Tuesday, March 19, 2024 AD / Ramadan 8, 1445 AH

Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani

 New saying: A significantly important and enlightening saying from His Eminence about the condition for the Mahdi’s advent. Click here to read it. New question: What does it mean that the Quran is extremely eloquent and rhetorical? It has been said that the Quran contains true reports about the future and hidden sciences at the time of completion. Please provide some examples of these reports and sciences. Click here to read the answer. New critique: Please mention the name of the university or religious school from which His Excellency Khorasani has graduated; because no matter how much I searched, I did not find his name nor his fame as a famous writer, researcher, or religious man in Afghanistan. Click here to read the response. Visit home to read the most important contents of the website. New letter: An excerpt from His Honor’s letter to one of his companions, in which he advises him and frightens him from God. Click here to read it. New lesson: Lessons from His Honor about the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, Imam, and guide on it with His command; Authentic Hadiths from the Prophet that indicate it; Hadith No. 11. Click here to read it. New remark: The remark “Inverted era” by “Elias Hakimi” has been published. Click here to read it. New video: A new video with the subject “The Call of Return to God” has been published. Click here to watch it. Visit home to read the most important contents of the website.
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Imitating the predecessors

One of the common types of “imitation” is following the saying and action of the predecessors; because many people believe that what their predecessors said and did are necessarily more correct than what they say or do; whereas this belief is nothing but an illusion and has no basis in the intellect; because undoubtedly, the correctness of what a person says and does is not subject to the time of his birth, rather to its more conformity with the intellect, which does not correlate with the time priority of the human being’s birth; as there is no dispute about incorrectness of many of sayings and actions of the predecessors, rather God Almighty has deemed most of them have gone astray and perished, and said: ﴿وَلَقَدْ ضَلَّ قَبْلَهُمْ أَكْثَرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ; “And indeed, most of the predecessors went astray before them”, and said: ﴿أَلَمْ نُهْلِكِ الْأَوَّلِينَ; “Did We not made the predecessors perish?!”. [Return to Islam, p. 49]

Imitating the predecessors

The belief in the necessity of following the predecessors has no basis in Islam and is one of the polytheists’ beliefs, and it is considered an impediment to cognition because its advocates consider the truth as falsehood if it is contrary to the predecessors’ sayings or actions; considering that, in their opinion, if it was the true, it would not remain hidden from the predecessors, and whatever has remained hidden from the predecessors is bid’ah; as God Almighty has informed of their words and said: ﴿مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي الْمِلَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا اخْتِلَاقٌ; “We have not heard that in the previous religion! This is nothing but a fabrication”! [Return to Islam, p. 50]

Non-necessity of following the predecessors

Following the predecessors, if it is due to them following the intellect, the intellect exists for posterity as well, and with its existence, following the predecessors is meaningless, and if it is due to them following the religion, the religion exists for posterity as well, and with its existence, following it is more deserving than following the predecessors; rather following the predecessors due to them following the intellect and the religion is a contradictory work; because following the predecessors, if they followed the intellect and the religion, entails following the intellect and the religion, not the predecessors; considering that the predecessors, according to the presumption, have followed the intellect and religion, not the predecessors, and therefore, following the predecessors requires not following the predecessors! [Return to Islam, pp. 50 and 51]

Impossibility of following the predecessors

Following the first three generations of Muslims has no basis in Islam, nor is it justifiable with any statement, and this is regardless of its impossibility in reality; because the first three generations of Muslims were different individuals and groups with contradictory sayings and actions, to the extent that they considered the sayings and actions of each other to be incorrect and fought over them. It is clear that with this description, it is not possible to follow them; because following the sayings and actions of some of them means not following the sayings and actions of some others, and this is a contradictory and meaningless work. [Return to Islam, pp. 55 and 56]

Imitating scholars

Another common type of imitation is following the sayings and actions of scholars; because most of Muslims consider the sayings and actions of scholars as the religion, and do not know any difference between them, whereas the religion is certainly not the sayings and actions of scholars, rather it is the sayings and actions of God Almighty, and there is no correlation between them, and their compatibility with each other is not certain; as incompatibility of many sayings and actions of scholars with the religion is evident. [Return to Islam, p. 57]

An excerpt from the letter of His Honor in which he invites people toward the government of God and warns them against the government of others.

