Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Letter 68

The Will's Texts

Safar 9, 1330

1) The texts regarding the will are consecutively reported through the Imams of the purified progeny (as); so, refer to what has been stated in this regard by others as mentioned in Letter No. 20 that quotes the statements of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, who took ‘Ali (as) by the neck and said: "This is my brother and successor; he shall succeed me in faring with you; therefore, listen to him and obey him."

Muhammad ibn Hamid al­Razi quotes Salamah al­Abrash, Ibn Ishaq, Abu Rabi’ah al­Ayadi, Ibn Buraydah, ending with the latter's father Buraydah citing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "For every Prophet there is a successor and an heir; my successor and heir is ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib."252

In his Kabir, and through isnad to Salman al-Farisi, al­Tabrani quotes the latter citing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "My successor, my confidant, the best man I leave behind me to fulfill my promise and implement my religion, is ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib (as)."253

This is a clear text proving that he is the successor, and an obvious testimony that he is the best of people after the Prophet (pbuh). It contains an obligatory instruction that he should succeed him, and that people should obey him, as is clear to the wise.

Abu Na’im al­Hafiz, in hisHilyat al­Awliya' ,254 quotes Anas saying that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, said to him: "O Anas! The first to enter this door is the Imam of the pious, the leader of Muslims, the chief of religion, the seal of successors of prophets, and the leader of the most pious among renown men." Anas says that ‘Ali came in, and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, stood up with excitement, hugged ‘Ali and said to him: "You will discharge my responsibility, convey my instructions, and explain all that in which they will dispute after me."

Al­Tabrani, in his Al­Kabir, quotes Abu Ayyub al­Ansari citing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying that the Prophet (pbuh) addressed Fatima once thus: "O Fatima! Have you not come to know that Allah, the Dear One, cast a look at the inhabitants of the earth and chose your father from among them and sent him as His Messenger, then He cast a second look and selected your husband and inspired me to marry him to you and appoint him as my successor?"255

Notice how Allah selected ‘Ali (as) from among all other inhabitants of the earth, immediately after selecting from among them the Seal of His Prophets (pbuh), and see how the selection of the successor is conducted in the same sequence to the selection of the Prophet.

Also see how Allah inspired His Prophet to solemnize his marriage and appoint him as his successor. See if successors of prophets were any other than the latter's own wasis. Is it fitting to push aside [when it comes to selecting a caliph] one who is the best among Allah's servants, thewasi of the master of His Prophets, and prefer someone else over him?

Is it fitting if someone else, other than he, should rule the Muslims and make him simply one of his own commoners and subjects? Is it possible, by virtue of reason, that one elected by people should be obeyed by that who was selected by Allah, just as He selected His Prophet? How is it possible that both Allah Himself and His Messenger choose him while we elect someone else?

"No believing man nor woman, after Allah and His Messenger have decreed an edict, should practice free will regarding their affairs; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger surely strays manifestly (33:36)."

Narratives abound that state that as soon as those who were hypocritical, envious, and interest­seeking came to know that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, was going to marry his daughter Fatima al­Zahra', mistress of the women of paradise and equal only to Mary (as), to ‘Ali, they envied ‘Ali and were extremely concerned, especially after many of them had unsuccessfully sought her hand.256

They said that that was indicative of ‘Ali's status; so, nobody had any hope of being his peer, and they even plotted and schemed. They sent their women to the Mistress of the Women of the World trying to turn her against ‘Ali. Among what they said to her was that ‘Ali was poor and did not have much of this world's possessions, but she, peace be upon her, was quite aware of their scheming and ill intentions as well as those of their men. In spite of all this, she did not offend them in any way, till the Will of Allah Almighty and omni­Scient and of His Messenger was carried out.

It was then that she desired to show those women the status enjoyed by the Commander of the Faithful (as) whereby Allah will shame his enemies, and she said: "O Messenger of Allah! Why did you marry me to a poor man who has no money?" He, peace be upon him and his progeny, answered her in the way stated above.

