Islam came to eliminate saint and grave veneration from its very roots, especially in the forms of erected graves, shrines, mausoleums, statues, and images of revered figures. One of the greatest iconoclasts in Muslim history was none other but the Commander of the Believers, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, a role-model for all idol-breakers who are slandered today as ‘Wahhabis’:

عن أبي الهياج الأسدي قال: قال لي علي -رضي الله عنه-: «ألا أَبْعَثُك على ما بَعَثَني عليه رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم-؟ أن لا تَدْعَ صُورَةً إلا طَمَسْتَها، ولا قَبْرًا مُشْرِفًا إلا سَوَّيْتَه».
 [رواه مسلم.]

Abu al-Hayyaj al-Asadi said: ‘‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me: ‘Shall I not send you with the same instructions as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me? Do not leave any image without blotting it out, nor any raised or built-up grave without leveling it.’ [Muslim]

There is no doubt that Islam Is Inherently Iconoclastic, with one of the greatest iconoclasts being our master ‘ Ali the son of Abu Talib. However, the question then arises, how can an idol-breaker like him be buried in a Rafidi temple of Catholic-level Shirk? Well, this treatise will answer this question for the first time in the English language, clarifying if ‘Ali b. Abi Talib is buried in that temple of Shirk, Zandaqah, and Majoosiyyah in the first place.

As for the history of the temple of Najaf, the so-called  Sanctuary i.e. haram (!) of Imam ‘Ali (Arabic: حَرَم ٱلْإِمَام عَلِيّ‎), also known as the Mosque of ‘Ali (Arabic: مَسْجِد عَلِيّ‎) that is located in Najaf, Iraq:

One of the earliest biographers was Ibn Sa’d (d. 845), the great Iraqi Basran Sunni author of the Tabaqat.

Tabaqat is an epic work and the earliest extant Arabic biographical dictionary that provides biographies of the early generations of Muslims. In his entry on ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) he says that he was buried inside the entrance to the Kufa Mosque.

(Muhammad Ibn Sa’d, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 3 (Beirut: Dar Sadir, 1957), 438)

Another early Sunni scholar whose work echoes that of Ibn Sa’d is Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri (d. 892), a Sunni Persian scholar based in Baghdad.

(Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri, Ansab al-ashraf, ed by. Sohayl al-Zirikli, vol. 4 (Beirut: Dar al-fikr, 1996), 58)

The gem of Sunni Iraq, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 1071) says:

Out of ignorance of the Rafidah Shia, a lot of people believe that [Ali’s] tomb is in Najaf, but there is no evidence or origin for this. It is said that the grave contains the body of Mughira ibn Shu’bah, this is the person that they [unintentionally] venerate in Najaf, but they should be stoning him (as according to them he is an infidel). This is the grave of Mughira ibn Shu’bah.’

(Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, Vol. I (Beirut: Dar al-kitab al-`arabi, 1966), 138)

The Yemeni scholar Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Hadhrami, known as Mutayyan said:

قال مطيَّن : لو علمت الرافضة قبر من هذا الذي يزار بظاهر الكوفة لرجمته ، هذا قبر المغيرة بن شعبة ” انتهى من” تاريخ الإسلام ” ( 3 / 651 )

‘If the Rafidah knew whose grave they are really visiting near Kufar (in Najaf), they would start stoning him. This is the grave of al-Mughirah (ibn Shu’bah).’

(Tarikh al-Islam, 3/651)

Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi also states:

“He was buried in Kufa at the governor’s palace or in al-Rahba, or in al-Baqi’ (Madinah) with Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet, or al-Hasan carried him and buried him in Thawiya.”

(Al-Baghdadi, Tarikh, 417)

Thawiya was an area in between Najaf and Kufa where Mughira ibn Shu’bah (رضي الله عنه) was buried.

