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Historical Facts

Chapter 16 

Historical Facts

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  Imam 'Ali (pbuh) was the first male to embrace Islam. [212]  He himself declares: "I started worshipping Allah nine years before anyone else in this nation started worshipping Him except Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hf)."[213] 

 The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) held two ceremonies of Brotherhood (mu'akhat) in which he made the Muslims brothers of each other.  He did one before the migration to Madinah and one afterwards. [214]  In both Brotherhoods, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) made brothers of himself and Imam 'Ali (pbuh); Abu Bakr and 'Umar; 'Uthman ibn Affan and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Auf; Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Mutallib and Zayd ibn Haritha; Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqass; Salman al-Farsi and Abu Dharr al-Ghifari; and Talha and Zubayr. [215]

The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) ordered all of the gates which had access to the courtyard of the Mosque of the Prophet to be closed except the gate connected to the house of Imam 'Ali (pbuh) since the ritually impure (junub) were no longer allowed to enter the mosque before performing the ritual bathing (ghusl).  However, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf), Imam 'Ali (pbuh), and Lady Fatima al-Zahra' (pbuh) were exceptions to this rule as an emphasis to the Verse of Purity (33:33).  Hamzah, the uncle of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) was saddened by this decision and came to the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) weeping.  The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) told him: "I did not ban you, and I did not allow him ('Ali); Allah allowed him."[216]  Ibn Hanbal also narrates that many companions wondered about the Holy Prophet's (pbuh&hf) decision to except Imam 'Ali (pbuh) from having to shut his door to the mosque, and that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) answered them in a sermon: "I commanded that these doors be shut except for the door of 'Ali.  By Allah, it was not my own desire, but I was commanded by Allah, and I followed the command."[217]  For this reason, the second caliph, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, says: "Ibn Abi Talib has been given three virtues of which, if I had only had one, it would have been better for me than everything in this life: the messenger of Allah married him to his own daughter, and she delivered offspring for him; the Prophet shut all the gates to the Mosque of the Prophet except his door; and the Prophet gave him the banner on the Day of Khaybar."[218]

       The Event of Thursday.  Towards the end of the life of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf), the Roman army was gathering on the border of the Islamic state, and the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) ordered all of his companions except Imam 'Ali to leave Madinah and join the batallion of Usama ibn Zayd.  Some of the prominent companions refused to join.  The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) ordered them again to go, but they still refused.  The third time, when they gathered in his house on Thursday, four days before he (pbuh&hf) passed away, and the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) opened his eyes and saw his companions gathering around his deathbed, he asked for a pen and paper to write his will.  One of the companions refused to give them to him, saying: "Verily, pain has overwhelmed him.  The book of Allah is enough for us."  Once the argument increased, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) turned to them and said: "Go away from me.  You should not argue in my presence."[219]  'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas says: "The disaster struck when they did not allow the Prophet (pbuh&hf) to write his will." [220]  Other historians narrate that, on that day, the same companion said: "Leave him (the Holy Prophet) alone.  He is hallucinating."[221]  This situation occurred despite the clear command of the Holy Qur'an: "Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger that you may obtain mercy"[222] and "He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (Muhammad) as a watcher over them."[223]  This companion later confessed to his objection to the request of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) during the Event of Thursday by saying that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) had wanted to mention Imam 'Ali (pbuh) for leadership during his sickness, so he stopped him from doing that.[224] 

  Imam Bukhari reports on the authority of Sa'd ibn Jubayr from Ibn 'Abbas:

  Thursday, and what about Thursday!  Then he wept till his tears wetted the gravel.  Thereupon I said: O Ibn 'Abbas, what about Thursday?  He said: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) said: Bring me (a pen and paper) so that I write for you a document (by following which) you would never go astray.  But they disputed while, in the presence of a prophet, there should be no disputation.  They said: What is the matter with him?  Ask him.  He said: Leave me alone.  That which I suffer is better.  I give you three wills: Drive the polytheists out of the Arabian Peninsula.  Grant delegations the same allowance that I used to give.  But he kept silent over the third, or he said it but I was made to forget it.[225]

