Series of Statements by Grand Ayatollah Shirazi During the Nights of the Blessed Month of Ramadan 1441 A.H.

Night 16th

In the Name of God, The Compassionate, The Merciful.

Negating Coercion in the Teachings of Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ali Peace be Upon Them:

The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, peace be upon him, said about his two sons, Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn, peace be upon them, something that Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, had also said about them. It is this statement: “These two sons of mine are both Imams (leaders), whether they rise or sit.”

After Imam Ali peace be upon him was martyred, Imam Hasan Al-Mujtaba, peace be upon him, ascended the pulpit, delivered a speech, and the people pledged allegiance to him. A number of others, however, refused to pledge allegiance. Imam Hasan, peace be upon him, did not allow those who had not pledged allegiance to be compelled into doing so, nor to pledge under coercion. In the matter of allegiance, Imam Hasan, peace be upon him, acted just as his grandfather, Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and his father, Imam Ali, peace be upon him, had acted; for Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, from the beginning of his mission until the time of his martyrdom, never allowed anyone to be forced into allegiance against their will. Imam Ali, peace be upon him, also followed the same course.

Although the Leadership of Imam Hasan Al-Mujtaba, peace be upon him, had been designated by (God to His Messenger) Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and Imam Ali, peace be upon him, and declared deserving of obedience, he never imposed even the slightest compulsion on anyone to accept his Leadership and to follow him.

In fact, the method of these great figures is the method of God, the Exalted: namely, that God the Almighty has ordained no coercion or compulsion and has left all free in their choice. In contrast, there were those whose conduct opposed to that of the prophets and the chosen men of God, and who sought to realize their desires through force, harm, and injustice.

A Government Based on Force and Injustice

A historical record states that after the martyrdom of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, Muawiyah wrote a letter to Imam Hasan, peace be upon him, and asked him to pledge allegiance to him. Among the things Muawiyah wrote to Imam Hasan, peace be upon him, as recorded in history, was this: “I am more entitled to the Leadership than you, because I am older than you.”

Muawiyah considered himself worthy of leadership merely because he was a little older than Imam Hasan, peace be upon him. Of course, this claim was baseless and without foundation. History records many examples of Muawiyah sending men to take allegiance and instructing them, saying: “Invite them to pledge allegiance to me; if anyone refuses, kill them, and plunder the wealth of anyone you find with property who has not entered our obedience.”

Muawiyah did not stop there; rather, he ordered them that after killing those who would not submit to his allegiance, they should confiscate their property. With a look at history and the available sources, as well as the online which is filled with historical reports, this reality becomes clear to all. Of course, many people are unaware of these historical events, and they should become acquainted with them; it is the duty of responsible and committed Muslim youth.

Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, wrote an extensive letter to Muawiyah, in which one sentence states: “You and your family are promoters and adherents of misguidance, error, and corruption; and if anyone did not accompany you and came out in opposition, with heated rod you would blind their eyes.”

People who did not obey Muawiyah’s command would have their eyes blinded by his executioners and torturers and ultimately they died. This method of Muawiyah’s violence and oppression was not isolated or limited, but rather it occurred very frequently.

In that same letter to Muawiyah, Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, wrote that Amro ibn Hamq Al-Khuzai was one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and he worshipped so much that his body became extremely thin, worn out, and weak. Despite this devotion and despite being among the good companions of Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, because he did not accept you as leader, by your command his head was cut off, and you in no way respected the status and sanctity of this Companion. You ordered that his severed head be carried to the cities and displayed before everyone for the sake of power projection and frightening the people.

It is recorded in history that Muawiyah ordered: kill those who do not pledge allegiance to me, and burn their farms. Muawiyah sought allegiance from Amro ibn Hamq. When Amro learned of the matter, he fled and went into hiding. According to history, when Muawiyah could not find him, his wife was seized and taken to prison, where she was tortured. When Amro heard of his wife’s arrest, he surrendered himself to Muawiyah’s agents, and by Muawiyah’s order his head was severed from his body; then the severed head was taken to the prison and placed in his wife’s lap.

Root Cause Analysis

If, today, it is observed that they behead people, destroy people’s homes, and setting their existence ablaze, such conduct has not been without precedent or pattern; rather, it stems from the same criminal and savage behavior of those individuals who confronted the luminous and divine line of Prophet Muhammad and his Family, peace be upon them, and unjustly, tyrannically seized the noble position of leadership.

Comprehensive Enlightenment: The Duty of Today

These practices will only cease when the pure and authentic teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and his Family, peace be upon them, and the oppressive deeds of their enemies are fully introduced to the world. If the world and all humanity come to realize and become aware that the infallible Imams, peace be upon them, never coerced or forced anyone into obedience and submission, a fundamental transformation will occur. The first step in this direction is comprehensive enlightenment, which must be carried out. As a result, the situation will change, and a positive shift will take place.

To achieve this, thousands upon thousands of the virtues of the Prophet Muhammad and his Family, peace be upon them, which shine brightly on the pinnacle of history, must be introduced to the world. Additionally, the cruelty, baseness, and humiliation of their opponents must be exposed and be made known to the world. The realization of this goal depends on the noble resolve, sense of responsibility, and dedication of educated, brave, and committed youth.

I hope that all dear brothers and sisters will be granted all-encompassing success by the Almighty God in this endeavor.

May the blessings of God be upon Muhammad and his Infallible Family.