Why did the Shiites choose Ali Zine El Abidine as a symbol of their doctrine?

With the multiplicity of sources and purposes of narratives, sects have emerged. Each sect has adopted its own reference and narratives based on it in explaining its religious orientations and adopting it as a basis for its religious discourse. Each sect has its own religious discourse.

Through the spread of many references and the spread of the Takfiri thought (accusing other Muslims of abandoning Islam and working against its real ideas and teachings), each sect considered the others as disbelievers. Moreover, each sect believes that fighting the other sects is a Jihad for the sake of Allah, each of them fighting his own Muslim brother, and each of them believes that he is struggling for the sake of Allah. Two Muslims kill each other, they fall while each one of them shouting “Allah Akbar.”

In addition, in order to strengthen their religious speech on which the Shiite sect originated, the Persian scholars relied on two bases to export their poisoned speech and to create a religion parallel to the religion of Islam. They relied on the following:

First: the kinship of Al-Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib, to the Messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – the grandson of the prophet by Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad peace be upon him. This kinship of the Prophet supports the Persian religious speech to grant sanctity and high status to that kinship. Moreover, Al-Husain and his family were killed and their blood was shed in the battle of Karbala with the army of Yazid bin Mu’awiya, the ruler of Sham. The Persian scholars created a situation of injustice and considered it as a struggle between truth and falsehood and an address for redemption of religious principles and values ​​to inspire the Shiites and to join new members to the Shiite sect.

There was a marital relationship between Al-Hussein and the daughter of the Persian king (Shah Zanan), who gave birth to Imam Ali Zine al-Abidin. Imam Ali Zine al-Abidin is considered the first of a series of twelve imams. This is the foundation of the Shiite sect. we should remember that the grandfather of Imam Ali Zine al-Abidin is the Persian king (Yazdgerd).

So the Persians ruled out the brother of Al-Hussein – Imam Al-Hassan – because the founding rule of Imam Al-Hussein is the marital relationship and the Persian affiliation of his wife. The Persian scholars put the tragedy in the service of their religious speech and made Imam Al-Hussein the center of the Shiite speech and exaggerated in the sanctification to the degree of considering him as God. They claim that the sins of the member of the Shiite sect will be forgiven and he will be placed in paradise if he visited the tomb of Al-Hussein.

The illiterates and the ignorant people received this invitation, and it became their only refuge in their life and in the Hereafter. Through these claims, the Shiite scholars were able to use these myths and exaggerations to attract people when they facilitated the rituals of worship and the obligation to apply them in worship and in behavior. It is only through the visit of the tomb of Al-Hussein a Shiite will be forgiven and he will receive the credit of one pilgrimage and a thousand Umrah.

Second: The second factor is Ali Zine al-Abidine ibn al-Hussein, grandson of the king of Persia. Al-Hussein married the daughter of the king of Persia, who was one of the captured women that the Muslim had after the break of the Persian army. The wife’s name is «Shah Zanan bint Yazdgerd” king of Persia». This kinship of the Persian king has contributed to the sympathy of the Persian scholars with the sanctification of Al-Hussein. Thus, a religious speech was adopted unlike the message of Islam, which came to Muhammad – peace be upon him. The message of Islam was carried by Prophet Mohammed in the holy Qur’an. They adopted the new speech to make a deep rift in the message of Islam, so as to create the suitable ground for a permanent conflict between the Sunnis and the Shiites. Both sects turned away from the holy Qur’an that calls for unity and agreement based on the words of Allah. This situation of fighting and sedition is fed by the enemies of Islam so these enemies can exploit the Muslim preoccupation to invade the Muslim homeland and to rob Muslim wealth and to disrupt Muslims from the march of progress and development of what is good for the Islamic peoples.

Source :

«Muslims .. Between the religious discourse and the divine discourse», issued by «House of Al-Nokhba for Printing, Publishing and Distribution», by the researcher and Islamic thinker Ali Muhammad Al-Shurafa Al-Hammadi.