Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

[A Pragmatic Analysis of Al-Ashter’s ‘Epistle]

Original Subject:

A Pragmatic Analysis of Illocutionary Speech Acts in Standard Arabic with a Special Reference to Al-Ashter’s ‘Epistle’

By: Firas Abdul-Munim Jawad

Babylon University/College of Education /Safi yil Deen Alhilli

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

Introduction: 4

Analysis: 6

1) Declarations: 7

2) Representative: 8

3) Expressives: 9

4) Commissives: 10

5) Directives 11

1-Command: 12

2-Prohibition: 13

3-Advice: 14

4-Praying: 15

Auxiliary speech acts: 16

1-Explanation: 17

2- Justification: 18

3- Addition: 19

4- Condition: 20

Speech acts indirectness: 21

1- Representative: 22

2- Declaration: 23

3- Expressive: 24

4- Commissive: 25

5- Directive: 26

1-Command: 27

2-Prohibition: 28

3-Advice: 29

4-Warning 30

5-Praying: 31

Findings: 32

References: 34

Appendix(1): 35

Abstract

Illocutionary speech acts in Standard Arabic makes the subject matter of the present study. It has some points of theoretical and cultural significance. Searle’s (1969) model to analyze the major speech acts of the discourse under study, namely, the ‘Epistle’ which is a letter from the Muslim Caliph Ali bin Abi-Talib fourteen centuries ago to one of his governors ,i.e., Malik Al-Ashter, the new ruler of Egypt then. That letter could be claimed to resemble the constitution. Most speech acts were ‘directives’ because of the instructive nature of the ‘Epistle’. Many other speech acts were miner rather than major. Van Dijk (1977b) model is adopted to analyze the miner speech acts. A further point of analysis is considered, i.e., (in) directness where the overwhelming majority of speech acts are used directly rather than indirectly under the influence of the instructive nature of the discourse under study.

Introduction:

This paper is in the field of pragmatics where the speech act theory represents the specific field of this study. Despite the extensive application of this theory in many languages ,the possibility of its application to Standard Arabic (SA, henceforth)  needs some more investigation .As a point of significance for the present study, this application offers some more additional theoretical evidence on the universality of the speech act theory. Another point of significance concerns with the discourse under study itself. The selected discourse is a letter resembling the constitution legislated by the Muslim Caliph Ali bin Abi-Talib fourteen centuries ago. This book is translated by Sayyid Ali Reza. That letter was addressed to the man who was chosen by the Caliph to be the ruler of Egypt, namely, Malik al-Ashter. Because of its exceptional value, the UN has considered this letter as one of its formal documents. This letter, which is called 'The Epistle', offers a good possibility to investigate illocutionary speech acts in general and directive speech acts in specific. The different uses of the directive speech acts will make the basic subject matter of the present study. Concerning limitation, the present study is limited to the illocutionary speech acts in a given discourse in SA , namely, 'The Epistle'.

Objectives: the present study aims at achieving the following objectives put in the form of questions below:

1-Qualitatively and quantatively, how and why are illocutionary speech acts in the present study used?

2-Concerning illocutionary speech acts in general and directive speech acts in specific, is directness or indirectness preferred?

Concerning methodology, certain procedures are followed in this paper. The whole discourse under study is going to be categorized into illocutionary speech acts according to Searle’s (1969) model. The available representations of the model’s parameters or  components will be analyzed. A further need for an additional analytical model will be met by Dijk’s (1977b) model to deal with auxiliary speech acts. Finally, directness and indirectness will be considered and analyzed.

The present study is in the field of speech act theory. The adopted model is Searle’s (1969) in which illocutionary speech acts are put in five classes. These are 1-declaration, 2-representative, 3-expressive, 4-commissive,and 5-directive. Shedding more light on these speech acts will be done through the analysis later on.

Every speech act could be represented differently through several representations. Directive speech acts, for example, could be represented by command, prohibition, advice, warning, etc. as will be shown later on.

Searle’s five class speech acts do not cover all speech acts. There is still a group of speech acts playing different minor roles in supporting the major speech acts. That is why such speech acts are called ‘auxiliary’ ones. Dijk (1977b), as referred to in Al-Khaz’ali (2009:28) ,states that they are eight ,namely, 1-justification,2-explanation, 3-addition, 4-conclusion, 5-contradiction, 6-explication, 7-correction and

8-condition.They will  be highlighted and analyzed later on.

A further consideration adopted in the present study is (in)directness. The illocutionary speech acts under study are examined whether they are direct or indirect.

A final point to be covered before moving to the analytical phase is concerned with the felicity conditions which make an obligatory element in doing any analysis of speech acts. Felicity conditions are defined by Crystal (2003:178) as “a term used in the theory of speech acts to refer to the criteria which must be satisfied if the speech act is to achieve its purpose.” Four kinds of felicity conditions are suggested by Searle (1969). The first one is the propositional content conditions. They, as Al-Sulaiman (2010:289) states, “specify what can be expressed by the utterance uttered to perform the illocutionary act.” For example, commissive illocutionary speech acts indicate future action of the speaker whereas directives indicate the addresser’s attempt to make the addressee(s) do or not to do a given thing.

The second kind of felicity conditions is the preparatory conditions in which, as stated by Verschueren (1999:23) “the speaker/writer has adequate information to form a ‘valid’ opinion about the future state of affairs.”

       Sincerity conditions, the third kind of felicity conditions , “require the speaker to be sincere” (Cruse:2006:62). These conditions assure that the speaker’s intention of his speech is what is expressed. The fourth kind of felicity conditions is the essential conditions which “ relate to the way the speaker is committed to a certain kind belief or behavior ,having performed a speech act (e.g. accepting an object that one has just requested” (Crystal:2003:179).

     The presence of this set of conditions is obligatory to make a given discourse valid.

Analysis:

      The discourse under study is going to be classified according to the five categories of speech acts adopted by Searle (1969).The frequencies of occurrence of these categories are shown below in table (1) and illustrated in figure (1):

Table (1): Frequency of occurrence of speech acts according to Searle (1969)

Figure (1): Frequency of occurrence of speech acts according to Searle (1969)

1) Declarations:

  It is a kind of illocutionary speech acts. Searle (1979:16-17) states that “the successful performance of one of its members brings about the correspondence between the propositional contents and reality, successful performance guarantees that the propositional content corresponds to the world.” Only three out of (169) speech acts functions as declarations making (%1.77) frequency of occurrence .This low percentage is explained when the relationship between the nature of the text under study on the one hand and the function of declarations on the other hand is highlighted. The text under study is in fact a letter which includes a list  of instructions from the chief Ruler (Caliph) to one of his state rulers. It is supposed to be full of instructions and the like. Declaration is defined by Yule (1996:128) as “ a speech act that brings about a change by being uttered, e.g. a judge pronouncing a sentence.”The communicative message indicated in a declaration speech act as defined by the self-explanatory definition above has almost nothing to do with the instructive communicative message of the text under study. That’s why the percentage of the frequency of utterance of declaration speech acts is too low, being (%1.77).However, there is still a few number of declaration speech acts available in the text.

Thus, suitable justifications should be offered  to justify the existence as well as low frequency of occurrence of the speech acts of declaration. In order to do that ,it seems that analyzing a given declaration speech act is expected to be expressive. The first speech act in the discourse under study is a declaration which is :

  “IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL”

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This part of the discourse functions as a declaration of starting or beginning something, a letter in our case. By beginning with this sentence, the letter writer i.e., addresser, intends to say ,i.e. DECLARE that the letter with all its communicative requirements has just begun. Another speech act of declaration is the following one:

Peace be on the Messenger of Allah-may Allah shower His blessings and plentiful salutation on him and his pure and chaste descendants

والسلام على رسول الله- صلى الله عليه واله وسلم- واله الطيبين الطاهرين وسلم تسليما كثيرا

The addresser intends to express or DECLARE finalization at the end of the message.

2) Representative:

  Five speech acts out of (169) making (2.95%) frequency of occurrence are labeled as ‘representative.’ A representative speech act ,as defined by Crystal (2003:397) is a “term used in the theory of SPEECH ACTs to refer to a type of UTTERANCE where speakers convey their belief about the truth of a PROPOSITION.”     