       The Suffering of Lady Fatima al-Zahra' (pbuh).  One of the undeniable historical facts that all Muslim historians, regardless of their school of thought, unanimously agree upon is that the beloved daughter of the prophet, Lady Fatima al-Zahra' (pbuh), died three months after him as a result of the great pain and suffering she endured during the incident of the attack on her house.  She died at the age of 18 years and 7 months.  On the occasion of her burial, Imam 'Ali (pbuh&hf) addressed the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) at his grave and said:

  O Prophet of Allah!  Peace be upon you from me and from your daughter who has come to you and who has hastened to meet you.  O Prophet of Allah!  My patience about your chosen daughter has been exhausted, and my power of endurance has weakened except that I have ground for consolation in having endured the great hardship and heart-rending event of your separation.  I laid you down in your grave when your last breath had passed, when your head was between my neck and chest.  Verily, we are Allah's, and, verily, unto Him shall we return.  Now the trust has been returned, and what has been given has been taken back.  As to my grief, it knows no bounds, and as to my nights, they will remain sleepless till Allah chooses for me the house in which you are now residing.  Cetainly, your daughter would apprise you of the joining together of your people for oppressing her.  You ask her in detail, and get all the news about the matter.  This has happened when a long time had not elapsed, and your remembrance had not disappeared.  My salaam be on you both, and the salaam of a grief-stricken, not a disgusted or hateful person, for if I go away it is not because I am weary of you, and if I stay it is not due to lack of belief in what Allah has promised the endurers.[226]

       Lady Fatima al-Zahra' (pbuh) died only three months after her father, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf), spending all this time in grief and agony.  She was never seen smiling even once after the death of her father. [227]  Her suffering increased day by day as a result of the injuries she sustained when one of the companions slammed the door on her two days after her father's death, causing her to miscarry her son Muhsin.  She was also denied her inheritance from the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) - mainly, a land outside Madinah called Fadak - on the grounds that prophets do not leave inheritance.  Imam Bukhari narrates that when Lady Fatima (pbuh) asked for her share of the Holy Prophet's (pbuh&hf) inheritance, she received the response that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) had said: "We, the group of prophets, do not leave inheritance.  What we leave is charity."  She was then refused anything from her father's inheritance despite the fact that the Holy Qur'an gives examples of prophets inheriting from other prophets, such as: "And Solomon inherited from David."[228]   When she died, her husband Imam 'Ali (pbuh) buried her in the night and only a handful of companions participated in her funeral; he performed the prayers over her himself.[229]  These incidents happened even though the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) had said:  "Lady Fatima is a part of me.  Whoever angers her, angers me." [230]  Ibn Qutaybah records that Lady Fatima al-Zahra' (pbuh) said to some of the companions: "I take Allah as a witnes, and His angels, that you have angered me and did not please me, and if I meet with the Prophet, I will raise my grievances about you to him."[231]

       Did the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) order the first caliph to lead the prayers before his (pbuh&hf) death? As mentioned earlier, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf), before his death, ordered the majority of his companions to leave Madinah and join the battalion of Usama to defend against the Roman aggression.  However, some of the companions refused the Holy Prophet's (pbuh&hf) commands and stayed in Madinah while Usama camped in an area called Jurf.

       However, two people narrate that the first caliph led the prayers with the consent of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) during his sickness: Lady 'A'ishah, the daughter of the first caliph and the wife of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf); and Anas ibn Malik.  Lady  'A'ishah narrates: "The Prophet went to the mosque to lead the prayers while he was too weak to walk, and Abu Bakr was leading the prayers.  The Prophet came and sat next to Abu Bakr leading the prayers."[232]  This narration does not imply that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) commanded the first caliph to lead the prayers since, despite his illness, he (pbuh&hf) went outside to lead the prayers.  The other narrator was Anas ibn Malik, whom the Shi'a school of thought does not consider a neutral source.

