The intellect is the main and the most basic foundation of cognition, and any cognition which does not lead directly or indirectly to the intellect is meaningless. Other foundations, if they exist, return to the intellect themselves; because they are not known without the intellect and have no use except for the intellectuals; as the religion, although very useful, is itself known by the intellect and addresses only the intellectuals. [Return to Islam, p. 25]
This is only certainty that is considered as the criterion of cognition; because illusion, doubt and conjecture contradict more or less with their contrary probability, and therefore they themselves need a criterion of cognition in order to know the correctness of one of the two probabilities in them, and that criterion is indeed certainty that has no contrary probability, and therefore its authority is inherent and self-evident. It is hereby understood that the foundation of the human being’s cognition is only certainty, and any cognition that does not lead to certainty has no validity. [Return to Islam, p. 27]
The intellect is the major source of cognition and the first criterion of knowledge, and its authority is definitely self-evident; because it is not possible to imagine it without acknowledging it, and acknowledging it does not separate from imagining it. Rather it can be said that the authority itself is an intellectual topic and has no meaning other than discovering reality for the intellect, and therefore proving the authority of the intellect is like proving the authority of the authority! [Return to Islam, p. 27]
Those who consider the intellect as a rival for the religion neglect this great fact that the intellect and the religion have stemmed from one source and both are the creatures of the one God! Is there any disagreement in the creation of the one God, and do some of His creatures contradict some others?! It is clearly not so; because God’s actions are based on wisdom and do not contradict each other. [Return to Islam, p. 33]
The belief in the contradiction between the intellect and the religion is a polytheistic belief which has emerged against the monotheistic belief; because the existence of duality in the universe and the opposition of creation to legislation are acceptable only on the basis of atheism! There is no doubt that the religion agrees with the intellect and clearly acknowledges it, rather calls toward it and warns those who abandon it. [Return to Islam, p. 33]
The world is like a woman whose bride price is death, or a dishonored prostitute whose wage is shame. Beware! Do not take her as a wife and do not sleep with her; because this treacherous one has killed her husbands and despoiled their heritages, sedated her lovers and stolen their belongings. Beware! Do not let her seduce you with her makeup and deceive you with her coquetry... The world is like a well that is dried or polluted with all kinds of impurities; so do not cast your bucket into it and do not use it as your watering place... The world is a worn-out ladder that cannot be leaned on or like a snake hole that whoever has put his hand in it has bitten him; or it is like a carcass that attracts hyenas and gathers flies but drives away lions and disgusts human beings... The world is a woman who does not give birth, a tree that does not bear fruit, a cloud that does not rain, and a shadow that does not last. Beware! Do not rely on it; because relying on it is relying on the wind, and making friends with it is making friends with a wolf, and who can be friends with a wolf?! [Letter two]
Do not love the world; because the world has deserted those who have loved it the most. If you do not believe me, then look at your relatives who passed away; those who were by your side for some time, but there is no trace of them today. So review their stories and learn a lesson from their end; because they were human beings like you that death grabbed onto their throats, graves swallowed their corpses, and time wiped out their traces. Do you think what befell them will not befall you?! How?! While many of them were more powerful than you, and many others were wealthier than you, and yet their power and wealth did not benefit them, and in the end, they fell into the abyss of death. Beware! Do not let association with the living make you neglect the dead so that you will compete with them in earning money, building houses, buying tools, marrying women, and immersing yourself in pleasures; because the living are the dead of future; as the dead are the living of the past... So many are those who slept and never woke up, those who traveled and never returned, and those who got sick and never recovered. Indeed, whoever is alive will die, and whoever eats will be eaten by dust. [Letter two]
Take the reins of yourself from Satan and hand it over to the Caliph of God on the earth; because Satan drives you to Hell, and the Caliph of God on the earth invites you toward Heaven... The helpers of the Mahdi are not those who disobey God; his helpers are those who avoid major and minor sins; they get up at night to pray and spend the day gaining knowledge and teaching it to others. They have faith in the promises of God and fear the Day of Judgment; the Day when they will stand before the Lord and find whatever they did present. [Letter two]
