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Muharram 19, 1330
I. Why use it as a testimonial if not Transmitted Consecutively?
Shi’as apply the principle of consecutive reporting when discussing imamate, due to the fact that they consider consecutive reporting as one of the principles of faith; so why do you quote the Ghadir hadith in support of your argument although such hadith is not consecutively reported according to Sunnis, even if its authenticity is attested to by their sahihs?
Sincerely,
S
Muharram 22, 1330
I. Natural Laws Necessitate the Consecutive Reporting of Hadith al Ghadir
II. The Almighty’s Benevolence
III. Concern of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
IV. Concern of the Commander of the Faithful
V. al Husain’s Concern
VI. Concern of the Nine Imams ‘alayh al Salam
VII. Shi’as’ Concern
VIII. Its Consecutive Reporting Through the Masses
Suffices to prove its application as an argument what we have mentioned in Letter No. 24 above.
1) The consecutive reporting of the Ghadir hadith is necessitated by the natural laws which Allah has created. Its similitude is like that of any great historical step undertaken by the most important man of a nation who announces, in the presence of thousands of his nationals, the undertaking of a major step, so that they may convey its news to various lands and nations, especially if such an undertaking enjoys the concern of his own family and their supporters in all generations to come, so that such an announcement might receive the widest possible publicity.
Can such an announcement, as significant as it is, be transmitted by, say, just one single person? Certainly not. Its news would spread as widely as the early morning sun rays, encompassing the plains as well as the oceans;
“And you shall never find any alteration to Allah’s order (Qur’an, 33:62).”
2) Hadith al Ghadir has won the divine concern of Allah, the Dear One, the Sublime, Who inspired to His Messenger, peace be upon him and his progeny, including it in His Qur’an which is recited by Muslims even during the late hours of the night or the early hours of the day, in public and in private, in their supplications and ceremonial prayers, from the top of their pulpits and the heights of their minarets, stating:
“O Messenger! Convey that which has been revealed unto you from your Lord, and if you do not do so, then you have not conveyed His Message at all, and Allah will protect you from (evil) men.” (Qur’an, 5:67)1
When he, peace be upon him and his progeny, conveyed the divine Message (implied in this verse), appointing ‘Ali as the Imam and entrusting him with the caliphate, Allah Almighty revealed the following verse:
“Today have I perfected your religion (Islam) for you, completed my blessing unto you, and accepted Islam as your religion.” (Qur’an, 5:3)2
So, congratulations upon congratulations to ‘Ali; this is Allah’s favour; He grants it to whomsoever He pleases. Anyone who looks into these verses will be profoundly impressed by such divine favours.
3) If divine concern is as such, no wonder, then, that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, expressed such a profound concern when death approached him, may my life be sacrificed for his sake. It was then that, according to the order which he received from Allah Almighty, he set to announce ‘Ali’s wilayat during his supreme pilgrimage, in the presence of so many witnesses, without being satisfied with similar previous announcements such as his warning in Mecca, or on other occasions with some of which you have by now become familiar. He, therefore, invited the believers to participate in his very last pilgrimage, known as the Farewell Pilgrimage. People from far and wide responded to his invitation, and no less than one hundred thousand pilgrims left Medina with him.3
On the standing day at ‘Arafat, he informed the attendants that: “‘Ali is of me, and I am of ‘Ali, and nobody discharges the responsibility [of my religion] on my behalf except I and ‘Ali.”4
And when he came back from the pilgrimage and arrived at the valley of Khumm, trusted Gabriel descended upon him with “ayat al tabligh,” verse of conveying the Message, from the Lord of the Worlds.
Immediately thereupon, he alighted there till those who lagged behind him, as well as those who went ahead of him, joined him. When they all assembled, he conducted the obligatory prayers then delivered a sermon about Allah, the Dear and the Omniscient, emphasizing the significance of ‘Ali’s wilayat. You have already heard a glittering report of its news, and what you have not heard is even more exact and more explicit; yet what you have heard should suffice you. Its news was carried on behalf of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, by all those masses who were present with him there and then and who are estimated to have been over one hundred thousand pilgrims from various lands.
