The Reality of Khilafah — Page 105
Chapter Two—About the Mahdi 105 ‘of the sons of H asan or H usain’. Thus, the difference of opinion is all too evident. Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, proclaimed, verily: مَْان ُ مِنَّـا ـ ُسَ مَْان ـ سَ 1 ِ أَهْـل َ الْبَيْـت [‘ Salm a n is a member of our household’], even though he was not of his household; in fact, he was of Persian origin. Be aware that no one can determine the matter of lineage save Allah, the All-Knowing. The vision that I related regarding Az-Zahr a points to my perfect affinity with her. Allah alone knows the truth of things. In the book al-Tais i r, Ab u Hurairah is reported as saying: 2 ٌّ مَن ْ أَسْلَم َ مِن ْ أَهْل ِ فَارِس فَهُو َ قَرْشِي [‘Whoever from among the people of Persia has accepted Islam is counted among the Quraish. ’] I myself am of Persian descent. Ponder over this and do not act in haste like the prejudiced. One of the fundamental principles is to examine the signs in depth and to give precedence to evidence over conjecture. When following these principles, you must take a logical approach so that Allah can guide you to the manifest truth. This approach is in line with the Quranic teachings and the A ha d i th, both of which agree that the Almighty, out of His wisdom and mercy, has divided the history of this Ummah into three periods, as is acknowledged by all scholars without reservation. The first period corresponds to the first three centuries after the advent of Khairul-Bariyyah [i. e. the Best of Creation—the Holy Prophet Muhammad s as ]. This is followed by a second period, that of religious innovations and of the spread of heresies. The third period is similar to that of the Best 1. Al-Mu‘jam al-Kab i r T abr a n i , Part VI, p. 213, Hadith 6040 [Publisher] 2. At-Tais i r bi-Shara h a s - S agh i r, Zain ad-D i n Muhammad ‘Abdur-Ra’ u f, Part 2, p. 398 [Publisher]