“IbearwitnessthatthereisnogodbutAllāh,Hehasnopartnerjustas
AllāhhasdeclareditHimselfandsohavetheangelsandtheknowledge-
ableamongHisservants.ThereisnogodbutHe,thePowerful,theWise.
IbearwitnessthatMuhammad isHischosenservantanda messenger
withwhomHeispleased,andwhomHehassentwithguidanceandthe
religionoftruthsothatHemaygivevictorytoitoverallreligionseven
if the polytheists dislike it.
“Ibearwitnessthatyouaretherightly-guidedleaders,theinfallibles,
therespectedones,thosewhoareclosesttoAllāh,thepious,thetruthful,
the chosenones;thosewho areobedient toAllāh,who arefirmin His
command, who act according to His wish, who have attained His re-
spect.AllāhhaschosenyoubyHisknowledge,andHehaschosenyou
for His [knowledge of the] unseen and His secret...
“One who turns away from you has gone outof religion;one who
stayswithyoureachesthereligion;andonewholowersyoufromyour
statusislost.Thetruthiswithyou,inyou,fromyou,towardsyou—you
are itsowners andcustodians... One who loves you, loves Allāh; one
whohatesyou,hates Allāh;onewho seeksrefugewithyouhassought
refuge with Allāh...
“O Allāh! If I could find any intercessors closer to You than
Muhammad and his good progeny, the pious Imams, I would have
made them my intercessors. [But there is no one closer to you than
Muhammadandhisfamily.]SobytherightthatYouhavegiventothem
overYourself,IpraytoYoutoincludemeamongthosewhotrulyknow
themandtheirrights,amongthoseonwhomYouhaveshoweredmercy
throughtheirintercession.Youareindeedthemostmercifulofall.And
mayAllāhsendHisblessingsuponMuhammadandhispureprogeny.
Indeed Allāh is sufficient for us and He is the best of agents.”
* * *ThislessonhasbeenwrittenandcompiledbySayyidM.Rizvibyus-
ing the following sources.
1.Shi’a Islam’of Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn at-
Tabataba’i.