Chapter 3

Chapter 3 The Companions of the Imams Stood Firm for the Truth, Striking Taqiyyah against the Wall

The scholars of the Imamiyyah have acknowledged that the companions of the Imams stood firm for the truth and refused to practice Taqiyyah, even to the point of sacrificing their lives for it. Here are some of their statements:

1. Sheikh al Ta’ifah Muhammad ibn al Hasan al Tusi reported:

وما رواه أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن يحيى بن حبيب قال سألت الرضا عليه ‌السلام عن أفضل ما يتقرب به العباد إلى الله تعالى من الصلاة قال ستة وأربعون ركعة فرائضه ونوافله فقلت هذه رواية زرارة قال أو ترى أحداً كان أصدع بالحق منه

Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa narrates from Yahya ibn Habib who said, “I asked al Rida ‘alayh al Salam about the best prayer by which servants can draw near to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.

He explained, ‘Forty-six rak’at, obligatory and supererogatory.’

I said, ‘This is the narration of Zurarah.’

He remarked, ‘Do you see anyone more steadfast upon the truth than him?’”^[1]

2. The mujaddid of the Imamiyyah school al Wahid al Bahbahani said:

ثم لا يخفى أنه ورد في شأن زرارة أنه ليس أحد أصدع بالحق منه وورد فيه وفي نظرائه أنهم أمناء الله على الحلال والحرام والأحكام ولولا هؤلاء لاندرست آثار النبوة وأنهم حفاظ دين الله وأنهم ينفون عن الدين انتحال المبطلين وتأويل الغالين صلوات الله عليهم أحياء وأمواتاً

It is no secret that it has been reported concerning Zurarah that there is no one more steadfast upon the truth than him. And it has been reported concerning him and his peers that they are the trustees of Allah over the lawful, the prohibited, and the rulings; were it not for them, the traces of prophethood would have been effaced; they are the preservers of the religion of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala; and they repudiate the distortions of the extremists and the misinterpretations of the exaggerators—may the blessings of Allah be upon them alive and deceased.^[2]

3. The religious authority of the Imamiyyah, Muhammad Taqi al Amili, explicitly stated that the companions of the Imams entered into fierce doctrinal confrontations where they abandoned Taqiyyah and dissimulation—such as Abu Jafar al Ahwal, known among them as Mu’min al Taq—and in which they proclaimed the validity of their beliefs and the invalidity of their opponents’ beliefs, saying:

مع ما كان بعض أصحاب الأئمة عليه من ترك المداراة معهم ومن الجدال معهم بأشد ما يمكن من غير تقية كما يظهر من ترجمة أحوال مؤمن الطاق وإيراده الوقيعة عليهم

Is it not the case that some of the companions of the Imams were known for abandoning Taqiyyah (dissimulation) with their opponents and debating them in the strongest manner possible without Taqiyyah, as is evident from the biographical accounts of Mu’min al Taq and his reported disputations with them?^[3]

4. The jurist of the Imamiyyah, Muhammad Sadiq al Ruhani, said:

وروى أصحاب التواريخ في جماعة من حواري أمير المؤمنين عليه‌ السلام ككميل بن زياد ورشيد الهجري وقنبر وأمثالهم أنه عرض عليهم البراءة منه عليه ‌السلام ولم يبرؤوا منه فصلبوا وقتلوا وقطعت أيديهم وأرجلهم ولسانهم ولم يشك أحد في علو درجاتهم

It was narrated by the authors of history regarding a group from among the disciples of the Commander of the faithful, such as Kumayl ibn Ziyad, Rushayd al Hajari, Qambar, and their like that they were demanded to disavow him, but they did not disavow him, so they were crucified and their hands, feet, and tongues were severed, and no one doubted their elevated rank.^[4]

