In the Name of Allah (swt), The All-compassionate, The All-merciful Praise belongs to Allah (swt), the Lord of all being,
the All-compassionate; the All-merciful; the Master of the Day of Judgment; Thee only, we serve, and to Thee alone we pray
for succour;
Guide us in the straight path; the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not of those against whom Thou art wrathful,
nor of those who are astray.
O' Allah (swt)! send your blessings to the head of your messengers and the last of
your prophets,
Muhammad and his pure and cleansed progeny. Also send your blessings to all your
Shia Islam Misunderstood
www.lightoftheheavens.com
Index
Introduction
Brief History on Shi‘i Islam
Important Events
o Ghadir Khum
o The Calamity of Thursday
o Fadak in History
Shia Misconceptions
o Are Shia Considered Muslims?
o
Different Qur‘an (God Forbid)
o Ali is God (God Forbid)
o
Gabriel‘s Mistake (God Forbid)
o Abdullah ibn Saba'
Status of Prophets and Imams
Combining of Prayers and Turbah
Mut‘ah
Taqiyyah
Tombs and Grave Worshipping
Introduction
Sallam Alykum,Thank you for your question, InshAllah I will be able to answer it with the best of my abilities. I by no means have the knowledge of our Muslim scholars nor anything near it but I will attempt to bring a satisfying answer using various sources including lectures, books, and websites which I will also provide sources for at the end of each chapter. I will try not to provide answers from myself but rather will compile answers from various sources and present it in a simplified way. May you forgive me for taking a long time to answer – I wanted to be sure that you will get a decent answer, InshAllah.
You wanted to know the truth about Shia Islam and why there are many misunderstandings surrounding this sect of Islam. Please understand that this question of yours could easily be turned into volumes of books so forgive me again if not enough details are given – InshAllah if you are interested you can read the books which I will provide below to further quench your thirst for knowledge and you can always visit my tumblr page where I usually post
recommended books.
Many non-Shia Muslims will criticize the Shia without ever meeting a Shia, nor discussing with one, or even reading any books written by Shia scholars. Many who misunderstand Shia
Muslims have very little knowledge about us and many do not care enough to read about us and our ideas and views of Islam. Though this is wrong, when one seeks to learn about a specific topic (in this case Shia Islam) one must go to the direct sources (such as lectures by Shia scholars or books) and not by someone else who has little knowledge about us. When you want to learn about aero planes, you do not go ask a person who only knows about boats. So for a few moments, a person should cast aside everything they might have heard about the Shias and not be biased when learning about them. Ask Allah (swt) for guidance and clear proofs of Islam and to show you the way to correct path. Also keep in mind that the Ummah will not always have a consensus view of any one topic. For example, the pillar of Tawheed (Oneness of God), arguably the most important aspect of Islam is viewed differently from various sects. For example some say that in the afterlife you can physically see God while others might reject such a view. If the Ummah fails to agree on the most important thing in Islam, of course it will also disagree on many other aspects and thus the reason why I am even writing this. Though we should all be open minded and learn more about one another rather than criticize and hate. Throughout this work, I would be using Sunni hadeeths to show that practices and beliefs held by the Shia Creed can also be found in Sunni sources. The best way to prove Shia Islam as being a legitimate creed is to use sources from other schools of thoughts thus to stop people from criticizing the Shia for not being Islamic.
I would like to also thank a friend of mine for providing me with resources which have been used throughout this answer, May Allah (swt) be pleased with this individual‘s work.
May Allah (swt) lead us and you and all Muslims to the right path, and He said in His Book: ―And (as for) those who strive hard for Us, We will most certainly guide them in Our ways, and
Allah (swt) is most surely with the doers of good.‖ (Holy Quran 29:69)
Brief History on Shi‘i Islam
The term Shi'ah literally means follower in the Arabic language; followers of Imam Ali (as) (shi'ah-i ' Ali) and Ahlul Bayt (as) who are the followers of Prophet Muhammad (saw). Imam Ali (as) was under the guardianship of Prophet Muhammad (saw) during his childhood of around 8 years of age thus he learned from the absolute best creation of Allah (swt). Ali has said:
―At that time Islam had not reached any house except that of the Holy Prophet and Khadijah, and I was the third amongst them. I used to see the light of revelation and messengership and smelt the fragrance of prophethood".
(Nahjul Balaghah, vol. II, pg. 182)
During the early years of Muhammad‘s (saw) prophethood in which he was preaching in secret, Allah (swt) revealed this verse:
―And warn thy near relations (Holy Qur'an, 26:214)
Abu Muhammad Husain al-Baghawi (in his Tafisir-Ma'alim ut-Tanzil), Shaikh 'Ala'uddin 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi, known as Khazin al-Baghdadi, in his Lubab-ut-Ta'wil, best known as Tafsir Khazin, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Husain al-Bayhaqi (in his Dalail-un-Nubuwwah), Jalaluddin as-Suyuti (in his Jam'ul Jawami), 'Ala'uddin 'Ali Muttaqi (in Kanz-ul-'Ummal), Abu JaTer Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari (in Tarikh-ur-Rusul-wal-Muluk), Abu Sa'adat Mubarak ibn Athir al-Jazari (in Tarikh-ul-Kamil) and Isma'il Abul Fida (in his history, Kitab-ul-Mukhtasar fi Akhbar-il-Bashar) have quoted 'Ali as saying:
"When the verse Wa andhir 'Ashiratakal-aqrabin was revealed, the noble Messenger called me and ordered me, 'O 'Ali! The Creator of the world has made me warn my people about their doom, but in view of the condition of the people and knowing that when I will give them the words of Allah (swt), they will misbehave, I felt depressed and weakened and therefore I kept quiet until Gabriel came again and informed me that there should be no more delay. Therefore, O 'Ali, take a measure of food grain, a leg of a goat and a big bowl of milk and arrange for a feast, then call the sons of 'Abdul Muttalib unto me, so that I may deliver to them the words of Allah (swt).' I did what the Prophet had told me to do and the sons of 'Abdul Muttalib, who were about forty in number gathered together. Among them were the uncles of the Prophet: Abu Talib, Hamza, 'Abbas and Abu Lahab. When the food was brought, the Prophet lifted a piece of meat and tore it into small morsels with his own teeth and scattered the pieces on the tray and said, 'Start eating in the name of Allah (swt),' All people present there had the food to their fill although the milk and the food were just sufficient for one man. Then he intended to
speak to them, but Abu Lahab interfered and said, `Verily, your comrade has entranced you.' Having heard this, all of them dispersed and the Messenger did not get a chance to speak to them.
