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Thul-Qi`da 1329
If you have been pleased by receiving my letter, and if you have approached it with selfsatisfaction, then I have often placed my hope on you for victory and concluded my effort with success. Whoever intends well, adopting a good attitude while being humble, amiable, dignified, crowned with knowledge, wellmannered with patience, is surely worthy of being truthful in what he says and writes, while equity and integrity are in his hand and on his tongue.
It is you to whom I owe my thanks when you asked for more, for who else can be more graceful, kind and humble? In order to grant your quest and cool your eyes, I would like to state the following:
Both al^abráni's Al-Mujma` al-Kabír and Ráfi`i's Musnad, quoting Ibn `Abbás, state that "The Messenger of Alláh, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: `Let whoever is pleased to live like me and die like me and inhabit Eden's Paradise which my Lord cultivated take `Ali as his master after me, and let him obey whoever he places in charge over him, and let him follow the example of my Ahl alBayt after me, for they are my progeny: they are created of my own mould and blessed with my own comprehension and knowledge. Woe unto those who reject them and separate me from them! May Allah never permit them to enjoy my intercession.'"[1]
AlMa>ír, alBárúdi, Ibn Jarír, Ibn Shahín, and Ibn Mundah have all quoted Ishaq citing Ziyád ibn Ma>raf saying: "I have heard the Messenger of Alláh saying: `Whoever wishes to live my life and die my death and enter the Garden which my Lord promised me, the Garden of eternity, then let him take `Ali and his progeny after him as his masters, for they shall never take you out of guidance, nor let you stray.'"[2]
Similarly, Zayd ibn Arqam is quoted in one <ádíth saying: "The Messenger of Alláh, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: `Whoever wishes to live like me and die my death and inhabit the perpetual Garden promised to me by my Lord, let him take `Ali as his master, for he shall never get you out of guidance, nor shall he let you stray.'"[3]
Also, consider this tradition narrated by `Ammár ibn Yásir: "The Messenger of Alláh, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: `I admonish whoever believed in me and held me truthful to accept the government of `Ali ibn Abu ^álib, for whoever accepts him as the ruler accepts me as such, and whoever loves him loves me too, and whoever loves me loves Alláh. Whoever hates him hates me, and whoever hates me hates Alláh, the Sublime, the Almighty."[4] `Ammár quotes others stating this <ádíth: "O Lord! Whoever believed in me and held me truthful, let him take `Ali as his master, for his government is also mine, and mine is that of the Almighty Alláh."[5]
He, peace be upon him and his progeny, once delivered a sermon wherein he said: "O people! Favours, honours, prestige and government are for the Messenger of Alláh and his progeny; therefore, let no falsehood divert you."[6] He, peace be upon him and his progeny said: "In every generation of my nation there are members of my Household who equal only my own self and who safeguard this religion from the distortion of wrongdoers and the interpretation of the ignorant. Be informed that your Imams are your deputies to Alláh; so, see who you send to Him as your deputies."[7] He, peace be upon him and his progeny, has also said: "Do not go ahead of them else you should perish, nor should you lag behind them else you should perish. Do not teach them, for they are more learned than you."[8] He, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: "Consider my Ahl alBayt among you as you consider the head of the body, and the eyes in the head, for the head is guided by the eyes."[9] He, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Uphold loving us, we Ahl alBayt, for whoever faces Alláh loving us shall enter Paradise through our intercession. I swear by the One in Whose Hands my soul is placed that the good deeds of a believer shall never avail him except through recognizing our rights."[10] And he has also said: "The knowledge of the progeny of Mu<ammad brings salvation from the Fire, and loving Ahl alBayt is walking on the Straight Path. Allegiance to the progeny of Mu<ammad is a security against the torture."[11] He, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: "The feet of any servant of Alláh shall never move on the Day of Judgment unless he is asked about four things: how he spent his life, what he wore his body out for, how he made and spent his wealth, and about loving us, we Ahl alBayt."[12]
He, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: "If a man stands in prayer between the Rukn and Maqám, hating Mu<ammad's progeny, he shall still enter Hellfire."[13] He, peace be upon him and his progeny, has also said: "Whoever dies because of his love for the progeny of Mu<ammad dies a martyr. Whoever dies because of loving the progeny of Mu<ammad dies as a believer of a perfect faith. Whoever dies for loving Mu<ammad's children will be given the glad tiding of entering Paradise by the angel of death, then by Munkir and Nakír. Whoever dies for loving Mu<ammad's descendants will be taken to Paradise like a bride taken to her groom's house. Whoever dies loving Mu<ammad's progeny will have two doors in his grave overlooking Paradise. Alláh will make the grave of whoever dies for loving Mu<ammad's children a visiting place for the angels of mercy. Whoever dies for loving Mu<ammad's progeny dies adhering to the Sunnah and consensus. Whoever dies hating Mu<ammad's progeny will come on the Day of Judgment with this inscribed between his eyes: `He should despair of Alláh's mercy,'" up to the end of his unmatchable sermon,[14] the sermon whereby he, peace be upon him and his progeny, intended to divert the inclinations and whims.
The implication is that all these traditions are unanimously agreed upon, especially those narrated through the authority of the purified `itra. Their status would not have been confirmed had they not been the obvious Proofs of Allah and the fountainhead of His Jurisprudence, the obvious Proofs of Alláh, the fountainhead of His Jurisprudence, the ones who represent the Messenger of Alláh in bidding or forbidding, his own deputies in the most clear terms. Whoever loves them, therefore, is also a lover of Alláh and His Messenger, and whoever hates them is an enemy of Alláh and His Messenger. He, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: "None loves us except a Godfearing and sincere believer, and none hates us except a hypocritical wretch."[15] It is for these reasons that alFarazdaq, the poet, has said these verses in their praise:
You are ones loving whom is belief, hating an abomination;
Nearness to you is indeed a rescue and a salvation.
If the pious ones are counted, you will be their Imams; it is true.
If one asks: "Who are the best of man?" the answer will be you.
The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, used to say:
"I and the virtuous among my descendants are the best in manners when young, and the most learned when old. Through us does Alláh obliterate lies, and through us does He turn the wild fox's teeth ineffective. Through us does Alláh cure your barrenness, and through us does He emancipate you. Through us does Allah begin and conclude."[16]
Suffices us a reason for preferring them over others the fact that Alláh, the Sublime, the Almighty, has preferred them over all others, making sending prayers unto them part of the obligatory prayers, albeit if the one saying his prayer were a @iddíq or Farúq, with one light, or two, or with numerous lights. Nay! Everyone who worships Alláh by performing His obligations also worships Him while doing so by sending blessings unto them, just as he worships Him when testifying through the two parts of the Shahadah. This, indeed, is a status before which the nation's heads were lowered, and in front of which the eyes of whoever you mentioned of the imáms have submitted. Imám alSháfi`i, may Alláh be pleased with him, has said:[17]
O Household of Alláh's Messenger! Loving you is an obligation
Which Alláh has enforced in His Honored Revelation;
Suffices you a great honour if one sends no prayer unto you all,
It will be as though he did not say his prayers at all.
Let us now be satisfied with this much of the sacred Sunnah in testimony to the fact that following their Sunnah is compulsory; so is emulating them. In the Book of Alláh Almighty, the Sublime and the omniPotent, there are clear verses which make that, too, compulsory. It is to such verses that we would like to attract your aware conscience and sensitive reason. You can be satisfied with an indicative hint, and a signal suffices to attract your attention; all praise is due to Alláh, Lord of all the world.
Sincerely,
Sh
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[1] This <ádíth, verbatim, is <ádíth 3819 of the ones included on page 217, Vol. 6 of Kanz al-`Ummál. He also quotes it in Muntakhab al-Kanz; so, refer to the latter's text at the beginning of the footnote on page 94 of Vol. 5 of A<med's Musnad, although the author states: "They were endowed with my comprehension," rather than "comprehension and knowledge." The copier may have committed a mistake. Al-<áfiz Abu Na`ím, in his \ilyat al-Awliyá', has also quoted it, and he in turn is quoted by the Mu`tazilite scholar on page 450, Vol. 2, of his commentary on Nahjul Balághah, Egyptian edition. He also quoted something similar on page 449 from Abu `Abdullah A<med ibn \anbal in both his Musnad and his book titled Manáqib `Ali ibn Abu ^álib (as).
[2] This <adíth is number 2578 of the ones quoted in Kanz al-`Ummál, Vol. 6, page 155. It is also quoted by Muntakhab al-Kanz; so, refer to the latter and read the last line of the footnote on page 32, Vol. 5, that quotes A<med's Musnad. It is also quoted by Ibn \ajar al-`Asqaláni abridged in the biography of Ziyád ibn Mu>raf in Part One of his I#ába, then he adds: "This <ádíth is quoted by Ya<ya ibn Ya`li al-Mu<árbi, a weak traditionist." This is strange coming from al-`Asqaláni, for Ya<ya ibn Ya`li, according to the consensus of scholars of <ádíth, is quite trustworthy. In his @a<í<, al-Bukhári quotes his a<ádíth related to the \udaybiya treaty. He taught <adíth to Muslim Ghaylán ibn Jámi`. Moreover, al-Thahbi, in his Mízán, takes the man's integrity for granted, and so do many authorities held reliable by both Shaykhs as well as by others.
[3] This is quoted by al-\ákim at the end of page 128, Vol. 3, of his authentic book Al-Mustadrak. He adds the following: "The narrators of this <ádíth are all trustworthy, and they (both Shaykhs) did not quote it." It is quoted by al-^abráni in his Al-Jámi` al-Kabír, and by Abu Na`ím in his book dealing with the excellences of the #a<ábah. It is <ádíth 2577 of the ones included in Kanz al-`Ummál on page 155, Vol. 6. The author also quotes it in his Muntakhab al-Kanz; so, refer to the footnote on page 32, Vol. 5, of the Musnad.
[4] Al-^abráni has quoted it in his Al-Jámi` al-Kabír, and so has Ibn `Asákir in his history book, and it is <ádíth 2571 of the ones included in Kanz al-`Ummál at the end of page 154, Vol. 6.
[5] Al-^abráni has quoted it in his Al-Jámi` al-Kabír as narrated by Mu<ammad ibn Abu `Ubaydah ibn Mu<ammad ibn `Umayr ibn Yásir who quotes his father citing his grandfather `Ammár. It is <ádíth 2576 of the ones included in Kanz al-`Ummál, page 155, Vol. 6. It is also quoted in Muntakhab al-Kanz.
[6] It is narrated by Abul Shaykh in a lengthy <ádíth and transmitted by Ibn \ajar at the end of maqsad 4 of his Maqásid while explaining, on page 105 of his Al-@awá`iq al-Mu<riqa, the verse enjoining kindness to the Prophet's kin after having scrutinized it, and in the supreme maqsad of his book Ghayat Al-Marám. Do not overlook his statement: "Do not accompany the wrong-doers."
[7] This is quoted by al-Malla in his @irát, as in Ibn \ajar's explanation of the verse "And follow in their footsteps, for they shall be questioned" in his Al-@awá`iq al-Mu<riqa, page 90, suggests.
[8] This is quoted by al-^abráni who discusses the <ádíth of the Two Weighty Things, and he is quoted by Ibn \ajar when the latter explains the meaning of this verse of Chapter Four: "And follow in their foot steps, for they shall be questioned," a verse which he discusses in Chapter 11 of Al-@awá`iq al-Mu<riqa, page 89.
[9] This is quoted by a group of authors of books of traditions from Abu Tharr, and it is transmitted by Imám al-@abbán while enumerating the excellences of Ahl al-Bayt (as) in his work Is`áf al-Raghibín, and by Shaykh Yúsuf al-Nabháni on page 31 of Al-Sharaf al-Mu'abbad, and by many other authorities. It is a text which enforces their leadership and implies that guidance to righteousness can be attained only through them.
[10] This is quoted by al-^abráni in his Al-Awsat as transmitted by al-Sayyúti in his Ihyá'ul Mayyit; by al-Nabháni in his Forty Forty [a<ádíth]; by Ibn \ajar in his chapter discussing enjoining their love in Al-@awá`iq al-Mu<riqa, in addition to many other renown authorities; so, consider his statement: `Nobody's good deeds will avail him unless he is mindful of our rights," then tell me what these rights are, the ones that are considered by Alláh as prerequisites to the acceptance of good deeds. Is it not obeying them and attaining Alláh's Pleasure through following their RIGHT PATH? What is the commandment to which both Prophethood and caliphate attach such a great significance? But we have simply been inflicted by people who do not contemplate; so, "We are Alláh's, and unto Him is our return."
[11] This is quoted by the judge `Iyá~ in a chapter explaining the fact that to venerate the Prophet (pbuh) and be worthy of pleasing him is to please his progeny and descendants, as indicated at the beginning of page 40, Part Two, of the book titled Al-Shifá which was printed in Istanbul in 1328 A.H. You know that "knowing" them in this text does not mean just knowing their names and persons, and that they are kin of the Messenger of Alláh, for even Abu Jahal and Abu Lahab knew all of that, but it means recognizing the fact that they are the authorities after the Messenger, peace be upon him and his progeny, as he himself has said: "Whoever dies not knowing the Imám of his time surely dies the death of Jahiliyya," and the meaning of loving them and their wiláyat is the love and wiláyat that are obligatory upon "those who follow righteousness," i.e. the Imáms of Truth, a fact that is quite obvious.
[12] This is so due to the fact that Alláh has granted them a special status which requires obedience to them. Loving them as such is rewardable. This <ádíth is quoted by al-^abráni from Ibn `Abbás, and it is transmitted by al-Sayyú>i in his Ihyá'ul Mayyit, and by al-Nabháni in his Al-Arba`ín, besides many other renown authorities.
[13] This is quoted by al-^abráni and al-\ákim, and it also exists in Nabháni's Al-Arba`ín, in Sayyúti's Ihyá'ul Mayyit and in others. This <ádíth is akin to his saying, peace be upon him and his progeny, as in one <ádíth which you have already heard, "By the One in Whose Hands my life is, nobody's good deeds will be of any avail without recognizing our right." If hating them is not hating Alláh and His Messenger, the good deeds of those who hate them would not have been rendered vain even if they spend their life between the Rukn and the Maqám [of Ibrahím, as] praying and supplicating; even then, they would not have enjoyed such a status. Al-\ákim and Ibn Hayyán, in his #a<í<, as stated in Nabháni's Al-Arba`ín Arba`ín and Sayyú>i's I<yá'ul Mayyit, from Imám al-\asan, the Prophet's grandson, who said to Mu`áwiyah ibn Khadíj once: "Beware of hating us, we Ahl al-Bayt (as), for the Messenger of Alláh has said: `Whoever hates or envies us would be pushed away from the Pool [Kawthar] with whips of fire.'" The Messenger of Alláh, peace be upon him and his progeny, delivered a sermon once and said: "O People! Anyone who hates us, we Ahl al-Bayt (as), will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment as a Jew." This <ádíth is quoted by al-^abráni in his Al-Aw#at as stated in al-Sayyú>i's Ihyá'ul Mayyit and Nabháni's Al-Arba`ín Arba`ín and in other books.
[14] This is quoted by Imam al-Tha`labi in his explanation of the verse enjoining the love of Ahl al-Bayt (as) in Al-Tafsír al-Kabír from Jarír ibn `Abdullah al-Bijli from the Messenger of Alláh, peace be upon him and his progeny. Al-Zamakhshari takes its authenticity for granted in his own exegesis of the same verse in his book Al-Kashsháf; so, refer to it.
[15] Al-Malla has recorded it in the second maqsad of Chapter 14 of the Holy Qur'an in his own Chapter 11 of Al-@awá`iq al-Mu<riqa.
[16] This is quoted by `Abdul-Ghani ibn Sa`d in his Ei~ah al-Ishkál. It is <ádíth 6050 of the ones included in Kanz al-`Ummál at the end of page 396, Vol. 6.
[17] These two couplets of al-Shafi`i are very well-known and in wide circulation. Many trustworthy authorities have taken this fact for granted, indicating that he is the one who has composed them. Among them are: Ibn \ajar, who quotes them while explaining the verse "Alláh and His angels send prayers unto the Prophet (pbuh)," on page 88 of his Al-@awá`iq al-Mu<riqa; al-Nabháni on page 99 of his Al-Sharaf al-Mu'abbad, Imam Abu Bakr ibn Shihabud-Dín in his Rashfatul @ádi, and by many others.