Since most poets of Ghadeer, like Bursi have become targets of
condemnation and objection; they are attributed with extremism and some
writers1 have targeted them from all directions, spoken ill of them and abused
them; we wanted to inform the readers about this so that they may not be under
the influence of this nonsense and not pay attention to this hateful talk.
So, firstly we ask: “What is extremism?”
On the basis of clarification of scholars of language like Jauhari, Fayyumi,
Raghib and others,2 “Extremism is crossing the limit; like saying: “The price
crossed the limit and the commodity became costly,” or: “the person crossed his
limits,” or: “the flesh and bones of the girl crossed its limits,” when a youth
arrives fast and the maturity of that girl is more than others of her age.
In the same meaning is the statement of Prophet:
“Do not resort to extremism regarding women, as they are rain from
Almighty Allah that falls on the land and people.”(3)(4)
In any case, extremism from anywhere, in any form, and in everything is
hateful, especially in religion as mentioned in the holy verse:
لِأَهْلَ الْكِتَبِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ
“O followers of the Book! do not exceed the limits in your religion.”5
…and:
قُلْ يَأَهْلَ الْكِتَبِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ
“Say: O followers of the Book! be not unduly immoderate in your religion.”6
…which has come in two places in the Holy Quran. It is mentioned in the same meaning. And the implication is same as commentators have mentioned.7
Extremism of Jews is about Isa (a.s.) till they made improper attributions to
Lady Maryam; and extremism of Christians is that they regarded him as God. On
the basis of this, extremism of both of them is evil and a sin and the reward is
between these two evil extremities is as the poet says:
ween these two evil extremities is as the poet says:
“Give complete rights of others and do not demand your right fully and
overlook shortcomings of others. A noble man never demands his complete
right. Do not be extremist in anything and follow the middle path. Because
both sides of moderation are condemnable.”
Another poet says:
“Choose the path of moderation, because salvation lies in this and don’t
mount the refractory animal; also do not become rebellious.”
What is necessary at this point is determination of a limit, which should not
be crossed in religion, since the arrival of extremism is first of all falsehood;
secondly encouraging and promoting ignorance and thirdly shortcoming in
fulfilling obligatory rights. [Thus, this is extremism] and not as some have this
habit of attributing extremism to statement of every speaker, with whom they are
not pleased and blind prejudice compels them to hate those, whose taste is not
amenable to them.
Majority of extremism blamed on Shia Imamiyah due to their belief in Holy
Imams (a.s.) and narrating of their excellence is in this matter, whereas Sihah and
Musnad books are full of excellence of Ahle Bayt (a.s.) and books are teeming
with their merits.
One, who is in possession of some personal powers, like magnetic sleep,
hypnotism or calling the souls in order to make them do some errands or know
something about unseen matters, accept these views; how can they deny the
return the soul to bodies by permission of Almighty Allah and through
supplication of holy saints or power of truthful ones, which is a divine gift and is
from the creator of the world of being? And this is not difficult for Almighty
Allah:
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۖ فَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًۭا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ (٦٨)
“He it is Who gives life and brings death, so when He decrees an affair, He only says to it: Be, and it is.”8
Also, one who sees the aircraft covering thousands of kilometers in a short
time, distances, which in the past required several months on quadrupeds to
cover. How his intellect permits him to deny covering of large distances by one
gifted power by Almighty Allah?
ۚوَتَرَى ٱلْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةًۭ وَهِىَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ ٱلسَّحَابِ
“And you see the mountains, you think them to be solid, and they shall pass away as the passing away of the cloud.”9
Or one, who listens to radio or watches television that transfers sound and
vision from thousands of kilometers. How can he deny such a thing in the being
of Imam, who is helped and supported by Almighty Allah?
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسْمِعُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍۢ مَّن فِى ٱلْقُبُورِ (٢٢)
“Surely Allah makes whom He pleases hear, and you cannot make those hear who are in the graves.”10
It is like the case of seeing from far away and speaking to it as if he was
besides it.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُرِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ
“And thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.”11
Also, examples of discoveries and recent skills that are effects of electricity
and other powers, and they are numerous. Simple human intellects before this
were unable to discover these things, but today they have solved the problems,
which were impossible to solve yesterday and made every impossible thing
possible.
Perhaps in future, science and learning would make further progress,
because knowledge does not have any limits and there is no evidence and proof
as well that knowledge has reached its limit.
Thus, there is no problem that the progress achieved today was in possession
of the Imam at that time; and the power of the creator is higher than all. I don’t
want to consider the miracle acts of holy saints to be like acts of scientific
progress, even though they might have occurred through natural causes, their
being miracles is not invalidated.
But we believe that Imams of Ahle Bayt (a.s.) have connection with source
of creation, through whom, their desires are fulfilled from outside the world of
nature. And it is a necessary requirement of divine grace that He should
strengthen His special servants.
It is interesting that some people find fault with the Shia and accuse them of
extremism, infidelity and polytheism, whereas they have proved the same for
their own saints. Many a times the merits, which they regard as extremism of
Shia, they have narrated in excellence for ordinary persons. Without any kind of denial or doubt in chains of narrators and without any kind of hesitation in
accepting the texts of reports; and made them popular in religious literature and
consider them as historical.
It is because of their attachment to these persons and due their regarding
them as great that they have fabricated these merits. Yes, attachment to
something makes man blind and deaf.
This practice is present among them since day one till the present and no
researcher and scholar had guts to attribute deviation, polytheism, extremism and
leaving the consensus of Islamic Ummah to these writers, which they have
attributed to the Shia.
Following are some of their examples: