Series of Statements by Grand Ayatollah Shirazi

During the Nights of the Blessed Month of Ramadan 1441 A.H.

Night 4th

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

The Almighty God says in the Holy Quran: ‘We granted you a clear victory.’ (Chapter 48, verse 1)

The verse that was recited is about the liberation of the holy city of Mecca. Let us not be heedless that every action, and word of the Messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him, and the hundreds and thousands of virtues emanating from him, are rare and unparalleled in human history, a part of which I will present here.

Scholars, knowledgeable individuals, and those who seek to understand historical truths must study authentic historical sources that have been transmitted by Prophet Muhammad Family, peace be upon them, and have not been compiled and emphasized by the enemies. After organizing and categorizing them, they should present them to the world.

Safwan son of Umayyah and his story are part of this history. He was one of the polytheist merchants of Mecca and a weapons dealer. The most important center for trading weapons in Mecca belonged to the polytheists, and apparently, he controlled one of the centers for buying and selling weapons.

Safwan had waged a political, economic, and military war against the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, for twenty years. His name is mentioned in most of the wars against the Prophet, and he himself sometimes participated in wars against him. He funded, supported, and encouraged individuals to fight against Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and paid poets to compose verses against him.

He also encouraged and urged people to go to city holy of Medina, hide somewhere, and assassinate the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, at a suitable opportunity. In summary, in his enmity and hatred towards the Prophet, this individual can be considered someone whom very few could rival in their animosity towards him.

The Story of an Assassination

One day, Safwan summoned his slave and told him: ‘Go to Medina and to Muhammad, pretend you want to become Muslim, and at the opportune moment, kill him.’

In exchange for assassinating the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, Safwan assured his slave that if he succeeded, he would give him gold and silver and provide him with all the means of comfort and ease. If he were killed, he would take care of his daughters just as he would his own. They formed an alliance, and it was agreed that the plan would remain secret.

To carry out the assassination of the Prophet, Safwan gave his slave the best steel sword that could finish the job with a single strike. Safwan’s slave took the sword, hid it under his clothes, and headed towards the holy city of Medina.

To implement his nefarious plan, he entered the Prophet’s mosque, seemingly wanting to become Muslim. People knew him and knew he was a polytheist. He was looking for a place to sit and found one. The Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, said to him: ‘Bring out the sword you have hidden under your clothes and cloak.’

Upon hearing the words of the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, he was taken aback and brought out the sword. The Prophet said to him: ‘Shall I tell you why you have come to Medina, or will you tell me yourself?’

Then he said to him: ‘On such-and-such a day, by the Kaaba, Safwan son of Umayyah asked you to come to Medina and kill me with this very sword.’

That scene and the Prophet’s truthful words caused Safwan’s slave’s conscience to awaken. He recited the Two Testimonies, became a Muslim, and remained in the holy city of Medina.

The liberation of city of Mecca has its own events and stories. One of them is that Safwan’s slave marched towards Mecca in the company of the Prophet. When they reached Mecca, he went to Safwan’s house and asked for him. He heard that Safwan had fled into the wilderness out of fear for his life and had taken refuge among the mountains.

Safwan’s slave returned to the Prophet, and said to him: ‘Safwan and I lived together, and he has rights over me. It would be good if you would forgive him.’ The Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, accepted and pardoned him.

Safwan’s slave set out to find him and, after searching, found him. Upon seeing him, Safwan gathered himself, filled with terror, and severely reprimanded his former slave for breaking their pact and not fulfilling their agreement.

The slave said to him: ‘You had the Prophet among you, but you did not recognize him. I have obtained a guarantee of safety for you, from him.’

Safwan said: ‘If I knew that he had given me a guarantee, I would believe it because he does not lie. But I fear that you are lying and will take me to Mecca under this pretense and kill me.’"

The wars of the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, have many events and stories. In the wars that were imposed upon him, Safwan gave abundant money to meet the needs of the war, for armaments, and to arm the warriors. I have not seen in any place or source that Abu Sufyan and other polytheists gave money, gold, or silver to Safwan for weapons, and that Safwan single-handedly bore the costs of the wars.

