What is the opinion of His Eminence Mansoor on what Shias do in celebration of the birthday of Imam Mahdi on the fifteenth day of Sha‘ban? On this day, especially in Iran, they light up the streets, distribute drinks and sweets, and show joy and happiness because they believe that it is the day Imam Mahdi was born.
If we assume that the birth of Imam Mahdi on the fifteenth day of Sha‘ban is proven, it would be better for Shias, instead of engaging in these costly celebrations that have no basis in Islam and do not benefit Imam Mahdi, to prepare the ground for his advent and support the one who is doing so. This is nothing but a mockery of Imam Mahdi that they usurp his place and force him to wander in the mountains and deserts and then hold a birthday celebration, put up balloons, and hang colorful papers for him! It is like what their ancestors from the people of Kufa did; those who betrayed Imam Husain, peace be upon him, and supported oppressors against him, and when he was killed, they came out mourning and crying for him. Then Ali ibn al-Husain, peace be upon them, said to them: «أَتَنُوحُونَ وَتَبْكُونَ عَلَيْنَا؟! فَمَنْ قَتَلَنَا إِذَنْ؟!»[1]; “Are you mourning and crying for us?! Then who killed us?!” And Zainab, the daughter of Ali, peace be upon him, said to them: «يَا أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ، يَا أَهْلَ الْخَتْلِ وَالْغَدْرِ، أَتَبْكُونَ؟! فَلَا رَقَأَتِ الدَّمْعَةُ وَلَا هَدَأَتِ الرَّنَّةُ! إِنَّمَا مَثَلُكُمْ كَمَثَلِ الَّتِي نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِنْ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنْكَاثًا، تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ، أَلَا وَهَلْ فِيكُمْ إِلَّا الصَّلَفُ وَالنَّطَفُ، وَمَلْقُ الْإِمَاءِ وَغَمْزُ الْأَعْدَاءِ؟! وَهَلْ أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا كَمَرْعًى عَلَى دِمْنَةٍ، أَوْ قَصَّةٍ عَلَى مَلْحُودَةٍ؟! أَلَا سَاءَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَنْ سَخِطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَفِي الْعَذَابِ أَنْتُمْ خَالِدُونَ، أَتَبْكُونَ وَتَنْتَحِبُونَ؟! إِي وَاللَّهِ، فَابْكُوا كَثِيرًا وَاضْحَكُوا قَلِيلًا، فَلَقَدْ ذَهَبْتُمْ بِعَارِهَا وَشِنَارِهَا، وَلَنْ تَرْحَضُوهَا بِغَسْلٍ بَعْدَهَا أَبَدًا»[2]; “O people of Kufa! O people of betrayal and treachery! Are you crying?! Then your tears shall not dry, nor your lamentations cease! Your example is like that of a woman who unravels her yarn after she has spun it strongly! You have made your oaths as means of deception among yourselves. Is there anything in you but boastfulness, evil, the flattery of maidservants, and the spitefulness of enemies?! Are you anything but a pasture on a filthy place, or like white plaster on a grave[3]?! How evil is that which you have brought upon yourselves! The wrath of Allah is upon you, and you will be punished forever. Are you crying and mourning?! Yes, by Allah! You shall cry much and laugh little, for you have brought shame and stain upon your history that you can never wash away or cleanse!” It appears that Shias still have their first character trait, which is to betray the Ahl al-Bayt while pretending to love them. That is why you see that today they take imams other than them, oppose them in many of their beliefs and morals, show hostility toward His Eminence Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, who invites people to support them, then they cry for them on the anniversary of their deaths like bereaved mothers and light up the streets, distribute drinks and sweets, and show joy and happiness on the anniversary of their births! Is this anything but hypocrisy that has become entrenched in their hearts, or a mental illness that they have inherited from their ancestors?! A small amount of the great wealth they spend every year on the anniversary of the death and birth of the Ahl al-Bayt would be sufficient to make Imam Mahdi appear if it were spent on it, but they do not understand and will not have any success in doing that; as we were informed that a man among them spent a large sum of money to distribute congratulatory posters on the occasion of Imam Mahdi’s birthday, then we contacted him and invited him to spend a small sum of this money to distribute a book by His Eminence Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, which invites toward Imam Mahdi with rational and religious proofs so that it would be more beneficial and of greater reward, but he refused and responded abhorrently! Is this anything but foolishness that has corrupted their Shi’ism and made it more harmful to the Ahl al-Bayt than the enmity of the Khawarij and the Nasibis?! As one of our companions informed us, he said:
