Statements at the Meeting with the Organizers of the International Conference "Jaafar ibn Abi Talib"

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the remainder of God on earth.

I sincerely thank all of you, especially the founders of this initiative who are reviving history; that is, when the great personality of Jaafar ibn Abi Talib or, for example, Hamza is mentioned, it is not merely a matter of recounting the life of an individual; rather, history is being narrated, and we must pay attention to the historical lessons that this biography conveys. This is a very good, necessary, important, and useful endeavor, and God willing, may you succeed and continue.

I would like to say a word regarding the list of ten individuals you mentioned. The place of Zayd ibn Harithah is vacant here. Zayd ibn Harithah was the commander of Jaafar in the Battle of Mu'tah; that is, the Prophet Muhammad appointed Zayd ibn Harithah as the commander so that if he was martyred, Jaafar would take command. Furthermore, it is narrated that when the Prophet saw in the realm of the unseen that the bodies were being carried, he noticed that Jaafar's body was ahead of Zayd ibn Harithah's. He asked Gabriel why this was the case, as he had appointed Zayd as the leader, and Gabriel provided an answer; thus, it is evident that the Prophet held Zayd ibn Harithah in high regard. Additionally, there is the matter of the Quran and the verse "So when Zayd had fulfilled his desire, We married her to you." He is a distinguished personality, a great figure. In my opinion, you should also include him in this list and remember him in due time, writing his biography.

Regarding Jaafar, the actions you mentioned are very important; they exceed what we would ordinarily guess or expect to be accomplished. This ten-volume encyclopedia and the other works that have been done are significant and important endeavors, and I sincerely thank all those who played a role in producing these great and important works.

One of the shortcomings of our work is the production of books. Now you may say that books go to libraries, but I assert that books are the most enduring artistic works; that is, other things are transient, but books remain, and they can be utilized for a hundred or two hundred years. If we compile books well, it is very important. Books are what transfer culture from one generation to another, and in my opinion, we must emphasize the importance of books; however, good books must be written, quality books must be written so that they endure and are utilized and do not become outdated or obsolete. Films are also necessary; especially in the case of Jaafar — the story of Hamza is similar — this movement of theirs towards Abyssinia and such has a beautifully dramatic aspect, as the Westerners would say.

There are several points here that I would like to mention. One point is that Jaafar returned to Medina in the seventh year [of Hijra]; why? Why did he remain in Abyssinia for seven years? Previously, there was a rumor that the people of Mecca had accepted Islam, and some of the emigrants to Abyssinia returned; however, when they approached Mecca, they realized it was a lie and returned to Abyssinia; that is, traveling back and forth was not difficult for them; and just as when they were to come to Medina after the Hijra, the Negus arranged a ship for them, and they crossed the Red Sea from Abyssinia towards Medina — now Medina is not on the coast; they came to the shore and from there went to Medina — that is, coming from Abyssinia to Medina was not difficult. Why did he remain for seven years? What is the reason? Given Jaafar's personality, a plausible and logical reason must be found. Of course, my studies on Jaafar are not as extensive as yours; however, from what I have observed, I have not found a reason for this matter. It seems to me that it was solely for "propagation"; that is, this great man established Abyssinia as the gateway to Africa for Islam, which it indeed is; the first place in Africa to accept Islam was Abyssinia. He remained there to establish Islam, while he must have known — he certainly must have known — that the Prophet had come to Medina, the people had welcomed him, and the Prophet had established a government and was engaged in battles; the Battle of Badr, the Battle of Uhud, and numerous other battles. Seven years had passed from these significant political and social events, and the correspondence of the Prophet and the movements of various groups had occurred, and it cannot be said that they were completely unaware of these matters; even if not in detail, they had general knowledge; yet, he did not come and remained for propagation. This indicates the importance of propagation; this, in my opinion, is an important point. Now, if those who are active in this matter conduct further research to see what engagements and necessary work he had there that caused him to remain for this duration, it would certainly be better.

The second point is that the Prophet Muhammad loved Jaafar very much. It is well-known that he said, "I am happier with the opening of Khaybar or with the arrival of Jaafar?"; because the seventh year was when Khaybar was conquered; the Prophet said, "I do not know whether to be happier about the conquest of Khaybar or about Jaafar's arrival!" This means that the value of a traveler returning is equal to the conquest of Khaybar — which is an extraordinary event; indeed, in the history of the Prophet's conquests, it is one of the prominent points, similar to the conquest of Mecca; something of this nature — the Prophet says, "I do not know whether to be happier about the conquest of Khaybar or about Jaafar's arrival;" thus, the Prophet loved him very much. Well, you also read that narration where the Prophet said, "You resemble me in both appearance and character"; during the lifetime of the Prophet, Jaafar was the most similar person to him, which both Shia and Sunni narrate from the Prophet that he said, "You resemble me, both in appearance and in character." Well, the Prophet loved him very much; despite this affection, as soon as he arrived in Medina, he was sent to battle, almost with the knowledge of his martyrdom! This is very significant. This disregard, this passing over by the Prophet for a beloved and close personality, in my opinion, is an important point; that is, he entered Medina in the seventh year and was martyred in the eighth year. He was present in Medina for approximately one year or perhaps a month or two less or more after the Hijra. This is also a point that I consider to be noteworthy and significant.