The helpers of the Mahdi are imbued with the morals of God’s Prophets and trained with the manners of God’s friends; they submit to the truth once it is revealed to them and abandon falsehood once it is exposed to them; they are neither fanatic and stubborn nor foul-mouthed and garrulous; they do not fabricate lies against God and dissociate themselves from those who fabricate lies against Him; they perform prayer at the beginning of its time and donate their belongings to the needy; they restrain their anger and forgive people’s wrongdoings; they cherish their parents and have patience with their bad tempers; they do not disrespect their friends under the pretext of friendship, nor do they wrong their enemies under the pretext of enmity; they tolerate the ignorant and do not quarrel with fools; they do not talk nor laugh nor sleep nor eat too much; they restrain their lust and do not abandon chastity; they are not oglers nor shameless, neither do they show off and talk nonsense; they do not make friends with sinners, nor do they keep company with oppressors; they are occupied with useful works and do not waste their time; they are familiar with the Book of God and know what is permissible and what is forbidden; they do not deny the scholar’s teachings and avoid being hostile to him, but rather they answer his invitation and rush to his help when he invites them toward the Mahdi in order to gather them for his help. [Letter two]
Look at the lives of those who passed away and take lesson from their end; those who forgot the days of God and denied His blessings, so the sword of misery fell on their necks, and the arrow of destruction landed on their chests, then they perished as if they had never been in the world! Now you have dwelt in their lands, and built houses over their ruins, so do not take their paths, nor follow their traditions, otherwise what befell them will befall you, then you will become a lesson to those who will come after you, as they have become a lesson to you. [Letter six]
Translation of the saying: One of our companions informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: God has not revealed in the Book what people are not able to do, and He has revealed in It: “Ask the people of remembrance if you do not know”, so no time is empty of a man of remembrance that people ask him about what they do not know and he gives them the right answer, and if you tell these ignorant people to know this man and ask him, they will say that you are but the people of bid’ah! I said: May I be sacrificed for you, these people say that the scholars are all people of remembrance, so he said: Do all of them give right answers when asked? I said: No, he said: God does not command to ask a group that may not give right answers! [Passage 17 from Saying six]
Translation of the saying: One of our companions informed us, he said: We were in a mosque with the righteous servant [That is, Mansoor, may God protect him] and there were men from Salafiyya with us, so he looked at them and said: Indeed, God has renewed a new remembrance for you, then follow it and do not follow the predecessors; because the predecessors did not follow the predecessors, but followed their remembrance, and indeed, whoever stops at the predecessors and does not follow the remembrance that God has renewed for him, has cut off what God has commanded to be always kept constant and has gone astray from His way, “they are being called from a faraway place”! A man from Salafiyya said: Is it not that every renewed thing is bid’ah?! So His Honor paid attention to him and said: Bid’ah is what people have renewed in the religion, and the remembrance is what God has renewed, then he recited this verse that says: “Never comes to them a renewed remembrance from their Lord, unless they listen to it as they play around”. The man said: What is the renewed remembrance?! He said: An Imam whom God renews in every century that guides by His command, in order to warn everyone who is alive and prove the words to disbelievers. The man said: We have not heard this in the first centuries, this is nothing but bid’ah! He said: Woe to you! Do you want nothing but to speak like those who disbelieved?! They said: “We have not heard of this in the religion of past people, this is but a fabrication”. I swear to God, I did not think any Muslim would say this until I heard you say it, O people of Salfiyya! [Passage 18 from Saying six]
Translation of the saying: One of our companions informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: Indeed, the earth is not empty of a righteous man from the descendants of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, whom God has appointed as an Imam for people, and this is the covenant that God made with Ibrahim, peace be upon him, when He tested him with some words, so he fulfilled them, then “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”, so what do these deviant and ignorant people, who have fallen into fitnah, deny?! Do they deny that most Muslims have gone astray?! “Whereas before them, most of the past people went astray”, and they narrate from the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, that he said to them: “You will follow the past people’s path step by step”! So what do they deny despite the words of God and the words of His Prophet?! Do they deny that most of the companions made mistakes?! Whereas most of them made a mistake on the day of Uhud, when they fled to the mountain and did not look at anyone, and the Prophet called to them from behind, so He punished them with sorrow upon sorrow and said: “Undoubtedly, those of you who fled on the day when the two groups faced each other, Satan caused them to slip because of some of what they had gained”, and on the day of Hunayn, when their abundance made them proud, then it did not make them not be in need, and the earth became narrow for them despite its vastness, so they fled, and they themselves narrate from the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, that he said: “Indeed, a group of my companions will come to me (on the Day of Judgment), then they will be driven away from around the Pond, so I will say: My Lord! My companions! Then He will say: You do not know what they did after you! They returned to their past”! So what do they deny despite the words of God and the words of His Prophet?! Have they taken the companions and the followers as gods other than God, as the Jews took their scholars and monks?! “Whereas they have been commanded to worship only the One God. There is no god but He! He is glorified from what they associate with Him”! [Passage 20 from Saying six]
