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Prophet Mohamed Warns about Wahabism 4:13 PM

Satellite Proof that Founder of Wahabism is Horn of Devil (Part 2) 4:12 PM

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SHIAISM 8:56 PM

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

What we stated is the reality of Sunnism. Sunnis bring down the Allah (swt) and His Orophets and Imams in order to save the status of the Sahabah. There are many bid’ahs that the later introduced into Islam, which Sunnis defend by fabricating hadiths attributed to the Holy Prophet (pbuh). We gave lots of examples in the Volume One. In this one too, we have cited lots of others. Let us cite one more example now:

Narrated by Abdel Malik ibn Shu’aib ibn Laith Ibn Sa’ad, narrated by his father, narrated by his grandfather, narrated by Ukail ibn Khalid, narrated by ibn Shihab, narrated by Yahya ibn Sa’id ibn al-Aas who narrated that Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, and Uthman related to him that Abu Bakr requested permission from the Prophet to enter when the Prophet was lying down on Aisha’s bed wearing her garment (mirt). So the Prophet gave permission to Abu Bakr to enter while he (Muhammad) was in that state and Abu Bakr finished what he needed and left. Later, Umar came and requested permission to enter and the Prophet gave him permission to enter while he (Muhammad) was in that state. So Umar finished what he needed and left. Later, Uthman requested permission to enter to the Prophet, so Muhammad sat up and told Aisha, “Wrap yourself well with your clothes.”

 So Aisha did as the Prophet requested and left. Afterwards, Aisha asked the Prophet, “O Prophet! Why is it that I didn’t see you anxious when Abu Bakr or Umar came like you were when Uthman came in?”

The Prophet replied, “Uthman is a bashful man, and I feared that if I gave him permission to enter in the state that I was in, he would not have finished what he came for.”

Sahih Muslim, Hadith Number 4415

This is a related one:

Aishah said, “Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, was lying in bed in my room WITH THIS THIGH UNCOVERED when Abu Bakr sought permission to get in... and he conversed in the same very state (the Prophet's thigh uncovered). Then 'Umar sought permission and it was given to him and he conversed in that very state. Then 'Uthman sought permission…and Allah's Messenger sat down and set right HIS CLOTHES.”  Aishah said, “Abu Bakr entered and you did not stir and did not observe much care (in arranging YOUR CLOTHES), then 'Umar entered and you did not stir and did not arrange YOUR CLOTHES, then 'Uthman entered and you got up and set YOUR CLOTHES right.”  He said, “Should I not show modesty to one to whom even the Angels show modesty.”

Sahih Muslim, No. 4414

The first one portrays the Holy Prophet (pbuh) as putting on Aisha’s clothes, while Aisha herself was improperly dressed and did not bother until Uthman the shy came! He was prepared to speak to his guests in that state!! The second one even makes things worse. It shows the Holy Prophet (pbuh) appearing half-naked (since he exposed his “awrah”, nakedness, i.e. his thigh) to his guests!! Subhannallah! This is the kind of things we say. There were some Sahabah who did this. To justify this act, the Sunnis fabricated the above hadiths.

While they bring down the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in order to defend their leaders, Sunnis think we also defend the prophets as a way of defending the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt (as). Many of them think that we place the Imams above the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Therefore, if the infallibility of Muhammad (pbuh) is proved, that of his superiors is automatically proved!

We believe Muhammad (pbuh) to be the best of Allah’s (swt) entire creation. We also believe do not believe that Jibrail (as) made a mistake in conveying the prophethood to Muhammad (pbuh) rather than Ali (as). These are nothing but the imaginations of our enemies. We do not believe in the corruption of the Qur’an. We do not accuse the Mothers of the Believers of adultery. Rather, the Sahabah did that. We cannot go on and on here. Our enemies are spreading tons of false information about us. But, Allah (swt) is our Protector. Actually, they benefit from the false rumours since the Truth is prevented from spreading. But, their benefit is only temporary inshallah.

We will present a few Shi’a narrations here to show our true position, specifically on the status of the Ahl al-Bayt (as).

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Barqi from abu Talib from Sadir who has said that he asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) the following. "A certain group of people believe that you are gods. They read to us from the Quran about it. And it is He Who in heaven is God and in earth is God." (43:84). The Imam (a.s.) said, "O Sadir, my hearing, my sight, my skin, my flesh, my blood and my hair are (all) disdain such people, and Allah also disdains them. They do not follow my religion and the religion of my forefathers. I swear by Allah, Allah will not place me with them on the Day of Resurrection. The only thing from Allah to them will be His anger." The narrator has said that he said, "Among us there is a group of people who believe that you are messenger and read to from the Holy Quran. "O Messengers, eat of the good things and do righteousness; surely I know the things you do (23:51). The Imam (a.s.) said, "O Sadir, my hearing, my sight, my skin, my flesh, my blood and my hair are (all) disdain such people, and Allah and Hid Messenger also disdains them. They do not follow my religion and the religion of my forefathers. Allah will not place me with them on the Day of Judgment. The only thing from Allah towards them will be His anger."

The narrator has said that he then asked, "What are you then?" the Imam (a.s.) said, "We are the treasuries of the knowledge of Allah. We are the translators of the commands of Allah. We are infallible people. Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has commanded people to obey us and prohibited them to disobey us. We are the complete Divine authority over all that is below the heavens and above the earth."
Usool al Kafi, Volume 1, Kitab al Hujah, Chapter 53 Hadith 6

Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said:

"Prophethood ended with your Prophet, and after him no further divine book shall appear"

Usool-e-Kafi volume 1 page 211

Imam Ali al-Rida (as) said:

"The Shari'ah of Muhammad shall remain until the Day of Judgment, no Prophet will appear after him until the Day of Judgment, Anyone who after our Prophet claims Prophethood or produces a revealed book after the Qur'an, then it becomes permissible who hears this to shed that person's blood".

Tafseer Burhan Volume 3 page 101

Shaykh Saduq said:

"The Shari'ah of Muhammad will not be abrogated until the Day of Judgment, no Prophet will appear after him until the Day of Judgement, Anyone who after our Prophet claims Prophethood or attests to bringing a Book after the Qur'an, then it becomes permissible to shed such a person's blood".

Alal al-Sharh, Chapter 101, page 124

This is what we believe. Our Imams are not gods. They are also not Messengers or Prophets. They are only human beings, but chosen and purified by Allah (swt). Also, our Imams merely narrate the Sunnah of Muhammad (pbuh). They never added their own opinions. Even when they talk as if it is their own words, they are only narratinhg hadiths of Muhammad (pbuh):

Someone asked Imam Muhammad al Baqir (a.s.) about the hadith "which you transmit without mentioning its chain of narrators" The Imam (a.s.) said: "When I narrate a hadith without mentioning its chain of narrators, then my link in that is "my father (Imam Zaynu 'l 'Abedeen a.s.) from my grandfather (Imam al-Husayn a.s.) from his father (Imam 'Ali a.s.) from his grandfather the Messenger of Allah (Blessings of Allah be on him and his progeny) from Jibra'il from Allah the Mighty, the Great."

Kitab ul Irshad, by Shaykh al Mufid, p. 250 (published in Tehran 1377)

Bihar ul Anwar, by Al Majlisi, Vol. 46, p. 288 (new ed.)

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said:

"The Prophet Dawud inherited the knowledge of the preceding prophets, and he then bequeathed it to Sulayman. From Sulayman it was transmitted to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and we in turn have inherited it from him." 

Abu Basir who was present then saw fit to remark: "There are all kinds of knowledge!" The Imam responded! "The knowledge you have in mind is not particularly valuable. The knowledge of which I speak is truly precious; it is inspired in us night and day, from one hour to the next."

Al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, Vol. I, p.225.

Hasan b. Abbas once asked Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, in a letter. "What is the difference between a messenger, a prophet, and an Imam?" The Imam answered as follows:

"The messenger (rasul) is a person to whom Jibril descends and who both sees him and hears the words that he speaks. He is thus in communication with divine revelation (wahy), which he sometimes receives in the form of a dream, as was the case with Ibrahim, peace be upon him. The prophet (nabiyy) sometimes hears the words spoken by Jibril and at other times sees him without hearing anything from him. The Imam hears the words that Jibril utters without seeing him."[1]

Al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, Vol. I, p.176

One of the companions of Imam Musa b. Ja'far, peace be upon him, asked him:

"Is all that you say to be found in the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet, or do you also speak on your own authority?"

He replied: "It is impossible that we should say anything on our authority. Whatever we say is to be found in the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet."

Al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, Vol. I, p. 63

VERSE OF PURIFICATION

Allah (swt) states:

"Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you with a perfect purification".

Al-Qur'an, Surah Al-Ahzab, Ayah 33

This verse has been recorded among the verses talking about the wives of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). It however does not address them because its own grammatical form is different. All the surrounding statements are feminine (which makes it clear that they are definitely addressed to the Mothers of the Believers) while the above statement, only the above statement, is masculine. Since the Mothers of the Believers were not males, it is clear that they are not the addressees in the verse (i.e. the above part of Qur’an 33:33, often called Verse of Purification).

We read:

Narrated Ayesha:

One day the Prophet (pbuh) came out afternoon wearing a black cloak (upper garment or gown; long coat), then al-Hasan Ibn Ali came and the Prophet accommodated him under the cloak, then al-Hussain came and entered the cloak, then Fatimah came and the Prophet entered her under the cloak, then Ali came and the Prophet entered him to the cloak as well. Then the Prophet recited: "Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you with a perfect purification (the last sentence of Verse 33:33)."

Sahih Muslim, Chapter of virtues of companions, section of the virtues of the Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1883, Tradition #61.

This verse confers purity and infallibility upon the Ahl al-Bayt (as). On the purity side, these hadiths are sufficient proofs:

Sa'd said: The Prophet [p] said to 'Ali 'It is not permitted for anyone to be in a state of Janub (requiring the complete washing of the body known as Ghusl) in the Mosque apart from me and you'.

Tareekh ul-Khulafa, al-Suyuti, Page 179

On page 180 we read the envy of Umar in this regards:

Abu Hurraira said: 'Umar ibn al Khattab said, 'Ali was given three qualities any one of which I should prefer the gift of over high-bred camels'. He was asked 'And what are they?'. He said 'He married him his daughter Fatimah, his dwelling at the mosque wherein what is not permitted to me in it is permitted to him; and the standard on the Day of Khayber'

Shaykh al-Islam Tahir Qadri, in his book 'Maraja al-Bahrayn fi Manaqib al-Hasnayn' page 48, records this tradition:

"Umm Salamah (ra) narrated that she heard the Prophet (s) say 'It is never halaal for a person in a state of Janaba or menstruation to enter this Mosque, apart from the Prophet of Allah (swt), 'Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Husayn. With the exception of them no one else is permitted to enter the Mosque of the Prophet (s). Go forth! I have told you the names to ensure that you are not led astray".