  Investigating the function of a ‘representative’ helps in studying its relationship with the text under study since it is basically instructive. A  representative speech act deals with the past and present. It could come as an ‘evaluation’. A self-explanatory example of ‘representative’ as an ‘evaluation’ is the following:

“and this is heavy on the officers”

وذلك على الولاة ثقيل

Here, there is an evaluation to something that took place in the past and its results are still valid to the present time. Whereas ‘evaluation’ ,as a representative speech act, issuing  judgments on things or (people’s) actions took place in the past, directive speech acts deal with the present and future.

The lack of correspondence between the representative speech acts on the one hand and the overwhelming majority of the directive speech acts of the present study explains the low percentage of the representative speech acts, as shown in table (1) above.

3) Expressives:

  They are explained by Verschueren (1999:24) as “expressing a variety of psychological states, having no direction of fit between words and world, and simply counting as expressions of psychological states.” This self explanatory definition could be seen when expressing psychological states like ‘thanks’ or ‘apologies’ (ibid.).However, an additional kind of psychological states has been shown in the discourse under study which could be called ‘sorrow showing’. The addresser says:

“Surely, we have to return to Him”.

وإنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون

He refers to his as well as the addressee’s expected martyrdom. Expressing this kind of ideas or psychological states does not reflect the controlling atmosphere of the discourse under study. Obviously, there is no correspondence between the discourse under study, being directive in nature, and the expressiveness of the expressive speech act above. That is why there is no more than one speech act of the expressive kind out of (169) ones making ( 0.59%) frequency of occurrences shown and illustrated in table (1) and figure  (1) above.

4) Commissives:

This kind of speech acts refers to “a type of UTTERANCE where the speaker makes a commitment to a future course of action”(Crystal:2003:84).Commissive speech acts are performed through a relatively small class of verbs like ‘offer, promise, swear, volunteer, vow, etc. (Leech:1983:206).While commissives function to convey the addresser’s intention(Verschueren:1999:132),conveying intention as well as instructing i.e., commissives and directives respectively are related to the future. However, they are not required equally in the discourse under study. As a matter of fact, commissives prove not to be required at all since there is no single speech act of this kind in the discourse under study making the frequency of utterance (0%). The reason behind that is that there is no correspondence between the communicative function of commissives with the discourse under study which is ment for giving instructions.

5) Directives

A directive is “a speech act used to get someone else to do something” (Yule:1996:129).The frequency of occurrence of directives makes (%95.26) frequency of occurrence since there are (160) out of (169) of this kind of speech acts. The reason behind this high percentage  is the correspondence between the communicative goal of the discourse under study and the directive nature of the overwhelming majority of the speech acts used. However, directives are of various kinds whose frequencies of occurrence are different. These kinds are: command, prohibition, advice, warning and praying. This  availability could be justified when correspondence between the communicative functions of the available directives with the communicative purpose of the discourse under study is established.  Below, the available directives are investigated. Table (2) and figure (2) offer some explanation and illustration as given below:

Table (2):Frequency of occurrence of the available directive speech acts

Figure(2):Frequency of occurrence of the available directive speech acts

The frequencies of occurrence of the available directive speech acts are discussed below:

1-Command:

  Directives of ‘command’ ,as shown in table (2) and illustrated in figure (2) are (106) out of (160) making (%66,25) frequency of occurrence which is the highest one. The instructive nature of the ‘Epistle’ justifies this high frequency of occurrence of ‘command’. Directive speech acts of ‘command’ could be of two kinds: positive and negative. The ‘positive command’ on the one hand, indicates ordering someone to do something as shown below:l

“Habituate your heart to mercy for the subject and to affection and kindness  for them.”

وأشعر قلبك الرحمة والمحبة لهم واللطف بهم

  On the other hand, the ‘negative order’ indicates ordering someone NOT to do a given thing. The ‘negative command’ which could be called ‘prohibition’ is explained below.

2-Prohibition:

  Prohibition directives , as shown in table (2) and illustrated in figure (2), are (46) out of (160) making (%28.75) frequency of occurrence. It is relatively high since ‘prohibition’ is a negative command ;however, ‘prohibition’ speech acts occur less frequently than ‘commands’.  This  frequency of occurrence could be related to the fact that the addresser i.e., the Caliph has concentrated on providing the addressee i.e., the new ruler what is urgently and specifically needed. This concentration has been shown obviously through issuing a good number of positive instructions i.e., commands to do things which have not been made before by the preceding rulers. Obviously ,there is a preference of the addresser to issue positive commands to do things rather than issuing negative commands, i.e., prohibitions, not to do things. That is why both commands and prohibitions are used in high frequencies of occurrence with a preference to use commands being positive rather than negative as that of prohibitions. The following example illustrates prohibition:

“Do not stand over them like greedy beasts who feel it is enough to devour them.”

تكونن عليهم سبعا ضاريا تغتنم اكلهم ولا

3-Advice:

Directive speech acts of ‘advice’ are used with a very low frequency of occurrence ,being (%1.87) since there are only three speech acts of this kind. Advice is negotiatiable since the addresser has the capacity not to consider it. That is how it differs from command and prohibition. The discourse under study is basically instructive since it includes a big number of commands issued by the superior to the inferior. However, the matter is different concerning the directive speech act of ‘advice’ since it is used between equals. That is why the frequencies of occurrence of the positive commands and negative ones ,i.e., ‘prohibitions’ on the one hand are high whereas ‘advice’ directive speech acts ,on the other hand ,is low. Authority does not restrict equality or inequality in ‘advice’ because the addressee has the capacity not to accept the advice since it is a subjective rather than an objective matter. The following example is illustrative:

“Therefore, the best collection with you should be the collection of good deeds.”

فليكن أحب الذخائر إليك ذخيرة العمل الصالح

4-Praying:

This kind of speech acts is directive since it implies the process of asking the addressee by the addresser to do something. Two speech acts out of (160) of ‘praying’ making (%1.25) frequency of occurrence are available in the discourse under study. Concerning authority, as a felicity condition, the addresser is inferior to the addressee and the speech acts indicate futurity. The special case here is that of ‘response’ whether negotiatiable or no. Negotiatiable directive speech acts, like an ‘invitation’ or ‘offer’ take place between equal sides where the addressee is authorized to refuse what is directed to him. Non-negotiatiable speech acts like ‘command’ or ‘prohibition’ etc. take place between sides of unequal authorities in which the addresser is usually superior to the addressee. However, the directive speech act of ‘praying’ is negotiatable i.e., the addressee has the authority to accept or refuse since the addressee i.e., ‘Allah’ is superior to the addresser. The following example illustrates the ‘praying’ directive speech act:

“I ask my Allah through the extent of His mercy and the greatness of His power of giving a good inclination that He may prompt me and you to advance a clear plea before Him and His creatures.”

وأنا أسأل الله بسعة رحمته وعظيم قدرته على إعطاء كل رغبة أن يوفقني وإياك لما فيه رضاه من الإقامة على العذر الواضح إليه والى خلقه

The two speech acts of ‘praying’ are positioned at the end of the Epistle. The end of a given discourse usually includes some hints telling the addressee(s) that the discourse has arrived at the last stage. One of such hints is wishing the good to the addressee according to the addresser’s belief. That is why the two ‘praying’ speech acts are positioned finally.

Auxiliary speech acts:

Although Searle’s model (1969) classifies speech acts into five classes , some speech acts could be classified under non. However, this kind of speech acts are not completely independent. There are some forms of relationships between these speech acts on the one hand and speech acts in Searle’s model (1969) on the other hand. This kind of relationship makes this incompletely independent speech acts be called ‘auxiliary.’ These speech acts are considered auxiliary since their role is not to convey the major communicative massages, as the major SAs in Searle’s model (1969) do. They rather take parts in conveying miner parts of the communicative message of the major SA. This difference in function will be highlighted in the analysis below.

