Al-Azhar senior scholar, Sheikh Ashour, rejected the claim of Sheikh Yaqub based on “Shias are infidel” and stressed that Shias are not infidel and they are not going out of Islam.  In a TV program “Cairo Today”, quarrel was erupted between Mahmoud Ashour, and Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Yacub, senior scholars of Al-Azhar, about Shia doctrine and their expansion in Egypt. Yacub called Shia as Muslims who are out of Islam because they are allegedly insulting the Sahaba and believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s) is the first succession of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He said: “there are fundamental differences between Shia sand Sunnis. By Observing the Shia TV program we can easily understand the deep differences between Shia and Sunni. On the other hand, Sheikh Ashour said that Shias were not going out of Islam, because after reciting the word “there is no God but Allah” all of them are Muslim and belong to Islam. He pointed out that the Shias differ from Sunnis in the jurisprudence, but they are agree in the word “there is no God but Allah and prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of God”, as well as the holy Quran is the book of God and the miracle of the Messenger of Allah and Kaaba is our Qiblah, so they are not infidels even if they imprecate Sahaba. He pointed out that the Shias may have some differences between themselves, as well as Sunnis, but we should not imprecate each other, because this is a big plot against Muslims which planned by enemies and unbelievers. He added: Egyptians fond the household of Prophet (pbut), but they are not Shia. There is no horror because of converting some people to Shiite religion and it doesn’t mean in future we would encounter the wave of Shia thoughts.