We do not know who you are, your name, or your profession, but we suspect you of sin and transgression; because you have disobeyed Allah in His words: ﴿اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا﴾[1]; “Avoid many of the suspicions, for some suspicions are sins, and do not spy (on one another).” By doing so, you have shown that you do not fear Him, and Mansoor has said in one of his words of wisdom: «إِذَا وَجَدْتَ الرَّجُلَ لَا يَتَّقِي اللَّهَ فَظُنَّ بِهِ كُلَّ شَرٍّ»; “If you find a man who does not fear Allah, then suspect him of every evil.” Perhaps you are one of those who themselves use pseudonyms to spy on people, or one of those who ﴿يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يُحْمَدُوا بِمَا لَمْ يَفْعَلُوا﴾[2]; “like to be praised for what they have not done.” They speak of their assumptions as if they were certain news. Therefore, we advise you not to trust your alleged research; because, as far as we know, it is based on rumors and gossip that some enemies have spread, and that is not a reliable source. We also advise you not to say what you do not know, claiming to know it; because it is ﴿ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ﴾[3]; “layers of darkness, one above another.” Moreover, what if things were as you assumed?! Do you consider this as evidence of the falsity of this scholar’s words and actions?! Clearly not, for the following reasons:

Firstly, using a pseudonym is common among those who fight oppression and oppose oppressors without having the power to protect themselves from imprisonment and assassination. Therefore, they resort to this as a means of protection and conceal themselves, fearing unjust imprisonment or assassination before fulfilling their mission. This is not evidence of the falsity of their words and actions, as is widely acknowledged.

Secondly, it is common for one man to have two names. He may be known by one but not by the other, and this is not evidence that he is a bad man. Rather, it has been narrated from the best human that he said: «لِي خَمْسَةُ أَسْمَاءٍ: أَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، وَأَنَا أَحْمَدُ، وَأَنَا الْمَاحِي الَّذِي يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بِيَ الْكُفْرَ، وَأَنَا الْحَاشِرُ الَّذِي يُحْشَرُ النَّاسُ عَلَى قَدَمِي، وَأَنَا الْعَاقِبُ»[4]; “I have five names: I am Muhammad; I am Ahmad; I am al-Mahi, with whom Allah erases disbelief; I am al-Hashir, at whose feet people will be gathered; and I am al-Aqib (meaning the one after whom there is no Prophet).” Also, it has been narrated that a man asked Ali about some matters, one of which was: «أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ سِتَّةٍ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ لَهُمُ اسْمَانِ؟»; “Inform me of six of the Prophets who have two names?” He replied: «يُوشَعُ بْنُ نُونٍ وَهُوَ ذُو الْكِفْلِ، وَيَعْقُوبُ وَهُوَ إِسْرَائِيلُ، وَالْخَضِرُ وَهُوَ حِلْقِيَا، وَيُونُسُ وَهُوَ ذُو النُّونِ، وَعِيسَى وَهُوَ الْمَسِيحُ، وَمُحَمَّدٌ وَهُوَ أَحْمَدُ، صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ»; “Yusha‘ ibn Nun, who is Dhu al-Kifl; Ya‘qub, who is Isra’il; Khidr, who is Hilqiya; Yunus, who is Dhu al-Nun; Isa, who is Masih; and Muhammad, who is Ahmad; peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all.”[5] Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH) has said: «سَمِعْنَا أَنَّ سِتَّةً مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ لَهُمْ فِي الْقُرْآنِ اسْمَانِ: مُحَمَّدٌ: أَحْمَدُ، وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ: إِبْرَاهَامُ، وَيَعْقُوبُ: إِسْرَائِيلُ، وَيُونُسُ: ذُو النُّونِ، وَإِلْيَاسُ: إِلْيَاسِينُ، وَعِيسَى: الْمَسِيحُ»[6]; “We have heard that six of the Prophets have two names in the Quran: Muhammad: Ahmad; Ibrahim: Ibraham; Ya‘qub: Isra’il; Yunus: Dhu al-Nun; Ilyas: Ilyasin; and Isa: Masih.” Ibn Qutaybah (d. 276 AH) has said: «الرَّجُلُ قَدْ يَكُونُ لَهُ اسْمَانِ، وَيَكُونُ لَهُ الْكُنْيَتَانِ، وَيَكُونُ لَهُ الْإِسْمُ وَالْوَصْفُ، فَيُدْعَى بِالْوَصْفِ إِذَا غَلَبَ عَلَيْهِ، وَيُتْرَكُ الْإِسْمُ؛ هَذَا إِدْرِيسُ اسْمُهُ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ خَنُوخُ، وَيَعْقُوبُ اسْمُهُ إِسْرَائِيلُ، وَعِيسَى يُدْعَى الْمَسِيحَ»[7]; “A man may have two names, two kunyas, and a name and a description. He may be called by the description when it prevails over the name, and the name is abandoned. Such as Idris, whose name in the Torah is Khanukh; Ya‘qub, whose name is Isra’il; and Isa, who is called Masih.” It has been narrated from Ali that he said: «أَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ»; “I am Zayd ibn Abd Manaf.” Ibn al-Kawwa’ said to him: «مَا نَعْرِفُ لَكَ نَسَبًا غَيْرَ أَنَّكَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ»; “We do not know of any lineage for you other than that you are Ali ibn Abi Talib.” Ali said: «إِنَّ أَبِي سَمَّانِي زَيْدًا بِاسْمِ جَدِّهِ قُصَيٍّ، وَإِنَّ اسْمَ أَبِي عَبْدُ مَنَافٍ، فَغَلَبَتِ الْكُنْيَةُ عَلَى الْإِسْمِ»[8]; “My father named me Zayd after his grandfather Qusayy, and my father’s name was Abd Manaf, but the kunya prevailed over the name,” and in a well-known narration, he recited: «أَنَا الَّذِي سَمَّتْنِي أُمِّي حَيْدَرَهْ ... كَلَيْثِ غَابَاتٍ كَرِيهِ الْمَنْظَرَهْ»[9]; “I am the one whom my mother named Haydar, which means a tiger of the forests and a fierce lion.” It has been narrated from one of the Ansar that he said: «قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَيْسَ مِنَّا رَجُلٌ إِلَّا لَهُ اسْمَانِ»[10]; “The Messenger of Allah came to us, and there was not a man among us unless he had two names.” Al-Tabari (d. 310 AH) has said: «إِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ: إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْأَنْسَابِ إِنَّمَا يَنْسِبُونَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَى”تَارِحَ“، فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ”آزَرُ“ اسْمًا لَهُ، وَالْمَعْرُوفُ بِهِ مِنَ الْإِسْمِ ”تَارِحُ“؟ قِيلَ لَهُ: غَيْرُ مُحَالٍ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ اسْمَانِ، كَمَا لِكَثِيرٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ فِي دَهْرِنَا هَذَا، وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ فِيمَا مَضَى لِكَثِيرٍ مِنْهُمْ»[11]; “If someone says: ‘Genealogists attribute Ibrahim to “Terah.” So how can “Azar” be a name for him when he is known by the name “Terah”?’ It is said to him: ‘It is not impossible for him to have two names, just as many people in our time do, and this was the case in the past for many of them.’” Rather, it has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah that he said in describing the Mahdi: «اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَهْدِيُّ، فَهَذِهِ أَسْمَاؤُهُ ثَلَاثَتُهَا»[12]; “His name is Ahmad, Abdullah, and Mahdi. So these are his three names,” and from Ali that he said in describing him: «لَهُ اسْمَانِ: اسْمٌ يَخْفَى وَاسْمٌ يَعْلِنُ، فَأَمَّا الَّذِي يَخْفَى فَأَحْمَدُ، وَأَمَّا الَّذِي يَعْلِنُ فَمُحَمَّدٌ»[13]; “He has two names: a hidden name and a revealed name. The hidden name is Ahmad, and the revealed name is Muhammad.”

