Why is the Shia a small minority if it is rightful, and why do not the generality of the world Muslims believe in it?

The answer :

 One cannot distinguish between the wrong and the right

way via the scant or large number of their followers. In the

world today, the number of Muslims in proportion to the

non-Muslims is one fifth or sixth, and the majority of the

Far East inhabitants are idolators, cattle-worshippers, etc.

 China with more than one billion population is considered

as the center of atheist communism, and the idolators and

cattle- worshippers cover the major parts of India, which

consists of nearly one billion people.

 As a consequence, the majority is not always right. The

holy Quran often blames the generality and, on the contrary,

praises the minority. For instance,

 والتجد اكثرهم شاكرين

*

(You will not find in most of them any gratitude.)

 ان اوليائه اال المتقون ولكن اكثرهم ال يعلمون

**

(No man can be its custodians, except the pious, but most of

them do not understand.)

 وقليل من عبادي الشكور

***

(But very few of my worshippers are greatful.)

 Therefore, the scant or large number of one‟s followers

makes the realistic man neither afraid nor proud. This calls

for one to refer to his mind and rensoning.

*

 Araf Sura, verse no. 18

**

 Anfal Sura, verse no. 34

***

 Saba Sura, verse no. 13

Once upon a time, someone addressed Imam Ali (a.s) and asked

him, “How is it possible that your opponents in Jamal battle be wrong

while they are in majority”? And Imam replied,

ان الحق و الباطل اليعرفان باقدار الرجال ، اعرؾ الحق تعرؾ اهله، اعرؾ الباطل

تعرؾ اهله

(The right and wrong are not recognized with the mumber of

their followers; you will know who is right if you recognize the

truth, vice versa.)

 It is obligatory for a Muslim to analyze this issue via research and

reasoning and applies this Quran verse, which goes

* والتقؾ ما ليس لك به علم

(And do not involve yourself with that which you have no

knowledge of) that in order to enlighten his way.

 From another angle, it is clearly evident that the Shia is less than the

Sunnite in number, i.e., if any precise census is taken, it will be

revealed that one fourth of the world Muslims are Shia, and they have

settled in different regions throughout the world.**

 Besides, there have been some famous scientists, writers, poets, etc.

counted among the Shia. Worthy to mention that the founders of the

Islamic sciences have been mostly from the Shia, for instance,

 Abul Asvad Dueli, the founder of „Syntax‟

 Khalil Ibn Ahmad, the founder of „Prosody‟

 Maaz Ibn Moslem Ibn Abi Sare Kufi, the founder of „Arabic

Grammar‟

 Abu Abdollah Mohammed Ibn Imran, Katib Khorasani

(Marzbani), one of the heralds in „Rhetoric and Elequency‟ *

, to

name just a few. For further study on the abundant works of the

Shia scientists and learned, refer to the worthy book „Al-Zariah

Ela Tasanif El-Shia (A study on the Shia writings); also for further

information on the great Shia figures, refer to „Ayan Ul-Shia‟. The

history of Shiism can be referred to in „the history of the Shia‟.

*

 Asra Sura, verse no. 36

** For further study, refer to Ayan Ul-Shia, vol. 1, p.194

* Refer to „Tasis Ul-Shia ( the Shia oundation ), Seyed Hasan Nasr.