5. The authority of the Imamiyyah, Jafar al Subhani, said:

ولأجل ذلك ترى أن كثيراً من أكابر الشيعة رفضوا التقيّة في بعض الأحيان وقدموا أنفسهم وأرواحهم أضاحي من أجل الدين إلا أن من الأمور المسلّمة في تاريخ الشيعة انحصار التقيّة في مستوى الفتاوى ولم تترجم إلا قليلاً على المستوى العملي بل كانوا عمليا من أكثر الناس تضحية وبوسع كل باحث أن يرجع إلى مواقف رجال الشيعة مع معاوية وغيره من الحكام الأمويين والحكام العباسيين أمثال حجر بن عدي وميثم التمار ورشيد الهجري وكميل بن زياد ومئات من غيرهم ومواقف العلويين على امتداد التاريخ وثوراتهم المتتالية

For this reason, you see that many of the great Shia figures rejected Taqiyyah on some occasions and offered themselves and their souls as sacrifices for the sake of the religion… However, it is an accepted matter in the history of Shi’ism that Taqiyyah was confined to the level of legal verdicts and it was only rarely translated onto the practical level. Rather, they were, in practice, among the most sacrificing of people. Every researcher can refer to the stances of the Shia men with Muawiyah and other Umayyad rulers and Abbasid rulers, such as Hujr ibn ‘Adi, Maytham al Tammar, Rushayd al Hajari, Kumayl ibn Ziyad, and hundreds of others, as well as the stances of the Alawites throughout history and their successive revolutions.^[5]

He also said:

وأنت إذا قرأت تاريخ الشيعة وما حاقت بهم من بلايا ومصائب من أخذهم بالظنة والتهمة وقتلهم تحت كل حجر ومدر وصلبهم على مشانق البغي تقف على أنه لم يكن لهم محيص للحفاظ على حياتهم إلا التقيّة نعم كان هناك رجال رجحوا التضرج بالدماء على الحياة مع الظالمين

If you were to read the history of the Shia and the calamities and disasters that befell them—their being seized on the basis of suspicion and accusation, their being hunted under every stone and clod of earth, and their being crucified on the trunks of palm trees due to oppression—you would realise that they had no means to preserve their lives except through Taqiyyah. Indeed, there were men who preferred to be drenched in blood rather than live with the oppressors.^[6]

6. The authority of the Imamiyyah, Naser Makarem Shirazi, said:

وإن التاركين للتقيّة في الصدر الأول وفي أعصار الأمويين والعباسيين الذين استشهدوا في هذا السبيل كرُشيد الهجري وميثم التمار وأشباههما لماذا تركوا التقيّة وتجرعوا جرع الحمام

Indeed, those who abandoned Taqiyyah in the early period and in the eras of the Umayyads and Abbasids, who were martyred in this path like Rushayd al Hajari, Maytham al Tammar, and their like, why did they abandon Taqiyyah and drink the cup of death?^[7]

He also said:

ولولا جهاد أمثال حجر وميثم وعمرو بن الحمق وعبد الله بن عفيف وعبد الله بن يقطر وسعيد بن جبير لاندرست آثار النبوة وآثار الأئمة الطاهرين من أهل بيته عليهم آلاف السلام والتحية

If it were not for the jihad of the likes of Hujr, Maytham, ‘Amr ibn al Humq, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Afif, ‘Abdullah ibn Yaqtar, and Sa’id ibn Jubayr, the traces of prophethood and the traces of the pure Imams from his household would have been obliterated (upon them be peace and thousands of salutations).^[8]

7. The reputable scholar of the Imamiyyah, ‘Allamah Zayn al Din al ‘Amili, says:

نعم هذا شأن رجال الله المخلصين الذين بذلوا مهجهم ودماءهم في سبيل الله وإعلاء كلمته العليا عند سماعهم هذه الأباطيل الدالة على نصـب قائلها وهذا الموقف الشريف من ابن السكّيت عين الموقف الذي وقفه رجالات المبدأ والعقيدة أمام طواغيت الظلم والجور من أمثال حجر بن عدي وأضرابهم رضوان الله عليهم لأن هذه المواقف من هؤلاء الأبطال والأوتاد هي التي رسخت قواعد مبادئ الحق وعمقته وكانت سبباً في انتشاره واستمراره إلى يومنا هذا