When Allah wishes to publicize

A virtue hidden from the eyes,

He facilitates to it one very well­known

To covet and envy everyone.

Al­Khatib quotes one author whose isnad is unanimously agreed upon, and who is very highly respected, namely Ibn ‘Abbas, saying: "When the Prophet (pbuh) solemnized the marriage of Fatima and ‘Ali, Fatima said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! You have married me to a poor man who does not have anything.' The Prophet (pbuh) said to her: ‘Are you not pleased that Allah has chosen from among the inhabitants of the earth two men one of whom is your father and the other is your husband?'"257

Recounting the attributes of ‘Ali, al­Hakim, on page 129, Vol. 3, of hisAl-Mustadrak , quotes Sarij ibn Yunus citing Abu Hafs al­Abar, al­A’mash, Abu Salih, and ending with Abu Hurayrah who quotes Fatima (as) saying: "O Messenger of Allah! Why have you married me to a poor man with no money?" He (pbuh) answered: "O Fatima! Are you not pleased that Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, cast a look at the inhabitants of the earth and chose two men one of whom is your father and the other is your husband?"

Ibn ‘Abbas is also quoted saying that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said the following to Fatima: "Are you not pleased that I have married you to the one who is the foremost among Muslims in accepting Islam and the one endowed with more knowledge? You are the Mistress of the women of my nation, just as Mary was the mistress of the women of her nation; are you not pleased, O Fatima, that Allah cast a look at the people of the earth and chose two men from among them: one of them is your father and the other is your husband?"258

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), whenever the Mistress of the women of the world suffered any hardship, would remind her of Allah's favour and that of His Messenger unto her, since he married her to the best of his nation, thus solacing her and removing from her chest whatever pain time had brought her.

Suffices you for a testimonial on this subject what Imam Ahmad has stated on page 26, Vol. 5, of hisMusnad where he quotes one particularhadith narrated by Ma’qil ibn Yasar in which the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have visited Fatima (as) when she fell sick and said to her: "How do you feel?" She answered: "By Allah, my grief has intensified, my want has worsened, and my sickness has lasted for too long." He (pbuh) said to her: "Yet are you not satisfied that I have married you to the one who is the foremost among my nation in accepting Islam, the one endowed with more knowledge, and the greatest in clemency?" Narratives relating this issue are nUmarous, and there is no room to state all of them in this letter, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 69

Argument of the Will's Deniers

Safar 10, 1330

Those who follow the Sunnah and consensus deny this will simply because of what al­Bukhari has narrated in hisSahih where he quotes al­Aswad saying, "It was said once to ‘Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet (pbuh) had made a will regarding ‘Ali,259 and she responded: ‘Who said so? I have seen the Prophet, while I was reclining him to my chest, when he ordered a washbowl to be brought to him; I hardly noticed how fast he collapsed and died; so, how could he have made a will to ‘Ali?"260

In the same reference, the author quotes other sources citing ‘Ayesha saying, "The Messenger of Allah breathed his last while being between my stomach and under my chin," and she is often quoted saying, "He died reclining on my chest," and she may have said: "He died while his head was on my thigh."261 So, had there been any will, she would have come to know about it. In Muslim's Sahih, in a treatise on the subject of wills on page 14, Vol. 2, the author quotes ‘Ayesha saying, "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) left neither a dinar nor a dirham, nor a male nor a female camel, nor did he leave any will."

In bothsahihs , in a treatise on wills, Talhah ibn Masrif is quoted saying, "I asked ‘Abdullah ibn Abu ‘Awfah: ‘Did the Prophet leave any will at all?' He answered: ‘No.' I asked him: ‘How did he enjoin people to write their wills while he himself did not do so?' He answered: ‘His will is the Book of Allah.'" Since theseahadith are more authentic than the ones which you have cited, and are included in bothsahihs , while the ones you have cited are not, they can be brought forth as irrefutable arguments, Wassalam.