The order of Allah, the Dear and Sublime, which does not suffer any alteration in His creation, necessitates the consecutive reporting of this hadith in spite of all obstacles in conveying it. Yet the Imams of Ahlul Bayt ‘alayh al Salam follow their own wise methods of disseminating it and publicizing for it.
4) Referring to the latter, I suggest that you may consider the measure taken by the Commander of the Faithful ‘alayh al Salam, then Caliph, in gathering people in the spacious meeting place, the Rahba plain. He then said: “I ask in the Name of Allah each Muslim who heard what the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said on the Ghadir Day to stand and testify to what he heard. Nobody should stand except those who saw the Prophet with their own eyes and heard him with their own ears.”
Thirty sahabis, twelve of whom had particiated in the Battle of Badr, stood and testified that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam took ‘Ali by the hand and asked people: “Do you know that I have more authority over the believers than the believers themselves have?” They answered in the affirmative. He, peace be upon him and his progeny, then said: “To whomsoever I have been mawla, this (‘Ali) is his mawla; O Lord! Befriend whoever befriends him, and be the enemy of whosoever chooses to be his enemy.” You know that accusing thirty sahabis of being liars is rejected by reason; therefore, the achievement of consecutive reporting through their testimony is an irrefutable and undeniable proof.
The same hadith was transmitted from those thirty sahabis by all those crowds who were then present at the Rahba, and who disseminated it after their dispersal throughout the land, thus providing it with extremely wide publicity. Obviously, the Rahba incident took place during the caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful ‘alayh al Salam who received the oath of allegiance in the year 35 A.H.
The Ghadir event took place during the Farewell Pilgrimage, 10 A.H. The time period separating the first date from the second is twenty-five years during which many events took place such as a devastating plague, wars, the opening of new countries, and the invasions contemporary to the three righteous caliphs.
This time period, one fourth of a century, merely due to its duration, wars and invasions, in addition to a sweeping and devastating plague, had ended the lives of many of those who had witnessed the Ghadir event, especially the elderly among the sahabah as well as their youths who were eager to meet their Lord through conducting jihad in His way, the Exalted, the Omniscient, and in the way of His Messenger, peace be upon him and his progeny, so much so that their dead outnumbered their survivors.
Some of them were scattered throughout the land, and many of those were not present at the Rahba except those who kept company with the Commander of the Faithful ‘alayh al Salam in Iraq, and these were only males.
In spite of all this, thirty sahabah, twelve of whom were participants in the Battle of Badr, had heard hadith al Ghadir from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny.
There may have been others who hated to testify, such as Anas ibn Malik5 and others who received their due punishment in lieu of the prayers of the Commander of the Faithful to Allah to punish those who hid the truth while knowing it.
Had he been able to gather all sahabis who were alive then, males and females, and address them in the same way which he employed at Rahba, several times that many would have testified; so, what if he had asked people in Hijaz before the passage of such a long time after the incident of the Ghadir? Contemplate upon this fact and you will find it a very strong proof testifying to the consecutive reporting of hadith al Ghadir.
The books of tradition should suffice you in their documentation of hadith al Ghadir. Take, for example, what Imam Ahmed has quoted on page 370, Vol 4, of his Musnad from Abul Tufayl who has said: “‘Ali gathered people at the Rahba, then he said to them: ‘I adjure in the name of Allah every Muslim who heard what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, had said on the Ghadir Day to state his testimony.’ Thirty persons stood up.”
Abu Na’im has said: “Many stood up and testified how the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam took ‘Ali by the hand and asked people: ‘Do you know that I have more authority over the believers than the believers themselves have?’ They answered: ‘We do, O Messenger of Allah!’ Then he said: ‘To whomsoever I have been a mawla, this ‘Ali is his mawla; O Lord! Befriend whoever befriends him and be the enemy of whoever sets himself as his enemy.’“
Abul-Tufail continues to say: “I left the place dismayed (disgusted with many people’s ignorance of this hadith), and I met Zaid ibn Arqam and said to him: ‘I have heard ‘Ali say such and such.’ Zaid said: ‘Then do not deny that you have heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, say so about him.’“
Zaid’s testimony stated above, and ‘Ali’s statement in this regard, may be added to the testimony of the thirty sahabis, thus bringing the number of narrators of this hadith to thirty-two sahabis. Imam Ahmed has recorded ‘Ali’s hadith on page 119, Vol. 1, of his Musnad as transmitted by Abdul-Rahman ibn Abu Layla. The latter says: “I saw ‘Ali at the Rahba abjuring people to testify, emphasizing that only those who had seen and heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam should stand and testify. Twelve participants in the Battle of Badr, whom I remember so well as if I am looking at them right now, did so.”