The significance of this tradition lies in the number of esteemed sources that Qadri relied on:

1. Sunan Bayhaqi, Volume 7 page 65 Hadeeth number 13178-13179

2. Kanz al Ummal, Volume 14 page 101 Hadeeth number 34183

3. Tareekh Ibn Asakir, Volume 14 page 166

4. Fadail min al Seerah, Volume 1 page 283 [by Ibn Katheer]

5. Khasais al Kubra, Volume 2 page 424

It is clear from these traditions that the verse was not revealed about other than these people among those that were alive then. We will cite the comments of Sunni scholars now. . Imam Ibn Hajar al-Makki states:

Based on the opinion of the majority of (Sunni) commentators, the saying of Allah :"Verily Allah intends to ... (the last sentence of the verse 33:33)" was revealed for Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain, because of the usage of masculine gender in the word "Ankum" and after that.

Al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p220

Imam al-Tahawi states:

Those intended in this verse are the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn, to the exclusion of all others.

Tuhfat al-Akhyaar bi Tarteeb Sharh Mishkal al-Athar 8/476

Shaykh Hasan ibn Ali al-Saqqaf also states:

The Ahl al-Bayt are our master Ali, Sayyidah Fatima, our master al-Hasan and our master al-Husayn, and their descendants after them.

Sahih Sharh Aqidat al-Tahawi 655

Allamah Abubakr al-Hadrami in his Rushfaat al-Sadee min Bahr Fadaail Banee Nabee al-Hadee, Ch. 1, 13-14, states:

What is said by the majority among the scholars and accepted by the greatest Imams, and upheld by the pious and supported by evidence is that the Ahl al-Bayt, intended (in the verse), are our master Ali, Fatima and their two sons. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) did not make the term exclusive to them except based on a Divine Command and heavenly inspiration.

Allamah al-Shawkaani in his Irshad al-Fuhool 83 states, refuting those who claim that the verse was revealed about the wives of the Messenger of Allah (swt):

The reply to that claim is that there is authentic narrated proof that it (the Verse of Purification) was revealed about Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn.

Imam al-Samhudi in his Jawahir al-Iqdayn 204 states:

These individuals (mentioned as Ahl al-Bayt in the Verse of Purification) are the Ahl al-Kisa (Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn). They are the ones intended in both verses: Verse of Mubahila and Verse of Purification.

Ibn Asakir in his Arba'een 106 states about the verse:

The Ahl al-Bayt (in the verse) are the Messenger of Allah, Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn.

Imam al-Hasan (as) also said:

O people of Iraq! Fear Allah with regards to us (Ahl al-Bayt), for we are your rulers. Also, we are the Ahl al-Bayt about whom Allah the Exalted said: "Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you with a perfect purification".

Majma’ al-Zawaid 9/119

Al-Haythami states:

Al-Tabarani has recorded it and its narrators are thiqah.

Brother Ali Abbas in the SHI’ITE ENCYCLOPEDIA under the chapter “Who Are Ahl al-Bayt” has this to say[2]:

The Holy Book of Allah mentions Ahlul-Bayt and their exceptional virtue in the following verse which is known as "Purification Verse" (Ayah al-Tat'hir):

"Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you with a perfect purification". (Quran, the last sentence of Verse 33:33)

Note that the word "Rijs" in the above verse has got the article "al-" at its beginning which makes the word universal. Thus "al-Rijs" means "EVERY KIND of impurity". Also at the end of the verse, Allah states "and purify you a PERFECT purification." The word "perfect" comes from the emphasis of "Tat'hiran". This is the only place in Quran that Allah uses the emphasis of "PERFECT purification".

According to the above verse, Allah expresses his intention to keep Ahlul-Bayt pure and flawless/sinless, and what Allah intends it will certainly take place as Quran itself testifies (see 16:40). Indeed, a human can be sinless because he is not forced to commit sin. It is the human's choice to accept the instructions of Allah and get His help to avoid sin, or to neglect Allah's commandments and commit the sin. Allah is advisor, and encourager, and warner. A sinless human is still a human; no doubt about it. Some people assert that in order to be human, one SHOULD have some mistakes. Such claim is unsupported. The truth is that Human CAN make mistakes but he does not have to.

It is the Grace of Allah that attracts His servants towards Him, WITHOUT compelling them any way. This is our choice to pursue this attraction and refrain from doing mistakes, or to turn away and commit the mistakes. However, Allah has GUARANTEED to show the Right Path and to provide a pure life for those who seek it:

Whoever works righteousness man or woman and is faithful, We shall revive a PURE life for him. (Quran 16:97)

And whosoever keeps his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him. (Quran 65:2)

It is worth mentioning the sentence of Quran in verse 33:33 which is related to purification of Ahlul-Bayt, has been placed at the middle of verses related to the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and this was the main reason why some Sunnis include the wives of the Prophet in Ahlul-Bayt. However, the sentence related to Ahlul-Bayt (given above) distinguishes itself from the sentences before and after it with a clear distinction. The sentences before and after, use only feminine gender which clearly shows they are addressing the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). However, in contrary, the above sentence uses only masculine gender which is a clear indication that that Quran is changing the individuals who is referring to.

People who are familiar with Quran to some extent, know that such a sharp change of addressee is not a weird-thing, and it has been applied to several places in Quran. For instance we read in Quran:

"O Joseph! pass this over and (O wife of Aziz!) ask forgiveness for your sin, for truly you have been at fault."(Quran 12:29)

In the above verse, "O wife of Aziz" has not been mentioned and the address to Joseph (AS) looks to continue. However the transition of the address from masculine gender to feminine gender clearly shows that the second sentence is addressing the Aziz's wife and not Prophet Joseph (AS). Notice that both sentences are WITHIN one verse. Also note the immediate change of addressing from Aziz's wife to Joseph and again back to the wife in verses before verse 29 and also WITHIN that verse.

In Arabic language, when a group of women are being addressed, feminine gender is employed. However, if only one man exists among that group, masculine gender is used instead. Thus the above sentence of Quran clearly shows Allah is referring to a group other than the wives of the Prophet, using masculine gender, and that group includes some male members.

From the verse 33:33 alone, we can not conclude that the wives of the Prophet are not included in Ahlul-Bayt. This latter claim can be proven by the authentic traditions of the Sunnis from Sihah Sittah in which the Prophet mentioned who Ahlul-Bayt are; and also by comparing the specifications of Ahlul-Bayt given in the verse of Quran with the behavior of the some of the wives of the Prophet mentioned in Sihah Sittah to prove the contrary.

What can be understood from the verse ALONE is that Allah is changing His address (which was exclusively the wives of the Prophet at the beginning of the verse) to some people who include some male members, and may or may not include the wives of the Prophet.

On the infallibility saide, this hadith is very explicit:

Ibn 'Abbas reports the following important tradition from the Prophet:

"God Almighty has divided all men into two groups, and placed me among the best of all men. For He said. 'The Companions of the Right Hand how pleasant will be their state!' (56:27), and 'The Companions of the Left Hand, how evil will be their state!' (56:41)

"I am among the Companions of the Right Hand, and I am in fact the best of them.

"Then God divided men into three groups, and again placed me in the purest of them, For He said, 'The Companions of the Right Hand how pleasant will be their state! The Companions of the Left Hand, the wretched, how miserable will be their state! The third group are those foremost in faith, those who are in truth nigh unto Me.' (56:8-11). And I am the best of the foremost.

"Then He divided men into peoples and tribes, and placed me among the best of them. For He said, 'O mankind, We have created you from a single man and woman, and made of you different peoples and tribes in order that you might recognize one another, and the greatest of you in the sigh t of God is the most pious.' (49:13). And I am the most pious and the greatest of mankind, and yet I take no pride in this.

"Then God divided people into families and households, and placed me in the most virtuous of all households. For He said, 'God wishes to remove all filth and impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt,, and to render you utterly free of pollution.' (33:33) I and my Ahl al-Bayt are, then, utterly free of all impurity and immune to sin."

Al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur, Vol. 5, p. 378

Al-Alusi, Ruh al-Ma’ani, Vol. 22, p. 13

Ibn Abbas (ra) too has this to say about the word “Rijs” (abomination, filth) in the verse:

Rijs means the works of Shaytan and whatever displeases Allah.

Tafsir al-Baghwi 3/528

His student, Mujahid, as recorded in Durr al-Manthur, states:

Rijs means whatever has no good in it.

In a word, Allah (swt) purified the Ahl al-Bayt (as) from all works of Shaytan (la) and whatever displeases Him. If Sunnis are not going to accept this as infallibility, then they certainly must accept it as a great rank which none else in the Ummah can attain.

Obviously, the Mothers of the Believers were not free from sin. This hadith is at least a good piece of evidence in this regard:

"… Then ‘Umar went on relating the narration and said. "I and an Ansari neighbor of mine from Bani Umaiya bin Zaid who used to live in ‘Awali Al-Medina, used to visit the Prophet in turns. He used to go one day, and I another day. When I went I would bring him the news of what had happened that day regarding the instructions and orders and when he went, he used to do the same for me. We, the people of Quraish, used to have authority over women, but when we came to live with the Ansar, we noticed that the Ansari women had the upper hand over their men, so our women started acquiring the habits of the Ansari women. Once I shouted at my wife and she paid me back in my coin and I disliked that she should answer me back. She said, ‘Why do you take it ill that I retort upon you? By Allah, THE WIVES OF THE PROPHET RETORT UPON HIM, AND SOME OF THEM MAY NOT SPEAK WITH HIM FOR THE WHOLE DAY TILL NIGHT.’ What she said scared me and I said to her, ‘Whoever amongst them does so, will be a great loser.’ Then I dressed myself and went to Hafsa and asked her, ‘Does any of you keep Allah’s Apostle angry all the day long till night?’ She replied in the affirmative. I said, ‘She is a ruined losing person (and will never have success)! Doesn’t she fear that Allah may get angry for the anger of Allah's Apostle and thus she will be ruined? Don’t ask Allah’s Apostle too many things, and don't retort upon him in any case, and don't desert him. Demand from me whatever you like, and don’t be tempted to imitate your neighbor (i.e. ‘Aisha) in her behavior towards the Prophet), FOR SHE (i.e. Aisha) IS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN YOU, AND MORE BELOVED to Allah’s Apostle.

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 43, Number 648

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas:

that ‘Umar entered upon Hafsa and said, "O my daughter! Do not be misled by the manners of her who is proud of her beauty because of the love of Allah’s Apostle for her." By "her" he meant ‘Aisha. ‘Umar added, "Then I told that to Allah’s Apostle and he smiled (on hearing that)."