Yours,

Letter 70

Safar 11, 1330

I The Will Cannot be Repudiated,

The Prophet's will regarding ‘Ali cannot be repudiated, for there is no doubt that he entrusted him, having bequeathed to him his knowledge and wisdom, as indicated in Letter 66 above, to wash his corpse, enshroud it and bury it,262 and to pay his dues, fulfill his promise on his behalf, defray his outstanding debts,263 and explain to people after him whatever matters in which they differed regarding the commandments and injunctions of Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime.264 He also entrusted the nation to take ‘Ali (as) as his (pbuh) successor,265 brother,266 the father of his descendants,267 his vizier,268 confidant,269 the executor of his will,270 his vicegerent,271 the gateway of his knowledge, according tohadith number 9 cited in Letter 48 above, the gateway of his wisdom, according tohadith number 10 cited in Letter 48, the Gate of Salvation of his nation, according tohadith number 14 cited in Letter 48 above, its security and the ark of its salvation, as testified by the traditions we quoted in Letter 8 above. Obeying Ali is as important as obeying the Prophet himself: disobedience to him is a sin equal to that of disobeying the Prophet according tohadith number 16 cited in Letter 48 and according to others. Following him is equal to following the Prophet; abandoning him is abandoning the Prophet, according tohadith number 17 cited in Letter 48 above and according to others, that he [Prophet] is on peaceful terms with whoever is peaceful with him, and he is an enemy of whoever bears animosity towards him,272 the friend of whoever befriends him and the enemy of whoever antagonizes him;273 whoever loves him is loved by Allah and His Messenger, and whoever hates him does in turn hate Allah and His Messenger, according toahadith 19, 20 and 21 cited in Letter 48 above and according to others. Whoever befriends him befriends them both, and whoever antagonizes him in fact antagonizes them both, according tohadith 23 cited in the same Letter; whoever harms him harms them too;274 whoever denounces him does in fact denounce both Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), according tohadith 18 cited in Letter 48 above, and according to others. He is the Imam of the righteous and the annihilator of the debauchees; whoever supports is in fact divinely supported, and whoever betrays him is betrayed by the Almighty, according to the firsthadith cited in the same Letter and according to others; he is the master of Muslims and the Imam of the righteous, the leader of the pious among the most renown men, according toahadith 2, 3, 4, and 5 in Letter 48; he is the banner of guidance, the Imam of Allah's servants, the lighthouse of whoever obeys Allah's commandments, the Word which Allah has enjoined upon the pious, according tohadith 6 in the same Letter and according to others; he is the supreme Siddiq, the nation's Faruq, and the believers' chief, according tohadith 7 in the same Letter and according to others. His status is like that of the Great Furqan (Qur'an) and the Wise Remembrance.275

He is to the Prophet in the same position which Aaron held in comparison to Moses, as clarified in Letters No. 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34, and to the Prophet's status with his Lord, according tohadith 13 of Letter 48, and according to others, and like the position of the Prophet's head to his body, according to thehadith quoted in Letter 50 and to others, to which we refer you, suggesting that you may observe our comment. He is like unto his own self according to the verse of Mubahala and to thehadith quoted by Ibn ‘Awf which is reproduced in Letter 50.

Allah the Exalted and the Sublime cast a look at the inhabitants of the earth and chose him from among them as is clear from the traditions which we have quoted in our Letter 68. Suffices you his covenant on the standing day at ‘Arafat during the Farewell Pilgrimage, and that nobody discharges the Prophet's responsibility other than the Prophet himself or ‘Ali,276 up to the end of so many such attributes which nobody else can claim other than a wasi, and those who enjoy a special status with the Prophet; so, how can any wise person deny the Prophet's will, or overlook it, other than an interest­seeker? What is a will other than entrusting a person with some such matters?

