The opening ceremony of the International Conference of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), the Supporter of the Prophet (p.b.u.h), started, Tuesday morning, March 9, 2021, in the Quds Hall of Imam Khomeini Complex in Qom.
“By the grace and care of God Almighty to Islam, we believed in this great religion, and this blessing has been placed on us by God, and we enjoyed this blessing,” stated Ayatollah Muhammad Hassan Akhtari, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and Managing Director of the International Ashura Foundation.
“The only blessing that God has blessed in all His blessings is the religion and human guidance, and God has mentioned it in two places in the Quran as a blessing. We thank God for it,” he continued.
“As a cleric, I am happy to witness holding the valuable conference of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), the most oppressed of all the oppressed in the world. The oppression against Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) and his son Imam Ali (a.s.) is a clear fact and one quickly realizes what oppression has been done to Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.),” added the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.
“According to the statutes of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly (holding such conferences) is the duty of the assembly. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, no conference has been held in the country to commemorate Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.). Therefore, the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly is holding this conference according to its duty. The conference was postponed due to the outbreak of Covid-19 virus,” stated Ayatollah Akhtari, considering the honoring religious figures and leaders as the order of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution (Ayatollah Khamanei).
“The great sources of emulation praised holding the conference of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) and the Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi especially supported it. It took many years to hold the conference of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.),” he continued.
“Prominent scholars will speak at the conference of Abu Talib (a.s.), and various articles will be presented at the conference. The conference is held simultaneously with the Be’that of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h). Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) had a great role in supporting the Prophet (p.b.u.h), and he and Hazrat Khadijeh (a.s.) wholeheartedly supported the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h),” added the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.
“The issue of Hazrat Abu Talib’s faith is clear. But distortion, forgery, jealousy, malice, and enmity went hand in hand to cover up and ignore this historical fact. In the advent of Islam and until now, some have questioned whether Abu Talib (a.s.) was a believer or not,” Ayatollah Akhtari stated, referring to the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.).
“In the poems attributed to Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), he explicitly mentions his faith in the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) as the Prophet of God,” he continued.
“In response to a question about the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), Imam Reza (a.s.) answered that if one doubts the faith of this figure (Abu Talib), his path is towards the fire (of the hell),” added the chairman of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.
“The forgery movement knew that if Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) is a believer, Imam Ali (a.s.) will be superior to others in this virtue. Some Sunni scholars, like the Shiites, believe that the fathers of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) were Mowahed (monotheist). However, some denied this issue,” stated Ayatollah Akhtari, considering the goal of the forgery movement, to tarnish the image of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.).
“We live in a time when there is a Shiite government which is the follower of the AhlulBayt. If the AhlulBayt (a.s.) is not defended now and the facts about them are not presented, then when will this be done? Throughout history, we have witnessed Shiite governments such as the Safavids taking measures to defend the AhlulBayt (a.s.), the Shiite school, and spreading religious knowledge,” he continued.
“Correcting and examining the history of Islam and telling the facts in this regard is a necessary task. People around the world are now receiving misinformation about this from online encyclopedias,” Ayatollah Akhtari said, referring to the need to reconsider the history of Islam.
“Takfiri Wahhabism intends to restore the same line of deviation created by the Umayyads. The Wahhabis, for example, believe that Ammar Yasir was a member of the Fe’at al Baqia (فِئَةٌ باغية); and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (a.s.) was not a disaster and he rebelled against (Islamic) government and was killed according to the fatwa of a religious scholar (!),” he continued.
“This movement, which is silent in the face of insulting the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h), is tarnishing the image of the great figures of Islam,” stated the chairman of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, considering it necessary to stand against the forgery and distortion movement.
“Currently, it is easy to know the opinions of other scholars, and today, we must try to clarify the historical facts at any cost. This is not in conflict with Islamic proximity,” he mentioned.