Translation of the saying: One of our companions informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that says: “And those who disbelieved say: You are not a Prophet, say, God and whoever has knowledge of the Book are sufficient as witnesses among me and you”, so he said: The witness of God is His Book, and indeed there are two witnesses among the Prophet and his nation: the Book of God and the one who has knowledge of the Book, and he is the Caliph of God among them after the Prophet, and his nation will never be without those two until the Day of Judgment arrives. I said: May God make me a sacrifice for you; because you revealed to me something of the Book of God which they conceal! He said: They do not conceal it, but do not ponder on it, or there are locks on the hearts! At this time I cried, so he said: What is bothering you?! I said: I feel sorry for people; because they have not heard your words, while it is wisdom and decisive statement, and if they heard it, they would be guided, so he said: Do not feel sorry for them, “If God had found any good in them, He would have certainly made them hear, and if He were to make them hear, they would turn away in rejection”! [Passage 21 from Saying six]
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]
Translation: Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Saffār [Died in 290 AH] has narrated in the book of “Basā’ir al-Darajāt”, has said: Ahmad ibn Muhammad narrated to us, from Safwān, from ibn Muskān, from Hujr, from Humrān, from Abu Ja’far, meaning Muhammad ibn Ali al-Bāqir, peace be upon him that about the words of God Almighty: “And of those whom We have created are a group who lead toward the truth and act justly upon it”, said: They are the Imams.
Mansoor may God protect him, said: This narration is correct; because the mentioned description is suitable for the Imams; considering that the leadership of the people and performing justice among them upon the truth, are their works, ... and the verse signifies that the earth belongs does not remain empty from an Imam who guides toward and act justly upon the truth; as the intellectual people of the nation, old and new, have acknowledged it; such as al-Jubbā’I [Died in 303 AH] who has said: “This verse signifies that no era remains empty from someone who rises up for the truth and guides toward it” and (such as) al-Nahhās [Died in 338 AH] who has said: “God Almighty has stated through this verse that the world, in no era of eras, remains empty from someone who leads toward the truth” and (such as) al-Qurtubi [Died in 671 AH] who has said: “The verse signifies that God, in no era of eras, leaves the world be empty from an inviter who invites toward the truth” and (such as) al-Khāzin [Died in 741 AH] who has said: “The verse signifies that no time remains empty from someone who rises up for the truth and acts upon and guides toward it” and ibn al-Jawzi [Died in 597 AH] has said: “Undoubtedly God does not leave the earth empty from a someone who rises up for the truth who is collector between knowledge and action and knows the right of God Almighty and fears Him, and he is the axis of the world and whenever he dies, God appoints a successor for him, and he may not die until he sees the one who deserves to be his successor in any event, and the earth never remains empty of such a person, and he is like the Prophet among the nation”, ... and this is what we say, and it is a surprise that some people do not tolerate it from us, while they find it in the Book of God and many of their knowledgeable ones from old and new have said it! [Lesson one, p. 19]
Translation: Mansoor may God protect him, said: ibn al-Jawzi [Died in 597 AH] has said: “Undoubtedly God does not leave the earth empty from a someone who rises up for the truth who is collector between knowledge and action and knows the right of God Almighty and fears Him, and he is the axis of the world and whenever he dies, God appoints a successor for him, and he may not die until he sees the one who deserves to be his successor in any event, and the earth never remains empty of such a person, and he is like the Prophet among the nation”. His speech is over, and this is what we say, and it is a surprise that some people do not tolerate it from us, while they find it in the Book of God and many of their knowledgeable ones from old and new have said it! So, do they blame us on anything other than that we say they are from the Ahl al-Bayt of our Prophet?! While we do not say this because they are our fathers, but because of the virtue we find for them in the Quran and Sunnah, and we do not deny the virtue of others who accompanied our Prophet, but no one shall be compared with the Ahl al-Bayt of our Prophet; as it has been narrated from Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that said: “Whenever we counted the companions of the Prophet peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, we said: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthmān, then a man said: O father of Abd al-Rahmān! What about Ali?! He said: Woe to you! Ali is from the Ahl al-Bayt, no one shall compare with them” and this is a famous speech from Ahmad ibn Hanbal [Died in 241 AH] and he is Imam of the Sunnis and is not considered to be a Shia; as Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal has narrated, he has said: “I asked my father: Who was the best people after the Messenger of God peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family? He said: Abu Bakr, I said: Father! Who is next? He said: ‘Umar, I said: Father! Who is next? He said: ‘Uthmān, I said: Father! What about Ali? He said: My son! Ali is from the Ahl al-Bayt with whom no one shall be compared”, ... and this is a truth that every knowledgeable one says it and Ahmad ibn Hanbal has said it as well, but when we say it, those who are not knowledgeable say: They are Rafidhah! “In this way God seals the hearts of those who do not know”! [Lesson one, p. 19]
Translation: Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Bābawayh [Died in 381 AH] has narrated in the book of “Kamāl al-Din wa Tamām al-Ni’mah”, ... from Muhammad ibn Muslim that said: I said to Abu Abdullah, meaning Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq, peace be upon him about the word of God Almighty that says: “You are only a warner and there is a guide for every nation”, so he said: Each Imam is the guide of each nation in their time.
Mansoor may God protect him, said: This is a correct narration; because the word of God Almighty is general and includes every nation until the Day of Judgment, and the nation means the century (meaning generation and period); as He has said: “And indeed, We destroyed the centuries before you when they did wrong and their Prophets came to them with clear signs and they refused to believe in, in this way We punish the guilty people”.
Also, Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal [Died in 290 AH] has narrated in that which he has added to “Musnad”, has said: ‘Uthmān ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to me, he said: Muttalib ibn Zyad narrated to us, from al-Suddi, from Abd Khayr, from Ali that about the word of God: “You are only a warner and there is a guide for every nation”, he said: The Messenger of God peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, is the warner and the guide is a man from Bani Hāshim.
Mansoor may God protect him, said: It has been said that his meaning from this man has been he himself, but it seems that he has spoken in general, and his meaning has been that for every nation (that is, every century) after the Messenger of God peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, there is a guide from Bani Hāshim. [Lesson one, p. 20]
Translation: Mansoor may God protect him, said: The Imam is called “the Caliph of God on earth” from this aspect that God has placed him on earth and he leads by the command of God, and this is a correct attribution, like the words of those who say: “The soul of God” and “the House of God” and “the earth of God”, and its application to Adam peace be upon him has been mentioned in the narration of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri and its application to Mahdi in the narration of “al-Rāyāt” is proved, But the ignorant people think that it is not a correct attribution and the ignorance of some of them has reached a point where they have considered the narration of al-Rāyāt to be correct except for the part that mentions “the Caliph of God Mahdi”, and the most ignorant of them have exaggerated so much in opposing this attribution that have considered the one who says it as a sinner; with this reasoning that only a person can have a caliph who disappears or dies, but God does not disappear and does not die, and (with this reasoning that) someone said to Abu Bakr: “O caliph of God” then Abu Bakr said: “I am not the caliph of God”, whereas this speech is a great ignorance; because attribution of Caliph to God is the attribution of ownership and respect; like the word of God who has said: “My soul” and “My House” and “My earth”, and whoever does not understand this is far from knowledge, like the distance of the west from the east, and Abu Bakr forbade its application to himself because he was not the Caliph of God; because God had not appointed him, but people had appointed him, ... and whoever has such a state should not be called “the Caliph of God”, ... as it has been narrated that a man called ‘Umar ibn Abd al-‘Aziz and said: “O caliph of God on earth”! So ‘Umar said to him: “Come on! ... when you entrusted me with the reins of your affairs, you called me Amir al-Mu’minin, so if you call me Amir al-Mu’minin, I will answer as well, but I am not the Caliph of God on earth, rather the Caliph of God on the earth is Prophet Dāwud peace be upon him and the likes of him”, ... and the Messenger of God peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, has called Mahdi “the Caliph of God” because God has appointed him as a Caliph on earth, and he leads by the command of God like Dāwud peace be upon him... [Lesson one, p. 22]
Translation: Ali ibn Bābawayh [Died in 329 AH] has narrated in the book of “al-Imāmah wa al-Tabsirah”, from Sa’d ibn Abdullah, from Muhammad ibn Isā, from Safwān ibn Yahyā, from ibn Muskān, from Hasan ibn Ziyād, from Abu Abdullah — meaning Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq — peace be upon him that said: People are not ordered and the earth does not get reformed except by the Imam.