II Why Denied,

2) As regarding the followers of the four sects, whoever denies it from among them does so thinking that accepting it will jeopardize the legitimacy of the caliphate of the three Imams.

III Deniers' Arguments not Binding,

3) We cannot accept their argument just because it is based upon what al­Bukhari and others have said. They quote Talhah ibn Masrif saying: "I asked ‘Abdullah ibn Abu ‘Awfah: ‘Did the Prophet leave any will at all?' He answered: ‘No.' I asked: ‘How did he enjoin people to write their wills while he himself did not do so?' He answered: ‘His will is the Book of Allah.'"

Thishadith is not confirmed through our sources; it is but a fabrication necessitated by certain politicians. Regardless of that, thesahihs of the purified progeny are mutawatir regarding the issue of the will; so, let all texts which disagree with them be discarded.

IV Reason and Intellect Require it.

4) Yet the issue of the will does not even require any argument due to the dictates of reason and common sense.

If something elongates, it stands by itself - in form and hue;

For surely the sun dissipates all that seems to be untrue.

As regarding al­Bukhari's narrative from Ibn Abu ‘Awfah who claims that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, has left the Book of Allah as his will, it is a statement the tail of which is cut off, for he, peace be upon him and his progeny, had recommended to his nation to uphold both Weighty Things spontaneously, warning it of the danger of straying if it did not do so, informing it that they both would never part from each other till they reached him at the Pool. Oursahihs in this regard are consecutively reported from the sources of the purified progeny; so, you may refer to othersahihs as quoted in our Letters No. 8 and 54, Wassalam.

Yours,

Sh

Letter 71

Why Reject the Hadith of the Mother of Believers and the best Among the Prophet's Consorts?

Safar 10, 1330

Why did you - may Allah forgive you - turn away from the mother of believers and the best of the Prophet's consorts and discarded her hadith, leaving it to oblivion, while her statement is the final and just judgment? In spite of this, you may give us your own viewpoint to consider,

Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 72

Safar 12, 1330

I She Was Not the Best of the Prophet's Consorts

1) The mother of the believers ‘Ayesha enjoys a special status, and she has her own contribution standing to her credit, but she is not the best of the Prophet's wives. How can she be the best since one authentichadith quotes her saying, "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, once mentioned Khadija, and I objected by saying: ‘She was an old woman, and such and such, and Allah has granted you someone better than her [meaning herself].'

He said: ‘Not at all; Allah has not granted me better than her; she believed in me when people denounced me, and she believed in me when people called me a liar; she shared her wealth with me when people deprived me, and Allah blessed me with children by her while depriving me of the children of all others'"?

‘Ayesha is also reported as having said, "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, never left home before mentioning Khadija and praising her. One day, he mentioned her, and I felt jealous. I said: ‘Was she but an old woman, while Allah has blessed you with someone better than her?' He became so offended that his front hair shook in anger, then he said: ‘No, by Allah! Allah did not bless me with anyone better than her! She believed in me when people disbelieved; she held me truthful when people called me a liar; she gave me an equal share of her wealth when people deprived me, and Allah blessed me with children by her while depriving me the children of other women.'"277

II The Best is Khadija,

2) The best of the Prophet's (pbuh) consorts, therefore, is Khadija al-Kubra, the truthful of this nation, the foremost in believing in Allah and His Book, and in solacing His Prophet. Allah has inspired His Messenger (pbuh) to convey the good news to her that she had in Paradise a house built of stalks of gold and silver,278 and that she had been a favourite of Allah.

The Almighty said of her: "The best of the women of Paradise are Khadija daughter of Khuaylid, Fatima daughter of Muhammad, Asiya daughter of Muzahim, and Mary daughter of ‘Umran (Amram)." He, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said: "Among all the women of the world, commended are Khadija daughter of Khuaylid, Fatima daughter of Muhammad, Asiya daughter of Muzahim, and Mary daughter of ‘Umran." There are otherahadith which are among the most authentic and reliable emphasizing the same.279

It cannot also be said that ‘Ayesha was the best among the mothers of believers save Khadija. Reliable traditions and recorded events refuse to favour her over the others, as is obvious to the wise. She probably thought of herself as being superior to all others, and the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, did not agree with her self­assessment.

