*************************************************************************** A SHI'ITE ENCYCLOPEDIA CHAPTER 1.a VERSION 2.0 OCTOBER 1995 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Contents of Chapter 1.a: - Quran and Ahlul-Bayt - Why School of Ahlul-Bayt? - Who are Ahlul-Bayt? (Parts I through VIII) - The Word House (Ahlul-Bayt) in Quran - Sunni Feedback on the Issues of Infallibility and Ahlul-Bayt *************************************************************************** ______________________________________, | w w w |\ | || || | || |\ | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, |\ | ( : / (_) / ( . |\ |______________________________________|\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Quran and Ahlul-Bayt Based on a parallel (Mutawatir) tradition upon whose authenticity all Muslims agree, the Messenger of Allah (AS) informed his followers in several occasions that he would leave them two precious/weighty things and that if Muslims adhere to both of them, they will never go astray after him. They are the Book of Allah (Quran) and the Members of the House of the Prophet (Ahlul- Bayt), peace be upon them all. It is narrated in Sahih Muslim as well as many other sources that: Someday (after his last pilgrimage) the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) stood to give us a speech beside a pond which is known as Khum (Ghadir Khum) which is located between Mecca and Medina. Then he praised Allah and reminded Him, and then said: "O' people! Behold! It seems the time approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call. Behold! I am leaving for you two precious things. First of them is the book of Allah in which there is light and guidance... The other one is my Ahlul-Bayt. I remind you in the name of Allah about my Ahlul-Bayt. I remind you in the name of Allah about my Ahlul- Bayt. I remind you in the name of Allah about my Ahlul-Bayt. (three times)." Sunni Reference: - Sahih Muslim, Chapter of the virtues of the companions, section of the virtues of Ali, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1873, Tradition #36. - And many others such as Sahih al-Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad (see below). For the English version of Sahih Muslim, see Chapter CMXCVI, v4, p1286, Tradition #5920 Here is the Arabic text of the above tradition in Sahih Muslim: . | | | . |. . | | || | | : _c ]_, _@ |_o_, |_,_,_D_7 |_,_,_9 |_o q_, 4_|_|| | q_w o |_o (_S : . . : : /: (_| / / ( || : ^ /. | || . : . || : / | . ||_o o_, _)> q 4_|_|| ]_o_7_9 4_,_, ]_o_|| q 4_)_o . _,_, |_o_7 (_| ( / / : / (_): . / ^ ^ |. | | . | . |. || | | | || | | (___)_w q_, _w_, |_, | |_o_, |_9 w |_,_|| |_8_, | |_|| ]_e_, |_o | q /: / . (_/ : . / / . / |: |. | | . | : | | o_)_,_9 (__) |_, |_, | q .__,_,_7|_9 _, | q_w _, |_, . | ( : / / . : . (_S. / (_| / / (_S : (_) . || || . | || |: / | | | | : ^ || ... q_,_||q ]_8_|| 4_,_9 4_|_|| .__,|_,_) |_o_8_|q | . _,_|_o_,_|| / / / (_S : . / (_): : | | . | || / / . | : | | | | : ^ _,_,_, |_8 | _9 4_|_|| o_) _) > | _,_,_, |_8 | q | |_o o_, (_S : . (_| (_S ( / (_S : . (_| / (_| ( . | || / / . | : | | . | || / / . | _9 4_|_|| o_) _) > | _,_,_, |_8 | _9 4_|_|| o_) _) > | (_S ( / (_S : . (_| (_S ( / : | | _,_,_, |_8 | (_S : . (_| As we can see in the above tradition in Sahih Muslim, not only Ahlul-Bayt has been put beside the Quran, but also it has been mentioned three times by the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Despite the fact that the author of Sahih Muslim and many other Sunni traditionists have recorded the above tradition in their authentic books, it is regrettable that the majority of Sunnis are unaware of its existence at the best, or deny it at the worst. Their counter argument is that the most reliable tradition in this regard is the one recorded by al-Hakim in his al- Mustadrak, on the authority of Abu Huraira, attributing to the Messenger of Allah saying: "I leave amongst you two things that if you follow or act upon, you will not go astray after me: The Book of God and my Sunnah (traditions)." There is no doubt that ALL Muslims are required to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). However, the question remains that which Sunnah is genuine and which one is invented later and was falsely attributed to the Prophet. On tracing the source of this report of Abu Huraira which states "Quran and Sunnah," we found out that it has NOT been recorded in any of the six authentic Sunni collections of the traditions (Sihah Sittah). Not only that, but also al-Bukhari, al-Nisa'i, and al-Dhahabi and many others rated this report (Quran and Sunnah) as weak because of its weak Isnad. It should be noted that although the book of al-Hakim is an important Sunni collection of traditions, yet it is ranked inferior to the six major Sunni books. This is while Sahih Muslim is in the second rank among the six Sunni collections of traditions. al-Tirmidhi reported that the "Quran and Ahlul-Bayt" version of the tradition is traced to 30+ companions. Ibn Hajar al-Haythami reported that he knows of 20+ companions witnessed that also. This is while the "Quran and Sunnah" version reported by al-Hakim has only one source! Thus we must conclude that the "Quran and Ahlul-Bayt" version is much more reliable. Moreover al-Hakim has also mentioned the "Quran and Ahlul-Bayt" version in his book (al- Mustadrak) through several chain of authorities and confirmed that the "Quran and Ahlul-Bayt" version of the tradition is authentic based on the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim. Moreover, the word "Sunnah" by itself does not serve the purpose of knowledge. All Muslims irrespective to their persuasions claim that they follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). The differences among Muslims come from the transmitted Prophetic traditions through different avenues. Such traditions serve as explanatory means of the Holy Quran upon whose authenticity all Muslims agree. Thus divergence in the transmitted traditions, which in turn has led to differing interpretation of Quran and the prophetic Sunnah, has created numerous versions of Sunnah. All Muslims, as a result, splintered into different schools, groups, offshoots, which is believed to add up to seventy three groups. All of them are obeying their own version of Sunnah which they claim to be the true one. Which of these groups follow the true Sunnah of the Prophet? Which one (out of 73 groups) will be the prosperous one, and will survive? Other than the tradition of Sahih Muslim mentioned above, the following authentic traditions provide a unique detailed answer for this question: The messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "I am leaving for you two precious and weighty Symbols that if you adhere to BOTH of them you shall not go astray after me. They are, the Book of Allah, and my progeny, that is my Ahlul-Bayt. The Merciful has informed me that These two shall not separate from each other till they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)." Sunni references: (1) Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, pp 662-663,328, report of 30+ companions, with reference to several chains of transmitters. (2) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, Chapter of "Understanding (the virtues) of Companions, v3, pp 109,110,148,533 who wrote this tradition is authentic (Sahih) based on the criteria of the two Shaikhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim). (3) Sunan, by Daarami, v2, p432 (4) Musnad, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v3, pp 14,17,26,59, v4, pp 366,370-372, v5, pp 182,189,350,366,419 (5) Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p585, Tradition #990 (6) al-Khasa'is, by al-Nisa'i, pp 21,30 (7) al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p230 (8) al-Kabir, by al-Tabarani, v3, pp 62-63,137 (9) Kanz al-Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Chapter al-Iti'sam bi Habl Allah, v1, p44. (10) Tafsir Ibn Kathir (complete version), v4, p113, under commentary of verse 42:23 of Quran (four traditions) (11) al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, by Ibn Sa'd, v2, p194, Pub. by Dar Isadder, Lebanon. (12) al-Jami' al-Saghir, by al-Suyuti, v1, p353, and also in v2 (13) Majma' al-Zawa'id, al-Haythami, v9, p163 (14) al-Fateh al-Kabir, al-Binhani, v1, p451 (15) Usdul Ghabah fi Ma'rifat al-Sahaba, Ibn al-Athir, v2, p12 (16) Jami' al-Usul, Ibn al-Athir, v1, p187 (17) History of Ibn Asakir, v5, p436 (18) al-Taj al-Jami' Lil Usul, v3, p308 (19) al-Durr al-Manthoor, al-Hafidh al-Suyuti, v2, p60 (20) Yanabi al-Mawaddah, al-Qundoozi al-Hanafi, pp 38,183 (21) Abaqat al-Anwar, v1, p16 ... and many more ... | : / : | | | : ^ || / . / |: . | |_o_8_, o_,_)_w_o_, . | |_o . _,_|_o_,_|| o_)_,_9 (_) |_, _, | . ( (_) (_): ( : / (_S : | | : : | || |: / | | . : | _,_,_, |_8 | _, _,_c q 4_|_|| .__,|_,_) : ]_e_, | q_|,_p_, . _| (_S : . (_| (_S / / . (_S . / (_) w | : : . | | . | . | . . || . | | || | |_o _,_9_, . _| |_o_8_, | _, |_,_, _,_,_7_|| .__9_,_D_|_|| . | q / : (_) (_S . /: . : (_) / . || w | | : _p q_7_|| _|_c | > _, _,_7 (_/ / (_S /: (_S Of course, any Muslim should follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and as such, we, the Followers of Ahlul-Bayt, submit to the genuine (practice) Sunnah of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH&HF) and consider it to be the only path of salvation. But the above tradition gives evidence to the fact that any so-called Sunnah (practice) which contradicts Ahlul-Bayt is NOT a genuine Sunnah and has been innovated later on by some pay-rolled individuals in support the tyrants. That's why the Prophet had emphasized so much on Ahlul- Bayt in loving them and following them since they carry his genuine Sunnah. And this is the basis of the Shia School of Thought (the School of Ahlul- Bayt). The Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet who are raised in his house know more than anybody else about the Sunnah of the Prophet and what it entails, for as the proverb goes: "The people of Mecca know its paths better than anyone else." For the sake of argument, if we accept that the two versions of the tradition ("Quran and Ahlul-Bayt" vs. "Quran and Sunnah") are both authentic, then one must submit to the interpretation that the word "my Sunnah" given by al-Hakim means the Sunnah which is derived through Ahlul- Bayt and not any other source, as it is evident from the Ahlul-Bayt version given by both Mustadrak al-Hakim and Sahih Muslim. Now let us take a look at the following tradition: Narrated Umm Salama: The Messenger of Allah said: "Ali is with Quran, and Quran is with Ali. They shall not separate from each other till they both return to me by the Pool (of Paradise)." Sunni references: - al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p124 on the authority of Umm Salama - al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 9, section 2, pp 191,194 - al-Awsat, by al-Tabarani; also in al-Saghir - Tarikh al-Khulafaa, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, p173 The above tradition gives evidence to the fact that Imam Ali and Quran are non-separable. If we accept the "Quran and Sunnah" version to be authentic, then one can conclude that the one who carries the Sunnah of Prophet is Imam Ali since he is the one who has been put beside Quran. Interesting to see, al-Hakim has many other traditions about necessity of following Ahlul-Bayt, among which is the following tradition. This tradition is also narrated by many other Sunni scholars and is known as the "Tradition of the Ship" in which the Prophet (PBUH&HF) stated: "Behold! My Ahlul-Bayt are like the Ark of Noah. Whoever embarked in it was SAVED, and whoever turned away from it was PERISHED." . : . . |^ / : | | |^ | . | _7q_, 4_,_,_9_w |_,_o_) _,_,_, |_8 | |_,_o |_o_, | (_ / : (_| (_S : . (_| (_| / | | . . | . : . | / ,__)_|_8 |_8_,_c __9_|_7_, . _o q _7_, |_8_,_) . _o (_) / (_S. . / (_) Sunni references: (1) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v2, p343, v3, pp 150-151 on the authority of Abu Dhar. al-Hakim said this tradition is authentic (Sahih). (2) Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p786 (3) Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, under the commentary of verse 42:23, Part 27, p167 (4) al-Bazzar, on the authority of Ibn Abbas and Ibn Zubair with the wording "drowned" instead of "perished". (5) al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p234 under Verse 8:33. Also in section 2, p282. He said this Hadith has been transmitted via numerous authorities. (6) Tarikh al-Khulafaa and Jami' al-Saghir, by al-Suyuti (7) al-Kabir, by al-Tabarani, v3, pp 37,38 (8) al-Saghir, by al-Tabarani, v2, p22 (9) Hilyatul Awliyaa, by Abu Nu'aym, v4, p306 (10) al-Kuna wal Asmaa, by al-Dulabi, v1, p76 (11) Yanabi al-Mawaddah, by al-Qundoozi al-Hanafi, pp 30,370 (12) Is'af al-Raghibeen, by al-Saban The above tradition gives evidence to the fact that those who adopt the school of Ahlul-Bayt and follow them, shall be saved from the punishment of Hell, while those who run away from them shall meet with the fate of the one who tried to save his life by climbing up the mountain, with the only difference that whereas he (Noah's renegade son) was drowned in water, but these people will be drowned the fire of Hell. The following tradition also confirms it: The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said about Ahlul-Bayt: "Do not be ahead of them for you will perish, do not turn away from them for you will perish, and do not try to teach them since they know more than you do!" . | . | .: : | | | / | : . :: : | | o_8_,_c |q_9_|_7_,_, |_| q |q_)_|_8_,_9 o_8 q_o ]_o_,_, |_| ( / / / ( / /. | | . | . | : | | | / | : . o_)_,_o o_|_c | o_8_, |_9 o_8 q_o_|_e_, |_| q |q_)_|_8_,_9 ( ( ( ( / / / Sunni references: (1) al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v2, p60 (2) al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p230, quoted from al-Tabarani, also in section 2, p342 (3) Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v3, p137 (4) Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, by al-Qundoozi al-Hanafi, p41, and P335 (5) Kanz al-Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v1, p168 (6) Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p163 (7) Aqabat al-Anwar, v1, p184 (8) A'alam al-Wara, pp 132-133 (9) Tadhkirat al-Khawas al-Ummah, Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi al-Hanafi, pp 28-33 (10) al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah, by Noor al-Din al-Halabi, v3, p273 Here is another one: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "My Ahlul-Bayt are like the Gate of Repentance of the Children of Israel; whoever entered therein was forgiven." |^ / . : | | |^ | . | |_,_o o_)_,_9 _,_,_, |_8 | |_,_o |_o_, | (_| ( : (_S : . (_| (_| | . . | . | @ | | . . : | | 4_| _9_c 4_|_7 > . _o |_,_, | _w | _,_, _9 4__D_7 .