On the next day, the Messenger, of the Lord again said to me: 'O 'Ali? Make
arrangements again for a feast as you had done yesterday, and invite the sons of 'Abdul Muttalib'. I arranged for the feast and gathered the guests as I was asked to do by the Prophet. Once they had finished the food, the Messenger addressed them thus: 'O sons of 'Abdul-Muttalib, I have brought for you the best blessings of this world and of the next, and I am appointed by the Lord to call you unto Him. Therefore, who amongst you will help me in this cause in order that he should be my brother, my successor and my caliph?' Nobody responded. But I, although the youngest of the congregation, said, 'O Messenger of Allah (saw), I am here to be your helper in this task.' The Prophet then patted my neck very kindly and said, 'O my people! This 'Ali is my brother, my successor and my caliph amongst you. Listen to him and obey him.' Having heard it from the Prophet, they all burst into laughter and said to Abu Talib, 'Hearken! You are ordered to obey and follow your own son! "
So as you can see from this hadith, which is accepted by all Shia scholars, Islam‘s earliest years even before many of the companions have become companions that Muhammad (saw) had proclaimed Ali (as) his successor. Throughout Ali‘s (as) life, Prophet Muhammad (saw) would say nothing but good about him and praise him; this has been well documented in dozens upon dozens of hadiths in both Sunni and Shia sources some of which are:
"Ali is the master of all the believers after me" (Musnad, Ahmed Hanbal, vol. 5, p 25)
(Mustadrak, Hakim, vol. 3, p 134) (Sahih, al Tirmidhi, vol. 5, p 296) "You are from me, and I am from you" (Sahih, Bukhari, vol. 1, p 76)
(Sahih, Tirmidhi, vol. 5, p 300) (Sunan, Ibn Majah, vol. 1, p 44)
"I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate" (Sahih, Tirmidhi, vol. 5, p 201)
(Mustadrak, al Hakim, vol. 3, p 126)
"Loving Ali is believing, and hating him is hypocrisy" (Sahih, Muslim, vol. 1, p 61)
(Sunan, al Nasai, vol. 6, p 117) (Sahih, al Tirmidhi, vol. 8, p 306)
"You are to me as Aaron was to Moses, but there will be no prophet after me." (Sahih, Bukhari, vol. 2, p 305)
(Sahih, Muslim, vol. 2, p 356) (Mustadrak, al Hakim, vol. 3, p 109)
"Whoever accepted me as his master, then he should also accept Ali as his master. O Allah (swt) be friendly with his friends, and be enemy to his enemy"
(Sahih, Muslim, vol. 2, p 362) (Mustadrak, Hakim, vol. 3, p 109) (Musnad, Ahmed Hanbal, vol. 4, p 281)
―The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "He who insults Ali, insults me. He who insults me, insults Allah (swt). And he who insults Allah (swt), Allah (swt) will throw him into Hell" (Mustadrak, hakim, vol. 3, p 121)
(Khasais, al Nasai, p 24)
(Musnad, Ahmed Hanbal, vol. 6, p 33) (al Manaqib, al Khawarizmi, p 81)
(al Riyadh al Nadira, Tabari, vol. 2, p 219) (Tarikh, as Suyuti, p 73)
Ali (as) would have sacrificed his life for Muhammad (saw). During one incident right before the Prophet emigrated from Mecca to Medina with Abu Bakir, infidels wanted to murder
Muhammad (saw) by surrounding his house during the night time and attacking him during his sleep. Muhammad (saw) knew of this evil plan of theirs and thus he asked Ali (as) to sleep in his bed while he would safely escape. Ali (as) happily accepted this dangerous mission and went into prostration to thank Allah (swt) for being able to give his life away for Muhammad (saw). While Ali (as) was in the Prophet‘s (saw) bed asleep, the infidels removed the blanket or sheet only to discover that it was Ali and not Muhammad (saw) though they did not attack Ali (as) in which made Ali (as) upset that was not able to die a martyr at that moment. Because of Ali‘s (as) bravery and willingness to give his life to Muhammad (saw), the Prophet (saw) was able to make a safe journey to Medina. Ali (as) was always on the battlefield for the sake of Islam such as the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khaybar, Khandaq, and Hunayn. Hundreds if not thousands of enemies of Islam were slain by Ali‘s (as) sword – to the point that Ali‘s (as) reputation as a warrior and Lion of Islam was known throughout Arabia.
The real split between the Sunni majority and Shia minority happened during the death of our beloved Prophet (saw). During the Prophet‘s (saw) death, Ali (as) and the Prophet‘s (saw)
faithful companions such as 'Abbas, Zubayr, Salman, Abu Dharr, Miqdad and 'Ammar were busy with the burial tasks. While they were attending to Muhammad‘s (saw) burial and funeral plans others such as Abu Bakr were already trying to choose a caliph. Abu Bakr and his companions decided that the caliphate should be decided upon by elections. Please note that no Prophet or successor of the prophet or any religious leader after the prophet was ever chosen by the people or through an election. The Prophets would always choose their successor and the Shia believe, with evidence upon evidence, that the Prophet (saw) had chosen Ali (as) to be his successor and the Imam and leader of the people. So how could the caliph be chosen by the people, is this not bid‘ah when it has never been done before? When did the Holy prophet ever say that an election should take place to choose the caliph? Ali did not want to partake in the unlawful election and his full attention was to the prophet‘s burial – this is how much love he had for the Prophet. Once the caliph was chosen, Abu Bakr, Ali was not able to do anything about this. Abu Bakr had too many followers and Ali had very few political and military power – the people at the time who claimed that Ali was supposed to be the first caliph according to the Prophet were called the Shia. Also, Ali did not want the Islamic Ummah to fall apart right after the Prophet‘s death so he did not attempt an uprising. Ali, the warrior of the Muslims known as the best on the battlefield, even with his few followers would have easily taken the caliph title but he did what was best for the Ummah at the time and that was to keep it peaceful. Also, Ali was known to always be a monotheist even before the Prophet was told to announce Islam to the people. Abu Bakr before becoming a Muslim, was an idol-worshipper thus how could the title of caliphate be given to a man who worshiped idols for the majority of his lifetime when Ali was raised in the Prophet‘s home since before 10 years of age and was the very first male to become a Muslim and even before becoming a Muslim had never worshiped any idol but always worshiped the one true God? If people only used logic they could see the truth…
When the caliphate of Ali finally happened, it only lasted four years and 9 months. His caliphate was the most difficult because the Islamic world has lost sight of the truth and it was Ali‘s responsibility as the leader of the Ummah to return them the path. Ali had opposition from people including Sa'id ibn 'Ass, Walid ibn 'Uqbah, Marwan ibn Hakam, 'Amr ibn 'Ass, Busr ibn Artat, Samurah ibn Jundab, and Mughirah ibn Shu'bah. Civil wars occurred throughout Ali‘s caliphate due to people‘s own faults and stubbornness and because some want revenge for Uthmaan‘s death.
The Prophet said, "God has informed me that He loves four men and that I should love them also." They asked about their names. He mentioned Ali and then the names of Abu Dharr, Salman and Miqdad. (Sunan of Ibn Majah, Cairo, 1372, vol. I, p. 66.)
One task which Ali sought most important was to return the public treasury to how it operated during the Prophet‘s time in which all people received a fair and lawful amount. During the caliphate of the first three caliphs, the treasury was misused and the majority of the distribution
went to the wealthy. This upset Talhah and Zubayr greatly who were receiving large sums from the treasury unlawfully. They persuaded A'ishah (umm almu'minin) to seek revenge for
Uthmaan. Thus the ―Battle of the Camel‖, the first battle during Ali‘s leadership, begun. God knows whether ―seeking revenge for Uthmaan‖ was just a cover-story for them to go against the caliph of their time.
After the death of Ali, Hassan ibn Ali was supposed to be the second Imam and the Caliph – this was written in Ali‘s last will. Mu'awiyah though wanted to be the caliph of the people and marched towards Iraq with a huge army and waging war against his caliph Hassan. Mu'awiyah was able to pay off many of Hassan‘s generals and eventually many left Hassan for Mu'awiyah who promised them worldly desires. To avoid bloodshed, Hassan agreed to hand of the caliphate to Mu'awiyah in agreement that Hassan would be caliph after the death of Mu'awiyah and that Hassan‘s followers would not be oppressed. Once Mu'awiyah was caliph, he said that his agreement with Hassan was null and void. Instead of obeying the agreement he made with Hassan, he announced that his son Yazid would be the next caliph. Mu'awiyah set and carried out the plans to poison Hassan, the son of the fourth caliph and the son of Fatima the Leader of women in Paradise and the grandson of the Holy Prophet. Even Hussein ibn Ali, the third Imam, was martyred by Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah along with his family. The women and children were chained and imprisoned – as to what kind of man would do this to the immediate family of Muhammad (saw) I will never understand. This tragic event which brings millions of Shias to tears every year is known as the Tragedy of Karbala. This event alone could be written in volumes of books – InshAllah (swt) I will recommend some books for you to read on this most depressing and blackest of Islamic history. Among other things Yazid is responsible for is the destruction of the holy Kaaba, the rape of thousands of women from his army, and the death of thousands of innocent men, women and children. Sunnis themselves were aware of the evilness of Mu'awiyah and Yazid that they had to distinguish the caliphs into two groups, the first being the ‖four rightly guided‖ and then the rest after Ali. If Mu'awiyah and Yazid were at all respected and thought of as religious leaders Sunnis today would use the phrase ―five or six rightly guided caliphs‖.
Sources of this chapter:
―Shi‘a‖ by Sayed Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai
―The Life of Muhammad The Prophet‖ by Syed Saeed Akhtar Rizvi
Ghadir Khum
If there was one event which definitely proves the status of Ahlul Bayt (as) and the Wilayat and leadership of Imam Ali (as) after the Prophet (saw) it would be Ghadir Khum. This event is one of the most well known and most referenced in both Sunni and Shi‘i sources. It is an event in which every Muslim should be familiar with because of its importance to Islam and the Messenger of Allah (swt).
