Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

41 6 The oath of allegiance to 'Ali, his characteristics & his way of life
Some people prospered from serving and guarding tombs, and these
people narrated stories of miracles, as well as warnings of bad
consequences for anyone who shed doubts on the soundness of what
was taking place.
It is well known that venerating tombs in this manner is
something that did not flourish until the Muslims became backward
and grew weak, in the eras of intellectual decline and stagnation. By
then, the light of Muhammad's (@) message, which in its first forty
years had managed to spread from Persia to Morocco and had called
for the building of a noble civilisation, had tumed into apathy,
idleness, laziness and pinning hopes on illusions. The Muslims
Limited their efforts to practices that our righteous predecessors, who
filled this world with knowledge and righteous deeds, would not
even discuss or pay any attention to. Does it not behoove us to ask
ourselves: at the time of the Companions, did they do anything of that
nature to the grave of the Messenger of Allah (g), which is the best
grave on the face of the earth. or to any of their graves, when they are
the best of the Ummah? Did anything like that happen even at the
time of the imams whose example is to be followed, such as M m
ash-Shsa'i, Abu Haneefah and Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on
them?
None of these things happened at their time. Isn't that an
indication that what is going on has no basis in Islam or in worship or
in the concept of the wali (close friend of Allah)? Rather this is a
manifestation of backwardness and ignorance, which was exploited
by those who have an interest to achieve in the name of religion,
regardless of what that interest may be. Their goals are to numb the
public, to gain control of their minds and pockets, to consume their
wealth and to pull them backwards. For many centuries, the Islamic
nation led the world in power, kao~.!dge, civi!inyation, !egislation,
morality, compassion for humanity, invention and other sublime