The Consensus of the Ahlul Bayt on the Impermissibility of Insulting the Sahabah

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The Consensus of the Ahlul Bayt on the Impermissibility of Insulting the Sahabah

 

This will be established through 12 chains of narration.

The consensus of the leaders of the Ahlul Bayt regarding the impermissibility of insulting the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum as well as the impermissibility of accusing any one of them of disbelief or immorality, is firmly established; except from those amongst them who had openly went against their religion. Those attributed with these qualities does not necessitate infallibility for them. This is the opinion of majority of the scholars, in fact there is consensus on this, as we have shown in the booklet named al Qawl al Maqbul fi Radd Riwayat al Majhul min Ghayr Sahabat al Rasul.

This consensus of the Ahlul Bayt that we have previously mentioned has been reported through many reliable chains by a group of their seniors:

First Narration

Imam al Mu’ayyid bi Allah, Ahmed ibn al Hussain al Haruni, narrates from all of his forefathers who were from amongst the leaders of the family of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that they considered it Haram (forbidden) to insult the Sahabah. The author of Hawashi al Fusul has reported this from him.

 

Second Narration

After mentioning the impermissibility of insulting the Sahabah in his booklet Fi Jawab al Mas’alah al Tihamiyyah, the author, al Mansur bi Allah, ‘Abd Allah ibn Hamzah, has written:

 

وهذا ما يقضي به علم آبائنا إلى علي عليه السلام

And this is the necessary conclusion that we can come to, through the knowledge that we have received from our forefathers, right up to ‘Ali ‘alayh al Salam.

 

He then says:

 

وفي هذه الجهة من يرى محض الولاء سب الصحابة رضي الله عنهم والبراءة منهم فتبرأ من محمد صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم من حيث لا يعلم

And in this way, there are those people who think that the only way of showing loyalty (to the family of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is by insulting the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. But while doing this, they unwittingly disassociate themselves from Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

 

وإن كنت لا أرمي وترمي كنانتي

تصب جائحات النبل كشحي ومنكبي

Even though I am not hit by the arrows and my shield is hit,

the calamity of the arrows manages to affect my shoulder and hip.

 

He has also written in al Turjuman, while explaining this line of poetry regarding the Sahabah:

 

ورضِّ عنهم كما رَضِّى أبو الحسن

أو قف عن السب إن ما كنت ذا حذر

And ask of Allah to be pleased with them (after mentioning their names) just as Abul Hassan did,

Or if you are cautious, desist from insulting them.

 

Al Mansur bi Allah, ‘Abdullah ibn Hamzah, has said:

 

ولا يمكن أحد أن يصحح دعواه على أحد من سلفنا الصالح أنهم نالوا من المشايخ أو سبوهم ، بل يعتقدون فيهم أنهم خير الخلق بعد محمد وعلي وفاطمة صلوات الله عليهم وسلامه ويقولون قد أخطؤوا في التقدم وعصوا معصية لا يعلم قدرها إلا الله سبحانه والخطأ لا يبرأ منه إلا الله وحده وَعَصَىٰ آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَىٰ فإن حاسبهم فبذنب فعلوه وإن عفى عنهم فهو أهل العفو وهم يستحقونه بحميد سوابقهم

No one can correctly prove the claim that any of our pious predecessors had attacked the honour of or insulted the Sahabah. In fact, they believed that the Sahabah were the best of humankind, after Muhammad, ‘Ali, and Fatimah ‘alayhim al Salam.

And they say, “They have erred by advancing against him and have made a mistake that only Allah knows of its true extent.” Nobody can free you from a mistake that you have made besides Allah, as is mentioned in the verse of the Qur’an:

وَعَصَىٰ آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَىٰ

And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred.^[1]

So, if Allah takes them to task, it is due to a sin that they committed. And if he forgives then it is due to him being the one who forgives and they are deserving of his forgiveness due to their praiseworthy pasts.

