RNA – Pakistani Shi’a Cleric, Allamah Rajah Nasir Abbas Jafari wrote a letter to Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi thanking him for his remarks on the Pakistani Shi’as’ hunger strike.
The text of the letter is as follows:
In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Dear Master, Grand Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi,
Greetings,
I am proud of the wise stances taken by the great Shi’a authorities like you during the occultation of Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his glad advent). I also pray to God Almighty to bless you with a long life so that you can be a guardian over all Shi’as around the world.
We have been taught to cherish Islam and to defend the oppressed and to withstand all the hardships on this path. We made that decision only to defend the rights of the Pakistani people in general and those of the followers of the school of the Ahlul-Bayt in particular.
It is now more than 35 years that we are constantly being victimized by hostile policies. During these years, we have made a lot of sacrifices because of adhering closely to the values of the genuine Islam. We have also been the advocates of the unity of all Muslims and we still believe in this stance as the only way of confronting the abhorrent sectarian seditions.
Not long ago I, together with some of my brothers, decided to go on a hunger strike in order to awaken the conscience of our rulers, political leaders, and all free-spirited people in and outside our country. Our purpose in doing so was to persuade the officials to agree to the legitimate demands of the Pakistani people, the most important of which were the realization of social justice and the effective eradication of Takfiri terrorism in the country. This is because Takfiri terrorism has ravaged our country and has claimed countless innocent lives in Pakistan.
The statement that you issued about us at the beginning of our hunger strike had a profound effect on our morals as it acknowledged the legitimacy of our strike. Your support for our hunger strike gave us the spiritual power to tolerate all the difficulties and continue our hunger strike for 85 days.
Therefore, I extend my heart-felt gratitude to you, on behalf of myself and my brothers, the members of the board of “Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan,” for your caring attitude towards us, the Shi’a Muslims and the followers of the school of the Ahlul-Bayt in Pakistan.
My master! Our decision was to continue our hunger strike until all our legitimate demands were met, no matter how much sacrifice this would entail. However, when we received your letter and we studied your instructions and realized what our religious duty was, we decided to end our strike.
God willing, we will continue to obey the wise instructions and orders of our religious authorities until the advent of Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his glad advent). May God bless you with a long life and watch over you, for you are a leader for us and for the entire Muslim ummah.
“Say, ‘Indeed my prayer and my worship, my life and my death are for the sake of God, the Lord of all the worlds” [The Holy Quran 6:162]
Rajah Nasir Abbas Jafari
Secretary General of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan
October 8, 2016
112/940