Section Two: The Statements of Imam Zayn al ‘Abidin and his son Zaid
Chapter5: Section One – The Statements of Sayyidina Hassan, Muhammad ibn al Hanafiyyah, ‘Abdullah al Mahd ibn Hassan al Muthanna, and others.
February 8, 2019Section Three: The Statements of Imam Muhammad al Baqir
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Section Two
The Statements of Imam Zayn al ‘Abidin and his son Zaid
Some of the statements of Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn al Hussain (Zayn al ‘Abidin) rahimahu Llah and his son, Imam Zaid rahimahu Llah, will be reproduced in praise and favour of Sayyidina ‘Umar al Faruq radiya Llahu ‘anhu. This will highlight his rank in their eyes.
1. ‘Umar and Abu Bakr Enjoyed that Proximity to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as they Enjoy Presently
It is recorded in Musnad Ahmed:
حدثني أبو معمر عن ابن أبي حازم قال جاء رجل إلى علي بن الحسين فقال ما كان منزلة أبي بكر و عمر من النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم فقال منزلتهما الساعة
Abu Ma’mar narrated to me―from Ibn Abi Hazim who says:
A man approached ‘Ali ibn al Hussain and asked, “What was Abu Bakr’s and ‘Umar’s proximity to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”
He replied, “Just as their position now.”[1]
2. Acknowledging ‘Umar’s Virtue and Rejecting those who Disrepute him
The scholars should be aware that there is a lengthy narration from Zayn al ‘Abidin in Hilyat al Auliya’ wherein he debunked, with Qur’anic verses, those Iraqi men who were objecting and criticising Sayyidina Abu Bakr, Sayyidina ‘Umar, and Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhum. He bore testimony to the fact that they were not among the people whom the Qur’an teaches to seek Allah’s forgiveness on their behalf. The verse reads:
وَالَّذِيْنَ جَاءُوْا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُوْلُوْنَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِيْنَ سَبَقُوْنَا بِالْإِيْمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِيْ قُلُوْبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوْفٌ رَّحِيْمٌ
And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.”[2]
Towards the end, he curses them and orders them to leave his presence.
قال اخرجوا فعل الله بكم
He yelled, “Get out. May Allah deal with you!”[3]
Hafiz Ibn Kathir has reported from Zubair ibn Bakkar the following address of Zayn al ‘Abidin to the Iraqis:
فقوموا عني لا بارك الله فيكم و لا قرب دوركم أنتم مستهزئون بالإسلام و لستم من أهله
Get up from here and leave. May Allah not bless you and may your homes be devoid of mercy. You are jesting with Islam, and you are not from its adherents.[4]
Imam Zaid rahimahu Llah is Zayn al ‘Abidin’s biological son and Muhammad al Baqir’s brother. He says:
عن زيد أن عليا يشبه بعمر في السيرة
Zaid says, “‘Ali resembled ‘Umar in sirah.”[5]
Owing to this Zaid would say:
البراءة من أبي بكر و عمر براءة من علي
Dissociation from Abu Bakr and ‘Umar is dissociation from ‘Ali.[6]
Allow us now to present the quotations of Zaid from books regarded reliable by the Shia where Zaid acknowledges Sayyidina ‘Umar’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu religiousness and attests to the correctness of his actions, so that this aspect be accepted from both sides. We have discussed these issues in more detail in the last chapter of the Siddiqi section.
Sayed Jamal al Din ibn ‘Inabah writes in ‘Umdat al Talib while discussing Zaid al Shahid:
و كان أصحاب زيد لما خرج سألوه ما تقول في أبي بكر و عمر فقال ما أقول فيهما إلا الخير و ما سمعت من أهلي فيهما إلا الخير فقالوا لست بصاحبنا … و تفرقوا عنه فقال رفضونا القوم فسموا الرافضة
When Zaid rebelled (against the khalifah of the time), his supporters asked him, “What do you say about Abu Bakr and ‘Umar?”
He replied, “I only speak good about them. And I heard my family speaking only favourably of them.”
They said, “You are not our leader.”
They deserted him, so he exclaimed, “They abandoned us.” So they were called the Rafidah (deserters).[7]
Mirza Taqi Lisan al Mulk, Qajar, the Prime Minister of the Qajar King, has related this story in Nasikh al Tawarikh in the following manner:
کہ طائفہ از معارف کوفہ بازید بیعت کردہ بودند در خدمتش حضور یافتہ گفتند رحمک اللہ در حق ابی بکر و عمر چہ گوئی فرمود در بارۂ ایشاں جز بخیر سخن نکنم و از اہل خود نیز در حق ایشاں جز سخن خیر نشنیدہ ام … بالجملہ زید فرمود ایشاں بر کسے ظلم و ستم نراندند و بکتاب و سنت رسول کارکردند
A group of the famous people of Kufah (who pledged allegiance to Zaid) came upto him and said, “May Allah have mercy on you. What are your thoughts on Abu Bakr and ‘Umar?”
Zaid replied, “I only speak positively and favourably of them. And I only heard my family (the Ahlul Bayt) speaking good of them.” (This means that the entire family entertained good thoughts about Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.)
He continued, “Abu Bakr and ‘Umar did not tolerate a single person being oppressed or harassed and adhered strictly to the Book of Allah and Rasulullah’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Sunnah.”[8]
[1] Musnad Ahmed, vol. 4, musnadat Dhi al Yadayn, Egypt, with selection of al Kanz; Sirat ‘Umar ibn al Khattab, pg. 32 – 33, 216, Egypt print; Tahdhib al Tahdhib, vol. 7 pg. 306, biography of ‘Ali ibn al Hussain; Tarikh al Khulafa’, pg. 40, section in the ahadith related on his virtue (al Siddiq) coupled with ‘Umar besides those that passed, Mujtaba’i print, Delhi.
[2] Surah al Hashr: 10.
[3] Hilyat al Auliya’, vol. 3 pg. 137, biography of ‘Ali ibn al Hussain, Egypt print.
[4] Al Bidayah, vol. 9 pg. 107, discussion on ‘Ali ibn al Hussain.
[5] Al Riyad al Nadirah, vol. 2 pg. 85, chapter on ‘Ali’s reports on ‘Umar’s virtues.
[6] Sirat ‘Umar ibn al Khattab, pg. 32 – 33, Egypt print; al Riyad al Nadirah, vol. 1 pg. 58.
[7] ‘Umdat al Talib, information about Zaid the martyr.
[8] Nasikh al Tawarikh, vol. 2 pg. 590, Iran print, old edition.