Indeed, your example in the life of the world has been like that of a child who has lost his mother in the crowd, so in the hope of finding her, he grasps the skirt of every woman and follows her for a while, until he sees unkindness from her and finds out that she is not the mother, then he leaves her while wailing and grasps the skirt of someone else, until the darkness of the night surrounds him and its cold kills him, while there is no helper for him! This has been your example in the life of the world that in the hope of achieving justice, you have set your hearts on every government and followed it for a while until you have seen oppression from it and realized that there is not justice in it, then you have overthrown it while shouting, and turned toward another government! Thus, in the search for justice, sometimes you have tended to the East and sometimes to the West; sometimes you have run to the left and sometimes to the right; sometimes you have turned toward Zayd and sometimes toward Amr; sometimes you have set your hearts on monarchy and sometimes on democracy! While justice has been neither in the East nor in the West; it has been neither in the left nor in the right; it has been neither in Zayd nor in Amr; it has been neither in monarchy nor in democracy! Justice is only in the government of God, who is aware of your measures and places, and none but He can find a way to it, even though one searches and strives hard, except for the one whom He has guided to it... [Letter fourteen]

An excerpt from the letter of His Honor in which he invites people toward the government of God and warns them against the government of others.

Justice is only in the government of God, who is aware of your measures and places, and none but He can find a way to it, even though one searches and strives hard, except for the one whom He has guided to it, but you have despaired of His mercy and neglected His Mahdi, and therefore, you have entrusted the government which He has wanted for His Mahdi to those for whom He has not wanted a government! It seems the government is the inheritance of your fathers that you take it from whomever you want and give it to whomever you want, and it seems it does not belong to God who has said: ﴿قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنْزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ; “Say: O God! You are the Owner of the government! You give the government to whomever You will and take the government from whomever You will”, and He has given it to Ibrahim and made a covenant with the just from among his descendants, and said: ﴿وَإِذِ ابْتَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا ۖ قَالَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي ۖ قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ; “And when God tested Ibrahim with some words, then he fulfilled them, He said: I am going to appoint you as an Imam for people, he said: And also my descendants? He said: My covenant does not reach the oppressors”, and the just from among his descendants are those whom God has willed to remove all impurity from them and to purify them completely, and they are in the Book of God the Ahl al-Bayt of Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family[3], and it is hereby understood that Mahdi of God is from the household of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, and the Ahl al-Bayt of Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and whoever chooses a ruler other than him has gone far astray. [Letter fourteen]

An excerpt from the letter of His Honor in which he invites people toward the government of God and warns them against the government of others.

It is surprising that people in every era have pledged allegiance to someone and made the covenant of guardianship with someone but have not known that no one can accomplish it and do it justice, except for the one whom God has guided and enabled to do so!... Do people not have eyes to see that their rulers are all oppressors and do not do justice?! Or do they not have ears to hear that their politicians are all liars and do not tell the truth?! Or do they not have intelligence to find out that their leaders all mislead and do not lead?! So how long will this pus-filled wound be opened, and how long will this madness continue?! Beware, O people! Tell me! How long should you, like dead drunks, stagger from the right to the left and from the left to the right until you finally understand that the right and the left are the same for you, and there is no justice in either of them?! Tell me! How many other governments should you test, and how much other obedience should you pay the price for until you finally find out that no government but the government of God will bring you to justice, and no obedience but the obedience to His Caliph will free you from oppression?! Is this thousands of years of experience not enough?! Are these heavy prices not enough?! Did you not hear Nimrods and Pharaohs? Did you not bear Khosrows and Caesars?! Did you not see caliphs and kings?! Did you not test republics and Islamics?! So have you not yet learned your lesson?! [Letter fourteen]

An excerpt from the letter of His Honor in which he invites people toward the government of God and warns them against the government of others.

Beware, O cruel kings and emirs who shed the blood of the innocent to gain and maintain domination! Beware, O hypocritical jurists and mullahs who unrightfully consider yourselves to be appointed by God and guardians of Muslims of the world! Beware, O greedy politicians who vie to take over the government! Beware, O deceitful political parties who seek nothing but power! Beware, O criminal cults and groups who strive to achieve superiority on the earth! Leave these troubled people alone and go away from between them and their owner! Are thousands of years of oppression and corruption not enough?! Is a history of humiliation and poverty not enough?! Are you not tired of all these evil doings and giving rise to fitnahs?! Then when will you end this childish game?! Then when will you stop these repetitive methods?! [Letter fourteen]

An excerpt from the letter of His Honor in which he invites people toward the government of God and warns them against the government of others.