__,|_, / (_) (_|: / (_S . (_S . . Sunni References: - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p168 - al-Awsat, by al-Tabarani, Tradition #18 - Arba'in, by al-Nabahani, p216 - al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, pp 230,234 - Another fairly similar tradition was recorded by al-Darqunti as well as Ibn Hajar in his al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, Ch. 9, section 2, p193 where the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Ali is the Gate of Repentance, whoever entered therein was a believer and whoever went out was an unbeliever." The above tradition was in connection with verses 2:58 and 7:161 of Quran which describe the Gate of Repentance of Bani Israel. Those of companions of Moses who did not enter the Gate of the Repentance were lost in the desert for forty years, while those who did not enter the ark of Noah were drowned. Ibn Hajar concludes that: "The analogy of the Ark of Noah signifies that those who love and honor the Ahlul-Bayt and derive from their guidance will be rescued from the darkness of opposition, and those who will turn against them will be drowned in the sea of ingratitude and will perish in the desert of insubordination and rebellion." Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, p91 Have we ever asked ourselves why the Prophet put so much emphasis on Ahlul- Bayt? Was is just because they were members of his family, or was it because they carried his true teachings (Sunnah) and they were the most knowledgeable individuals among his community after him? Different versions of the Tradition of Two Weighty Things (al-Thaqalain) which prove conclusively that it is compulsory to follow the Quran and the Ahlul-Bayt, are not ordinary traditions. They are repeated many times and are related on the authority of more than thirty of the companions of the Holy Prophet through various sources. The Holy Prophet repeated these words over and over again (and not merely in one isolated instance but on several occasions) publicly to show that it is compulsory to follow and obey the Ahlul-Bayt. He made the announcement during the Farewell Pilgrimage, on the day of Arafat, on the day of Ghadir Khum, on the return from Ta'if, also in Medina from the pulpit, and in his deathbed when the room was packed with his disciples, he said: "O folk! I am soon going to depart from here, and although I have already told you, I repeat once more that I am leaving with you two things, namely, the Book of Allah and my descendants, that is, my Ahlul- Bayt." Then he lifted Ali by the hand and said: "Behold! this Ali is with the Quran and the Quran is with him. These two shall never separate from each other until they come to me at the Pool of Kawthar." Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 9, section 2 Ibn Hajar al-Haythami wrote: "The Traditions of Adherence has been handed down through a large number of sources and more than twenty of the disciples have related it." He further wrote: "Here a doubt arises, and it is that while the Tradition has come down through various sources, some say that the words were spoken during the last pilgrimage, others that they were spoken at Medina when he lay on his deathbed and the room was packed with his disciples, yet another saying that he spoke these words at Ghadir Khum, or in another Hadith, on the return from Ta'if. But there is NO inconsistency in these, since having regards to the importance and greatness of the Quran and the pure Ahlul-Bayt, and with a view of emphasizing the point before the people, the Holy Prophet might have repeated these words on all these occasions so that any one who had not heard them before might hear them now." Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p230 Concluding the above traditions, the Quran and Ahlul-Bayt are the only two precious things that the Prophet left for Muslims, and stated that if Muslims follow BOTH of them, they will not go astray after him, and they will be led to Paradise, and that those who forsake Ahlul-Bayt will not survive. The above traditions have been designed by Prophet (PBUH&HF) to answer which "Sunnah" is genuine and which group caries the true "Sunnah" of the Prophet. It is aimed at not leaving Muslims at loss as to which way to go after the departure of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). On the other hand, if we use the word "Sunnah" alone, it does not give us any specific answer for this question since all the groups among the Muslim nation follow their own version of Sunnah as well as their own interpretation of the Quran and Sunnah. Thus the prophetic instructions were clear in urging Muslims to follow the interpretation of Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet transmitted through the channel of Ahlul-Bayt whose sinlessness, purity, and righteousness is confirmed by the Holy Quran (the last sentence of verse 33:33). ______________________________________, | w w w |\ | || || | || |\ | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, |\ | ( : / (_) / ( . |\ |______________________________________|\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Why School of Ahlul-Bayt? The purpose of this article is merely to demonstrate that Shia views about the special importance and the leadership of Ahlul-Bayt do not come out of the blue. In this way, I hope to contribute to better understanding among Muslims and hence help to reduce some people's hostility against the followers of the Members of the House of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). The fact that we (Shia) have adopted a creed which differs from that of the Ash'arites as far as the fundamental beliefs are concerned, and differs from the four schools of Sunni jurists as far as the laws, rites, and observances are concerned, is not due to any sectarianism or prejudice. It is rather the theological reasoning which has led us to adopt the creed of those Imams who belong to the Ahlul-Bayt of the Holy Prophet, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF). We have, therefore, wholly and solely bound ourselves to them in our observances as well as our beliefs; in the derivations of our knowledge of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet; and in all our material, moral and spiritual values on the grounds of theological and logical proofs. We have done this in obedience of the Holy Prophet and in submission to his Sunnah. Had we not been convinced by these proofs to disallow all Imams except the Ahlul-Bayt, and to seek to draw near to Allah only through them, we might have inclined towards the creed of the majority for the sake of unity and fraternity. But incontrovertible reasons command a believer to follow the truth regardless of all other considerations. The majority of the Muslims are unable to produce any argument to show which of their four different jurists is the best. It is impossible to follow all of them, and therefor, before one can say that it is "compulsory" to follow them, one has to prove which one must be followed. We have pondered over the arguments of the Hanafis, the Shafi'is, the Malikis and the Hanbalis with the eyes of a seeker of truth and we have searched far and wide, but we have found no answer to this, except they were all acclaimed as very great jurists and honest and just men. But you are fully aware that jurist's capacity, honesty, justice and greatness are not monopoly of these four persons only. Then, how can it be "compulsory" to follow them only? We do not think that anyone can hold that these four Imams are in any way better than our Imams, the pure and holy descendants of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), the Ark of Salvation, the Gate of Repentance, through whom we can attain protection against disagreement in religious matters; for they are the emblems of guidance, and the leaders towards the straight path. But alas, after the demise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF), politics began to play its part in the affairs of religion and you know what took place in the heart of Islam as a result. During all these periods of trials, the Shia continued to hold fast to Quran and the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt whom the Holy Prophet left among us as the two most weighty things (al-Thaqalain). There have been some extremists sects (al-Ghulat) which appeared every now and then in course of the history of Islam; nonetheless, the main body of the Shia have never deviated from this path since the time of Imam Ali and Fatimah (peace be upon them) up to the present day. The Shia existed when Ash'ari and all the four Sunni Imams were unborn and unheard of. Up to the first three generations since the Holy Prophet's time, Ash'ari and the Sunni Imams were unknown. Ash'ari was born in 270 AH and died in 320 AH; Ibn Hanbal was born in 164 AH and died in 241 AH; Shafi'i was born in 150 AH and died in 204 AH; Malik was born in 95 AH and died in 169 AH; Abu Hanifa was born in 80 AH and died in 150 AH. The Shia, on the other hand, follow the path of Ahlul-Bayt which include Imam Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husain (peace be upon them all) who were all contemporaries of the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) and raised in his House. As far as the knowledge of the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt is concerned, it is sufficient to say that Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS) was the teacher of the two Sunni Imams, i.e., Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man , and Malik Ibn Anas. Abu Hanifa said: "Except for the two years Nu'man would have starved," referring to the two years he had benefited from the knowledge of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS). Malik also confessed straightforwardly that he had not met anyone learned in Islamic Jurisprudence better than Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS). The Abbasid Caliph, al-Mansoor, commanded Abu Hanifa to prepare for Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS) a number of hard questions concerning the Islamic Law and to ask the Imam those questions in the presence of al-Mansoor. Abu Hanifa prepared forty difficult questions and asked Imam Ja'far about them in al- Mansoor's presence. The Imam not only answered all the questions but also informed about the opinions of the Iraqi as well as the Hijazi Scholars. Abu Hanifa commented on this episode saying: "Certainly, the most knowledgeable among people is the most knowledgeable of their different opinions." Sunni reference: - Shaikh Muhammad Abu Zahrah in his book "al-Imam al-Sadiq", p27 Abu Hanifa described his feelings (when he entered the palace of al-Mansoor and found Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS) sitting with him) by saying: "When I saw Imam Ja'far, I felt his personality commands more respect than that of the Caliph himself. Yet the Caliph was ruling the Muslim World, and Imam Ja'far was a private citizen." Sunni reference: - Shaikh Muhammad Abu Zahrah in his book "al-Imam al-Sadiq", p27 Malik (the other Sunni Imam) said: "I used to come to Ja'far Ibn Muhammad (AS) and went to him for a long time. Whenever I visited him, I found him praying, fasting, or reading the Quran. Whenever he reported a statement of the Messenger of God, he was with ablution. He was a distinguished worshipper who was unconcerned with the material world. He was of the God fearing people." Sunni reference: - Shaikh Muhammad Abu Zahrah in his book "al-Imam al-Sadiq", p66 Shaikh Muhammad Abu Zahrah who was one of the outstanding Sunni contemporary Scholars said: "The Muslim Scholars of various Islamic Schools never agreed unanimously on a matter as much as they agree on the knowledge of Imam Ja'far and his virtue. The Sunni Imams who lived during his time were his students. Malik was one of them and those who were as contemporary as Malik such as Sufyan al-Thouri and many others. Abu Hanifa also was his student in spite of their being close in age, and he considered Imam Ja'far the most knowledgeable in the Muslim World." Sunni reference: - Shaikh Muhammad Abu Zahrah in his book "al-Imam al-Sadiq", p66 The ties of unity and fraternity can be strengthened and disagreement ended if all Muslims agree that to follow the Ahlul-Bayt is a must. In fact many grand Sunni scholars have acknowledged the Shia school as one of the richest Islamic schools for they very reason that the knowledge of the Shia school of thought is derived from the Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) whose supreme knowledge and purity are confirmed in Quran. These Sunni scholars have even issued Fatwa that the Sunnis are allowed to follow the Twelver Shi'ite Jurisprudence. Among these grand scholars are Shaikh Mahmood Shaltoot, the head of al-Azhar University (in 1950's and 60's). Moreover, disagreement between the various schools of Sunni thought is by no means less than the lack of conformity between the Shia and the Sunnis. A large number of writings of scholars of both sides will bear this out. Since based on the tradition of Two Weighty things Ahlul-Bayt carry as much weight in the eyes of Allah as the Holy Quran, the former have the same qualities as the latter. Just as the Quran is true from beginning to end without any shadow of doubt, and just as it is incumbent upon every Muslims to obey its commandments, so are Ahlul-Bayt perfect and sincere guides whose commands must be followed by all. Therefore there can be no excuse to escape from accepting their leadership and following their creed and their faith. The Muslims are bound by these sayings of the Holy Prophet to follow them and no one else. Just as it is impossible for any Muslims to turn away from the Holy Quran or to adopt any set of rules which is at variance with it, so when the Ahlul-Bayt have been unequivocally described as equal in weight and importance to the Holy Quran, the same attitude has to be adopted with regard to their orders, and it cannot be permissible to turn away from them in order to follow any other persons. After mentioning the tradition of Two Weighty Things, Ibn Hajar holds that: "These words show that those members of the Ahlul-Bayt who posed these distinctions were superior to all the people." Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, p136 The Messenger of Allah said: "Whosoever wishes to live and die like me and enter that heaven (after death), which my lord has promised me, namely, the ever lasting heaven should acknowledge Ali (AS) as his patron after me, and after him he should acknowledge the sons of Ali, because they are the people who will never leave you outside the door of guidance nor will they let you enter the door of misguidance." Sunni references: - Kanz al-Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p155, Tradition #2578 - Also abridged Kanz al-Ummal on the margin of Musnad of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal v5, p32 Again the significance of leadership of Ahlul-Bayt has been confirmed by the following beautiful analogy of the messenger of Allah: The Messenger of Allah said: "Regard the Ahlul-Bayt among you as the head to the body, or the eyes to the face, for the face is only guided by the eyes." Sunni references: - Is'af al-Raghibeen, by al-Saban - al-Sharaf al-Mua'abbad, by Shaikh Yusuf al-Nabahani, p31, by more than one authority Also: The Messenger of Allah said: "My Ahlul-Bayt are the protected place of refuge about the dispute in religion." (Mustadrak Hakim) These traditions, therefore, leave no room for any doubt. There can be no other way except to follow the Ahlul-Bayt and give up all opposition to them. The Messenger of Allah said: "Acknowledgment of Aale-Muhammad (the family of Muhammad) means salvation from the fire, and love for them is a passport for crossing the bridge of the Siraat, and obedience to them is a protection from divine wrath." Sunni references: - Kitab al-Shafa, by Qadhi 'Ayadh, published in 1328 AH, v2, p40 - Yanabi al-Mawaddah, al-Qundoozi al-Hanafi, section 65, p370 Abdullah Ibn Hantab related: The Messenger of Allah addressed us at Juhfa saying: "Do I not have authority over you more than yourselves?" They all said, "Yes of course." Then he said: "I shall hold you answerable for two things, namely, the Book of Allah and my descendants." Sunni reference: - Ihyaa al-Mayyit, by al-Hafidh Jalaluddin al-Suyuti - Arba'in al-'Arbain, by Allamah al-Nabahani Therefore the reason we have adopted the faith of the Ahlul-Bayt to the exclusion of all others is that Allah himself has given preference to them only. It is sufficient to quote the poem of al-Shafi'i (one of the Sunni Imams) about Ahlul-Bayt which goes as follows: Members of the House of the Prophet, your love is a Divine duty on mankind. God revealed it in His Quran. It is enough among your great privileges that whoever does not bless you, his prayer is void. If the love of the members of the House of the Prophet is Rafdh (rejection), let mankind and the Jinns testify that I am a Rafidhi (rejector). The above poem of Shafi'i are too well known among the Arabic speaking people to require any reference. But for the benefit of those who insist on reference see: - Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, v27, p166, under the commentary of verse 42:23 of Quran. - al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, p88, in connection with the verse 33:33 of Quran. Brother/Sister in our prayers, and I am sure that in your prayers also, we say: "I declare that Muhammad is the servant of God and His Messenger. O Lord, send Your blessings upon Muhammad and his family" ______________________________________, | w w w |\ | || || | || |\ | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, |\ | ( : / (_) / ( . |\ |______________________________________|\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Who are Ahlul-Bayt? (Part I) ============ Introduction ============ According to most authentic traditions in collections of both Sunni and Shia, Ahlul-Bayt (People of the House) of the Prophet are one of the two most precious Symbols of Islam after the departure of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). There are numerous traditions in the collection of both schools that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) has reminded us to stick to these two weighty things (al- Thaqalain), namely Quran and Ahlul-Bayt, in order not to go astray after him. The Messenger of Allah also informed us that these two weights are non- separable and are with each other till the day of Judgment. This requires us that for understanding the interpretation of Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) we should refer to those who are attached to it, namely Ahlul-Bayt. Knowing exactly who Ahlul-Bayt are, thus becomes a very vital matter when one considers the above tradition of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) as well as many other traditions which unequivocally state that adherence to Ahlul-Bayt is the only way of salvation. This clearly implies that the one who follows a wrong set of Ahlul-Bayt (!!), will be led astray. Considering the critical importance of the subject, it will not be surprising to see that the Shia differ from some Sunnis in this subject. In fact, the Sunnis do not have one voice in specifying the Members of the House the Prophet. Most Sunnis are in the opinion that the Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) are: - Fatimah al-Zahra (AS) (the daughter of the Messenger of Allah), - Imam Ali (AS), - Imam al-Hasan (AS), - Imam al-Husain (AS), - Wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) Others among the Sunnis further include ALL the descendants of the Prophet to the list! Some other Sunnis are very generous and include all the descendants of Abbas (the Abbasid) as well as the descendants of Aqil & Ja'far (the two brothers of Imam Ali) to the list. It should be noted, however, that there have been some leading Sunni scholars who did NOT consider the wives of the Prophet among Ahlul-Bayt. This happens to be consistent with the Shia point of view. To the Shia, the Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) consist of the following individuals ONLY: - Fatimah al-Zahra (AS), - Imam Ali (AS), - Imam al-Hasan (AS), - Imam al-Husain (AS), - Nine descendants of Imam al-Husain (AS). and including the Prophet (PBUH&HF) himself, they will become fourteen individuals. Of course, at the time of the Holy Prophet only five of them (including the Prophet) were living and the rest were not born yet. The Shia further assert that these fourteen individuals are protected by Allah from any kind of flaws, and thus worthy of being obeyed beside Quran (the other Weighty Symbol), and they are the only people who have the full knowledge of the interpretation of the Quranic verses. In this discussion, we would like to explain why the Shia exclude the wives of the Prophet from Ahlul-Bayt, and also we will briefly discuss why Ahlul- Bayt are protected/infallible. (More detailed discussion on the infallibility is provided in Chapter 2). We base our proofs on: 1. Quran, 2. Traditions from the authentic Sunni Collections, 3. Historical events. =================== Evidence From Quran =================== 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) || /. . | | || | . | w_7 _|| o_)_,_c .__,_8 ]_,_| 4_|_|| ]_, _, |_o_, | (_/ . / ( . : : /: | | : / | .. || | | | _,_8_D_, o_) _8_D_, q .__,_,_,_|| |_8 | /: ( / : / : . (_| 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. ==================== Authentic Traditions ==================== It is interesting to see that both Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Tirmidhi as well as many others confirm the Shi'ite point of view explained above. In Sahih Muslim, there is a chapter named "Chapter of Virtues of the Companions". Inside this chapter, there is a section called "Section of the Virtues of the Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet". There exists ONLY ONE tradition in this section, and this tradition has no reference to the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). The tradition is known as "The Tradition of Cloak/Mantle" (Hadith al-Kisaa), and is as follows: Narrated Aisha: One day the Prophet (PBUH&HF) 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-Husain 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 a perfect purification (the last sentence of Verse 33:33)." Sunni reference: 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. Below is the Arabic text of above tradition given in Sahih Muslim: | || ^ | | | : | . . || . > q_w |_|| _e_w . _o |_7 _o _D _o 4_,_|_c q o | ]_c _,_,_|| _7 _7 / / (_) (_| / / : / (_S. (_./ || | ^ | . | . w | | || | . . _,_w_7_|| _@ |_7 o_, 4_|_7 > |_9 _|_c . _,| . _w_7_|| _@ |_7_9 (_): . ( (_S (_). (_) . | ^ | | . | . : | | . .. | ^ | . . _@ |_7 o_, |_8_|_7 > |_9 4_o_D |_9 .__, _@ |_7 o_, 4_e_o |_7 ]_9 . ( . ( (_| . | | || | . | | | : ^ | . | . w | .__,_8 ]_,_| 4_|_|| ]_, _, |_o_, | | |_o o_, 4_|_7 > |_9 _|_c . : : /: (_| ( (_S | | : / | .. || | | || /. | _,_8_D_, o_) _8_D_, q .__,_,_,_|| |_8 | w_7 _|| o_)_,_c /: ( / : / : . (_| (_/ . / ( One can see that the author of Sahih Muslim confirms that: 1- Imam Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain are the Ahlul-Bayt, 2- The purification sentence in Quran (the last sentence of Verse 33:33) was revealed for the virtue of the above-mentioned individuals, and NOT for the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Muslim (the Author) did not put any other tradition in this section (section of the virtues of Ahlul-Bayt). If the author of Sahih Muslim believed that the wives of the Prophet were included in Ahlul-Bayt, he would have quoted some traditions about them in this section. It is interesting to see that Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is the narrator of the above tradition, and she herself is testifying that Ahlul- Bayt are the above-mentioned individuals (i.e., Imam Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain, may the blessing of Allah be upon them all). Another version of the "Tradition of Cloak" is written in Sahih al-Tirmidhi, which is narrated in the authority of Umar Ibn Abi Salama, the son of Umm Salama (another wife of Prophet), which is as follows: The verse "Verily Allah intends to ... (33:33)" was revealed to the Prophet (PBUH&HF) in the house of Umm Salama. Upon that, the Prophet gathered Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain, and covered them with a cloak, and he also covered Ali who was behind him. Then the Prophet said: "O' Allah! These are the Members of my House (Ahlul-Bayt). Keep them away from every impurity and purify them with a perfect purification." Umm Salama (the wife of Prophet) asked: "Am I also included among them O Apostle of Allah?" the Prophet replied: "You remain in your position and you are toward a good ending." Sunni reference: Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, pp 351,663 Here is the Arabic text of above tradition given by Sahih al-Tirmidhi: " | || | . | " . || | : T || . .. |. . ... 4_|_|| ]_, _, |_o_, | _,_,_|| _|_c 4_, |_|| o ]_8 .__,_| _, : /: (_S. (_S : / |. : | | . . || | . : | | .. . q |_,_w_7 q 4_o_D |_9 _,_,_|| |_c ]_9 4_o_|_w o | .__,_,_, _9 / / (_S. ( : . (_S || : ^ |. . | . w | @ | / | | . |. ||_o o_, o _8_D .__9_|_7 _|_c q 4_, |_w_)_, o_8_|_|_7_9 |_,_,_w_7 (_| ( / (_S / . ( . : || . . | . : | | | | | || q w_7 _|| o_8_,_c .__,_8 > |_9 _,_,_, |_8 | _@ |_| q_8 o_8_|_|| / (_/ . / ( . (_S : . (_| / ( . | |. | : | | .. || : | | : | _,_, |_, o_8_e_o |_, | q 4_o_|_w o | .__,_||_o | _,_8_D_, o_8 _8_D (_S. : ( / ( /: ( / . || .. . | /. | / | .. . | || : | || _,_7 _|| .__,_, | q ,__)_, |_)_o _|_c .__,_, | ||_o ? 4_|_|| /: (_S / (_S (_| As we see, al-Tirmidhi also confirms that Imam Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain are the Ahlul-Bayt, and the purification sentence in Quran (the last sentence of Verse 33:33) was revealed for the virtue of the above- mentioned individuals, and NOT for the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Also it is apparent from above authentic tradition that the Prophet himself excluded his wives from Ahlul-Bayt. If Umm Salama (RA) was among Ahlul-Bayt, why didn't the Prophet answer her positively? Why didn't he enter her into the cloak? Why did the Prophet tell her that she remains in her own position? If the Prophet (PBUH&HF) would consider Umm Salama among Ahlul-Bayt, he would surely have entered her to the cloak and would have prayed for her perfect purity as well. It is also worth mentioning that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) did NOT say: "These are among the Members of my House". He rather said: "These are THE Members of my House" since there was no other member of Ahlul-Bayt who was alive at the time of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Also notice that Umm Salama (RA) who is the virtuous wife of the Prophet is the narrator of the tradition to his son and gives the testimony that who Ahlul-Bayt are. In the tradition of al-Hakim the wording the last question and answer is as follows: Umm Salama said: "O Prophet of Allah! Am I not one of the members of your family?" The Holy Prophet replied: "You have a good future but only these are the members of my family. O Lord! The members of my family are more deserving." Sunni reference: al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v2, p416 Also the wording reported by al-Suyuti and Ibn al-Athir is as follows: Umm Salama said to the Holy Prophet: "Am I also one of them?" He replied: "No. You have your own special position and your future is good." Sunni reference: - Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v2, p289 - Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v5, p198 Also al-Tabari quotes Umm Salama saying: I said, "O Prophet of Allah! Am I not also one of your Ahlul-Bayt?" I swear by the Almighty that the Holy Prophet did NOT grant me any distinction and said: "You have a good future." Sunni reference: Tafsir al-Tabari, v22, p7 under the commentary of verse 33:33 Beside Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Tirmidhi from which we quoted the Tradition of Cloak on the authority of Aisha and Umm Salama respectively, below are more Sunni references of the Tradition of Cloak who reported both versions of the traditions: (3) Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, pp 323,292,298; v1, pp 330-331; v3, p252; v4, p107 from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (4) Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p578, Tradition #978 (5) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v2, p416 (two traditions) from Ibn Abi Salama, v3, pp 146-148 (five traditions), pp 158,172 (6) al-Khasa'is, by an-Nisa'i, pp 4,8 (7) al-Sunan, by al-Bayhaqi, narrated from Aisha and Umm Salama (8) Tafsir al-Kabir, by al-Bukhari (the author of Sahih), v1, part 2, p69 (9) Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, v2, p700 (Istanbul), from Aisha (10) Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v5, pp 198,605 from Aisha and Umm Salama (11) Tafsir Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, pp 5-8 (from Aisha and Abu Sa'id al- Khudri), pp 6,8 (from Ibn Abi Salama) (10 traditions) (12) Tafsir al-Qurtubi, under the commentary of verse 33:33 from Umm Salama (13) Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v3, p485 (Complete version) from Aisha and Umar Ibn Abi Salama (14) Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v2, p12; v4, p79 narrated from Ibn Abi Salama (15) Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, sec. 1, p221 from Umm Salama (16) Tarikh, by al-Khateeb Baghdadi, v10, narrated from Ibn Abi Salama (17) Tafsir al-Kashshaf, by al-Zamakhshari, v1, p193 narrated from Aisha (18) Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, v1, pp 332-336 (seven traditions) (19) Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibb al-Tabari, pp21-26, from Abu Sa'id Khudri (20) Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p166 (by several transmitters) ... and more ... Here is another authentic variation of "The Tradition of Cloak" which is related to Safiyya who was another wife of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Ja'far Ibn Abi Talib narrated: When the Messenger of Allah noticed that a blessing from Allah was to descent, he told Safiyya (one of his wives): "Call for me! Call for me!" Safiyya said: "Call who, O the Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Call for me my Ahlul-Bayt who are Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain." Thus we sent for them and they came to him. Then the Prophet (PBUH&HF) spread his cloak over them, and raised his hand (toward sky) saying: "O Allah! These are my family (Aalee), so bless Muhammad and the family (Aal) of Muhammad." And Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty, revealed: "Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you a thorough purification (Quran, the last sentence of Verse 33:33)". Sunni references: - al-Mustadrak by al-Hakim, Chapter of "Understanding (the virtues) of Companions, v3, p148. The author then wrote: "This tradition is authentic (Sahih) based on the criteria of the two Shaikhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim)." - Talkhis of al-Mustadrak, by al-Dhahabi, v3, p148 - Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v3, p33 Although the majority of traditions on this issue show that the last sentence of the verse 33:33 was revealed in the house of Umm Salama (as quoted earlier), the above tradition implies that it might have been revealed in the house of Safiyya. Based on the opinion of the Sunni scholars including Ibn Hajar, it is quite possible that the verse was revealed more than once. In each occasion, the Prophet repeated his action in front of different wives so that they all realize who his Ahlul-Bayt are. The testimony of three wives of the Prophet (Aisha, Umm Salama, and Safiyya) leaves us no room but to believe that the Ahlul-Bayt at the time of the Prophet were no more than five individuals: Prophet Muhammad, Lady Fatimah, Imam Ali, al-Hasan, and al-Husain (Peace be upon them all). The fact that the gender in later part of Verse 33:33 is switched from feminine to masculine, has led the majority of Sunni commentators to believe that the last part was revealed for Imam Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al- Husain, as Ibn Hajar al-Haythami indicated: 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. Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p220 Although the Shia have great respect for the highly righteous wives among the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), such as Khadija, Umm Salama, Umm Ayman and ... (may Allah be pleased with them) who closely followed the Prophet and his Ahlul-Bayt before and after the demise of Prophet (PBUH&HF), yet we do not include even those respected individuals into Ahlul-Bayt since the Prophet clearly excluded them according to the authentic Sunni and Shi'i traditions. Ahlul-Bayt have exceptional virtues that no other pious person after the Prophet would possess them in the world, which are according to Quran: sinlessness, flawlessness and perfect purity. End of Part 1 of 8 ______________________________________, | w w w |\ | || || | || |\ | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, |\ | ( : / (_) / ( . |\ |______________________________________|\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Who are Ahlul-Bayt? (Part II) In the previous part, three authentic versions of "The Tradition of Cloak/Mantle" (Hadith al-Kisaa) reported in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al- Tirmidhi, and Mustadrak al-Hakim. In these traditions three wives of the Prophet testified that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) specified that the Members of his House (in his lifetime) are restricted to his daughter Fatimah (AS), her husband Ali (AS) and their two sons: al-Hasan (AS), and al-Husain (AS). Also according to the quoted traditions, the purification sentence in Quran (the last sentence of Verse 33:33) was revealed for their virtue and NOT for the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Now, let us see what the Messenger of Allah used to do for quite sometime after the revelation of the verse: ========================================= The Long-Term Custom of the Prophet After the Revelation of the Purification Verse ========================================= It has been widely narrated that after the revelation of the purification verse of Quran (Ayah al-Tat'hir), the Messenger of Allah used to recited this verse at the door of the House of Fatimah and Ali before EVERY prayer when people were gathering to pray with the Messenger of Allah. He continued this practice for many months simply to show the people who his Ahlul-Bayt are. Anas Ibn Malik narrated: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF), from the time the revelation of "Verily Allah intends to... (the last part of Verse 33:33)" and for six (6) months thereafter, stood by the door of the House of Fatimah and said: "Time for Prayer Ahlul-Bayt; No doubt! Allah wished to remove all abomination from you and make you pure and spotless." Sunni references: - Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v12, p85 - Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v3, p258 - Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p158 who wrote this tradition is authentic as per the criteria of Muslim and Bukhari - Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v5, pp 197,199 - Tafsir Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, pp 5,6 (saying seven month) - Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v3, p483 - Musnad, by al-Tiyalasi, v8, p274 - Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v5, p146 Abu al-Hamra narrated: "The Messenger of God continued eight (8) months in Medina, coming to the door of Ali at every morning prayer, putting his two hands on the two sides of the door and exclaiming : "Assalat! Assalat! (prayer! prayer!) Certainly God ward off all uncleanness from you, O Members of the House of Muhammad, and to make you pure and spotless." Sunni references: - Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v5, pp 198-199 - Tafsir Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, p6 - Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v3, p483 - Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p24 on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik - Isti'ab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, v5, p637 - Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v5, p146 - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, pp 121,168 - Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, p338 Also Ibn Abbas (RA) narrated: "We have witnessed the Messenger of God for nine (9) months coming to the door of Ali, son of Abu Talib, at the time of each prayer and saying: 'Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah Ahlul-Bayt (Peace and Mercy of God be upon you, O Members of the House). Certainly God wants only to keep away all the evil from you, Members of the House, and purify you with a thorough purification.' He did this seven times a day." Sunni reference: al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Hafidh al-Suyuti, v5, p198 In Majma' al-Zawa'id and exegesis of Suyuti it has been quoted from Abu Said Khudri with a variation in words that: For forty days the Holy Prophet approached the house of Fatimah Zahra every morning and used to say: 'Peace be upon you O people of the House! The time for the prayers has come'. And thereafter he used to recite this verse: O people of the Prophet's House.... And then said: 'I am in a state of war with him who fights with you and am in a state of peace with him who is at peace with you'. Sunni references: - Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Hafidh al-Suyuti, v5, p199 - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, pp 121,168 He repeated this openly at the time of each prayer so as to demonstrate the meaning of this verse verbally as well as practically and he explained it to his followers on the lines of the sacred verse: "We have revealed the Quran to you so that you could tell the people what has been revealed to them and that perhaps they will think. (Quran 16:44)" This concept became well known among the people and even the companions of the Holy Prophet argued on its basis on behalf of the Holy Prophet's family: ============================================= Those Who Protested based on the Purification Verse to Prove the Virtues of the Holy Family ============================================= (i) Imam al-Hasan Ibn Ali (AS) al-Hakim (in al-Mustadrak) in connection with the attainments of Imam al-Hasan, and al-Haythami (in connection with the excellence of the Holy Family) have narrated that Imam al-Hasan (AS) addressed the people after the martyrdom of his father Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) and said during his speech: O People! Whoever knows me, knows me and whoever doesn't know me should know that I am al-Hasan Ibn Ali; I am the son of the Holy Prophet and of his executor (Wasi). I am the son him who invited people to Allah and warned them of the torture of His Hell-fire. I am the son of the luminous Lamp. I belong to the family upon whom Gabriel used to descend and from there ascend to heavens. I belong to the family from whom Allah has ward off all filth and made them pure. Sunni references: - al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p172 - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p172 It has been narrated in Majma' al-Zawa'id and Tafsir Ibn Kathir that: After his father's martyrdom when (Imam) al-Hasan attained the Caliphate, one day while he was performing his prayers, a man attacked him and thrust a sword in his thigh. He remained confined to bed for some months. Thereafter, he recovered and delivered a sermon and said: "O People of Iraq! Fear Allah. We are your Amirs (leaders) and your guests and belong to the family about whom Almighty Allah has said: 'O People of the Prophet's House..' Imam al-Hasan dwelt on this subject so much that all those present in the Mosque began to cry." Sunni references: - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p172 - Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v3, p486 - This tradition has also been quoted by al-Tabarani and others (ii) Ummul Mu'minin, Umm Salama (RA) In Mushkil al-Athar, al-Tahawi has quoted Umrah al-Hamdaniyyah as saying: I went to Umm Salama and greeted her. She inquired: "Who are you?" I replied: "I am Umrah Hamdaniyyah." Umrah says, "I said O mother of the Faithful! Say something about the man who has been killed among us today. One group of the people like him and another group is inimical towards him," (He meant Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib). Umm Salama said, "Do you like him or are you hostile to him?" I replied, "I neither like him nor I am hostile to him." [Here the narrative is defective and thereafter it is like this:] Umm Salama began to tell about the revelation of the verse of Tat'hir and said in this behalf: "Allah revealed the verse: O People of the Prophet's House... There was none in the room at that time, except Gabriel, the Holy Prophet, Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husain. I said: 'O Prophet of Allah! Am I too one of the people of the House?' He replied: 'Allah will reward you and recompense you.' I wished that he might have said 'Yes' and would have valued such a reply much more than anything else in the world.'" Sunni reference: Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, v1, p336 Ahmad in Musnad; Tabari in his exegesis and al-Tahawi in Mushkil al- Athar have quoted Shahr Ibn Haushab, to have said: When the news of the martyrdom of al-Husain reached Medina I heard Umm Salama, wife of the Holy Prophet, saying: "They have killed al-Husain. I myself observed that the Holy Prophet spread his Khaibari cloak on them and said: 'O Allah! These are the members of my family! Ward off any uncleanness from them and keep them clean and pure!'" Sunni references: - Musnad, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p298 - Tafsir al-Kabir, by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, p6 - Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, v1, p335 (iii) Ibn Abbas (RA) Ahmad, al-Nisa'i, Muhibbuddin, and al-Haythami have reported (the wording being of Ahmad's Musnad): 'Amr Ibn Maimoon said: "I was with Ibn Abbas when nine persons came to him and said: 'Ibn Abbas! Either come out with us or provide us privacy.' He said: 'I shall go out with you.' In those days the eyes of Ibn Abbas were all right and he could see. They had mutual conversation and I am not aware as to what they talked about. After some time Ibn Abbas returned to us. He was then shaking off his dress saying: 'Fie be upon them! They are talking about the man who enjoys ten excellences.' [Later in the narration Ibn Abbas details the virtues of the Imam till he says:] 'The Holy Prophet spread his cloak upon Ali, al-Hasan and al-Husain and said: O People of the Prophet's House! Allah intends to keep you pure from all sorts of uncleanness and blemish and to purify you with a thorough purification.'" Sunni references: - Musnad, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, p331 (First edition) - Musnad, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v5 tradition #3062 (Second edition) - al-Khasa'is, by al-Nisa'i, p11 - al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, v2, p269 - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p119 (iv) Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas In al-Khasa'is, al-Nisa'i has quoted Amir Ibn Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas as saying: Muawiyah said to Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas, "Why do you refrain from abusing Abu Turab?" Sa'd said, "I don't abuse Ali for three attributes of his which I heard from the Holy Prophet. If even one of them had been for me, I would have valued it much more than anything else on earth. I heard from the Holy Prophet that When he left Imam Ali as his representative in Medina and proceeded to fight a battle, Ali said: 'Are you leaving me with the women and the children in Medina?' The Holy Prophet replied: 'Don't you like that your position vis-a-vis me should be like that of Aaron (Haroon) with Moses. You enjoy the same position in regard to me as Aaron enjoyed with Moses.' On the fateful day of Khaibar, too, I heard the Holy Prophet as saying: 'Tomorrow I shall give the standard (of the army) to one who loves Allah and His Prophet and Allah and His Prophet also love him'. All of us were keen to be graced and singled out in the face of this declaration and wished that the standard might be in our hands. In the meantime the Holy Prophet said: 'Bring Ali to me.' Ali came in such a condition that he had some trouble in his eyes. The Holy Prophet applied the saliva of his mouth to (Imam) Ali's eyes and gave the standard in his hand. Moreover, when the verse of Tat'hir was revealed, the Holy Prophet called Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husain near himself and said: 'O Allah! These are the People of my House.'" Sunni references: - al-Khasa'is, by al-Nisa'i, p4 - A