Second testimony

BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents

 

Second testimony

 

The second testimony is from Sahifah Kamilah whose every word’s authenticity and weight is no less than the words of the Qur’an according to the Shia. It is recorded therein that Imam Zayn al ‘Abidin rahimahu Llah would supplicate in the following manner for the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and their successors:

 

اللهم و اتباع الرسل و مصدقوهم من اهل الارض بالغيب عند معارضة المعاندين لهم بالتكذيب و الاشتياق الي المرسلين بحقائق الايمان .في كل دهر و زمان ارسلت فيه رسولا و اقمت لاهله دليلا من لدن ادم الي محمد – صلي الله عليه و اله – من أئمة الهدي ، و قادة اهل التقي ، علي جميعهم السلام ، فاذكرهم منك بمغفرة و رضوان .اللهم و اصحاب محمد خاصة الذين احسنوا الصحابة و الذين ابلوا البلاء الحسن في نصره ، و كانفوه ، و اسرعوا الي وفادته ، و سابقوا الي دعوته ، و استجابوا له حيث اسمعهم حجة رسالاته .و فارقوا الازواج و الاولاد في اظهار كلمته ، و قاتلوا الاباء و الابناء في تثبيت نبوته ، و انتصروا به .و من كانوا منطوين علي محبته يرجون تجارة لن تبور في مودته .و الذين هجرتهم العشائر اذ تعلقوا بعروته ، و انتفت منهم القرابات اذ سكنوا في ظل قرابته .فلا تنس لهم اللهم ما تركوا لك و فيك ، و ارضهم من رضوانك ، و بما حاشوا الخلق عليك ، و كانوا مع رسولك دعاة لك اليك .و اشكرهم علي هجرهم فيك ديار قومهم ، و خروجهم من سعة المعاش الي ضيقه ، و من كثرت في اعزاز دينك من مظلومهم .اللهم و اوصل الي التابعين لهم باحسان ، الذين يقولون : ربنا اغفر لنا و لاخواننا الذين سبقونا بالايمان خير جزائك .الذين قصدوا سمتهم ، و تحروا وجهتهم ، و مضوا علي شاكلتهم .لم يثنهم ريب في بصيرتهم ، و لم يختلجهم شك في قفو اثارهم ، و الايتمام بهداية منارهم .مكانفين و موازرين لهم ، يدينون بدينهم ، و يهتدون بهديهم ، يتفقون عليهم ، و لا يتهمونهم فيما ادوا اليهم .اللهم و صل علي التابعين من يومنا هذا الي يوم الدين و علي ازواجهم و علي ذرياتهم و علي من اطاعك منهم .صلوة تعصمهم بها من معصيتك ، و تفسح لهم في رياض جنتك ، و تمنعهم بها من كيد الشيطان ، و تعينهم بها علي ما استعانوك عليه من بر ، و تقيهم طوارق الليل و النهار إلا طارقا يطرق بخير .و تبعثهم بها علي اعتقاد حسن الرجاء لك ، و الطمع فيما عندك ، و ترك التهمة فيما تحويه ايدي العباد .لتردهم الي الرغبة اليك و الرهبة منك ، و تزهدهم في سعة العاجل ، و تحبب اليهم العمل للاجل ، و الاستعداد لما بعد الموت .و تهون عليهم كل كرب يحل بهم يوم خروج الانفس من ابدانها .و تعافيهم مما تقع به الفتنة من محذوراتها ، و كبة النار و طول الخلود فيها .و تصيرهم الي امن من مقيل المتقين.