Ten years after the Migration (hijrah), the Holy Prophet ordered his close companions to call upon all the people to join him on his last pilgrimage to Hajj. This is when he taught the ummah how to perform the pilgrimage in the correct way. On the way to Mecca, the Prophet had with him more than 70,000 people. By the fourth day of travel, over 100,000 people were with the prophet. The date of this event was the 18th of Dhu'l-Hijjah of the year 10 AH. After completing his last pilgrimage (Hajjatul-Wada'), the Holy Prophet was heading toward Medina with all of the people with him. On the way there, the Prophet and the crown reached an area called Ghadir Khum. It was in this place that the following Qur‘an verse revealed:
"O Apostle! Deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord; and if you don't do it, you have not delivered His message (at all); and Allah (swt) will protect you from the people ..." (Holy Qur'an 5:67)
Some of Sunni references confirming that the revelation of the above verse of Qur‘an was at the place of Ghadir Khum:
1. Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, under commentary of verse 5:67, v12, pp 49-50, narrated on the authorities of Ibn Abbas, al-Bara Ibn Azib, and Muhammad Ibn Ali.
2. Asbab al-Nuzool, by al-Wahidi, p50, narrated on the authorities of Atiyyah and Abu Sa'id al Khudri.
3. Nuzul al-Quran, by al-Hafiz Abu Nu'aym narrated on the authorities Abu Sa'id Khudri and Abu Rafi.
4. al-Fusool al Muhimmah, by Ibn Sabbagh al-Maliki al-Makki, p24 5. Durr al-Manthur, by al-Hafiz al-Suyuti, under commentary of verse 5:67 6. Fathul Qadir, by al-Shawkani, under commentary of verse 5:67
7. Fathul Bayan, by Hasan Khan, under commentary of verse 5:67 8. Shaykh Muhi al-Din al-Nawawi, under commentary of verse 5:67 9. al-Sirah al-Halabiyah, by Noor al-Din al-Halabi, v3, p301
10. Umdatul Qari fi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, by al-Ayni 11. Tafsir al-Nisaboori, v6, p194
12. As well as many others…
After receiving the verse, the Holy Prophet (saw) ordered his companion Salman to build a minbar for him out of rocks and camel toolings. The Holy Prophet spent a couple of hours on some of his last sermons. One very well-known hadith was mentioned at Ghadir Khum as well as other occasions including At `Arafat, Mosque of Madinah, and the Prophet's Chamber During His Last Illness. The hadith is known as ―Tradition of the Two Weighty Things‖ (Hadith al-Thaqalayn).
The Messenger of Allah (saw) declared:
"It seems the time approached when I shall be called away (by Allah (swt)) and I shall answer that call. I am leaving for you two precious things and if you adhere to them both, you will never go astray after me. They are the Book of Allah (swt) and my Progeny, that is my Ahlul Bayt. The two shall never separate from each other until they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)."
Various versions of this hadith are found in:
1. Sahih Muslim, part 7, Kitab fada'il al-Sahabah (Maktabat wa Matba`at Muhammad `Ali Subayh wa Awladuhu: Cairo) pp. 122-123
2. Sahih Sharh Aqidat al-Tahawi, p. 654 (published by Dar al-Imam al-Nawawi). Sahih Jami' al-Saghir, Vol. 1, p. 482 (Maktaba al-Islami)
3. al-Musnad (Vol. 16, p. 28, Dar al-Hadith, Cairo). Majma' al-Zawaid (Vol. 9, p. 162, Dar Kitab Alamiya). Sahih Jami' Saghir, Vol. 1, p. 482 (Maktab al-Islami).
4. Musnad Ahmad (Vol. 16, p. 50, Dar al-Hadith Cairo)
5. al-Mustadrak (Vol. 3, p. 109, Dar al-Marfat). al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (Vol. 5, p. 228, Mu'sassat tarikh al-Arabi).
6. Itihaf al-Khaerati al-Mahr, Vol. 9, page 279, No. 8974, Maktaba al-Rushd, Riyadh. Matalib al-Aliya (Vol. 4, p. 65, No. 3972, Dar al-Ma'rfat) Al-Sakhawi's al-Istijlab (Vol. 1, p. 357, Dar al-Bashaira al-Islamiyyah),
"Do I not have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves?" People cried and answered:
"Yes, O' Messenger of God."
Then followed the key sentence denoting the clear designation of 'Ali as the leader of the Muslim ummah. The Prophet (saw) held up the hand of 'Ali and said:
"For whoever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla)." The Prophet (saw) continued:
"O' God, love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him." Sunni Sources:
1. Sahih Tirmidhi, v2, p298, v5, p63 2. Sunan Ibn Maja, v1, pp 12,43 3. Khasa'is, by al-Nisa'i, pp 4,21
4. al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v2, p129, v3, pp 109-110,116,371 5. Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, pp 84,118,119,152,330, v4, pp
281,368,370,372,378, v5, pp 35,347,358,361,366,419 (from 40 chains of narrators)
6. Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Hanbal, v2, pp 563,572
7. Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p103 (from several transmitters) 8. Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, v12, pp 49-50
9. Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthur, by al-Hafiz Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v3, p19 10. Tarikh al-Khulafa, by al-Suyuti, pp 169,173
11. al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, by Ibn Kathir, v3, p213, v5, p208 12. Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn Athir, v4, p114
13. Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, v2, pp 307-308 14. Habib al-Siyar, by Mir Khand, v1, part 3, p144 15. Sawaiq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, p26
16. al-Isabah, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v2, p509; v1, part1, p319,v2, part1, p57, v3, part1, p29, v4, part 1, pp 14,16,143
17. Tabarani, who narrated from companions such as Ibn Umar, Malik Ibn al-Hawirath, Habashi Ibn Junadah, Jari, Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas, Anas Ibn Malik, Ibn Abbas, Amarah,Buraydah,...
18. Tarikh, by al-Khatib Baghdadi, v8, p290
19. Hilyatul Awliya', by al-Hafiz Abu Nu'aym, v4, p23, v5, pp26-27 20. al-Istiab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, Chapter of word "ayn" (Ali), v2, p462 21. Kanzul Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, pp 154,397
22. al-Mirqat, v5, p568
23. al-Riyad al-Nadirah, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, v2, p172 24. Dhaka'ir al-Uqba, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, p68
25. Faydh al-Qadir, by al-Manawi, v6, p217
26. Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, by al-Qudoozi al-Hanafi, p297
Immediately after the Prophet (saw) finished his speech, the following verse of the Qur'an was revealed:
"Today I have perfected your religion and completed my favour upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your religion." (Holy Qur'an 5:3)
Sources for the revelation of the verse after the speech:
1. al-Durr al-Manthur, by al-Hafiz Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v3, p19 2. Tarikh, by Khatib al-Baghdadi, v8, pp 290,596 from Abu Hurayra 3. Manaqaib, by Ibn Maghazali, p19
4. History of Damascus, Ibn Asakir, v2, p75 5. al-Itqan, by al-Suyuti, v1, p13
6. Manaqib, by Khawarazmi al-Hanfi, p80
7. al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, by Ibn Kathir, v3, p213 8. Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, by al-Qudoozi al-Hanafi, p115
9. Nuzul al-Quran, by al-Hafiz Abu Nu'aym narrated on the authority Abu Sa'id Khudri.
The above verse clearly indicates that Islam without clearing up matter of leadership after Prophet (saw) was not complete, and completion of religion was due to announcement of the Prophet's immediate successor.
Immediately after the Prophet's speech, Hassan b. Thabit, the Companion and poet of the Messenger of Allah (saw), asked for his permission to compose a few verses of poetry about Imam 'Ali (as) for the audience. The Prophet (saw) said: "Say with the blessings of Allah (swt)". Hassan stood up and said: "O' people of Quraysh. I follow with my words what preceded and witnessed by the Messenger of Allah (swt). He then composed the following verses at the scene:
He calls them, (on) the day of Ghadir, their Prophet In Khumm so hear (and heed) the Messenger's call,
He said: "Who is your guide and leader? (mawlakum wa waliyyukum)" They said, and there was no apparent blindness (clearly):
"Your God, our guide, and you are our leader
And you won't find from among us, in this, any disobedient," He said to him: "Stand up O' Ali, for I am
pleased to announce you Imam and guide after me (min ba'di imam(an) wa hadiy(an)), So whomever I was his leader (mawla), then this is his leader (mawla)
So be to him supporters in truth and followers,"
There he prayed: "Allah (swt)! Be a friend and guide to his follower And be, to the one who is Ali's enemy, an enemy"
After his speech, the Messenger of Allah (saw) asked everybody to give the oath of allegiance to 'Ali (as) and congratulate him. Among those who did so was 'Umar b. al-Khattab, who said:
"Well done Ibn Abi Talib! Today you became the Leader (mawla) of all believing men and women."
