In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, and we invoke Salawaat on the Messenger of Allah (S) and his Ahl Al-Bayt (household members), who were specially chosen to assist Allah's Messenger in propagating his message, and after him bear the responsibility of guarding the message and the laws brought by the last prophet of God.

In 1962 Allamah Shaykh Muhammad Jawwad Mughniyah of Lebanon had written a very important book, As-Shi’a wa al-Hakimoon, in Arabic, which highlighted the plight suffered by Shi’as at the hands of the tyrannical rulers, whom some ignorant persons think to be the 'shadow of God on the earth '!

This book was subsequently translated into many languages. The present English translation is prepared from the Urdu version, entitled: Shi’a Aur Jabir Hukumran, translated by Ridha’ Husayn Rizwani, who has also added scholarly footnotes to enhance its relevance in this present age. (It has been nearly 45 years since the book was first published).

Alhamdulillah, the English translation was completed on the 13^th Rajab al-Murajjab, the day celebrated by Shi’as as the birthday of their first Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib (‘a), through whom began the chain of infallible leaders that would continue till the end of the world.

Wassalam

Syed Athar Husayn S. H. Rizvi

Al-Qalam Translators & Writers Bureau

Email: sayedathat@hotmail.com

Dated: 13 Rajab al-Murajjab 1429 A.H./ 17^th July 2008