Abdul-Rahman quotes the latter testifying that they had all heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, asking people on the Ghadir Day: “Do not I have more authority over the believers’ lives than they themselves do, and my wives are their mothers?” The audience responded: “Yes, indeed, O Messenger of Allah!”
Then he said, as Abdul-Rahman quotes him, “Then whosoever takes me as his mawla must take ‘Ali as his mawla; O Mighty Lord! Befriend whoever befriends him and be the enemy of whoever bears animosity towards him!”
Another narration is recorded by Imam Ahmed on the same page. It quotes the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying: “O Lord! Befriend whoever takes him as his wali and be the enemy of whoever antagonizes him; support whoever supports him, and abandon whoever abandons him.” The narrative goes on to state that with the exception of three men, the witnesses stood to testify. ‘Ali invoked Allah to curse those who hid the truth, and his invocation was heeded.
If you add ‘Ali and Zaid ibn Arqam to the afore-mentioned twelve participants in the Battle of Badr, then fourteen is obviously the number of witnesses. By tracing the traditions regarding the Rahba incident, ‘Ali’s wisdom becomes manifest in disseminating hadith al Ghadir and publicizing for it.
5) The Master of Martyrs, Abu Abdullah al Husain, peace be upon him, has left us a legacy of a very memorable stand which he took during the reign of Mu’awiyah. It was then that truth became manifest. It was similar to the stand taken by ‘Ali at the Rahba.
During the pilgrimage season, al Husain ‘alayh al Salam, surrounded by throngs of pilgrims, praised his grandfather, father, mother and brother, and delivered an unprecedented, wise and eloquent speech that captivated his audience and won their hearts and minds. His sermon was inclusive, one wherein he reawakened the masses, traced and researched history, and paid the Ghadir incident its fair and just dues. His great stand, therefore, produced great results, and it became equivalent to hadith al Ghadir in its fame and wide publicity.
6) His nine descendants, all sinless Imams, applied their own methods to publicizing and propagating the same hadith. Their methods reflect their wisdom which is comprehended by all those who possess sound senses. They used the eighteenth of Thul-Hijjah as a special annual feast to congratulate and congratulate one another, merrily and humbly seeking nearness to Allah, the Exalted, the Mighty, through fasting, prayers and supplications.
They go beyond limits in their deeds of goodness and acts of righteousness, thanking Allah for the blessings which He bestowed upon them on that Day by virtue of the text that nominated the Commander of the Faithful ‘alayh al Salam as Caliph, and His divine promise for him to be the Imam. They used to visit their kin, give more generously to their families, visit their brethren, look after their neighbours, and enjoin their followers to do likewise.
7) For this reason, the eighteenth of Thul-Hijjah of every year is celebrated as a feast by the Shi’as of all times and climes.6 It is then that they rush to their mosques to offer obligatory and supererogatory prayers, recite the Glorious Qur’an, and read the most celebrated supplications as a token of thanking Allah Almighty for perfecting His religion and completing His blessings upon them by nominating the Commander of the Faithful ‘alayh al Salam as the Imam [in the theological as well as the secular sense].
It is then that they exchange visits and happily wish each other the best, seeking nearness to Allah through righteousness and goodness, and through pleasing their kin and neighbours. On that day, every year, they visit the mausoleum of the Commander of the Faithful ‘alayh al Salam, where no less than a hundred thousand pilgrims come from far and wide. There, they worship Allah on that day in the same way their purified Imams used to worship Him: through fasting, prayers, and remembrance of Allah. They seek nearness to Him through acts of righteousness and the payment of sadaqat.