 

Third Narration

Al Mu’ayyid bi Allah, Yahya ibn Hamzah, has, at the end of al Tasfiyah, written:

 

إعلم أن القول في الصحابة على فريقين

القول الأول مصرحون بالترحم عليهم والترضية وهذا هو المشهور عن أمير المؤمنين وعن زيد بن علي وجعفر الصادق والناصر للحق والمؤيد بالله فهؤلاء مصرحون بالترضية والترحم والموالاة وهذا هو المختار عندنا ردا للفاعلية وذكرنا أن الإسلام مقطوع به لا محالة وعروض ما عرض من الخطأ في مخالفة النصوص ليس فيه إلا الخطأ لا غير وأما كونه كفرا أو فسقا فلم تدل عليه دلالة شرعية فلهذا أبطل القول به فهذا هو الذي نختاره ونرتضيه مذهبا ونحب أن نلقى الله به ونحن عليه

الفريق الثاني متوقفون عن الترضية والترحم وعن القول بالتكفير والتفسيق وهذا دل عليه كلام القاسم والهادي وأولادهما وإليه أشار كلام المنصور بالله فهؤلاء يحكمون بالخطأ ويقطعون به ويتوقفون في حكمه

فأما القول بالتكفير والتفسيق في حق الصحابة فلم يؤثر عن أحد من أكابر البيت وأفاضلهم كما حكيناه وقررناه وهو مردود على ناقله اهـ

A note of caution. Know that with regards to speaking about the Sahabah, there are two standpoints:

1. Clearly and openly asking for Allah to have mercy on the Sahabah and to be pleased with them. This is the well-known standpoint of Amir al Mu’minin, Zaid ibn ‘Ali, Jafar al Sadiq, al Nasir li al Haqq, and al Mu’ayyid bi Allah. These individuals clearly asked Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala to be pleased with the Sahabah and have mercy on them, as well as showed their loyalty and support for them. This is the chosen viewpoint according to us in opposition to the Fa’iliyyah. We have already mentioned that Islam has nothing to do with it. The mistakes that they made which are in opposition to the clear texts are mistakes and nothing more. Regarding these mistakes being disbelief or transgression, there are no legitimate proofs that indicate towards this. That is the reason why this is a false claim. This is the belief that we have embraced and are pleased with as our way and we are content to meet Allah holding onto it.
2. Refraining from asking Allah to have mercy on the Sahabah and to be pleased with them, while at the same time holding back on accusing them of disbelief and transgression. The words of al Qasim and al Hadi and their children, as well as the sayings of al Mu’tasim bi Allah all indicate to them holding this viewpoint. These people rule them to have erred and were sure about it, but hesitated in passing a judgment.

With regards to holding the opinion that the Sahabah were disbelievers and transgressors, this has not been narrated from any of the elders or leaders of the Ahlul Bayt, as we have previously mentioned and established. This opinion will always be attributed to the person who claims to narrate it.

 

Imam Yahya ibn Hamza has said in his booklet al Wazi’ah li l-Mu’taddin ‘an Sabb Ashab Sayed al Mursalin, after mentioning that the Ahlul Bayt did not declare those who did not believe in the Imamah of Amir al Mu’minin radiya Llahu ‘anhu or who stayed away from him or fought against him, as disbelievers or transgressors, he said:

 

ثم إن لهم بعد القطع بعدم التكفير والتفسيق مذهبين

الأول مذهب من صرح بالترحم والترضية وهذا هو المشهور عن علي وزيد بن علي وجعفر الصادق والباقر والناصر والمؤيد بالله وغيرهم وهو المختار عندنا

الثاني من توقف عن الترضية والترحم والإكفار والتفسيق وإلى هذا بشير كلام القاسم والهادي وأولادهما والمنصور بالله لأنهم لما قطعوا على الخطأ ولم يدل دليل على عصمتهم فيكون الخطأ صغيرة في حقهم، جاز إن لم يكن خطوهم كبيرة، فلذلك توقفوا عن الترضية

قال ونقابله على أنا قاطعون على إيمانهم قبل هذه المعصية فتستصحب الأصل ولا تنتزع عنه إلا لدلالة قاطعة على كفر أو فسق

After categorically refuting the claims of disbelief and transgression levelled against the Sahabah there are two opinions.