O people! Is it not time for you to return to your origin?! Is it not time for you to remember the covenant of God with your father Adam?! Is it not time for you to give the trust back to its owner and return the government to the one who deserves it?! Do you still have hope in these colorful governments? Do you still think that if Amr comes to power instead of Zayd, things will go right?! How many Amrs came to power instead of Zayds, but things did not go right; because things will go right by something else, but you are unaware! Then how long will you sit in the hope of this and that and raise the flags of this and that high?! How long will you humiliate yourselves and kiss the hands of this and that?! How long will false promises deceive you and vain desires play you?! How long will you, like donkeys in a mill, spin around an axis and have the illusion of making progress?! [Letter fourteen]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

Translation of the saying: A group of our companions informed us, they said: We were a group in the presence of Mansoor, then he looked at us and said: Indeed, for God there are two witnesses over people: the Book of God and the one who has knowledge of the Book, and neither of those two makes them not need the other, and this is the words of God that has said: “Say, God and whoever has knowledge of the Book are sufficient as witnesses among me and you”, then he looked at the sky and said: O God! Did I explain?! Then something from the fear of God came to us that God knows when he said this, then he looked at us again and said: Indeed, the earth is not empty of the Book of God and the one who has knowledge of the Book in order to be two witnesses among the Prophet and his nation until the Day of Judgment, and the one who has knowledge of the Book is a man from the Itrah and Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, and this is his words that has said: “Indeed, I leave among you two precious things: The Book of God and my Itrah, my Ahl al-Bayt, and those two will never be separated until they come to me by the Pond”, then he looked at the sky again and said: O God! Did I fulfill?! Then we started to flinch because of his dignity when he said this, as if he were not in this world! [Passage 22 from Saying six]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

Translation of the saying: One of our companions informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that says: “Is he the one who has clear proof from his Lord, followed by a witness”, so he said: The one who has clear proof from his Lord is Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and after him, in every century, a witness from his household follows him, that is, comes after him, do you not see the words of God Almighty that has said: “By the sun and its brightness, and the moon when follows it”, that is, comes after it?! So whoever wants to be free of fire and enter Heaven, he must believe in what God has sent down and follow Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and accompany the witness from his household, as the apostles said: “O Lord! We believed in what You sent down and followed the Prophet, so inscribe us along with the witnesses”. [Passage 23 from Saying six]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

Translation of the saying: One of our companions informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that says: “Say, this is my way that I invite toward God with insight, I and whoever follows me”, so he said: The earth is not empty of one who follows the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, in everything, and he is the one who invites toward God with insight after the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family. [Passage 24 from Saying six]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

Translation of the saying: One of our companions informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that says: “O you who believed! Obey God and obey the Prophet and those in authority from among you”, so he said: There is always someone among those who believed that obedience to him is obligatory for them like obedience to God and the Prophet, whoever obeys him, obeys God and the Prophet, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys God and the Prophet, and he is the one whom God and the Prophet have appointed, and not the one whom people have appointed with their passions, I said: They say that anyone from among believers who takes control of their authority is the one in authority from among them, he said: They are right! I said: How can they be right, while you said what you said?! He replied: Whoever other than the one whom God and the Prophet have appointed takes control of their authority is not from among believers, but from among sinners, and God has commanded to obey those in authority from among believers, and has not commanded to obey those in authority from among sinners! “Is the one who is a believer equal to the one who is a sinner?! They are not equal”! Then he said: Shall I increase for you? I said: Yes, he said: Those in authority are its owners, and they are the ones whom God and the Prophet have appointed, and whoever other than them takes control of it is a usurper, and the usurper is not considered from among the owners, “If only they could understand”! I said: May God reward you well; because you gave me two perfect wisdom that I had never heard before! He said: “They are two proofs from your Lord”! [Passage 25 from Saying six]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

Translation of the saying: One of our companions informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that says: “O you who believed! Fear God and believe in His Prophet, then He will grant you two portions of His mercy and place for you a light to walk in”, so he said: The two portions of His mercy are the Book and the Sunnah, and the light is an Imam who illuminates those two for them until the Day of Judgment arrives. Then fear God and believe in His Prophet, then He will grant you the Book and the Sunnah and appoint an Imam for you who illuminates those two for you until the Day of Judgment arrives. [Passage 28 from Saying six]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

The purpose of the lessons of His Excellency Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, may God protect him, is to purify people and teach them the Book and wisdom, and their center and basis are the Quran and the Sunnah, and their subject matter is Islamic beliefs, laws and morals, and we have selected from them what is related to the most important and most needed issues, and arranged it in a way that facilitates the studies and researches for the readers, and written annotations for them, which contains references to the sources and some necessary explanations. [Lesson one, introduction]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

Each lesson is about a belief or a jurisprudential or moral issue, and consists of three chapters:

• The first chapter is the statement of some verses of the Quran that are related to the issue, and contains invaluable interpretations which we have extracted from the enlightening sayings of His Excellency Allamah, may God protect him, and explain the meaning of the verses in a way that heals hearts and brings people out of darkness into light.