Van Dijk (1977,b), as put in Al-Khaza’li (2009), investigates eight auxiliary speech acts. They are as follows: justification, explanation, addition, conclusion, contradiction, explication, correction and condition. Only some of these auxiliary speech acts are found in the discourse under study. The total number of speech acts is (298) consisting of (169) main speech acts making, directives, (56.71%) and (129) auxiliary speech acts making (%43.28).The distribution of auxiliary speech acts is illustrated in table (3):

Table (3): The frequency of occurrence of the auxiliary speech acts

Figure (3): The frequency of occurrence of the auxiliary speech acts

1-Explanation:

There are various speech act relations between speech acts of various natures. These natures are based on “the function achieved by a certain speech act in relation to another speech act” (Al-Khaza’li:2009:28). This function basically, comes with the authority speech act and one of the main component acts in compound (related) speech acts consisting of a main speech act followed by another main one.(ibid.) The function of the ‘explanation’ auxiliary speech act is to offer some clarification to the previous speech act as in the example below:

“Control your passions and check your heart from doing what is not lawful for you, because checking the heart means detaining it just half way between what it likes and dislikes.”

وشح بنفسك عما لا يحل لك فان الشح بالنفس  الإنصاف منها فيما أحبت أو كرهت

         Table (3) shows that (70) out of (129) auxiliary speech acts of explanation are used making (%54.26) frequency of occurrence .This is the highest, and then the most important, kind of auxiliary speech acts used in the discourse under study.

2- Justification:

Another related kind of auxiliary speech acts is that one of ‘justification’. Dijk (1977b:101),as referred to in Al-Khaza’ali (2009:29 ), points out that some speakers use speech acts as a motivation or a reason for making another speech act more felicitous.

  The auxiliary speech act of ‘justification’ precedes the following main speech act. Al-Hindawi (1999) claims that the difference between ‘explanation’ and ‘justification’ is in position. He (ibid.) argues that ‘explanation’ is a variant of ‘justification’ whereas ‘justification’ is the subordinate act that justifies the issuance of the following act ‘explanation’ which  justifies the initiation of the preceding act.

  A compound directive speech act actually consists of two constituents, one concerns the addresser and the other one concerns the  addressee. What concerns the addresser is how to send the intended communicative message, directive in this case, clearly. What concerns the addressee is how to receive the message accurately in order to respond appropriately. Since the addresser in a directive speech act is in most cases superior all what is related to him is focused on to all what is related to the addressee. Focus is considered here through applying the strategy of ‘Fronting’. What concerns the addresser is to explain, i.e., make his intention clear whereas what concerns the addressee is to comprehend the message through making use of the addresser’s ‘justification’. That is why the frequency of occurrence of ‘explanation’ is high ,being (%54.26) whereas it is low, being (%0.77) for ‘justification’. Thus, position is critically important in deciding the frequency of occurrence. The following example is illustrative:

“The worst minister for you is he who has been a minister for mischievous persons before you and who joined them in sin(justification).  Therefore, he should not be your chief man.(main speech act of command)”

إن شر وزرائك من كان للأشرار قبلك وزيرا ومن شركهم في الآثام فلا يكونن لك بطانة

3- Addition:

The ‘addition’ auxiliary speech acts are (52) out of(126) making a relatively high frequency of occurrence of (%41.26). Van Dijk (1977a:211) ,as referred to in Al-Khaz’ali (2009:32), points out that some speech acts indicat that the speaker wants to add something to the preceding speech act where an assertion is added to previous assertions. The process of addition is often done by using ‘and’ and ‘moreover.’ This strategy of joining speech acts via subsequent utterances  within the discourse is adopted in SA. Adding a given assertion to a previous one is made syntactically through subordination which is adopted strongly in SA. Kaplan (1980:41), Ostler (1987:173) and Sa’adedeen (1989:36).Subordination in SA is used to join subsequent assertions. This strong preference in SA explains the relatively high frequency of occurrence of ‘addition’ auxiliary speech acts. The following  example clarifies this speech act:

“You are over them (people) and your responsible Commander (Imam) is over you.”

فانك فوقهم ووالي الامر عليك  فوقك

4- Condition:

The frequency of occurrence of the ‘condition’ auxiliary speech acts is low, being (%3.17)since there are no more than four out of (126) speech acts of this kind. Below is some illustrative examples:

(auxiliary-condition) “If the authority in which you are placed produces pride or vanity in you  then  (main –command) look at the greatness of the realm of Allah over you and His might the like of which might you do not even possess over yourself.”

وإذا أحدث لك ما أنت فيه من سلطانك أبهة أو مخيلة فأنظر إلى عظم ملك الله فوقك وقدرته منك على ما لا تقدر عليه من نفسك

 “If you are involved in it be error  and you exceed in the use of your whip or sword, or are hard in inflicting punishment, as sometimes even a blow by the fist or a smaller stroke causes death ,then the haughtiness of your authority should not prevent you from paying the blood price to the successors of the killed person.”

وان ابتليت بخطأ وأفرط عليك سوطك أو سيفك أو يدك بعقوبة فان في الوكزة فما فوقها مقتلة فلا تطمحن بك نخوة السلطان عن أن تؤدي إلى أولياء المقتول حقهم

The directive speech acts are conditioned since they are restricted to a condition. The low frequency of occurrence of the conditioned directives , as compared to unconditioned directives, reveals that conditioning is not preferable by the addresser in the discourse under study. The reason behind that is that conditioned directives are commonly used in specific and limited cases. Although such directives ,i.e., conditional one are needed in the discourse under study, unconditional directives are used more heavily. It is because that the general nature of the discourse under study which is in fact a constitution is intended basically to deal with general rather than specific cases. However, there is still some need for specification. That is why conditioned directives, though specific, are also needed, though slightly.

Speech acts indirectness:

Basically, there is a direct relationship between a structure of a given speech act and its function ,e.g., an interrogative form to express a question. Yule (1996:129) defines a direct speech act as “a speech act where a direct relationship exists between the structure and communicative function of an utterance.”

An indirect speech act is defined by Cruse(2006:87) as “an utterance that has the typical form of one kind of speech act, but which functions either typically or in specific contexts, as a different type of speech act.”For example, an interrogative form, e.g., ’Could you help me?’ is used not to function as a question asking the addressee about his capacity to help the addresser but it is a directive speech act of ‘request’.

The choice of (in)directness is governed by the addresser’s communicative message. The comprehending of the communicative message between the addresser and addressee is based on “their mutually shared background information both linguistic and nonlinguistic”(Alan,K :2001:203)  Below, there is some discussion of using (in)direct speech acts in the discourse under study. The five categories of speech acts according to Searle’s (1969) model are used concerning (in)directness ,as shown in tables (4) and (5):

Table (4):Frequencies of occurrences of direct and indirect speech acts

The frequencies of occurrence of direct as well as indirect speech acts of representation, declaration, expressive, and commissive in table (4)  are very low. The reason behind that is that the instructive nature of the discourse under study does not correspond with the communicative message of these kinds of speech acts. The results shown in table (4) above are discussed below:

1- Representative:

The frequency of occurrence of direct speech act of representative is (%2.95) since there are only five speech acts of this kind. Indirect speech acts of representative make (%0) since there is no single speech acts of this kind See the following example:

"and this is heavy on the officers"

وذلك على الولاة ثقيل

The direct representative speech act in this example is represented through ‘evaluation’. The representative speech acts are preferred to be put directly rather than indirectly by the addressee.

2- Declaration:

  One single speech act making (%0.59) frequency of occurrence is used in the discourse under study functioning as a starting speech act. Muslims always begin their discourse by a specific utterance called ‘basmala’ meaning “In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful” .This utterance includes an implicit part. That part is implied since it is commonly understood. If we paraphrase this utterance we will have : “In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful I (declare that I) begin my speech (discourse / letter , etc. ). Thus, ‘basmala’ is a direct declaration though it has an implicit part but the structure is still of a declaration.

  The two other speech acts of declaration are used to declare finalization by saying a special leave-taking greeting

"Peace be on the Messenger of Allah-may Allah shower His blessings and plentiful salutation on him and his pure and chaste descendants; and that is an end to the matter.

والسلام على رسول الله- صلى الله عليه واله وسلم- واله الطيبين الطاهرين, وسلم تسليما كثيرا والسلام.

  Finalizing a discourse or letter in this way does not imply using a direct verb for declaration. But, it is socially adopted to declare finalization by ending a discourse with a fixed greeting. That is why these two speech acts are considered indirect.