Ibn Kathir lived during the Mamluk era in Damascus and was a Shafi`i traditionist, jurist, Qur’anic exegete, an authority in Islam. He commented on the location of the grave of ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه):

‘When ‘Ali died, his son al-Hasan carried out the death rites and then buried him in the governor’s palace in Kufa out of fear that the Kharijites would exhume his body. This [story] is well known … Because of the Rafidi Shi’i ignorance, a lot of people believe that [‘Ali’s] tomb is in Najaf, but there is no evidence or origin for this.’

(Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa al-nihaya, vol. 7 (Beirut: Dar al-kutub al-`ilmiya, 1994), 342-3, 366)

Ali. Ibn Jubayr (d. 1217), a prominent Sunni traveler and geographer from Islamic Spain passed through Kufa during his travels and mentioned `Ali’s shrine in his journal:

‘The mashhad attributed to `Ali ibn Abi Talib, where his camel had kneeled down while carrying `Ali’s body, accordingto what is remembered [by people]. It is said, ‘Surely his grave is inside,’ and only God know about the correctness of this [statement]. At this shrine, it was reported that there is a large structure.’

(Muhammad ibn Ahmad Ibn Jubayr, Rihlat Ibn Jubayr (The Travels of Ibn Jubayr)(Beirut: Dar Beirut, 1984), 189)

So as for other Sunni theologians: they all mentioned ‘Ali’s grave in their biographies of him, however, they always made it a point to state their objections to Rafidah Shia (and Zaydi) claims to Najaf and consistently pointed out that Shia sources were invalid and exaggerated.

Shias often cite Ibn Abi al-Hadid, the crypto-Rafidi scholar (Mu’tazili in his Usool, yet he too is paraded by the Shia as a Sunni authority!), who vehemently claimed that ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) grave is indeed located in Najaf. Of course, he could not provide any substantial proof for his claim, rather he presented a conspiracy theory (‘Ali’s sons confusing people about his grave).

The Zaydi (leaning) Shia scholar Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani (often paraded as a Sunni scholar by Twelver Shia) of course claimed that ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) grave is in Najaf. Again, he, like his predecessors, could not provide definitive proof.

The Twelver Rafidah are of course the sect with the most extreme and absurd claims. The tomb and shrine obsessed Persian Zindiq of Qom, Ibn Qulaway (student of al-Kulayni and teacher of al-Mufid), claimed that al-Husayn’s (رضي الله عنه) head was buried next to ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) grave. Sufis in Damascus and Cairo also claim al-Husayn’s (رضي الله عنه) head, each grave-worshipper has created his own pilgrimage in the name of Ahlul-Bayt (عليهم السلام)

Their Shaykh al-Mufid (d. 1022) in his Kitab al-Irshad, devoted several pages to presenting variants of ‘Ali’s burial only to end up claiming a connection between ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) and the Prophet Noah (عليه السلام), who is a mere delivery man and follower of ‘Ali anyway, in the religion of the Imamites:

When death was close to the Commander of the faithful he said to al-Hasan and al-Husayn, peace be on them: “When I die, you two put me on my bier. Then take me out and carry (me) in the back of the bier. You two will protect the front of it. Then bring me to al-Ghariyyayn. You will see a white rock shining with light. Dig thereand you will find a shield and bury me at it.”

When he died, we took him out and began to carry him on the back of the bier while we guarded the front of it. We began to hear a rustling and whistling of the wind until we came to al-Ghariyyayn. Behold! There was a white rock whose light was shining. We dug there and behold, there was a shield on which was written: “This is one of the things which Noah has stored for ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.”

We buried him there and went away. We were happy at God’s mark of honour to the Commander of the Faithful. A group of the Shi`a followed us but they had not witnessed the prayer performed for him. We told them about what had happened and about God’s mark of honour to the Commander of the Faithful.

(Al-Mufid, The Book of Guidance,15)

In fact, the Shia claim that Prophet Ibrahim (عليه السلام) and another 370 Prophets are buried in Kuf and its surroundings like Najaf:

Imam Sadiq (as) said: “Kufa is a garden of the gardens of paradise. The graves of Prophets Nuh, Ibrahim, and 370 other prophets is there, and Imam Ali’s (as) grave is located there.

