The conduct of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) and that they were all martyred shows that it is a part and parcel of the Islam faith to not be an ally of or submissive to the oppressors. It is because of such belief that in today world we see the contemporary tyrant regimes like the US and Israel are so much intent on bringing the Shiite government of Islamic Republic of Iran to its knees. They know that Iran will never become an ally with them in suppressing other Muslims in Palestine, Yemen and elsewhere in the world.
From the viewpoint of the Shias, imamate or caliphate is a divine position and it is God who lays down the criteria determining who is right for the position of governance of the society. On the other hand, other Islamic schools of thought are of the view that governing the society is a worldly matter and there is nothing holy about it. Therefore, according to them the ruler may assume power through election by the general public, election by the elite, appointment by the previous ruler, or even by staging a coup or using force etc.
Based on such belief, their scholars have issued a verdict saying that revolt against the ruler, irrelevant of how he came to power, is forbidden, even if the ruler is a sinner, an oppressor, a pagan who does not believe in God or even if his actions are against the rules of the Quran, the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) or that of the previous caliph.
In order to justify such bizarre belief, they refer to some narrations ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) which, as we will see, do not agree with the Quran. These narrations and the subsequent verdict have led the followers of this belief to be passive to and recipient of oppression from unjust rulers and have made them silent against their wrongdoings. In contrast, following the example of Imam Hussain (as), the Shias have never been silent against tyrants and oppressors; rather, opposing oppression and the unjust ruling systems has always been an integral part of their belief.
Shiism has always been anti-oppression and will never ever come to terms with tyrannical powers. That is not but because the motto of their first Imam, i.e. Imam Ali (as) even on his deathbed was,
Always be the enemy of the oppressors and the helper of the oppressed. (Nahj al-Balaghah, Letter 47)
Imam Hussain (as), the incomparable example of revolt against oppression, is quoted to have said,
I don't see the death but happiness and life with the wrongdoers an ignominy. (Tohaf-al- Uqoul , P. 245)
It is Imam Hussain’s motto that makes Shias an enemy of the tyrants. Not only is opposing the tyrants the advice of the Ahl al-Bayt (as), but also it is the command of the Muslim Scripture. According to the Quran, belief in God is not complete unless one keeps away from the tyrant rulers. The Quran says,
وَلَقَدۡ بَعَثۡنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٖ رَّسُولًا أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱجۡتَنِبُواْ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتَ
"We have dispatched a messenger to every nation [who said]: 'Serve God [Alone] and turn aside from the Arrogant ones.'" (16:36)
The above verse explains that the most important objective of the messengers of Allah was to guide people so that they should worship only God and keep away, which means not obey, the tyrants.
Having this clear evidence in the Quran, it is very strange to see the Wahhabis advocate the idea that obeying the ruler is a must and disobeying him is unlawful be the ruler a drunkard, an oppressor, or an open transgressor of Allah’s rulings. It is quite clear that the verdicts in support of such rulers were issued to justify the illegitimate Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs. In stark contrast with this belief, history testifies that the Shia Imams (as), all of whom were of the progeny of the Prophet (pbuh), were martyred in one way or another. That was not but because they were always a threat to the illegitimate ruling system. The conduct of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) and that they were all eventually martyred shows that it is a part and parcel of the Islam faith to not be an ally of or submissive to the oppressors. It is because of such belief that in today world we see the contemporary tyrant regimes like the US and Israel are so much intent on bringing the Shiite government of Islamic Republic of Iran to its knees. They know that Iran will never become an ally with them in suppressing other Muslims in Palestine, Yemen and elsewhere in the world.