fairly similar narration is given in Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter CMXCVI (Virtues of Ali), p1284, Tradition #5916 Also al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, al-Hakim, and al-Tahawi have quoted from Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas that: At the time of the revelation of the verse, the Holy Prophet called Ali along with his two sons and Fatimah and accommodated them under his own cloak and said: 'O Lord! These are the members of my family'. Sunni references: - Tafsir al-Kabir, by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, p7 - Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v3, p485 - al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p147 - Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, v1, p336; v2, p33 - History of al-Tabari, Arabic version, v5, p31 (v) Abu Sa'id al-Khudri It narrated on that: Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: "This verse has been revealed about five individuals: Myself, Ali, al- Hasan, al-Husain, and Fatimah." Sunni references: - Tafsir Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, p5, under the verse 33:33 - Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p24 - al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p221 - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami (vi) Wathilah Ibn Asqa' al-Tabari while commenting on the verse 33:33, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, al- Hakim who considers the tradition to be authentic according to the criteria of Muslim and al-Bukhari, also Bayhaqi, al-Tahawi, and Haythami quote Abu Ammar as having said (the wording is of al-Tabari): I was sitting with Wathilah Ibn Asqa' when a discussion took place about Ali and the people abused him. When those present rose to leave he said to me: 'Keep sitting so that I may talk with you about the man whom they have been abusing. I was with the Holy Prophet when Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husain approached him and the Holy Prophet spread his cloak on them and said: "O Allah! These are the members of my family. Ward off every uncleanness from them and keep them clean and pure." Sunni references: - Tafsir al-Kabir, by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, p6 - al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v2, p416; v3, p417 - Musnad, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p107 - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p167 - Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, v1, p346 - Sunan, al-Bayhaqi, v2, p152 Also Ibn al-Athir quoted Shaddad Ibn Abdullah saying: I heard from Wathilah Ibn Asqa' that when the head of (Imam) al- Husain was brought, one of the Syrians abused (Imam) al-Husain and his father, Wathilah stood up and said: "I swear by Allah that ever since I heard the Holy Prophet say about them: 'O People of the Prophet's House! Allah intends to keep you pure from uncleanness and blemish and to purify you with a thorough purification,' I have always loved Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al- Husain (Peace be upon them).'" Sunni reference: Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v2, p20 (vii) Ali Ibn al-Husain, Zain al-Abideen (AS) While commenting on the verse 33:33, al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir and al-Suyuti have stated in their exegesis: Ali Ibn Husain said to a Syrian: "Have you read this verse in Surah al-Ahzab, O people of the House! Allah intends to keep you pure from blemish and to purify you with a thorough purification (Quran 33:33)?" The Syrian said: "Does this verse pertain to you?" The Imam replied: "Yes, it pertains to us." Sunni references: - Tafsir al-Kabir, by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, p7 - Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v3, p486 - Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Hafidh al-Suyuti, v5, p199 al-Kharazmi has quoted this very narration in his Maqtal in the following words: When, after the martyrdom of (Imam) al-Husain the grandson of the Holy Prophet, (Imam) Zain al-Abideen and other prisoners belonging to the House of the Holy Prophet were carried to Damascus and stationed in a jail located by the side of the Grand Mosque of Damascus, an old man approached them and said: "Praised be Allah who killed you and annihilated you and relieved the people from your men and provided the Commander of the Faithful (Yazid) with authority over you." Ali Ibn al-Husain said: "O old man! Have you read the Holy Quran?" He replied: "Yes." Then the Imam said: "Have you read the verse: Muhammad! 'Say, I do not ask you of any reward for my preaching except the love of my kinsfolk'?" The old man said: "Yes. I have read it." The Imam said: "Have you read the verse: 'So give what is due to the near ones, the needy and the wayfarer.' and the verse: 'Know that whatever (income) you gain, one fifth belongs to Allah, the Messenger, his near ones, orphans the needy and the wayfarers, if you believe in Allah and what We revealed to Our servant in the Holy Quran'?" The old man replied: "Yes. I have read them." The Imam said: "I swear by Allah that the word 'near ones' refers to us and these verses have been revealed about us. (The Imam added): And have you also read this verse in the Holy Quran wherein Allah says: 'O people of the Prophet's House...' (33:33)?" The old man said: "Yes. I have read it". The Imam said: "What is meant by people of the Prophet's House! It is we whom Allah has especially associated with the verse of Tat'hir (purification)." The old man said: "I ask you by Allah! Are you of the same family?" The Imam replied: "I swear by my grandfather the Prophet of Allah that we are the same people." The old man was stunned and expressed regret for what he had said. Then he raised his head towards the sky and said: "O Allah! I ask forgiveness for what I have said, and forsake enmity against this family and hate the enemies of the progeny of Muhammad." Sunni reference: Maqtal al-Husain, by al-Khateeb al-Kharazmi End of Part 2 of 8 ______________________________________, | w w w |\ | || || | || |\ | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, |\ | ( : / (_) / ( . |\ |______________________________________|\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Who are Ahlul-Bayt? (Part III) ======================== The Incident of Mubahala ======================== Here I would like to bring another evidence from Sahih Muslim and Sahih al- Tirmidhi that why the wives of the Prophet are not included in Ahlul-Bayt, which is also, by the way, another reason for the superiority of Ali (AS) for the position of leadership after the Prophet (PBUH&HF). The following incident is related to the event of "Mubahala" (which means imprecation, or invoking the curse of Allah upon the liar), which took place in the 9th-10th year of Hijrah. In that year a delegation consisting of 14 Christian priests came from Najran to meet the Prophet (PBUH&HF). When they met the Prophet they asked him what is his opinion about Jesus (AS). The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "You may take rest today and you will receive the reply afterwards." The next day, 3 verses of Quran (3:59-61) about Jesus were revealed. When Christians did not accept the words of Allah, The Prophet recited the last revealed verse: But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: Come let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and our selves and your selves; then let us be earnest in prayer and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars. (Quran 3:61). / |. | |. |. | . | || : | : . o_) _@ |_,_,| q |_, _@ |_,_,| c ]_, | q_||_e_, |_o_9 ( . / . (_ / (_| / . . | |. . . | / | . |. | . o_)_w_9_, | q |_,_w_9_, | q o_) _@ |_w_, q |_, _@ |_w_, q ( / / ( / / In this way, the Prophet (PBUH&HF) challenged the Christians. The next day the Christian priests came out on one side of the field. Also on the other side, the Prophet came out of his house carrying al-Husain in his arm with al-Hasan walking along with him while he was holding his hand. Behind him was Fatimah al-Zahra, and behind her was Ali, peace be upon them all. When the Christians saw the five pure souls, and how determined the Prophet is in his idea that he put the closest people to him at risk, the Christians were terrified and abstained from the proposed malediction (Mubahala) and submitted to a treaty with the Prophet (PBUH&HF). al-Suyuti who was a great Sunni scholar, wrote: In the above verse (3:61), according to what Jabir Ibn Abdillah al- Ansari (the great companion of the Prophet) said, the word "sons" refers to al-Hasan and al-Husain, the word "women" refers to Fatimah, and the word "our selves" refer to the Prophet and Ali. Thus Ali is referred as "the self" of the Prophet (Nafs of the Prophet). Reference: al-Durr al-Manthoor by al-Hafidh Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v2, p38 It follows that just as it is unlawful to seek to be superior to the Prophet, similarly it is unlawful to supersede Ali (who is the "self" of the Prophet according to the words of Allah). Any one who presumed to supersede Ali, was, in essence, presumed to supersede the Prophet! This is another Quranic proof for the right of Imam Ali as the immediate successor of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Muslim and al-Tirmidhi both confirm the above incident, and recorded the following tradition in their authentic collections of traditions: Narrated Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas: ...And when the verse 3:61 was revealed, the Prophet called Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain. Then the Prophet said: "O Lord! These are my family members (Ahli)." Sunni references: - Sahih Muslim, Chapter of virtues of companions, section of virtues of Ali, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1871, the end of tradition #32. - Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p654 - al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p150, who said this tradition is authentic based on the criteria set by two Shaikhs, al-Bukhari and Muslim. - Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p25 Here is the Arabic text of the above tradition given by both Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Tirmidhi: |. |. | . | || : | : . : T || . .. |.. | | |_, _@ |_,_,| c ]_, |q_||_e_, |_o_9 : 4_, |_|| o ]_8 .__,_| _, |_o_| q . (_ / (_| : / / : | | . | | | || | | / |. | 4_o_D |_9 q |_,_|_c 4_|_|| | q_w |_c > ... o_) _@ |_,_,| q / : (_| / / ( . / | | | | | || || : . |. |. _|_8 | _@ |_| q_8 o_8_|_|| ||_o_9 |_,_,_w_7 q |_,_w_7 q (_S / ( (_| : / / The point, here, is that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) did not bring any of his wives to the field of "Mubahala", and according to above tradition, he used the word "Ahl" (family) ONLY for the above-mentioned individuals (i.e., Imam Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain). Note that in the verse 3:61 of Quran Allah uses plural form "women" by saying "Let us bring our women", but the Prophet only brought his daughter Fatimah (AS). If there were more than one woman in Ahlul-Bayt, the Prophet was required by this verse to bring them, but since there was not any other woman among his Ahlul-Bayt, he brought Fatimah (AS) only. Again, in that incident, the Prophet explicitly mentioned who Ahlul-Bayt are, and named them one by one, and Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim, and many other Sunni scholars recorded that and all confirmed its authenticity. There was no mention of his wives in any of these reports. Some Sunni scholars have narrated that on the day of consultation for appointing the ruler after the death of Umar, Imam Ali (AS) argued with the members of Shura reminding them his rights to the Caliphate, and one of his reasons was the incident of Mubahala: On the day of consultation, Ali argued with the committee members saying: "I adjure you in the name of Allah, is there anyone amongst you closer in relationship to the Messenger of Allah than me? Is there any other man whom the Prophet made him 'his (own) soul' (Nafs), and that he made his children 'his (own) children', and his women 'his (own) women'?" They replied: "No, by God!" Sunni reference: - al-Darqunti, as per: - al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p239 It is also narrated that: The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Verily, Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty, has placed the progeny of each prophet into his backbone (Sulb), and He, Exalted, has placed my progeny into the backbone of Ali Ibn Abi Talib." Sunni references: - al-Tabarani - Abul-Khair al-Haakimi, on the authority of al-Abbas - al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p239 - al-Kunooz al-Mataalib It is also narrated that: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "Me and Ali are from one tree, and the rest of people are from different trees." : ^ ^ |. || | : | : ^ w | |. | _,_w _7_w . _o w |_,_|| _,|_w q o ]_7 |q o _7_w . _o _|_c q |_,| (_S /. (_) (_/ /: / / /. (_) (_S / Sunni references: - al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 9, section 2, p190 - Tarikh al-Khulafaa, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, p171 - al-Awsat, by al-Tabarani, from Jabir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari In another Sunni commentary of Quran, it is narrated on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Umar that: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "Had there been any soul on the whole earth better than Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al- Husain, Allah would have commanded me to take them along with me to Mubahala. But as they were superior in dignity and respect to all human be beings, Allah confined His choice on them only for participation in Mubahala." Sunni reference: Tafsir al-Baidhawi, under the commentary of Verse 3:61 Concluding, the event of Mubahala between the Prophet (PBUH&HF) the Christians was significant in many aspects, among them are: 1. It proved to be a lesson for all the Christians of Arabia who no longer dared any confrontation with the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF). 2. The invitation of "Mubahala" (literally meaning cursing each other) was directed by Allah and it was in compliance with His Command that the Holy Prophet and his Ahlul-Bayt along with him to the field of Mubahala. This serves to show how affairs pertaining to prophethood and Islam are determined by the Will of Allah; allowing no margin of interference from the common people (Ummah). (The matter of Imam Ali's (AS) succession after the Prophet should be viewed similarly) 3. The indispensability of Imam Ali, Lady Fatimah, Imam al-Hasan and Imam al- Husain in the following of the precepts of the Holy Prophet could no longer be disputed. 4. Notwithstanding their childhood, al-Hasan and al-Husain did nevertheless serve as two active partners of the Holy Prophet on the field of Mubahala. This yields the conclusion that age is no criteria for the greatness of those infallible souls. 