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 145

Standing up to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), retorting him, refusing to speak with him for a whole day and similar things are not signs of purity or piety!

Therefore, as our reader can see, our belief in the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) is based on the Qur’an and Sunnah[3].

But, wait a minute! It is clear that Sunnis are afraid of the term infallibility. They think that only Allah (swt) can be infallible! But, what is infallibility? Infallibility is Divine protection from sin and error, i.e. from the power of Shaytan (la). Is it proper to state that Allah (swt) protects Himself from Shaytan (la)? Does He need protection from Shaytan (la)? Obviously, such a facility is available only to creatures. Allah (swt) is beyond needing protection from Shaytan (la).

Besides, in Paradise, we will all be infallible. Will we then become small gods??

THE TRUTH IS CLEAR!

Sunnis can now see why we prefer our Imams to the Sahabah. They are purer than the Sahabah, and their words are more truthful. They are also equal in purity with the Holy Prophet (pbuh), and NO OTHER CREATURE has this virtue; not even the prophets. All the prophets (as) were less pure than the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

These are very simple words that we strongly hope our Sunni brothers will understand. Many just do not like them. But, they remain the clear truth; and we will they accept it!

On a last note, we will present this tradition that helps a lot to paint a clearer picture:

Al-Hasan ibn Ali, while delivering a khutbah a day after the martyrdom of his father, Ali ibn Abi Talib, said:

O people! Yesterday, you lost a man whom NONE has ever surpassed in merits and whom NONE will EVER equal. Certainly, the Messenger of Allah sent Ali on an expedition and gave him the flag. Ali did not return from battle until after Allah had made him victorious. He returned with Jibril on his right side and Mikail on his left side.

Sahih Ibn Hibban No. 2211

Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah 5/660 No. 2496 (declared hasan by al-Albani)

Among all the Companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), it was only under Imam Ali (as) that Jibrail (as) and Mikail (as) fought. That should strike a major chord with our readers.

There is also a particular hadith that establishes Imam Ali’s (as) clear superiority over all of Allah’s (swt) creation after the Holy Prophet (pbuh). It is called Hadith Tayr.  Ibn Taymiyyah  is one of those deeply troubled by the hadith. So, in his Minhaj al-Sunnah 7/263, he states:

"Hadith al-Tayr is among the lies and fabrications"

But, he is wrong since the hadith is sahih! Anyway, Imam al-Hakim in his al-Mustadrak 3/119 No. 4650 records:

Anas Ibn Malik narrated:

I was serving the Messenger of Allah and a roasted bird was presented to the Messenger of Allah. He said, “O Allah, bring me the most beloved of your creation (after me) to share with me this bird.” I said, “O Allah, make it a man from the Ansar.” Ali, May Allah be pleased with him, came and I said to him, “The Messenger of Allah is engaged in something.” He came again and I said, “The Messenger of Allah is engaged in something.” He came again and the Messenger of Allah said, “Open the door,” and so he entered and the Messenger of Allah said, “What is your business, O Ali?” He said, “This is the third time I came by and each time Anas sent me away. He claimed you were engaged in something.” He said, “Why did you do what you did?” I said, “O Messenger of Allah, I heard your supplication and I liked it to be someone from my people.” The Messenger of Allah said, “The man loves his people.”’

Imam al-Hakim states:

"This Hadith is Sahih according to the standards of the two Sheikhs but they do not report it. It was narrated from Anas by more than thirty companions and the Hadith has been authentically narrated through Ali, Abu Saeed al-Khudhri, Safina and Thabit al-Banani"

Of course, the hadith is sahih as Imam al-Hakim has said. However, al-Dhahabi keeps quiet about it in his Talkhis al-Mustadrak because he was not able to find the biography of one of its narratos, Ibn Ayadh. To clarify this once and for all, let us cite the comments of Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalani from Lisan al-Mizan, Volume 5 page 57:

He (Ibn Ayadh) narrated Hadith al-Tayr, and al-Hakim said that it is Sahih according to the standards of Bukhari and Muslim. I say that all the narrators are Thiqah except this one (Ibn Ayadh) thus he (Dahabi) commented on it because of him, but then I found out that he (Ibn Ayadh) is 'Seduq'.

Moreover, according to Dahabi himself, Hadith al-Tayr is genuine, as he stated in his book Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, Volume 3 page 1034:

"Hadith al-Tayr has got so many chains of narration, I collected in a separate book and the total of it proves that the hadith is genuine".

Let us cite another version of Hadith al-Tayr narrated from Sahabi Safina as recorded by Imam Tabarani in Mu'jam al-Kabir, Volume 7 page 82 Hadith 6437:

"Ubayd al-Ajli narrated from Ibrahim ibn Sa'eed al-Jawhari from Husayn ibn Muhammad from Sulayman ibn Qarm from Fatr ibn Khalifah from Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Na'm from Safinah, free slave of the Holy Prophet:
The Holy Prophet came with a bird and said: 'O Allah! Bring unto me the most beloved of your creatures (after me) to me to eat this bird with me'. Then Ali came. The Holy Prophet said: 'O Allah! He is the most beloved of creation to me too!'"

Imam Al-Haythami also recorded this particular version of Hadith and then stated:

"Al-Tabarani has narrated it and its narrators are narrators of Sahih (al-Bukhari and Muslim) except Fatr ibn Khalifah but he is Thiqah".

Majma al-Zawaid, Volume 8 page 471 Hadith 14612

Our strong belief is that Allah (swt) and His Messenger would not have preferred Imam Ali (as) above all creation except he was the best after the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

Yeah, basically, we do not exaggerate about our Imams. The Verse of Purification has meant that Imam Ali (as) was the best of the entire creation after the Holy Prophet (pbuh). The same logic implies that our Imams (as) follow him in purity and rank. Everything we say is from the Qur’an and Sunnah.

CLEARING A MISCONCEPTION

Some people try tro create confusion by claiming that Hadith Tayr places Imam Ali (as) over the Holy Prophet (pbuh) himself!  Our interpretation of the hadith is however very clear. It was the Holy Prophet (pbuh) who was making the request. Therefore, he was asking Allah (swt) to send His most beloved among the others. He did not include himself among the others. Unless a person wants to play hypocrisy, this meaning is very clear from the hadith.

Anyway, we will now cite our own hadiths on the status of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), so that our claims can stand clear. All the hadiths are from Usul al-Kafi, Book 4, The Book of Divine Proof, Chapter 111. Their serial numbers in the chapter have been retained:

1. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p) was asked: Was Prophet Muhammad (p) was the overlord of all the descendants of Prophet Adam (p)?
The Imam (p): By God! He was the overlord of all the creations of God, and God has not created any being better than Prophet Muhammad (p)

2. Imam Ali (p): God has not created any being better than Prophet Muhammad (p)

 3. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): God the Glorious says: ‘O’ Muhammad (p)! Lo, I have created you and Ali (p) out of one Light in the form of Spirit without a body before I created the Divine Throne, Heavens, Earth and the Rivers, You continued to declare My Oneness and glorified Me. Than I brought together both your spirits and merged them into one being.

In this state also you continued to glorify Me and hallowed Me. Then I separated you and subdivided you into two separate beings, thus making you four: Prophet Muhammad (p), Imam Ali (p), Imam al-Hasan (p) and Imam al-Husayn (p).

The Imam (p) further said: God created Fatimah az-Zahra (p) out of the original Light without body. Then He touched us with His hand of Glory and His light permeated through us.

4. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (p): God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (p) saying O’ Muhammad (p)! You were non-existent and I created you and in order to exalt you I breathed My spirit into you and I made it incumbent on all My creations to obey you. Therefore, one who obeyed you, obeyed Me, and one who defied you defied Me. I have also made it incumbent upon all My creations to obey Imam Ali (p), and those of his descendants whom I have chosen for Myself.

6. Some people of the tribe of Quraish asked the Prophet Muhammad (p): Why have you been awarded superiority over all the other prophets although you were raised after all of them and you are the seal of the Prophets?

The Prophet (p): I am the first one who acknowledged the Godhead of my Lord-Protector. When the Covenant of the Godhead (divinity) of God was taken from the Prophets asking them, Am I not your God? And their ‘selves’ were made witnesses for this Covenant, they all replied in the affirmative and I was the very first one to affirm. I preceded them all in acknowledging the Godhead (divinity) of God.

7. Mufazzal asked Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): In what state did you remain under the canopy of the Mercy of God.

The Imam (p): ‘O’ Mufazzal! Only we were near our Lord and there was no one else under the Green Canopy. We were declaring His Oneness. There was no Angel or any other living being except us. Then He started creating things and created whatever He pleased. And then He endowed us with knowledge.

8. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): We are the first household whose names have been exalted by God. When He created the Heavens and the Earth, He ordered an announcer to proclaim, I bear witness that there is no god but God (3 times), I bear witness that Prophet Muhammad (p) is the Messenger of God (3 times) and I bear witness that verily Imam Ali (p) is the Commander of the believers.

9. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): God was in existence when there was nothing else. God created the Universe and created the Light of Lights from which all other lights drew their illumination and He placed in it His Own Light which was the main source of all enlightenment and refulgence. This was the Original Light out of which He created Prophet Muhammad (p) and Imam Ali (p) these two were the premier Lights and there was nothing before them...

12. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): When the Prophet Muhammad (p) ascended to Heavens (went on Meraj) the Archangel Jibrael (Gabriel) (p) accompanied him to a certain point and then drew himself aside.
Prophet Muhammad (p): Are you leaving me alone at this juncture?
Jibrael (p): Please proceed, No one has trespassed this path before you and no one has ever walked on it.

13. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p) (while narrating the events of the Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (p) on Meraj): God asked the Prophet Muhammad (p)! O’ Muhammad, Do you know who will be the guide of your community after you?

The Prophet (p): Only you, O God know best.

God: Imam Ali (p), the Commander of the Faithful, the Leader of the Muslims and the Guide of the people with brilliant faces.

Then the Imam (p) said: ‘O’ Abu Basir, the Imamate of Imam Ali (p) did not originate on this earth. It was declared in the Heavens only.

17. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): … Prophet Muhammad (p) has been mentioned in the ancient Holy Scriptures and learned men have praised him and spoken about him in very good words and the intellectuals have wondered over his excellent qualifications. His character was in keeping with the dignity of a great Prophet. Every Prophet has given the glad tidings of the advent of Prophet Muhammad (p) to his community and every father (of that community) has informed his son about him and this tradition has passed on from generation to generation.

