To Be With the Truthful

Preamble

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful

All praise belongs to the Lord of the worlds, Who bestowed upon us guidance, grace and power, and Who favoured His bondmen with all good in order to be righteous. He is enough for whoever relying upon Him, protecting him against the devils’ stratagem, while those diverting from His straight path shall verily be among the frustrated and defeated.

Benediction and peace be upon the one delegated as a mercy for all the worlds, the supporter of the oppressed and those reckoned feeble, the beloved of the needy who believed in Allah, out of desire for the rewards that Allah the Glorified — has prepared for His truthful bondmen...And also upon his good and pure Household, whose status is elevated over all other creatures, so as to be a good example for the gnostic, a beacon of guidance, and ship of deliverance, of which whoever stays behind will be verily among the perished ones.

God’s pleasure and assent be upon the Prophet’s good Companions, who swore allegiance to and aided him against his enemies, never being among the covenant-breakers, and those who kept abide by the covenant, never altering or reversing, and being among the grateful... and also upon those who kindly followed their guide, from among the earlier and latter (people) till the Day of Resurrection.

My Lord! Dilate my bosom, ease my affair, and untie a knot of my tongue so that my words will be comprehended. My Lord! Make the truth, with which you guide Your faithful bondmen, be revealed for whoever reads my book, and open his insight.

In the beginning, my book, “Then I was Guided” was encountered with good approval among dear readers, who, furnished us with some significant remarks regarding miscellaneous subjects in the book, asking for more details concerning the issues that created controversy among a large number of Muslims — Sunnah and Shi‘ah.

So, for the sake of eliminating any ambiguity and obscurity about this matter, for those seeking to reach the truth and be acquainted with the minute details of the issue, I have compiled this book with the same style I followed in the former one, so that the equitable researcher can easily attain to truth through its nearest routes, as I have reached it through investigation and analogy. I have named the book — with Allah’s blessing — To be with Truthful (Ma‘a al-Sādiqin), deriving it from the saying of the Almighty:

"O ye who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah, and be with the truthful." (Qur’ān, Sura at-Tawba, 9:1l9)

And is there anyone among Muslims ready to refuse or abstain from being with those truthful ones!

This was in fact my own belief, and the fact I am trying to elucidate for others, as possible as I can, without dictating my opinion upon the others, but with full respect for others’ opinions. And Allah alone is the Guide, and He is to take the custody of the upright people.

Some people have opposed the title of my previous book “Then I was Guided”, due to its implying an abstruseness entailing contemplation and wondering, whether others are misguided, and what indication is got from that misguidance when that meaning being intended? For this objection I give the following clarifying reply:

First: The word dalātah (strayal) is referred to in the Holy Qur’ān to mean forgetfulness, when the Almighty said:

“He said: The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a book, my Lord errs not, nor does He forget” (Sura Ta-Ha, 20:52).

He — the Glorified the Exalted — also said:

“...so that if one of the two errs, the second of the two may remind the other…”(Sura al-Baqara, 2:282)

Further the word dalālah is cited in the Holy Qur’ān to indicate the state of investigation, searching and questing, when Allah, the Almighty addressed His Holy Messenger by saying:

“And find you lost (that is, unrecognized by men) and guide (them to you)?” (Sura ad-Duha,93:7),

meaning that He found you looking for truth and He guided you toward it. From the biography of the Prophet (Allah’s peace and benediction be upon him and his progeny), it is known that he, before the descent of the Revelation (wahy) over him, used to desert his folk at Makkah seeking seclusion in the Cave of Harra,’ for many long nights looking for truth.

Out of this meaning too, the Prophet (S) is reported to have said: Wisdom is the lost property of a true believer; wherever he may come across it, he is the one who deserves it most. And this the very meaning implied in the title of my first book.

Second: Supposedly the title implies the meaning of deviation that comes versus the guidance, which we intend to refer to intellectually, in order to obtain the right Islamic trend and plain course, that leads us toward the straightforward path, as commented by some readers, then let it be so. This is the abstract truth that some fear facing it with a constructive sport spirit, and creative objective breath... and whose conception goes in line with the Messenger’s (S) saying: “I am leaving behind among you two precious things (Thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my Kindred (‘Itrah) my Ahl al-Bayt. As long as you adhere to them you will never go astray after me.”

This tradition (hadith), explicitly and expressly refers to the going astray of whoever not adhering to both the Book and the ‘Itrah.

Anyhow, I am certain that I have been, with Allah’s favour and grace, guided to hold on to the Book of Allah and the Kindred of the Messenger (may Allah’s benediction and peace be, upon him and his progeny) All praise be to Allah, who guided us toward this (path), and we would have never been guided (to it) had not Allah guided us... the messengers of our Lord have been delegated with truth.

The titles of my first and second books are derived from the Holy Qur’ān, which is the most truthful and best of speech. And all the information I compiled in both the books, if not being true, they be nearer to truth, as being among that upon which all Muslims Sunnah and Shi‘ah — have concurred, and whose veracity was approved by the two sects. As a result, I produced — thanks to Allah — these two books — "...Then I was Guided," and "To be with the Truthful."

I implore Allah to guide the Ummah of Muhammad (S), so as to be the best Ummah and able to take the leadership of the whole world toward light and right path, under the standard of the awaited at-’Imām al-Mahdi, with whom we were promised by his grandfather, to fill the earth with justice and equity after it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and so that Allah shall perfect His light, however much the disbelievers are averse.

The Author