Chapter 9

Other doubts and responses to them

What remains for us is to look at some other doubts. Some innovators hold on to them in order to cast doubt on the religion of the Muslims and the doctrine of the Ahlus Sunnah. I will embark on refuting them in this final chapter, Allah willing.

Among those doubts are:

1. The statement of those who say that the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum differed at Saqifat Bani Sa’idah as to who should assume the matter of the Caliphate. This indicates that it was not definitive, because definitiveness contradicts conjecture and disagreement.

The answer to this doubt is very easy. We summarise it by saying: The occurrence of disagreement on an issue, previously, does not contradict it becoming a definitive consensus issue later on. This is one of the simplest rules of principles, which the average student knows. Evidence and proofs for that are plenty.

For example, Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala said in the Qur’an:

ﰁ ﰂ ﰃ ﰄ

Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.^[1]

Added to this are other verses indicating definitively that he salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will pass away. Despite this, they differed about his demise on the day he passed away and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu said what he said, which is well-known. In fact, some Arabs became apostates because of that, out of ignorance, until Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu came and recited the verses indicating to the demise of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Would any sane person say today that the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam death is a matter of disagreement and is not definitive, citing as evidence the disagreement that had occurred among some of the Companions initially, because of their oversight of the explicit text, and the clear path of the Qur’an, or any other reason? Whoever claims that today would be considered stubborn and denying necessity, not only violating Ijma’.

They also differed in many matters, then agreement and Ijma’ was reached in them, such as: collecting the Holy Qur’an in the Mushaf (book form). Initially Abu Bakr al Siddiq radiya Llahu ‘anhu disagreed with it, and then he reverted to the opinion of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Similar is the issue of the burial of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. They differed greatly, until Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu informed them of the saying of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “Every prophet is buried where he passes away.” The disagreement was removed and the discord was lifted. Sheikh Ibn Hajar said:

اختلفوا‏ في محل دفنه صلى الله عليه وسلم اختلافا شديدا كاد أن يفضي إلى الفتنة فروى لهم الحديث إن كل نبي يدفن في المحل الذي توفي فيه‏ فرجعوا إليه وزال ما كان بينهم

They differed greatly regarding the place of his salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam burial, which almost led to strife. Then Abu Bakr narrated the hadith to them, “Indeed, prophets are buried in the place where they pass away.” They reverted to it and the disagreement between them was removed.^[2]

The situation is no different in our issue as well, as they were overtaken by astonishment and negligence regarding the dazzling evidence and definitive arguments for the superiority of Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu over others, until one by one, and group by group became aware of it. Even ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu himself was aware of the issue of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam appointing him as his successor in Salah, hence, he said, “The Prophet was satisfied with you for our religion; should we not be satisfied with you for our worldly life?” They all agreed that he was the Imam after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and he was the best of them.

If their disagreement at Saqifat Bani Sa’idah is evidence that the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum did not believe or know of his superiority, then let it also be evidence that the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum did not know that leadership should be in the Quraysh, because the Ansar—who are not from the Quraysh—wanted the Khalifah to be from them. Do the Zaidiyyah and the Rafidah say that it is permissible to choose a non-Qurashi as a leader due to the disagreement that occurred? They are the ones who were strict regarding that, stating that merely being a Qurashi is not sufficient, rather, it is a requirement for the Imam to be a Hashimite as well, even though this condition is invalid according to the people of truth.

Just as they abandoned dispute and surrendered to the truth when Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu read to them the saying of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that the Imams (leaders) are from the Quraysh, which became a known Ijma’, so too the superiority of Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu might have been hidden from some people for a period of time, and then they were alerted to it. Definitely, ‘Umar declared to them, “Rather, we pledge allegiance to you, for you are our master, the best of us, and the most beloved to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”^[3]

It is clear that no one denied ‘Umar’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu words. Thus, this is the Ijma’, that no one can deny except an obstinate or ignorant person.

One who is familiar with the books of the people of knowledge and follows the sources of beliefs, fiqh, principles, Hadith, etc., will always find other issues wherein there was disagreement among the pious predecessors, and then they entered the ambit of definitive consensus issues in which disagreement is not permissible for those who came later. Sometimes severe disagreement may take place in an issue, and then everyone agrees on one opinion. An example of this is the permissibility of writing knowledge. Many of the pious predecessors forbade it, but Ijma’ was reached on its permissibility thereafter.

If it were not for the fear of boredom and going beyond the limits of moderation, I would have listed a number of these, but this amount is sufficient for the prudent, adequate for the retentive, and enlightening to the chest of every fair-minded person, Allah willing.

2. Abu Bakr’s hesitance at the pledge of allegiance and his statement while pointing to ‘Umar and Abu ‘Ubaidah radiya Llahu ‘anhum, “Pledged allegiance to one of these two.” How can this hesitance be valid for him if he knew that he is the best of people and that he is the one stipulated for the Caliphate, according to what the Ahlus Sunnah says?

Sheikh Shah Wali Allah al Dihlawi has pointed out the answer to this doubt, stating:

ليس حصول البشارة بشيء أن يطلب في الواقع كما أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم علم أن عائشة ستكون من زوجاته لكن مع ذلك لم يسع صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يتزوجها بل قال إن‏ يكن هذا من عند الله يمضه وأحوال أهل الله في مثل هذه المسألة تختلف تارة يسعمون لنيل ما بشروا به وثوقا بحصوله وتارة يتوقفون وينتظرون تدبير الغيب بأي طريق يتم الله تلك البشارة… ولهذا اختار الصديق رضي الله عنه التوقف ليكون بعيدا عن حظ النفس

Receiving glad tidings of something does not mean that it should be desired in reality, just as the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam knew that ‘Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha would be one of his wives, but despite that, he did not seek to marry her, rather he salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “If this is from Allah, He will fulfil it.”^[4]

The conditions of the pious differ in such matters. Sometimes they strive to obtain that which they were given glad tidings of, confident of attaining it; and sometimes they stop and wait for the system of the unseen, and see which way Allah completes that good tiding. That is why Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu chose to be hesitant, in order to be far from carnal desires.^[5]

3. The Shia’s citation of the statement of Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu, “I am not the best of you”—which the Zaidi Sheikh used as evidence to prove his innovation^[6]—must be interpreted to a meaning that does not contradict the Ijma’ of the Ahlus Sunnah, that he is the best of people after the prophets. Perhaps it means that I am like you in being fallible and I have no superiority over you from this point of view. There is no doubt that his statement, ‘I am not the best of you,’ does not prove the superiority for anyone else; neither ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, nor anyone else. The hadith was narrated with the following wording:

كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عبدا أكرمه الله بالوحي وعصمه به ألا وإنما أنا بشر ولست بخير من أحدكم

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was a slave whom Allah honoured with revelation and protected him with it. Beware; I am only a human being. I am not better than any of you.

This supports the interpretation that I have mentioned.

Al Imam Saif al Din al Amidi states:

قد يشكك بعض أهل الضلال ومن لم يثبت له قدم راسخ في الاستنباط والاستدلال باستقالة أبي بكر من الإمامة وبقوله وليتُكم ولست بخيركم وقول عمر إن بيعة أبي بكر كانت فلتة وقي الله شرها فمن عاد إلى مثلها فاقتلوه هذا وأمثاله مما تمسك به من لا خلاق له من الروافض والإمامية الخارجين عن ربقة الدين وليس ذلك عند من له أدني حظ من التفطن مما يؤثر خيالا ولا إشكالا فإن الاستقالة لا تدل على عدم الاستحقاق لا سيما مع اتفاق الأمة على كونه مستحقا بل لعل ذلك لم يكن إلا للفرار من حمل أعباء أمور المسلمين والخوف من شدة التكليف والتقليد لتدبير أمور الدين أو الامتحان لتعرف الموافق من المخالف أو غير ذلك من الاحتمالات ومع ذلك لا ينهض الاقتيال شبهة في درء الاستحقاق وكذلك قوله وليتكم ولست بخيركم فإنه يحتمل أنه أراد التولية في الصلاة على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ومن المعلوم أنه لم يكن إذ ذاك أخير من قوم فيهم الرسول ويكون فائدة ذكر ذلك الاحتجاج على جواز توليته بعد الرسول بطريق التنبيه بالأدنى على الأعلى ويحتمل أنه أراد بقوله ولست بخيركم أي في العشيرة والقبيلة إذ الهاشمي أفضل من القرشي وإن لم يكن شرط في الإمامة ويحتمل أنه أراد ذلك قبل التولية وفي الجملة ليس يلزم من نفي الأفضلية أن يكون مفضولا بل من الجائز أن يكون مساويا ومع ذلك فعقد الإمامة له يكون جائزا بالاتفاق

Some of the misguided people and those who do not have a firm footing in inference and reasoning may have doubts due to Abu Bakr’s hesitance from the Imamah and his statement, “I have been appointed over you, and I am not the best of you,” and ‘Umar’s statement, “The pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr was unexpected, and Allah has protected us from its evil, so whoever repeats something like it, kill him.” This and similar statements are what those who have no morals, from the Rafidah and the Imamiyyah who have left the ambit of din, have held on to. This does not affect thoughts or cause any confusion to those who have the slightest amount of insight, because hesitation does not indicate to lack of entitlement, especially with the Ijma’ of the Ummah on him being deserving of it. Perhaps that was only to escape from bearing the burdens of the affairs of the Muslims and out of fear of the severity of the obligation and emulation in managing the affairs of din or as a test to ascertain the supporter from the opponent, or other possibilities. Despite that, fighting does not raise doubt about warding off entitlement.

Similar is the case of his statement, “I have been appointed over you, and I am not the best of you,” for it is possible that he meant the appointment in Salah during the time of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. It is known that at that time, no one could be the best among whom the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was present, and the benefit of mentioning that was to use it as evidence for the permissibility of his appointment after the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, by way of alerting to the lower before the higher. It is possible that by his statement, “I am not the best of you,” he meant in terms of clan and tribe, as the Hashimi is better than the Qurashi, even though it is not a condition for Imamah. It is possible that he meant that before being appointed as Khalifah. In short, denying superiority does not necessarily mean that he is inferior, but it is possible to be equal. However, the post of Imamah was permissible for him by consensus.^[7]

In response to this Rafidi doubt, al Hafiz Abu Nuaim states:

إنما‏ حمله على هذا الكلام التواضع والإزراء على نفسه وإزالة العجب عنها وليس منهم أحد إلا وقد قال مثله وأعظم منه في حال الإزراء على النفس والخوف عليها وذلك سجية أهل الخوف والتقى لا يركنون إلى شيء من أعمالهم وأحوالهم بل يلزمون أنفسهم الذلة والتواضع ومثل ذلك قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم لا‏ تخيروني على الأنبياء ولا يقولن أحدكم أنا خير من يونس بن متى

What prompted him to say this was humility, disparaging himself, and removing self-admiration from himself. There is no one among them who did not say something similar or greater than this in order to disparage the self and fear for it.

This is the nature of the people of piety. They do not rely on any of their actions or conditions; rather, they oblige themselves to humility and modesty. Similar to that is the saying of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “Do not prefer me over the prophets and let none of you say that I am better than Yunus ibn Matta.”^[8]

Invalidating what the Shia hold on to, is the statement of Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu himself, in another instance, as narrated by al Tirmidhi:

ألست أحق الناس بها

Am I not the most deserving of people of it?^[9]

How can he be the most deserving of it when he acknowledges against himself that he is not the best of them? The fact of the matter is that he has a right to the Caliphate, but not entitlement.

In conclusion: I raise my hands in beseeching the Giver of favours and the Guide to the best of ways, and I ask Him to accept this work as a favour and kindness from Him, and to grant benefit from it favourably. I beseech Allah to forgive me for any stroke of the pen that occurred or a slip of the foot that occurred, for I did not intend by it anything but to imitate a people and to keep up with those who have abandoned amusement and sleep. Even though I was a child who loved to sleep; however, now, I am a gate-crasher who picks up crumbs from the tables of the generous.

May Allah’s salutations, peace, and blessings be upon the best of Allah’s creation, and the most honourable of Allah’s prophets, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah, and upon his loyal Companions, the pure Khalifas, and his noble family, and those who called to their call until the Day of Qiyamah. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds forever.

^[1] Surah al Zumar: 30.

^[2] Al Minah al Makkiyyah fi Sharh al Hamziyyah, pg. 559.

^[3] Sahih al Bukhari, 5/7, Hadith: 3668.

^[4] It refers to a hadith narrated by the two Imams: al Bukhari (Hadith: 3895) and Muslim (Hadith: 2438) from ‘Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha, who said:

قال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أريتك في المنام ثلاث ليال يجيء بك الملك في سرقة من حرير فقال لي هذه امرأتك فكشفت عن وجهك الثوب فإذا أنت هي فقلت إن يكن هذا من عند الله يمضه

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said to me, “I saw you in a dream for three nights. An angel brought you in a silk garment, and said to me, ‘This is your wife.’

I uncovered the garment from your face, and it was you. Then I said, ‘If this is from Allah, He will fulfil it.’”

^[5] Al Dihlawi: Izalat al Khafa’ ‘an Khilafat al Khulafa’, 1/255.

^[6] Ghayat al Tabjil, pg. 72.

^[7] Al Amidi: Ghayat al Maram, pg. 389; al Baqillani: Manaqib al A’immah al Arba’ah, pg. 322; al Tamhid, pg. 190, 195.

^[8] Abu Nuaim al Isfahani: Al Imamah wa al Radd ‘ala al Rafidah, pg. 268.

^[9] Sunan al Tirmidhi, 5/611, Hadith: 3667; Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith: 6863.

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