(Wasa’elul-Shia, vol. 14, pg. 387, hadith 19440)

Imam Abū Muhammad Abd-Allāh ibn Muslim ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī al-Marwazī or simply Ibn Qutaybah was a Persian Sunni scholar and he also said that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) was buried in the governor’s palace in Kufa and that some believed ‘Ali was buried in a village outside of Balkh (Afghanistan), a folklore belief amongst the Shia and Sufis of Afghanistan.

Ibn ‘Asakir and other scholars all had disputes on this issue, but none of them agreed with the Rafidah simply due to the lack of reliable evidence for the location of ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) grave.

What seems to be the closest to the truth is that the location of ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) grave is unknown and this is how Allah saved him and his grave of being worshipped besides Allah by the Rafidah who are most likely performing pilgrimages to an empty grave.

As mentioned before, the Ahlul-Bayt (رضي الله عنه) were upon the belief that all graves without exception (Prophet’s grave is in his house, not in his Masjid) must be levelled to the ground, they insisted on having modest and flattened Islamic graves, none of them build or instructed others to build structures over graves. The irony is that some sources, including Shia sources, mention that the first person who built a structure built over ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) grave was Harun al-Rashid (who is despised by all Shias and vilified as a Nasibi/Anti-‘Ali).

Shia authorities such as al-Mufid and al-Tabrisi reported in the eleventh century that a tomb marker was built over ‘Ali’s grave by Harun al-Rashid (d. 809):

‘When we arrived at the noble grave—at that time there were stones but no structure around the grave, it was before the time of al-Rashid and before he built it—when we got there, some of us were reciting (the Qur’an) and some of us were praying and some of us were performing pilgrimage rituals.’

(Daylami, Irshad, 346)

In ‘Umdat al-Talib, the Shia scholar Ibn ‘Inaba (d. 1424), claimed that al-Rashid’s original structure was renovated and that it lasted until 1352.

(Ibn ‘Inaba, `Umdat, 63)

Sometime in the ninth century, the Zaydi Shia Talibite ‘Sayyid’ ruler of Tabaristan, Muhammad ibn Zaid al-Da’i (861-900 CE), added a dome to al-Rashid’s structure.

Shia scholars (Twelver Shia and Zaydis alike) crafted Shi’i communal and sectarian identity through the genre of pilgrimage manuals that guided pilgrims during their visits to the grave of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه). This genre became particularly important in perpetuating Shi’i identity and rituals. Comprehensive Zaydi and Shia hadith collections included multiple narratives of the Imams visiting the shrines of ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) and the other Imams, which were then compiled into specialised pilgrimage manuals. These manuals, which became iconic texts, mapped out the spiritual landscape of ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) shrine. This, in turn, helped create a ritualized sacred space. All of these pilgrimage manuals were late religious innovations (Bid’ah) in the medieval period that were never taught by the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt.

Four of the most well-known Shia pilgrimage manuals starting from the tenth century. These manuals were all written by prominent Shia theologians and traditionists, and they are: 1) Ibn Qulaway’s (d. 978/9) Kamil al-ziyarat537 (Complete [Guide] to Pilgrimages); 2) al-Mufid’s (d. 1022) Kitab al-mazar manasik al-mazar (Those Strengthened for the Rites of Pilgrimage); 3) Muhammad Ibn Ja`far al-Mashhadi’s (d. 1198) Al-mazar al-kabir (The Big Grave); and 4) Misbah al-Za’ir (The Lamp of the Pilgrim) by Radi al-Din Ibn Tawus (d. 1265). The Shia authorities do cover Madinah in their books, but unsurprisingly, due to their Imam-centric sect, they place their emphasis and spend the majority of their books discussing pilgrimage to the graves of ‘Ali in Najaf and al-Husayn in Karbala over all of the other locations.