• The second chapter is the statement of some authentic Hadiths from the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, which are related to the issue, along with mentioning their witnesses and follow-ups, and contains precise points and useful explanations from His Excellency Allamah, may God protect him, clarifying the meanings of the Hadiths, the condition of the narrators, and the opinions of scholars.

• The third chapter is the statement of some authentic Hadiths from the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, which are related to the issue, along with mentioning their witnesses and follow-ups, and contains things similar to those of the second chapter. [Lesson one, introduction]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

The rule in the opinion of His Excellency Allamah, may God protect him, is the authority of mutawatir narrations and lack of authority of ahad narrations. In his opinion, a mutawatir narration is what has been narrated by more than four men at each level, provided that they are not related and do not differ on the meaning, and what they have narrated should not conflict with the Book of God or the proved Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, or the sound intellect. Also, what have been narrated by four men at each level is considered mutawatir, provided that they are just, in addition to the previous three conditions, and this is what makes it necessary to examine the condition of the narrators whenever their number does not exceed four. However, His Excellency Allamah, may God protect him, examines their condition whenever they are less or more than this number in terms of obligation; because most Muslims believe in the authority of ahad narrations from a trustworthy or a truthful person, and perhaps they do not consider what has been narrated by five men as mutawatir. Therefore, His Excellency Allamah, may God protect him, selects what their trustworthy or truthful narrators have narrated in order to be a proof for them, may they be guided. [Lesson one, introduction]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

But his condition for selecting Hadiths, after the compatibility of their meaning with the Book of God and the proved Sunnah of the Prophet and the sound intellect, is that their narrators should be famous for trustworthiness or truthfulness among their companions excluding their opponents; as he has stated it in the explanation of the condition of Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju’fi, and said: “The criterion is the condition of the person among his companions (meaning the people of his sect); because they are more aware of his condition, and the opinion of other people is not proof when it contradicts the opinion of his companions; because they are farther away from him, and they may say bad things about him because they do not like his sect, and the witness to it is the action of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, when he said to the Jews: ‘What kind of a man is Abdullah ibn Salam among you?’, so they said: ‘He is our noble man and the son of our noble man and our master and the son of our master and our scholar and the son of our scholar’, so he accepted their words about him; because they were his companions. Then he informed them that he had converted to Islam, so they started to talk bad about him and said: ‘He is our worst man and the son of our worst man’, but he did not accept their words about him after they opposed him because of his sect, and if the words of opponents in the sect are accepted, nothing will be left of the Hadith; because every group says bad things about another group; as you can see the Shias do not care about what the Sunnis narrate except for that which they use as a proof against them, and you see the Sunnis do not look at what the Shias narrate except with astonishment and mockery, and both have gone astray from the middle path, but we, without being fanatical about any of the sects, accept anything that Muslims narrate in accordance with the Book of God, as long as they are famous among their companions for truthfulness”. [Lesson one, introduction]

About the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom God has appointed as a Caliph, an Imam, and a guide on it with His command.

The criterion in the opinion of His Excellency Allamah, may God protect him, is Islam and the reputation of the narrator for trustworthiness or truthfulness among his companions, not his sect or what his opponents say to weaken him without an acceptable reason. Therefore, if the narrator is from the Sunnis, the criterion is his condition in the opinion of the Sunnis, and his condition in the opinion of the Shias has no validity, and if the narrator is from the Shias, the criterion is his condition in the opinion of the Shias, and his condition in the opinion of the Sunnis has no validity, and there is no difference between Shia and Sunni narrations whenever they are compatible with the three aforementioned principles and their narrators are famous for trustworthiness or truthfulness among their companions. This is why His Excellency Allamah, may God protect him, selects Shia narrations as he selects Sunni narrations, and he does not leave anyone’s narration because of his sect as long as his sect does not oppose the essentials of the religion, in a way that indicates he is out of Islam; because in this case he is a hypocrite, and the hypocrite is not trustworthy in any field, even though all people consider him trustworthy. [Lesson one, introduction]

Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani does not consider Muslim scholars as maraji’ al-taqlid for Muslims, and believes that acting on their fatwas without knowing their reasons is not sufficient; as it is not sufficient if their reasons are conjectural either. Therefore, Muslims must request fatwas of Muslim scholars with their reasons, and Muslim scholars must inform them about the reasons for their fatwas in detail, and tell them, for example, “The reason for our such and such fatwa is such and such verse of the Quran, or such and such mutawatir Hadith, or the direct hearing from God’s Caliph on the earth”, and in this case Muslims can act on their fatwas; because this is not considered imitating them, rather it is acting on their certain reasons, and in fact acting on the Quran and the Sunnah. But if they do not inform Muslims about the reasons for their fatwas in detail, or the reasons for their fatwas are conjectural, such as fame, consensus, and wahid narrations, then it is not sufficient to act on their fatwas, and it is obligatory to search for the certain reasons, then take precaution if possible, and then stop until it becomes possible to access God’s Caliph on the earth, and of course, the preparation of the ground for the advent of God’s Caliph on the earth is as necessary as the preparation of the ground for reaching the Sacred Mosque for the one who is obligated to perform Hajj, and this is a fact that Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani calls out loudly, may those who have listening ears in the East and West of the world hear and accept it. [Question and Answer 7]

Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani is one of the servants of God and the nation of His Prophet, Muhammad peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, who follows the Quran and the mutawatir Sunnah of His Excellency in the light of the intellect; he does not claim to be a Prophet or Imam appointed by God, nor is he in affiliation with any government or sect or group in the world; he only invites toward the Caliph of God, Mahdi, and prepares the ground for his advent through cultural activities such as writing books and conversing with Muslims, and in return for this righteous and hard work, he does not ask people for reward, for he believes that his reward is with God; he does not devour people’s belongings falsely, nor does he take anyone’s life unrightfully, nor does he oppress a small ant or a bigger creature, and therefore, if someone responds to his invitation and helps him, he does so because of the truthfulness of his words and the rightness of his work based on intellectual and religious reasons, and with intention of preparing the ground for the advent of Mahdi, and if someone does not do so or instead becomes hostile to him, he will not harm him, and will only divest himself of a good or cause himself an evil, “And God is Fully Aware of what they do”. Therefore, Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani is just a pious and Muslim scholar who prohibits Muslims from following oppressive and tyrannical rulers, and invites them to follow Mahdi, and prevents them from following conjectures and illusions, and orders them to follow knowledge and certainties, and warns them against ignorance, imitation, passions, worldliness, fanaticism, arrogance and superstitionism, and enjoins them to establish the pure and perfect Islam in the light of the Quran, the Sunnah and the sound intellect, and therefore, those who are hostile to him have no excuse before God and must prepare themselves for His punishment; because clearly it is not permissible to be hostile to such a righteous man, rather it is obligatory to make friends with him, and whoever is hostile to him is a misguided oppressor; such as one who tries to kill him, or labels him as a disbeliever, or insults him, or mocks him, or slanders him, or harms him, or tempts people against him, and it is clear that all of these people are in an obvious error. [Question and Answer 8]

His Excellency Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, may God help him, is the preparer of the ground for the advent of Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, and has no other claim. The preparation of the ground for the advent of Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, is not a privilege for him either, rather it is a good deed from him, which is being carried out in the form of gathering and training a sufficient number of Muslims in order to protect and support Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, and this is a perceptible reality on the earth. Therefore, it is obligatory to help him by virtue of the commandment ﴿وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى ۖ ; “And help one another in goodness and piety”, and abandoning what is obligatory is a sin that will undoubtedly result in punishment. [Question and Answer 27]

The secret of Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani’s use of the black flag is four things: Firstly, it is Sunnah; because the flag of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, was black; as ibn Abbas and Buraydah and Jabir and Aisha and others have narrated it... and the flag of Ali ibn Abi Talib in his wars was also black... Therefore, Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani’s use of the black flags is based on the Sunnah of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and the Sunnah of his guided Caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, and this is not strange; because he follows their Sunnah in everything and continues their blessed movement in order to establish the pure religion and fill the earth with justice, and there is no doubt that the most proper flag for the one who does so and invites people to “Return to Islam” and prepares the ground for Mahdi to come to power, is the flag of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and the flag of Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him. Secondly, the use of the black flag is more beneficial to believers on the day they gather and fight in the way of God... Thirdly, the use of the black flag is a common and conventional work among those who have been afflicted with a great tragedy; to the extent that it conventionally indicates the occurrence of an important and unfortunate event, and is considered a kind of announcement of calamity, and it is probably one of the things that have encouraged Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani to use the black flags; because he has been afflicted with a great tragedy that has never happened since God made the children of Adam dwell on the earth, and it is the absence of the Caliph of God on the earth, which has led to the filling of the earth with ignorance, disbelief, oppression and sins... Fourthly, the use of the black flag is a clear opposition to an oppressive and corrupt group called “ISIS”; because they emerged in the Levant and Iraq shortly before the emergence of Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani in Khorasan, and used the black flags to invite toward the government of a misguided and misleading man, so when Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani noticed it, he used the black flags to invite toward the government of Mahdi in order to stand against this great and dangerous deviation from the path of Islam. [Question and Answer 9]