3- Expressive:

One expressive speech act making (%0.59) frequency of occurrence is used in the discourse under study. It could be labeled as ‘sorrow showing’ since it is expressed by using a well-known Islamic utterance:

“Surely, we have to return to Him"

“ إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون ”

This speech act is indirect since there is no need to make it direct. The social use of this speech act in this sense i.e., ‘sorrow showing’ is extensively accepted.

4- Commissive:

The results shown in table (4) reveal that commissive speech acts are used neither directly nor indirectly since the frequencies of occurrences make (%0) for both of them. The reason behind that is the lack of correspondence between the communicative message of commissive speech acts on the one hand and the instructive nature of the discourse under study.

The Ahlul Bayt

The best way to introduce the Ahlul Bayt to the Muslim nation is to recall what the Noble Qur’an says about them. Several verses of the Noble Qur’an refer specifically to the virtues of the Ahlul Bayt and their outstanding position in Islam. Whenever the Noble Qur’an refers to the Ahlul Bayt, it refers to a specific group of people who were related not only by blood, but more importantly, by ideology and faith to the Prophet. However, it does not refer to all of his blood relations, his friends or his wives.

The Verse of Purity (Taharah)

Allah only desires to keep away uncleanliness from you, O People of the House (Ahlul Bayt), and to make you as pure as possible.1

The prominent scholars of Islam and the narrators of the Prophetic tradition unanimously agree that Ahlul Bayt (the household of the Prophet ) which Almighty Allah uses in the above verse of the Noble Qur’an refers to the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, Lady Fatima al-Zahra, his cousin, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, and their children Hassan and Husayn.2 Tabarani narrates from one of the respected wives of the Prophet, Umm Salamah that the Messenger of Allah once told his daughter, Lady Fatima to call her husband ‘Ali and their two sons, Hassan and Husayn. When they came, the Messenger of Allah covered them with a cloak, put his hand on them and said, “O Allah, these are Al-e-Muhammad (the family of Muhammad), so shower Your blessings and favors upon Al-e-Muhammad just as You showered them on Al-e-Ibrahim. You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.” Umm Salamah says that she raised the cloak to join them, but the Prophet took it from her hand saying, “You are also on the right.”3

Although the beginning of verse 33:33 addresses the wives of the Prophet and continues to address them up until the middle part of the verse, but upon reaching “Ahlul Bayt” it excludes them.4 The previous and subsequent statements which are directed towards the wives of the Prophet are in the feminine pronouns and gender, but this verse referring to the Ahlul Bayt is in the masculine or mixed gender; thus it makes it clear that it is not addressed to the wives of the Prophet. However, even without the grammatical evidence, the relationship between some of the wives of the Prophet does not fit the spirit of this verse which asserts the physical, mental, and spiritual purity of the family of the Prophet Muhammad.

To emphasize that the phrase “Ahlul Bayt” in this verse refers only to five people-Prophet Muhammad, ‘Ali, Lady Fatima, Hassan, and Husayn-narrators say that whenever the Prophet used to pass by his daughter, Lady Fatima’s house on the way to the masjid for the dawn prayers he would stop there and proclaim, “Come to prayer, O Ahlul Bayt, to prayer. Allah desires to keep away un-cleanliness from you, O Ahlul Bayt, and to make you as pure as possible.”5 Imam Anas ibn Malik adds that the Prophet did this for six months every day on his way for his morning prayers at the masjid.6

The Verse of Affection (Muwaddah)

Say, I do not ask from you any reward for it (preaching the message) but love for my relatives (qurba which here refers to the Ahlul Bayt7 ).8

When explaining this verse, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi says, “Without doubt, no one was as near to the Prophet as Lady Fatima, ‘Ali, Hassan, and Husayn. This is a well-known fact for all the chains of narration, that these were his ‘al’.” Thus, ‘al’ or ‘ahl’ refers only to the immediate family of the Prophet-namely: Lady Fatima, ‘Ali, Hassan, and Husayn.

Some argue that Hassan and Husayn were not the sons of the Prophet because they were the sons of Imam ‘Ali. According to old Arab custom, the mother was considered as only a means to deliver a child, but nonetheless, their direct lineage to the Prophet is through their mother, Lady Fatima al-Zahra.

It has been narrated that the ‘Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid asked the seventh Imam of the school of Ahlul Bayt, Imam Musa ibn Ja‘far how he could attribute himself to the Prophet while he was the child of ‘Ali and Lady Fatima - thus, how could he be related to the Prophet? The Imam then cited to him a verse that refers to the descendants of Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim), “And from his progeny were David (Dawud), Solomon (Sulayman), Job (Ayyub), Joseph (Yusuf), Moses (Musa), and Aaron (Harun)-thus do We reward the good-doers-and Zachariah (Zakariyya), and John (Yahya), and Jesus (Isaa), and Elias (Ilyas)-each one of them was of the righteous.”9 The Imam then asked the caliph who the father of Isaa (Jesus) was. Harun answered that he was fatherless. The Imam replied, “Then you can see that Allah linked him to Ibrahim through his mother, Mary and Allah did the same for us, linking us to Prophet Muhammad through our mother Lady Fatima al-Zahra.”10

In many instances, the Prophet refers to Lady Fatima with intense love and affection, such as when he says, “Fatima is a part of me. Her happiness is my happiness, and her pain is my pain.” The Prophet would also point towards the children of Fatima - Hassan and Husayn - and say on many occasions, “These are my sons,” or “This is my son.” That is why the community of the companions in Madina referred to both Hassan and Husayn as the ‘sons of Prophet Muhammad.’

The Verse of Malediction (Mubahilah)

But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say, ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us beseech Allah and invoke His curse upon the liars.’11

This milestone event in the Islamic history has been narrated by all the historians, narrators, and commentators of the Qur’an. It is an event which reveals the exalted status of the Family of the Prophet. The narrations say that a delegation of Christians from Najran came to the city of Madina in order to meet with the Prophet to discuss his prophethood and the religion he was preaching.

The Prophet proved to them that Jesus (Isa) was the son of Mary; he was a human being, a Prophet, and a servant of Allah as the Qur’an states and that regarding him as the son of God is blasphemy, since Allah, the Exalted is much higher than such human characteristics. After discussing these points extensively, the Prophet found them still deliberately persisting in their false beliefs and traditions-namely on the deification of Prophet Jesus-thus, Allah revealed the verse, which was a major challenge to the Christians, to pray and invoke upon Allah that a curse may overtake the party that insists on falsehood.

Early the next morning, on the 24th of the lunar month of Dhul al-Hijjah, in accordance with Allah’s command, the Prophet arrived at the meeting carrying Husayn in his arms, while holding Hassan by the hand, followed by his beloved daughter, Lady Fatima and behind them was his son-in-law and cousin, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib carrying the banner of Islam. Seeing that the Prophet was accompanied only by his immediate family, the Christians were convinced that he was truthful otherwise he would have never dared to bring his dearest kin along with him. The Christian delegation backed away from the malediction argument and returned back to Najran.

Zamakhshari, in his Tafsir al-Kashshaf, narrates the event as:

When this verse was revealed, the Prophet invited the Christians to the malediction, to invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars. The Christians held a discourse among themselves tmhat night in which their leader, ‘Abd al-Masih stated his views. He said, “O Christians, know that Muhammad is a God-sent Prophet who has brought you the final message from your Lord. By God, no nation ever dared to challenge a Prophet with malediction but that woe befell them. Not only will they perish, but their children will also be afflicted by the curse.” Saying this-that it is better to reach a compromise with the Prophet rather than challenge his truth and perish-‘Abd al-Masih advised his party to stop hostilities and retain their religion by submitting to the Prophet’s terms.

“So if you persist (for a confrontation) we will all perish. But if you, to keep your faith, refuse (to have a showdown) and remain as you are, then make peace with the man (the Prophet) and return to your land.” The next day, the Prophet, carrying Husayn in his arms, leading Hassan by the hand, followed by his daughter Lady Fatima, behind whom came ‘Ali, entered the appointed place and the Prophet was heard saying to his family, “When I invoke Allah, second the invocation.”