       Those historians who do relate that the first caliph was in Madina during the time of the death of the Prophet (pbuh&hf) indicate that on the day that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) was destined to pass away at noon, Lady 'A'ishah ordered Bilal to tell her father that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) wanted him to lead the morning prayers.  Once the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) learned this, he went out to lead the prayers, leaning on Imam 'Ali (pbuh) and al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas.  After removing the first caliph and leading the prayers, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) went back to his room in the Mosque of the Prophet and said to Lady 'A'ishah: "You are among the companions of Joseph (Yusuf)."[233]

       This story has been narrated in various words by nine narrators: Lady 'A'ishah, 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, 'Abdullah ibn Zam'a, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, Buraydah al-Aslami, Anas ibn Malik, and Salim ibn Ubayd.  However, an examination of these sources shows that all the narrations go back to Lady 'A'ishah.  There are also some unreliable individuals in the chains of narrators.  Furthermore, even if the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) had appointed Abu Bakr to lead the prayers, this appointment would not imply an appointment to succeed the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) in all aspects of life since the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) appointed many people to succeed him in the prayers, and of course they are not considered khulafa', such as Ibn Um Maktum while he was blind.[234]  Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah acknowledges that being a successor for certain tasks in life does not stretch to include succession after death, and says that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) appointed many people - such as Ibn Um Maktum, Bashir ibn 'Abd al-Mundhir, and others - during his lifetime for certain tasks such as leading the congregational prayers.  Most of these people were not suited for succession to the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf).[235]  Tabari [236] narrates that the first caliph, Abu Bakr, was not in Madinah at the time of the death of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf), and when the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) was in extreme pain and he could not go to the mosque to perform the prayers, Bilal, the mu'adhdhin asked: "O Messenger of Allah!  May my mother and father be your ransom, who will lead the prayers?"[237]  The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) called upon Imam 'Ali (pbuh).  Then his wife, Lady 'A'ishah, said to him: "We will call you Abu Bakr," and his wife Lady Hafsa said: "We will call you 'Umar."  So the Holy Prophet's call did not reach Imam 'Ali (pbuh), and the rest of the people came.  Once they gathered around the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf), he said to them: "Go away.  If I need you I will send after you."  Then the companions left.[238]

       The Ten who are Guaranteed Paradise.  Tirmidhi narrates that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) declared that ten of his companions were guaranteed paradise, while Imam Bukhari and Muslim deny that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) ever said such a thing, as does al-Dhahabi in his book Mizan al-I'tidal.  This hadith counters logic on many levels, and, as such, cannot be accepted.  For instance, Talha and Zubayr, who are both included in this hadith, both ordered the killing of the third caliph 'Uthman - who is also included in this hadith.  They are the same Talha and Zubayr who revolted against the legimiate caliph 'Ali ibn Abi Talib after paying allegience to him. Another individual included in this hadith is Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqass, who refused to pay allegiance to Imam 'Ali but did pay allegiance to Mu'awiyah.  Another individual was 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn 'Auf who revolted against the third caliph, 'Uthman ibn Affan and was killed by the Umayyids.  The second caliph described Ibn 'Auf as the "pharaoh of this nation."[239]  The very notion that only ten of the Muslims should be guaranteed Paradise is illogical since it exempts hundreds of sincere and virtuous Muslims such as Hamzah, the sayyid al-shuhada' and uncle of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf); Ja'far ibn Abi Talib; Zayd ibn Haritha; Sa'd ibn Ma'adh; 'Ammar ibn Yassir, about whom the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) said: "He is filled with faith (iman) from head to toe"; and Salman al-Farsi, about whom the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) said: "He is one of us, the ahl al-bayt."  Since the hadith of the ten who are guaranteed Paradise was narrated by Sa'id ibn Zayd, who was not on good terms with the ahl al-bayt, the Shi'a school of thought does not accept it.

