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The Righteous Caliphs According to the Shi`as

These are the Twelve Imams from the pure progeny of the Prophet arranged chronologically as follows:

* The first is the Commander of the Faithful and the Imam of the pious, the leader of the elite, the master of Muslims and the religion's drone, Allah's victorious lion, Ali ibn Abu Talib, peace be upon him, the gate of knowledge who challenged the minds, dazzled the hearts, and enlightened the intellect, the man without whom the Messenger of Allah could not have been able to set the foundations of the creed.

* Second is Imam Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ali, peace be upon him, Master of the Youths of Paradise, the fragrant flower of the Prophet in this nation, the ascetic worshipper of Allah, the faithful adviser.

* Third is Imam Abu Abdullah al-Husayn ibn Ali, peace be upon him, the Master of the Youths of Paradise and the fragrant flower of the Prophet in this nation, the master of martyrs and the one who was slaughtered on Karbala and who sacrificed his all seeking to reform the nation of his grandfather.

* Fourth is Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn Zaynul-Abidin, peace be upon him, the master of all those who prostrated to their Lord.

* Fifth is Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir, peace be upon him, who penetrated the knowledge of the early generations and the last.

* Sixth is Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, the like of whom no eyes had ever seen nor anyone had ever heard nor any mind had ever realized with regard to the knowledge of fiqh; none was more learned, or better in deeds, than him.

* Seventh is Imam Musa ibn Ja`far al-Kazim, peace be upon him, the descendant of the prophet, the substance of knowledge.

* Eighth is Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Rida, peace be upon him, who was granted wisdom even as a child.

* Ninth is Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad, peace be upon him, the Imam of generosity and giving, the Imam of excellent conduct.

* Tenth is Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi, peace be upon him, the one who received Allah's favors, who was the lighthouse of guidance.

* Eleventh is Imam al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari, peace be upon him, the Imam of asceticism and piety.

* Twelfth is Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi, peace be upon him, who will fill the world with justice and equity after being filled with inequity and oppression, and the son of Maryam, peace be upon him, will pray behind him, and Allah will complete through him His Light, and through him will the believers be very pleased.

These are the Imams of the Shi`as, all twelve of them; so, if one says “Imamite Shi`as” or “Ithna-Asheri Shi`as” or “Ja`fari Shi`as,” it is all the same, and they will be the ones identified as such. None among all Islamic groups accepted their Imamate besides the Shi`as.

If we study the Qur'anic verses revealed in their honor and which explain their merits, lofty status, goodness of substance, purity of the soul, and true greatness, we will come across verses such as the one enjoining us to be good to the Prophet's kin, or the one referring to Allah purifying them, or the verse of Mubahala (a challenge to make ibtihal_supplication_invoking the curse of Allah on the liars), or the verse identifying them as the ones obedient to their Lord, or the verse of blessing and praising them..., etc.

If we study the sacred hadith, we will find it enumerating their merits and elevating their status above all the rest among the nation, pointing out to their superiority of knowledge and infallibility. If we do all of that, we will most surely surrender to their Imamate and regard them as the nation's security against misguidance and its only means to guidance.

We will also find it quite clear that the Shi`as are the winners because they upheld the strong rope of Allah which is: loyalty to these Imams and upheld the niche which cannot be untied, which is loving them. They will have then boarded the ark of salvation. They achieved security against drowning, and safety from perdition.

It is for these reasons that we decide, being fully convinced and aware, that Imamite Shi`as are the true followers of the Sunnah of Muhammad.

“Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed your veil, so your sight today is sharp indeed.” (Holy Qur'an, 50:22)

Surely Allah, the Great, has said the truth.

The Righteous Caliphs According to Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah

These, according to them, are the four caliphs who ascended the seat of caliphate following the demise of the Messenger of Allah. “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah” advocate these caliphs' superiority over all other people with the exception of the Prophet in the same chronological order of their caliphate. This is what we hear even these days.