The Imam (p) further says that God has chosen him, selected him and made him His favorite and given him the keys of His (God’s) knowledge and has bestowed on him the treasures of His wisdom. God has sent him as a Mercy to His servants and as a means of the betterment of towns and has revealed on him a book, which contains Universal knowledge. The book is the Noble Quran, in the Arabic language and is totally flawless so that people may become God-fearing. The Prophet Muhammad (p) informed the people of the commandments of God, and paved by his preaching a radiant way for the salvation of the people. He explained the tenets of religion, enjoined the prescribed duties and set the limits of religion. He taught the servants of God what was hidden from them and guided them towards salvation. The Prophet Muhammad (p) performed all his duties in face of persecution and acted with patience and restraint.

20. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): Whenever Prophet Muhammad (p) was seen during the dark and moonless night, a light emanated from him as if from a part of the moon.

21. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): Archangel Jibrael (Gabriel) (p) descended from heaven came to the Prophet Muhammad (p) and conveyed the greetings of God to him and said; ‘God says that He has made all your direct ancestors who have borne you immune from the fires of Hell and also the laps in which you have been brought up…’

22. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): On the Day of Judgment, Abdul Muttalib (p) (the Grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad (p)) will be raised in an exclusive state. His forehead will be like that of the Prophets and his dignity will be (awe striking) like that of kings.

26. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): A mattress was spread specially for Abdul Muttalib (p) in Kaba and this honour was not accorded to anyone else. His sons used to stand around the mattress to prevent others from going near him. On one occasion the Prophet Muhammad (p) (during his childhood) came and sat in his lap. Some people wanted to remove him from there. Abdul Muttalib (p) said, “Let my son remain seated as he is. A kingdom is waiting for him to come.

28. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): Abu Talib (p) (father of Imam Ali (p)) resembles the people of the cave (Ashab-e-Kahaf) who kept their faith a secret in their hearts.

30. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p): Prophet Muhammad (p) entered the Sacred Mosque wearing new clothes. The idolaters threw on his clothes the dirty moist matter that oozes out of the womb of a she-camel after she delivers her offspring. The Prophet (p) was aggrieved as much as God willed him to be. The prophet (p) came to Abu Talib (p)) and said, Uncle what is my worth in your opinion?

Abu Talib (p) asked: What is this condition in which I find you?

The Prophet (p) told him what had happened. Abu Talib (p) sent for Hazrat Hamza (p), picked up his sword and asked Hazrat Hamza (p) to collect that dirty matter. Then all of them proceeded towards the idolaters. When the idolaters saw Abu Talib (p) coming they saw anger on his face. Abu Talib (p) asked Hazrat Hamza (p) to smear that dirty matter on the faces of the mischief mongers.

Then he addressed the Prophet (p) saying: My dear nephew we have taken our revenge.

36. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (p): Addressing Imam Ali (p), Prophet Muhammad (p) said: Bury me in this room only and raise my grave up to a height of the measure of four fingers from ground level and sprinkle water on it.

38. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (p): (Speaking about the last moments of the Prophet Muhammad (p) on this earth). Imam Ali (p) heard, from the Prophet (p), while he was in good health, that the verse of the Noble Quran 33:56 was revealed pertaining to his funeral prayer after he (the Prophet (p)) leaves this world. God and His angels send blessings on the Prophet (p). O’ you that believe, you also send blessings on him with all respect. (Q, 33:56)

LOVING THE AHL AL-BAYT (as)

Allamah Ibn al-Najar al-Hanbali (d. 972 H) in 'Sharh al-kawkab al-Munir' Volume 1 page 399 states:

The Ahl al-Bayt are Ali, Fatima the daughter of the Holy Prophet [pbuh], their sons who are Hasan and Hussain [ra], according to what is in Tirmidhi (book) that when He [swt] revealed {And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.} the Prophet [as] covered them with a cloak and said: 'They are my family and my own'.

Allah (swt) says in Surah ash Shura:

Say: "No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin."
Al-Qur'an, Surah 42, Ayah 23, translated by Yusufali

A lot of Sunni books of Tafsir agree that the “near of kin” in the verse are the Ahl al-Bayt (as). This is a short list among them:

1. Tafseer al-Qurtubi, volume 16 page 20 the verse of Muwaddat
2. Hilayat al Awliya page 201 Volume 3 the verse of Muwaddat
3. Tafseer Durre Manthur page 7 Volume 348, the verse of Muwaddat
4. Tafseer Kashaf Volume 1 page 1156 the verse of Muwaddat
5. Tafseer Kabeer Volume 7 page 309 the verse of Muwaddat
6. Tafseer Ruh al Ma'ani, Volume 25 page 31 the verse of Muwaddat
7. Tafseer Gharaib al Qur'an Part 25 the verse of Muwaddat page 28
8. Tafseer Fathul Qadeer Volume 4 page 472 the verse of Muwaddat
9. Tafseer Jauhar page 129
10. Tafseer al-Baghawi, Volume 1 page 190
11. Tafsir al-Nasafi,.Volume 4 page 101
12. Tafseer Khazan Volume 6 page 104 the verse of Muwaddat
13. Mustadrak al Hakim Volume 3 page 172
14. Sawaiq al Muhriqa, Volume 2 page 427l
15. Ya Nabi al Muwaddah Bab Saneeh wa Salehsoon page 106
16. Usdul Ghaba, Volume 1 page 1292
17. Kanz al-Ummal page 217 Volume 1
18. Ma'ani al-Quran, Volume 6 page 309
19. Tafseer Ibn Katheer, verse of Mawwaddah
20. Tafseer Tabari, verse of Mawwaddah

In Tafseer Gharaib al Qur'an Part 25 the verse of Muwaddat page 28, we read:

Sa’eed ibn Jubayr narrated:

After the descent of this verse, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was asked 'who are your kinfolk who are these close relatives whose love had been made compulsory?' The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said they are 'Ali, Fatima, and their sons'.

The commentator then added 'Verily there is no doubt that that this verse descended with regards to the Ahl al-Bayt (as) as a matter of pride and superior rank.'

We read in Sawaiqh al Muhriqah, Volume 2 page 427l:

Abdullah Ibn Abbas narrated:

'When this verse descended the people asked who are these close relatives whose love had been made compulsory?' The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said “They are 'Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn'. One narrator in this chain was an extremist [Ghali] Shi'a yet he is very truthful.

Hadrat 'Ali said:

A verse in Surah Shuara descended in our honour and every believer is required to act upon it, he then recited the verse 'Say: "No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin."

Shaykh al-Albani has declared the Ibn Abbas (ra) narration to be weak. However, he is mistaken since Sa’eed ibn Jubayr was a disciple of Ibn Abbas (ra), and would not have narrated what he narrated except he heard it from him. The report of Ibn Jubayr confirms that of Ibn Abbas (ra), even though the latter might not have a sound chain. Besides, Ibn Hajar al-Makki has supported it with a further confirmation from Imam Ali (as). That should shut al-Albani’s mouth forever.

Ibn Kathir too, like al-Albani, believes that the verse is only telling the unbelievers to love the Holy Prophet (pbuh)! So, this is the way Salafis generally translate and interpret it:

Say: No reward do I ask you (Quraysh) for it (the Message of Islam that I have brought to you) except that you love me for the sake of the kinship between us.

This is the official interpretation by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir. However, he did not fail to cite this narration that undermines even his own position:

After the murder of al-Husain [as] when his family were taken prisoners and were moved to Damascus, a man in the city (who among others was looking at the passing of prisoners in the city) said to Zain al-Abideen (Imam Ali Ibn al-Husain) that "Praise be to Allah who destroyed you and made you helpless and cut the root of sedition." On that, Zain al-Abideen said:

"Didn't you read 'Say: No reward do I ask you for this except love of the near kindred’?" The man answered: "Are you those near kindred (whom we must love)?" He (Zain al-Abideen) said: "Yes."

Imam al-Suyuti too has recorded it in his Durr al-Manthur, like al-Alusi in his Ruh al-Ma’ani and Ibn Jarir al-Tabari in his Tafsir. Ibn Kathir however ignores this narration and concludes in these words:

Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.”

Means, ‘Say, O Muhammad, to these idolators among the disbeliever of Quraysh: I do not ask you for anything in return for this message and sincere advice which I bring to you. All I ask of you is that you withhold your evil from me and let me convey the Messages of my Lord.. If you will not help me, then do not disturb me, for the sake of the ties of kinship that exist between you and I.

Brother Ali A Khalfan has this convincing refutation against Ibn Kathir in his article DOES THE VERSE OF MUWADDAT (42:23) NOT REFER TO THE AHLULBAIT?[4]:

This explanation has been construed in the sense that the Quraysh used to reject the Messenger and considered him as an enemy. Some traditions tell us that the Messenger objected to the many gods that the Quraysh worshipped so Allah asked him to tell these people that even if they did not believe, at least they should not be his enemy. This was because the Messenger had relatives among them and that they should not be envious of him.

The meaning of the word “Ajr” is complete when the questioner has done some work beneficial to mankind and society. He can then ask for a wage that is equal to the effort he has put in. In the verse being discussed recompense will make sense when the Messenger has guided the Quraysh and they have believed but since they remained adamant on their disbelief not believing anything that the Messenger told them, the meaning of “Ajr” remains incomplete.

Further, this explanation goes against the Qur'an because Allah does not approve the love of those who do not believe in Allah. In verse 60:4, Ibrahim (a.s.) is praised for his pattern when he said to the disbelievers: "we will always hate each other until you believe in One God". How could Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) say, "If you don't love me because I am a Prophet then love me for being your relative?"

In short, if those who were asked about the recompense are supposed to be disbelievers or their relatives, then the recompense has no meaning and such an idea goes against the Qur'an. Hence the explanation by Ibn Kathir is objected.

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) followed the religion of Prophet Ibrahim (as), and Prophet Ibrahim (as) rejected the love of the kuffar. Why would he contradict him? Besides, reward can only be demanded from people who have accepted Islam. It just doesn’t make any sense to state that the kufar were asked to pay a reward for Islam which they rejected?!

Brother Khalfan continues:

According to this explanation, the recompense of the ministry of the Messenger of Allah has been replaced or equated with the love of his progeny who are on the path of God. Accepting the invitation of God or the path of God willingly has the same connotation as the verse: “Whatever recompense I have asked of you is only for your souls, my recompense is from God alone.” This explanation is also striking because the reward for loving the Ahlulbait goes to the one of loves them since the reward of the Messenger is from God alone.

We therefore see from Tabataba’i’s explanation that no other meaning of the clause “fil Qurba” will make sense except “my Ahlulbait” because:

In the case of Ahlulbait, the meaning of “Ajr” becomes complete as they are believers who willingly accepted the invitation of God and the Messenger can now ask for a wage equal to the effort he has put in. The clause “fil-Qurba” has to mean those who are a path or means to attaining closeness to Allah. This meaning is similar to the verse:

He said, “No reward do I ask you for this save that you willingly take a path to your Lord” (25:57).