His Excellency Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani believes that the main problem in the Islamic world is lack of God’s sovereignty over it, which has been manifested in lack of His Caliph’s sovereignty over it; because lack of God’s sovereignty over the world entails not knowing nor applying His rulings, and not knowing nor applying His rulings entails the emergence of corruption on land and sea; as He has said: “Corruption has emerged on land and sea because of what the hands of people have earned, so He may let them taste some of what they have done that perhaps they will return”; especially considering that lack of God’s sovereignty over the world correlates with sovereignty of people other than Him over it; because the world is a human society, and human society needs a ruler, and because of this need it does not remain empty of a ruler, and therefore, if God does not rule over it, then someone other than Him will inevitably rule over it, while sovereignty of people other than Him over it leads to the spread of corruption on the earth and the destruction of nature and generations; as He has said: “And when he achieves sovereignty, he tries on the earth to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and lives, while God does not like corruption”. This is the situation today; those other than God who rule over the world do everything they can to cause corruption in it, and commit genocide and destroy prosperous lands. How many innocent women and men burn in the fire of their wars, and how many inhabited cities and villages are laid waste by their invasions! This is the coercive consequence of sovereignty of other than God over the world; because the world that God does not rule over is the territory of Satan, and there is nothing in it except for ignorance, unbelief, corruption and oppression. This is the fate of the human being who submits to the sovereignty of other than God, and whoever submits to the sovereignty of other than God is doomed. This is why the fire of their wars does not go out, nor do their ignominy and misery diminish; because God does not govern them, and their government is in the hands of others; rather their wars will continue to intensify, and their ignominy and misery will increase every day; because God is not their ruler, and their ruler is devil. [Question and Answer 15]

Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani is just a Muslim scholar who has risen up with the purpose of making Mahdi, peace be upon him, appear and bringing him to power, and invites Muslims to pledge allegiance to him instead of pledging allegiance to others, and in this way, he prepares the ground for the establishment of the pure and perfect Islam in this world, and for this reason, it is obligatory for every Muslim to support him. However, if it has been made clear to you and to some other Muslims, for whatever reason, that in addition to this objective and evident character, he is also a promised person, supporting him is a fortiori obligatory for you; as supporting him is also obligatory for Muslims to whom this matter has not been made clear; because this Muslim scholar invites toward Mahdi, peace be upon him, and prepares the ground for his advent in a perceptible and evident manner, and this is sufficient for every Muslim to support him; as God Almighty has said: “And help one another in goodness and piety”. [Critique and Response 15]

Although some Muslims from among people of knowledge consider him the promised person who will prepare the ground for the advent of Mahdi, peace be upon him, and believe that it is obvious in view of his intellectual, practical and outward characteristics, and there is no need for doubt and dispute in this regard, but he does not direct his concern to such a claim, and only strives to prepare the ground for the advent of Mahdi, peace be upon him, in a practical and realistic manner, and believes that the intellectual and religious necessity to accompany him in this regard is dependent on this practical and realistic preparation, not on his claim that he is the promised person; because there are many who claim that they are promised people, but there is not a single person who prepares the ground for his advent in a practical and realistic manner! Considering that claimants have no concern but to prove their claim, and do nothing but dispute about who they are and what their status and virtue are, while clearly, the stature of Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani is beyond such selfish acts, and he is busy with more important works than them, which is teaching the pure and perfect Islam to Muslims of the world and training a sufficient number of them in order to help Mahdi, peace be upon him; the works that if accomplished by him, the advent of Mahdi, peace be upon him, will be realized, even though no one considers him the promised person who will prepare the ground for it. [Critique and Response 10]