They do not disperse before addressing the sacred shrine with a highly commended address authored by some of their Imams. It includes testifying to the glorious stand taken by the Commander of the Faithful ‘alayh al Salam, honouring his feats and struggle to lay the foundations of the principles of the faith, his service of the Master of Prophets and Messengers salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his virtues and merits, among which was the honour which he had received from the Prophet on the Ghadir Day. This is the custom of the Shi’as every year.
Their orators have always been referring to hadith al Ghadir, quoting its tradition or even without reference to them, and their poets are accustomed to compose poems in its commemoration in old as well as modern times;7 therefore, there is no way to cast doubts about its being consecutively reported from the sources of Ahlul Bayt ‘alayh al Salam and their Shi’as.
Their motives to memorize it by heart, their efforts to maintain its pristine text, safeguard its authenticity, publicize and disseminate it.., all have indeed resulted in the achievement of their most aspired objectives. Refer to all the four major Shi’a Musnads, as well as other Shi’a references, containing well-documented and supported traditions, and you will find each one of them reverberating with the same meaning, and each tradition supporting the other. Whoever acquaints himself with these traditions will find out that this hadith is mutawatir through their precious sources.
8) There is no doubt about its being consecutively reported through Sunni sources, according to natural laws, as you have come to know;
“Allah’s creation suffers no alteration; this is the Right Guidance, but most people do not know.” (Qur’an, 30:30)
The author of Al Fatawa al Hamidiyya, in spite of his stubbornness, admits the consecutive reporting of this hadith in his abridged dissertation titled Al Salawat al Fakhira fil Ahadith al Mutawatira.” Al Sayyuti and other scholars of exegesis all admit the same. Refer to Muhammad ibn Jarir al Tabari, author of the famous works titled “Tafsir” and “Tarikh,”
Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Sa’id ibn Aqdah, Muhammad ibn Ahmed ibn ‘Uthman al Thahbi, have all written critiques of the sources of this hadith. Each one of them has written an entire book on this subject. Ibn Jarir includes in his own book as many as one hundred and five sources for this hadith alone.8 Al Thahbi, in spite of his fanaticism, has testified to the truth of many of its sources. In chapter sixteen of Ghayat al Maram, as many as eighty ahadith transmitted by Sunnis testify to the authenticity of the Ghadir hadith.
Yet he did not quote al Tirmithi, al Nisai, al Tabrani, al Bazzar, Abu Ya’li, or quite a few other reporters who transmit this hadith. Al Sayyuti quotes this hadith while discussing ‘Ali in his book Tarikh al Khulafa’ transmitted by al Tirmithi, adding, “This hadith is also recorded by Ahmed as transmitted by ‘Ali ‘alayh al Salam, and also by Ayub al Ansari, Zaid ibn Arqam, ‘Umar [ibn al Khattab], and Thu Murr. Abu Ya’li quotes it from Abu Hurairah, al Tabrani from Ibn ‘Umar and from Ibn Abbas as transmitted by Malik ibn al Huwayrith, Habshi ibn Janadah, and Jarir, and also by Ammarah and Buraydah.”
A proof of the fame of this hadith is evident from the fact that Imam Ahmed records it in his Musnad from Riyah ibn al Harish as transmitted by two sources. It states that a group of men once came to ‘Ali ‘alayh al Salam and said: “Assalamu Alaikum, our mawla.”
The Imam asked who they were, and they answered him by saying that they were his subjects. The Imam asked them: “How can I be your mawla, while you are [stranger] bedouin Arabs?” They said: “We have heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, on the Ghadir Day saying: ‘Whoever I have been his mawla, ‘Ali is his mawla.’“
Riyah says that when they left, he followed them and asked them who they were, and that they said to him: “We are a group of the Ansar (Medenite Supporters) in the company of Abu Ayub al Ansari.” Another proof of its fame is what has been recorded by Abu Ishaq al Tha’labi while explaining Surat al Ma’arij in his book Al Tafsir al Kabir, relying on two very highly respected sources, and stating the following:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, ordered people on the Ghadir Day to assemble, then he took ‘Ali’s hand and said: “Whoever accepts me as his mawla, ‘Ali is his mawla.” The news of this announcement spread throughout the land, and al No’man al Fahri came to know about this hadith. Riding his she-camel, he came to meet the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny.