Thirdly, adopting good titles is a common practice among the Imams and scholars of Muslims, to the extent that it can be considered an Islamic tradition; as the Prophet was given the title “al-Mustafa,” Abu Bakr was given the title “al-Siddiq”, Umar was given the title “al-Faruq,” Uthman was given the title “Dhu al-Nurayn,” Ali was given the title “al-Murtada”, and other Imams from the Ahl al-Bayt were given other titles, such as “al-Baqir”, “al-Sadiq”, “al-Kazim”, and “al-Rida”, and they may be known by these titles more than by their names. “The Mahdi” is also a title, not a name; since it is proven that his name is the same as that of the Prophet . It has been narrated from Ali that he said: «إِنَّ اسْمَ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ عَامِرٌ، فَغَلَبَ اللَّقَبُ عَلَى الْإِسْمِ، وَاسْمُ هَاشِمِ عَمْرٌو، فَغَلَبَ اللَّقَبُ عَلَى الْإِسْمِ، وَاسْمُ عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ الْمُغِيرَةُ، فَغَلَبَ اللَّقَبُ عَلَى الْإِسْمِ، وَإِنَّ قُصَيَّ زَيْدٌ، فَسَمَّتْهُ الْعَرَبُ مُجْمِعًا لِجَمْعِهِ إِيَّاهَا مِنَ الْبَلَدِ الْأَقْصَى إِلَى مَكَّةَ، فَغَلَبَ اللَّقَبُ عَلَى الْإِسْمِ»[14]; “The name of Abd al-Muttalib is Amir, but the title prevailed over the name. And the name of Hashim is Amr, but the title prevailed over the name. And the name of Abd Manaf is Mughirah, but the title prevailed over the name. And (the name of) Qusayy is Zayd, but the Arabs called him by a merged name, for he gathered them from the furthest land (al-Balad al-Aqsa) to Mecca, so the title prevailed over the name.”

Fourthly, Allah Almighty has changed the names of some of His friends after choosing them; as it has been stated in the Torah that He said to Ibrahim whose name was Abram: “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations,”[15] and said to him: “Your wife Sarai shall no longer be called Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.”[16] He also said to Ya‘qub : “Your name is Ya‘qub; no longer shall your name be called Ya‘qub, but Isra’il shall be your name. So He called his name Isra’il.”[17] Rather, He informed of it as His way and said to His enemies: “The Lord Allah will put you to death, but His servants He will call by another name.”[18]

Based on this, it is not strange that “Mansoor” is also a title for this scholar or one of his names, and that is not important. What is important are his words and actions; because the value of a person is not known by his name, but by his words and actions, which are what connect him to the people of the truth or the people of falsehood. If his words and actions are in accordance with the Quran and the Sunnah, then he is one of the people of the truth, regardless of his name, and if his words and actions are contrary to the Quran and the Sunnah, then he is one of the people of falsehood, regardless of his name. There is no doubt that the words and actions of Mansoor are in accordance with the Quran and the Sunnah and that he is one of the people of the truth. Therefore, you may assume any name you like for him: Muhammad, Ali, Hasan, Husain, Ja‘far, Musa, Rida, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ja‘far, Ali Rida, Abdullah, Umar, Abbas, Hashim, Sa‘id, Yahya, or any other name. Whatever name he may have, he is a man called Mansoor who invites to the truth and prepares the ground for the Mahdi’s advent, ﴿وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾[19]; “and the (good) end belongs to the pious.”