Speaking at the Islamic Seminary of Maragheh in regard to Imam Ali’s last will and testament, Sheikh Mohammad-Taqi Pourmohammadi, the representative of the people of East Azerbaijan province in the Assembly of Experts, stated, “One of Imam Ali’s recommendations which he always emphasized was the importance of solidarity and unity among Muslims.”

The Friday prayer leader of Maragheh stated that Imam Ali’s emphasis is that the believers must treat each other with joy and goodwill, just as the Holy Quran has ordered and added, “Imam Ali stated, ‘It is your duty to increase our friendly relations, communication and exchange of opinion among yourselves, act with goodwill with each other and avoid desertion, disunity, dissension and dispersion.’”

Arguing that the promotion of goodwill in society leads to the destruction of poverty and the establishment of social and economic justice, he said, “Imam Ali said, ‘Do good deeds in help of one another and in cooperation with one another, avoid collaborating in sin and in that which causes tension and hostility.”

Sheikh Pourmohammadi said that another recommendation by Imam Ali in the last moments of his noble life was to pay attention to the religious obligation of ‘enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong’ and said, “This religious obligation is the guarantor of the implementation of other divine rules. If people are indifferent to this divine obligation, society will fall into degeneration and will collapse.”

His Eminence said that Imam Ali sought expediency and wellness in enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong and said, “The Imam said, ‘You must not abandon enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong. The result of abandoning this is that the malevolent and impious will dominate over you will oppress you. Then, as much the righteous among you pray, their prayers will not be fulfilled.’”

He stated that the highest human and moral themes were manifested in Imam Ali’s advice to his children about his murderer’s retribution and said, “Imam Ali said, ‘Oh Children of Abdul-Muttalib! Do not shed the blood of Muslims under the banner ‘The Imam has been assassinated!’ Only the assassin should be condemned to death.’”

Sheikh Pourmohammadi noted that during the last moments of his life, Imam Ali was also tolerant of his assassin and said, “He told the children to watch because he will die due to [ibn Muljam’s] attack make him strike and do not mutilate him because I heard from the Messenger of God saying, ‘Don’t engage in mutilation – not even a rabid dog.’”

He argued that the highest level of human rights are manifested in the commands of Imam Ali and added, “If the claimants of human rights in the West abandon their antagonism and spite and carefully study the Islamic and Shi’ah religious content, they will understand that Islam is nothing more than paying attention to the rights of human beings.”

Source: Abna24