship to one who more capable than you are. Do not be proud of your world, and try not letting any Quraish and the others cheat you and cause you to be proud of yourself. It is because, before long, your world will tear apart and vanish and then, your return will be the next world! And you truly know that the real owner of this Guardianship is Ali; do give back to Ali whatever Allah and his Messenger have given him. It is much better

for this world of yours! And it saves your Hereafter, and they keep it safe for you!'

He took his seat. Let down be with the anti-Shiite for not taking serious this explicit advice, they should know that, by the mercy of Allah, the right if crystal clear – the proof is fixed and Ali, Upon Him be Peace, is the Imam.'

After him, Boraida al-Aslami, Allah have mercy upon him, stood up:

And after praising Allah and honoring peace and blessing upon Muhammad, Mustafa, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, he said:

يَا أبَا بَكْرٍ أنَسِيتَ أمْ تَنَاسَيْتَ؟! أمَا عَلِمْتَ أنَّ النَبِىَّ صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم: أمَرَنَا أنْ نُسَلَّمَ عَلَى عَلِىٍّ بِإمْرَة الْمُؤمِنينَ فِى حَيَاتِهِ، فَسَلَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَ أنْتَ مَعَنَا وَ النَّبِىُّ يَتَهَلّلُ وَجْهُهُ فَرَحاً لِمَا يَدْرِى مِنْ طَاعَة امَّتِهِ لِابْنِ عَمِّه؟ فَلَوْ عَمِلْتُمْ بَعْدَ وَفَاتِهِ لَكَانَ خَيْراً لَكُمْ فِى دُنْيَاكُمْ وَ آخِرَتِكُمْ، وَ قَدْ سَمِعْتَ مَا سَمِعْنَا، وَ رَأيْتَ مَا رَأيْنَا، وَ السَّلَام.‏

'O Abu Bakr! Have you forgotten it or that you pretend to be a forgetful person?! Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, commanded us to swear allegiance with Ali and great him as the Commander of the believers even at the time of the Messenger? Then, we greeted him and you were also with us; at the very moment, by seeing the obedience of the nation towards his cousin, the features of the Messenger looked as bright as the moon! If after the demise of the Messenger you acted the same, it would be better for your this world and the world to come! And you heard exactly what we heard, and you saw what we saw – and peace be on you!'

That worthless man, the anti-Shiite must know that this strong statement which has been said to Abu Bakr on the 'Day of the Covenant' is not the words of the Extremist Shiite of Sari or Eram so that to reject it, and then show his enmity towards Ali bin Abī Tālib, Upon Him be Peace!

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The argument of Ammar Yasir and Ghais bin Sa‘d Obada with Abu Bakr in the mosque

Next to him, Ammar Yasir stood up:

and after praising Allah and honoring peace and blessing upon Muhammad, Mustafa, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, he said:

يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ! قَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ أنَّ أهْلَ بَيْتِ نَبِيِّكُمْ أقْرَبُ بِرَسُولِ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم قَرَابَة مِنْكُمْ! فَرُدُّواً هَذَا الْأمْرَ إلَى مَنْ هُوَ أحَقُّ بِهِ مِنْكُمْ! وَ لَا تَرْتَدُّوا عَلضى أدْبَارِكُمْ فَتَنْقَلِبُوا خَاسِرِين.‏

'O the community of the Quraish! You know that the proximity of the Household to the Messenger of Allah is more than your nearness to the Messenger! So turn back the Caliphate to one who deserves it more than you do! And do not retrograde for then you will lose your value and will be destroyed!'

I believe that this statement is not the statement of Haska bu Talib Babwiah to be delivered after five hundred years. It has been delivered right in the beginning when Abu Bakr was on the pulpit and lecturing the congregation – however, the right was with HEIDAR then!

And the next one was Ghais bin Sa‘d Obada:

After praising Allah and honoring peace and blessing upon Muhammad, Mustafa, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, he said:

يَا أبَا بَكْرٍ اتَّقِ اللهَ، وَ انْظُرْ مَا تَقَدَّمَ لِعَلىٍّ مِنْ رَسُولِ الله صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم! وَ ارْدُدْ هَذَا الْأمْرَ إلَى مَنْ هُوَ أحَقُّ بِهِ مِنْكَ! وَ لَا تَكُنْ أوَّلَ مَنْ عَصَى مُحَمَّداً صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم فِى أهْلِ بَيْتِهِ! وَ ارْدُدْ هَذَا الْأمْرَ إلَيْهُمْ، تَخِفَّ ذُنُوبِكَ، وَ تَقِلَّ أوْزَارُكَ؛ وَ تَلْقى مُحَمَّداً صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم وَ هُوَ رَاضٍ عَنْكَ أحَبُّ إلَىَّ مِنْ أنْ تَلْقَاهُ وَ هُوَ عَلَيْكَ سَاخِط!