We have, however, come to know from previous researches that Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, peace be upon him, was not counted among them as one of the caliphs, much less a righteous one; rather, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal added his name at a much later time to the list. Prior to that, he used to be cursed from the pulpits in all Muslim lands and throughout the Umayyad empire.

In order to shed more light on this subject, and so that the reader may feel comfortable about the truth regarding this regretful fact, his attention is invited to the following:

We have already said that Abdullah ibn Umar is regarded by “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah” as one of the most prominent faqihs, and Malik makes him his major authority upon whom he depends in his book Al-Muwatta'. He is also relied upon by both al-Bukhari and Muslim in the Sahih written by each of them. All other transmitters of hadith, without any exception, rely on him.

This man was famous for his open hatred of the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abu Talib. History tells us that he refused to swear the oath of allegiance to Ali, yet he rushed to swear his oath of allegiance to the cursed al-Hajjaj, the enemy of Allah and His Messenger.1

Abdullah ibn Umar revealed what he was hiding in his chest and disclosed his best kept secret when he said that he could not count even one single favor or merit or good quality of Ali that warranted placing him in the fourth place after Uthman ibn Affan.

We have already come to know that he favored only Abu Bakr and Umar; as for Ali, peace be upon him, he, in his assessment, was among the commoners, if not the very least important among them. Let me provide you with another fact which narrators of hadith and historians have recorded, and which openly expresses the hateful and antagonistic nature of Ibn Umar towards Ali and all Imams from the pure Progeny of the Prophet:

Abdullah ibn Umar has said the following while trying to explain the tradition of the Prophet in which he said, “The caliphs after me shall be twelve; all of them are from Quraysh”:

This nation shall have twelve caliphs who are: Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq, Umar al-Farooq, Uthman Thul Noorain, Mu`awiyah and his son as the kings of the holy lands (Mecca and Medina), al-Saffah, Salam, Mansour, Jabir, al-Mahdi, al-Ameen, Ameer al-Asab, who all are from Banu Ka`b ibn Luayy, and they are righteous and peerless.2

So read this statement, dear reader, again and wonder about such faqih who is so highly respected by “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah” and notice how he distorts the facts and turns them upside down, making Mu`awiyah and his son Yazid as well as al-Saffah [a title meaning: the blood-shedder] the best of Allah's servants, further stating that they are peerless!

Surely grudge and ignorance have blinded his eye sight just as envy and animosity have blinded his mind3 to the extent that he cannot see any merit or favor for the Commander of the Faithful Ali over whom he prefers Mu`awiyah, the morally depraved man, and his atheist, criminal, and blood-thirsty son Yazid.

Abdullah ibn Umar is the son of his father. Whatever comes from its source surprises nobody, and every pot drips of its contents. His father used all possible means to exclude Ali, peace be upon him, from the caliphate, and to make him look insignificant in the eyes of the public.

And here we see his [Umar ibn al-Khattab's] spiteful and hateful son, despite Ali's ascension to the caliphate after Uthman's murder and after having received the oath of allegiance from the Muhajirun and Ansar, refusing to swear the oath of allegiance to Ali and trying his best to put his light out and stir people against him in order to cause his downfall. He, therefore, kept making statements and fooling people into thinking that Ali, peace be upon him, had no merits, and that he was like any other ordinary man.

Abdullah ibn Umar served the Umayyad dynasty and crowned both Mu`awiyah and his son Yazid with the crown of caliphate, telling lies and fabrications about the Prophet, recognizing the caliphate of al-Saffah and al-Mansour and all promiscuous rulers of Banu Umayyah, preferring them over the master of the Muslims and the wali of the believers according to the text of the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. Yet he did not recognize Ali's caliphate even when it actually took place! How strange!