The pontiff of Najran, upon seeing the Prophet and his family, addressed the Christians, “O Christians! I am witnessing such faces that if God wishes, for their sake, He would move mountains for them. Do not accept their challenge for malediction, for if you do, you would all perish and there will not remain any Christians on the face of the earth till the Day of Resurrection.”12 Heeding his advice, the Christians said to the Prophet, “O Abul-Qasim, we have decided not to hold malediction with you. You keep your religion, and we will keep ours.” The Prophet told them, “If you refuse to hold malediction, then submit to Allah, and you will receive what the Muslims receive and contribute what the Muslims contribute.” The Christians delegates, saying that they had no desire to fight the Muslims, proposed a treaty asking for peace which the Prophet of Islam accepted.

Although other women were present in the family of the Prophet at that time, all the commentators, narrators, and historians agree that in reference to the Qur’anic verse, “our women” referred only to Lady Fatima al-Zahra, “our children” referred only to Hassan and Husayn, and “ourselves” referred only to the Prophet and Imam ‘Ali.

The Verse of Prayer (Salat)

Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet. O you who believe, call for divine blessings upon him, and salute him with a becoming salutation.13

In the five obligatory prayers, during the tashhahud (testimony), those offering their prayers must salute the Prophet and his progeny-a term exclusively reserved for ‘Ali, Lady Fatima, Hassan, Husayn, and their righteous descendants. The emphasis on the Prophet’s family in salutation is another indication of their pivotal position after the Prophet. By asking the believers to exalt these noble personalities, Allah, the Almighty reminds the Muslim nation that He has chosen the Ahlul Bayt for the role of leading the Muslim nation.

One of the most prominent commentators of the Qur’an, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi narrates the response of the Prophet when he was asked by some of his companions how to send blessings upon him. He said, “Say, ‘O Allah, send blessings on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad as you sent blessings on Ibrahim and on the progeny of Ibrahim. And send grace on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad just as you sent grace on Ibrahim and on the progeny of Ibrahim. You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.’”14

Al-Razi comments that if Allah and His angels send their blessings upon the Prophet, then what need is there for our blessings? He answers his own question by saying that when we send blessings on the Prophet Muhammad it is not because he is in need of them, because he already has the blessings of Allah and thus, he does not even require the blessings of the angels. When we send blessings on him, we send them to glorify Allah and also to reveal our gratitude towards Allah such that He may have compassion on us and reward us. Thus, the Prophet says, “Whoever sends blessings on me once, Allah will send blessings on him ten times.”

Another verse in the Noble Qur’an asserts the same teaching when Allah the Almighty sends His blessings on the family of the Prophet by saying, “Peace be upon the Al-e-Yasin!”15 According to some commentators, “Yasin” is one of the names of the Prophet, as stated in Surah (chapter) Ya Sin when it addresses the Prophet as, “Yasin, by the Qur’an full of wisdom, truly you are one of the messengers….”16

The Verse of Feeding

Truly, the righteous drink of a cup tempered with camphor, a fountain from which the servants of Allah drink, flowing in abundance. They (the Family of the Prophet) fulfill vows and fear a Day, the evil of which is widespread. And they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive. ‘We feed you for Allah’s sake and pleasure only. We desire from you neither reward nor thanks. Surely, we fear from our Lord a stern, distressful Day,’ so Allah will ward off from them the evil of that Day and cause them to meet with splendor and happiness and reward them for their steadfastness with a garden and with silk.17

Surah 76 in the Noble Qur’an descended to honor a sacred gesture performed by the Ahlul Bayt. Allah entitled this Surah, Insan (Mankind) to draw attention of the people to the beauty of mankind’s deeds on earth, and to tell them that they should not be selfish or greedy; rather, they should be caring and thoughtful people who spend their time thinking of other human beings around them. The chapter begins, “Has there not been over man a period of time when he was nothing to be mentioned? Verily, We and created man from drops of mixed semen in order to try him, so We made him hearing, seeing. Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.”

This introduction prepares our minds for the big sacrifice of the Family of the Prophet-’Ali, Lady Fatima, Hassan, Husayn, and their maidservant Fiddah. The incident provoking these verses began when Hassan and Husayn fell ill, and Lady Fatima al-Zahra asked her father what to do. The Prophet advised her to make a vow with Allah that if He cured them then the entire family would fast for three days. Hassan and Husayn were cured, and the process of fasting began. At that time there was nothing in their house to eat, so Imam ‘Ali went to a Khaybarian Jew named Shimon and borrowed three measures of barley.

His wife, Lady Fatima milled one measure into flour and baked it into five loaves of bread, one for each of them. ‘Ali, Lady Fatima, and their two sons, Hassan and Husayn along with their maidservant Fiddah fasted for three consecutive days. On the first day, at the time of breaking the fast, a destitute (miskin) person came to the door asking for some food. They took the food they intended to eat-a loaf of bread each-and gave it to him. They then broke their fast only with water. On the second day, at the time of breaking their fast, an orphan came to their door, and they again gave him all their food.

On the third day, at the time of breaking the fast, a prisoner of war (a non-Muslim who had been captured in the defensive wars of Islam and was living in the city of Madina) came to their door and asked for some food, and again, they took all five loaves of bread and gave it to the man, breaking their fast for the third consecutive day with only water. Afterwards, the Messenger of Allah made a visit and saw his daughter, Lady Fatima al-Zahra and her two children, Hassan and Husayn were pale and too weak to speak, and he saw that they were trembling from hunger. Lady Fatima herself was sitting hollow-eyed on her prayer mat, her stomach sunk into her back. As he was asking them the reason for their state, angel Jibril (Gabriel) immediately came to the Prophet with Surah 76, “O Muhammad, Allah congratulates you for the sacrifice of your household.”18

These verses not only translate the generosity and steadfastness of the Ahlul Bayt but also reveal the total submission of the Family of the Prophet and their immaculate and pure personalities. Commentators of the Qur’an have a consensus that these verses speak of the Ahlul Bayt and place them at the highest level of piety and show them as models for the generosity of mankind. Humanity would be rightly guided if they followerd their parable.

The Verse of Guardianship

O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those vested with authority over you (’ul ul-’amr minkum). And if you quarrel about something, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.19

This verse, as explained in the previous section, refers to the guardianship of Imam ‘Ali, and subsequently, the rest of the Ahlul Bayt. The Prophet has said about “those vested with authority over you,” that “They are my successors and the leaders of the Muslims after me. The first of them is ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, then al-Hassan and al-Husayn, then ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, then Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, who is known as al-Baqir, then al-Sadiq Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, then Musa ibn Ja‘far, then ‘Ali ibn Musa, then Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, then ‘Ali ibn Muhammad, then al-Hassan ibn ‘Ali, then the one who bears my name-Muhammad. And he will be the proof (hujjah) of Allah on the earth.”20

The Hadith of the Two Weighty Things (Thaqalayn)

It is probable that I will be called soon, and I will respond. So I leave behind me two weighty (very worthy and important) things, the Book of Allah (the Qur’an), which is a string stretched from the heaven to the earth; and my progeny, my Ahlul Bayt. Verily Allah, the Merciful, the Aware, has informed me that these two will never be separated from each other until they meet me at the Fountain of Abundance (the Hawdh of Kawthar, a spring in heaven). Therefore, be careful of how you treat these two in my absence, said the Messenger of Allah.21

This hadith was declared on, at least five occasions-the first being the farewell speech during the last hajj, the second at Ghadir Khum, the third after the Prophet left the city of Ta΄if near Makkah, the fourth at the pulpit in Madina, and the fifth-just before he died-in his room which was full of his companions.

Given the high importance of the Noble Qur’an, why would the Prophet associate the Ahlul Bayt with the Noble Qur’an and place them second in importance to it? The answer is that Ahlul Bayt are the best to explain the true meaning and interpretation of this Noble Book. The Noble Qur’an, as it states itself, contains both clear (muhkam) and unclear (mutashabiah) verses, and so the correct interpretation of these unclear verses must be passed on from the Prophet himself, as he did to his Ahlul Bayt. In addition, the Ahlul Bayt, due to their closeness to the Prophet, had an unparalleled knowledge of his traditions.