Yes, this is the state of the sincere men of Allah who gave their souls and their blood in the path of Allah and to elevate His exalted word when they heard these falsehoods that indicate the nasb of the speaker. This noble stance of Ibn al Sikkit is the very stance taken by the men of principle and belief before the tyrants of oppression and injustice, such as Hujr ibn ‘Adi and their companions, may the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala be upon them, because the stances of these champions and pillars are what established the foundations of the principles of truth, deepened them, and were a cause for their spread and continuity to this day.^[9]

8. Marja’ Muhammad Hussain Kashif al Ghita’ said:

ولذا تجد الكثير من رجالات الشيعة وعظمائهم سحقوا التقيّة تحت أقدامهم وقدموا هياكلهم المقدسة قرابين للحق على مشانق البغي وأضاحي في مجازر الجور والغي أهل استحضرت ذاكرتك شهداء مرج عذراء قرية من قرى الشام وهم أربعة عشر من رجال الشيعة ورئيسهم ذلك الصحابي الذي أنهكه الروع والعبادة حجر بن عدي الكندي الذي كان من القادة في فتح الشام قتلهم معاوية صبراً ثم صار يقول ما قتلت أحداً إلا وأنا أعرف فيما قتله خلا حجر فإني لا أعرف بأيّ ذنب قتلته نعم أنا أعرف معاوية بذنب حجر ذنبه ترك العمل بالتقيّة وغرضه إعلان ضلال بني أميّة ومقدار علاقتهم من الدين وهل تذكرت الصحابي الجليل عمرو بن الحمق الخزاعي وعبد الرحمن بن حسان العنزي الذي دفنه زياد في قس الناطف حيّاً أتراك تذكرت ميثم التمار ورشيد الهجري وعبد الله بن يقطر الذين شنقهم ابن زياد في كناسة الكوفة هؤلاء والمئات من أمثالهم هانت عليهم نفوسهم العزيزة في سبيل نصرة الحق ونطحوا صخرة الباطل و ما تهشمت رؤوسهم حتى هشموها وما عرفوا أين زرع التقيّة وأين واديها بل وجدوا العمل بها حراماً عليهم ولو سكتوا وعملوا بالتقيّة لضاعت البقيّة من الحق وأصبح دين الإسلام دين معاوية ويزيد وابن زياد دين المكر دين الغدر دين النفاق دين الخداع دين كل رذيلة وأين هذا من دين الإسلام الذي هو دين كل فضيلة أولئك ضحايا الإسلام وقرابين الحق ولا يغيبنك ذكر الحسين وأصحابه سلام الله عليهم الذين هم سادة الشهداء وقادة أهل الإباء نعم هؤلاء وجدوا العمل بالتقيّة حراماً عليهم

Thus, you find many of the Shia transmitters and Shia luminaries crushing Taqiyyah beneath their feet, offering their sacred bodies as sacrifices for the truth upon the gallows of tyranny and as offerings in the massacres of injustice and deviation. Has your memory recalled the martyrs of Marj ‘Adhra’, a village from among the villages of Greater Syria, who were fourteen men from among the Shia, their leader being that companion exhausted by fear and worship, Hujr ibn ‘Adi al Kindi, who had been one of the commanders in the conquest of Greater Syria? Muawiyah executed them under restraint, then began to say, “I did not kill anyone except that I knew for what I killed him except for Hujr; I do not know for what crime I killed him.” Yes, I know, O Muawiyah, the crime of Hujr; his crime was abandoning Taqiyyah. And his aim in this was a proclamation of the misguidance of the Banu Umayyah, and the extent of their relation to religion. Have you remembered the noble companion ‘Amr ibn al Hamiq al Khuza’i and ‘Abdur Rahman ibn Hassan al ‘Anazi whom Ziyad buried alive in Quss al Natif? Do you recall Mitham al Tammar, Rushayd al Hajari, and ‘Abdullah ibn Yaqtar whom Ibn Ziyad hanged in the dung-hill of Kufah? These and the hundreds of others like them, their precious souls became insignificant to them in the path of supporting the truth. They struck against the rock of falsehood, and their heads were not crushed until they themselves had crushed them. They did not know where Taqiyyah had been planted nor where its valley lay. Rather, they deemed acting upon it forbidden for themselves. Had they remained silent and acted with Taqiyyah, the remainder of the truth would have been lost and the religion of Islam would have become the religion of Muawiyah, Yazid, and Ibn Ziyad—the religion of deceit, the religion of treachery, the religion of hypocrisy, the religion of trickery, the religion of every disgrace. And how far is this from the religion of Islam, which is the religion of every virtue! Those are the victims of Islam, the sacrifices for truth. And let not the remembrance of al Hussain and his companions ‘alayhim al Salam escape you, those who are the masters of the martyrs and the leaders of the people of dignity.