Sources for the oath of allegiance:
1. Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v4, p281
2. Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, v12, pp 49-50 3. Mishkat al-Masabih, by al-Khatib al-Tabrizi, p557 4. Habib al-Siyar, by Mir Khand, v1, part3, p144 5. Kitabul Wilayah, by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari
6. al-Musannaf, by Ibn Abi Shaybah 7. al-Musnad, by Abu Ya'ala
8. Hadith al-Wilayah, by Ahmad Ibn `Uqdah
9. Tarikh, by Khatib al-Baghdadi, v8, pp 290,596 from Abu Hurayra
So as you can see this is an undeniable and extremely important event in Islam, an event which the Prophet (saw) wanted as many witnesses as possible (over 100,000 showed up) and an event in which the religion of Islam was finally completed as told by the verses mentioned.
Unfortunately though, some of the companions and others ignored the event and some pretended to have forgotten it. Imam Ali (as) reminded people of the event in many occasions including the day of Shura (Election Day for Uthman), the day of Jamal, the day of Rahbah, as well as others.
About the Battle of Camel, al-Hakim and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and others recorded that: We were in the camp of Ali on the day of Battle of Camel, where Ali sent for Talha to talk to him (before the beginning of war). Talha came forward, and Ali told him: I adjure you by Allah (swt)! Didn't
you hear the Messenger of Allah (swt) (pbuh&HF) when he said: `Whoever I am his MAWLA, this Ali is his MAWLA. O God, love whoever loves him, and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him'?" Talha replied: "Yes." Ali said: "Then why do you want to fight me?"
Sources:
1. al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, pp 169,371
2. Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, on the authority of Ilyas al-Dhabbi 3. Muruj al-Dhahab, by al-Mas'udi, v4, p321
4. Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p107
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal recorded in his Musnad that: Abu Tufayl narrated that He (Ali) gathered the people in the plain of Rahbah (on year 35 AH) and adjured in the name of Allah (swt) every Muslim male present there who had heard the proclamation of al-Ghadir from the Messenger of Allah (swt) (pbuh) to stand up and testify what they had heard from the Messenger on the Day of Ghadir. Thereupon thirty (30) men stood up and gave evidence that the Prophet grasped Ali's hand and said to the audience: "He (Ali) has superior authority over those who believe me to have superiority over their lives. O Allah (swt)! Love him who loves him and hate him who hates him." Abu Tufayl says that it was in a state of great mental agitation that he left the plain of Rahbah, for the Muslim masses had not complied with the tradition. He therefore called on Zaid Ibn Arqam and told him what he heard from Ali. Zaid told him not to entertain any doubt about it for he himself had heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) uttering those words.
Source:
1. Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v4, p370 also:
Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abu Laylah said: I witnessed Ali administering an oath to the people in the plain of Rahbah. Ali said: "I adjure those of you in the name of Allah (swt) who heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) on the day of Ghadir saying `Ali is the Mawla of whom I am Mawla' to stand up and to testify. He who was not an eyewitness doesn't need to stand up." Thereupon twelve (12) such companions who had participated in the Battle of Badr stood up. The occasion is still fresh in my memory.
Sources:
2. Khasa'is, by al-Nisa'i, pp 21,103, narrated similar to above on the authority of three others: Umayah Ibn Sa'd, Zaid Ibn yathigh, and Sa'id Ibn Wahab. And:
When Ali said to Anas: "Why don't you stand up and testify what you heard from the Messenger of Allah (saw) on the day of Ghadir?" He answered, "O Amir al-Mumineen! I have grown old and do not remember." Thereupon Ali said: "May Allah (swt) mark you with a white spot (of leprosy; Alphosis) unconcealable with your turban, if you are intentionally withholding the truth." And before Anas got up from his place he bore a large white spot on his face, Thereafter Anas used to say, "I am under the curse of the righteous servant of Allah (swt)."
Sources:
1. al-Ma'arif, by Ibn Qutaybah, p14, in the account of Anas among disabled persons. 2. Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, p199, where he testifies to the above anecdote, as he
says : "All stood up except three persons who came under the curse of Ali." 3. Hilyatul Awliya', by Abu Nu'aym, v5, p27
And just in case you are wanting of more hadiths for the proof of Ahlul Bayt (as), especially as successors to the holy Prophet (saw) here they are:
"Yazid b. Hayyan reported, I went along with Husain b. Sabra and 'Umar b. Muslim to Zaid b. Arqam and, as we sat by his side, Husain said to him: Zaid. you have been able to acquire a great virtue that you saw Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him) listened to his talk, fought by his side in (different) battles, offered prayer behind me. Zaid, you have in fact earned a great virtue. Zaid, narrate to us what you heard from Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him). He said: I have grown old and have almost spent my age and I have forgotten some of the things which I remembered in connection with Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him), so accept whatever I narrate to you, and which I do not narrate do not compel me to do that. He then said: One day Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him) stood up to deliver sermon at a watering place known as Khumm situated between Mecca and Medina. He praised Allah (swt), extolled Him and delivered the sermon and. Exhorted (us) and said: Now to our purpose. O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah (swt)'s call, (would bid good-bye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah (swt) in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah (swt) and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah (swt) and then said: The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family. He (Husain) said to Zaid: Who are the members of his
household? Aren't his wives the members of his family? Thereupon he said: His wives are the members of his family (but here) the members of his family are those for whom
acceptance of Zakat is forbidden. And he said: Who are they? Thereupon he said: 'Ali and the offspring of 'Ali, 'Aqil and the offspring of 'Aqil and the offspring of Ja'far and the offspring of 'Abbas. Husain said: These are those for whom the acceptance of Zakat is forbidden. Zaid said: Yes." (Muslim Book 031, #5920)
"I will leave among you TWO SUCCESSORS: THE BOOK OF ALLAH (SWT) AND MY PROGENY, MY AHL AL-BAYT. Both shall NEVER never separate until they return to me at the Lake-Font." (Musnad Ahmad Vol 16 page 28. Sahih Jamií al-Saghir, vol. 1, p. 482, Number 2457 records. Al-Albani says: it is completely "Sahih")
"Verily I am leaving in you that to which if you firmly hold onto you will not go astray after me; The Book of Allah (swt) and my family the Ahl al-Bait. These two will not be separated until they meet me at the Fountain (of Kawthar), so look at how you deal with them after me." (Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol. 5, Page 626, Hadith 3788. Mustadrak al-Hakim, Vol. 3, Page 160, Hadith 4711)
―Amr bin al-‗Ās narrates that someone asked him: O ‗Amr! Our elders heard it from the Messenger of Allāh (saw) about ‗Alī: one who has me as his master has ‗Alī as his master. Is it correct or not? ‗Amr said: it is correct, and may I add that no one among the Companions deserves to be praised more than ‗Alī‖. (Related by Ibn Athīr in Asad-ul-ghābah fī ma‗rifat-is-sahābah (1:572,573). The Ghadīr Declaration 79 Hadīth No. 50)
Muslims like to believe that all the companions of the Holy Prophet (saw) were righteous. That anyone who has spoken, walked with, or maybe even just seen the Prophet (saw) has
automatically become a good companion. Shia Muslims believe that some of these companions were not righteous, especially after the death of the Prophet (saw) when many companions showed their true colors. Sunni hadeeths will prove this:
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "While I was sleeping, a group (of my followers were brought close to me), and when I recognized them, a man (an angel) came out from amongst (us) me and them, he said (to them), 'Come along.' I asked, 'Where?' He said, 'To the (Hell) Fire, by Allah (swt)' I asked, 'what is wrong with them' He said, 'They turned apostate as renegades after you left.' Then behold! (Another) group (of my followers) were brought close to me, and when I recognized them, a man (an angel) came out from (me and them) he said (to them); Come along.' I asked, "Where?' He said, 'To the (Hell) Fire, by Allah (swt).' I asked, What is wrong with them?' He said, 'They turned apostate as renegades after you left. So I did not see anyone of them escaping except a few who were like camels without a shepherd." (Bukhari Volume 8, Book 76, # 587)
Narrated 'Abdullah: The Prophet said, "I am your predecessor at the Lake-Fount." 'Abdullah added: The Prophet said, "I am your predecessor at the Lake-Fount, and some of you will be brought in front of me till I will see them and then they will be taken away from me and I will say, 'O Lord, my companions!' It will be said, 'You do not know what they did after you had left.' (Bukhari Volume 8, Book 76, # 578)
Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, "Some of my companions will come to me at my Lake Fount, and after I recognize them, they will then be taken away from me, whereupon I will say, 'My companions!' Then it will be said, 'You do not know what they innovated (new things) in the religion after you." (Bukhari Volume 8, Book 76, # 584)
Narrated Abu Hazim from Sahl bin Sa'd: The Prophet said, "I am your predecessor (forerunner) at the Lake-Fount, and whoever will pass by there, he will drink from it and whoever will drink from it, he will never be thirsty. There will come to me some people whom I will recognize, and they will recognize me, but a barrier will be placed between me and them." Abu Hazim added: An-Nu'man bin Abi 'Aiyash, on hearing me, said. "Did you hear this from Sahl?" I said, "Yes." He said, " I bear witness that I heard Abu Said Al-Khudri saying the same, adding that the Prophet said: 'I will say: They are of me (i.e. my followers). It will be said, 'You do not know what they innovated (new things) in the religion after you left'. I will say, 'Far removed, far removed (from mercy), those who changed (their religion) after me." Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet said, "On the Day of Resurrection a group of companions will come to me, but will be driven away from the Lake-Fount, and I will say, 'O Lord (those are) my companions!' It will be said, 'You have no knowledge as to what they innovated after you left; they turned apostate as renegades (reverted from Islam)." (Bukhari Volume 8, Book 76, # 585)
So how can a caliph be appointed by a vote of the people when clearly some companions of the Prophet (saw) go astray and enter hellfire? Is it not possible for the people to appoint someone who does not end up as a companion of the Prophet (saw) in the afterlife? The Shia believe that only Allah (swt) can appoint a leader for the Ummah because that person is righteous and the best of Muslims after the Prophet (saw) and will not go astray as some of the companions did. Now here is a Sunni hadith about the Caliph Umar mistreating the daughter of the Holy Prophet (saw) whom the Prophet (saw) said whoever angers Fatima (as) angers Muhammad (saw). Does this hadith not go hand in hand with the previous one I just posted about the companions whom went astray?
Abu Bakr Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Uthman Abasi Kufi narrates a tradition on the, authority of Aslam: Certainly, after the demise of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.w). When they were extracting allegiance for Abu Bakr, Ali (a.s) and Zubair were with Fatemah (a.s), the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.w), consulting her and taking her view on the issue. The moment Umar heard of this, immediately he left for the house of Fatemah (s.a) and said: ―O daughter of Allah (s.w.t)‘s Messenger (s.a.w.w)! By Allah (swt) (s.w.t)! None is dearer to me than your father and none after him is more important for me than you. But by Allah (s.w.t)! This love and affection will not stop me from ordering to set ablaze your house due to these persons who have gathered in it.‖ As soon as Umar left, Fatemah (s.a) came to Ali (a.s) and Zubair and said, ―Do you know what Umar said to me? He swore by Allah (swt) (s.w.t) that if you don‘t come out of the house, he will set my house on fire and by Allah (swt) (s.w.t), he will certainly do it.‖ (‗AlMusannaf‘, vol. 7, p. 432, Tr. No. 37045, first edition)
Sources of this chapter:
Direct copy and paste from www.al-islam.org/ghadir/
Sources gathered from www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?/topic/25227-ghadir-khum-a-look-at-sunni-sources/
Also for more hadiths not mentioned go to the PDF book at www.minhajbooks.com/images-books/ghadir-declaration/ghadir-declaration_1.pdf
The Calamity of Thursday
"Whatever the Messenger hands over to you, take it, and whatever he forbids you therefrom, obey him (Qur'an, 59:7)."
The above verse should be reflected upon before and after the reading of this chapter, and you will see why shortly.
One event in which the Shia of Ahlul Bayt (as) will never forget is the Calamity of Thursday or as others call it Pen and Paper Incident. This event is well documented in many Sunni and Shia hadiths, such that every Muslim should be familiar with it. It is a disturbing event in which shows the true character of some of the Prophet‘s (saw) companions – during the lifetime of the Prophet (saw). While this event is a tragedy to all Shia Muslims, many Sunni Muslims do not think of importance or relevant.
The incident took place during the end of the Prophet‘s (saw) lifetime, within about three days of his death. Muhammad (saw) was on his bed with his home full of companions and men including Umar. The Holy Prophet requested a pen and paper to write something down so that that Ummah will not go astray after his death. Umar denied this request of the Prophet and even accusing the Prophet of being delusional and that the Qur‘an is sufficient for the Ummah to not go astray. The men began to argue among themselves and causing much loud noise even though Muhammad (saw) was on his death bed right next to them – had they no shame? The Prophet then became angered and ordered everyone to leave his home, including Umar.
―When the time of the death of the Prophet approached while there were some men in the house, and among them was 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, the Prophet said: "Come near let me write for you a writing after which you will never go astray." 'Umar said: "The Prophet is seriously ill, and you have the Qur'an, so Allah (swt)'s Book is sufficient for us." The people in the house differed and disputed. Some of them said, "Come near so that Allah (swt)'s Apostle may write for you a writing after which you will not go astray," while the others said what 'Umar said. When they made much noise and quarreled greatly in front of the Prophet, he said to them, "Go away and leave me." Ibn 'Abbas used to say, "It was a great disaster that their quarrel and noise prevented Allah (swt)'s Apostle from writing a statement for them.‖ (Sahih al-Bukhari Arabic-English, Volume 9 hadith # 468, and Volume 7 hadith #573)
Also in Muslim:
Sa'id b. Jubair reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: Thursday, (and then said): What is this Thursday? He then wept so much that his tears moistened the pebbles. I said: Ibn 'Abbas, what is (significant) about Thursday? He (Ibn 'Abbas) said: The illness of Allah (swt)'s
Messenger (may peace be upon him) took a serious turn (on this day), and he said: Come to me, so that I should write for you a document that you may not go astray after me. They (the Companions around him) disputed, and it is not right to dispute in the presence of the Apostle. They said: How is he (Allah (swt)'s Apostle)? Has he lost his
consciousness? Try to learn from him (this point). He (the Holy Prophet) said: Leave me. I am better in the state (than the one in which you are engaged). I make a will about three things: Turn out the polytheists from the territory of Arabia; show hospitality to the (foreign) delegations as I used to show them hospitality. He (the narrator) said: He (Ibn Abbas) kept silent on the third point, or he (the narrator) said: But I forgot that. (Sahih Muslim Book 013, #4014)
Sa'id b. Jubair reported from Ibn Abbas that he said: Thursday, and what about Thursday? Then tears began to flow until I saw them on his cheeks as it they were the strings of pearls. He (the narrator) said that Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Bring me a shoulder blade and ink-pot (or tablet and inkpot), so that I write for you a document (by following which) you would never go astray. They said: Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace upon him) is in the state of unconsciousness. (Sahih Muslim Book 013, # 4015)
Ibn Abbas reported: When Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him) was about to leave this world, there were persons (around him) in his house, 'Umar b. al-Kbattab being one of them. Allah (swt)'s Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Come, I may write for you a document; you would not go astray after that. Thereupon Umar said: Verily Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him) is deeply afflicted with pain. You have the Qur'an with you. The Book of Allah (swt) is sufficient for us. Those who were present in the house differed. Some of them said: Bring him (the writing material) so that Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him) may write a document for you and you would never go astray after him. And some among them said what 'Umar had (already) said. When they indulged in nonsense and began to dispute in the presence of Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him), he said: Get up (and go away) 'Ubaidullah said: Ibn Abbas used to say: There was a heavy loss, indeed a heavy loss, that, due to their dispute and noise. Allah (swt)'s Messenger (may peace be upon him) could not write (or dictate) the document for them. (Sahih Muslim Book 013, # 4016) What the Prophet (saw) wanted to write down must have been extremely important – important enough to which the Ummah will not go astray if but they knew what would be written. His last message to the Ummah would surely have been a very important one if he would have been granted his last wish of a pen and paper to write it down. Another thing to note down is that he was denied his request. Is it not a sin to question or deny something to the most holy of Prophet‘s (saw)?
