For whomever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla)." O' God, love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him."

These are according to the narrators the words of the Messenger (p.) when Allah revealed to him O Messenger! Deliver what bas been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message, and Allah will protect you from the people; surely Allah will not guide the unbelieving people.

This was the Divine call to the Prophet to appoint Ali (a.s.) as his successor. The Prophet gathered the people who were accompanying him in his farewell Pilgrimage and asked them: Do I not have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves? And God says: The Prophet has a greater claim on the faithful than they have on themselves

The People cried and answered: 

"Yes, O' Messenger of God”

He then held up the hand of 'Ali and said: 

"For whomever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla)." O' God, love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him."

Thus, Ali (a.s.) was appointed to be the first who holds the responsibility towards Islam and Muslims through rulings, teaching and taking care of the people.

Why was Ali (a.s.) chosen from all the companions to be the successor, although there were those who were older than him?

When we study Ali's childhood, we find that he spent it with The Prophet. Ali's father had many children, and the Prophet took Ali (a.s.) to educate him and raise him so as to alleviate some of the burden. So the Prophet (p.) raised Ali's, acting as his father and mother. Ali (a.s.) lived with the Prophet (p.) learning all his ideas, morals, and thought following him like a "baby camel follows his mother!

So Ali (a.s.) was the man the Prophet (p.) made a copy of him . Thus he never lied and he always acted in accordance to sublime morals. In short, he represented the Prophet (p.) in his mind, heart and behavior. When Allah conveyed the Message to His Messenger (p.), Ali (a.s.) was the first to embrace Islam. He says talking to his God: "I was the first to hear and respond, I was the second only to the Prophet (p.) in praying”. In this respect, some say, in an attempt to underestimate his precedence that he was the first boy to become a Muslim. But we say that it is true that he was a boy when it comes to age, but he had the mind, the heart and the will of grown ups. He was asked: "Why did not you consult your father about embracing Islam, he answered: God did not consult my father when He created me, why should I consult him when I intend to follow the religion of Allah".

As a kid, Ali was strongly built that he drove away the boys of the unbelievers who used to harass the Prophet (p.). He also heard the revelation that was sent to the Prophet (p.) to the extent that the Prophet (p.) told him: "You hear what I hear and see what I see but you are not a prophet. Nevertheless, you are a Wazir". He also understood the Ayahs and consequently the entire Quran, as a result of his constant accompanying and learning from the Prophet (p.). Thus his mind was a Quranic one and his heart was an Islamic one, and his entire life was dedicated to Islam.

Moreover, Ali's house was the house of the Prophet, for he was the Messenger's godson, whose personality was imprinted on Ali's personality, which made him live the spirituality of prophethood throughout his life.

When the Messenger (p.) left for Medina, he left Ali (a.s.) in Mecca to perform two tasks: to return the trust to the Meccans and to bring the Fatima's to Medina.

Ali was a great worrier who faced the challenges against Islam. In Badr, for example, he killed half of the unbelievers and aided the Muslims in killing the others. Then it was heard in the arena: There is no hero, but Ali and no sword but Zulfakar.

In the Battle of Ahzab, Ali confronted Amr bin Abd Wid who was dreaded by the Arabs, leading the Prophet (p.) to say "belief in its entirety stood up to the entire unbelief”. Then when Ali (a.s.) killed him the Prophet (p.) said: Ali (a.s.)’s strike on the day of the trench is more preferred than the worshipping of both the ins and the jinn. In Khaibar, he was able to open the fort with its huge gate.

Then when the Prophet(p.) headed to Tabouk, he did not take Ali (a.s.) with him as he used to do. When Ali asked why, the Prophet(p.) told him: Are not you satisfied to be with respect to me like Haroun was to Musa". Thus Ali was his brother companion, and son in law.

And when Ali (a.s.) married the purified infallible Fatima (a.s.), his house became that of the Prophet's who used to pass by and say: Aassalm Aliakum members of the household (of the Prophet). The Prophet(p.) shared his sheets with Fatima, Ali and their sons Hassan and Hussein, which led to the revelation of the Ayat that concentrated as their infallibility: Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! and to purify you a (thorough) purifying.

Preserving Islam

After the death of the Prophet(p.), he was denied his right, yet he chose not to think about his own interests but that of Islam. He says: I was surprised to see the people pour unto that person to give him bay'ah; so I held my hand, until I saw the people heading backwards and turning from Islam, calling for the annihilation of the religion of Muhammad (p.), so I feared that if I did not support Islam and its people I would see its breakage and demolition, a disaster for me which would be greater than losing my rule over you, which was after all only few days long, and that it would vanish as when a mirage vanishes or the clouds disperse; so I stood up in those events until falsehood disappeared and perished and the religion felt secured and comfortable.

  Then he chose to give advice to those who denied him his right to safeguard the interests of Islam and Muslims saying: "I will keep peace as long as the affairs of Muslims are secured and the only injustice falls on me". He used to think about the interest and strength of Islam, both when the Prophet was alive and after his death. Then when he became a caliph, he faced many difficulties from those who wished to hinder his march, yet he made his caliphate an opportunity to safeguard and strengthen Islam. It is he who said: By Him who split the grain and created living things, had it not been for the presence of the pressing crowd, were it not for the establishment of (God's) testimony upon me through the existence of supporters, and had it not been for the pledge of God with the learned, to the effect that they should not connive with the gluttony of the oppressor and the hunger of the oppressed, I would have cast the reins of [the camel of] the caliphate on its own shoulders and would have made the last one drink from the same cup that I made the first one to drink (i.e. I would have taken the same stance towards the caliphate as at the time of the first caliph). (Then you would have seen that in my view the world of yours is not worth more than a goat's sneeze.