 

O Allah! And those inhabitants of the earth who followed and believed in the Messengers without seeing them, in the face of the challenges of those who oppose them by denying, and those who have desire and zeal for the Messengers’ (guidance) with the essence and reality of iman. You sent to them a Messenger in every time and era and established a proof for the worthy from Adam ‘alayh al Salam to Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam from the guided leaders and the forerunners of the pious — May peace be upon all of them. Remember them with Your forgiveness and pleasure. O Allah! Especially the Sahabah of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who fulfilled the responsibility of companionship, bore all types of calamities to assist him and help him, left no stone unturned in supporting him, hastened to his call and answered him when he explained to them the signs of his nubuwwah. They left their wives and children in order to spread his message, fought their fathers and sons to establish his nubuwwah and aided him. And (send special mercy upon) those who are infatuated with his love seeking a transaction in which there is no diminishment in his love. And those who were shunned by their families when they held on to his rope and their relatives severed ties with them when they lived in the shade of his proximity. O Allah! Do not forget what they sacrificed for You and in Your way. Please them with Your pleasure since they gathered the creation before You and they were inviters to You with Your Rasul. They are worthy of appreciation since they left the homes of their folk and abandoned prosperity for poverty, and increased in honouring the din despite their oppression. O Allah! Reward those abundantly who followed them in a beautiful way, those who supplicate, “O our Rabb! Forgive us and our brothers that have surpassed us with faith.” Those who followed their path, trailed their direction and walked in their footsteps. Those who had no doubt in their foresightedness and did not hesitate in emulating their ways and following their guided lamps, protecting and supporting them. Those who followed their din and guidance, concurred with them and did not criticise them in what they delivered to them. O Allah! Send Your salutations upon the followers from this day to the Day of Retribution and upon their wives and children and those who obey them. Such salutations which will protect them from Your disobedience, give them space in the gardens of Your paradise, safeguard them from the evil plots of Shaitan, assist them in the good wherein they sought Your assistance, secure them from the evils that knock day and night except the one who knocks with goodness. Such salutations which will encourage them to have good hopes in You and desire for that which is by You, to abandon suspicion for that which is in the hands of slaves so that it restores them to hoping in You and fearing You. So that it makes them abstinent from working for that which is cash and temporary and puts love for those actions which are for the hereafter and prepares them for what is to come after death. Such salutations which will ease every difficulty they experience when their souls leave their bodies, grant them ease and comfort from every trial of evil — falling into Hell and remaining forever therein — and convey them to the tranquillity of the sleep of the muttaqin.^[1]

 

O Muslims! Ponder over the words of this supplication and reflect deeply over the meaning. In what beautiful words Imam Zayn al ‘Abidin rahimahu Llah spoke about the companions of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in his supplication. In what a wonderful manner he explained their noble traits and virtues and how he expressed their sacrifices and hardships they underwent in the path of Allah. With what deep emotions he prayed for them! Which person who has a spark of iman will doubt their virtue after listening to this supplication? Which person who believes that the Imamah of the Imams are part of the principles of din and claims to practice on their statements and actions will not admire the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum after hearing such words of praise in their favour on the Imam’s tongue?

It should not be kept secret that when we mention ahadith and statements (of the Imams) extolling the virtues of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum from our books, the Shia label these as fabrications and untruths. And when we present the statements of the Imams from their own sources, they interpret them as the product of Taqiyyah. However, this supplication cannot be the product of Taqiyyah since Imam Zayn al ‘Abidin is supplicating to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala in solitude. He is enumerating their virtues in privacy before Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, sending salutations upon them and seeking Allah’s subhanahu wa ta ‘ala mercy for them due to the sacrifices and hardships they underwent in the path of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. There was no fear or apprehension for anyone at such a time, so no need for Taqiyyah. The possibility of Taqiyyah is not even present. The only certainty is that the tongue of the Imam is moist with high praises of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. The Shia should have a deep look at this supplication — from beginning to end — and should ponder over each and every word. They then should reflect that the Imam rahimahu Llah is admiring them in solitude, supplicating for goodness for their followers, seeking the pleasure of Allah on their behalf and attesting to the fact that their sacrifices are a medium for drawing the happiness of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and a means of their religious and spiritual progress. On the other hand, those who claim to be obedient to the Imams, who claim to follow in their footsteps and call themselves Imamiyyah do the exact opposite. They enumerate the Sahabah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhum errors and evils, deem that defaming and reviling them is part of the salient features of din, waste their lives in finding their faults, conceal their virtues and merits and openly criticise them. And instead of praying for mercy and goodness for them, they curse them thinking this to be worship. They understand that following them leads to misguidance and waywardness, consider anyone who follows them as being out of the fold of Islam and regard those who criticise them and harbour hatred for them as being the purest and greatest believers. I do not know what the definition of love and iman is and what the meaning of hatred and kufr is according to them. They label the Ahlus Sunnah who practice upon the Imams’s statements and actions as khariji and nasibi and consider the Shia who oppose their statements and actions as the Imamiyyah and the friends of the Ahlul Bayt.