"Obey Allah (swt) and Obey his Prophet and worry, and be warned that the Prophet's duty is only to deliver the message clearly" (Surah al Maidah verse 92)
"Perform Salat (Prayer), give Zakat and Obey Allah (swt) and his Prophet" (Surah Mujadilah verses 12-13)
"Obey Allah (swt) and his Prophet and if you dispute, then on him is what is imposed on him, and on you is what is imposed on you; and if you obey him you are guided aright; and there is no duty on the Prophet save the clear delivery". (Surah Nur verse 54) Say, "Obey Allah (swt) and the Prophet, but if they turn back, then verily Allah (swt) does not love the disbelievers" (Surah Aal-e-Imran verse 32)
"O ye who believe! Obey Allah (swt) and His Messenger, and turn not away from him when ye hear (him speak)." (Surah Anfal verse 20)
"And obey Allah (swt) and His Messenger and do not quarrel." (Surah Anfal verse 46)
Also when Umar claimed that the Qur‘an is sufficient for the Ummah, does Umar have more knowledge than Muhammad (saw) to have such a claim? Did he not know to whom the Qur‘an was directly revealed to? Does the Prophet not know enough about the Ummah or the Qur‘an for Umar to say such a disgusting thing? He claimed that the Prophet was delusional – how can a person say such a thing? Why would Allah (swt) allow his messenger to be delusional at any moment in his life? If he was delusional in this incident would he not have been delusional in his past? Would not the columns of Islam crumble if we claimed the Prophet could have been delusional for even a second of him being a Prophet?
"Thursday! And you know not what Thursday is?" After that Ibn 'Abbas wept till the stones on the ground were soaked with his tears. On that I asked Ibn 'Abbas, "What is (about) Thursday?" He said, "When the condition (i.e. health) of Allah (swt)'s Apostle deteriorated, he said, 'Bring me a bone of scapula, so that I may write something for you after which you will never go astray.' The people differed in their opinions although it was improper to differ in front of a prophet. They said, 'What is wrong with him? Do you think he is talking no sense (delirious)? Ask him (to see if he is talking no sense). The Prophet replied, 'Leave me, for I am in a better state than what you are asking me.' Then the Prophet ordered them to do three things saying: 'Turn out all the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula, show respect to all foreign delegates by giving them gifts as I used to do.' The third order was something beneficial which either Ibn 'Abbas did not mention or he mentioned but I forgot!‖ (Sahih al-Bukhari Arabic-English, Volume 9 hadith # 468, and Volume 4 hadith #393)
Even some Sunni Scholar‘s claim this event was a calamity and that Umar denied a request of the Prophet:
"the first dispute that took place during the Prophet's sickness, according to what the Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad b. Isma'il al-Bukhari relates on the authority of
Abdullah b. Abbas, is as follows: When the last sickness of the Prophet became acute, he said, 'Bring me an inkpot and writing material; I shall write something for you so that you will not be led astray after my departure'. Umar said, 'the Prophet has been overcome by pain, God's Book is sufficient for us'. A noisy argument arose among those gathered; whereupon the Prophet said 'Go away there should be no quarrelling in my presence'. Ibn Abbas says, 'What a tragedy which prevented us from having some writing of the
Prophet!". (Al Mihal al Nahal, by Allamah Muhuummud b. Add'al Karim Shahrastani, page 18 - English translation by A.K.Kazi and J.G.Flynn (publishers Kegan Paul International, First Edition 1984))
Some Sunni Muslims will attempt to refute this by stating that the Prophet fell unconscious after requesting the pen and paper but it is clear in the Sahih hadiths above that he did not fall
unconscious. Would such a thing not be important enough to write down in a hadith? Even if the prophet was to have become unconscious, how would the request of the pen and paper no longer apply? Is the Prophet not able to write down what he wanted to write down after gaining
conscious? God forbid the Prophet forgetting what he wanted to write… It is clear from the hadiths that:
1. Umar denied a request of the Prophet.
2. Umar claimed that the Prophet was delusional.
3. Umar and his companions caused much loud noise around the Prophet when he was on his deathbed.
4. Umar as well as the others were ordered to leave the Prophet‘s house because they have angered him. (Anyone who angers Muhammad saw angers Allah (swt) swt)
5. And because of Umar, the Ummah has gone astray due to the Prophet not being granted the request to write down what he wanted to.
Sources of this chapter:
Al-Muraja'at A Shi'i-Sunni dialogue by Sayyid 'Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi
www.answering-ansar.org/answers/pen_and_paper/en/index.php ―Then I Was Guided‖ by Mohammad Tijani Smaoui
Fadak in History
Fadak was a fertile territory with palm trees near Khayber and about 140 km from the city of Medina. Fadak at first belonged to the Jews of Hijaz, who were enemies of Islam and caused problems for Prophet Muhammad (saw) and the spreading of his message. After the Muslim army defeated the Jews at the fort in Khayber, Muhammad (saw) sent a messenger to the village in Fadak and the chief, Yush'a bin Noon, of the Jews there agreed to a peace treaty and were thus allowed to live in peace and were also protected by the Muslims.
According to Islam, land conquered through military means becomes the property of all Muslims. But because Fadak was not conquered by military means, rather instead by a treaty agreement it thus becomes the property of the leader of the Muslims – The Holy Prophet (saw). Thus the land of Fadak belonged fully to Muhammad (saw) and he is able to do whatever he wants with it and is able to give its rights to whomever he chooses. The Shia believe that the prophet (saw) had given the land of Fadak to his beloved daughter, Fatima (as), as a gift.
"When the verse: Give the kinsmen his due, and the needy, and the wayfarer...(Surah Isra, 17:26) was revealed the Prophet called his daughter Fatimah and made over Fadak to her" (Majma'ul Bayan, vol.III, p. 411; Sharh-i Ibn Abil Hadid, vol. XVI, p.248) After the death of the Holy Prophet (saw), Abu Bakr took the rights of Fadak away from Fatima (as) due to political reasons. The caliph also gave weak hadiths that prophets do not leave behind inheritance – but it wasn‘t inheritance it was a gift to his daughter Fatima (as). The land of Fadak was already given to her by her father thus she was already the owner of it. Abu Bakr asked her to bring witnesses that Muhammad (saw) had actually given her the land and thus Fatima (as) brought forth her husband, Ali (as), and Umme Ayman (whom the Prophet had testified that she would go to Paradise), and Rabah, a freed slave of the Prophet. Even with these witnesses the caliph still denied her claim. One would wonder how would he deny her when she had witnesses such as Imam Ali (as) whom every scholar would agree was always truthful and that he was the gate to the city of knowledge. And how would one even deny the claim of the daughter of Muhammad (saw) whom the prophet even said whoever angers her is angering the Prophet (saw).
Eventually the first caliph agreed to give her the property back but Umar tore up the certificate that Abu Bakr would have given to Fatima (as) to give her the lawful property.
Umar said: "As Ali is a beneficiary in this case, his evidence is not acceptable and Umme Ayman being a woman, her testimony too has no value" Then he tore up the certificate. (Sharh-i Ibn Abil Hadid, vol. XVI, page 274.)
"The Caliph accepted the ownership of Fatimah. Suddenly Umar arrived and asked: "What is this certificate about? The Caliph replied: "I have confirmed Fatimah's ownership (of Fadak) in this deed". Umar said "You stand in need of income derived from Fadak. If tomorrow the idolaters of Arabia rise against the Muslims, from where will you meet the expenses of war?" Then he held the certificate in his hand and tore it up". (Seerah-i Halabi, vol. III, page 400.)