Having alighted, he said the following to the Prophet: “O Muhammad! You ordered us to bear witness that there is no deity except Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah, and we obeyed; then you ordered us to offer prayers five times a day, and we agreed; then you ordered us to pay zakat, and we agreed; then you ordered us to fast during the month of Ramadan and we agreed; then you ordered us to perform the pilgrimage and we agreed; then, as if all of this is not sufficient, you favoured your cousin to all of us and said ‘Whoever accepts me as his mawla, ‘Ali is his mawla;’ is this one of your own orders, or is it Allah’s?”
He, peace be upon him and his progeny, answered: “I swear by the One and only God that this is the command of Allah, the Exalted and Omniscient;” whereupon al Harith left heading towards his animal murmuring softly to himself: “O Lord! If what Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says is true, then let it rain stones, or let a severe torment descend upon us.”
He hardly reached his animal before Allah caused a stone to cleave his head, penetrate his body and come out of his anus, leaving him dead on the spot. It is in reference to that incident that Allah Almighty revealed the following verse:
“A man who brought a question (to the Prophet) asked for a sure penalty – which cannot be warded off by those who reject the truth – from Allah, Lord of the Ways of Ascent.”9 (Qur’an, 70:1-3)
This is how the tradition, quoted verbatim,10 concludes. Its authenticity is accepted by many Sunni scholars as a common fact, Wassalam.
Sincerely,
Sh
Footnotes
On the day of the dawh, the Ghadir dawh day,
Caliphate was made manifest for him: were they to obey…
Abu Tammam, in a poetic masterpiece which he includes in his diwan, says:
On the Day of Ghadir, truth looked clear and bright;
Redolently, with no curtains nor bars to hide;
The Messenger of Allah stood there to invite
Them to come close to what is just and right,
Gesturing with his hands, introducing your wali
And mawla; yet see what happened to you and me!
He brings the news to people so eloquently,
While they come with grudge and depart grudgingly,
Yet he made the truth eloquently shine,
While they usurped even your right and mine.
You made its destiny the sharp blades of your sword:
And the grave for whoever wanted the truth to uphold…
This round of ‘correspondence’ commences under the presumption that the term Mawla means successor. We have provided adequate evidence showing why this term does not refer to Imamah.[1] The Hadith being Mutawatir [mass-transmitted] does not change the meaning. It does not help at all; as a matter of fact it is a redundant line of reasoning to begin with. If anything, it reinforces the fact that Mawla was not meant to be succession after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in that context. Why would they all narrate it only to practice contrary to what it means?
‘Abdul Hussain is going to cite narrations from his own sources which imply that whoever rejected the Imamah immediately after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam became apostate. It is convenient that they are believers to argue Tawatur, but they are apostates when it applies to the doctrine of Imamah? All the Companions whose names he will list under those who narrate the Hadith about Ghadir Khumm have pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam departed from this world.
The Tawatur in question refers only to the statement, “Whomsoever considers me his Mawla; ‘Ali is also his Mawla.” By necessity it stands to reason that this was said at Ghadir Khumm and not at Hajj as we have pointed out previously.[2] All the additional phrases are not considered Mutawatir.[3]
The circumstances and reasoning mentioned by ‘Abdul Hussain for the Tawatur of the sermon at Ghadir are no different from the sermon that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam delivered just days before his passing; wherein he said:
عن أبي سعيد الخدري قال خطب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال إن الله خير عبدا بين الدنيا وبين ما عنده فاختار ما عند الله فبكى أبو بكر الصديق رضي الله عنه فقلت في نفسي ما يبكي هذا الشيخ إن يكن الله خير عبدا بين الدنيا وبين ما عنده فاختار ما عند الله فكان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هو العبد وكان أبو بكر أعلمنا قال يا أبا بكر لا تبك إن أمن الناس علي في صحبته وماله أبو بكر ولو كنت متخذا خليلا من أمتي لاتخذت أبا بكر ولكن أخوة الإسلام ومودته لا يبقين في المسجد باب إلا سد إلا باب أبي بكر
“Allah gave a choice to one of (His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Hereafter. He chose the latter.”