The rise of the genre of pilgrimage manuals unsurprisingly coincided with the growth of Islamic seminaries (Hawzat) in Najaf in a period between 950 and 1050 CE, which has been termed by some as the Shia century. In that period, the Iranian Buyid Zaydi Shia (who were sympathetic to Twelvers and represented Shi’ism in Pre-Safavid i.e. Sunni Persia, as Twelverism was scarce in Pre-Safavid Iran) rulers were the first to publically institutionalise heretical Shia practices and rituals, such as excessive public Shia mourning rituals, the declaration of ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) so-called divine authority (Wilayah) as the greatest holiday and other zandaqah (heresy) in the name of Ahlul-Bayt (رضوان الله عليهم)

To further cement Najaf and other shrine cities as centers of Shia authority, Shia scholars encouraged pilgrimage to not just the graves of the so-called infallible Imams but thousands of their descendants (called Imamzadeh in Persian) in Iraq and Iran in addition to Mecca and Madinah. They have attributed brazen lies to the Ahlul-Bayt such as the following Rafidi report:

The Persian Rafidi heretic Al-Sharif al-Radi (359 AH/970 CE), author of Nahjul-Balagha (revered by Twelvers and Zaydis alike) has attributed the following lies (that stink of Ghuluw) to the Imams of Bani Hashim:

‘Allah will not look at whoever does not perform pilgrimage to the Commander of the Faithful (‘Ali): why do you not visit him who is visited by the angels and prophets? Surely the Commander of the Faithfulis the most virtuous of all of the Imams and he possesses the rewards of all of their deeds.’

(Al-Radi, Khasa’is, 40)

Another narration (lie):

Imam al-Sadiq said: “Whoever visits ‘Ali grave will be guaranteed Paradise.”

(Al-Radi, Khasa’is, 40)

Visiting graves is a Sunnah which provides a lesson and a reminder. If the graves are those of Muslims, one should make du’aa’ for them… The Prophet (ﷺ) used to visit graves and make du’aa’ for the deceased, as did his companions (رضي لله عنهم).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Visit the graves, for they remind you of the Hereafter.”

He used to teach his companions, when they visited graves, to say, “Al-salaamu ‘alayum ahl al-diyaar min al-mu’mineen wa’l-muslimeen, wa innaa in sha Allaah bikum laahiqoon. Nas’al Allaaha lana wa lakum al-‘aafiyah (Peace be upon you O inhabitants of the dwellings, believers and Muslims. If Allaah wills, we shall join you soon. We ask Allaah to keep us and you safe and sound.).”

This is the objection of visiting graves in Islam, Ahlus-Sunnah; One visits (flattened and modest graves) to be reminded of death and the Hereafter. One prays for the deceased, whether, Prophets, martyrs or ordinary people.

As for Ahlul-Bid’ah like the Rafidah and other than them: they have turned graveyards into places of worship (just like some of the Sufis did in the name of Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Bukhari, and their likes); they have decorated them to an extent (see Khomeini’s Zoroastrian-like palace aka mausoleum) that palaces and five-star hotels look bland and cheap compared to their lavishly built and decorated shrines and mausoleums. On top of that, they have manipulated and fooled the gullible masses with Islamic terminologies (Tawasul, Shafa’ah) and claim that the textbook polytheism that is advocated in the name of saints (Awliya, Ahlul-Bayt, etc.) is Islamically justified.

The result of false concepts of Ziyarah al-Quboor (grave visitation) made the Bid’ah (like the Shia) literally pray to the saints (under the pretext of ‘Tawassul’ i.e. intercession) instead of praying for them (which is Sunnah) by asking Allah alone to bless/forgive them. These deviant practices are encouraged and fueled with the lie that ‘Wahhabis’ are categorically opposed to grave visitation and even consider it Shirk (polytheism), which of course is nothing but a strawman, a lie to turn people away from the truth and its people with abhorrent fabrications in the name of Ahlul-Bayt (عليهم السلام):

Visiting the grave of the Prophet (ﷺ), who is the best of all, is not equivalent to one Hajj, so how about visits to anyone else’s grave? Every person with an ounce of intellect, let alone the scholars of Islam, can tell that these (Twelver and Zaydi) narrations are nothing but ies attributed to the Prophet and his progeny (عليهم السلام).