       Abu Hurayra.  The man who narrated the largest number of hadith - 5,374 (446 of which are in Imam Bukhari) - was Abu Hurayra al-Dusi, although he says that he only spent three years with the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf).[240]  He embraced Islam on the seventh year after the migration to Madinah.  Abu Hurayra himself says that only 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar narrated more traditions than he, and that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar used to write them down while he did not.[241]  In fact,  'Abdullah ibn 'Umar only narrated 2,630 hadith, of which Imam Bukhari mentions only seven and Imam Muslim, twenty.  'Umar ibn al-Khattab himself narrated only 527 hadith, while 'Uthman ibn Affan narrated 146; Abu Bakr, 142; 'A'ishah, the wife of the Prophet (pbuh&hf),1:210; Jabbir ibn 'Abdillah al-Ansari 1,540; 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, 848; Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, 281; Um Salamah, the wife of the Prophet (pbuh&hf), 378; 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, 537; and Anas ibn Malik, 2,286.  Furthermore, Imam Muslim also narrates that the second caliph, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, beat Abu Hurayra on one occasion. [242]  Abu Hurayra admits: "I have narrated to you several traditions that, had I narrated them during the time of 'Umar, 'Umar would have lashed me with a stick."[243]  It has been said that Abu Hurayra was the first narrator who was accused justly in Islam.[244] 'Umar al-Khattab said to him: "You have taken the money of the Muslims for yourself...."[245]  'Umar also told him once: "You have narrated too many hadith, and, most appropriately, you lie about the Prophet."[246] Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani says that the 'ulama unanimously agreed that lying about the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) is one of the cardinal sins (kaba'ir), and others went further to say that whoever lies about the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) is an unbeliever (kafir).  Al-Sam'ani states that narrations would not be accepted from someone who lied about the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) even one time.[247]

       Another example of the narrations of Abu Hurayra is found in the sahih of Imam Bukhari.  Abu Hurayra attributes the following advice to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf): "When a fly falls into one of your goblets, immerse the entire fly inside the goblet and then take it out, and then consume the (contents of the) goblet, because on one wing of the fly is the disease, and on the other is the cure."[248]  Sahih Muslim narrates from Abu Hurayra that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) slept until sunrise and missed the morning prayers![249] This hadith is not compatible with the Holy Qur'an which says: "Stand to pray all night, except a little - half of it, or a little less than that, or a little more - and recite the Qur'an in a slow style."[250]  How could the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) who never missed the midnight prayers miss the obligatory morning prayers?  Along the same lines, Sahih Bukhari narrates from Abu Hurayra that the Muslims were about to pray their salat and that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) had just finished the iqamah, with the rows for prayer ready, suddenly the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) remembered that he was junub (ritually impure)![251]  Bukhari also narrates from Abu Hurayra that the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) said: "The shaytan confronted me and kept me busy!"[252]  This hadith also diverges from the Holy Qur'an, which says: "When you want to recite the Qur'an, seek refuge with Allah from the shaytan, the outcast.  Verily, he has no power over those who believe and put their trust only in their Lord.  His power is only over those who obey and follow him and those who join partners with him."[253]

  Imam Muslim also narrates from Abu Hurayra that Lady 'A'ishah, the wife of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf), said: 

  One day, the Messenger of Allah was lying in my house, revealing his thighs.  Abu Bakr sought permission (to enter).  He gave him permission, so he entered and spoke to the Prophet, and the Prophet remained in the same condition.  Then 'Umar sought permission (to enter).  He gave him permission, and he spoke to him while he was in the same condition.  Then 'Uthman sought permission (to enter.)  Once 'Uthman sought permission, he (the Prophet) sat down properly and covered himself.  When he spoke to him and he left, I said: "You neither paid attention to Abu Bakr nor 'Umar, so why did you - when 'Uthman entered - cover your thigh?"  The Prophet said: "Would I not be embarrassed in front of a man whom the angels are embarrassed in front of?"[254]

       Ibn 'Arafa explains that most of such narrations were constructed during the time of the Umayyid Dynasty.[255]  When Mu'awiyah reached power, he wrote to all his governors around the Islamic state: "For every virtue which is narrated by the Prophet on behalf of Imam 'Ali, I need a similar virtue to be said on behalf of the companions.'"[256]  Since hadith are the second source of Islamic legislation, and all the contents and chains of narrators should be carefully examined and compared to the Book of Allah before being accepted, the Shi'a school of thought has strict criteria for judging the narrators of hadith and determining the authenticity of hadith.