Similar Narrations from the Prophet Muhammad about his Ahlul Bayt

The parable of my Ahlul Bayt is similar to that of Noah’s ark. Whoever embarks it will certainly be rescued, but the one who opposes boarding it will certainly be drowned.22

Just like the stars protect mankind from losing its way in travel, so are my Ahlul Bayt; they are the safeguard against discord in matters of religion.23

Acknowledgement of the Al-e-Muhammad means salvation from the Hellfire; the love of Al-e-Muhammad is a passport for crossing the bridge of Sirat; and obedience to Al-e-Muhammad is protection from divine wrath.24

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, 33:33

2. al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur

3. Tirmidhi, Manaqib Ahlul-Bayt, Vol. 2, 308

4. It is not uncommon to find a group of verses discussing one theme and having one verse in the middle that discusses another theme. For example see Qur’an, Surah 5, verse 3 and Surah 5, v. 66-68.

5. Ibn Mardawayh. Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Tirmidhi. Ibn Mundir. Tabarani. For more details see: Tabataba΄i, al-Mizan.

6. al-Miqrizi, Fadha΄il Ahlul-Bayt, 21

7. Ibn Hajar, Sawa΄iq. Vol.11, 160; Tabaqat al-Kubra, Ibn Sa΄ad; Sahih Muslim; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal; Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthur

8. Noble Qur’an, 42:23

9. Noble Qur’an, 6:84-85

10. Tabarsi, al-Ihtijaj, Vol. 2, Argument 271 and 335

11. Noble Qur’an, 3:61

12. Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 1, 185; Tabari, Tafsir, Vol. 3, 192; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. 3, 150; al-Hafiz Abu Nu΄aym, Dala΄il al-Nubuwwah, 297; al-Naysaburi, Asbab al-Nuzul, 74; Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi, Ahkam al-Qur’an, Vol. 1, 115; al-Fakhr al-Razi, Tafsir al-Kabir, Vol. 8, 85; al-Juzri, Usd al-Ghabah, Vol. 4, 25; Ibn al-Jawzi, Tadhkira Sibt, 17; Qurtubi, al-Jami΄ li-Ahkam al-Qur’an, Vol. 3, 104; Tafsir ibn Kathir, Vol. 1, 370; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, Vol. 5, 52; Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Isabah, Vol. 2, 503; Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki, al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, 108; Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur, Vol. 4, 38; Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, Tarikh al-Khulafa΄, 115; Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa΄iq al-Muhriqa, 199; Altogether 47 narrators and commentators of the Noble Qur’an from the four schools of thought narrate that the immediate family of the Prophet were only Lady Fatima, ‘Ali, Hassan, and Husayn.

13. Noble Qur’an, 33:56

14. Tafsir al-Kabir, Vol. 3, 56

15. Noble Qur’an, 37:130

16. Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa΄iq, Ch. 11

17. Noble Qur’an, 76:5-13

18. Zamakhshari, Tafsir al-Kashhaf, Ch. 76; Fakhr al-Razi, Tafsir al-Kabir, Ch. 76; Tabarsi, Mu΄jam al-Bayan, Ch. 76

19. Noble Qur’an, 4:59

20. Tafsir al-Burhan

21. This hadith has been narrated by more than twenty companions of the Prophet and has also been narrated by over 185 narrators mentioned in Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, 238; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 5, 181-182; Sahih Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, 220.

22. This hadith has been narrated by eight companions of the Prophet and eight disciples of the companions, by sixty well-known scholars and more than ninety authors from the brothers of the Sunni school, such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Mishkat al-Masabih, 523; Fara΄id al-Simtayn, Vol. 2, 242; al-Sawa΄iq al-Muhriqah, 234; ‘Uyun al-Akhbar, Vol. 1, 211.

23. al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak (quoting Ibn ‘Abbas), Vol. 3, 149

24. al-Shafa, Vol 2, 40

Infallibility

The Shi‘a school of thought maintains the belief that all the prophets of Allah, from Adam to Muhammad, as well as the twelve successors (imams) of the Prophet Muhammad, and his daughter, Lady Fatima al-Zahra were infallible throughout their entire lives and never committed any type of sin that would earn the displeasure of Allah. The clearest way to see this point is to consider that these people were the examples sent for humanity to follow, and thus, if they committed errors then people would be obliged to follow their errors, thereby rendering the prophets and messengers unreliable.

Infallibility means protection. In Islamic terminology it means the spiritual grace of Allah enabling a person to abstain from sins by his/her own free will. The power of infallibility or without sin does not make a person incapable of committing sins, rather he/she refrains from sins and mistakes by his/her own power and will.

Infallibility is essential for the prophets and messengers because their job is not only to convey the divine scriptures of Allah but also to lead and guide humanity towards the right path. Therefore, they must be role models and perfect examples for all of mankind. Both the Noble Qur’an and conventional wisdom illustrate this point; the Noble Qur’an mentions infallibility thirteen times. Allah says to Satan, “Certainly you shall have no authority over My servants except those who follow you and go astray.”1 Satan thus replied to Allah, “By Your might, I will surely mislead all of them, except Your chosen servants among them (the messengers and the imams).”2

There are some verses in the Noble Qur’an which might imply that some of the prophets (such as Adam, Musa (Moses), or Yunus (Jonah)) committed sins. As for Prophet Adam, he did not disobey the obligatory commands of Allah; the command that he did not honor was a recommended one, not a mandatory one and so-according to Islamic terminology-he did not commit a sin.

When speaking about the “disobedience” of Prophet Adam, the Noble Qur’an does not mean disobedience in the literal term; it means that it was not expected from a person like Prophet Adam, who was a leader for humanity, not to adhere to Allah’s advisory commands. Therefore, such an act is labeled allegorically as a sin in the Noble Qur’an. “And indeed We made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We found on his part no firm will-power (‘azm).”

His guilt was that he did not demonstrate will-power, not that he violated Allah’s rules because the commands were advisory and not obligatory. As a result of his behavior, he was to lose the privilege granted to him, “Verily, you have a promise from Us that you will never be hungry therein, nor naked, and you will not suffer from thirst therein, nor suffer from the sun’s heat.”3

As for Prophet Musa, the Noble Qur’an says about him saying the following, “And they have a charge of crime against me, and I fear that they will kill me.”4 This charge came about when he pushed a man and inadvertently killed him. At that time, Prophet Musa was defending one of his tribesmen, and when he pushed the man from the people of Pharaoh it happened that the man was so weak that he fell to the ground and died. Prophet Musa did not intend to kill him, and thus he fled the scene because he did not want to fall captive to Pharaoh and his army, which was searching for him. When Prophet Musa speaks of them having a “charge of crime” against him, he is reiterating the accusations of the Pharaoh’s people, not necessarily believing that those accusations are true.

The case of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) is similar. The Qur’an says, “And remember, when he went off in anger, and he imagined that We would not confine him. But he cried through the darkness, saying, ‘There is no Lord except You. Glory be to You! Surely, I have been one of those who did injustice to their own souls.’”5 In this case, Prophet Yunus meant that he had been wrong to himself, but wrongdoing one’s self is neither a sin nor a mistake. His “wrongdoing to himself” was being impatient with his followers and fleeing from them when they persisted in rejecting his call to worship Allah. They ridiculed him and thus he left them to face their grave destiny.

Most of the verses of the Noble Qur’an which might imply that the Prophet Muhammad committed a sin have deeper hermeneutic interpretations. Not all of the verses of the Qur’an are meant to be taken literally; in-fact deeper meaning lies behind many of them. “It is He who has sent down to you the Book. In it are verses which are entirely clear. They are the foundations of the book. And (there are) others that are not entirely clear (i.e. allegorical); so as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation, they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking dispute (fitna) and seeking to distort the true meaning. But none knows the hidden meanings save Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge (the Prophet and the Ahul-Bayt).”6 Furthermore, the character and general respect accorded to the Prophet shows without any doubt that he was not one of the wrongdoers.