Another point is that when the news of his martyrdom reached the Prophet from the unseen — that is, before earthly news reached him, heavenly news reached the Prophet that they had been martyred — the Prophet went to the house of Asma bint Umays; at that time, Abdullah and one or two other children were small. The Prophet entered the house and placed his hand on the heads of these children. Asma was an intelligent woman; she said, "O Messenger of God! Has something happened to Jaafar that you are behaving this way with the children?" The Prophet replied, "Yes; God has made him a martyr; Jaafar has been martyred." Asma began to cry. The Prophet said, "Do not cry;" now either he said, "Do not cry" or something else; in any case, he consoled her, saying that God has granted Jaafar two wings and he flies in paradise with the angels; this is his status. When this was said, Asma said, "O Messenger of God! Tell this to the people, announce it publicly." The Prophet said, "Very well." They called the people to come; the Prophet wanted to speak. The people came; the Prophet said Jaafar has been martyred and this is how it is. This is a lesson; we should not be negligent about our martyrs; this shows that we must express the virtues of the martyrs; this itself is a point in the life of Jaafar; we must speak about these matters.

Certainly, in the story of Jaafar, one discovers interesting bits and pieces. When they went to Abyssinia and then Amr ibn al-As and the other one came to slander them, the Negus summoned them; he said, "Tell them to come and see what they say;" when the Negus summoned them, they became flustered, thinking, "What will we say when we go before the Negus?" They consulted with each other and concluded: "We will say exactly what God has told the Prophet, and well, the Prophet has told us; we will say that; we will not say anything of our own, we will not hide anything; we will say exactly what God has said." They came, and that extraordinary dialogue occurred between them, and Jaafar's remarkable statements with them. After the Negus was influenced by them and cried, the Quraysh came and said, "We will do something to make them miserable;" they went to the Negus and said, "These people do not have a good opinion about Jesus." The Negus became sensitive to what their opinion was; he said, "Tell them to come." They said, "The Negus wants to ask you about Jesus;" again they became flustered, thinking, "What should we do, what should we say!" After discussion, they concluded that they would say exactly what God has said about Jesus; they came and recited the verses of Surah Maryam — "Kaf Ha Ya Ain Sad" — which made the Negus cry again.

This is another point; that is, how one should act in the face of the enemy or the foreigner; the best approach is to do exactly what God has commanded. We encounter various events in the world with friends, with enemies, with neutrals, with the uninformed, who ask us questions; we should not hide, conceal, or refrain from saying something; no, we should express exactly what God has stated. Of course, this does not contradict Taqiyya; Taqiyya has its own place, and well, the Quran's view on Taqiyya is clear: "... unless you fear from them a danger." Therefore, in my opinion, this is also a point that we derive from the conduct of Jaafar.

Now, I mentioned that such points come to mind; one more thing that occurred to me, and this will be my final statement, and as the gentlemen say, pray for you, is that the Prophet Muhammad wrote a letter to the Negus. Well, there is a letter that the Prophet wrote after coming to Medina, which has been narrated by all; some others have narrated that at the time when the emigrants were leaving, the Messenger of God wrote a letter to the Negus and sent it with them; now, surely the gentlemen have researched this matter and know more. I looked at this letter; in this letter, the Prophet mentions the blessed name of Jesus. In this letter, the Prophet does not say that Jesus is a prophet and there is nothing else; it is remarkable! In this letter, he states that we believe that Jesus is the Spirit of God and is a result of the divine spirit's breath, just as Adam was; and he mentions the name of his blessed mother. That is, here, at first, he does not mention what might make the counterpart sensitive; [however] he does not conceal it, nor does he deny it, but at first, he states what is in the Quran and emphasized that he is a result of God's spirit and the divine breath in Lady Mary (peace be upon her). Ultimately, this is also a lesson for us.

Regarding the production of films, friends from our office are present here; they should inform the officials of the broadcasting organization; both regarding Hamza and regarding Jaafar. They are looking for subjects; as they say, they are looking for topics; what better subject than these? They are historical figures, they have reality, they exist, they are not like the fictional Jumong, but like Jumong, they fought, they struggled — they engaged in political struggle, military struggle — they were present, and they were martyred; in the realm of art and film and series production and such things, these can be thoroughly developed; and we hope, God willing, that this work will also be accomplished.

Once again, I sincerely thank our dear gentlemen, both the respected head of Jamia al-Mustafa — who is truly one of God's blessings upon the seminary, this Jamia al-Mustafa; I had mentioned one or two points regarding Jamia al-Mustafa, and I had said that the gentlemen should speak with you; now I do not know if they have spoken or will speak later — and also Mr. Rafiei, who worked on this matter, and all the other friends and gentlemen present, I sincerely thank you. May God, God willing, grant you all success and assist you so that you can carry out this work properly.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.