Ali was the man who lived for God, and wanted through his spiritual, political and cultural agenda to raise the Muslim reality to the level of science rationality and civilization. He says: "People are of three kinds: Spiritual scholars, 'ulama', men who educate themselves as a means of salvation, and the ignorant rabbles who follow every call, and move with every whim."

He also said his eternal words: "The value of each man lies in what he is good at". Ali (a.s.) wanted the Muslim society to be built on the basis the Messenger(p.) advised, but they did not allow him since they planted mines on his road.

Ali (a.s.) lived for God and to serve His causes. He was born in Kaaba, closed his eyes in a mosque, and ended his life by saying: In the name of Allah and (believing) in the religion of His Messenger. I have won by the Lord of Kaaba".

When the Day of Gadir arrives we have to feel the responsibility of adhering to Ali's Wilayat since by believing in his authority we are believing in the authority of the Messenger (p.), and consequently that of God.

This Aayh is pointing at Imam Ali who gave his ring in charity while praying. He is the Wali of Allah in all his life, sayings and actions, and we have to adhere to this Wilayah by adhering to Islam. We have to preserve Islam just like Ali did, and preserve Islamic unity like Ali did. To be follower of Imam Ali is not only a feeling or an emotion. It is a line and a practice in one's entire life. This is the path of Ahl el-Beit: To protect and strengthen Islam.

What are the weak points that control the Arab situation?

There is a big problem that The Arab World suffers from in its political, security and economic life: This problem lies in the fact that the arrogant states is the one that plans for this world and acts on its behalf whether where the occupation oversees directly the government running of the affairs and makes the policies of the security forces as in Iraq which is actually under occupation although some might claim the government, that has to be agreed upon by the occupation, is virtually incapable of achieving any security, economic or political success, as a result on the one hand of the anarchy that the occupation creates in the political fabric that is already inflicted with sectarian conflict, and the racial complexes on the other hand.

Furthermore, the bloody whirlpool is still causing daily killings, and displacements, especially that the occupation is not allowing those who are supposed to be in charge to deal with internal problems, in a balanced way, since there is a state of internal fragmentation due to the struggle for power that takes a national outlook.

In this respect, we notice that the American Administration is facing these difficulties with a new strategy that is based on increasing its troops, and supporting a new sectarian party at the expense of the other. This will not solve the Iraqi problems, since the American strategy plans to dominate several countries in the region through Iraq. But this occupation plan could fall under the strikes of a national Iraqi resistance that is not controlled by the Takifiris who target mostly Iraqi civilians.

The Americans who do not believe the freedom of the downtrodden nations will not allow them to find realistic solutions to the problems away from the hegemony of this dubious occupation that tries to avenge any previous defeat it had encountered in this or that country. This is what the Americans are doing in Somalia whose people are suffering from hunger and depravation, and who were able in the past to defeat the American presence. That is why the Americans are using their Ethiopian allies to occupy Somalia.

They also bombed the impoverished civilians by the American warplanes inflicting many civilian causalities whom the American Media accuse of being of the Qaida leadership.

The tragedy can very well spread to the entire region that America wants to extend its hegemony on, and usurp its wealth, resources and markets.

In Afghanistan too, civilians are falling and anarchy coupled with poverty and internal fragmentation dominate the scene.

The NATO forces there, led by the Americans, leave no opportunity for the Afghanis to run their own affairs. Thus, America continues to implement its strategy of achieving hegemony over Asia, starting by Palestine and Afghanistan and passing through the oil states and ending by China and Russia.

Palestine is still moving from one tragedy to the next, though the internal conflicts that have become bloody ones due to the arms chaos, and partisanships that are encased by several Arab states that are dependable on the US plan. In addition, the Israelis continue to practice daily killings, detention and political and security devastation. They coordinate with the Americans to implement their settlement strategy that leaves no room for a viable Palestinian state.

As for the European role, it is under the American hegemony that does not allow it to play a big role in solving this historical problem.

They do not allow the Palestinians to rule themselves. Instead they try to lead them into an intricate impasse, suggesting to them, with the Arabs help that they have to accept the international solution that only cares about what the Israelis want.

Moreover, the Americans are manipulating the EU and driving it to implement their plan in the Islamic World. This is, for example, what we noticed in the sanctions imposed on Iran, under the pretence of its nuclear project, although Iran has announced that it is peaceful project to generate electric power.

Several European Ambassadors have confined to us that they do not have any evidence to prove their Iranian accusations.

In addition, the International Atomic Agency too does not have any proof.

America is also trying to pressurize Iran on the financial level trying to siege the banking establishments that help Iran, under the pretence of spending the money to produce weapons of mass destruction, the same old lie that Americans resort to whenever a state does not accepts their dictates.

In Lebanon, the American game has reached the stage where America has become an internal party that plans to further complicate matters on the political level in a way that prevents finding a solution for the crisis of internal struggle the Lebanese are living, with the institutions becoming paralyzed as a result of the differences about their legitimacy.

On the economic level, we notice that the government reform plan was met with many objections, even among its supporters feeling that it has a negative impact on the middle and lower classes. The government has not dared to prosecute those who debilitated the Lebanese assumed the previous hegemony and have now taken new positions under the current tutelage.

The previous tragedy of the security and political practices has been turned upside down by the present situation in which traitors become patriots and criminals become Saints.

We call for a judicial accountability free from political manipulation to put things straight and to return the rights to their rightful owners. We do not want to politicize the judiciary, since it will deprive the country from any base of stability and balance.