«دَخَلْتُ عَلَى الْمَنْصُورِ مَسَاءَ يَوْمٍ، فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْمَهْدِيِّ كَيْفَ أَمْسَى؟ فَقَالَ: أَلَا وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَمْسَى وَمَا أَحَدٌ أَعْدَى لَهُ مِمَّنْ يَنْتَحِلُ مَوَدَّتَهُ! ثُمَّ قَالَ: إِنَّ مِنَ الْمُتَشَيِّعِينَ لَمَنْ هُوَ شَرٌّ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى وَالْمَجُوسِ وَالَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا، قُلْتُ: وَالَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا؟! قَالَ: نَعَمْ وَاللَّهِ، وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ يَسُبُّونَ الْمَهْدِيَّ! قُلْتُ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ! وَمَنْ يَسُبُّ مِنْهُمُ الْمَهْدِيَّ؟! قَالَ: الَّذِينَ يَسُبُّونَنِي وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي أَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى الْمَهْدِيِّ، فَيَسُبُّونَ بِذَلِكَ الْمَهْدِيَّ»[4]; “I came to Mansoor on the evening of one day, then I asked him about the Mahdi, ‘How has he reached the evening?’ So he said: ‘Know that, I swear to Allah, he has reached the evening while no one is more hostile toward him than one who attributes affection for him to himself!’ Then he said: ‘Indeed, among those who claim to be the Shias there are some who are more evil than Jews, Christians, Magians, and polytheists.’ I said: ‘And polytheists?!’ He said: ‘Yes, I swear to Allah, and they are those who revile the Mahdi!’ I said: ‘Glory be to Allah! Who among them reviles the Mahdi?!’ He said: ‘Those who revile me while they know that I invite them toward the Mahdi, so they revile the Mahdi by doing so.’”
Today, this oppressed scholar is not cursed in any country as he is cursed in Iran, which is the country of Shias, even though he invites people toward the Ahl al-Bayt and prepares the ground for the advent of Imam Mahdi. They are the most deserving of people to answer and help him if they are truthful. This, by your life, is astonishing, but if you live, life will show you even more astonishing things; as one of our companions informed us, he said:
«سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَفَاعِي يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ مِنْ شِيعَةِ عَلِيٍّ وَأَنِّي لَسْتُ مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ! فَقَدْ جَاؤُوا ظُلْمًا وَزُورًا! إِنَّمَا شِيعَةُ عَلِيٍّ مَنْ يَحْذُو حَذْوَهُ وَيَتَخَلَّقُ بِأَخْلَاقِهِ، وَكَانَ عَلِيٌّ لَا يَكْذِبُ، وَلَا يَبْهَتُ، وَلَا يَقْذِفُ، وَلَا يَسُبُّ، وَلَا يُثِيرُ الْفِتْنَةَ، وَلَا يُغْرِي الْعَدَاوَةَ بَيْنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَلَا يَلْعَنُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ، وَلَا يَرْمِي عَائِشَةَ بِالْقَبِيحِ، وَلَا يُكَفِّرُ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارَ، وَلَا يَنْسِبُ أَهْلَ بَدْرٍ إِلَى النِّفَاقِ، وَلَا يَرْضَى بِالْغُلُوِّ فِي نَفْسِهِ، وَلَا يَقُولُ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ، وَلَا يَقُولُ أَنَّ الْخَلْقَ مُفَوَّضٌ إِلَيَّ أَتَصَرَّفُ فِيهِ بِمَا أَشَاءُ، وَلَا يَلْطِمُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ مُصِيبَةِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَوْ مُصِيبَةِ فَاطِمَةَ عَلَيْهَا السَّلَامُ، وَلَا يَدْعُوهُمَا بِالْغَيْبِ لِيَقْضِيَا حَوَائِجَهُ، وَلَا يَأْمُرُ بِتَقْلِيدِ النَّاسِ، وَلَا يَجْعَلُ لَهُمْ وِلَايَةً كَوِلَايَةِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلَا يَقُولُ أَنَّ حِفْظَ مُلْكِهِ أَوْلَى مِنْ حِفْظِ الْإِسْلَامِ، بَلْ تَرَكَ الْمُلْكَ لِيَحْفَظَ الْإِسْلَامَ، وَلَا يَسْتَحِلُّ مُخَالَفَةَ الْقُرْآنِ وَالسُّنَّةِ لِمَصْلَحَةِ دُنْيَاهُ، وَلَا يَرْضَى بِالذُّلِّ، وَلَا يَسْتَعِينُ بِالْكَافِرِينَ، وَلَا يُعِينُ الظَّالِمِينَ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ، وَلَا يُصَانِعُهُمْ طَمَعًا