Mansoor may God protect him, said: We believe in this and invite toward this, and he said: The situation of people will always get worse until they return toward the Imam whom God has commanded them to obey. [Lesson one, p. 32]
The basis of “Islamic government” is the permission of God and the appointment of the ruler by Him... Based on this, the government that should be formed in the world to be considered Islamic is only the government of one whom God has authorized and appointed for it, and at the present time, he is Mahdi according to definite intellectual and religious reasons, and this is considered the official opinion of Islam... one of the most important facts explained in the invaluable book Return to Islam, which can be considered the theoretical basis for Mahdi’s global revolution and the starting point toward his advent, is the possibility of his advent if a sufficient number of Muslims gather to protect and support him. Based on this, the purpose of His Excellency Mansoor is to form this gathering and deliver it to Mahdi so that he can appear with its help. Therefore, the government that His Excellency Mansoor intends to form is the government of Mahdi, which, like any other government, can be formed by preparing the ground for it, and the legitimacy of preparing the ground for it through the formation of the aforementioned gathering is subject to the legitimacy of the government of Mahdi; in the sense that when the government of Mahdi is legitimate, preparing the ground for it is legitimate as well, and this is due to achieving the preliminaries to what is obligatory, which is rationally considered obligatory, to the extent that it is not possible that the Legislator prohibits it; because the prohibition of a rational obligation is abhorrent, like the prohibition of preparing water for ghusl and traveling for Hajj. [Question and Answer 24]
The formation of Islamic government in the absence of Mahdi, if it means the formation of his government by preparing the ground for it, in the order explained in the invaluable book Return to Islam, is possible; except that in this case it is not considered the formation of Islamic government in the absence of Mahdi, but its formation by putting an end to his absence; but if it means the formation of a government other than the government of Mahdi, then is not possible, and this impossibility is one of the consequences of people’s fault in protecting and supporting him, which has caused his absence, and therefore, the responsibility for its consequences lies with them. The result is that the formation of Islamic government is possible at any time by making Mahdi appear, and therefore, the formation of Islamic government in his absence is meaningless. [Question and Answer 24]
Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani is one of the Muslim scholars himself, and accordingly, he believes that they have the same role and duty that he has, and it is the preparation of the ground for the establishment of the pure and perfect Islam in the world through the establishment and maintenance of the government of God’s Caliph on the earth, as explained in the invaluable book Return to Islam. Therefore, in his opinion, Muslim scholars must invite toward the Caliph of God on the earth instead of inviting toward themselves, and establish and maintain his government instead of establishing and maintaining their own government; because this work is possible if Muslims provide its preconditions, and its preconditions are to a large extent the same as the preconditions necessary for the establishment and maintenance of other governments. Therefore, any Muslim scholar who orders Muslims to pledge allegiance to Mahdi and prohibits them from pledging allegiance to anyone other than him, performs his Islamic duty, and it is obligatory for Muslims to respond to his invitation and help him in this work, but Muslim scholars who do not order Muslims to pledge allegiance to Mahdi, nor do they prohibit them from pledging allegiance to anyone other than him, do not perform their Islamic duty, and it is obligatory for Muslims to stay away from them. [Question and Answer 7]
Imam Mahdi, according to the rule “I am only a human being like you”, is a human being like other people in terms of body, and therefore, he is affected by natural harms; as the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and the Prophets before him were affected by them, to the extent that the wife of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, said: “Woe to me! Shall I give birth to a child while I am an old woman and my husband is an old man?! This is surely a strange thing”, and the brothers of Yusuf, peace be upon him, said: “O noble chief, he has a very aged father”, and Zakariyya, peace be upon him, said: “O Lord! Indeed, my bones have weakened and my head has turned hoary with age”, and said: “O Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age?!”