'Was the daughter of the Prophet truthful in making the claim?' He said: 'Yes'. I said: 'Did the Caliph know that she was a truthful woman?' He said: 'Yes'. I said: 'Why did the Caliph not give her that to which she was admittedly entitled?' At this moment the teacher smiled and said with great dignity: 'if he had accepted her word on that day and had returned Fadak to her on account of her being a truthful woman and without asking for any witnesses she could very well avail of this position for the benefit of her husband on the following day and say: 'My husband Ali is entitled to the caliphate' and then the Caliph would have been obliged to surrender the caliphate to Ali on account of his having acknowledged her to be a truthful woman. However, in order to obviate any such claim or dispute he deprived her of her admitted right". (Sharh-i Nahjul Balaghah by Ibn Abil Hadid, page 284.)
Some might ask, why did Imam Ali (as) not return the property back to the household after he became the caliph. This is a response from Ali (as):
―I‘m ashamed before God, to return it to it‘s original owners, that which Abu Baker prohibited and Omar agreed with.‖ (lbn Abi al-hadid vol. 16 pg. 252)
The Imams (as) had no desire for material gains though this is not to say that it never belonged to them – it was rightly theirs from the very beginning. Plus gaining this land would make the caliphs assume that the Ahlul Bayt (as) were attempting to gain power and resources to over throw them.
Here are some more Sunni hadiths on the issue. Enjoy. Narrated 'Aisha:
(mother of the believers) After the death of Allah (swt) 's Apostle Fatima the daughter of Allah (swt)'s Apostle asked Abu Bakr As-Siddiq to give her, her share of inheritance from what Allah (swt)'s Apostle had left of the Fai (i.e. booty gained without fighting) which Allah (swt) had given him. Abu Bakr said to her, "Allah (swt)'s Apostle said, 'Our property will not be inherited, whatever we (i.e. prophets) leave is Sadaqa (to be used for charity)." Fatima, the daughter of Allah (swt)'s Apostle got angry and stopped speaking to
Abu Bakr, and continued assuming that attitude till she died. Fatima remained alive for six months after the death of Allah (swt)'s Apostle.
She used to ask Abu Bakr for her share from the property of Allah (swt)'s Apostle which he left at Khaibar, and Fadak, and his property at Medina (devoted for charity). Abu Bakr refused to give her that property and said, "I will not leave anything Allah (swt)'s Apostle used to do, because I am afraid that if I left something from the Prophet's tradition, then I would go astray." (Later on) Umar gave the Prophet's property (of Sadaqa) at Medina to 'Ali and 'Abbas, but he withheld the properties of Khaibar and Fadak in his custody and said, "These two properties are the Sadaqa which Allah (swt)'s Apostle used to use for his expenditures and urgent needs. Now their management is to be entrusted to the ruler." (Az-Zuhrl said, "They have been managed in this way till today.")
(Bukhari Volume 4, Book 53, # 325) Narrated 'Aisha:
Fatima sent somebody to Abu Bakr asking him to give her her inheritance from the Prophet from what Allah (swt) had given to His Apostle through Fai (i.e. booty gained without fighting). She asked for the Sadaqa (i.e. wealth assigned for charitable purposes) of the Prophet at Medina, and Fadak, and what remained of the Khumus (i.e., one-fifth) of the Khaibar booty. Abu Bakr said, "Allah (swt)'s Apostle said, 'We (Prophets), our property is not inherited, and whatever we leave is Sadaqa, but Muhammad's (saw) Family can eat from this property, i.e. Allah (swt)'s property, but they have no right to take more than the food they need.' By Allah (swt)! I will not bring any change in dealing with the Sadaqa of the Prophet (and will keep them) as they used to be observed in his (i.e. the Prophet's) life-time, and I will dispose with it as Allah (swt)'s Apostle used to do," Then 'Ali said, "I testify that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah (swt), and that Muhammad (saw) is His Apostle," and added, "O Abu Bakr! We acknowledge your superiority." Then he (i.e. 'Ali) mentioned their own relationship to Allah (swt)'s Apostle and their right. Abu Bakr then spoke saying, "By Allah (swt) in Whose Hands my life is. I love to do good to the relatives of Allah (swt)'s Apostle rather than to my own relatives" Abu Bark added: Look at Muhammad (saw) through his family (i.e. if you are no good to his family you are not good to him).
(Bukhari Volume 5, Book 57, # 60)
It is narrated on the authority of Urwa b. Zubair who narrated from A'isha that she informed him that Fatima, daughter of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), sent someone to Abu Bakr to demand from him her share of the legacy left by the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) from what Allah (swt) had bestowed upon him at Medina and Fadak and what was left from one-filth of the income (annually received) from Khaibar. Abu Bakr said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:" We (prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is (to be given in)
charity." The household of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) will live on the income from these properties, but, by Allah (swt), I will not change the charity of the Messenger of Allah (swt) (may peace be upon him) from the condition in which it was in his own time. I will do the same with it as the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upun him) himself used to do. So Abu Bakr refused to hand over anything from it to Fatima who got angry with Abu Bakr for this reason. She forsook him and did not talk to him until the end of her life. She lived for six months after the death of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). When she died, her husband. 'Ali b. Abu Talib, buried her at night. He did not inform Abu Bakr about her death and offered the funeral prayer over her himself. During the lifetime of Fatima, 'All received (special) regard from the people. After she had died, he felt estrangement in the faces of the people towards him. So he sought to make peace with Abu Bakr and offer his allegiance to him. He had not yet owed allegiance to him as Caliph during these months. He sent a person to Abu Bakr requesting him to visit him unaccompanied by anyone (disapproving the presence of Umar). 'Umar said to Abu Bakr: BY Allah (swt), you will not visit them alone. Abu Bakr said: What will they do to me? By Allah (swt), I will visit them. And he did pay them a visit alone. 'All recited Tashahhud (as it is done in the beginning of a religious sermon) ; then said: We recognise your moral excellence and what Allah (swt) has bestowed upon you. We do not envy the favour (i. e. the Catiphate) which Allah (swt) nas conferred upon you; but you have done it (assumed the position of Caliph) alone (without
consulting us), and we thought we had a right (to be consulted) on account of our kinship with the Messenger of Allah(may peace be upon him). He continued to talk to Abu Bakr (in this vein) until the latter's eyes welled up with tears. Then Abd Bakr spoke and said: By Allah (swt), in Whose Hand is my life, the kinship of the Messenger of Allah (swt) (may peace be upon him) is dearer to me than the kinship of my own people. As regards the dispute that has arisen between you and me about these properties, I have not deviated from the right course and I have not given up doing about them what the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to do. So 'Ali said to Abu Bakr: This aftetnoon is (fixed) for (swearing) allegiance (to you). So when Abu Bakr had finished his Zuhr prayer, he ascended the pulpit and recited Tashahhud, and described the status of 'Ali, his delay in swearing allegiance and the excuse which lie had offered to him (for this delay). (After this) he asked for God's forgiveness. Then 'Ali b. Abu Talib recited the Tashahhud. extolled the merits of Abu Bakr and (said that) his action was nott prompted by any jealousy of Abu Bakr on his part or his refusal to accept the high position which Allah (swt) had conferred upon him, (adding: ) But we were of the opinion that we should have a share in the government, but the matter had been decided without taking us into
confidence, and this displeased us. (Hence the delay in offering allegiance. The Muslims were pleased with this (explanation) and they said: You have done the right thing. The Muslims were (again) favourably inclined to 'Ali since he adopted the proper course of action.
(Muslim Book 19, # 4352) Sources of this chapter:
―The Message‖ by Ayatullah Ja'far Subhani
Hazrat Zahra‘ (s.a.) And the Heart, Rending Episode of Fadak by Ayatullah Makarem Shirazi
Fadak, the Property of Fatima (s.a.) The Daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by Syed H. Akhtar
Are Shia Considered Muslims?
During the next few sections, accusations against Shia will be revealed and debunked. But before we start with that I would like you to read this verse
"Oh you who believe, if a transgressor comes to you with news, try to verify it, lest you inflict damage on people unwittingly; then you may consequently regret your hasty action" (Holy Qur‘an 49:6)
When you hear accusations against other Muslims, before believing in it or acting upon it – look into it and see if it is truthful or not. One can easily commit a sin because of the lies they hear from others.
Let‘s begin with defining what a Muslim or a believer is according to the Holy Qur‘an.