      Notes:

  [212] Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu'tazili, 13:224

[213] Khasa'is Amir al-Mu'minim, al-Nisa'i, 13:39; refer also to Tarikh al-Tabari 2:316 and 5:17 to see when other companions embraced Islam

[214] al-Mustadrak, al-Hakim, 3:14; Fath al-Bari, 7:211; Tarikh al-Khamis, 1:353; al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah, 2:220; al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, Ahmad Zayni Dahlan, 1:155

[215] al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, ibn Sa'ad, 3:102

[216] al-Isabah fi Ma'rifat al-Sahabah, 1:373; al-Durr al-Manthur, 6:122; Wafa' al-Wafa', al-Samhudi, 2:477; Kanz al-Ummal, al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, 15:155, and others

[217] Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, 1:175; 2:26; 4:369

[218] al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, ibn Hajar, 3:9; al-Mustadrak, al-Hakim, 3:125

[219] Sahih Bukhari, 4:490, hadith #1229; Sahih Muslim, 11:89; al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, ibn Sa'ad, 2:36; Misbah al-Munir, 6:34

[220]  al-Milal wal-Nihal, Shahristani, 1:22

[221] Tadhkirat al-Khawass, Sibt ibn al-Jawzi; Sirr al-'Alamin, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali p. 21; Tarikh ibn al-Wardi, 1:21

[222] Qur'an 4:80

[223] Qur'an 3:132

[224] Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu'tazili 3:114; Fath al-Bari 'ala Sahih al-Bukhari, ibn Hajar, 8:132

[225] Sahih Bukhari, Book on Jihad and Marching, hadith #2825; Sahih Muslim, Book on the Bequest, hadith #3089; Abu Dawud, Book on Land Tax, Emirate, and Booty, hadith #2634; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, 1:222

[226] Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon #202

[227] al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, ibn Sa'ad, 2:85

[228] Qur'an 27:16

[229] Sahih Bukhari, 5:177

[230] Sahih Bukhari, 5:35

[231] Al-Imamah wal-Siyasah, ibn Qutaybah, 1:14

[232] al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, ibn Kathir, 5:253

[233] Tarikh al-Tabari, 2:439; Sirat ibn Hisham, 4:303

[234] Sunan Abi Dawud, 1:98

[235] Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah Minhaj al-Sunna 4:91

[236] Tarikh al-Tabari, 2:439

[237] Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal 3:202

[238] Tarikh al-Tabari, 2:439

[239] Al-Imamah wal-Siyasah, ibn Qutaybah, p. 24

[240] Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, ibn Sa'ad, 4:327; Sahih Bukhari, 4:239.  Mahmud Abu Riyyah in Shaykh al-Mudhirah Abu Hurayra proves that his companionship lasted one year and nine months.

[241] Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-'Ilm, 1:86

[242] Fiqh al-Sirah, Muhammad al-Ghazzali, p. 41

[243] ibid.

[244] The History of Arab Literature, Mustafa al-Rafi'i, 1:278

[245] al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, ibn al-Athir, 8:116

[246] Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu'tazili, 1:360

[247] al-Taqrib, al-Nawawi, p. 14

[248] Sahih Bukhari, 7:22

[249] Sahih Muslim, 1:471 - 310

[250] Qur'an 73:2-3

[251] Sahih Bukhari, 1:77

[252] Sahih Bukhari, 4:151

[253] Qur'an 16:99

[254] Sahih Muslim, 4:1866 hadith #2401

[255] Fajr al-Islam, Ahmad Amin, p. 213

[256] For further details, see al-Isti'ab, ibn 'Abd al-Birr, 1:65; al-Isabah, ibn Hajar, 1:154; al-Kamil fil-Tarikh, ibn al-Athir, 3:162; Tarikh al-Tabari, 6:77; Tarikh ibn Asakir, 3:222; Wafa' al-Wafa', 1:31; Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, 1:435; Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu'tazili, 1:116

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