Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib spoke about the importance of the announcement that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his pure family) had made, declaring that Imam Ali (Peace be upon him) would be the leader for Muslims to follow, as he had more knowledge of Islam than any other.

Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib explained that the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his pure family) made this announcement after completing his last Hajj pilgrimage to all those present. He also made the people pledge their allegiance to him, to make sure that the message was understood. It was the longest speech he ever delivered, and it is important that it continues to be narrated from one generation to the next.

The Sheikh encouraged his audience at his Saturday lecture to put themselves in the position of those present at the time in order to understand what the words of the speech really meant. After that, one should look at the situation in Islamic countries today, and how the Islamic community, the Ummah, has distanced itself from the pure teachings of Islam. The Quran is the word of God, and its language confirms this. Likewise the lectures and teachings of the Ahl Ul Bayt (Peace be upon them) impress with their content, and anyone who listens to or reads them with an open heart has to accept them as the truth.

The Sheikh spoke of Al-Tabarsi, who related that the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his pure family) held this speech in front of 70000 pilgrims. But he also spoke of the rebellion to come. Confirming the importance of this message, Imam Baqir (Peace be upon him), announced that if anyone added a caliph instead of Imam Ali (Peace be upon him) as a leader, then that is equal to committing shirk.

Sheikh Yasser explained how the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his pure family) repeatedly announced throughout his being a Prophet that Imam Ali (Peace be upon him) was to be his successor and ordered the people to hold onto him. When it came to repeating this again in front of all those pilgrims, he sought Allah for protection from those opposed to the appointment of Imam Ali (Peace be upon him). When it was granted, he continued to make it clear to the people that his teachings were still very young and vulnerable, and that people would pose as Muslims, take control and change the faith to suit them. We even read this in Bakri hadeeth sources such as Bukhari, but why these are ignored today by the followers of the Bakri sect is a mystery to any Shia Muslim. The Prophet (Peace be upon him and his pure family) then stressed the fact that whoever does not hold on to the Ahl Ul Bayt (Peace be upon them) will be lost.

Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib listed the order in which we obtain a thorough understanding of Islam. First we have to follow the Quran, the book of Allah, then the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his pure family) to learn how to understand the Quran, and then the teachings of the Imams (Peace be upon them) as they inherited the prophetic knowledge in order to explain the faith and his Sunnah with their infallibility, avoiding the mistakes and confusions that certain companions had about Islam. We often read in bakri sources that these companions had disagreements amongst each other as in the case of the Fadak issue, in which the right of Fatima (Peace be upon her) to an inheritance was taken away from her. We even read that they disobeyed the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his pure family) as in the case of the Calamity of Thursday hadeeth, and Aisha treacherously administering him what she described as medicine during his sleep, even though he forbade her to do so.

Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib reminded everyone that Allah does not forgive those who transgress this order. He explained that the faith and its practice of those who doubt the Imamate of Imam Ali (Peace be upon him) becomes void, as they are not following that which they had been commanded to do, and have thereby created something very different from the truth.