Notes

1. Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi is the one who is very well known for his promiscuity, apostasy, crimes, and total lack of respect for the faith. Al-Hakim has recorded on p. 556, Vol. 3, of his Al-Mustadrak, and Ibn Asakir has also recorded on p. 69, Vol. 4, of his book, the fact that al-Hajjaj used to say, “Ibn Mas`ud claims that he recited a Qur'an revealed from Allah, and Allah is nothing more than a filth of the Arabs.” He also used to say, “Fear Allah as much as you want, for doing so is completely futile, and listen to and obey the commander of the faithful Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan for you will then be generously rewarded.” Also Ibn Aqeel records on p. 81 of his book Al-Nasaih al-Kafiya saying that al-Hajjaj delivered a speech once in Kufa and referred to those who were visiting the grave site of the Prophet at Medina thus: “May they perish! They go around sticks and decaying cadaver; why don't they go round the mansion of the commander of the faithful Abd al-Malik? Don't they know that someone's successor is better than his messenger?”

2. This is stated on p. 140 of al-Suyuti's book Tarikh al-Khualfa, p. 140. Kanz al-Ummal, Vol. 6, p. 67, and also in the history books of Ibn Asakir and al-Dhahabi.

3. Read it and do not forget the statement of the Prophet which al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded and which says: “Loving Ali ibn Abu Talib is a sign of iman (conviction), and hating him is a sign of hypocrisy,” and the hypocrites during the time of the Prophet used to be identified by their hatred towards Ali .

The Prophet Rejects the Legislation of Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah

We have already come to know that the Shi`as, following in the footsteps of the Imams among Ahlul Bayt, peace be upon them, never followed their own views nor analogy, nor did they prohibit anyone from doing so.

This is due to the fact that the Prophet's statements had the final word and the conclusive verdict in as far as they are concerned; they have inherited such written statements sons from fathers, and we have already referred to al-saheefa al-jami`a, the length of which is seventy yards, and which contains all what Muslims need till the Hour.

We have also come to know that “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah” felt forced to follow their own views as well as the principle of qiyas (analogy) due to the absence of the Prophet's texts with them and their need for the same simply because their prominent men and masters rejected them, burned them, and prohibited anyone from recording them.

The supporters of ijtihad resorted to the suggestion that they needed to coin hadith in the wording of the Messenger of Allah in order to support their sect and make wrong look right. They, hence, claimed that the Messenger of Allah dispatched Ma`ath ibn Jabal to Yemen and asked him, “What if you do not find it [i.e. the answer to a problem] in the Book of Allah?”

He said, “Then I will judge according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah.” He then asked him, “What if you do not find it in the Sunnah of His Messenger?” Ma`ath ibn Jabal, they claim, said, “If I do not find it, I will then follow my own ijtihad.” The Prophet, the story goes on, then said, “All Praise is due to Allah Who has enabled the messenger of the Messenger of Allah to please Allah and His Messenger.”

This “tradition” is false, and it can never be attributed to the Messenger of Allah, for how can the Prophet say to Ma`ath, “What if you do not find it in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger?” while Allah Himself says the following to His Messenger,

“And We revealed unto you the Book explaining everything” (Holy Qur'an, 16:89),

and also,

“We have not neglected anything in the Book” (Holy Qur'an, 6:38),

and also,

“Whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, stay away therefrom” (Holy Qur'an, 59:7)?

A Necessary Post Script

When we discuss “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” in the coming chapters, we mean by them our contemporaries. We have indicated in several previous chapters that these are innocent people who do not have a hand in what their predecessors had committed, or any sin or transgression. We have already indicated that they are the victims of plots and the misrepresentation of history which the Umayyads and Abbasides and their henchmen had coined in order to obliterate the Prophet's Sunnah and bring things to the way they used to be during the pre-Islamic period.

We used to be among them,1 following in their footsteps, being guided by them, then Allah blessed us and guided us to the Ark of Salvation. We plead to Him, the most Glorified, to likewise guide all the Muslim nation so that nothing remains except the truth.

One may ask the following: “Thus criticizing and undermining the integrity of the sahaba hurts the feelings of the majority of Muslims who believe that they were all just and equitable; they regard them the best of all people after the Prophet.” We say: Muslims are required to believe in Allah and His Messenger and to carry out their Will and abide by the limits which they outlined. The salvation of the Muslims, including the sahaba, depends on it, for the destiny of whoever strays from this line will be hell even if he were an uncle or a son of the Prophet.