Inappropriate narrations are found in some books of hadith regarding violations committed by various prophets of Allah. For example, Imam al-Bukhari narrates:

Umar sought permission from the Messenger of Allah to visit him when some women of Quraysh were busy talking with him and raising their voices above his voice. When Umar sought permission, they stood up and went hurriedly behind the curtain. The Messenger of Allah gave him permission smilingly. Thereupon Umar said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, may Allah keep you happy all your life.’ Then the Messenger of Allah said, ‘I wonder at those women who were with me, and that no sooner did they hear your voice that they immediately wore the hejab.’7

Similarly, Imam Muslim narrates about the Noble Prophet as follows:

Abu Bakr came to see me and I had two girls with me from among the girls of the Ansar, and they were singing what the Ansar recited to one another at the Battle of Bu΄ath. They were not however singing girls. Upon (seeing) this, Abu Bakr said, ‘What? This wind instrument of Satan (being played) in the house of the Messenger of Allah, and this too on Eid (Muslim holiday) day?’ At this, the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Abu Bakr, all people have a festival, and this is our festival (so let them play on).’8

It has also been narrated that the Prophet Muhammad was seen standing and urinating in public.9 Clearly, acts which the first and second caliphs and the laymen alike would consider un-Islamic would not have been done openly by the Prophet of Allah. No Muslim would accept such behavior from the leader of humanity whose example the Noble Qur’an commands to be followed in all aspects.

In the books of hadith, there are other unreliable narrations which contradict wisdom and common sense.

There are similar narrations also about some of the other prophets of Allah, for example:

The Angel of Death came to Musa and said, ‘Respond to (the call of) Allah (i.e. be prepared for death).’ Musa gave a blow to the eye of the Angel of Death and knocked it out. The Angel went back to Allah and said, ‘You sent me to Your servant who does not want to die, for look he knocked out my eye.’ Allah then restored his eye.10

If an ordinary Muslim person attacked someone who was doing his duty, then he would be called an abuser, and an offender and charges would be brought against him. Thus, such behavior is completely unbelievable and unacceptable especially if that person is one of the five universal prophets sent to guide, enlighten, and educate people by their fine examples and morality. Why would one, such as Prophet Musa attack the Angel of Death who came to bring him closer to Allah? Narrations like this one are completely not authentic or acceptable. Muslims must open their eyes to such stories in the books of hadith which have no harmony with the teachings of the Noble Qur’an.

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, 15:42

2. Noble Qur’an, 38:82

3. Noble Qur’an, 20:118-119

4. Noble Qur’an, 26:14

5. Noble Qur’an, 21:87

6. Noble Qur’an, 3:7

7. Sahih al-Bukhari, “Book on the Beginning of Creation” Hadith 3051, “Book on Outstanding Traits” Hadith 3407, “Good Manners” Hadith 5621; Sahih Muslim, “Book on the Merits of the Companions” Hadith 4410; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 1, 171, 182, and 187

8. Sahih al-Bukhari, “Book on Friday Prayer” Hadith 897; Sahih Muslim, “Book on the ‘Eid Prayers” Hadith 1479; al-Nisa΄i, “Book on the ‘Eid Prayers” Hadith 1575-1577 and 1579; Sunan ibn Majah, “Book on Marriage” Hadith 1888; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Part 6, 166, 186, and 247

9. Sahih Muslim, Bab al-Hirab wal-Darq Yawm al-‘Eid; Sahih Muslim, “Book of Taharah” Ch. 22; Sahih al-Bukhari, “Book of Wudu” Vol. 1

10. Sahih al-Bukhari, “Book on Funerals” Hadith 1253; Sahih Muslim, “Book in the Virtues” Hadith 4374; al-Nisa΄i “Book on Funerals” Hadith 2062; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 2, 269, 315, 351, and 533

Intercession (Shafa‘ah)

The issue of Intercession (Shafa‘ah) is one of the most controversial issues within Islam. The Shi‘a school of thought and some schools within the Sunni tradition believe in the concept of Intercession, while others, like Wahabism reject it and say that whoever believes in it is not a Muslim, rather is a heretic. The Qur’an addresses this issue in three manners. First, there are verses which negate intercession, such as 2:123 and 2:254. Second, there are verses which say that the Intercession is exclusively the domain of Allah-He and only He has the ability to intercede, such as in 6:70 and 39:44. Third, there are verses which take precedence over the first two categories and it is in these verses that the power and ability of intercession is best defined. They state that while the Intercession is the absolute right of Allah, nevertheless, if He wishes, He can extend it to certain people among His creation. The Qur’an states:

No intercessor can plead with Him except by His permission.1

Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission?2

On that Day, no intercession shall avail, except the one from whom Allah, the Most Gracious has given permission and whose word is acceptable to Him.3

And they cannot intercede, except for Him with whom He is pleased.4

None shall have the power of intercession except one who has received permission or a promise from Allah, the Most Gracious.5

Intercession with Him profits none except for those He permits.6

According to these verses, certain people will have permission from Allah-such as prophets, imams, and awliya’ (intimate friend of Allah)-to intercede and help people by the permission of Allah. Without His permission, no intercession will be accepted. Even during their lifetime, prophets had the ability to intercede on behalf of those who repented and sought forgiveness and returned to the path of Allah. The Qur’an states:

We sent no messenger but to be obeyed by the leave of Allah. If they who have been unjust to themselves had come to you (Prophet Muhammad) and begged Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had begged forgiveness for them-indeed they would have found Allah All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.7

(The brothers of Yusuf) said, “O our father! Ask forgiveness from Allah for our sins. Indeed, we have been sinners.” He said, “I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you.” Verily, He, and only He, is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.8

The Prophet Muhammad has also mentioned to the people in regards to his own intercession:

I will be interceding on the Day of Judgment for whoever has faith in his heart.9

Each prophet before me asked Allah for something which he was granted, and I saved my request until the Day of Judgment for intercession on behalf of my nation.10

My intercession will be for the people who committed the cardinal sins (al-kaba΄ir) except shirk and dhulm (polytheism and oppression).11

The Intercessors are five: the Qur’an, one’s near relatives, trusts (amanah), your Prophet, and the family of your Prophet (the Ahlul Bayt).12

Shafa΄ah is not to ask the prophet or the imams for protection or to ward off calamity or to bring happiness and success. Rather, it is to plead to Allah, the Almighty by the sake of those who are near to Him, like the prophets and the imams.

As the Noble Qur’an asserts, only those who receive promise and permission from Allah can intercede and help people on the Day of Judgment. Intercession will be for those with good intentions and good belief in this life, who neither defied Allah nor challenged His authority but, perhaps fell behind in part of their religious obligations. Their good record will help them receive the intercession of the messengers, the imams, and the believers on the Day of Judgment.

Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq, the sixth Imam of the school of Ahlul Bayt, at the time of his martyrdom called his relatives and companions and said, “Verily, our intercession will never reach one who takes the prayers lightly.”13

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, 10:3

2. Noble Qur’an, 2:255

3. Noble Qur’an, 20:109

4. Noble Qur’an, 21:28

5. Noble Qur’an, 19:87

6. Noble Qur’an, 34:23

7. Noble Qur’an, 4:64

8. Noble Qur’an, 12:97-98

9. al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-Ummal, Hadith 39043

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid., Hadith 39041

13. al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, 82:236

Calling Upon the Prophet and Imams for Help

Calling upon the Prophet and the imams (also referred to as istighathat al-nabi wal-a’immah) is allegorical, not literal. The Noble Qur’an teaches people to worship and seek help from Allah (“iyyaka na‘budu wa iyyaka nasta‘in”); however, the allegorical seeking of help is permitted in the Noble Qur’an. For example, in the story of Prophet Musa (Moses), “And he found there two men fighting-one from his party (Shi‘a), and the other from his foes. The man of his own party asked him (istighathahu) for help against his foe, so Musa struck him with his fist and killed him.”1

Many of the narrators of hadith narrate a prayer (du΄a) from the Prophet which begins, “O my Lord! I turn to you by your Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy (Allahumma, inni atawajjahu ilayka bi nabiyyika nabi al-rahma…).” Then it says, “O Muhammad! I turn to Allah by you to solve my difficulties.”2

It is also narrated that the feet of ‘Abdullah ibn Umar al-Khattab became disabled and he could no longer walk. After being told to call upon the closest people to his heart, he said, “Wa Muhammada!” His feet became cured and worked properly again.3 The Noble Qur’an teaches us to “seek help through patience and prayer (sabr and salat).”4 Sabr (according to commentators of the Qur’an, in this context refers to fasting) and salat (prayers) are means which ultimately lead one to Allah. Thus calling upon the Prophet or Imam ‘Ali is allegorical since all agree that Allah is the main source of support, aid, and assistance and they are just a means to Him.

