"The sway of tyrants
was long, so that their tyranny and oppression could be fully exposed and their
infamy and disgrace could be disclosed. They deserved the revolution which
overtook them. They were destroyed and annihilated, and the people were rescued
from calamities and destruction, were relieved of war, and bloodshed, which
were brought about by the tyrants.
"The pious people, who bravely passed through those days, patiently bore
the suffering and gave their lives for the cause of justice and Islam. They
humbled themselves, before God, they never for a moment magnified their
patience and bravery and never imagined that they were obliging God and His
religion. Then God ordained that the times of trials and tribulations should
come to an end. They were given permission to defend their faith with the help
of their swords and they obeyed the orders of God according to the teaching of
the Holy Prophet(AS).
"Things continued like that until God called the Prophet back. Then many
became apostate, or turned to heathenism, they were damned by the preversity of
their minds and waywardness. They put faith in their relatives, who were
misguided, or in instigators who were heathens. They discarded the medium (the
progeny of the Prophet), whom they were ordered to love, to respect and to
follow, and who would have kept them within the limits of the true religion.
Thus, they undermined the foundation of the true religion and tried to
introduce heresy in Islam. They adopted the ways of the Pharoahs and his
people, were attached to worldly power and pleasures, and drifted away from
true religion."
"O people! remember that the present time is the time when something which
has been promised will happen, and events which you do not know or cannot
forsee will take place. During the days of trials and temptations, those who
recognize the significance and worth of the Ahlul-Bayt will, like a person
walking in the dark with a lamp in his hand, not only go safely through the
times, but will be of help to others and will act like pious people. This will
free the people from oppression and tyranny , will educate the ill-informed and
ignorant, will introduce reforms into society, and will cement the gaps which
wickedness and impiety may have created in the true teachings of Islam. For
some time, he (i.e. Imam Mahdi) will be hidden from the eyes of man in such a
way that the great searcher of the day will not be able to find a trace of him
however he may try.
But when he will appear, he will educate mankind in such a way that human
vision will expand through the teachings of the Quran, men will be able to
acquire true wisdom, and their minds will be able to rise to higher planes of
science and philosophy."
I strongly urge Muslims to reject any false myths about our Islamic heritage.
Many of you already know the Sunni view of history. I strongly urge you to read
the Sunni works in history such as of al-Tabari, and Syed Amir Ali, to
understand the forces that shaped the Muslim world in the 1st century AH. They
are still alive and kicking today.