Abu Bakr began to weep. I said to myself, “What is this old man weeping for, if Allah gave a choice to one (of His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Hereafter and he chose the latter?” (However) that slave was Allah’s Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; he was referring himself. Abu Bakr was more knowledgeable than us.
The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “O Abu Bakr! Do not cry.”
The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then added, “The person who has favoured me the most with his wealth and companionship is Abu Bakr. If I were to take a Khalil (close friend) other than Allah, I would certainly have taken Abu Bakr. Nevertheless, we share the brotherhood in Islam and and mutual love. No door leading into the Masjid is to be left open besides the door of Abu Bakr.”[4]
The content of this Khutbah is narrated by Abu Sa’id al Khudri[5], ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas[6], ‘Abdullah ibn al Zubair[7], ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud[8], Jundub ibn ‘Abdullah al Bajali[9], Abu Hurairah[10] and Abu al Mu’alla[11] radiya Llahu ‘anhum. The claim of Tawatur is present here as well.
Ahlus Sunnah accept both narrations, whereas the Rafidah reject this narration and only accept the Hadith, “Whomsoever is my Mawla…”
We have dealt with the absurdity of the claim that the verse of Tabligh was revealed in relation to the sermon at Ghadir. It is self-contradictory to maintain that the appointment was made at Hajj, and the instruction to appoint ‘Ali, in Ayat al Tabligh, was revealed in connection with the sermon of Ghadir Khumm. If the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam already conveyed it, why instruct him to convey it again? Why had the hundred-thousand present at the Farewell Hajj pledge their allegiance to Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu after the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam demise if ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had already been appointed?
‘Abdul Hussain misquotes the narration of Hubshi ibn Junadah because he either misunderstood the meaning of the narration in Musnad Ahmed or deliberately intended to mislead his audience. The mention of the Farewell Hajj in this narration is to prove that Hubshi radiya Llahu ‘anhu was a companion of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as he was present during the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Farewell Hajj; not that he heard this Hadith during the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Farewell Hajj! This narration has been discussed previously in detail.[12]
As for discarding the narration in al Bukhari about the circumstances under which the other verse in Surah al Ma’idah was revealed:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِيْنَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِيْ وَرَضِيْتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلٰمَ دِيْنًا
This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.[13]
This narration cannot be said to be the invention of al Bukhari. It appears in Sahih Muslim as well as we have pointed out in the previous discussion.[14] The bold claim of sufficing on what is found in their ‘Sahih’ collections is rich when ‘Abdul Hussain cannot even find a single narration proving Imamah that meets the Shia standards of Hadith criticism as we shall demonstrate under Letter 62.
The narration about ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu enlisting the confirmation those companions who heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying, “Whoever considers me his Mawla, ‘Ali is his Mawla,” occurred less than four months from ‘Ali’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu assassination at the hands of the Khawarij. Why would ‘Ali require their confirmation from these companions—who pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu after the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam demise—if he sought to justify his leadership when he was already the sworn Khalifah? The only plausible explanation is that he did not understand this term to mean his appointment. Instead, he understood it to mean that it was his right to be respected and loved; an issue which the dissenting Khawarij ignored completely.
‘Abdul Hussain alleges that Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu withheld his testimony on this oocasion and that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu cursed him on account of it.
There may have been others who hated to testify, such as Anas ibn Malik, and others who received their due punishment.
The narration which he refers to—under footnote no. 5—has been disproved by the very Ibn Qutaybah, whose book, al Ma’arif, he relied on when listing the 100 narrators.
Ibn Qutaybah states that this story is baseless and has no credibility whatsoever![15] The plot thickens when we discover that this story cannot be found except in Ibn Qutaybah’s Kitab al Ma’arif. Ibn Qutaybah only related the incident to point out that it was a forgery. ‘Abdul Hussain came across the narration but conventiently forgot to add that Ibn Qutaybah calls it a forgery. To hide his crime, ‘Abdul Hussain conceals his source.