Our criticism of some companions is dictated by the historical events with which they interacted, by the dissension among them, and by their causing the nation to be divided upon itself, thus afflicting it with the greatest of calamities.

Note

1. The author used to follow the Hanbali sect before embracing the Shi`a creed. _ Tr.

Enmity of Ahlul Sunnah Towards Ahlul Bayt Reveals their Identity

Any researcher stands dumbfounded when he collides with the reality about “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah” and comes to know that they were the enemies of the pure Progeny of the Prophet, following those who fought Ahlul Bayt and cursed them and spared no means to murder them and obliterate their legacy.

This is why you find “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah” placing the label of “reliable” on all traditionists if they are Kharijites or Nasibi followers of Uthman. They charge and accuse all the traditionists who are loyal to Ahlul Bayt of being “weak.”

You do not find such matters recorded openly in their books. But when they try to challenge the authenticity of accurate traditions recounting the merits of Ali ibn Abu Talib, they label them as “weak,” saying, “Among the chain of its narrators is so-and-so who is a Rafidi.”1 And they label as “sahih,” authentic, false traditions which were fabricated in order to raise the status of and glorify the other caliphs even if their narrators were Nasibis. Being a Nasibi, according to them, is indicative of one's zeal about the Sunnah.

Ibn Hajar, for example, says the following about Abdullah ibn Idris al-Azdi, a very well known Nasibi, “He was a man who followed the Sunnah and Jama`ah, a zealot with regard to the Sunnah, and a follower of Uthman.”2 About Abdullah ibn Awn al-Basri he says, “He is held as reliable, and he is a man of piety and zeal about the Sunnah and toughness against the people of innovations. Ibn Sa`d has said that Abdullah ibn Awn al-Basri was a follower of Uthman.”3

And about Ibrahim ibn Ya`qub al-Jawzjani, who was famous for hating Ali, peace be upon him, he says that his sect was Hareezi, i.e. a follower of Hareez ibn Uthman of Damascus, the sect known as Nasibism.4 Ibn Hayyan describes Ibrahim as being zealous about the Sunnah, a man who memorized hadith.

It is noteworthy that this same Nasibi whom they praise by saying that he is zealous about the Sunnah and that he memorized hadith used to take the opportunity of other traditionists gathering at his door [asking permission to enter] to send one of his slave-girls with a hen in her hand to tour the town then to go back to her master, Ibrahim ibn Ya`qub al-Jawzjani, to tell him that she could not find anyone to slaughter it for her; he would then cry out: “Subhan-Allah! There is none to slaughter a hen whereas Ali in broad day light slaughters twenty thousand Muslims!”

Through such cunning and conniving, the Nasibis, enemies of Ahlul Bayt, try to dissuade people from following the truth and mislead them through such false accusations in order to fill the Muslims' hearts, especially those of traditionists [such as the ones who used to meet al-Jawzjani to learn hadith from him] with hatred and animosity towards Ali ibn Abu Talib, peace be upon him, and thus permit cursing, taunting, and condemning him.

You can find such phenomenon even in our time. Despite the claim of contemporary “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`ah” that they love Ahlul Bayt and seek Allah's Pleasure with our master Ali, karrama-Allahu wajhahu (Allah glorified his countenance), as they say, if you narrate one hadith containing one of the virtues of Ali, peace be upon him, they ridicule you, charge you with Shi`ism, with being an innovator, and with being “extremist.”

When you, however, discuss the caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar, and other sahaba they feel very comfortable talking to you.

This is exactly the doctrine of their “good predecessors.” Historians have transmitted saying that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal used to label as “weak” any traditionist who belittled Abu Bakr, Umar, or Uthman, while holding in high esteem Ibrahim al-Jawzjani, the afore-mentioned Nasibi, praising him a great deal. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal corresponded with him, recited his books from the pulpit, and used his works in support of his arguments.

