Chapter 502 - 355: The Followers of Ali

"One day, we will build a great Mosque, and these Holy Relics will shine resplendently upon this sacred ground. This is the Holy Land where I will lead the faithful!"

He waved a hand, pointing to the crowd waiting outside the Mosque. "Allah has given me an army to protect our faith and to drive out the heresy the Umayyad brought from Fire Hell into the mortal world! The Abbas Clan who betrayed Ali, the blasphemous Turkic Sultans of Isfahan, and all the Sunni Muslims who ignore the Prophet’s teachings and have sunk into depravity.

These people have submitted to the rule of Satan, straying far from obedience to Allah, the Most Merciful. We must defeat and expel them! All followers of Ali, unite! Hateful Umayyad! Hateful Sultan of Isfahan!"

"Hateful Umayyad! Hateful Sultan of Isfahan!"

"Hateful Umayyad! Hateful Sultan of Isfahan!"

"Hateful Umayyad! Hateful Sultan of Isfahan!"

He shouted loudly, "This army will be victorious, but I am not the one who will lead it. Allah and the Mahdi have woven a dream for me, showing me the King who will lead us to the promised land. He told me of the King who is inspired by Allah and destined to rule Syria and Palestine—Shansi!"

He stood up and raised Shansi’s hand, and the crowd erupted in applause.

"King! King!"

"Our King!"

"Allah bless us! The Mahdi guide us!"

Shansi looked both surprised and overwhelmed, while Eric watched Master Musa with a smile.

"Behold!" Master Musa shouted, still holding Shansi’s arm aloft. "The King of Alder Shuub Aima!"

’Alder Shuub Aima. That’s what Master Musa called it. The land of the Imam’s followers.’

’Whoever the Imam is, and whoever is King of his land, will be a sheep in a den of wolves.’

’Yet Master Musa hoped to establish his own Kingdom on the back of a single dream. Eric had no doubt that the sheep in this dream would ultimately be torn to shreds by those wolves.’

’Still, it wasn’t entirely without value. Madness brought change. Change brought opportunity. And opportunity brought wealth.’

The slave-king knelt and kissed the corpse.

The Sufi Practitioners began to sing, and the people inside and outside the Mosque could finally see ’Imam Hussein’ with their own eyes.

Tears streamed down their faces as they knelt before the Imam, prostrating themselves and weeping bitterly.

Eric noticed that Shansi’s sister, Zahra, didn’t bow to the corpse.

She looked at it with curiosity, as if it held no meaning for her. She stared at the deceased for a moment, then noticed everyone around her was kneeling. Standing made her stick out, so she crouched down.

Finally, she met Eric’s gaze and gave him an embarrassed smile.

’Her eyes were brighter than the rubies on the corpse.’

——————————

PS: The religious leaders of the Shiite sect are called Imams. The position of Imam is unique and hereditary within the family of Ali. However, the lineage was passed to the Eleventh Imam, who was killed by the Abbasid Caliphate. Officially, a Twelfth Imam does not exist, but some Shiite Believers firmly believe the Eleventh Imam had a son.

He was the son of the Eleventh Imam and a Byzantine princess, making him the Twelfth Imam, also known as the Mahdi. However, due to persecution by the Abbasids, the Twelfth Imam entered a state of occultation by the will of Allah shortly after birth, a state which continues to this day.

Shiite Believers believe the Twelfth Imam is still alive and will appear before the final judgment to save the world, similar to the Messiah in Christianity.

The Sunni sect acknowledges the Mahdi, but they believe he has not yet been born.

The Sunni and Shiite sects have major disagreements regarding rituals and the selection of the caliph.

The Shiite sect believes the caliphate should be hereditary within the family of Ali. Furthermore, Shiite doctrine leans toward mysticism, incorporating the veneration of Holy Relics and a belief in prophecy.