Yes, these deemed the practice of Taqiyyah forbidden for themselves.^[10]

He also said:

وكانت هذه العقيدة الإيمانية والعاطفة الإلهية كشعلة نار في نفوس بعض الشيعة تدفعهم إلى ركوب الأخطار وإلقاء أنفسهم على المشانق وتقديم أعناقهم أضاحي للحق وقرابين للدين أعطف بنظرك في هذا المقام إلى حجر بن عدي الكندي وعمرو بن الحمق الخزاعي ورشيد الهجري وميثم التمار وعبد الله بن عفيف الأزدي إلى عشرات المئات من أمثالهم انظر كيف نطحوا صخرة الضلال والجور وما كسرت رؤوسهم حتى كسروها وفضخوها وأعلنوا للملأ بمخازيها ثم انظر إلى فطاحل الشعراء في القرن الأول والثاني مع شدّة أطماعهم عند ملوك زمانهم وخوفهم منهم ومع ذلك كله لم يمنعهم عظيم الطمع والخوف والشاعر مادي على الغالب والسلطة من خلفهم والسيوف مشهورة على رؤوسهم أن جهروا بالحق ونصروه وجاهدوا الباطل وفضحوه بل لكل واحد من نوابغ شعراء تلك العصور القصائد الرنانة والمقاطع العبقرية في مدح أئمة الحق والتشنيع على ملوك زمانهم بالظلم والجور وإظهار الولاء لأولئك والبراءة من هؤلاء هذا كله في أيام قوة بني أميّة وبني العباس وشدّة بأسهم وسطوتهم فانظر ماذا يصنع الحق واليقين بنفوس المسلمين واعرف هنالك حق الشجاعة والبسالة والمفاداة والتضحية

This faith-based conviction and this divine passion were like a blaze of fire in the souls of some of the Shia, driving them into the ranks of danger—throwing themselves to the gallows and offering their necks as sacrifices for the truth and oblations for the religion. Turn your gaze in this connection to Hujr ibn ‘Adi al Kindi, ‘Amr ibn al Hamiq al Khuza’i, Rushayd al Hajari, Mitham al Tammar, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Afif al Azdi, and to the tens and hundreds like them. See how they struck the rock of misguidance and oppression: their heads were not shattered until they themselves had broken them and exposed them, and they proclaimed before the people their disgraces. Then look to the great poets of the first and second centuries, despite the intensity of their ambitions at the courts of the kings of their time and their fear of those rulers, all of that did not prevent them—not even great greed and fear, nor the poet’s usual material bent, nor the power behind those rulers and the swords brandished above their heads—from declaring the truth openly, supporting it, struggling against falsehood, and exposing it. Indeed, each one of the leading poets of those ages produced resounding odes and brilliant passages in praise of the Imams of truth, denouncing the kings of their time for injustice and oppression, showing loyalty to those [Imams], and disavowing these [tyrants]. All of this occurred in the days of the strength of Banu Umayyah and Banu al ‘Abbas, during the severity of their power and dominion. So, observe what truth and conviction accomplish in the souls of Muslims and recognise the reality of courage, bravery, self-sacrifice, and willingness to give one’s life.^[11]