Pilgrimage to ‘Ali’s shrine was connected to certain auspicious days that corresponded to important events in his life and death as well as Islamic days of commemoration. The Rafidah have innovated festivals such as ‘Ali’s birthday and even for Majoosi Nowruz, they flock to his grave.

The Sufi Ottomans did their part in order to preserve Rafidi heresies. The Rafidah enjoyed much freedom during the Ottoman reign, in fact, at one point the cities of Karbala and Najaf were predominantly inhabited by Persian Shias from Iran (to this very day many if not most people of that region are in fact of Persian descent and wrongly described as ‘Arab Shia’) who were sent by the Safavids and their successors for missionary work in Iraq.

Ottoman leniency (although some Ottoman authorities and scholars did hold anti-Rafidi sentiments) towards Rafidism is cited as one reason for the spread of Twelverism in south Iraq. In fact, the Ottomans actively participated in the preservation of the idolatrous Najaf temple. The Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz rebuilt the Clock Portal (Bab al-Sa’a) and the Portal of Muslim Ibn ‘Aqil in 1863 and the Ottomans didn’t lift a finger to wage war against Rafidism in Najaf and Karbala.

The lavishly decorated shrine drew wealth and religious authority to the Shia clergy. The complex rites in these manuals were akin to Hajj manuals that led pilgrims on an embodied journey.

Ibn al-Mashhadi (d. 1198, a major Shia authority on grave pilgrimage) created elaborate rituals that pilgrims were obliged to perform at ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) shrine to gain the full rewards of their grave pilgrimage. These rituals are disturbingly tied to specific body parts of ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه).

Ibn al-Mashhadi encourages pilgrims in his grave pilgrimage manual (Kitab al-Mazar) to first visit Kufa and then bathe (!) in the Euphrates River before finally making their way to Najaf. Then they should prepare their bags, complete the major ablution, wear clean clothes, wear perfume, remove their shoes, and then face towards Najaf and supplicate. This supplication indicated that the pilgrim had prepared him or herself for the sacred journey and that the pilgrim expressed clear intentions to visit `Ali’s grave. A trench and high walls surrounded the old city o Najaf to protect the city from Bedouin raiders and other attackers.

These rituals bring to mind similar rituals that all Muslims recite when starting their Hajj pilgrimage: “Here we come, O Allah, here we come! Here we come. No partner have You. Here we come! Praise indeed, and blessings, are Yours—the Kingdom too! No partner have You!”. The difference is that at the Hajj Allah alone is invoked, whilst in Najaf ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) is invoked besides Allah. We can see how Shia pilgrimage follows some of the same steps as that of Hajj. This clearly represents an effort on behalf of scholars to present pilgrimage to Najaf as an official pilgrimage akin to Hajj.

The manuals then guided pilgrims to continue their walk towards the shrine until they reached the flag in a location called Hannana outside of Najaf.

Ibn al-Mashhadi further mentions in his grave pilgrimage manual (Kitab al-Mazar) that after supplicating at ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) grave, pilgrims learn from the Shia authority al-Mashhadi to throw themselves on the grave, kiss it, and then rub their cheek on it. When they are standing at the place of ‘Ali’s head, they should then turn towards the direction of Mekkah and pray two cycles of prayer and recite specific chapters from the Qur’an. One of the next directives instructs pilgrims to lay their right cheek on the ground (a Jewish-like practice alien to orthodox Islam). The Shia pilgrims are should also turn towards where ‘Ali’s legs are buried and recite specific prayers where ‘Ali is called upon besides Allah. After completing their prayers at ‘Ali’s grave, pilgrims then recite a short prayer of greetings at Adam and Noah’s graves (عليهما السلام), which according to Shia reports are to be in the same spot as ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) grave.