 

فاعتبروا يا اولى الابصار ان هذا الشىء عجيب

Take heed O men of intelligence! Indeed this is a confusing matter!

 

A few pertinent points have been deduced from this supplication:

1. The Imam supplicated for the Sahabah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhum goodness, sent salutations upon them and had good thoughts about them.
2. He considered those as the most superior who brought iman in the beginning and acknowledged the fact that they sacrificed and bore hardships in the path of Allah, left their homes and emigrated for Allah’s subhanahu wa ta ‘ala sake, left their loved ones and relatives to follow and assist Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and invited people to enter into the din of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.
3. He extolled the virtues and signs of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum and their followers.

 

I will now discuss each of these aspects separately.

 

1. The Imam supplicated for the Sahabah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhum goodness

 

To supplicate for the goodness of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum and to mention their virtues is in fact obedience to the command of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam since Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did the same. I have already quoted the hadith from ‘Uyun al Akhbar wherein Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam stated:

 

دعوا الى اصحابى

Leave my companions for me i.e. consider the rights they enjoy due to their companionship and do not take out their faults.

 

I will now present more ahadith and statements to support this.

a. Janab Miran Qiblah has written in vol. 3 of Hadiqah Sultaniyyah under the discussion of nubuwwah that when Rasulullah’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam demise drew near, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam mounted the pulpit and asked the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum: “What kind of a messenger was I?” Everyone replied: “May Allah reward you for all the perseverance you displayed in the path of Allah.” Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then said: “May Allah grant you a beautiful reward as well.” This narration can be found on page 328 of this book.

Thousands of Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum were present and gathered in the Masjid to bid farewell to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and he told them: “May Allah grant you a beautiful reward as well.” I do not know what this will be considered as and why do they not think good about these personalities.

 

b. It is recorded in the tafsir of Imam Hassan al ‘Askari rahimahu Llah:

 

ان رجلا ممن يبغض ال محمد و اصحابه او واحدا منهم يعذبه الله عذابا لو قسم على مثل ما خلق الله لاهلكهم احمعين

If anyone harbours hatred for the family of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or his Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum or anyone of them, Allah will punish him so severely that if it had to be distributed among all the creations of Allah, it would destroy them all.

 

Just as hatred for the family of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is forbidden, hatred for his Sahabah is also forbidden.

 

c. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam forbade reviling and cursing his Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. It is recorded in Jami’ Akhbar — a reliable Shia book:

 

قال النبى من سبنى فاقتلوه و من سب اصحابى فاجلدوه

Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had declared: “Whoever reviles me, kill him. And whoever reviles my Sahabah, lash him.”

 

d. It is recorded in Miftah al Shari’ah and Miftah al Haqiqah – which is attributed to Imam Jafar al Sadiq rahimahu Llah by Mulla Baqir Majlisi in Bihar al Anwar and Qadi Nur Allah Shostari, etc., that backbiting is a grave sin and slander is even worse than it. When backbiting and slandering ordinary people is a major sin, then how grave will it be with regards to the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam! Therefore, to have good thoughts about them is part of the fundamentals of din. We should keep our tongues moist with extolling their virtues and should despise the company of their enemies since this causes hypocrisy in the heart.

Notwithstanding that these narrations are present in Shia books and Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Imams have supplicated for the goodness of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum, the Shia regard harbouring malice and hatred for them as the most superior form of worship and consider cursing them as a great form of obedience — whereas this curse revolts back at them. They declare their exemption from those whom Imam Zayn al ‘Abidin rahimahu Llah, etc., sent salutations upon. The only thing on their tongues is curse — whether standing, sitting, reclining or eating. And yet they identify themselves as Imamiyyah and not La’natiyyah (cursers).

 

2. The Sahabah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Bearing Hardships due to Iman and the Superiority of Those who Brought Iman in the Initial Stages

By this supplication of the Imam rahimahu Llah, it is learnt that the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam bore hardships and difficulties in assisting Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. They left their homes and families out of love for him and emigrated from their homelands. They fought their fathers, sons and family to establish his nubuwwah. They accepted his invitation and gathered the creation before their Creator. The Imam has explained these virtues in such detail that no Shia — no matter how dogged he may be — does not have the courage to belie or misinterpret them. Sahifah Kamilah is such a reliable book that the Shia call it the Zabur of the family of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. They regard its every word and letter to be authentic and accept everything contained in it. When they see the virtues extolled by the Imam, they are unable to deny them although they burn in their hearts and criticise their scholars for authenticating it.

It can be interpreted in three ways:

1. To consider that these virtues pertain to others besides the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum as was done in the hadith “My Sahabah are like stars.”
2. To regard it as the product of Taqiyyah as they do with other narrations of the Imams.
3. To accept that these virtues apply to the accepted Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum in exclusion of the majority of the Muhajirin and Ansar especially the first three righteous khulafa’.

 

But all the three doors of interpretation are closed and there is no other choice but to accept that these virtues apply to all the Muhajirin and Ansar especially the first three khulafa’ radiya Llahu ‘anhum in accordance to our belief. I will prove the invalidity of these three interpretations.

The first aspect is that these virtues apply to the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. This has not been claimed by just any Shia, but their scholars have accepted it. The author of Nuzhat Ithna ‘Ashariyyah has attested to this in the fourth volume of his rebuttal on Tuhfah.

 

کہ امامیہ جمیع اصحاب را مقدوح و مجروح نمی داںد بلکہ بسیارے از صحابہ عظام را جلیل القدر و ممدوح بلکہ از اولیاء کرام می داںد و مستحق رحمت و رضوان ملک منان می پندارند در صحیفۂ کاملہ کہ فرقہ حقہ آں راہ زبور آل محمد گویند دعاۓ کہ از حضرت سید الساجدین علیہ السلام ماثور ست شاہد عدل ایں دعوی ست

 

According to the Shia, all the Sahabah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhum testimonies are not rejected, weak, and condemned. In fact, majority of the great Sahabah are reckoned as noble, praiseworthy and great saints and worthy of Allah’s subhanahu wa ta ‘ala mercy and pleasure. The supplication of the master of all those who prostrate rahimahu Llah is recorded in Sahifah Kamilah, which is known as the Zabur of the family of Muhammad by the guided sect, which bears testimony to my claim.

 

The second claim is that the Imam said this out of Taqiyyah. No Shia scholar has ever claimed this. And how can anyone claim this since the Imam did not enumerate these virtues in answer to any nasibi or khariji or enemy of the Ahlul Bayt or friend of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum for him to make Taqiyyah. So the Shia cannot claim that the Imam falsely praised the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum out of fear for his life or honour or to protect himself from the oppression of a nasibi. The Imam made this supplication when he was in private conversation with Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and there was no one there besides Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and himself. He was opening the secret file of his heart before Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. The Imam was supplicating and Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala was answering. Just ponder over the great honour and respect of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum the Imam had in his heart which was of such a high level that he could not forget them in his time of solitude. Just as he would supplicate for himself and his Ahlul Bayt and send salutations upon the ambiya’, he would supplicate for the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum and seek Allah’s subhanahu wa ta ‘ala mercy and salutations to be conferred upon them. It would be sufficient for the Imam to say:

 

اللهم صل على محمد و ال محمد و اصحاب محمد

O Allah! Send salutations of Muhammad, the family of Muhammad and the Sahabah of Muhammad.

 

There was no need to open files of their virtues and merits. May we be sacrificed for the love of Imam al Sajjad rahimahu Llah who did not suffice upon this but elucidated on the iman and sacrifices of his grandfather’s friends before Allah and prayed that mercy be sent upon them. He not only supplicated for them but begged Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala to appreciate the Muhajirin’s sacrifices, efforts and the hardships they underwent. He supplicated:

 

واشكرهم على هجرهم فيك ديار قومهم

They are worthy of appreciation since they left the homes of their folk for Your sake.

 

Which person after seeing these sentences and words will not have conviction in the Imam’s deep love for the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum? Who will claim that enmity existed between the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum and the Ahlul Bayt? Shame on the iman and love of the Shia! They call themselves the Imamiyyah, claim that they have deep and sincere love for the Imams and regard themselves as their followers yet at the same time harbour hatred for the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum and revile the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum a million times more than what the Imam praised them. If any Sunni in emulation of the Imams has to add “And the Sahabah of Muhammad,” in the durud, the Shia go into a fit of rage and look at him with anger labelling him a khariji and nasibi on just this matter. The truth is that the amount of damage the Shia caused to Islam under the guise of love for the Ahlul Bayt has not been carried out by the enemies even. The poet said very beautifully:

 

آنچہ بہ فیضی نظر دوست کرد مشکل اگر دشمن جانے کند

The friend’s graceful glances has caused more damage than the enemy could ever cause.

 

With regards to the third claim that only those Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum are intended whom the Shia scholars regard as pious with the exclusion of the majority of the Muhajirin and Ansar especially the first three khulafa’. This has been claimed by all the Shia scholars and they think that this misinterpretation will solve the case. Now when the Shia have accepted that these virtues apply to the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum then the only contention between us and them is that are all the Muhajirin and Ansar intended or not. In fact, the actual contention is whether the first three khulafa’ are included or not. We claim that the virtues mentioned by the Imam apply to all the Muhajirin and Ansar and especially to the three khulafa’. This is due to the fact that the praises fit them like a glove.

 

والذين أبلوا البلاء الحسن في نصره، وكانفوه وأسرعوا إلى وفادته، وسابقوا إلى دعوته، واستجابوا له حيث أسمعهم حجة رسالته، وفارقوا الأزواج والأولاد في إظهار كلمته،

Those who bore all types of calamities to assist him and help him, left no stone unturned in supporting him, hastened to his call and answered him when he explained to them the signs of his nubuwwah and left their wives and children in order to spread his message.

 

I will prove this claim of mines. When Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam announced his nubuwwah in Makkah Mukarramah and made them aware of the beauty of Islam by divine command, people began embracing Islam slowly. The kuffar of the Quraysh began persecuting and torturing these people to such an extent that they severed blood and tribal relations with them, exiled them from their tribes and boycotted them. But the mu’minin did not denounce Islam. They left everyone and held firmly onto Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. It is evident that all the Muhajirin are included in this group especially the three khulafa’ who were their leaders. Who do these virtues apply to besides them? If these personalities are excluded, then who are those who accepted Islam and were persecuted by the kuffar and from which country were they and where did they live? Ask the Shia about their names and biographies and see if they can present a name besides the Muhajirin and righteous khulafa’. As far as I know, all the Shia books I have studied and all their scholars who I heard take the names of only the Muhajirin and khulafa’ and include them among the believers. The only difference is that we say that their iman was sincere whereas the Shia say that it was hypocritical or out of greed for the world or due to the words of the fortune tellers. Nevertheless, the Shia acknowledge that they accepted iman outwardly and believed in the nubuwwah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The author of Hamlah Haydariyyah has written that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would advise and lecture and handfuls of people would believe in him. These are his couplets:

در ابطال اصنام و اثبات حق	دگر وعظ و ارشاد بر ایں نسق
نہ کردی ولے کار در مشرکاں	نمودی حبیب خداۓ جہاں
بر آں قوم آیات وعد و وعید	بخواندی مدام از کلام مجید
کہ بگذاشتی یکدو کس پابراہ	نمودی اثر گفتہ اش گاہ گاہ
یکے بہر دنیا کجا بود با مصطفی	و لیکن نہ جملہ زراہ یقیں
ولے بود آیندہ منظور شاں	چنین ست دنیا نبود آں زماں
کہ دین محمد بگیرد جہاں	خبر دادہ بود ند چوں کاہناں
تمام اہل انکار ذلت کشند	ہمہ پیروانش بہ عزت رسند
یکے محض بہر خدائو رسول	یکے کرد ازیں راہ ایماں قبول

The beloved of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala continued to advise in order to establish the truth and wipe out idol worship. But this had no effect on the polytheists. He would recite to them the Speech of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and its warnings and promises. This would sometimes affect them and few people would come to the straight path. However, all did not accept Islam with conviction. Some accepted for worldly motives while others accepted only for din. But this is a foolish thing to say because if someone questions, “What wealth did Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam possess at that time?” The reality is that he had no wealth by him at that time but prosperity was coming his way in the future. The soothsayers informed them that Muhammad’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam din will be triumphant in the world, those who follow him will be honoured and those who oppose him will be disgraced. One group accepted iman out of greed for the world and another group accepted only for Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and His Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

 

I will further on prove that all the Muhajirin accepted iman with sincerity and none of them accepted hypocritically or due to greed for wealth or due to the soothsayers’ information. However, at this juncture I just wish to prove that the Shia acknowledge the fact that the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum accepted Islam and they do not regard them as those who denied nubuwwah. This has been proven from the above couplets. Other scholars are also of this opinion. Thus, to quote other books is not necessary.

Furthermore, the Shia scholars acknowledge that these Muslims bore hardships and were persecuted at the hands of the kuffar. They acknowledge that the same Muhajirin — who they label as hypocrites and renegades (May Allah forbid!) — were persecuted by the kuffar. The author has written that when the kuffar could not get their hands on Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam due to Abu Talib’s protection, they began persecuting and harassing his Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Here are some of his couplets:

نگہبان او بود ازیں بیشتر	ولے چوں ابو طالب نامور
رسانیدی اصحاب او را شکست	بایذای او کس نمی یافت دست
کہ کردی ز اصحاب اور کس گزر	بہر کوے و ہر برزن و ہر ممر
بہر گونہ آزار و ایذای او	نمودندے اعدای او از غلو
بدیگر ستمہاۓ بیروں زحد	بہ ضرب و شتم و بمشت و لکد
نمودی برہنہ تن پاک شاں	فگندی زہر سو بسر خاک شاں
دراں ریگ تفتندہ از آفتاب	پس آنگہ نشاندی چناں بیثیاب
زدی تاز یانہ ر خلف و امام	بریدی ازاں قوم آب و طعام
کہ آرد بیانش بدلہا ملال	دگر ظلمہاۓ ہلاکت مآل
براں زمرہ مومن و متقی	نمودندی آں ناکسان شقی

When a prominent man like Abu Talib was protecting Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam from before, no one had the courage to persecute him. Hence, they began harassing his Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Whichever street or pathway they would walk on, Rasulullah’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam enemy would persecute and torture them in different ways. They would beat them, swear them, kick them and torture them in the most brutal ways. They would throw sand on them, strip them of their clothes and make them lie on the scorching sands under the burning sun. They would deprive them of food and water and lash them on their backs and chest. They would brutally oppress them in such horrific ways that the heart tremors at their mention. Such was the oppression those ignoble and wretched people would inflict on the believing pious group.

 

If someone asks the Shia that notwithstanding your acknowledgement of the fact that the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum underwent such horrific torture at the hands of the kuffar and they bore them patiently and never abandoned Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and strove day and night so that the word of Allah reigns supreme; if the qualities enumerated by the Imam do not apply to them, then who in the world do they apply to? If only the Shia could deal justly and abandon their doggedness and reflect deeply over the words of the Imam:

 

الذين هجرتهم العشائر، إذ تعلقوا بعروته، وانتفت منهم القرابات إذ سكنوا في ظل قرابته

Those who were shun by their families when they held on to his rope. Their relatives severed ties with them when they lived in the shade of his proximity.

 

And study the Sahabah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhum biographies from their own books, they will realise that all the Muhajirin are befitting of these praises and not one of them is excluded therefrom. If they are still not satisfied and demand a detailed proof of the iman and Islam of the righteous khulafa’ with their names, then listen attentively from your own sources.

 

 

NEXT⇒ The incident of Sayyidina Abu Bakr’s Iman

---

^[1]  Sahifah Kamilah pg. 112 line 8