5. That the Holy Prophet's act of having preferred a few obviously elevates their status above all others. 6. Traditions from the Prophet with regards to this event clearly indicates who the Ahlul-Bayt are. 7. Imam Ali (AS) has been mentioned as the 'Self' of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) according to the revelation of Allah, and is, in fact, superior to all others with regard to the matter of succession. ============================== Is It Just Blood Relationship? ============================== It is narrated that: The Messenger of Allah said: "Any relation will end on the day of Judgment except my relation. And the root (identification) of every one is his father, except the progeny of Fatimah, since I am their father and their root (identification)." Sunni references: - Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Bayhaqi, and al-Darqunti, al-Dhahabi on the authorities of Umar Ibn al-Khattab, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Zubair, and Ibn Umar. - al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p239 - Similar tradition has been narrated by Abu Ya'la, al-Tabarani on the authority of Fatimah (AS) and Ibn Umar The above precious tradition proves that, blood relationship is of little value in Islam and it will soon melt away when the day of Judgment appears. But what makes the relationship of the Prophet and his Ahlul-Bayt different than others is the qualifications and spiritual purity that they have besides their pure gene (which is also necessary). It is worth mentioning that Lady Fatimah (AS) is the only surviving child of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) who left progeny for him. All other children of the Prophet died in their early ages, without being able to leave an issue behind themselves. The infidels of Hijaz (Arabia) used to dishonor the Prophet by saying that he does not have a son to preserve his generation. For that reason, Allah revealed the Chapter of "al-Kawthar": "Lo! We have given you Abundance (i.e., a long-standing pure progeny). So pray unto your Lord, and sacrifice. Lo! It is your insulter (and not you) who is without progeny." (Quran, Chapter 108). ^ / || /|. | | |. | _, q_)_|| (__)|_,_,_D_c | |_, | / / : : | || / @ . | ^ | . | / | | . _,_,|_|| q_8 (__)_,_, |_w . | _7_, | q (__)_, _| |,_p_9 / . / (_) / / . / (_| In the above Chapter, Allah refers to Fatimah al-Zahra as Abundance who brings for the Prophet a sanctified progeny. Again, by progeny we do not mean all those whose ancestor are the Prophet (PBUH&HF). We rather mean those among his descendants who have been thoroughly purified by Allah, and the history and the Hadith can not count more that 14 of them (including the Prophet). Here is the commentary of the above Chapter by Yusuf Ali (the translator of Quran): Abu Jahl and his Pagan confederates vented their personal spite and venom against the holy Prophet by taunting him with the loss of his two infant sons by Khadija, but where were these venomous detractors a few years afterwards, when the divine Light shone more brilliantly than ever? Fatimah received severe injuries and was martyred at the age of eighteen, just six months after the demise of the Prophet, leaving two sons: al-Hasan, and al-Husain. After martyrdom of Imam Ali (AS), Imam al-Hasan came to power. But Muawiyah, the disloyal governor of Syria, continued his aggression by preparing another attack (after the war of Siffin), and meanwhile he bought the key elements of the army of Imam al-Hasan by money and bribe, and by corrupting his army, was finally able to complete a peaceful military coup, and to take over the power. Imam al-Hasan was poisoned to death shortly after. The second (and the last) grandson of the Prophet was Imam al-Husain (AS), who was slaughtered along with his family (except one of his sons), relatives, and companions, in the desert of Karbala, by the army of Yazid, the corrupt and drunk son of Muawiyah. That catastrophe took place only 50 years after the demise of the Prophet!!! The above was a very short horrible story of what happened to Ahlul-Bayt, whom Quran and the Prophet (PBUH&HF) ordered us to love them and obey them beside the book of Allah. End of Part 3 of 8 ______________________________________, | w w w |\ | || || | || |\ | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, |\ | ( : / (_) / ( . |\ |______________________________________|\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Who are Ahlul-Bayt? (Part IV) ======================== Matrimonial Relationship ======================== In the previous parts, we quoted extensive authentic traditions from Sahih Muslim and else, proving that during the lifetime of the Prophet, his Ahlul- Bayt constituted only Imam Ali, Fatimah al-Zahra, al-Hasan, and al-Husain, and also the purification sentence in Quran (the last sentence of Verse 33:33) was revealed on their virtue and NOT for the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). These facts were proven based on the testimony of the Messenger of Allah as well as the testimony of his wives and his companions. Here I would like to quote another interesting tradition from Sahih Muslim, in which another famous companion of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) swears in the name of Allah that wives of the Prophet are NOT included in his Ahlul-Bayt. The tradition explains the reasoning of this companion and his justification. Here is the tradition recorded in Sahih Muslim: Narrated Yazid Ibn Hayyan: We went to Zaid Ibn Arqam and said to him: You have found goodness (for you had the honor) to live in the company of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and offered prayer behind him, and the rest of the Hadith is the same (as 3 traditions before) but the Prophet said: "Behold, for I am leaving amongst you two weighty things, one of them is the Book of Allah...", and in this (Hadith) these words are also found: We said: "Who are his Ahlul-Bayt (that the Prophet was referring to)? Are they his wives?" Thereupon Zaid said: "No, by Allah! A woman lives with a man (as his wife) for a while; he then divorces her and she goes back to her parents and her people. The Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet are his lineage and his descendants (those who come from his blood) for whom the acceptance of charity (Sadaqah) is prohibited." Reference: Sahih Muslim, Chapter of virtues of companions, section of the virtues of Ali, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1874, Tradition #37 For the English version of Sahih Muslim, please see Chapter CMXCVI, Tradition #5923 Here is the Arabic text of the above tradition narrated by Sahih Muslim: | || | | | || : @ | . : | | |. | : . 4_|_|| o_, | q |_| ||_o ? 4_, |_w_, ? 4_,_,_, |_8 | . _o |_,_|_o_9 ( : / (_| : . (_| (_) ^ || || | || /: : | || | o_, _8 ]_|| . _o ,_p_e_|| |_7 _|| e_o . q_)_, o | _o_|| . | ( / (_) / (_|. / (_ (_) / / (_) | : | | || : . | : || |_8_o q_o q |_8_,_,| _|| e_7 _,_9 |_8_o_|_D_, / / : . (_S (_. / : : : || | . || : | | : | | o ]_e_, 4_o ],_p_|| |q_o _7 . _,]_|| 4_,_,,_p_c q 4_|,_p | 4_,_,_, |_8| . / / (_): . / : . (_| As we see, even some of the companions of the Prophet swear in the name of Allah that Ahlul-Bayt do NOT include the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). However Sahih Muslim has another tradition from Zaid Ibn Arqam in the very same chapter which is: Zaid Ibn Arqam said: I have grown old and have forgotten some of the things which I remembered in connection with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). So accept whatever I narrate to you, and which I do not narrate do not compel me to do that. He then said: One day, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) stood up to deliver sermon at a watering place known as Khum (Ghadir Khum) which is situated between Mecca and Medina. He praised Allah, Extolled Him and delivered the sermon and exhorted (us) and said: "Now to our purpose, O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I shall answer that call (would bid good-bye to you). But I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah... The second are the members of my household (Ahlul-Bayt). By Allah I remind you (of your duties) to the Members of my House (saying three times)." He (Husain Ibn Sabra) said to Zaid: Who are the members of his household? Aren't his wives the members of his family? Thereupon Zaid said: His wives are among Ahlul-Bayt but here Ahlul-Bayt are those for whom acceptance of Zakat is forbidden. And he said: Who are they? Thereupon he said: Ali and the offspring of Ali; Aqil and the offspring of Aqil, and the offspring of Ja'far and the offspring of Abbas. Reference: Sahih Muslim, Chapter of the virtues of companions, section of the virtues of Ali, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1873, Tradition #36. For the English version of Sahih Muslim, see Chapter CMXCVI, p1286, Tradition #5920 Please note that the second Paragraph of the above tradition is NOT the saying of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). It is the alleged opinion of Zaid Ibn Arqam. In contradiction to the previous tradition, here Zaid asserts that: "The wives of the Prophet are among his Ahlul-Bayt BUT HERE (what the Prophet meant by) Ahlul-Bayt (were some other people who) are Ali and his offspring,... and the offspring of Abbas." My question is that: Should we obey the saying of the Prophet who specified who Ahlul-Bayt are, or we should accept the opinion of a companion which, in this case at least, is in contradiction with the opinion of the Prophet? Besides the history tells us that there were many tyrant rulers among the Abbasid (the descendants of Abbas). So how can we obey them and love them? Allah in Quran said: "...and obey not from among them a sinner or an ungrateful one." (Quran 76:24). Were Abbasid tyrants among Ahlul-Bayt who the Messenger of Allah put them beside Quran as one of the two precious thing that he left for his community to be obeyed after him?! This shows Ahlul-Bayt are special individuals and do not cover all the relatives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). The word Ahlul-Bayt, linguistically, does not cover all relatives at all. It means family who come from his blood as pointed in the first tradition of Zaid. Thus, even the Prophet's wives are not going to be included in Ahlul-Bayt. Those of Sunni brothers who believe all the traditions in Sahih Muslim are authentic, can find a contradiction here between the two traditions which are in the same chapter and only tree traditions away from each other. In one tradition, Zaid said that the Prophet's wives are among Ahlul-Bayt, and in three traditions away from it, the very same person (Zaid) is swearing in the name of Allah that the Prophet's wives are NOT among his Ahlul-Bayt? What should we conclude? - Should we disregard the clarification of the Prophet and stick to the opinion of a companion? - If yes, then should we accept the saying of a companion who tells two contradicting opinion while he himself said in the second tradition that he has grown old and he does not remember too much? - Should we accept such contradicting narrations as Sahih (authentic)? - If yes, then should we accept the one in which he swears in the name of Allah, or the one in which he does not swear for? When the Prophet clearly excludes his wives from Ahlul-Bayt, and when his wives such as Aisha, Umm Salama and Safiyya also testify to this fact (please see part I), and when Zaid Ibn Arqam swears by Allah that the wives of the Prophet are NOT among Ahlul-Bayt, then there will remain no choice but to accept the fact that the wives of the Messenger of Allah were NOT included in the Ahlul-Bayt. It might be possible to accepts both narrations, if we carefully look at what Zaid said: "The wives are among his Ahlul-Bayt but here (what the Prophet meant by) Ahlul-Bayt (were some other people who) are Ali and his offspring, ..." Zaid is saying that we may say (in general sense) the wives included in Ahlul-Bayt, BUT HERE the Prophet meant a special meaning for Ahlul-Bayt which does not cover the wives of the Prophet. It is with this meaning that the Prophet put Ahlul-Bayt beside the Quran. In this case, the contradiction between the two traditions can reconciled. Now, let us focus on the last part of saying of Zaid in the above tradition where he said: "A woman lives with a man (as his wife) for a while; he then divorces her and she goes back to her parents and her people. The Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet are his lineage and his descendants (those who come from his blood) for whom the acceptance of charity (Sadaqah) is prohibited." This is a correct reasoning. The matrimonial relation between and a man and a woman can never be considered permanent; it is only circumstantial and can be given up at any moment since the wife could be divorced. In fact two wives among the wives of the Prophet, namely Aisha (the daughter of Abu Bakr) and Hafsa (the daughter of Umar) were threatened to divorce by Quran, because of a secret news that they released to their parents. It is well-known that the following verses of Quran were revealed about Aisha and Hafsa: 66:3 When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives (i.e., Hafsa) and she then divulged it (to Aisha) and Allah made it known to him, he made known (to her) part thereof and passed over part. Then when he (i.e., the Prophet) told her thereof, she said: "Who told you this?" He said "He who knows and is well-aware (of all things) told me." 66:4 If you two (i.e., Aisha and Hafsa) turn unto Allah repentant, (you have cause to do so) for your hearts indeed desired (against the order of the Prophet); and if you two aid one another against him (Muhammad) then lo! Truly Allah is his Protector and Gabriel and the righteous one among those who believe and furthermore the angels will back (him) up. 66:5 If he divorces you, Allah may give him instead wives better than you who will be submissive (to Allah), believing, pious, penitent, inclined to fasting, widows and maids." ========================================== Explanation Sahih al-Bukhari on verse 66:5 ========================================== In the Volume 6 of the Arabic-English version of Sahih al-Bukhari, in a chapter titled: "It may be, if he divorces you, that his Lord (Allah) will give him, instead of you, wives better than you ... (66:5)," we read: Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 6.438 Narrated Umar: The wives of the Prophet out of their jealousy, backed each other against the Prophet, so I said to them, "It may be, if he divorced you all, that Allah will give him, instead of you wives better than you." So this Verse (66.5) was revealed. Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 6.436 Narrated Ibn Abbas: I intended to ask Umar so I said, "Who were those two ladies who tried to back each other against the Prophet?" I hardly finished my speech when he said, They were Aisha and Hafsa." If the Allah threatened the two wives of the Prophet by divorce, because they backed each other against the Prophet, then how can we render them as pure and sinless? Moreover, the following tradition states that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) deserted Aisha and Hafsa for one full month as punishment for revealing the secret news: Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 7.119 Narrated Ibn Abbas: I had been eager to ask Umar bin al-Khattab about the two ladies from among the wives of the Prophet regarding whom Allah said 'If you two (wives of the Prophet namely Aisha and Hafsa) turn in repentance to Allah, your hearts are indeed so inclined (to oppose what the Prophet likes). (66.4) till Umar performed the Hajj and I too, performed the Hajj along with him... Then I said to him, "O chief of the Believers! Who were the two ladies from among the wives of the Prophet regarding whom Allah said: 'If you two (wives of the Prophet) turn in repentance to Allah your hearts are indeed so inclined (to oppose what the Prophet likes)?" (66.4) He said, "I am astonished at your question, O Ibn Abbas. They were Aisha and Hafsa." Then Umar went on narrating the Hadith and said, "... I shouted at my wife and she retorted against me and I disliked that she should answer me back. She said to me, 'Why are you so surprised at my answering you back? By Allah, the wives of the Prophet answer him back and some of them may leave (do not speak to) him throughout the day till the night.' The (talk) scared me and I said to her, 'Whoever has done so will be ruined!' Then I proceeded after dressing myself, and entered upon Hafsa and said to her, 'Does anyone of you keep the Prophet angry till night?' She said, 'Yes.' I said, 'You are a ruined losing person! Don't you fear that Allah may get angry for the anger of Allah's Apostle and thus you will be ruined? So do not ask more from the Prophet and do not answer him back and do not give up talking to him. Ask me whatever you need and do not be tempted to imitate your neighbor (i.e., Aisha) in her manners for she is more charming than you and more beloved to the Prophet." Umar added, "At that time a talk was circulating among us that (the tribe of) Ghassan were preparing their horses to invade us. My Ansari companion, on the day of his turn, went (to the town) and returned to us at night and knocked at my door violently and asked if I was there. I became horrified and came out to him. He said, 'Today a great thing has happened.' I asked, 'What is it? Have (the people of) Ghassan come?' He said, 'No, but (What has happened) is greater and more horrifying than that: Allah's Apostle; has divorced his wives. Umar added, "The Prophet kept away from his wives and I said "Hafsa is a ruined loser.' I had already thought that most probably this (divorce) would happen in the near future. So I dressed myself and offered the morning prayer with the Prophet and then the Prophet entered an upper room and stayed there in seclusion. I entered upon Hafsa and saw her weeping. I asked, 'What makes you weep? Did I not warn you about that? Did the Prophet divorce you all?' She said, 'I do not know. There he is retired alone in the upper room.' ... I said (to Allah's Apostle) chatting, 'Will you heed what I say, O Allah's Apostle? We, the people of Quraish used to have power over our women, but when we arrived at Medina we found that the men (here) were overpowered by their women.' The Prophet smiled and then I said to him, 'Will you heed what I say, O Allah's Apostle? I entered upon Hafsa and said to her, "Do not be tempted to imitate your companion (Aisha), for she is more charming than you and more beloved to the Prophet.' ... Then the Prophet kept away from his wives for twenty-nine days because of the story which Hafsa had disclosed to Aisha. The Prophet had said, 'I will not enter upon them for one month,' because of his anger towards them ... Some of his wives were the cause of him taking that decision, therefore he deserted them for one month. See Quran: (66.4) Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 6.435 Narrated Ibn Abbas: For the whole year I had the desire to ask Umar bin al-Khattab regarding the explanation of a Verse (in Surat al-Tahrim) ... Umar went aside to answer the call of nature by the Arak trees. I waited till he finished and then I proceeded with him and asked him. "O chief of the Believers! Who were the two wives of the Prophet who aided one another against him?" He said, "They were Hafsa and Aisha." ... Then Umar added, "Once while I was thinking over a certain matter, my wife said, "I recommend that you do so-and-so." I said to her, "What have you got to do with the is matter? Why do you poke your nose in a matter which I want to see fulfilled?" She said, How strange you are, O son of al- Khattab! You don't want to be argued with whereas your daughter, Hafsa surely, argues with Allah's Apostle so much that he remains angry for a full day!" Umar then reported how he at once put on his outer garment and went to Hafsa and said to her, "O my daughter! Do you argue with Allah's Apostle so that he remains angry the whole day?" Hafsa said, "By Allah, we argue with him." Umar said, "Know that I warn you of Allah's punishment and the anger of Allah's Apostle . . . O my daughter! Don't be betrayed by the one who is proud of her beauty because of the love of Allah's Apostle for her (i.e. Aisha)." ... Umar added, (One day) my Ansari friend unexpectedly knocked at my door, and said, "Open Open!" I said, "Has the king of Ghassan come?" He said, "No, but something worse; Allah's Apostle has isolated himself from his wives." I said, "Let the nose of Aisha and Hafsa be stuck to dust (i.e., humiliated)!" In the above tradition, Hafsa swears by Allah that she argues with the Messenger of Allah and keeps him angry for the whole day! Is this a sign of purity and righteousness? According to Quran (the last sentence of Verse 33:33), perfect purity and sinlessness is the characteristic of Ahlul-Bayt. The above verses of Quran as well as the above traditions in Sahih al-Bukhari proves that some of the wives of the Prophet were not righteous and pure, otherwise Allah would not have threatened them in Quran by divorce. This is the main reason why I preferred the reference from Sahih Muslim on the authority of Zaid Ibn Arqam in which he * swears by Allah * that the Prophet's wives are NOT among Ahlul-Bayt since they can be subject to divorce and being substituted with women better than them (Quran 66:5). Another astonishing tradition in Sahih al-Bukhari is as follows: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 4.336 Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet stood up and delivered a sermon, and pointed to the house of Aisha, and said: "Fitna (trouble/sedition) is right here," saying three times, "and from where the side of the Satan's head comes out." : ^ @ | / . | ^ | . | | . . || | : 4_w_, |_c . _)_w_o q_7_, |_w |_9 |_,_,_D_7 _,_,_|| o |_o (_) / / . : (_S. ( ^ | ^ | | ^ : . : . || |. | | | : . .__,_,_7 . _o , |_, |_|_, , 4_,_,_9_|| |_,_8 |_8 : | |_o_9 : (_) (_| || ^ || : || . |_D_,_w_|| . _o e_|_D_, (_) : (_) / (_ : All these traditions give us more alarms not to include the wives of the Prophet into the Ahlul-Bayt who are spotless and sinless based on the testimony of the Messenger of Allah: Ibn Abbas Narrated that: The Messenger of Allah recited "Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you a perfect purification". (Quran, the last sentence of Verse 33:33) and then the Messenger of Allah said: "Thus Me and my Ahlul-Bayt are clear from the sins." . . || | : | | |. | . .__, q_, ]_|| . _o . q _8__D_o _,_,_, |_8 | q |_, |_9 . / (_) (_) / / (_S : . (_| / Sunni references: - Sahih al-Tirmidhi, as quoted in: - al-Durr al-Manthoor, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v5, pp 605-606,198 under the commentary of Verse 33:33 of Quran - Dala'il al-Nabawiyyah, by al-Bayhaqi - Others such as al-Tabarani, Ibn Mardawayh, Abu Nu'aym, etc. Please note the word "thus" in the highlighted part of the above tradition. It means the Prophet himself is CONCLUDING that the verse MEANS Ahlul-Bayt are sinless. In his exegesis, Ibn Jarir Tabari quotes Qatadah who interpreted the sacred verse of Tat'hir that people of the Holy Prophet's family are those whom Almighty Allah has purified from every sin and showered special blessings on them. He also stated in explanation of the verse: "It is this and nothing else that Allah willed to ward off every badness and indecency from the people of the family of Muhammad and to keep them clear from every contamination and sin!" Sunni reference: Tafsir al-Tabari, v22, p5 under commentary of verse 33:33 Thus the Purification Verse (Ayah al-Tat'hir) and the Tradition of Mantle (Hadith al-Kisaa) confer a special distinction and honor upon the Holy Family that is: being free from every blemish and uncleanness, being infallible, and being kept purified by Allah and absolved of any sin. They are therefore entitled to absolute obedience from the Muslim Ummah not only as a logical inference, but as a fulfillment of the very intention and utmost desire of the Prophet of Islam in pin pointing them and making them distinguished from the rest of the Muslim Ummah. As we discussed earlier, in the special meaning that the Prophet elucidated in the previously mentioned traditions, Ahlul-Bayt even does NOT cover all those who come from his blood. Only those among them who are pure and sinless (Quran 33:33) are the Ahlul-Bayt. These are a very selected individuals among his progeny. End of Part 4 of 8 ______________________________________, | w w w |\ | || || | || |\ | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, |\ | ( : / (_) / ( . |\ |______________________________________|\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Who are Ahlul-Bayt? (Part V) ======================= The Mother of Believers ======================= One thing that our Sunni brothers/sisters usually say as means of justifying Aisha is that she was "Ummul Mu'minin" -- the mother of believers. In fact, Quran states that the wives of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) are the mothers of the believers. But let us ponder the following points: 1. Let's consider someone who is a believer. It naturally follows that his mother becomes a mother of believer. Does it automatically mean that his mother is also a good believer? Most certainly not! Being a mother of believer does not make that mother a good believer and righteous. The same argument applies for the mother of all the believers. 2. All the Sunni collections of traditions are replete with the traditions reported by Ummul Mu'minin Aisha. The Prophet (PBUH&HF) had many other wives, and all of them were mothers of believers. Many of the wives of the Prophet were highly pious and righteous, such as Umm Salama and Umm Ayman. But unfortunately there are not many traditions from them in the Sihah Sittah (not even 5% of what is conveyed by Aisha). But we hear from Aisha in a bulk rate. Was it because she was the daughter of Abu Bakr? or because she was the only one among the wives of the Prophet who fought Imam Ali (AS)? 3. According to Islam, a believer is required to respect his mother. However, if such mother goes against the instruction of the Messenger of Allah, conducts and leads the rebellions, and kills innocents, we are religiously required to disassociate ourselves from such mother, and more importantly, we can NOT trust such mother for transmitting the traditions of the Prophet in such volume. 4. Indeed, there is a good reason why Allah gave them the title of "Mothers of Believers." Allah gave them this title in order to prevent people to marry them after the demise of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). We can not marry our mother. Right? If Allah wouldn't have given this title to them, some influential people would have married them and would probably have brought sons from them and would have ordered people to follow them as the Ahlul- Bayt, or even worst, they might have claimed that they are the real sons of the Prophet and would have claimed prophethood for them and many more possible dangerous consequences. As such, Allah (SWT) gave them this title (the mother of believers) to prevent such marriages. ================================================= The Best Wife of the Prophet vs. the Most Envious ================================================= It is well-known among Muslims that the best wife of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) was Khadija (RA). She was the first woman who embraced Islam and spent all her wealth for the cause of Allah and the Prophet never married another woman as long as Khadija was alive. The Messenger of Allah gave the name of the best women of the world in chronological order and one should not be surprised that the name of Aisha is missing: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "The most excellent of the women of all worlds whom Allah chose over all women are: Asiya the wife of Pharaoh, Mary the daughter of Imran, Khadija the daughter of Khuwaylid, and Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad." Sunni references: - Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p702 - al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p157, who said this tradition is authentic based on the criteria of two Shaikhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) - Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v3, p135 - Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p755, Tradition #1325 - Hilyatul Awliyaa, by Abu Nu'aym, v2, p344 - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p223 - al-Isti'ab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, v4, p377 - al-Awsat by al-Tabarani, as well as Ibn Habban, etc. Furthermore, Ibn Abbas (RA) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: Four women are the mistress of the worlds: Mary, Asiya (the wife of Pharaoh), Khadija, and Fatimah. And the most excellent one among them in the world is Fatimah." Sunni references: Ibn Asakir, as quoted in Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor Moreover, after the demise of Khadija (RA) when the Prophet (PBUH&HF) married Aisha and others, he explicitly preferred some of them over Aisha and said they are better than Aisha (see Sahih al-Tirmidhi; al-Isti'ab by Ibn Abd al- Barr; and al-Isabah, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, in the biography of Safiyya). Also the verse: "Perhaps if he divorces you, his Lord will give him wives who are better than you, who submit and believe (Quran 66:5)" clearly indicates that there were believing women among the Muslims who were much better than Aisha. Envy so controlled her heart and her mind that she conducted herself in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) without respect or manners. On one occasion, Aisha said to the Prophet (PBUH&HF), when he mentioned Khadija in her presence: Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 5.168.b ... Narrated Aisha: Once Hala Bint Khuwailid, Khadija's sister, asked the permission of the