Finally, before completing their grave pilgrimage rituals, pilgrims must engage in the ritual of bidding farewell to ‘Ali. Pilgrims should stand at the grave in the same way they started out at the beginning of the pilgrimage and face the grave in the same direction of Makkah. They then should recite a prayer wherein they bid farewell to ‘Ali (and avoid to show their backs to him!), praise him and the other Imams, and curse his enemies (Sahabah according to the Shia).

As mentioned earlier, sometime in the ninth century, the Zaydi Shia Talibite ‘Sayyid’ ruler of Tabaristan, Muhammad ibn Zaid al-Da’i (861-900 CE), added a dome to al-Rashid’s structure i.e. the once alleged grave of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه).

Shaykh al-Islam Abul-‘Abbas Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) says:

 

وأما المشهد الذي بالنجف فأهل المعرفة متفقون على أنه ليس بقبر علي بل قيل إنه قبر المغيرة بن شعبة ولم يكن أحد يذكر أن هذا قبر علي ولا يقصده أحد أكثر من ثلاثمائة سنة ؛ مع كثرة المسلمين : من أهل البيت والشيعة وغيرهم وحكمهم بالكوفة . وإنما اتخذوا(الشيعة)  ذلك مشهدا في ملك بني بويه – الأعاجم – بعد موت علي بأكثر من ثلاثمائة سنة ورووا حكاية فيها : أن الرشيد كان يأتي إلى تلك وأشياء لا تقوم بها حجة . – مجموعة الفتاوى لشيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية – ج 27 – الفقه 7 – الزيارة

‘As for the mausoleum/shrine that is in Najaf: the people of knowledge and insight agree that it is not the grave of ‘Ali; rather it is the grave of al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah as some have stated. For over 300 years (after ‘Ali’s demise) nobody mentioned nor meant that it is ‘Ali’s grave…

They (the Shia, Zaydis and Twelvers alike) claimed this mausoleum/shrineduring the reign (over Iraq) of the [Persian] Bani Buyeh (Zaydi Buyids) more than 300 years after ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) demise and they narrate baseless stories that Harun al-Rashid visited it (‘Ali’s grave in Najaf).’

(Majmoo’ al-Fatawa by Ibn Taymiyyah, vol. 27, pg. 236)

Shaykh Dr. Ahmad ibn Hassan al-Mu’allim al-Yemeni mentions in his book ‘al-Qubooriyyah (grave veneration/grave worship): its inception, its effect, and the stance of the scholars with regards to it – Yemen as a case study’:

‘Shaykh al-Islam’s (Ibn Taymiyyah) words are supported by what the two Imams, Dhahabi, and Ibn Kathir said. Dhahabi says (in his Siyar A’lam al-Nubala`) in the section about Fanna (Panah) Khusraw, better known by his laqab of ʿAdud al-Dawla, one of the Buyid leaders from northern Iran, a Zaydi Shia Persian clan that rebelled against the Abbasid caliphate):

“He (Panah Khusraw) was a zealous Shi’ite (he patronized a number of Shia scholars such as al-Mufid, and sponsored the renovation of a number of important Shia shrines) who discovered a grave in Najaf and claimed that it belongs to Imam ‘Ali, subsequently, he built a mausoleum above it and propagated Rafidi symbols and rituals, mourning processions in ‘Ashura, I’tizal (heretical Mu’tazili creed)…”

…And Ibn Kathir said regarding the incidents in the year 347 AH:

“The lands (of Islam) were plagued with Rafidism and the cursing of Sahabah which was institutionalised by the [Zaydi Shia Persian] Buyid dynasty, the [Zaydi Shia Laventine] Hamdanid dynasty, and the [North African] Fatimid [Isma’ili Shia] dynasty. During that era all the kings of the lands of Egypt, the Levantine, Iraq, Khorasan, and other than them, were Rafidites, including those in Hejaz and most of the Maghreb. They spread the cursing of and Takfir against Sahabah.”

