By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
      "He is a Luminous-Faced one and it is for him that the clouds pour down rain; (though an orphan) he is the Shelter of the orphans and the Protector of the widows.”
      "Those of the Bani Hashem who face destruction seek refuge in him and it is by means of him that they find themselves receiving bounties and favours.”
      This couplet was composed extempore by an uncle on witnessing the miraculous powers of his toddler nephew.
      According to historical documents, a millennium and five centuries ago when Mecca faced a severe drought and there was no water for the people and their livestock, Imran, the son of the chieftain of the Ishmaelite tribe of Quraysh, or more properly of the monotheist Bani Hashem clan to which belonged the custodianship of the Ka’ba, was inspired by a novel idea.
      He gently lifted in his arms the son of his deceased brother, Abdullah, brought him outside the house, and raising the child towards the sky, beseeched the One and Only God for mercy.
      To the surprise of the onlookers, soon clouds darkened the skies and there was a heavy downpour with fresh water flowing everywhere to the delight of everyone, including the weak members of the society, that is, the orphans and widows.
      It was then that the jubilant uncle chanted these verses in praise of his nephew, whose future greatness he clearly foresaw.
      The identities of the uncle and the nephew ought to be crystal clear by now. If Imran was none other than Abu Taleb, the son of Abdul-Muttaleb, his orphaned nephew, whose guardianship he undertook and raised him dearer than his own sons, was the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger to mankind with the universal message of Islam.
     So profound was the faith of the uncle in the divine mission of the nephew that among the verses Abu Taleb composed in praise of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), is the following one:
     "He is that Balance of justice that never violates (even) one grain of barley; and he is a Correct Measurer whose weight and measurement are not to be feared for error.”
     These verses confirm Abu Taleb’s acknowledgement of Islam as the Primordial Muslim, and his support for the prophethood of his nephew.
      Alas, despite these undeniable facts, some so-called Muslims, whose hearts are empty of faith in Islam, allege that Abu Taleb was a polytheist.
      This is the result of the poisonous propaganda of the Abbasid caliphs and their court scribes, who in an attempt to justify the denial of the caliphate or political rule of the Islamic realm, to the Prophet’s progeny, the Ahl al-Bayt, alleged that the father of Imam Ali (AS) – the Barometer of Faith – was not a Muslim.
     These evil minds, whose own ancestors were the sworn enemies of Islam and Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), fail to comprehend how an unbeliever uncle protected throughout his life from the plots of the pagan Arabs, his dear nephew and the mission of Islam, to the extent of enduring the three-year boycott imposed by the infidels by retiring with the neo Muslim community to the safety of the gorge outside Mecca that still bears his name as She’b Abi Taleb.
      Moreover, if Abu Taleb was not a Muslim, as alleged, was his solemnizing of the Prophet’s marriage to the Mother of Believers, Hazrat Khadija (SA), valid?
       They should at least read the works of authoritative Sunni scholars who have extensively quoted the verses Abu Taleb composed in praise of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), such as the following ones:
      "O' Nephew! The enemies shall never reach you until such time that Abu Talib has rested in the earth and taken the grave as his bed,”
      "So accomplish your assignment and fear none give glad tidings and make the eyes joyous and cheerful.”
      "You invited me towards your faith and I know fully well that you are a sincere adviser to me and surely you invited and are trustworthy in your invitation.”
      "Indeed I have perceived that the religion of Muhammad is the most excellent of all religions.”
      "O' Quraysh, do you not know that we have found Muhammad to be a prophet just as Moses was and his mention has been recorded in the Divine books?”
      The 7th of Ramadhan, the day on which Abu Taleb passed away, provides us the opportunity to sift truth from falsehood, in view of the fact that the Prophet personally laid his loving uncle to eternal rest and performed the funeral prayer.
     The death of Abu Taleb, as acknowledged by the Prophet himself, emboldened the pagan Arabs of Mecca to plot against his life and force him to migrate to Medina.      
      According to the prominent Sunni scholar, Ibn Abi’l-Hadid: "If it was not for Abu Taleb and his son, Imam Ali (AS) the religion (of Islam) would never have prevailed. If the father spared no efforts to protect the Prophet and his mission in Mecca, in Medina it was the son who risked his life and limbs to save Islam and the Prophet from the wars imposed by the pagan Arabs.”
      It would repetitive to refer to ayahs 28 and 29 of Surah Ghaffer pertaining to the Momin Aal-e Firoun or the True Believer of Pharaoh's clan who concealed his faith in the One and Only God in order to save Prophet Moses (AS). Nor does time allow us to dwell more on the other merits of the Shaikh al-Bat-ha or the Senior-most Statesman of Mecca, who through the marriage of his son, Imam Ali (AS), to the Prophet's Immaculate Daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), built such an unbreakable bond with his nephew that his grandsons, Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS), were hailed by the Prophet as Leaders of the Youth of Paradise.