The first is the position of those who clearly and openly ask for Allah to have mercy on the Sahabah and to be pleased with them. This is the well-known standpoint of ‘Ali, Zaid ibn ‘Ali, Jafar al Sadiq, al Baqir, al Nasir, al Mu’ayyid bi Allah, and others; and this is the accepted position among us.

The second position is the position of those who refrain from asking Allah to have mercy on the Sahabah and to be pleased with them while at the same time holding back on accusing them of disbelief and transgression. This is indicated to by the words of al Qasim, al Hadi, their offspring and al Mansur bi Allah. Because they consider the Sahabah to have committed a mistake and there is no proof of them being infallible. Therefore, they have considered the error small and refrain from asking Allah to be pleased with them.

We counter this argument of theirs by saying that the iman of the Sahabah is indisputable, irrespective of this wrongdoing. We will hold on to this belief and will not be misled to deny this unless there is clear evidence that proves disbelief or transgression.

 

He then writes:

قال: وما روي عن المنصور بالله أنه قال: من رضي عنهم، فلا تصلوا خلفه، ومن سبهم، فاسألوه: ما الدليل؟ .

الرواية المشهورة: من سبهم، فلا تصلوا خلفه، ومن رضي فاسألوه ما الدليل؟.

What has been narrated from al Mansur bi Allah is that he said, “Do not perform salah behind the one who asks for Allah to be happy with them. And with regards to the one who insults them, ask him what is his proof for it?”

But the well-known narration is, “Do not perform salah behind the one who insults them. And with regards to the one who asks for Allah to be happy with them, ask him what is his proof for it?”

 

This is the end of what Imam Yahya ‘alayh al Salam has said. He has placed a lot of emphasis in presenting evidence to prove the permissibility of asking Allah to be pleased with them in his book, al Tahqiq fi al Ikfar wa al Tafsiq. The same goes for all of his other theological books.

Imam Yahya ibn al Hussain ibn al Qasim said in al Idah that those who believe in the permissibility of asking for Allah to be happy with the Sahabah among the Ahlul Bayt are: Amir al Mu’minin, al Hassan, al Hussain, Zayn al ‘Abidin, ‘Ali bin al Hussain, al Baqir, al Sadiq, ‘Abdullah ibn al Hassan, Muhammad ibn al Hassan, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al Nafs al Zakiyyah, Idris ibn ‘Abdullah, Zayd ibn ‘Abdullah, Zaid ibn ‘Ali, and all the early members of Ahlul Bayt.

Among the later scholars are: Al Mu’ayyid bi Allah, his son ibn Talib, al Nasir al Hassan ibn ‘Ali al Utrush, Imam al Muwaffaq bi Allah and his son al Sayed al Murshid bi Allah, and Imam Yahya ibn Hamzah.

And from those who came later in Yemen: Imam al Mahdi, Ahmed ibn Yahya, al Sayed Muhammad ibn Ibrahim and his son al Hadi, Imam Ahmed ibn al Hussain, Imam ‘Izz al Din ibn al Hassan, Imam Sharaf al Din, and others.

The rest of the Imams, such as al Hadi and al Qasim, refrained from commenting, even though Imam al Hadi has a narration of asking Allah to be pleased with them.

Al Mansur bi Allah ‘Abdullah ibn Hamzah had two opinions: Holding back from making any statement, as stated in al Shafi, and the other is to ask Allah to be pleased with them, as stated in al Jawabat al Tihammiyyah.

We do not need to mention all their names because it is sufficient to say that all the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt either refrained from commenting or asked Allah to be pleased with them, and none of them regarded insulting the companions as legitimate. Anyone who is acquainted with their sayings knows this.