In conclusion, the love of Ahlulbait is the recompense of the ministry of the Messenger of Allah as it conforms to the purpose of his ministry. This love is compulsory on all believers because the Ahlulbait are the path to attaining closeness to Allah and His honored Messenger (peace be upon him).

These are the verses on the matter:

These are they whom Allah guided, therefore follow their guidance. Say: I do not ask you for it a wage except that it is a reminder to the worlds.

Qur’an 6:90

And you do not ask them for a wage for it except that is a reminder to the words.

Qur’an 12:104

Or is it that you ask them a wage? Then surely the wage of your Lord is best, and He is the best of those who provide sustenance. And surely you call them to a straight path.

Qur’an 23:72-73

Say: I do not ask you a wage except that for whom wants to, may take a way to his Lord.

Qur’an 25:57

Say: Whatever wage I have asked of you, that is for yourselves; surely my wage is with Allah, and He is a witness of all things.

Qur’an 34:47

Say: I do not ask you for any wage for it - nor am I of those who affect -
Except that it is a reminder to the worlds; And ye shall certainly know the truth of it after a time.

Qur’an 38:86-88

That is of which Allah gives the good news to His servants, (to) those who believe and do good deeds. Say: I do not ask of you any wage for it but love for my kin; and whoever earns good, We give him more of good therein; surely Allah is Forgiving, Thankful.

Qur’an 42:23

Or do you ask them for a wage so that they are overburdened by a debt?

Qur’an 52:40, 68:46

This is the simple summary of the verses on this issue:

1. The true reward of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) is only from Allah (swt)
2. Love of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) is actually a way of validating our Islam. Whoever does not love them has basically rejected Islam.
3. Loving the Ahl al-Bayt (as) is only for our own benefit and salvation
4. Love of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) is the Path to Allah (swt).

With all this made clear, we must state here that the hadith of Ibn Abbas (ra) is actually sahih, contrary to the dishonesty of Ibn Kathir, al-Albani and others. First, it has a lot of witnesses in other hadiths. Secondly, it has a clear witness in the plain text of the Verse of Mawaddah. Lastly, Muhammad ibn Talha al-Shafi’i has in his Matalib al-Sool 1/38 declared it sahih. Allamah al-Subki in his Tabaqat al-Shafi’iyat  al-Kubra 8/63 calls him “a pride of mankind”.

In Tafsir Shawahed al-Tanzeel, by al-Haskani al-Hanafi, volume 1 page 554, we read:

Umamah al-Baheli reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: 'Allah has created the prophets from different trees but He created me and Ali from one tree, I am the root Ali is the branch, al-Hassan and al-Hussain are the fruit and our Shia are the leaves, whoever holds a branch amongst its branches will survive and whoever turns away will go astray, if a slave worshiped Allah between al-safa and al-marwa for thousand year then another thousand year then another thousand year without possessing love of us Ahl alBayt, Allah will throw him in the hell'. Then (the Messenger of Allah) recited: 'No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin. [042.023 ]'

It is also recorded in:

1. Ibn Asakir recorded it in Tareekh Damishq, Volume 41 page 335 and in Volume 42 page 65 and page 66

2. Dur Bahr al-Manaqib, by Allamah Jamal al-Deen al-Hanafi

3. Wasilat al-Maal, by Allamah Bakthir al-Hadhrami, page 61

4. Arjah al-Matalib by Allamah Amritsari, page 457

This is how al-Dhahabi has described Imam al-Haskani al-Hanafi in his Tadhkirat al-Huffaz 3/1200 No. 1032:

“Al-Haskani, the judge, the muhadith, Abu al-Qasim Ubaidllah bin Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Haskan al-Qurashi al-Ameri al-Nisaburi al-Hanafi al-Hakim, popularly known as ibn al-Heda, Hafiz, a preserved Sheikh, very careful with the knowledge of hadith, he is from price Abdullah bin Amer bin Kuraiz decent, who conquest Khurasan during Uthman’s time, and he led a long life and his chain (isnaad) was highly (preserved)”.

We also read in Tafseer Kashaf, under the commentary of the verse of Mawaddah:

"One who dies in the love of the progeny of Muhammad dies with complete Iman, one who dies with a hatred of the progeny of Muhammad dies a Kaafir".

Allamah Ahmad bin Sawda al-Edrisi, the preacher of Makka shrine said about this tradition:

"The narrators starting from Muhammad bin Aslam till the end are reliable"
Rafe al-Labs wa al-Shubahat, page 98

The hadith can also be read in:

1. Tafseer Kabeer, Published in Egypt (1357/1938), Part 27, pp. 165-166.
2. Tafseer ibn Arabi, Volume 2, page 219
3. Tafseer al-Thalabi, Volume 8, page 314
4. Yanabi al-Muwada volume 2, page 333
5. Tafseer al-Qurtubi, Volume 16 page 23
6. Tajhiz al-jaish, by Allamah Hassan al-Dehlawi, page 13
7. Al-Sharaf al-Muabad, by Allamah al-Nabhani, page 74
8. Arjah al-Matalib by Allamah Amritsari page 320
9. Nuzhat al-Majalis, by Allamah Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Safoori, volume 2 page 222
10. Fasl al-Khetab, by Allamah Muhammad Khawaja parsa al-Bukhari, page 399

We read in Fadail al-Sahaba by Ibn Hanbal, Volume 2 page 661 and also in Tafseer Dur al-Manthur by Allamah Jalauddin Suyuti who under the commentary of Ayah Mawwaddah clearly records:

Narrated Ibn Uday in report of Abi Sa’eed that the Messenger of Allah said:

Whoever hates us Ahl al-Bayt, verily he is a hypocrite.

We also read in Tafseer Dur al-Manthur:

Narrated Ahmad and Ibn Habban and Al-Hakim, in the report of Abi Sa’eed hat the Messenger of Allah said:

By Him in Whose Hands my life is, anyone who hates us Ahl al-Bayt will be sent to Hell by Allah.

Shaykh Shu'aib al-Arnaoot graded the tradition as 'Hasan' while Imam Albani al-Wahabi said:

"The chain is sahih according to Muslim's condition"

Silsilat al-ahadith al-Sahiha, volume 5 page 643, Hadith number 2488

This tradition can also be read in:

1. Sahih ibn Haban, Volume 15 page 435
2. Imam Hakim graded it 'Sahih' in al-Mustadrak, Volume 3 page 162
3. Tafseer Ruh al-Ma'ani, Volume 25, page 32

In 'Tazkirah Imam Hussain' page 78, Mufti Ghulam Rasool records:

Ibn Abbas narrates that Rasulullah (s) said 'If any individual prays in the Kaaba in between Rukn and the place of Ibraheem, fasts, and then dies in such a state that he hated the Ahl alBayt of Muhammad, that person shall go to Hell ' [Dakhair al Ukba page 51]"

This is part of the reasons for believing in the infallibility and superiority of the Ahl al-Bayt (as). Their love has been made equal with the whole of Islam itself in the Qur’an, and imposed upon the entire Ummah.

SUNNIS HAVE EXAGGERATED IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIONS

Sunnis claim that all the Companions were righteous, based upon their interpretation of certain verses and hadiths. We however disagree. The truth of the matter is that those verses, although appearing to apply to all the Companions, are actually meant for the righteous ones among them. In one verse, Allah (swt) explicitly states this:

[Shakir 48:29] Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves; you will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allah and pleasure; their marks are in their faces because of the effect of prostration; that is their description in the Taurat and their description in the Injeel; like as seed-produce that puts forth its sprout, then strengthens it, so it becomes stout and stands firmly on its stem, delighting the sowers that He may enrage the unbelievers on account of them; Allah has promised those among them who believe and do good, forgiveness and a great reward.

Let us produce two Sunni translations too:

[Yusufali 48:29] Muhammad is the messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great Reward.

[Pickthal 48:29] Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel - like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers - that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah hath promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

According to some commentators "those who are with him" refers to all those who were physically in his company, but the description given in this verse renders them inadmissible. The last portion of this verse confirms that only some of the companions are included, not all.

So, as you can see, only those among them that truly believe and do righteous deeds fall under those verses. On the contrary, the majority of the Companions had no true faith, even according to the Qur'an:

[Shakir 57:16] Has not the time yet come for those who believe that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And that they should not be like those who were given the Book before, but the time became prolonged to them, so their hearts hardened, and most of them are transgressors.

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 57:16]

According to Ibn Abbas this verse was revealed after 13 years, and according to Ibn Masud after 14 years, from the day the Holy Prophet began his mission. It shows how shallow was the faith of the companions, like the faith of the Jews who became arrogant and corrupt; and their hearts grew hard.

Also, many of them were always afraid of fighting in the way of Allah (swt):

[Shakir 9:38-39] O you who believe! What (excuse) have you that when it is said to you: Go forth in Allah's way, you should incline heavily to earth; are you contented with this world's life instead of the hereafter? But the provision of this world's life compared with the hereafter is but little. If you do not go forth, He will chastise you with a painful chastisement and bring in your place a people other than you, and you will do Him no harm; and Allah has power over all things.

Lastly, even the Holy Qur'an itself calls a prominent Companion a Fasiq (evil-doer). In his Siyar Alam al-Nubala 3/412, Imam al-Dhahabi writes about Walid ibn Uqbah in these manners:

He used to drink alcohol … Al-Walid led the people in the morning (Subh) prayer and performed FOUR raka'ats, and he was drunk … Although he was a Fasiq, he was brave and used to rise in Jihad …

Abu Layli - al-Hakam - Sa'eed ibn Jubayr - Ibn Abbas who said:

Al-Walid ibn Uqbah said to Ali: I am superior to you .

Ali said: Shut up, for you are nothing but a Fasiq.

Then Allah (swt) revealed "Is the believer (i.e. Ali) like the Fasiq (i.e. Walid)? (Sajdah, verse 18)

Al-Dhahabi made no attempt to deny the truth. He writes:

Its chain is strong, although the context of the verse suggests that it was revealed about the people of Hellfire.

Anyway, what is the context al-Dhahabi spoke of? Let us cite the verses surrounding that one:

[Shakir 32:18-22] Is he then who is a believer like him who is a transgressor? They are not equal. As for those who believe and do good, the gardens are their abiding-place; an entertainment for what they did. And as for those who transgress, their abode is the fire; whenever they desire to go forth from it they shall be brought back into it, and it will be said to them: Taste the chastisement of the fire which you called a lie. And most certainly We will make them taste of the nearer chastisement before the greater chastisement that haply they may turn. And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of the communications of his Lord, then he turns away from them? Surely We will give punishment to the guilty.