The essence of the matter is that Safwan’s slave swore to his master that the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, himself had given him a guarantee of safety, but Safwan did not accept it. Finally, Safwan said to his slave: ‘If you are telling the truth, bring me a sign from him so that I may believe your word.’

Safwan’s slave returned to the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and recounted Safwan’s words to him. The Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, gave him his turban and said to him: ‘Safwan recognizes my turban; take it to him.’

He set off and went to Safwan. Upon seeing the Prophet Muhammad’s turban, blessings of God be upon him and his family, Safwan believed his slave’s account and returned with him to the city of Mecca. They went to Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, but Safwan was frightened and apprehensive. He stood at a distance from the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and addressed him, saying: ‘O Muhammad, my slave says you have given me a guarantee of safety, so give me two months to think.’

The Prophet said: ‘You have four months’ time and opportunity.’ Safwan eventually embraced Islam and went to holy city of Medina to stay. The Prophet said to him: ‘There is no need for you to stay here; return to Mecca.’ He lived on after the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and died in the latter days of Imam Ali, peace be upon him.

One of Safwan’s sons, Abdullah son of Safwan, became a Muslim, and Shia biographical sources list him among the companions of Imam Ali, peace be upon him. Allamah Majlisi, may God bless his soul, has narrated several traditions from him from Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and some accounts of the Prophet’s life have also been narrated from him elsewhere.

A Clear Witness

This single incident is a good and thought-provoking testimony. When Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, entered Mecca, all the polytheists were terrified; because one of the Muslims, without his permission, but acting on his own, shouted, “Today is a day of war, slaughter, and indiscriminate bloodshed, and we will kill many of you.”

The Meccan polytheists had fought Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, for twenty years. For thirteen years in Mecca, and after the migration to Medina, they continuously caused him harm. Their wars and arson against the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, were not just 30-40 instances; they initiated a war against him at every opportunity.

Despite all this, when (Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family) the victorious Mercy to the Worlds, entered Mecca and liberated it, he did not force even a single person to become Muslim.

During his time in Mecca and after his migration to Medina, Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, was constantly subjected to Safwan’s harassment, yet he did not force him to accept Islam.

It is clear and evident that if this story and incident are not unique in history, they are certainly rare. The interactions of Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, have stories, and the inappropriate behavior of some Muslims towards Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, should not be overlooked. It is regrettable that the people of the world are unaware of these events and stories.

Our Duty

Let us be mindful that there are thousands of satellite television channels in the world operating actively, a significant portion of which are dedicated to the enemies. In contrast, Muslims also have access to this communication phenomenon, and some of them are dedicated to believers and the religious.

With the existence of this technology, we must utilize its capabilities and convey historical events, especially the history of Prophet of Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, such as the story of Safwan and similar cases from the early days of Islam, to the world.

For example, if Safwan’s story were fully compiled and presented as a film, it would undoubtedly shake the world, awaken consciences, and return a person to their pure, truth-accepting, and truth-seeking nature.

You have seen and heard that billions upon billions have been spent to produce offensive films against the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and have been widely promoted. To counter such behavior logically, work must be done in this area, and this work is our duty."

Use of Ramadan

The blessed month of Ramadan is the best and most suitable opportunity that can be utilized to work in this regard and to encourage and promote work in this area. Let us know and understand that the Seal of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him, is an unparalleled personality. This is not just because we Muslims accept and believe it; rather, if his life history, in its entirety, were presented to the world, everyone, even his opponents, would reconsider their behavior and beliefs towards him, would come to their senses, and their consciences would be awakened.

Of course, there are those among them who, unfortunately, have closed their eyes to the truth and ignored the call of their conscience and innate nature, dismissing it as nothing. However, upon seeing, hearing, and reading the authentic Islam of Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ali, peace be upon them, the proof is complete to them. Therefore, we must work with all our strength in this regard, so that we may fulfill even a small part of our duty.

I hope that the Almighty God always grants success to all of you, especially in this blessed and virtuous month.

And may God bless Muhammad and his Household.