Is it permissible to fight the Shi'ah who attack the Sunnah?

The questioner : to our Shaykh.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : We have heard, may your eminence be pleased, about the recent events in southern Iraq, knowing that this region is inhabited by a majority of Shi'ah, who make up seventy percent of the population. If fighting occurs, meaning between the Shi'ah and the Sunnah, or if the Shi'ah come out to fight the Sunnah, is it permissible to gather to fight them, or to engage in such a gathering before, meaning out of fear of this happening?

The Shaykh : I say that it is from the known Sunnah in Islam, and indeed in the Qur'an: . So if the Shi'ah begin to attack the people of the Sunnah and aggress against them, in any form of aggression, it is obligatory for the people of the Sunnah to repel their aggression. However, it is not permissible for these Muslims, especially if they are weak, as is the reality with great regret, to let their enthusiasm for the call overcome them and attack these people or others from the people of deviation or disbelief, except under the condition I mentioned earlier, which is moral, material, and scholarly preparation. This is my answer.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.