In these verses, Allah (swt) is basically promising Hellfire to Walid ibn Uqbah and other Fasiqs like him!

There is also another verse where this same Walid ibn Uqba has again been declared a Fasiq!

[Shakir 49:6] O you who believe! if an evil-doer (Fasiq) comes to you with a report, look carefully into it, lest you harm a people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you have done.

This is a Shi’a commentary:
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 49:6]

The Holy Prophet sent Walid bin Aqbah to Bani Mustalaq to collect zakat. Before becoming Muslims the tribe of Mustalaq did not like Walid, so to show their change of heart, as they were all now brothers in faith, they came out in a large gathering to receive him outside the town, but Walid, a man of easy morals, jumped at the conclusion that they wanted to kill him; so turned at once on his heels and came back to the Holy Prophet with a false conjecture that the tribe of Mustalaq had turned apostate. The truth was found out and this verse was revealed to condemn Walid, a companion of the Holy Prophet, and men like him who are ready to shed innocent blood on mere guesswork. In the reign of Uthman Walid was appointed as the governor of Kufa. Living up to his reputation, one morning, fully drunk, he came into the masjid and prayed four rak-ats in Fajr salat, and wanted to pray more if the people praying behind allowed him to do so. Yes, he was a sahabi, appropriately described as fasiq (wicked) by the Quran.

Sunni books of Tafsir also agree in their commentaries of the above verse that it was revealed about Walid ibn Uqba! Let us cite a sample list:

1. Tafsir Muqatel bin Sulaiman, v3, p259
2. Tafsir Abdulrazq al-S'anani, v3, p231
3. Tafsir Tabari, v26, p159
4. Tafsir ibn Abi Hatim, v10, p3303
5. Ahkam al-Quran, by Jassas, v3, p529
6. Tafsir al-Samarqandi, v3, p308
7. Tafsir ibn Zamnin, v4, p261
8. Tafsir al-Thalabi, v9, p77
9. Asbab Nazoul al-ayat, by al-Wahidi, p261
10. Tafsir al-Wahidi, v2, p1016
11. Tafsir al-Sam'ani, v5, p217
12. Tafsir al-Baghawi, v4, p212
13. Tafsir al-Nasafi, v4, p163
14. Ahkam al-Quran, by ibn al-Arabi, v4, p146
15. Tafsir al-Muharar al-Wajiz, by Ibn Atya al-Andlusi, v5, p146
16. Tafsir Zad al-Masir, by ibn al-Jawzi, v7, p179
17. Tafsir al-ez bin Salam, v3, p213
18. Tafsir al-Qurtubi, v16, p311
19. Tafsir al-Baydhawi, v5, p214
20. Tafsir al-Tashil le Uloom al-Tanzil, by al-Ghurnati, v4, p58
21. Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit, by Ibn Hayan, v8, p109
22. Tafsir ibn Katheer, v4, p223
23. Tafsir Tanwir al-Meqbas, by Fayroz Abaadi, p436
24. Tafsir al-Dur al-Manthur, v6, p88
25. Tafsir abi al-Suoad, v8, p118
26. Tafsir Fath al-Qdir, by Shawkani, v5, p62
27. Tafsir al-Aloosi, v26, p144
28. Tafsir Adwa al-Bayan, by Shanqiti, v7, p410

The narration above is also sahih, in case anyone wants to play any tricks! Imam Jalaluddun Suyuti said: ‘The narrators are reliable’ (Lubab al-Nuqul, p197) while Imam Shawkani said: ‘The chain is good’ (Fath al-Qadir v5 p62).

We mentioned earlier that Walid ibn Uqba was a drunkard, and that while drunk he once increased the Subh prayer to four rakats. Actually, after the fourth rakats, he tuned backwards and asked the congregation whether he should lead them in more rakats for Salat Subh??!! He wanted to perform, maybe ten or more rakats! Ibn Kathir has recorded this request in his al-Bidayah wa Nihayah 7/155. Ibn Abd al-Barr states:

His statement ‘Shall I (lead) you more (rakats)’, after when he prayed four (rakats) in the morning, is popularly known from the authentic narrations of Ahlul Hadith and historians.

Al-Istiab, Volume 4 page page 1555

This news reached Madina and resulted in an uproar. Ibn Hajar Asqalani records in Fath al-Bari, Volume 7 page 47, Baab al-Manaqib, Baab al-Uthman:

“The thing due to which people were copiously making objections in Walid’s case was that Uthman was abandoing to apply Hadd (penalty) against Walid, and the second thing was that people had disliked the removal of Saad bin Abi Waqas and the appointment of Walid at that place”.

Badruddin al-Aini records in Umadat ul Qari, Volume 16 page 203, Manaqib Uthman:

“People were copiously making objections about Walid’s matter because of the action that had been committed by him, which was, that he led the people of Kufa in morning prayers and performed four Rakats in a drunken state and then he turned around and asked: ‘Shall I (lead) you with more (rakats)?”. Objection was also being made on the fact that Uthman had been informed about this incident but Uthman lagged in applying Hadd (punishment) against him. Moreover, people had also disliked that Walid was appointed after the sacking of Saad bin Abi Waqas”.

We cannot see why Uthman did not punish Walid ibn Uqba for alcoholism while he punished others! Surprisingly, despite that Allah (swt) called Walid ibn Uqba a Fasiq on account of his lies, Sunnis nonetheless narrate hadiths from him and accept them, on the excuse that he was a Sahabi and must therefore not be doubted!! For instance, his hadiths are found in Sunan Abu Dawud (1973), Kitab al-Tarajjul, bab fi'l-khuluq li'r-rijal, vol. 4, p. 404, hadith number 4181 and al-Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, awwal musnad al-madaniyyin ajma'in, hadith 15784.

Ibn Taymiyyah himself in his Majma’ al-Fatawa 7/248 states:

Allah states “O you who believe! if an evil-doer (Fasiq) comes to you with a report, look carefully into it …”. This verse was revealed about Walid ibn Uqba who LIED while giving a report. The commentators have stated that it was revealed about Walid ibn Ubqah who was appointed to collect Zakat from the Banu Mustalaq. There used to be enmity between him and them during the days of Jahiliyyah. Then, he went without reaching them and returned, claiming that the Banu Mustalaq had refused to pay Zakat and wanted to kill him. The Holy Prophet sent another person to them, and the verse was revealed. This story is well-known from several chains … Allah (swt) called Walid ibn Uqba a Fasiq!

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi in Tafsir al-Qayyim 2/129 (compiled and arranged by Shaykh Muhammad Uways al-Nadwi) states:

The Sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them, used to offer Salat behind people whom they knew to be evil-doers, like Abdullah ibn Masud and other Sahabah who offered Salat behind Walid ibn Uqba who used to drink alcohol and offered the Subh prayer as four rakats.

Shaykh Nasiruddin al-Albani also confirms that the verse was revealed about Walid ibn Uqba and Allah (swt) called him a Fasiq in his Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah 8/90 No. 3088.

We Shi’as believe that there were indeed some good people among the Companions; and the majority of those who died for Islam during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) were truly princes of faith. Many of them who survived the Holy Prophet (pbuh) were also true believers. This is why Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (as) used to supplicate in this manner:

O God, and as for the Companions of Muhammad specifically, those who did well in companionship, who stood the good test in helping him, responded to him when he made them hear his messages' argument, separated from mates and children in manifesting his word, fought against fathers and sons in strengthening his prophecy, and through him gained victory; those who were wrapped in affection for him, hoping for a commerce that comes not to naught in love for him; those who were left by their clans when they clung to his handhold and denied by their kinsfolk when they rested in the shadow of his kinship; forget not, O God, what they abandoned for Thee and in Thee, and make them pleased with Thy good pleasure for the sake of the creatures they drove to Thee while they were with Thy Messenger, summoners to Thee for Thee.

Imam Zayn al-'Abidin , Sahifa al-Kamilah, (English translation, London, 1988), p. 27

Imam Zayn al-Abidin (as) here was referring to the good Companions. But, what about people like Walid and Rubay’at? What about people like Umar and the other Companions who accused the Holy Prophet (pbuh) os peaking nonsense!??

Ibn Abbas said: "Thursday! And how tragic that Thursday was!" Then Ibn Abbas cried severely so that his tears flowed to his cheeks. Then he added Prophet said: "Bring me a flat bone or a sheet and an ink so that I could write (order to write) a statement that will prevent you people to go astray after me." They said: "Verily the messenger of Allah is talking no sense."[5]

Sahih Muslim, Chapter of "Kitabul-Wasiyyah" in section "Babut-Tarkil-Wasiyyah", 1980 Edition, Arabic version (Saudi Arabia), v3,P1259, Tradition (#1637/21).

In the English translation of Tarikh Tabari, the translator has remained faithful to the Arabic text. He narrates from Ibn Abbas:

"The Messenger of God said bring me a tablet (lawh) and an inkpot (dawat), so that I can write for you a document, after which you will not go astray". Some people said that the Messenger of God was talking deliriously".

The History of Tabari, Volume 9 translated by Ismail. K. Poonawala p 175

The Salafi translator, MM Khan, has also translated the term correctly here:

The ailment of Allah’s Apostle became worse (on Thursday) and he said, “Fetch me something so that I may write to you something after which you will never go astray.” The people (present there) differed in this matter, and it was not right to differ before a prophet. Some said, “What is wrong with him? (Do you think) he is delirious (seriously ill)? Ask him (to understand his state).”

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 716

But, in his translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 288, he played that evil trick:

Narrated Said bin Jubair:

Ibn 'Abbas said, "Thursday! What (great thing) took place on Thursday!" Then he started weeping till his tears wetted the gravels of the ground . Then he said, "On Thursday the illness of Allah's Apostle was aggravated and he said, "Fetch me writing materials so that I may have something written to you after which you will never go astray." The people (present there) differed in this matter and people should not differ before a prophet. They said, "Allah's Apostle is seriously sick.' The Prophet said, "Let me alone, as the state in which I am now, is better than what you are calling me for." The Prophet on his death-bed, gave three orders saying, "Expel the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula, respect and give gifts to the foreign delegates as you have seen me dealing with them." I forgot the third.

The phrase translated as “is seriously sick” is yahjur, derived from hajara, meaning insane or delirious. Therefore, the true translation is “Allah’s Apostle is delirious”! (Naudhobillah!). The term “yahjur” can NEVER mean “seriously sick”.

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:

When the time of the death of the Prophet approached while there were some men in the house, and among them was 'Umar Ibn al-Khatttab, the Prophet said: "Come near let me write for you a writing after which you will never go astray." 'Umar said: "The Prophet is seriously ill, and you have the Quran, so Allah's Book is sufficient for us[6]." The people in the house differed and disputed. Some of them said, "Come near so that Allah's Apostle may write for you a writing after which you will not go astray," while the others said what 'Umar said. When they made much noise and quarreled greatly in front of the Prophet, he said to them, "Go away and leave me." Ibn 'Abbas used to say, "It was a great disaster that their quarrel and noise prevented Allah's Apostle from writing a statement for them.