9. Marja’ Muhammad Hussain al Tihrani said:

من أمثال ميثم التمار حجر بن عدي رشيد الهجري سعيد بن جبير حبيب بن مظاهر الشهيد الأول الشهيد الثاني القاضي نور الله الشوشتري وأمثالهم الذين كانوا حججا إلهية حقاً وحماة للدين والمذهب وحفظة للشريعة

Among such examples are Mitham al Tammar, Hujr ibn ‘Adi, Rushayd al Hajari, Sa’id ibn Jubayr, Habib ibn Muzahir, al Shahid al Awwal, al Shahid al Thani, al Qadi Nur Allah al Shushtari, and others like them—those were truly divine protectors, protectors of the religion and the creed, and preservers of the Shari’ah.^[12]

10. ‘Ali al Mishkini said:

ولعلّ ترك التقيّة من بعض أصحاب الأئمة كان كذلك كميثم التمار وحجر بن عدي ورشيد الهجري رضوان الله عليهم

Perhaps the abandonment of Taqiyyah by some of the companions of the Imams was of this nature, such as Mitham al Tammar, Hujr ibn ‘Adi, and Rushayd al Hajari—may the pleasure of Allah be upon them.^[13]

11. Muhammad Baqir al Ansari said in his introduction to Kitab al Yaqin by Ibn Tawus al Hilli:

وكذلك سائر علمائنا رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين كانوا حريصين على أداء وظيفتهم في الجهة الإيجابية من تبليغ دين الله القويم ثم إن أداء المسؤولية الدينية للعالم قد يكون بالاتجاه الدفاعي أمام ما يصادمه كياناً وما يتعرض لأصوله ومبادئه الشريفة على حدّ قول الله تعالى إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَى مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتَابِ أُولَئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ وعلى حدّ قول رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله إذا ظهرت البدع في أمّتي فليظهر العالم علمه فإن لم يفعل فعليه لعنة الله فالعالم الديني يدافع حينئذ عن حوزة الدين ويذب عن ثغوره أشدّ الذبّ ويعرّض نفسه للخطر تجاه السهام الواردة نحو الإسلام فيجاهد بعلمه في سبيل العقيدة والدفاع عن مبادئ الإسلام وردّ المهاجمين عليه ولذلك نماذج كثيرة في التاريخ الإسلامي كسلمان وأبي ذر والمقداد وميثم التمار ورشيد الهجري والحجر بن عدي وسليم بن قيس وزرارة ومحمد بن مسلم وابن أبي عمير وفضل بن شاذان وكالشيخ المفيد والسيد المرتضى والشيخ الطوسي وسيدنا المؤلف والشهيدان الأول والثاني والعلامة الحلّي والمجلسي وغيرهم ممن جاء ذكر تضحياتهم في هذا الصعيد في كتب التاريخ فهؤلاء وأمثالهم جعلوا نفوسهم وأموالهم وكل كيانهم غرضاً لمرامي أعداء الدين فأصابهم من سهامهم ما خلد أسماؤهم في كتب العلم وعند الله في كتاب محفوظاً

Likewise, all of our scholars—may the pleasure of Allah be upon them all—were always keen to fulfill their duty in the positive aspect of conveying the upright religion of Allah. Moreover, fulfilling the religious responsibility of the scholar may also take the form of defensive engagement, when his very existence is confronted and the noble principles of his creed are exposed to threat. This is as Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has said, “Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture, those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse.” And as the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “When innovations appear in my Ummah, the scholar must manifest his knowledge; if he does not, upon him is the curse of Allah.”