It is clear that whoever believes in the oneness of God in creation, legislation and sovereignty, and believes in His last Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and does not deny any of the pillars of His religion such as the Book, the Angels, the Day of Judgment, the Qiblah, prayer, Zakat, fasting, Hajj and jihad, is a Muslim, even though he does not think like you about the rest of his beliefs and has a different interpretation. This is a well-known fact from the Book of God and the mutawatir Sunnah of His Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and the righteous predecessors were in agreement with it, to the extent that it may be considered one of the obvious facts of Islam, and its denier can be accused of ignorance and misguidance. Therefore, it is clear that “all Shias” are not considered disbelievers and polytheists; because most of them believe in the oneness of God, His last Prophet, and the pillars of His religion; so considering all of them as disbelievers and polytheists, even though due to some of their deviations and mistakes, is pure imperiousness and unfairness. [Critique and Response 11]

Interpreting the verse of purification as Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain, and not interpreting it as the mothers of believers, is the interpretation of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, which has been narrated from him by many of his companions, such as Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas, Anas ibn Malik, Wathila ibn al-Asqa‘, Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib, Zayd ibn Arqam, Bara’ ibn Azib, Jabir ibn Abdullah, Abu Huraira, Abu Hamra, Abu Barza, Umm Salamah, Aisha, Safiyya, and others, and it has been narrated that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, said explicitly: “This verse was revealed concerning five persons: I, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain: ‘Indeed, God wants to remove any impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and make you completely pure’”, and that one of the wives of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, said: “I said: O Messenger of God, am I not one of the Ahl al-Bayt? He said: You are upon good, you are one of the wives of the Messenger of God”, and in another narration: “I said: O Messenger of God, what about me? Then I swear to God, he did not say yes, and said: You are upon good”, and in another narration: “I said: O Messenger of God, am I not one of the Ahl al-Bayt? He said: You are one of the wives of the Messenger of God, and did not say: You are one of the Ahl al-Bayt”. Therefore, he made it clear that his wives are not from the members of his Ahl al-Bayt intended in the verse of purification. [Critique and Response 11]

Zayd ibn Arqam, Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib, Wathila, Umm Salamah and Safiyya have narrated that the part ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا; “Indeed, God wants to remove any impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and make you completely pure” was revealed separately in the house of Umm Salamah as an actuality-proposition, and was not revealed with the part ﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ, which means: “And stay in your houses, do not flaunt your charms as in the former times of ignorance, perform prayer, pay zakat, and obey God and His Messenger”, and this indicates that they are two separate verses that were brought together in writing; considering that the order of writing the verses does not correlate with the order of their revelation. What strengthens this fact is the difference in pronouns in the two parts; because the pronoun in the part ﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ... is a second-person pronoun for the plural feminine, but the pronoun in the part ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا is a second-person pronoun for the plural masculine; as al-Tahawi (d. 321 AH) has also pointed this out in Sharh Mushkil al-Athar, when he said after mentioning the narrations: “What we narrated from the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, (that said) to Umm Salamah, indicates that the verse intends the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain, peace be upon them, not other than them. So if one says: The Book of God indicates that the wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, are the ones whom are intended in this verse; because before that in the same chapter He said: ‘O Prophet! say to your wives: If you’ to His words ‘as in the former times of ignorance’ then He said: ‘Indeed, God wants to remove any impurity from you’, our answer to him is: What has been stated in it up to before His words: ‘Indeed, God wants to’, addresses his wives, then God continued His words by addressing his Ahl (al-Bayt): ‘Indeed, God wants to remove’, and it addresses men, because He said in it: ‘to remove any impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and make you pure’, and this is how men are addressed, while what comes before that, uses the letter ‘N («ن»)’, and this is how women are addressed. So we understand that ‘Indeed, God wants to remove’ is an address to men whom He has willed to make them aware of His honor for them and His elevation in their dignity, if He made their women what He has described, for what has been stated in the verses before the one addressing them”, and it is not just al-Tahawi that has said so, but rather ibn Atiyyah (d. 542 AH) has attributed it to the majority, and said after pointing out the narrations: “One of the proofs of the majority is God’s words: «عَنْكُمُ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ» with the letter ‘M («م»)’, while if it had been exclusive to women, it would have been «عَنْكُنَّ»”. [Critique and Response 11]

A review of the book Return to Islam by Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani
Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq Javadian

