Preamble
All praise belongs to the Lord of the worlds, Who bestowed upon us guidance, grace and power, and Who favoured His bondmen with all good in order to be righteous. He be enough for whoever relying upon Him, protecting him against the devils’ stratagem, while those diverting from His straight path shall verily be among the frustrated and defeated.
Benediction and peace be upon the one delegated as a mercy for all the worlds, the supporter of the oppressed and those reckoned feeble, the beloved of the needy who believed in Allah, out of desire for the rewards that Allah the Glorified — has prepared for His truthful bondmen...And also upon his good and pure Household, whose status is elevated over all other creatures, so as to be a good example for the gnostic, a beacon of guidance, and ship of deliverance, of which whoever stays behind will be verily among the perished ones.
God’s pleasure and assent be upon the Prophet’s good Companions, who swore allegiance to and aided him against his enemies, never being among the convenant-breachers, and those who kept abide by the covenant, never attering or reversing, and being among the grateful... and also upon those who kindly followed their guide,
from among the earlier and latter (people) till the Day of Resurrection.
My Lord! Dilate my bosom, ease my affair, and untie a knot of my tongue so that my words be comprehended.
My Lord! Make the truth, with which you guide Your faithful bondmen, be revealed for whoever reads my book, and open his insight.
In the beginning, my book, “Then I was Guided” was encountered with good approval among dear readers, who, furnished us with some significant remakrs regarding miscellaneous subjects in the book, asking for more details concerning the issues that created controversy among a large number of Muslims — Sunnah and Shi‘ah. So, for the sake of eliminating any ambiguity and obscurity about this matter, for those seeking to reach the truth and be acquainted with the minute details of the issue, I have compiled this book with the same style I followed in the former one, so that the equitable researcher can easily attain to truth through its nearest routes, as I have reached it through investigation and analogy. I have named the book — with Allah’s blessing — To be with Truthful (Ma‘a al-Sàdiqin), deriving it from the Al Mighty’s saying: "O ye who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah, and be with the truthful." (9:Ll9)
And is there anyone among Muslims ready to refuse or abstain from being with those truthful ones!
This was in fact my own belief, and the fact I am trying to elucidate for others, as possible as I can, without dictating my opinion upon the others, but with full respect for others’ opinions. And Allah alone is the Guide, and He is to take the custody of the upright people.
Some people have opposed the title of my previous book “Then I was Guided”, due to its implying an abstruseness entailing contemplation and wondering, whether others are misguided, and what indication is got from that misguidance when that meaning being intended? For this objection I give the following clarifying reply:
First: The word dalàtah (strayal) is referred to in the holy Qur’àn to mean forgetfulness, when the Almighty said: “He said: The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a Record. My Lord neither erreth nor forgetteth.” (20:52).
He — the Glorified the Exalted — also said: “... so that if the one erreth (through forgetfulness), the second one of the two may remind the other..”(2:282)
Further the word dalàlah is cited in the holy Qur’àn to indicate the state of investigation, searching and ransackness, when Allah, the Almighty addressed His holy Messenger by saying: “Did he not find thee wandering and direct (thee),” (93:7), meaning that He found you looking for truth and He guided you toward it. From the biography of the Prophet (Allah’s peace and benediction be upon him and his progeny), it is known that he, before the
descention of the revelation (wahy) over him, used to desert his folk at Makkah seeking seclusion in the Cave of Harra,’ for many long nights looking for truth.
Out of this meaning too, the Prophet (S) is reported to have said: Wisdom is the lost propertty of a true believer; wherever he may come across it, he is the one who deserves it most. And this the very meaning implied in the title of my first book.
Second: Supposedly the title implies the meaning of deviation that comes versus the guidance, which we intend to refer to intellectually, in order to obtain the right Islamic trend and plain course, that leads us toward the straightforward path, as commented by some readers, then let it be so. This is the abstract truth that some fear facing it with a constructive sport spirit, and creative objective breath... and whose conception goes in line with the Messenger’s (S) saying:
“I am leaving behind among you two precious things (Thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my Kindred (‘Itrah) my Ahl al-Bayt. As long as you adhere to them you will never go astray after me.”
This tradition (hadith), explicitly and expressly refers to the astrayal of whoever not adhering to both the Book and the ‘Itrah.
Anyhow, I am certain that I have been, with Allah’s favour and grace, guided to hold on to the Book of Allah and the Kindred of the Messenger (may Allah’s benedic-
tion and peace be, upon him and his progeny) All praise be to Allah, who guided us toward this (path), and we would have never been guided (to it) had not Allah guided us... the messengers of our Lord have been delegated with truth.
The titles of my first and second books are derived from the holy Qur’àn, which is the most truthful and best of speech. And all the information I compiled in both the books, if not being true, they be nearer to truth, as being among that upon which all Muslims Sunnah and Shi‘ah — have concurred, and whose verasity was approved by the two sects. As a result, I produced — thanks to Allah — these two books — "Then I was Guided," and "To be with the Truthful."
I implore Allah to guide the Ummah of Muhammad (S), so as to be the best ummah and able to take the leadership of the whole world toward light and right path, under the standard of the awaited at-’Imàm al-Mahdi, with whom we were promised by his grandfather, to fill the earth with justice and equity after it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and so that Allah shall perfect His light, however much the disbelievers are averse.
Introduction
And then, religion basically, depends upon the doctrines which constitute the principles and cornerstones in which the followers of every religion believe. Also their belief in them should be established on a decisive evidence, and explicit proof that emanates from the rational intuitions in which all people believe, so that it can convince people to believe in what it calls them to. Despite all this, there are several ideas whose explanation is uneasy for all scholars, as it is difficult for reason ('aql) to believe in them at first blush. There are examples for this, one is the fire's being coolness and peace while science and intellect concur on its being pernicious heat, and the birds being cut into scattered parts on the hills, and on calling them they come in haste, whereas it can’t be easily believed by knowledge and intellect; or that the blind and the leper being healed through only a wipe by “(the hand of)” Jesus (A). Or rather even raising the dead, while all this cannot be well interpreted by knowledge and reason. All of these cases can be classified under the framework of the miracles that the Almighty Allah has made His prophets (peace be upon
them) to do and show to people, in which Muslims, Jews and Christians believe.
Allah — the Glorified and Exalted — has appointed His prophets and messengers (upon whom be the best benediction and peace) to perform those miracles and supernatural acts, with the only aim to make people apprehend the fact that their minds being short of realizing and having full knowledge of everything, since He, the Glorified, has never given him but a little knowledge. In this fact may lie their interest and relative perfection, as so many people have been ungrateful toward Allah’s bounties, with many even negating the Almighty’s existence, and many others have held knowledge and reason so dear that they worshipped them other than Allah, despite their little knowledge and short-mindedness. How would it be then if He had granted them the knowledge of everything?!
Due to the importance of the creed and its centralism in the Muslim’s faith, my book has covered an ample of Islamic doctrines cited in the holy Qur’àn and Prophetic Sunnah, that constituted a scene for the differences among the Islamic schools of thought. So, I have dedicated a complete chapter for the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah and the Shi‘ah in the holy Qur’àn and Prophetic Sunnah, then I exposed the issues on which they had long controversies, and each party was unjustifiably reviling the other, with the aim of exposing what I saw to be the truth, desiring to help all truth-seekers. All I hope is that my work con-
tribute in the establishment of the Islamic unity on a solid thought basis. I implore Allah to help us all to do what He likes and is pleased with, and that He keeps all Muslims in agreement on the right path, He is the Mighty, the Able.
