Refuting the Doubt of Those Who Doubt the Shi'ah.

The questioner : Regarding the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) , some people who claim to be Muslims from among the Shi'ah argue that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were open sinners because they did not fight alongside 'Ali, and that those who fought against him were disbelievers. For this reason, they cite this hadith. What is your response to them? May Allah reward you with good? And what is the meaning of this hadith?

The Shaykh : The meaning of the hadith is very clear: that 'Ali is among the ten who were given glad tidings of Paradise, and the Messenger (peace be upon him) explicitly gave him this glad tidings in more than one hadith. Second, he is a rightly guided caliph. Even if there is no explicit text like the one mentioning that he is among the people of Paradise, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made a supplication and said: . This is because it is attested that he is among the people of Paradise and among those with knowledge of Islam. Therefore, whoever opposes him, our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) opposes him, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made a supplication and said: . However, using this hadith as evidence for the disbelief of those who did not support 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is, first of all, a Shi'ite doctrine that differs from us in the path of adhering to the Shari'ah. Therefore, it is a mistake to focus on responding to the Shi'ah in such details, because they take from the hadiths found in the Sunnah what they imagine supports them against the people of the Sunnah, and they do not take from the hadiths of the people of the Sunnah what serves as evidence against them. So why do we occupy ourselves, and especially why do ordinary Muslims occupy themselves, with knowing what our answer to the Shi'ah is regarding such a hadith? We tell them the common proverb: "He whose house is made of glass does not throw stones at people." You use this hadith to argue against the people of the Sunnah; why? First, the people of the Sunnah are pleased with 'Ali just as they are pleased with those before him and after him among the ten who were given glad tidings of Paradise and the rest of the Companions. So why is there now an inquiry into this hadith? It is because some people, specifically intending the Lady 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), are involved.