The same happened with Safiyya daughter of Huyay when the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, entered her room once and found her weeping. He asked her: "What grieves you?" She answered: "I have come to know that both ‘Ayesha and Hafsa speak ill of me and say that they are better than me." He, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Couldn't you have told them: ‘How can you be better than me, since my father is Aaron, my uncle is Moses, and my husband is Muhammad?'"280

Whoever traces the mother of the believers ‘Ayesha in her deeds and statements will find her as we indicate here.

III A General Hint to the Reason Why her Hadith was Discarded

3) The reason why we have discarded herhadith regarding the will is due to the fact that it does not constitute an argument, and please do not ask me to elaborate on this point, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 73

Requesting an Explanation to our Rejection of ‘Ayesha's Hadith

Safar 13, 1330

You are not one who deceives, cheats, or pretends, nor are you one who falsely charges someone. You are above being charged or accused as being as such. I, praise be to Allah, neither criticize nor disprove, nor do I look for someone's faults nor shortcomings; truth is my pursuit. I cannot help asking you why you turn away from her [‘Ayesha's] hadith, and your documented answer to this question is unavoidable.

Convey your message, and have no worry,

Let thy eyes be cooled, and be merry.

The argument I press in this regard is embedded in the meaning of this verse of the Holy Qur'an:

"Those who have concealed what We have revealed of clear signs and guidance after We had made them clear to mankind in the Book: these have been cursed by Allah and by those who curse (2:159)"...,

Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 74

Safar 14, 1330

I Explaining Why We Reject her Hadith,

1) You have, may Allah assist you, insisted that I should elaborate, and you have left me no option except doing just that. Due to the wealth of your knowledge, you know where we come from. Here lies the fountainhead of the will; here lies the battle-ground of explicit texts; here lies the annihilation of the khums, inheritance, and creed; here lies the cause of sedition; here lies the reason of discord; here lies the root of dissension...281 While fighting the Commander of the Faithful, she toured the lands, leading a huge army in order to usurp his government and put an end to his rule.

What happened has happened; I am no narrator of that;

So have good thoughts, and do not ask who, when or what.

To argue in support of denying the will to ‘Ali using her own statement, the most bitter of his enemies that she was, is an attempt not expected at all from any fair­minded person. And that was not the only incident that demonstrated her animosity towards ‘Ali (as). Denying the will to ‘Ali is much less significant than the Lesser Camel Battle282 and the Greater Camel Battle in which evil intentions surfaced and the curtain removed.

Likewise, her attitude was manifest even before going out to fight him, the man who was her own wali, and her Prophet's wasi, till the news of his death reached her, whereupon she prostrated to thank God (for his martyrdom) and composed these lines:283

She laid down her rod, happy and pleased,

Her heart joyful, her mind eased;

As a traveller arrives home, of burdens relieved;

Never say ‘Ayesha, by Ali's death, was grieved.

If you desire, I may quote for you of herhadith what proves to you that she was in remote error. She has said: "When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, became seriously sick, he went out dragging his feet, reclining on two persons; one of them was ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul­Muttalib and another man."284

The narrator of thishadith comments adding: "I informed ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas about what ‘Ayesha had said, and he responded to me saying, ‘Do you know the name of the man whom ‘Ayesha did not name?' I said: ‘no.' Ibn ‘Abbas said: ‘He was ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib.'" The narrator continues to say that ‘Ayesha does not wish ‘Ali any good.285

If she did not wish any good to a man with whom the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, walked, how could she then be expected to feel good about mentioning the will which contains a great deal of good for ‘Ali?

On page 113, Vol. 6, of hisMusnad , Imam Ahmad quotes ‘Ata' ibn Yasar saying: "A man came and spoke ill of both ‘Ali and ‘Ammar to ‘Ayesha who responded by saying, ‘As regarding ‘Ali, I have nothing to say to defend him; but concerning ‘Ammar, I have heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, say that whenever ‘Ammar had to opt between two options, he always chose the most reasonable of them.'"

Have you noticed that?! The mother of the believers warns about plotting against ‘Ammar due to the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Whenever ‘Ammar had to opt between two options, he always chose the most reasonable of them," while refraining from warning against plotting to harm ‘Ali who is the brother and successor of the Prophet, his Aaron and confidant, the most just among his nation, the foremost to believe in his message, the one whose merits are the most...!

As if she is not aware of his status in the eyes of Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, or his position in the heart of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, or his status in Islam, his great efforts for its promotion, and his handsome contributions. As if she never heard anything in the Book of Allah nor the Sunnah of His Messenger (pbuh) in his praise, so that she would place him at par with ‘Ammar!

By Allah, my mind is perplexed when I consider her statement: "I have seen the Prophet (pbuh), while on my chest, ordering a wash-bowl to be brought to him; I hardly noticed how fast he collapsed and died; so, how could he have made a will to ‘Ali?" I do not know which aspect of her statement I should criticize, being scrutinized as a whole from various angles.

I wonder how anyone can presume that since his death took place the way she described, he could not have left a will. Did she think that a will is valid only at the time of death?! No, but it is the excuse of one who is fighting the irrefutable truth, whoever he or she may be, while Allah has said in His Glorious Book, addressing His revered Messenger (pbuh),

"It is prescribed unto you when death approaches someone to leave something good, a will (Qur'an, 2:180 and 5:106)."

Did the mother of the believers ever see him, peace be upon him and his progeny, going against the instructions of the Book of Allah or ignoring its injunctions? God forbid. She saw him following its guidance, adhering to its verses, rushing to obey its bidding and forbidding, reaching the ultimate end of adherence to all its injunctions.

There is no doubt in my mind that she must have heard him saying: "No believer who knows that he is leaving something behind him should sleep even two nights without having his will written,"286 or something in this meaning, for his instructions regarding the writing of wills have undoubtedly come from him.

It does not fit him or any other Prophet, blessings of Allah be upon all of them, to bid something without doing it himself, or forbid something while doing the opposite thereof; Allah is above selecting such individuals for conveying His message.

As regarding what Muslim and others have quoted ‘Ayesha saying: "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) left neither a dinar nor a dirham, neither a male nor a female camel, nor did he leave any will," it is just like its previous "hadith."

Yet it is not correct to assume that what she meant was that he (pbuh) did not leave any will at all, but rather that he did not have possessions which required a will, for, indeed, he did not leave much of this world's wares, the most ascetic person that he was. He joined his Lord, the Exalted and the Sublime, leaving a few outstanding debts,287 and a few items, in addition to things entrusted to him by other people which required a will [regarding who they belonged to.

He also left of his own possessions something that would help defray his debts, and the fulfillment of his promises, with a remnant that required being handed over to his heir. The proof for that is what Fatima al­Zahra', peace be upon her, rightfully demanded of her father's inheritance.288

II Reason Confirms the Will,

2) The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, left things which demanded a will, things which no other human being ever left. Suffices you that he left the upright religion of Allah, while still at the beginning of its growth and early inception, and that by itself demanded an heir more than did gold or silver, a house or a real estate, lands or cattle.

The entire nation became his orphans and widows, seeking refuge with his successor to take his place to fare with them and manage their religious and secular affairs. It is impossible that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, should have entrusted Allah's religion, while still in its cradle, to inclinations and presumptions, or left the protection of its legislation to personal motives and interests, without a successor to look after religious as well as secular affairs, someone upon whom he could rely to represent him before the public.

He is above leaving his orphans, who inhabited spacious lands, like frightened cattle in a rainy winter night, without anyone to look after them. He is above abandoning the will especially after having received instructions in its regard from his Lord and thus strongly commanded his nation to do so. Reason does not listen to the claim that no will was made, even if such a claim comes from a highly respected person.

At the dawn of the Islamic era, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, made a will to ‘Ali (as) even before his mission was publicized in Mecca, immediately following the revelation of the verse saying:"And warn your near kin (26:214)," as we explained in Letter 20. He continued repeating his will time and over again, emphasizing it through many covenants to which we had referred.

When he finally wished, while in his last hours, may I sacrifice my parents for his own sake, to write his will to ‘Ali (as) to emphasize his previous verbal covenants, and to back his previous verbal statements in this regard, he, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Bring me some writing material so that I may write for you something to protect you against straying," but they disputed, while no dispute is permitted in the presence of a Prophet, and said: "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is delirious.’’289

It was then that he (pbuh) realized, after they had made such a statement, that no trace would remain of his intended order, if implemented, other than dissension; therefore, he told them to clear his room, feeling satisfied with the verbal covenants which he had made to ‘Ali (as).

In spite of all this, however, he made three recommendations at the time of his death: that they should select ‘Ali as his successor; that they should turn the polytheists out of the Arabian peninsula; and that they should reward the envoys in the same way he (pbuh) used to reward them. But the dictates of politics at that time did not permit the traditionists to narrate his first will, claiming that they had forgotten it.

Al­Bukhari, at the conclusion of thehadith containing the charge that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was delirious, saidverbatim : "And his (pbuh) will at the time of his death contained three instructions: to turn the polytheists out of the Arabian peninsula, to reward the envoys in the same way which he used to reward them..., and the third one was forgotten."290 This is how Muslim puts it in his Sahih, and so do all other authors ofsunan and musnads.

III Her Claim that the Prophet Died on Her Chest is Refuted.

3) The claim of the mothers of believers that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, joined his Lord while being on her chest is opposed by the authenticated tradition stating that he (pbuh) joined the Supreme Companion while being on the chest of his brother and friend (wali) ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib (as), according to all consecutively reportedsahihs from the Imams of the purified progeny which are supported by Sunnisahihs , as is well­known to researchers, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 75

Safar 17, 1330

I Mother of the Believers is not Ruled by Emotions,

1) The axis upon which your argument, regarding the mother of the believers in her frankhadith denying a will to ‘Ali, revolves is two­folded:

One is your allegation that her biased indisposition against the Imam bids her to deny the will. Our rebuttal is that those who are familiar with her life­style deny the allegation that she yields to emotion while narratinghadith about the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, or that she seeks a special interest; so, she cannot be accused while quoting the Prophet's hadith, albeit if the subject­matter of suchhadith is someone she likes or someone she does not.

God forbid that interests dominate her mind to the extent that she lies while quotinghadith from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, preferring to promote her own interest rather than telling the truth.

II The Pleasant and the Ugly are Denied by Reason,

2) The other is that reason alone refuses your claim that thishadith is authentic, for it is neither logical nor permissible to conclude that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, would leave the religion of Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime, in its cradle, while Allah's servants are following a new creed, without having made a will instructing them regarding their affairs.

The answer to your claim is that this matter is based on rational goodness and ugliness, and the Sunnis disclaim it, for reason according to their judgment does not at all determine whether something is pleasant or ugly; rather, they believe that jurisdiction is the one that determines it. They believe that whatever the jurisdiction labels as good, they accept it as good, and whatever the jurisdiction describes as bad, they consider it as such, and reason cannot be relied upon at all in such matters.

III Why Oppose the Claim of the Mother of Believers?

3) As regarding what you have mentioned at the conclusion of your Letter 74,

concerning your rejection of the claim of the mother of believers that the Prophet died on her chest, we are not familiar with anyhadith narrated by Sunnis which disproves it; so, if you are aware of any such hadith, please oblige and state it, Wassalam.

Sincerely,