Thus, the religious scholar at that point defends the domain of the religion, protecting its frontiers with the utmost vigilance and exposing himself to danger in the face of the arrows aimed toward Islam. He strives with his knowledge in the path of the creed, in defence of the principles of Islam, and in repelling those who attack it. There are many examples of this in Islamic history, such as Salman, Abu Dharr, al Miqdad, Mitham al Tammar, Rushayd al Hajari, Hujr ibn ‘Adi, Sulaim ibn Qais, Zurarah, Muhammad ibn Muslim, Ibn Abi ‘Umair, Fadl ibn Shadhan, al Sheikh al Mufid, al Sayed al Murtada, al Sheikh al Tusi, our master the author [referring to Ibn Tawus al Hilli], al Shahid al Awwal, al Shahid al Thani, ‘Allamah al Hilli, al Majlisi; and others whose sacrifices in this field are mentioned in the books of history. These and their likes made themselves, their wealth, and their entire beings, targets for the arrows of the enemies of the religion. And thus, the arrows struck them in such a way that their names were immortalised in the books of knowledge and preserved with Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala in a guarded book.^[14]

So, let us reflect on how the authorities of Imami Shi’ism take pride in what the companions of the Imams accomplished, proclaiming the truth openly and casting Taqiyyah beneath their feet. This is a concise summary of their statements which we have transmitted above:

Indeed, those who abandoned Taqiyyah in the early period and in the eras of the Umayyads and Abbasids, who were martyred in this path like Rushayd al Hajari, Mitham al Tammar, and their like, why did they abandon Taqiyyah and drink the cup of death?

Thus, you find many of the Shia transmitters and Shia scholars crushing Taqiyyah beneath their feet, offering their sacred bodies as sacrifices for the truth upon the gallows of tyranny and as offerings in the massacres of injustice and deviation.

These and the hundreds of others like them, their precious souls became insignificant to them in the path of supporting the truth. They struck against the rock of falsehood, and their heads were not crushed until they themselves had crushed them. They did not know where Taqiyyah had been planted nor where its valley lay. Rather, they deemed acting upon it forbidden for themselves. Had they remained silent and acted with Taqiyyah, the remnants of truth would have been obliterated.

This faith-based conviction and this divine passion were like a blaze of fire in the souls of some of the Shia, driving them into the ranks of danger—throwing themselves to the gallows and offering their necks as sacrifices for the truth and oblations for the religion. See how they struck the rock of misguidance and oppression: their heads were not shattered until they themselves had broken them and exposed them, and they proclaimed before the people their disgraces.

So, observe what truth and conviction accomplish in the souls of Muslims and recognise the reality of courage, bravery, self-sacrifice, and willingness to give one’s life.

Thus, the religious scholar at that point defends the domain of the religion, protecting its frontiers with the utmost vigilance and exposing himself to danger in the face of the arrows aimed toward Islam. He strives with his knowledge in the path of the creed, in defence of the principles of Islam, and in repelling those who attack it.

There are many examples of this in Islamic history. Those were truly divine protectors, protectors of the religion and the creed, and preservers of the Shari’ah.

NEXT⇒ Conclusion

^[1] Al Tusi: Tahdhib al Ahkam, 2/6.

^[2] Al Bahbahani: Al Hashiyah ‘ala Madarik al Ahkam, 3/145.

^[3] Al Amili: Misbah al Huda fi Sharh ‘Urwah al Wuthqa, 1/411.

^[4] Al Ruhani: Fiqh al Sadiq, 11/403.

^[5] Al Subhani: Al I’tisam bi al Kitab wa al Sunnah, 336.

^[6] Al Subhani: Al Iman wa al Kufr fi al Kitab wa al Sunnah, p.138.

^[7] Al Shirazi: Al Qawa’id al Fiqhiyyah, 1/384.

^[8] Ibid., 1/437-438.

^[9] Al ‘Amili: Al Rawdah al Bahiyyah fi Sharh al Lum’ah al Dimashqiyyah, 7/314-315.

^[10] Al Ghita’: Kitab Asl al Shia wa-Usuluha, pp. 317–319.

^[11] Ibid., p.206-208.

^[12] Al Tihrani: Kitab Wilayat al Faqih fi Hukumat al Islam, 2/6.

^[13] Al Mishkini: Mustalahat al Fiqh, p. 16.

^[14] Al Hilli: Kitab al Yaqin, p. 10–11.

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