If this is the case with regard to Ahmad ibn Hanbal who forced his contemporaries to recognize the caliphate of Ali, whom he ranked as their fourth, do not ask me about the others who did not admit even one single merit for Ali, or about those who cursed and condemned him from the pulpits during Fridays and Eids.

Al-Dar Qutni, for example, says, “Ibn Qutaybah, spokesman of Ahlul Sunnah, inclines to ascribing human characteristics (to Allah) and deviates from the line of the Prophet's `Itrat.”5 This proves that most “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” deviated from the path of the Progeny of the Messenger of Allah.

Al-Mutawakkil, whom traditionists called muhyi al-Sunnah, the person who revived the Sunnah, and whom Ahmad ibn Hanbal used to respect and hold in high regards and whose orders he endorsed in appointing judges, was one of the most notorious Nasibis who were antagonistic towards Ali and his Ahlul Bayt, so much so that his grudge prompted him to desecrate the graves of both Ali and his son Husayn, peace be upon them. He used to forbid anyone from visiting their sites and would kill anyone named “Ali.”

In his dissertation, al-Khawarizmi quotes him saying that he used to generously reward with money only those who cursed the descendants of Abu Talib, peace be upon them, and support the sect of Nasibism.6

Needless to say, Nasibism is one of the sects of “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a;” therefore, the promoter of Nasibism, namely al-Mutawakkil, is the same one labelled as muhyi al-Sunnah, the person who revived the Sunnah; so, consider.

Ibn Kathir, in his Al-Bidaya wal Nihaya, tells us that when “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” heard al-A`mash narrating the tradition of the roasted bird, which contains a praise of Ali ibn Abu Talib (peace be upon him), they took him out of the mosque then washed the place where he used to sit.7

They also opposed the burial of Imam Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, author of Al-Tafsir al-Kabir (the great exegesis) and the great historian, for no reason other than his admission of the authenticity of hadith al-Ghadeer in which the Prophet is quoted saying, “Whoever regards me as his/her mawla (master), this Ali is (henceforth) his/her master.” He collected its sources from various avenues. Those sources were quite numerous, so they came to be referred to as mutawatir, consecutively reported.

Ibn Kathir has said, “I have seen one of his books wherein he compiled the traditions relevant to the Ghadeer incident, and it was in two huge volumes, in addition to another book in which he compiles the incidents relevant to the tradition of the roasted bird.”8

Ibn Hajar, too, has discussed him in his book Lisan al-Mizan, saying, “He is the great Imam and the highly respected interpreter of the Qur'an; he is trustworthy, truthful, and there is a good deal of Shi`ism in him and support (for Ahlul Bayt, as) which is not detrimental (to his reliability).”9

When Imam al-Nasa'i, the great traditionist and one of the authors of Al-Sihah al-Sittah (the six books of traditions which the Sunnis regard as sahih, authentic), wrote a book dealing with the merits of the Commander of the Faithful Ali, he was asked about Mu`awiyah's “merits,” whereupon he answered: “I do not know of any except that the Messenger of Allah said to him once: `May Allah never satisfy your stomach.'“ He was, therefore, beaten on his genitals till he lost consciousness. His body was carried to some place to die of such beating.

Ibn Kathir tells us the following in his Tarikh where he describes the violent confrontations that took place in Baghdad in 363 A.H./954 A.D. between the Shi`as and “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” on the anniversary of Ashura:

A group from Ahlul Sunnah seated a woman on an animal to play the role of Ayesha and brought some of their men to play Talha and al-Zubayr. They expressed their objective thus: “We want to fight the followers of Ali.” A large number of people were killed.10

This is what goes on nowadays, too: “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” attack Shi`as on Ashura in order to prohibit them from participating in the commemorative procession, killing many innocent Muslims.

After having conducted such an expose, it becomes clear to us that the Nasibis who antagonized Ali, peace be upon him, and who fought Ahlul Bayt, peace be upon them, are the ones who labelled themselves “Ahlul Sunnah,” and we have already come to know what “Sunnah” they mean and to what “consensus” they refer.