. Yes, it is imperative that Imam Mahdi be strong in carrying out the affairs of leadership when he appears; as there are Hadiths from the Ahl al-Bayt indicating that he appears in the form of a young man despite his old age; as it has been narrated from Hasan ibn Ali that said: “God will prolong his life in his absence; then He will have him appear as a young man under forty years old by His power”... but these Hadiths, if authentic, do not conflict with the fact that he is a human being like other people; because an old human also looks young if he has a good character, a moderate temperament, a strong body and pure sustenance. Moreover, this may be a dignity for him and a sign from God; as it has been narrated that Amr ibn Ḥamiq al-Khuza‘i gave water to the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, the he said: “O God! Bless him with his youth”, then eighty years passed from his life, without a single strand of his hair turned white. Anyway, there is no doubt that Imam Mahdi will be strong to carry out the affairs of leadership when he appears, whether he is in the form of a young man or in the form of an old man, “And God has power over all things”. [Question and Answer 25]
Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, is the Imam of all Muslims and does not belong to a particular madhhab, but some Islamic madhhabs may have more knowledge about him. In fact, his relationship to Muslims is like that of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, to them; all of them accept him as a Caliph, but some of them consider him as the fourth Caliph and some of them as the first Caliph. But there are less disagreements among them about Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him; because they all consider him to be the twelfth Caliph and appointed by God and His Prophet. They only disagree about the name of his father and the time of his birth, and this disagreement does not harm the necessity of preparing the ground for his advent; because the necessity of preparing the ground for his advent does not stem from the name of his father or the time of his birth, but from the necessity of his advent as the Caliph of God and His Prophet, whether the name of his father is Abdullah or Hasan, and whether he was born before or will be born later. [Question and Answer 26]
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]
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]
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]
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]
Another group are some scholars and celebrities who receive the news about the book, but because they consider themselves entirely knowledgeable and perfect and without need to ask and know, they may not refer to the book or may read the book but their pride does not allow them to bow down before its facts and to say something about it. Of course, these people have made a mistake in their calculations in several respects. Because on the one hand, accepting a wrongdoing and confessing to an ignorance not only does not bring down someone’s rank nor dignity, but rather it will bring them up. On the other hand, the real greatness is someone who is great before God, not before people, and the true prominent is someone who is prominent in the heaven, not on the earth! And only those are great before God and are prominent in His pure heaven who are afraid of Him and are pious, and see and listen to the truth and express it and follow it and invite toward it. But unfortunately, few people understand this great truth. Furthermore, eventually whether these so-called great people and celebrities want it or not, the truth traverses its path and reaches the point of destination and by that day, there will be nothing left for this group except for scandal! Hence, intellect commands that today they should think of tomorrow, and today they should step over their pride, so that tomorrow all their existence would not be stepped over! [Article 4]
Some people also look at the book with their preconceptions. They have not yet seen and read it, they deny it and consider it invalid and label it a lot. They are those who have already taken their decisions and if they read the book, they read it not for understanding and guidance and promotion, but for defamation, denegation, making excuses and mockery, and they are not seeking wisdom and guidance. This group, only on that day of regret in which the eyes will be out of the pupils, will understand that how fast they made decision and were deceived by the devil and lost the field... A group of people are also so prejudiced such that as soon as they confront the slightest difference in the book with things and people whom they believe in, lose their control with no hesitance and cast aspersion, use invective language, insult and practice accusation. This group also will only understand the truth in the day that will be entered into the hellfire with their beloveds and idols. A fire that has been ignited by their blind prejudice and ignorant disgrace. That day is the day of a great regret, and from that day we must seek refuge toward God... Some people are also so much of imitators that they do not even drink water without the permission of their imitative authority and forerunner, let alone reading, understanding and obligation to a valuable book such as “Return to Islam”! They also close their eyes as soon as they encounter the book, and do whatever their imitative authority and forerunner states. They will also face a great regret in a hard day when their imitative authority and forerunner will not help them. [Article 4]