'O Abu Bakr! Beware Allah! And consider the previous records of Ali with the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants! And do turn back this Caliphate to one who more deserve it and is the rightful one to this position! And try not to be like those people who from the beginning caused enmity between the nation and the Household! Do turn the affairs of the Caliphate to them! In this way, your sins decrease, and your heavy loads lessens. Then, when you encounter Muhammad, it is better for you if he is pleased with you, but not angry with you!'

His lecture was very lengthy but here we related it too short; The core of the statement was about the Imamate of MORTAZA, Upon Him be Peace, and the rejection of the so-called 'paying the homage'. I am sure that it is not the statement of the accursed Satan or Yunes bin Abd-ur-Rahman, it is the statement of the Immigrant and the Supporters.   

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The argument of Khozaimaand Obeib bin Ka'b and Sahl bin Hanif with Abu Bakr in the mosque

Next to him Khozaima Thabit Zu-ash-Shadatain stood up and said:

مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ أ لَسْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ أنَّ النَّبِىَّ صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم قَبِلَ شَهَادَتى وَحْدِى وَ لَمْ تَزِدْ مَعى غَيْرى؟ قَالُوا: بَلَى، فَاشْهَدْ بِمَا تَشْهَدْ! قَال: أشْهَدْ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ أنَّهُ قَالَ: أهْلَ بَيْتى كالنُّجُومِ، فَقَدِّمُوهُمْ، فَإنَّكُمْ إنْ قَدَّمْتُمُوهُمْ [سَلَكُوا بِكُمْ طَرِيقَ الْهُدَى، وٍ إنَ تَقَدَّمْتُمُوهُمْ‏] سَلَكْتُمْ طَرِيقَ الضَّلَالَة. ثُمَّ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقوُلُ: عَلِىُّ فيكُمْ كَسَفِينَة نوُحِ مَنْ رَكِبَهَا نَجَا، وَ مَنْ تَخَلَّفَ عَنْهَا غَرِقَ. وَ عَلىُّ فِيكُمْ كَهَارُونَ فِى بَنى إسْرَائيلَ [خَلّفْتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ‏] كَمَا خَلَّفَهُ مُوسَى عَلَى قَوْمِهِ وَ مَضَى إلَى مُنَاجَاة رَبِّه.‏

'O the community of the people! Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, would accept my witness alone, that is, he would not ask anyone's witness alongside of mine.' They said: 'So bear witness to what you are witness to.' Khozaima said: 'I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, said: "My Household are as the shining stars, do take them as your guidance to direct you! If you take them prior to you, [they will guide you to the straight path, but if you take the lead], then you will get lost." And I heard him saying: "Ali's similarity among you is as Noah's Ark; whoever boards it is saved but he who does not board it will be drowned." And I heard him say: "The similarity of Ali among you is as the similarity of Aaron among the Children of Israel, [I assigned him as the Caliph among you] similar to Moses who assigned his brother as the Caliph among his people and then went his Creator to the whispered prayer."

I believe the transferred Caliph accepts the witness of Khozaima, even if he has lied by saying: Ghazi Hassan Astarabadi did not accept the Shiite's witness. However, Muhammad Mustafa, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, who is the Judge of the world and the Hereafter accepts Khozaee's witness just to remove the doubt.

And after him, Obay bin Ka‘b rose up and said:

مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ! إنِّى لَأعِظُكًمْ * بِمَا كَثيراً مَا وَعَظَكُمْ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم، وَ لَا تَسْمَعُونَ مِنِّى إلَّا أكْبَرَ مَا سَمِعْتُمْ مِنْ نَبِيِّكُمْ *^[17] اشْهَدُوا عَلىَ أنِّى أشْهَدُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم أنِّى رَأيْتُهُ وَ هُوَ وَاقِفُ فِى هَذَا الْمُكَانِ وَ كَفُّ عَلِىٍّ فى كَفِّهِ وَ هُوَ يَقُولُ: هَذَا إمَامُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِى وَ خَليفَتِى فِيكُمْ، فَقَدِّمُوهُ وَ لَا تَقَدَّمُوهُ‏! وَ اسْمَعُوا لَهُ وَ أطِيعُوا فَإنَّكُمْ إنْ أطَعْتُمُوهُ دَخَلْتُمْ الْجَنَّة، وَ إنْ عَصَيْتُمُوُهُ دَخَلْتُمْ النَّار! 