In this part of his book, after introducing the last Prophet of God and proving his Prophethood, the author explains the position of the Quran and the Sunnah, and points out very important and fundamental points in this regard. One of these points is the impossibility of abrogating, specifying and generalizing the Quran by the Sunnah; considering that the only duty of the Sunnah is to explain the Quran and cannot contradict it in any way; as it is conjectural in most cases and not capable of contradicting the Quran which is certain; rather, in mutawatir cases, it is not as mutawatir as the Quran either and cannot stand in an equal position to it. In another part of the book Return to Islam, the author considers the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, authentic which can be followed forever, but he believes that access to it in a certain way is possible mainly for people of his time and not for future generations. Therefore, future generations need another authority to achieve certainty about the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and that authority is the Caliph of God on the earth, who is considered the successor to the Prophet in implementing God’s rulings, and of course, like the Quran, is always available to people. [Article 1]

A review of the book Return to Islam by Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani
Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq Javadian

After examining the definitive Islamic texts, including the verses of the Quran and the mutawatir Hadiths of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, the author proves in an elaborate and convincing manner to all Muslims, free from any sectarian orientation, that the Caliphs after the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, are twelve people from his Ahl al-Bayt, the first three of whom are Ali, Hasan and Husayn and the last of them is Mahdi. He then studies the position of Mahdi and his role in the realization of the ideal of Islam, which is global justice, and in this regard, he brings up some accurate and profound details that are completely novel and unprecedented. For example, unlike others who believe that the creation and advent of Mahdi depends first on the will and action of God and subject to His wisdom and expediency, he believes that it depends first on the will and action of people and subject to their free will and readiness, and explicitly and decisively asserts that their access to Mahdi is possible, and therefore, they should only think of protecting, supporting and obeying him, and should not make themselves busy protecting, supporting and obeying people other than him, whoever they are. [Article 1]

A review of the book Return to Islam by Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani
Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq Javadian

In the end of his book, Hashemi explains the most important principle of Islam, which is monotheism, and divides it into three parts: monotheism in creation, monotheism in legislation, and monotheism in judgment or sovereignty, and explains each of them in detail. He then introduces the rest of the principles of the beliefs and the foundations of the rulings of Islam, and redefines each of them with a distinct and particular method, and opens new doors to jurists about Zakat, Hajj and Jihad, from each of them new doors are opened. In this way, he redefines the beliefs and rulings of Islam by relying on clear intellectual rules and based on definite religious texts, which are nothing but verses of the Quran and mutawatir Hadiths of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and presents a new and distinct understanding of it that can be considered an Islamic school and ideology, capable of revolutionizing the attitude and approach of Muslims of the world and preparing the ground for their unity and mutual closeness in the near future and for major and fundamental changes in their political and cultural structures. We recommend all Muslims of the world, especially scholars, to study this important and influential book, and we expect them and the officials of Islamic countries to show the necessary patience and forbearance in face of it by observing freedom of thought and expression and adhering to Islamic ethics and scholarly etiquette and to avoid hasty and irrational confrontations with thoughts and thinkers. [Article 1]

Who does not read the book Return to Islam or reads it, but does not benefit from it?
Reza Ghafurian

A group of people are those who may read the book and find out the existing facts in it, but are afraid because of the suppression and pressure governing the political atmosphere of the country and do not say anything about the book or cannot gain the permission to talk about it! What should be reminded to these people is the fearing of God and the day of resurrection and the fearing of divine trial. Because the content of this book is nothing but the pure and complete Islam based on certitudes, meaning verses of Quran and the Mutawatir Sunnah and firm intellectual proofs, and these are the salient examples of Good. Therefore, inviting toward it is a salient example of promotion of Good and therefore, it is obligatory. Hence, somebody who is afraid of the governments’ trial more than God’s trial, is not an intelligent and wise person, and is making a mistake and will immediately lose and regret. [Article 4]

Who does not read the book Return to Islam or reads it, but does not benefit from it?
Reza Ghafurian

Some people are those who understand the book, but they do not consider its content rightful because of its novelty and freshness and also its obvious difference compared with common and famous readings, at least in some cases. this method is not a right method either! Because everything except for the sacred essence of God is a creation, and has been created from a point in time forward, and this is not a reason for its nullity and invalidity! In fact, the old beliefs and deeds that people consider them good and are used to them, did not exist from the beginning and they are new compared to beliefs and deeds that were before them, and if we accept this method, it is clear there will remain no truth after! It is obvious that this habit is false and has a psychological and mental root and must be eliminated. The correct way that the Holy Quran praises, is to pay attention to all speeches, regardless of their time and location and speaker, and to follow the best word by relying on intellect as a criterion for cognition and avoid the impediments to cognition. [Article 4]

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