RNA – Speaking at the beginning of his advanced jurisprudence course at Qom’s Grand Mosque, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi expressed his condolences regarding the martyrdom of Shaykh al-Nimr, condemned the Saudis’ barbaric act of executing that great religious scholar and recited Surah al-Fatihah, together with the attendees, for Shaykh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.
Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi called the execution of Shaykh al-Nimr a heinous crime on the part of the Saudis and stated: “The whole world condemned this heinous crime, save the Americans who limited their reaction to expressing their concern! We believe that this terrible act of murder has, most probably, been coordinated with them. The Americans and the Zionists, who pursue their project of creating sectarian divisiveness among Muslim schools, and in particular among Shi’a and Sunni Muslims, are now extremely happy with this crime and its consequences.”
Referring to the Saudis’ wicked plot of the execution of Shaykh al-Nimr together with a number of terrorists, His Eminence continued: “The Saudis probably wanted to deceive the world by placing the name of Shaykh al-Nimr along with those of some terrorists, and then justify their terrible crime through sophistry and by making reference to some Quranic verses and Islamic traditions as proof.”
His eminence, then, added: “Shaykh al-Nimr never took up arms; his weapon was his knowledge. The way the Saudis beheaded Shaykh al-Nimr and then hanged his headless body is the exact same way that the ISIL, terrorists, have treated many innocent people. This barbaric act was even condemned by the popular European newspapers and they have called it the exact replication of the atrocities of the ISIL, terrorists.”
Stating that the Saudis, whose evil plots for the region have been foiled, are now seeking revenge with those who oppose them, Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi noted: “The Saudis must know that by bombing Yemen they will achieve nothing; they have also sought to avenge their failure in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq by murdering a religious scholar; however, they must know that the martyrdom of this innocent man will incur such a heavy penalty that they would never have even dreamed of.”
Calling the assault on the Saudi consulate and embassy in Mashhad and Tehran an improper act, His Eminence advised all devout individuals who seek to support their country and the Islamic revolution to refrain from taking actions that would entail negative consequences for the country.
He also noted: “Two groups might be responsible for this act: the first are the supporters of the Islamic revolution who have been enraged by the Saudis’ terrible policies and actions who lost control and took such actions; it is obligatory for these individuals to be more careful. The second group is the spies who seek such opportunities to provoke the people and pursue their evil plans of creating hatred among Sunni and Shi’a Muslims in situations like this.”
He further added: “Such actions must never be repeated again, since they entail adverse consequences for our country and for Islam. When the whole world is condemning the Saudis for their crime, why should we do something to make the world stop blaming them and blame us instead? I hope that all devout individuals control themselves and do not take actions which can provide the enemy with the excuse to blame us.”
Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi further added: “The martyrdom of Shaykh al-Nimr is not a simple issue which can be easily forgotten. I hope that God the Almighty will soon send down his wrath upon those who try to undermine Islam and the Quran.”
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