فِي دُنْيَاهُمْ أَوْ خَوْفًا مِنْ قَلِيلِ الْأَذَى يُسَمِّي ذَلِكَ تَقِيَّةً، وَلَا يَأْخُذُ بِخَبَرٍ يَرْوِيهِ وَاحِدٌ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَسْتَحْلِفَهُ فَيَحْلِفَ لَهُ، وَلَا يَفْعَلُ كَثِيرًا غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا يَفْعَلُ هَؤُلَاءِ وَأَنَا خِلْوٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ، فَلْيَرْجِعُوا الْآنَ إِلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلْيَقْضُوا مَنْ أَشْبَهُنَا بِعَلِيٍّ؟! هُمْ أَمْ أَنَا؟! فَإِنْ شَهِدَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَاعْتَرَفَتْ ضَمَائِرُهُمْ بِأَنِّي أَشْبَهُ مِنْهُمْ بِعَلِيٍّ، فَلْيَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْيَكُفُّوا عَنْ سَبِّي وَظُلْمِي وَعَدَاوَتِي وَتَحْرِيضِ النَّاسِ عَلَيَّ وَأَخْذِ أَصْحَابِي وَذَوِي مَوَدَّتِي وَحَبْسِهِمْ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ، فَإِنِّي أَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى إِمَامٍ عَادِلٍ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ عَلِيٍّ، وَهُمْ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِإِجَابَةِ دَعْوَتِي وَالْمُسَارَعَةِ فِي نُصْرَتِي إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ، وَلَكِنَّهُمْ مَجْبُولُونَ عَلَى الْكِذْبِ وَالتَّعَصُّبِ وَالْكِبْرِ، وَيُشَاقُّونَنِي ﴿حَسَدًا مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ ۖ فَاعْفُوا وَاصْفَحُوا حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ﴾[5]»[6]; “I heard Mansoor say: These snakes claim that they are from the Shias of Ali and I am not one of the Shias of Ali! Truly, they have turned to oppression and falsehood! Indeed, a Shia of Ali is one who follows his example and is imbued with his morals, and indeed, Ali would not tell lies nor slander nor accuse nor revile nor provoke fitnah nor arouse hostility among Muslims nor curse Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman nor accuse Aisha of being immoral nor charge the Muhajirin and the Ansar with disbelief nor consider the people of Badr as hypocrites nor be satisfied with exaggeration about himself nor say, ‘I have knowledge of the unseen,’ nor say, ‘Created beings have been entrusted to me, and I can possess them as I please,’[7] nor strike himself in the demise of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, or the demise of Fatimah, peace be upon her,[8] nor call upon them in their absence to fulfill his needs nor command imitating people nor set guardianship like that of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, for them[9] nor say that preserving his dominion is worthier than preserving Islam, but rather would leave the dominion to preserve Islam, nor consider it lawful to oppose the Quran and the Sunnah for the benefit of his world nor accept ignominy nor seek the help of disbelievers nor help oppressors in their oppression nor get along with them out of greed for their world or fear of little harm, which he would call it taqiyyah, nor act on a report narrated by one person from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, unless he would make him swear and he would swear for him, nor do many other things that they do, and I am free of all of that. So now they shall refer to themselves and judge, which one of us is more like Ali?! They or me?! So if their hearts bear witness and their consciences admit that I am more like Ali than them, they shall fear Allah and stop reviling me, oppressing me, being hostile toward me, provoking people against me, arresting and imprisoning my companions and those who love me unrightfully; because I invite them toward a just Imam from the offspring of Ali[10], and they are the most deserving of people to accept my invitation and rush to help me if they are truthful, but they are naturally inclined to lies, fanaticism, and arrogance and oppose me ‘out of envy in their selves after the truth became clear to them, so forgive and overlook until Allah brings His command. Indeed, Allah has power over all things.’”
We complain to Allah about the Ahl al-Bayt being treated unjustly by jealous haters and ignorant admirers, who compete in wronging them, ﴿وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمِينَ﴾[11]; “and Allah knows the wrongdoers.”