(Shaykh Dr. Ahmad ibn Hassan al-Mu’allim, ‘Al-Qubooriyyah (grave worship and veneration), its inception, its effect, and the stance of the scholars with regards to it – Yemen as an example’, pg. 113)

May Allah reward and bless the scholars of Yemen who before anybody else have exposed the reality of the almost uncountable graves, tombs, and shrines that Ahlul-Bid’ah have attributed to the Prophets, the Ahlul-Bayt, and other pious men and women of this Ummah who undoubtedly – if alive – would flatten their own graves to the ground by following the path of Ibrahim (عليه السلام) and Muhammad (ﷺ), lifting the ax of Tawhid and smash the idolatrous-like constructions which were built over their graves.

Zaydi Shia authorities and leaders have a long and similar history of Ghuluww (exaggeration) with the Ahlul-Bayt (عليهم السلام), Zaydism is, in fact, a form of extreme Shi’ism; a form of Rafd (rejectionism) that carries many semi-Twelver beliefs, rituals, and practices, including Quboorism (excessive veneration of the saints and graves).

Of course, compared to the bizarre and pagan Twelver Rafidi religion, Zaydism appears pretty much Islamic, almost orthodox. Well, at least according to the unschooled eye. However, it is not really an accomplishment to appear more orthodox next to the grotesque Twelver Rafidah and their hideous cultish-like sect that is infamous for absurd and pagan beliefs, customs, and rituals – starting from barbaric self-flagellation rituals to Catholic-Style iconography (depiction of saints/imams) to polytheistic tomb and shrine rituals of the extreme kind.

It is thus not surprising that Quboorism (exaggeration of the veneration of graves and the saints) is an integral part of Zaydism similar to how it is in Twelver Shi’ism and forms of extreme Sufism (that Shia leaders, Twelver, and Zaydis alike -love to parade as ‘true Sunnism’)

Overly decorated graves and even shrines and lavish mausoleums are sanctified by Zaydi authorities who have a long history of violating (just like the Twelver Shia) the commands of the Ahlul-Bayt (عليهم السلام) who insisted to be buried in flattened and modest Islamic graves. The Zaydis (like the Twelver Shia) have even built shrines and mausoleums for their deceased modern-day scholars.

Their Ghuluww (extremism) with graves doesn’t end here. Zaydi Shi’ism and their ‘Imams’ and ‘humble Sayyids’ (yes, they are also very fond on the whole Sayyid-Caste business) who for the most part were nothing but opportunistic heretics who claimed to be of ‘Alid descent and whose dream of ruling caused has caused bloodshed and havoc in the Ummah, are actually responsible for one of the biggest idols in the history of Islam, namely the grave and mausoleum (falsely attributed to the Chief of the Believers, Ali b. Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه)  in Najaf (Iraq).

This is the Hujjah (authoritative proof) of the Zaydi Shia! Some ‘Alid (alleged descendants of ‘Ali) Zaydi Shia rulers of some northern parts (Tabaristan) of predominantly Sunni Persia in the 3rd/9th century who were known for their constant failed revolts and numerous claims to Imamah were the first to build structures over the once modest and Islamic graves of the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt.

The ‘Alid ruler who ordered the construction of the shrine (and wasted a huge sum on it) was Muhammad Ibn Zayd (the brother of Hasan Ibn Zayd also known as al-Da’i al-Kabir or Al-Qa’im al-Haqq) who was later defeated and killed by the Persian Sunnis Samanids (the irony). That means that even according to Zaydi Shia accounts, Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) grave was modest and Islamic i.e. flattened just like the rest of the graves of the Sahabah in al-Baqi in al-Madinah and that only changed when deviant Zaydi Shia Persian rulers started to change that after around 240 years of ‘Ali’s (رضي الله عنه) demise!

