In order to prevent their adherents from coming closer to the Shia of Ahlulbayt (as) so that the true colors of their celebrated ancestors are not exposed, our opponents have invented various fairy tales and attributed them to the Shia. One such accusation is that the Shia helped the Tatars to attack Muslims and invade Abasid led lands. To such propagandists, we would like to respond that there were other reasons, there were in fact segments of the Ahle Sunnah that led the Tatars in the invasion of Muslim lands, and their allegations against the Shia have been concocted to intentionally shift the burden onto them. Legendary Salafi scholar Muhammad Rasheed Raza (d. 1935) who is known as ‘reformer’ and who has been praised by several Salafi scholars including Al-Albaani has stated in his authority work Mujalat al-Manar, Volume 14 page 770:
أثبت لنا التاريخ أن إغارة التتار على المسلمين ، قد كانت أول مزلزل لقوتهم وخاضد لشوكتهم ، وأنه كان للعداوة بين الشافعية والحنفية يد في إغراء التتار الوثنيين بالمسلمين وتنكيلهم بهم
It’s proven in history books that the Tatars’ assault upon the Muslims was the first reason to debilitate their (Muslims) power, and the enmity between Shafiyees and Hanafis contributed in luring the pagan Tatars to invade Muslims and torture them.
Ibn Abi al-Hadeed stated in Sharh Nahaj al-Balagha, Volume 8 page 237:
فخرج قوم من أصحاب الشافعي إلى من يجاورهم ويتاخمهم من ممالك التتار فقالوا لهم اقصدوا البلد حتى نسلمه إليكم
A group of Shafiyees went to the territory of the Tatars and said to them: ‘March to the city and we will give it to you’
The Sunni scholar Imam Muhammad Abdo also admitted that the Sunni Shafiyees were the ones who helped and brought the Tatars to invade Muslim lands, the Sunni scholar Muhammad Ghazali and Ahmad Mustafa al-Maraghi and the Salafi scholar Muhammad Rasheed Reza quoted Imam Muhammad Abdo’s statement and endorsed it. In this connection we read in Defa an al-aqida wa al-sharyi’a, by Muhammad Ghazali, page 177, Tafseer Maraghi by Ahmad Maraghi, Volume 1 page 350 and Tafseer al-Manar by Muhammad Rasheed Raza, volume 2 page 207:
وهذا شافعي يغري التتار بحنفي
”This is a Shaffiyee (cleric) alluring Tatars (to invade) Hanafis.”
Similarly, a Salafi historian namely Dr. Saad al-Ghamdi wrote a book titled as سقوط الدولة العباسية ودور الشيعة بين الحقيقة والإتهام [The collapse of Abbasid state and the role of the Shias between truth and accusation]. Dr. Ghamdi in his book proved in details that Shias had nothing to do with Tatars’ invasion, and that such accusations is a lie.