'O the community of the people! I am preaching you the same thing that the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, used to preach you about. And that you are hearing from me that which you have heard from your Great Messenger! Bear witness, for now I am bear witness that I saw the Messenger standing right in this place, and while he was holding Ali on his arm, was saying: "This is your Imam among you after me. Do honor his priority upon you, and do not show your privilege in front of him. He is your Imam after me, and so is my Successor being with you! And do not assume to be prior to him; and listen to his command and obey him! Whoever among you obeys him, he will surely enter paradise, but if one disobeys him, he will certainly be cast into the Fire.' 

I believe the transferred Caliph should know by this explicit text that it refers to the rightfulness of Ali, Upon Him be Peace, and the rejection of the chosen one – the companions were not negligent of it.

After him, Sahl bin Honaif Ansari stood up and said:

يا مَعَاشِرَ النّاسِ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه و آله و سلّم يقُولُ: عَلِىُّ إمَامُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِى وَ خَليفَتِى فيكُمْ، [بِذَلِكَ‏] أوْصَانِى جَبْرَئيلُ عَنْ رَبِّى. ألآ إنَّ عَلِيًّا هُوَ الذّائِدُ عَنْ حَوْضِى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة، وَ هُوَ قَسيمُ النّارِ وَ الْجَنَّة، يُدْخِلُ الْجَنَّة مَنْ أحَبَّهُ وَ تَوَلَّاهُ، وَ يُدْخِلُ النّارَ مَنْ أبْغَضَهُ وَ قَلَاه.

'O the community of the people! I heard ‏ the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, say: "After me, Ali is your Imam, and he my Successor among you; it is Gabriel who has informed me by the permission of my Creator."

Know that it is Ali who is going to scatter the opponents and the hypocrites away from the Kow‘thar [river in Paradise]! And he is the divider of paradise and hell! He lets enter paradise whosoever loves Ali and accepts his Guardianship; and he puts into Fire whoever hates him and is his enemy.'

This firm and strong statement concerning the Guardianship of Ali, the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, is said in the gathering of the Immigrants and the Supporters so that the usurper caliph may understand that the religion of the Shiite is old and everlasting. It is not invented by Jahm Safwan, nor is it made by the mean people, nor is it the religion of foreigners or made by the anti-Shiite!

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References

[13] The book of “نقض‏”, pages 652 and 653.
[14] As in the beginning the writer of the book of “نقض‏”, Abd-ul-Jalil bin Abi-al-Hossein Ghazvini says: he had been related this book in the month of Rabi’ Awwal, five hundred and fifty- six anno Hejira, and apparently it was written soon after, (that is, the book of بعض فضائح الرَّوافض‏. And the Late Ghazvini has also given his opinion to it at the same time, and he has called his book as: ‘بعْضُ مَثَالب النواَّصِب فى نَقْضِ بَعْضِ فَضائحِ الرَّوافِض‏’.
[15] According to the relation of Tabarsi in “احتجاج‏”, volume 1, pages 99 and 100, when Salman got up to dispute, he said: ‘You did it and not did it! (اى فعلتم و لم تفعلوا. و قد كان امتنع من البيعة قبل ذلك حتّى وُجئ عنقه‏) You carried out but half-done, and before coming to the mosque, Salman had rejected swearing allegiance with Abu Bakr, he tolerated so much that he had his neck twisted and broken!’ In the lessons of 110 to 115 of ‘Knowing the Imams’, page 112, we brought a narrative from Solaim bin Ghais quoting the Commander of the belivers about referring to the most learned when needed. 
[16] The word ‘شِبْر’ means the distance between the tip of indext finger and the small one – but when the hand is widely stretched open. And the word ‘فِتْر’means the gap between the tip of indext finger and the forefinger and it is when the hand is wide open. And the meaning of ‘قِسْ شِبْرَكَ بِفِتْرِك‏’ is: Always take on your account; and try not to go beyond your limit! And Majlisi, May he receive Allah’s paradise, has translated it thus: Similar to your ‘فِتْر’ that cannot be as your ‘شِبْر’, a certain person is quite different from another, it is impossible for a lower person to reach the rank of a higher one! (بحار كمپانى‏), volume 8, page 43.
[17] The corrector and proof-reader of the book “نقض‏” says: A passage between two *stars* in this current copy goes as: “با أكثر وعظكم رسول الله صلّى الله عليه و آله، و لا يسمعوا امَّتى أكبر ما سمعتم من نبيكم‏”.

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