Prophet to enter. On that, the Prophet remembered the way Khadija used to ask permission, and that made him sad. He said, "O Allah! Hala!" So I became jealous and said, "What makes you remember an old woman amongst the old women of Quraish an old woman (with a teethless mouth) of red gums who died long ago, and in whose place Allah has given you somebody better than her?" The Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) became very angry at this until his hair stood. (also reported in Muslim). Moreover, al-Bukhari narrated that Aisha confessed: Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 5.166 Narrated Aisha: I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as much as I did of Khadija though I did not see her, but the Prophet used to mention her very often, and whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would cut its parts and send them to the women friends of Khadija. When I sometimes said to him, "(You treat Khadija in such a way) as if there is no woman on earth except Khadija," he would say, "Khadija was such-and-such, and from her I had children." Khadija was the foremost believing woman, to whom Gabriel gave Greetings, and was given the glad tidings of Paradise: Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 9.588 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said that Gabriel said, "Here is Khadija coming to you with a dish of food or a tumbler containing something to drink. Convey to her a greeting from her Lord (Allah) and give her the glad tidings that she will have a palace in Paradise built of Qasab wherein there will be neither any noise nor any fatigue (trouble)." Similar traditions was reported by the authority of Isma'il and Aisha (See Sahih al-Bukhari, Traditions: 3.19, 5.164, 5.165, 5.167, 5.168, 7.156, 8.33, and 9.576). When Aisha was jealous, she would exceed her bounds and would do strange things like breaking dishes or tearing clothes. On another occasion when the Prophet was in the house of Aisha, one of the mothers of the believers (namely Safiyya) sent to the Prophet a dish that he really loved. She destroyed the dish, together with the food in it. Let us see how Aisha herself described this episode: Aisha said: "Safiyya, the wife of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), sent a dish she had made for him when he was with me. When I saw the maidservant, I trembled with rage and fury, and I took the bowl and hurled it away. The Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) then looked at me; I saw the anger in his face and I said to him: 'I seek refuge from Allah's Apostle cursing me today.' The Prophet said: 'Undo it'. I said: 'What is its compensation, O Prophet of Allah?' He said: 'The food like her food, and a bowl like her bowl.'" Sunni references: - Musnad, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p227 - Sahih al-Nisa'i, v2, p148 al-Bukhari confirms this episode as well: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 7.152 (The Chapter of Envy) Narrated Anas: While the Prophet was in the house of one of his wives, one of the mothers of the believers sent a meal in a dish. The wife at whose house the Prophet was, struck the hand of the servant, causing the dish to fall and break. The Prophet gathered the broken pieces of the dish and then started collecting on them the food which had been in the dish and said, "Your mother (my wife) felt jealous." Then he detained the servant till a (sound) dish was brought from the wife at whose house he was. He gave the sound dish to the wife whose dish had been broken and kept the broken one at the house where it had been broken. And on another occasion, speaking of herself: Aisha said: "I said to the Prophet (PBUH&HF) 'Enough for you about Safiyya is such and such.' The Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) said to me: 'You have uttered words which, if they were mixed with the waters of the sea, would color it.'" Sunni reference: Sahih al-Tirmidhi, and al-Zamakhshari has related it from him on, p73 By this Aisha was trying to disclose Safiyya's faults. Glory be to Allah! How far was this mother of the believers away from the ethics and basic rights which Islam has enjoined concerning forbidding of backbiting and slander? No doubt her speech: "Enough for you about Safiyya is such and such" and the response of the Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) "You have uttered words which, if they were mixed with the waters of the sea, would color it" shows what Aisha had said regarding Safiyya was a grave thing and of immense concern. The narrators of the Hadith found it repulsive, and since they respected her, they changed the words to "so and so" as is their normal practice in such scandals. And here is Aisha, the mother of the believers, narrating, once again, of her envy of Mariya (another mother of the believers). Aisha said: "I have never been as jealous of any woman as I have been of Mariya. That was because she had beautiful ringlets. She used to stay in the house of Haritha Ibn al-Numan. We frightened her and I became concerned. The Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) sent her to a higher place and he would visit her there. That was very hard upon us, and then Allah blessed him with a boy through her and we shunned him". Sunni references: - al-Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd, v8, p212 - al-Ansab al-Ashraf, by al-Baladhuri, v1, p339 Aisha's jealousy went beyond the person of Mariya, and was directed even against Ibrahim, the innocent, newly born suckling baby: Aisha said: "When Ibrahim was born, the Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) brought him to me and said: 'Look how much he resembles me.' I said: 'I do not see any resemblance.' The Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: 'Don't you see how robust and fair he is?"' Aisha said: "I said: 'Whoever is fed with the milk of sheep becomes fair and robust.'" Sunni references: - al-Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd, v1, p37 - also in al-Ansab al-Ashraf, by al-Baladhuri Aisha was very partial and yielded to emotions and selfish motives. When some people maliciously accused Mariya (the wife of the Prophet), she was Aisha who supported the accusers and tried to confirm the false blame. But Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, absolved her from blame and saved her from injustice, through the Commander of Believers, Imam Ali (AS). (For details refer to the account of Lady Mariya, may Allah be gracious to her, in al- Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v4, p30, or Talkhis of al-Mustadrak, by al-Dhahabi). When she was overcome by suspicion and devilish insinuation, her jealousy crossed all boundaries and was beyond the expression of words, leading her to suspect the Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF). Quite often, she used to pretend to be asleep when the Prophet stayed the night at her house, but, in fact, she would closely observe her husband, spying upon him in the darkness, following behind where he went. Here is a report, in her own words, which was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih, and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in his Musnad and other Sunni scholars: Aisha said: When it was my turn for Allah's Messenger to spend the night with me, he turned his side, put on his mantle, and took off his shoes and placed them near his feet and spread the corner of his shawl on his bed and then lay down till he thought that I had gone to sleep. He then took hold of his mantle and put on the shoes slowly, and opened the door and went out and then closed the door lightly. I covered my head, put on my veil, and tightened my waist wrapper, and then went out following his steps till he reached (the cemetery of) al-Baqi. He stood there for a long time and then he lifted his hand three times and then returned, and I also returned. He hastened his steps and I also hastened my steps. He ran and I also ran. He came (to the home) and I also came (to the home). I, however, preceded him and entered and lay down on the bed. He entered and said: Why is it, O Aisha, that you are out of breath? I said: There is nothing. He said: Tell me or the Subtle and the Aware will inform me. I told him the story. He said: Was it the darkness (of your shadow) that I saw in front of me? I said: Yes. He struck me on the chest which caused me pain and the said: Did you think Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you? Sunni references: - Sahih Muslim, English version, chapter CCCLII (titled: What is to be said while visiting the graveyard), v2, pp 461-462, Tradition #2127 - Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, v2, pp 669-670, Tradition #103 - Musnad, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p147 On another occasion, she said: "I lost track of the Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF), and I suspected that he had gone to another of his wives. I went looking for him and I found him in prostration, saying. "O My Lord! Forgive me" Sunni reference: Musnad, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p147 On another occasion: Aisha said: "One night, when he was with me, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) went out". She said: "I became jealous. When he came and saw what I had done, he said: 'What is the matter, O Aisha? Are you jealous?' I replied: 'And why should not those like me be jealous of those like you?' The Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) then said: 'Has your devil taken possession of you?'". Sunni reference: Musnad, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p115 No doubt Aisha was quite often overcome or confused by her devil, for he found a way to her heart through jealousy. It has been narrated that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Jealousy for a man is faith and for a woman disbelief", meaning that a man may get jealous concerning his wife, for his wife is not religiously allowed to have sexual relation with another man. The woman, however, does not have the right to be jealous of her husband, because Allah, Glory be to Him, has allowed him to marry more than one wife. An upright and believing woman who submits to the rulings of Allah, accepts her co-wife wholeheartedly, especially if her husband is just, upright, and God- fearing. How about the leader of humanity, the symbol of perfection and justice, and the most noble character, the Messenger of Allah? Once the Prophet asked Aisha to collect certain information about a particular woman, namely, Sharraf, the sister of Dihya al-Kalbi. The information that she conveyed to him was not the information she had gathered, but wrong information prompted by selfish motives. When the Prophet (PBUH&HF) informed her of the truth of what she had observed, Aisha replied: "O Prophet of Allah! No secret is unknown to you. Who is able to hide anything from you?" Sunni references: - Kanz al-Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p294 - al-Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd, v8, p115 She said once she addressed to the Messenger of Allah: "I smell Maghafir (a kind of flower having a very bad odor) from you." She said this in order to prevent him from visiting the house of Umm al-Mu'minin Zainab (RA) and eating honey there. This is the claim of Aisha. No other people mentioned this. As I will point out shortly, the story said by Umar regarding the revelation of divorce verses, is much different than the context of what Aisha said. Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 6.434 Narrated Aisha: Allah's Apostle used to drink honey in the house of Zainab, the daughter of Jahsh, and would stay there with her. So Hafsa and I agreed secretly that, if he come to either of us, she would say to him "It seems you have eaten Maghafir (a kind of bad-smelling resin), for I smell in you the smell of Maghafir." Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 7.192 Narrated 'Ubaid bin Umar: I heard Aisha saying, "The Prophet used to stay for a long while with Zainab Bint Jahsh and drink honey at her house. So Hafsa and I decided that if the Prophet came to anyone of us, she should say him, "I detect the smell of Maghafir (a nasty smelling gum) in you. Have you eaten Maghafir?'... So there was revealed: 'O Prophet ! Why do you ban (for you) that which Allah has made lawful for you . . . If you two (wives of Prophet) turn in repentance to Allah,' (66:1-4) addressing Aisha and Hafsa. 'When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to some of his wives.'(66:3) Tradition 8.682 of Sahih al-Bukhari is also similar to above and is narrated by Aisha himself. No other person narrated the story of honey in connection with the divorce verses. Please also see the previous article where we mentioned Sahih al-Bukhari, Tradition 7.119. In that tradition which is narrated by Umar, the Prophet (PBUH&HF) did not enter to the house of Aisha and Hafsa for one full month as a punishment for their aggressive actions. Considering the compassionate and the gentle personality of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), such severe punishment and the threat to divorce just for their saying to the Prophet "You smell Maghafir" (as Aisha claimed) does not seem reasonable. Quran confirms that the charges against Hafsa and Aisha was revealing a secret news: When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives (i.e., Hafsa) and she then divulged it (i.e., to Aisha) and Allah made it known to him, he made known (to her) part thereof and passed over part. Then when he (i.e., the Prophet) told her thereof, she said: "Who told you this?" He said "He who knows and is well-aware (of all things) told me." (Quran 66.3) It seems that the report of Umar is more accurate. Umar said: "The Prophet kept away from his wives for twenty-nine days because of the story which Hafsa had disclosed to Aisha." (See Sahih al-Bukhari 7.119 and 6.435). This is much different than the story made by Aisha about honey. After one month that the Prophet deserted his wives, and when the words of Allah: "You may defer any one of them you wish and take to your self any you wish and there is no sin for you to take back any of them you have (temporarily) set aside (33:51)" were revealed, Aisha said to the Prophet: "It seems to me that your Lord hastens to satisfy your desire!" Sunni references: - Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter DLXXII (titled: Permissibility of bestowing the turn on one's fellow wife), v2, pp 748-749, Traditions #3453-3454 - Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, v2, pp 1085-1086, Traditions #49-50 Her evil conduct in the presence of the Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) reached a point that while he was praying, she would spread her feet towards his direction of prostration. When he prostrated and pinched them, she retracted them. When he stood up for the rest of the prayer, she would spread her feet out again: Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 1.492 & 1.379 Narrated Ai