Sahih al-Bukhari Hadiths: 9.468 and 7.573

We read in Musnad Ahmad 3/346:

Jabir said: The Holy Prophet (pbuh) asked for a paper to write his will which no one would get astray after it. But Umar objected until he rejected it.

Its margin writer, Shaykh Shuaib Arnaut states: It is sahih.

In the English version of Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, Haque translates from Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari, that when the Prophet (s) asked for writing material and Umar intervened

"The Prophet, may Allah bless him, abandoned the idea".

Kitab Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, Volume 2, page 303 English translation by S. Moinul Haque, Kitab Bhavan Publishers, New Delhi

After this, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) declared that Umar had no merits:

"We were with the Prophet, may Allah bless him, and there was a screen between the women and between us. The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, said: Wash me with seven waterskins and bring something to write upon and an inkpot, I shall write a document for you and you will never be misguided till eternity. The women said bring to the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him what he wants. Umar said; I said to them: Keep quiet. You are like the women of Yusuf when he is ill and you shed tears, and when he is healthy you hold him by his neck. Thereupon the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him said: They are better than you"[7]

Kitab al Tabaqat al Kabir, by Ibn Sad Vol 2 English translation by S. Moinul Haq p 305

 Umar did not even want to hear whatever the Holy Prophet (pbuh) wanted to say. To him, whatever he would say was nonsense! He emboldened the other Companions and together they openly accused the Holy Prophet (pbuh) of saying nonsense! Umar and his colleagues clearly forgot these verses:

[Shakir 8:20] O you who believe! obey Allah and His Messenger and do not turn back from Him while you hear.

[Shakir 8:46] And obey Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel for then you will be weak in hearts and your power will depart, and be patient; surely Allah is with the patient.

Besides, certain verses were explicitly revealed to warn Umar against this kind of behaviour!

[Shakir 49:1-3] O you who believe! be not forward in the presence of Allah and His Messenger, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing. O you who believe! do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loud to him as you speak loud to one another, lest your deeds became null while you do not perceive. Surely those who lower their voices before Allah's Messenger are they whose hearts Allah has proved for guarding (against evil); they shall have forgiveness and a great reward.

This is a Shi’a commentary of these verses:

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 49:1]

In the commandment of "Do not be forward or presumptuous", Allah has joined the Holy Prophet with Himself. This implies that no irreverence should be shown to either Allah or His Prophet in any matter. The believers must be mannerly, decorous, feeling and showing reverence in the presence of the Holy Prophet. It is not allowed to give advice in any matter before the Holy Prophet asks a believer to do so, if he pleases. Obey Allah and His Prophet in every matter, small or great; in the whole conduct of your life.

Judgement or verdict is given by Allah in all matters through His messenger. So obey and revere the Holy Prophet as you should obey and revere Allah. Some ill-mannered companions used to show positive disrespect to the Holy Prophet by their behaviour. Bad manners and rudeness destroy the value of any services which have been rendered. Those who had true piety in their hearts really and sincerely respected, honoured and revered their leader. Those who did the opposite surely undid the work of years by weakening the leader's authority. See commentary of Nisa: 65 and always keep in mind the person who said about the Holy Prophet:

"The old man is in a delirium. The book of Allah is sufficient for us."

Apart from the derogatory comment on the infallible messenger of Allah which had rendered all his deeds null and void, his ignorance of the book of Allah had also become known to the whole world. It is because of such "wandering in the darkness of ignorance", the Holy Prophet had advised his followers to refer to his Ahl ul Bayt whenever they desire to understand the true meanings of the verses of the Quran (see hadith al thaqalayn on page 6). So think twice before following such ignorant and self conceited persons as your leaders who ridiculed and slandered the Holy Prophet, when even walking ahead of him or beside him, or talking loud before him or interposing while he is speaking, has been prohibited .

It is reported in a tradition mentioned in Sahih Bukhari that a group of men of Qa-aqa came to the Holy Prophet; and before he could give his verdict, Abu Bakr proposed Qa-aqa bin Mu-ud and Umar suggested Qara to be appointed as the leader of the group. Then they began to dispute with each other on that issue. So these verses were revealed to establish the supreme authority of the Holy Prophet.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Unwarranted interference in the issues of religion already decided by the Holy Prophet emerged in full force after his departure from the world and continues in every age.

The occasion of revelation shows that the most prominent companions of the Holy Prophet indulged in what has been forbidden in these verses.

Bukhari says:

"The two good men were very near (a certain) perdition" (Kadal khayyiran an yahlika)

Notwithstanding this reprimand, according to Bukhari, disrespectful behaviour of the companions continued and lasted till the Holy Prophet's departure. The well known tradition of qirtas throws sufficient light on the ignorance of the companions.

Verse 3 mentions the men of sublime character around the Holy Prophet who are referred to in order to distinguish good from evil, because behaviour unto the Holy Prophet has been made a test of the faith of his followers.

Imam al-Ghazali also comments on this incident:

"The Messenger of Allah declared "Whomsoever I am his master, Ali too is his master”. Umar [ra] accepted this, congratulating Ali [ra] saying "Congratulations you have become the master of men and women". But after this, his desire for power overtook him and when the Prophet said "Bring me a pen and paper so that I can remove any doubts over who will succeed me, Umar [ra] replied "Leave him for he is talking nonsense".

Sirr'ul Alameen, by Abdul Hamid Ghazzali page 9

Ibn Taymiyyah too attempts to defend the action of Umar and his colleagues in his Minhaj al-Sunnah 6/24:

Umar was confused whether the statement of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was from the severity of the illness or the words of a man who knew what he was saying ... The Holy Prophet (pbuh) was indeed ill, and Umar did not know whether his statement was from the insanity caused by illness (min wahj almard) like sick people normally do or from the statement of someone who knew what he was saying so that he could accept it!!

This might appear shocking to many Sunnis since it confirms that Umar doubted that the words of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) were those of a sane man! In fact, even according to Sahih al-Bukhari, Umar was actually the first person to directly accuse the Holy Prophet (pbuh) of insanity!

When the time of the death of the Prophet approached while there were some men in the house, and among them was 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, the Prophet said: "Come near let me write for you a writing after which you will never go astray." 'Umar said: "The Prophet is seriously ill, and you have the Qur'an, so Allah's Book is sufficient for us." The people in the house differed and disputed. Some of them said, "Come near so that Allah's Apostle may write for you a writing after which you will not go astray," while the others said what 'Umar said. When they made much noise and quarreled greatly in front of the Prophet, he said to them, "Go away and leave me." Ibn 'Abbas used to say, "It was a great disaster that their quarrel and noise prevented Allah's Apostle from writing a statement for them.
Sahih al Bukhari Arabic-English Volume 9 hadith number 468 and Volume 7 hadith 573

This shows that the Sahabah that accused the Holy Prophet (pbuh) of insanity only merely repeated Umar’s accusation!

How can you call a man who made such an attack on the Holy Prophet (pbuh) righteous?

This is the Truth we want our Sunni brothers to accept. Let them stop denying reality.

In all, let us, as usual, finish this off with another major Sunni contradiction! Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani is a wonderful scholar. He is much like Sunnism itself, and has this rare ability to contradict himself with impeccable precision!

One of the areas where he has nicely contradicted himself is in the matter of the Sahabah. In his al-Isabah 1/6-7, he states about the Sahabah:

The Ahl al-Sunnah are unanimous about the righteousness of ALL the Sahabah, and none disagrees with this consensus except heretics.

But, in the same book, al-Isabah 2/432 No. 2759, he states about Rubay'at ibn Umayah:

He accepted Islam on the day of the Conquest of Makkah and witnessed the Farewell Hajj of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) … ALTHOUGH HE WAS A SAHABI WITHOUT DOUBT, it is also reported that he apostatized during the reign of Umar! … Rubay'at drank alcohol during the reign of Umar, and escaped to Syria, and from there to Caesar (i.e. Rome), became a Christian and died there.

In Fath al-Bari 7/3, Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani also states:

Rubay'at ibn Umayah ibn Khalaf al-Jamhi: He accepted Islam during the Conquest of Makkah and was present at the Farewell Hajj along with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). He also narrated hadiths from the Messenger of Allah  (pbuh) after his death ... He moved to Rome during the caliphate of Umar and became a Christian because of something that angered him (i.e. he drank alcohol and wanted to escape its punishment).

We need not comment anymore.

Some Sunnis, especially the Salafis, might feel offended because we have cited these references from the Qur’an and their own authentic sources! They have hadiths that condemn anyone who criticizes ANY of the Sahabah! Well, one would think such hadiths should apply to al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar too! They should also apply to Imam al-Bukhari who has recorded hadiths critical of the Sahabah in his Sahih. Anyway, we reject all such hadiths because they contradict the Qur’an. The Qur’an itself has condemned some Sahabah, just as the Holy Prophet (pbuh). It is unthinkable to assume that those hadiths condemn both! Besides, we are supposed to read the Qur’an with its true meaning and not hide anything. So, why would any hadith forbid the proper interpretation of the Qur’an? And, as we can see, the proper interpretation of certain verses naturally results in criticizing some Companions.

Anyway, let us provide our final analysis in this regard. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said:

Whoever abuses Ali has abused me.

Shaykh Abu Ishaq al-Hawayni in his Tahdhib al-Khasais, p. 76, No. 86 states after recording it:

Its chain is sahih.

The Salafi hadithist, al-Daani ibn Muneer Aali al-Zaawee in his tahqiq of the hadith in Kitab al-Khasais states:

Its chain is hasan.

The hadith is also recorded in Musnad Ahmad 2/735 No. 1011. Its annotator, Wasiyullah Muhammad Abbas states:

Its chain is sahih.

Imam al-Suyuti has declared it sahih in his Jami' al-Sagheer 529 No. 8736. Imam al-Munawi in his tahqiq of Jami al-Sagheer 2/817 also declares the hadith sahih.

Ibn al-Jazri in his Manaqib Usd al-Ghalib 20 has also declared it sahih.

In spite of this hadith, we read Ibn Taymiyyah saying in his Minhaj al-Sunnah 8/230:

If it is necessary to defend Uthman and Ali then it is more suitable to defend Abubakr and Umar. AND ALI FOUGHT TO CONTROL PEOPLE AND FOR MONEY. SO HOW CAN THIS BE CONSIDERED FIGHTING FOR THE RELIGION WHEREAS ABUBAKR FOUGHT THOSE WHO BECAME APOSTATES AND THOSE WHO REFUSED WHAT ALLAH ORDERED[8].