"Alif Lam Mim. This is the Book whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are righteous, who believe in the unseen, and offer prayer, and spend of what We have provided them, And who believe in that which is revealed to thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before thee, and who are certain of the Hereafter. They follow the guidance (which comes) from their Lord; and they are the ones who will prosper." (Holy Qur‘an 2:1-5)
According to this verse, a righteous person is one who 1. Believe in the unseen (Such as Allah (swt)) 2. Offer prayers such as the five obligatory prayers
3. By spending their wealth in the way of Allah (swt) such as zakat
4. And to believe in what was revealed unto Muhammad (saw) such as the Holy Qur‘an and what was revealed in the past such as the Torah.
5. And are believers of the hereafter, of heaven and hell.
These five criteria are followed by all Muslims, Shia and Sunni. So how can one say the Shia are not Muslims when they believe in everything described in the verses? How can one go against the Holy Qur‘an and still say that Shia are not Muslims when they clearly are.
Between the Shia and the Sunni, there are not many disagreements besides the Caliphate and jurisprudence. Both believe in the Oneness of Allah (swt) , the Prophethood of Muhammad (saw) and all the prophets (as), in the Holy Qur‘an, in the hereafter, and in the angels. Disagreeing on the caliphate should not be a reason to cause such disunity.
Not believing in the caliphate of a certain person is not a sinful act. Imam Ali (as) himself did not give allegiance to Abu Bakr for 6 months. If it truly was a sin to not give allegiance or believe in
the caliphate then Ali (as) would have given allegiance right away and all Sunnis and Shia agree that Ali (as) is the gate of knowledge and that he was an extremely pious family member and companion of the Holy Prophet (saw).
Imam Ali refused to give his allegiance to Abu Bakr for six months. He gave his
allegiance to Abu Bakr only after the death of his wife Fatima Al-Zahra, Daughter of the Holy Prophet. (Al- Bukhari, part 5, page 177).
Just because a person does not follow one of the four madhabs of Sunni Islam does not make them a non-Muslim. All the founding Imams of the madhabs - Abu Hanifah, Malik, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, and Al-Shafi'i came and started their madhabs after the death of the Holy Prophet (saw). All Muslims agree that Islam was completed during the life of Muhammad (saw). None of the four imams completed Islam nor did any of them live during Muhammad‘s time. So for one to say that a person must follow them and only them to be considered a Muslim is wrong. The four madhabs disagree on certain jurisprudence yet they all consider one another Muslim, so to deny Shia the title of Muslim based on jurisprudence is not being fair.
The majority of Shia Muslims are twelvers, following the madhab of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as), the 6th imam of Ahlul Bayt (as) and a decendent of Muhammad (saw). Imam Ja‘far had taught thousands of students, two of which are Abu Hanifah and Malik.
Shaykh Muhammad Abu Zahra who was one of the outstanding Sunni contemporary scholars said: "The Muslim scholars of various Islamic schools never agreed
unanimously on a matter as much as they agree on the knowledge of Imam Ja'far and his virtue. The Sunni imams who lived during his time were his students. Malik was one of them and those who were as contemporary as Malik such as Sufyan Al-Thawri and many others. Abu Hanifah also was his student in spite of their being close in age, and he considered Imam Ja'far the most knowledgeable in the Muslim world." (Imam Ahmad, his Musnad, part 5, page 66).
Also here is Abu Hanifah‘s view on Imam Ja‘far (when he entered the palace of Al-Mansur and found Imam Ja'far with him) :
"When I saw Imam Ja'far, I felt that his personality commands more respect than that of the caliph himself. Yet the caliph was ruling the Muslim world, and Imam Ja'far was a private citizen." (Shaykh Muhammad Abu Zahra, AI-Imam AI-Sadiq, page 27)
Imam Al-Shafi'i in his poetry said:
"Members of the House of the Prophet, your love is a Divine duty on mankind. God revealed it in His Qur'an. It is of your high distinctions that whoever does not pray on you has no prayer." He also said "If the love of the members of the House of the Prophet is Rafd (rejection), let mankind and the Jinns testify that I am a rejecter."
As we can see, not only were some of the four imams direct students of Imam Ja‘far but they also had tremendous respect for him. Ja‘far‘s madhab came before all the four Sunni madhabs and so is it not closer to Muhammad‘s (saw) teachings and timeline?
If this is not enough evidence for you then I shall provide more inshAllah (swt). Sheikh Mahmud Shaltut, the grand mufti of Al-Azhar mosque and a prominent Sunni scholar, issued fatwa
declaring Shias are Muslims which means that a Sunni could also follow the madhab of Imam Ja‘far and still be considered a Muslim. If a learned and well respected Sunni scholar declares Shia to be Muslims, then why are their less-knowledgeable people claiming Shias are not without providing any evidence and sources but declare it solely based on their emotions or the little knowledge they have on Shia.
Sources of this chapter:
Different Qur‘an (God Forbid)
Shi‘ite Muslims are constantly being accused of having a different Qur‘an, either with less or more verses or even new surahs. This accusation is far from the truth. A simple way to debunk this lie is to simply have the accuser go to any masjid that has primarily Shia worshipers and open up any of the Qur‘ans and one can easily see it is the one and only Qur‘an that we are all familiar with. Sadly, even with such an easy task as that many still claim that the Shia have their own Qur‘an. As to how is this even possible when all Muslims agree that the Qur‘an is protected by Allah (swt) and this verse clearly states this fact:
―Surely We have revealed the Reminder and We will most surely be its guardian.‖ (Holy Qur‘an 15:9)
Sadly, some people would rather accuse other Muslims of having a different Qur‘an rather than believe the Qur‘an itself is protected by Allah (swt).
A hadith in al-Kafi by Muhammad bin Ya'qub al-Kulayni states that the Qur‘an revealed to our Holy Prophet (saw) contained 7000 verses and this hadith itself is what many of the accusers use against the Shia. But one must understand a few things. First, al-Kulayni was not a Shi‘ite scholar but a hadith recorder and as everyone knows there are strong hadiths and there are weak ones. This hadith by al-Kulayni is regarded as a weak hadith. Second, most if not all prominent Shia scholars say that the Qur‘an we have now, the same one used by Sunnis and Shia, is the one revealed to the Holy Prophet (saw). I will not include what they have said for the sake of keeping this answer as short as possible but one can easily search this up online and see what they have said. These scholars consist of Sayyid al-Murtada, Sayed Sistani, Shaykh Al-Mufid, and many others. Thirdly, even though al-Kulayni wrote down the hadith does not mean he believes in it. Shia do not consider their books of hadith to be 100% sahih. Only the Book of Allah (swt), the Qur‘an, could carry the title of being completely accurate.
If these accusers would look into Sunni hadith books they would find hadiths which also claim the Qur‘an has been changed. Here are a few examples:
Muslim also reported in the Book of al-Rida'ah (Book of Nursing), part 10, page 29, that 'A'ishah said the following:
"There was in what was revealed in the Qur'an that ten times of nursing known with certainty makes the nursing woman a mother of a nursed child. This number of nursings would make the woman 'haram' (forbidden) to the child. The this verse was replaced by 'five known nursings' to make the woman forbidden to the child. The Prophet died while these words were recorded and read in the Qur'an."
And also
Al-Muttaqi 'Ali bin Husam al-Din in his book "Mukhtasar Kanz al-'Ummal" printed on the margin of Imam Ahmad's Musnad, part two, page 2, in his hadith about chapter 33, said that Ibn Mardawayh reported that Hudhayfah said:
'Umar said to me 'How many verses are contained in the chapter of al-Ahzab?' I said, '72 or 73 verses.' He said it was almost as long as the chapter of the Cow, which contains 287 verses, and in it there was the verse of stoning.
But do the Shia accuse Sunnis of having an altered Qur‘an after reading such hadiths? No, so why are the Shia accused?
Lastly, I would like to show you the introduction to al-Kulayni‘s book Al-Kafi and let you decide if he really believed in the hadith or not of the 700 verses.
Al-Kulayni mentioned in his introduction to his book the following: "Brother, may God lead you to the right road. You ought to know that it is impossible for anyone to
distinguish the truth from the untruth when Muslim scholars disagree upon statements attributed to the Imams. There is only one way to separate the true from the untrue reports, through the standard which was declared by the Imam:
