He said: {Piety is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] piety is [in] one who believes in God, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, despite love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakat; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous}1.
Then the Mighty and Sublime said: {They ask you about the new moons. Say, "They are measurements of time for the people and for Hajj." And it is not piety that you enter houses from the back, but piety is that of one who fears God. And enter houses through their Gates. And fear God that you may succeed}2.
And what the Sublime commanded us by His word: {And [recall] when We said, "Enter this city and eat from it wherever you will in [abundance] and enter the Gate prostrating and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens' (Hittatun); We will forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good"}3. The "city" here is the Name.
(384) The Lord Messenger — exalted be his glory — said: "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its Gate."
This means: whoever wishes to enter, let him come to the Gate. This is a textual designation from him for our Master Salman — peace be upon him — not as the people of delusion claim through the transmission of falsehood: that this word is an indication of the Gatehood of our Master Amir Almuminin. God is far above the words of the fabricators; how could that be when our Master — exalted be his glory — is the Pre-eternal, the Cause of causes?