Do Salafis consider this an abuse against Imam Ali (as)? If no, why do you then wail when we utter similar things about Abubakr and Umar?

Besides, Ibn Taymiyyah has lied in the above statement while we rely on authentic Sunni hadiths and the Holy Qur'an in our statements against Abubakr and Umar!!

The hadith below clearly proves that Ibn Taymiyyah indeed lied. We read:

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri narrated:

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“Among you is one who will fight for the interpretation of the Qur’an just as I fought for its revelation”.

We were very excited, and among us were Abubakr and Umar. Abubakr asked, “Am I the one?” and the Holy Prophet (pbuh) answered “No”. Umar too asked, “Is it I” and the Holy Prophet (pbuh) replied, “No; but it is the one who is mending the shoe”, meaning Ali (who was mending the shoe of the Holy Prophet).

Therefore we visited Ali to convey the good news to him, but he did not even raise his head, as if he had already heard it from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).

Khasais Imam Ali, al-Nisai, p. 29

Sahih Ibn Hibban No. 2207

Mustadrak al-Hakim 3/303-304

Musnad Ahmad 3/33 and 3/82

Musnad Abu Ya’ala 1/303-304

Hilyat al-Awliyah, Abu Nu’aym, 1/67

Tarikh Ibn Asakir 12/179

Majma’ al-Zawaid 9/133-134 and 5/186

Silisilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah 5/639 No. 2487

Imam al-Hakim and al-Dhahabi have both declared the hadith sahih on the conditions of Sahih al-Bukhari.

Abubakr al-Haythami states:

Ahmad has narrated it, and its narrators are narrators of Sahih (al-Bukhari and Muslim) except Fatr ibn Khalifah and he is thiqah.

He also states:

Abu Ya’la has narrated it and its narrators are narrators of sahih.

Al-Albani states:

Fatr is a narrator of Sahih al-Bukhari (i.e. meaning that al-Haythami was mistaken) … and the hadith is sahih without doubt.

So, rather than Imam Ali (as), it was clearly Abubakr and Umar who murdered because of power and money, as is very clear from the above hadith.

---

[1] Some people might have problem with the idea of angels visiting non-prophets. They even accuse us of believing in the prophethood of our Imams for believing that angels used to speak with them! Here, we will present the words of Bro. Ali Abbas, author of the Shi’ite Encyclopedia, a popular research work available at al-islam.org/encyclopedia. While addressing this question,  he writes:

ARE THE IMAMS INSPIRED

There is no doubt that when the verse:

"Today I have perfected your religion and completed my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your religion." (Quran 5:3)

the religion completed. Allah revealed Quran as well as the Shari'ah (Divine law) ONLY to the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and non of such things was

revealed to Imam Ali (AS). If Imam Ali was inspired (ILHAM) it had nothing to do with religious commandments; it was rather about what happened and what will happen.

There are many methods that Allah may inform His servants of something. One way is revelation (WAHY). The other way is inspiration (ILHAM). By inspiration, Allah induces the knowledge into the heart of His servant.

This is unanimously held by the all the Islamic Schools.

But do you really think revelation (WAHY) is only for the prophets and the messengers? If yes, then you have contradicted Quran, for Quran confirms that Allah sent revelation (WAHY) to the mother of Moses. The mother of Moses was neither a prophet nor a messenger. Agreed?   Allah revealed to her to leave her son in the river so that Pharaoh's soldier could take it to the Palace:

And We REVEALED to the mother of Moses: Suckle (thy child) but when thou hast fears about him cast him into the river but fear not nor grieve: for We shall restore him to thee and We shall make him one of Our apostles. (Quran 28:7)

Notice that Quran straightforwardly uses the word WAHY (revelation). Here, Yusuf Ali has translated the word WAHY into inspiration. But Quran uses WAHY (revelation), and not ILHAM (inspiration).  WAHY and ILHAM are two different things.

However one thing which is clear is that the revelations to those who were neither prophet nor messenger, did NOT have anything to do with Shari'ah (divine law). It did NOT have anything to do with religious practices etc. Rather, It was an order to what way to choose at the time of confusion and/or informing what has happened or what will happen.

So we can conclude that even revelation has different types. Only the

revelation to Prophets and messengers is related to Shari'ah (divine law) and new religious practices, while others do NOT receive this type of revelation.

Remark: Quran also uses the word WAHY for non-human beings, but I am not concerned about that. I was focusing on different types of WAHY for human being only.

About our Imams: There are twelve Imams (Guides) after Prophet Muhammad

(PBUH&HF). Prophet mentioned that the number of his successors are twelve, and al-Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, ... recorded that.

The first of them, Imam Ali, got his knowledge of religion and the Divine Laws from Prophet Muhammad DIRECTLY. Later Imams got it from the preceding Imams. There was NO revelation of Divine Law (concerning oneself or people) after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF). Allah may inform something to his appointed Imam, but the information is NOT any how related to Divine Law since the religion is complete. The information is only related to what happened and what will happen.

DO IMAMS MEET ANGELS

Also, according to Quran, talking to angels is NOT exclusive to prophets and messengers. Allah mentioned in Quran that Mary (the mother of Jesus) talked to angels, and angels talked to him. Look at Quran, to see the conversation of Mary and the angels:

"Behold! the angels said "O Mary! Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus the son of Mary held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah. (Quran 3:45)"

There is a whole conversation between Mary and the angel. See a couple of verses before and after the above verse.  Mary (AS) was neither a prophet nor a messenger, yet she talked to angels. However the communication of Mary with angels had nothing to do with Shari'ah (Divine Law). It did not have anything to do with religious practices. Rather it was a news to what is about to happen, and instructions of what to do.

In this connection, also see verses 11:69-73 where angels talked to the

wife of Abraham and gave her the glad tiding that she is pregnant of prophet Isaac (AS).

Even Sunnis claim that Imran Ibn al-Husayn al-Khuza'i (d. 52/672) who was one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF), was VISITED by angels, greeted by angels, SHOOK HANDS with angels and saw them, only being left by them for a short period after which the angels returned to him till the end of his life.

Sunni references:

(1) Sahih Muslim, V4, pp 47-48

(2) Also commentaries of Sahih Muslim by al-Nabawi, V8, P206, and by al-Abi and al-Sanusi, V3, P361.

(3) Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, V4, PP 427-428

(4) Sunan Darimi, V2, P305

(5) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, V3, P472

(6) Tabaqat, by Ib Sa'd, V7, part 1, P6

(7) al-Isti'ab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, V3, P1208

(8) Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn Athir, V4, P138

(9) Jami'ul Usul, by Ibn Athir, V7, P551

(10) al-Isabah, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V3, PP 26-27

(11) Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V8, P126

(12) Fathul al-Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V12, P261

(13) Sharh al-Mawahib, by al-Qastalani, V7, P133

[2] http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter1a/3.html

[3] Many Sunnis counter this by bringing verses about purification in other parts of the Qur’an. They clearly have missed the whole point! The Verse of Purification talks about ABSOLUTE and PERMANENT purification of the Ahl al-Bayt (as), evidenced in the fact that they were allowed entry into the mosque in a state of janaba. On the other hand, all the other verses they cite (such as the one talking about purification from ablution) are not ABSOLUTE or PERMANENT. They are voidable and partial. Therefore, bringing them up against the Verse of Purification is a perfect case of false analogy.

[4] http://almizan.org/new/article14.asp

[5] The last statement is so shocking that the Sunni translator of Sahih Muslim decided to tone it down. He translated it as:

They said: Allah's Messenger (may peace upon him) is in the state of unconsciousness.

We however have retained the original meaning in our translation. Also, the word, hajara, translated as going into a state of consciousness has been used in some verses of the Qur’an. One of them is this:

[Shakir 23:67] In arrogance; talking nonsense about the Quran, and left him like one telling fables by night.

[Yusufali 23:67] "In arrogance: talking nonsense about the (Qur'an), like one telling fables by night."

[Pickthal 23:67] In scorn thereof. Nightly did ye rave together.

From the translation of Pickthall, we also understand that the word can mean “rave”. So, the two valid translations of Umar and his colleagues’ attack upon the Holy Prophet (pbuh) are:

1.       He is speaking nonsense.

2.       He is raving.

Obviously, the second translation is worse in effect. Both it is also correct!

Besides, according to Hans Wehr's "A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic edited by J. Milton Cowan"

Hajara means "To emigrate; to give up; to abandon; to talk nonsense"

In addition to the general definitions of emigrate the Arabic dictionary "Al Munjhadh" also defines hajara as:

"incoherent speech, nonsense"

"Al Munjhadh" published by Dar al Ishat, Karachi: - page 1409

[6] This statement is the foundation of the Khariji movement. Imam Dhahabi in his  Tadkirat al-Huffaz, Volume 1 page 3 states:

“He didn’t say that ‘Quran is sufficient’ as the Khawarij do”.

This fact paints Umar as the first Kharijite!

[7] The Holy Prophet (pbuh) probably also remembered that Abubakr and Umar were, by their continued presence in Madinah, disobeying him. We read in Kanz al-Ummal 10/578:

Urwa said: Usama bin Zayd got prepared for the conquest, but he remained behind those days due to the illness of Allah's Messenger (pbuh). Allah's messenger (pbuh) has appointed him as a leader on a troop the majority of them were the Muhajireen including Umar bin al-Khattab.

In Tarikh Abu al-Fida 240, we read:

Umar bin al-Khattab was among the troop of Usama as Allah's Messenger (pbuh) instructed.

 We also read in Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, by ibn al-Athir, 1/355:

He (the Holy Prophet) sent the Muhajireen with Usama including Abu Bakr ad Umar, while the people were on that status, Allah's Messenger (pbuh) started to get ill.

Also, we read in Tahdib al-Tahdib, by ibn Hajar al-Asqalani , 1/182:

Allah's Messenger (pbuh) appointed him (Usama) as leader of a troop, which included Abu Bakr and Umar, but the troop did not march until the Holy Prophet died.

Therefore, by stating in Madinah itself while the other troops were stationed on the outskirts of Madinah, Abubakr and Umar were making the Holy Prophet (pbuh) unhappy by continuously disobeying him.

[8] Ibn Taymiyyah is replying to Allamah al-Hilli here, who accused both Abubakr and Umar of war crimes and crimes against humanity. His simple argument is: you have no moral ground to attack Abubakr and Umar since Ali (as) too murdered people for money and power! But, Ibn Taymiyyah also offers a clear defence of Abubakr, i.e. that Abubakr actually fought the enemies of Allah (swt). However, in his own words, how can the fighting of Imam Ali (as) be deemed to be for Islam as Allamah al-Hilli stated?