Reality and fact, however, disprove the allegation. Al Tabarani has recorded a narration which proves that Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu was one of those who stood up confirming that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did, in fact, say, “Whomsoever considers me his Mawla; ‘Ali is his Mawla.”[16] The narration also mentions Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa’id radiya Llahu ‘anhuma among those who stood up in confirmation.
‘Abdul Hussain bases his claim on the mass-transmission of this narration on the fact that twelve, or thirteen, or fourteen, or even thirty companions testified to the Hadith of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. This is inherently flawed since it remains a solitary narration. The Tawatur of this narration by ‘Abdul Hussain’s standard is no different from the narration of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam not being inherited. If he claims Tawatur here, then he has essentially forfeited all arguments on the issue of Fadak:
عن مالك بن أوس بن الحدثان قال دخلت على عمر بن الخطاب ودخل عليه عثمان بن عفان والزبير بن العوام وعبد الرحمن بن عوف وسعد بن أبي وقاص ثم جاء علي والعباس يختصمان فقال عمر لهم أنشدكم بالله الذي بإذنه تقوم السماء والأرض تعلمون أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لا نورث ما تركناه صدقة قالوا نعم قال عمر فلما توفي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال أبو بكر أنا ولي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فجئت أنت وهذا إلى أبي بكر تطلب أنت ميراثك من ابن أخيك ويطلب هذا ميراث امرأته من أبيها فقال أبو بكر إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لا نورث ما تركناه صدقة والله يعلم إنه لصادق بار راشد تابع للحق قال أبو عيسى وفي الحديث قصة طويلة . وهذا حديث حسن صحيح غريب من حديث مالك بن أنس
Malik ibn Aws ibn al Hadathan relates:
I entered upon ‘Umar ibn al Khattab. Then, ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, Zubair, ‘Abdul Rahman ibn Auf, and Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas entered. Then ‘Ali and ‘Abbas came disputing. ‘Umar said to them, “I ask you, by Allah, by Whose Will the heavens and the earth are maintained, you do know that the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘We are not inherited from, what we leave is charity?’”
They said, “Yes.”
‘Umar said, “When the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam died, Abu Bakr said, ‘I am the custodian of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.’ So you and he went to Abu Bakr and you sought your inheritance from your nephew, and he sought the inheritance of his wife from her father. So Abu Bakr said that the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘We are not inherited from, what we leave is charity.’ And Allah knows that he is truthful, innocent, instructing and following the truth.”[17]
The same elements for ‘Tawatur’ are present here.
[1] See discussions under Letters: 26, 36, 38
[2] See discussions under Letter 8
[3] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, vol. 8 pg. 335; al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, vol. 7 pg. 681 (Dar Hajar edition)
[4] Sahih al Bukhari, Kitab al Salat, Hadith no: 466; Sahih Muslim, Kitab Fada’il al Sahabah, Hadith no: 2382
[5] Ibid
[6] Sahih al Bukhari, Kitab Fada’il Ashab al Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Hadith no: 3657
[7] Sahih al Bukhari, Kitab Fada’il Ashab al Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Hadith no: 3658
[8] Sahih Muslim, Kitab Fada’il al Sahabah, Hadith no: 2383
[9] Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Masajid, Hadith no: 532
[10] Musnad Ahmed, vol. 12 pg. 414, Hadith no: 7446 ; al Tirmidhi, Abwab al Manaqib, Hadith no: 3661; Ibn Majah, al Muqaddimah, Hadith no: 94
[11] Musnad Ahmed, vol. 25 pg. 266, Hadith no: 15922; al Tirmidhi, Abwab al Manaqib, Hadith no: 3659
[12] See discussions on Letter 48, Hadith. 15
[13] Surah al Ma’idah: 3
[14] Letter 54
[15] Kitab al Ma’arif, pg. 194-195
[16] Al Mujam al Saghir, vol. 1 pg. 119, Hadith no: 175
[17] Al Tirmidhi, Kitab al Siyar, Hadith no: 1610