 

Fourth Narration

Al Sayed al Hadi ibn Ibrahim al Wazir recounted in his book known as Talqih al Albab that he asked Imam Nasir Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, known as Salah al Din, about those who came out against Amir Al Mu’minin and all of those who opposed him. The Imam answered that the majority of the Zaydi Imams are of the opinion that those who came out against Amir al Muminin made a mistake.

He said:

 

وهؤلاء فرقتان: فرقة تقول باحتمال الخطأ، ويتوقفون في أمرهم، وفرقة يتولونهم ويقولون: إن خطاهم مغفرة في جنب مناقبهم وأعمالهم وجهادهم وصلاحهم .

There are two factions: One believes that they could have made a mistake and refrain from commenting on the matter, while the other supports them, stating that their mistakes are forgiven due to their virtues, deeds, jihad, and piety.

 

He then said:

 

وهذا القول الثاني هو الذي نراه إذ هم وجوه الإسلام وبدور الظلام

And this second opinion is the opinion that we hold since the Sahabah are the face of Islam and moons in the darkness.

 

Al Sayed al Hadi has mentioned in that book that al Imam al Mahdi ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, the father of Salah al Din, was also asked about those who came out against Amir al Mu’minin or opposed him. He answered that the majority of Zaydi Imams believe that the text of the Qur’an regarding this matter requires contemplation and reflection to understand its meaning, and they do not consider anyone a disbeliever due to their opinion or consider them sinful…

It is clear that the transmission of this from the majority of the Zaydiyyah does not negate the possibility of another transmitting the opposite to be the held view of the Zaydiyyah. The reason being that the one who transmits from the majority, narrates from more sources, the acceptance of which is compulsory. While the most that can be said about the one who transmits from a few or a bit more is that he was not aware that it was the view of the majority. Not having knowledge [of a matter] does not mean that it is non-existent. [Especially, since] others besides him were aware of this; and the one who knows is proof upon the one who does not.

Fifth Narration

Yahya ibn al Hussain ibn al Qasim ibn Muhammad stated in his book Al Idah li ma Khufiya min al Ittifaq ‘ala Ta’zim al Sahabah, after mentioning the opinion of the doctrine of the Ahlul Bayt:

 

وإذا تقرر ما ذكرنا، وعرف أقوال أئمة العلم الهداة، علم من ذلك بالضرورة التي لا تنتفي بشك ولا بشبهة: إجماع أئمة الزيدية على تحريم سب الصحابة، لتواتر ذلك عنهم والعلم به، فما خالف ما علم ضرورة لا يعمل به .

Once what we have mentioned is established and the sayings of the Imams of guidance are known, the consensus of the Zaydi Imams on the prohibition of insulting the Sahabah should necessarily be known without any doubt or suspicion, due to the consistency of their statements regarding it and their knowledge of it. Therefore, whoever opposes what is necessarily known is not to be followed.

 

Sixth Narration

Al Sayed Idris narrated the same in his well-known book Kanz al Akhyar.

 

Seventh Narration

Al Daylami narrated it from the book I’tiqad Al Muhammad.

 

Eighth Narration

Humaid ibn Ahmed al Mahalli narrated the same in his book ‘Aqidah Ahlul Bayt.

 

Ninth Narration

Al Sayed Sarim al Din Ibrahim ibn Muhammad narrated the same in al Masa’il Allati Ittafaqa ‘alayha al Zaydiyyah.

 

Tenth Narration

Al Kunni narrated the same in his book Kashf al Ghalatat.

 

Eleventh Narration

Imam Sharaf al Din narrated the same in the preface to al Athmar.

 

Twelfth Narration

Qadi ‘Abdullah al Dawari narrated the same in his book al Siyar from the end of al Dibaj.

These are the chains that contain the consensus of the people of the Ahlul Bayt of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, among the Imams of the Zaydiyyah and others, as mentioned in some of these chains, and the narrators of this consensus are among the prominent Imams of the Zaydiyyah.

 

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^[1]  Surah Taha: 121.