It is self-evident that whoever antagonizes the Progeny of the Messenger of Allah is an enemy of their grandfather the Prophet, and whoever antagonizes the Messenger of Allah is an enemy of Allah.

It is likewise self-evident that anyone who is an opponent of Allah, His Messenger and Ahlul Bayt cannot be among the true servants of the Merciful One, nor can he be among the followers of the Sunnah except when such a “Sunnah” is meant to be the “sunnah” of the devil. As for the Sunnah of the Merciful One, it is loving Allah and His Messenger and Ahlul Bayt, following them and following in their footsteps. The most Exalted One has said,

“Say: I do not ask you for any reward for it except to love my near relatives” (Holy Qur'an, 42:23).

So how can one compare Mu`awiyah with Ali, or the “imams” of misguidance with the Imams of guidance?

“This is a clear statement for people, and guidance, and admonition, to those who fear their Lord.” (Holy Qur'an, 3:138)

Notes

1. What they mean by “Rafidi” [literally: rejectionist] is someone who follows Ali and rejects the caliphate of those who preceded him in ruling over the Muslims.

2. Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, Vol. 5, p. 145 and Vol. 1, p. 82.

3. It is well known that the followers of Uthman are the Nasibis who accused Ali of being kafir, apostate, and they accused him of killing Uthman ibn Affan. They are headed by Mu`awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, Uthman's cousin; so, he is their chief and leader.

4. The Nasibis are Ali's enemies and the enemies of his Ahlul Bayt from among the Kharijites, the Qasitis, and the renegades who antagonized him and fought him. After his martyrdom, they took to cursing and condemning him.

5. Al-Dhahabi, Lisan al-Mizan, Vol. 3, p. 357.

6. Refer to p. 135 of al-Khawarizmi's Rasaail (Letters).

7. [As an act of purification from najasa, uncleanness or filth.] This incident is narrated on p. 147, Vol. 11, of Ibn Kathir's book Al Bidaya wal Nihaya.

8. Ibid.

9. This is mentioned when Ibn Hajar, author of Lisan al-Mizan, discusses the biography of Ibn Jarir al-Tabari.

10. Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidaya wal Nihaya fil Fitan wal Malahim, Vol. 11, p. 275.

How Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a Distort the Blessing of Muhammad and His Progeny

Carefully discern this chapter, may Allah look after you, for you will come to know what “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” conceal, and to what extent they have gone in hating the Progeny of the Prophet, leaving no virtue of Ahlul Bayt without distorting it.

Among such distortions is the sending of blessings unto Muhammad and his Progeny as ordained in the Holy Qur'an. Al-Bukhari and Muslim, as well as all Sunni scholars who came after them, indicate that the sahaba once came to meet with the Prophet when the following verse was revealed:

“Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who believe! Invoke (Divine) blessings unto him and salute him with a becoming salutation.” (Holy Qur'an, 33:56)

They said, “O Messenger of Allah! We know how to salute you, but we do not know who to bless you!” The Prophet said, “You should say: `O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the Progeny of Muhammad (Aali Muhammad) just as You blessed Ibrahim and the progeny of Ibrahim, surely You are often Praised, Glorified.'“1

Other traditionists have added to the above saying that the Prophet said (furthermore) to them: “Do not bless me with a curtailed blessing.” They asked him, “And what is a curtailed blessing, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “It is your saying: `O Allah! Bless Muhammad,' then you stop. Allah is Perfect and accepts nothing less than perfection.” This is why Imam al-Shafi`i was prompted to openly advocate that if anyone does not bless Ahlul Bayt, his prayers are not accepted by Allah.

Relying on the authority of Ibn Mas`ud al-Ansari, al-Dar Qutni indicates the following in his Musnad:

The Messenger of Allah has said: “Whoever prays without blessing me and my Ahlul Bayt, his prayers will never be accepted.”2

In his book Al-Sawa`iq al-Muhriqa, Ibn Hajar says, “Al-Daylami has quoted the Prophet saying that everyone's supplication is withheld till he invokes Allah's blessings unto Muhammad and the Progeny of Muhammad.”3 Likewise, al-Tabrani in his Al-Awsat has quoted Ali, peace be upon him, saying that everyone's supplication is withheld till he invokes divine blessings unto Muhammad and his Progeny.4

Thus do we come to know how the Sahih books of “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” describe the correct way of invoking Allah's blessings unto Muhammad and his Progeny, that Allah does not accept the prayers of anyone unless he blesses Muhammad and and his Progeny, and that the supplication of every Muslim is withheld till he invokes Allah's blessings unto Muhammad and his Progeny. It is, by my life, a great virtue and a sublime feat whereby Ahlul Bayt are favored over all other humans; through them does a Muslim seek nearness to his Lord.

But “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” were angered by leaving this feat of Ahlul Bayt alone. They realized the dire consequences of doing so. No matter how many false “merits” and alleged “feats” can one attribute to Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and all the sahaba, such “merits” and “feats” can never reach the lofty status of Ahlul Bayt, nor can they reach its zenith simply because the prayers of all those who thus attribute and allege can never be accepted by Allah so long as they do not seek nearness to Him by invoking His blessings unto Ali ibn Abu Talib next to Muhammad, since he is the master of the `Itrat, as everyone knows.

It is for this reason that they resorted to its adulteration by adding something from their own selves which the Messenger of Allah never mandated in the hope of enhancing the status of their masters among the sahaba, deliberately curtailing this invocation from the very first century. Notice how whenever they wrote a book, they left it without stating the complete blessing unto Muhammad and his Progeny, and whenever they mention “Muhammad”, or “the Prophet”, or “the Messenger of Allah”, they say: Salla Allahu alaihi was sallam (Allah blessed and saluted him), removing any reference to the Progeny of Muhammad. And if you converse with one of them and ask him to bless Muhammad, he will answer you by saying: Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, without referring to his Progeny. Some of them go as far as circumventing it even more, saying only: Salli wa sallim (bless and salute).

But if you ask any Shi`a, be he from Arabia or Persia, etc., to bless Muhammad, he would say: Allahomma Salli ala Muhammadin wa Aali Muhammad (O Allah! I invoke You to bless Muhammad and the Progeny of Muhammad).

The books written by “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” quote the Messenger of Allah mandating to “Say: Allahomma Salli ala Muhammadin wa Aali Muhammad,” applying the present and future tense in the form of a supplication, an invocation, directed to the most Glorified One. Despite all of that, they are satisfied with the phrase “Salla Allahu Alaihi wa sallam,” applying the past tense and in the narrative mode without making any reference to the Prophet's Progeny.

Indeed, the leader of “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a,” namely Mu`awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, tried to remove any reference whatsoever to Muhammad in the athan.5 No wonder, then, to find those who follow and emulate him deliberately circumventing and distorting sending blessings unto him. Had they been able to eliminate it altogether, they would have done just that, but there is no way they could_or can_ever do so. No way!

You may nowadays hear those who ascend the pulpits, especially Wahhabi pulpits, offering nothing but the adulterated invocation of Allah's blessings unto him and his progeny. They may either use the curtailed supplication or, if they feel obligated to complete it, they will then add to it the phrase: “... and unto all his sahaba,” or they may say, “... and unto his good and pure sahaba,” thus changing the Qur'anic verse referring to the purification of Ahlul Bayt to make it sound as though it was revealed in honor not of Ahlul Bayt but of the sahaba. They do so in order to mislead the general public into thinking that the sahaba enjoy the same merits enjoyed by Ahlul Bayt.

They have, in fact, learned the art of adulterating and distorting from their very first faqih and “great leader” Abdullah ibn Umar of whose hatred towards Ahlul Bayt we are already fully aware. In his Al-Mawta, Malik indicates that Abdullah ibn Umar used to stand at the grave of the Prophet, blessing him, Abu Bakr, and Umar.6

if you, dear researcher, contemplate on the status quo, you will find such an addition, that is, the blessing of the sahaba in addition to blessing the Prophet and his Progeny, has no basis neither in the Holy Qur'an nor in the Prophet's Sunnah.

Rather, both the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah have enjoined blessing Muhammad and his Progeny, and the command is directed to the sahaba before anyone else. You do not see such an addition except with “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a.” How many are the innovations in the creed which they have invented, calling them “Sunnah,” aiming thereby to cover someone's merit or to hide a fact?

“They wish to put out the Light of Allah with their mouths, while Allah insists upon completing His Light though the unbelievers are averse thereto.” (Holy Qur'an, 61:8)

Notes

1. Al-Bukhari, Sahih., Vol. 4, p. 118.

2. This is recorded on p. 136 of al-Dar Qutni's Sunan.

3. This is recorded on p. 88 of Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani's book Al-Sawa`iq al-Muhriqa.

4. Fayd al-Qadeer, Vol. 5, p. 19. Kanz al-Ummal, Vol. 6, p. 173.

5. For documentation of this claim, refer to p. 46 of my book Ask Those Who Know.

6. Explanation to Malik, Al-Muwatta', Vol. 6, p. 180, the chapter titled “Tanweer al-Hawalik” (enlightening the dark areas).

Allegations Refuted by Facts

In this chapter, we would like to make clear for every wise person who is free from bias, who abandons fanaticism, and who removes the curtain from both his vision and insight in order to pursue the right guidance and the truth. We would like to tell him that all pillars of “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a,” as well as their Imams, have acted against the clear Sunnah of the Prophet, leaving it behind their backs, deliberately and willingly forsaking it.

No Muslim should be deceived by what he hears here or there of false praise based on neither a clear evidence nor a good argument. While unveiling these facts, we do not charge them with anything, nor do we add anything to what they themselves have stated in their Sahih, Musnad, and Tarikh books.

We have already indicated some of these facts in our previous books, and we graciously passed by them, yet there is no harm in mentioning them here in detail so that the sun of guidance may shine, the clouds of misguidance may be dispelled, and the light may replace the darkness.

In the following chapter, we will discuss the Imams and the pillars relied upon by “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a,” the ones whom the latter regard as the zenith of scholarship and jurisprudence. They prefer them over the pure Imams from the offspring of the Prophet, deliberately ignoring a number of certain sahaba who were known to the elite as well as to the commoners_be they scholars or illiterate_as being immoral, remote from the spirit and ethics of Islam.

Among the latter are: Mu`awiyah and his son Yazid1 , Ibn al-As, Ibn Marwan, Ibn Shu`bah, and their likes. Despite all of this, we do not waste our time by writing about these men to unveil their faults; some unbiased men among the historians and thinkers have already spared us this task.

Instead, we will discuss in this research those Imams who gained fame as being righteous, fair, ascetic, and God-fearing; in short, those regarded by “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” as the pillars, so that we may closely become familiar with their distortion of the Sunnah of the Prophet.

They invented in this nation innovations which caused dissension and misguidance, thus causing the collapse of the lofty structure erected by the Messenger of Allah who spent his entire life struggling to safeguard and firm its foundations.

I have chosen twelve of the pillars of “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” who played a very significant role in influencing the events, in changing the characteristics of the creed, and in dividing and fragmenting the nation.

Note

1. Ibn Sa`d, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 5, p. 47, where Abdullah, who was bathed by the angels, is quoted saying, “By Allah! We did not disobey Yazid till we feared lest we should be hurled with stones from the skies, (for he is) a man who sleeps with his mothers, daughters, and sisters, who drinks wine and forsakes the prayers. By Allah! Had I had none to assist me, I would have done my best to fight him, seeking nearness to Allah.” Yes; such is Yazid, the man well known for his wines and sins, the man who killed the fragrant flower of the Messenger of Allah as he was accompanied by all the Prophet's Progeny, permitting his soldiers to violate the sanctity of the Medina of the Prophet Despite all of this, you can still find an “Islamic” state writing a book titled Facts about Ameer al-Momineen Yazid ibn Mu`awiyah!