And who are the foolish claimants of Sunni orthodoxy and spirituality who go on pilgrimages to an idolatrous Rafidi shrine where other than Allah is called upon and the Companions, the Sahabah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) are abused and cursed? Of course none other than the ignorant Quboori Sufis, the spiritual brothers of the Rafidah, the Twelvers and Zaydiyyah.

From the evil trickery of the Neo-Safawi regime of Iran: It presents sell-out (non-Iranian) ‘Sunni’ clerics (who care more about the Shia regime than Iranians themselves) as ‘true Sunnis’ and authorities in the Sunni world.

Infamous Case: The despised (by Iraqi Sunnis) Naqshbandi-Sufi ‘Mufti’ of Iraq; Mahdi al-Sumaidaie

In a Jumu’ah khutbah, this hypocrite pawn of the Majoos of Qom and Tehran, al-Sumaidaie, quoted Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in defense of Iran, claiming that it is a religious duty to defend Iran! These are the mouthpieces of Iran that are paraded as ‘true’ Sunnis by the Rafidah!

And of course, when this Sufi-Naqshbandi is not busy cheerleading for Iran he goes on shrine pilgrimage, not any shrine, but the shrine in Najaf, the temple of the Rafidah where ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) is invoked and Sahabah are cursed. What else would a ‘true Sunni’ do after all?

A delegation of high ranking (and of course mainly shaved) Azhar clerics (who are known to be from amongst the most ignorant of people when it comes to the reality of Rafidism, exceptions prove the rule) frequently visit the shrine of Najaf, that hotspot of Shirk and Sahabah abuse:

Azhar clerics are known to be ignorant when it comes to the reality of Rafidism, they have contributed little in the last few decades in refutation of Rafidism, a field that is almost completely dominated by the ‘Wahhabis’ (Salafis) who are ironically accused of not loving the Prophet (ﷺ), yet it is them who have defended the honour of the Prophet (ﷺ), his wives, and Companions more than any other group against the vicious attacks and propaganda of the Rafidah clergy.

These ignorant Sufi-Azhari clerics probably don’t even know that over a few dozen Rafidi satellite channels broadcast 24/h from Karbala and Najaf targetting mainstream Sunnis beliefs and the Sahabah (and not just ‘Wahhabism’ as the deceptive Rafidis claim).

No wonder that Azhar clerics and Sufis, in general, are the preferred targets of the Rafidi clergy who love to parade them as ‘true Sunnis’, there is no opposition expected from these Sufis whose institute was founded by heretical Sahabah-cursing Ismaili Ubaydis (‘Fatimids’) and has today become nothing but a pawn of the extremist secularist Egyptian authorities. These are the allies of the Rafidah, these are the ‘true Sunnis’!

Here the foolish Azhari-Sufis signing documents in support of Shia militias and the Iranian founded Iraqi equivalent of the Basij i.e. the Rafidi The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as al-Hash al-Sha’bi who according to various independent sources have committed numerous crimes against Iraqi Sunnis under the pretext of fighting Daesh (‘Isis’) and ‘Wahhabism’!

Undoubtedly, the golden idol of Najaf would be razed to the ground by none other than the Zaydis and the Twelver claim to love and follow, i.e. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه).

Conclusion:

There is no reliable evidence proving that ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) is buried in Najaf, Iraq. The idolatrous mausoleum is against the teachings of the Ahlul-Bayt and ‘Ali himself who, without a shred of doubt, would raze it to the ground if he were alive and then proceed to burn the Rafidi clergy alive for all the lies, kufr, shirk, ghuluww, zandaqah, majoosiyyah, and other heresies that they have attributed to him.

There is no doubt that the day will come that the idol of Najaf, just like every single other mausoleum (whether in the name of a Sahabi, or Imam Bukhari, Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Shafi’i) will be restored to its original modest form, flattened to the ground, not desecrated.