Some Muslims associate calling upon the Prophet or the imams as shirk (heresy). They argue that a person should not ask any person for help. However, we see that if a person is faced with a problem in life, often, this person will logically and naturally call upon a nearby person for help. If a person was about to drown and he called out for help, then would his seeking help from someone other than Allah make him a mushrik (associating one with Allah)?

By the same reasoning, calling upon the Prophet or the imams is not shirk. The argument that they cannot be called upon because they are dead is also invalid, because the Qur’an falsifies the notion of martyrs being classified as dead,

“Think not of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive with their Lord, and they have provision.”5

“And say not of those who are killed in the way of Allah, ‘They are dead.’ Nay, they are living, but you perceive it not.”6

If an ordinary Muslim was martyred (for the cause of Allah) is considered to be alive, then how can the Prophet and his family, who were not only martyrs, but whose rank also surpassed that of all other human beings, be considered dead? Calling upon the Prophet and his family does not negate the fact that Allah is the source of help and rescue in this universe. However, because these people are the closest to Him, and they enjoy a special status with Him, then calling upon them means calling upon Allah for the sake of those whom He loves.

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, 28:15

2. Ibn Majah; Tirmidhi, al-Nisa’i; “al-Husn al-Hasin” Ibn al-Juzri

3. al-Samhudi, Shifa’ al-Asqam

4. Noble Qur’an, 2:45

5. Noble Qur’an, 3:169

6. Noble Qur’an, 2:154

Imam al-Mahdi

All Muslims agree that at the end of time al-Mahdi will reappear to make justice prevail on earth after being overwhelmed with injustice, corruption, and tyranny. However, the dispute between the different schools of thought is as to who he is, and whether or not he is already born. Great scholars emphasize that al-Mahdi is a member of the Ahlul Bayt (the Family of the Prophet):

Imam al-Bukhari narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “How will you feel once the son of Mary descends among you, and your leader (imam) is from you?”1

Imam Muslim narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “A caliph will be appearing at the end of time from my nation.” Timridhi and Abu Dawud, commenting on this hadith, say that this caliph will be al-Mahdi.2

Abu Dawud narrates from the Noble Prophet, “If there remained but a single day until the end of time, Allah will prolong that day until He sends a man from my progeny whose name will be like mine and who fill the earth with justice and equity as it had been filled with oppression and tyranny.”3

Ibn Majah narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “We are the Ahlul Bayt for whom Allah has chosen the hereafter to this world. My Ahlul Bayt after me will face difficulties, hardships, and persecution in the land until a group of people will come from the East, bearers of black banners. They will demand the right, but it will be denied. So they will fight and emerge victorious. They will be given what they demanded but will not accept it until they give the right to rule to a man from my Ahlul Bayt, who will fill the earth with justice as it was filled with oppression.”4

Ibn Majah also narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “The Mahdi is from us, the Ahlul Bayt. He is among the children of Fatima.”5

Tirmidhi narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “A man from my Ahlul Bayt whose name is like mine will verily rule the world and if there remains but a single day before the end of time, Allah will prolong that day until he assumes rule.”6

According to the Shi‘a school of thought, Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Mahdi was born in 255H (869AD) on the 15th of the month of Sha’ban in the city of Samarra in northern Iraq. His father was Imam Hassan al-Askari, whose lineage traces back to Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, and his mother’s name was Narjiss.

He is the last of the twelve imams for the people on earth, and with him the line of succession to the Prophet ends. Due to the necessity of having a representative from Allah present on earth, he is still, by the will of Allah, living in this world-but out of the public view. He will however reappear towards the end of human civilization to restore order and justice at a time when the world will be filled with evil and injustice.

Although the idea of Imam al-Mahdi still being alive after nearly thirteen centuries is difficult for some people to fathom, nonetheless, the Noble Qur’an sets several examples of prophets who lived even longer than al-Mahdi has lived, such as Prophet Isa, and al-Khidr (see Qur’an, chapter 18, verses 60-82 for his story with Prophet Musa). The Noble Qur’an also gives two other examples about people who died and then were resurrected by Allah. One is the example of the companions of the Cave (ashab al-kahf; see Qur’an, chapter 18, verse 25). The other is the example of ‘Uzayr:

Or like the one who passed by the town, and it had tumbled over its roofs. He said, ‘How will Allah ever bring it alive after its death?’ So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years and raised him up again. He said, ‘How long did you remain dead?’ He replied, ‘Perhaps I remained dead a day, or part of a day.’ He said, ‘Nay! You have remained dead for a hundred years. Look at your food and drink. They show no change.’7

Furthermore, if Allah allowed Prophet Ibrahim, Prophet Musa, and Prophet Isaa to perform certain miracles, then allowing al-Mahdi to live for such an extended period of time is not difficult for Him, for He is capable of doing all things.

Notes

1. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, 143

2. Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2; Sunan Tirmidhi; Sunan Abu Dawud, Vol. 2, 421

3. Sunan Abu Dawud, Vol. 2; 421

4. Ibid., Vol. 2, Hadith 4082 and 4087

5. Ibid., Vol. 2, Hadith 4082 and 4087

6. Tirmidhi, al-Jami‘al-Sahih, Vol. 9, 74-75; For more references on this topic see: Fath al-Bari, al-Hafiz, Vol. 5. 362; Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, al-Sawa’iq Vol. 2, 212; Muntakab al-Athar, Ayatullah Lutfullah Safi, which includes over sixty hadiths from the Sunni sources and ninety hadiths from the Shi΄a sources.

7. Noble Qur’an, 2:259

The Ahlul Bayt

The best way to introduce the Ahlul Bayt to the Muslim nation is to recall what the Noble Qur’an says about them. Several verses of the Noble Qur’an refer specifically to the virtues of the Ahlul Bayt and their outstanding position in Islam. Whenever the Noble Qur’an refers to the Ahlul Bayt, it refers to a specific group of people who were related not only by blood, but more importantly, by ideology and faith to the Prophet. However, it does not refer to all of his blood relations, his friends or his wives.

The Verse of Purity (Taharah)

Allah only desires to keep away uncleanliness from you, O People of the House (Ahlul Bayt), and to make you as pure as possible.1

The prominent scholars of Islam and the narrators of the Prophetic tradition unanimously agree that Ahlul Bayt (the household of the Prophet ) which Almighty Allah uses in the above verse of the Noble Qur’an refers to the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, Lady Fatima al-Zahra, his cousin, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, and their children Hassan and Husayn.2 Tabarani narrates from one of the respected wives of the Prophet, Umm Salamah that the Messenger of Allah once told his daughter, Lady Fatima to call her husband ‘Ali and their two sons, Hassan and Husayn. When they came, the Messenger of Allah covered them with a cloak, put his hand on them and said, “O Allah, these are Al-e-Muhammad (the family of Muhammad), so shower Your blessings and favors upon Al-e-Muhammad just as You showered them on Al-e-Ibrahim. You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.” Umm Salamah says that she raised the cloak to join them, but the Prophet took it from her hand saying, “You are also on the right.”3

Although the beginning of verse 33:33 addresses the wives of the Prophet and continues to address them up until the middle part of the verse, but upon reaching “Ahlul Bayt” it excludes them.4 The previous and subsequent statements which are directed towards the wives of the Prophet are in the feminine pronouns and gender, but this verse referring to the Ahlul Bayt is in the masculine or mixed gender; thus it makes it clear that it is not addressed to the wives of the Prophet. However, even without the grammatical evidence, the relationship between some of the wives of the Prophet does not fit the spirit of this verse which asserts the physical, mental, and spiritual purity of the family of the Prophet Muhammad.

To emphasize that the phrase “Ahlul Bayt” in this verse refers only to five people-Prophet Muhammad, ‘Ali, Lady Fatima, Hassan, and Husayn-narrators say that whenever the Prophet used to pass by his daughter, Lady Fatima’s house on the way to the masjid for the dawn prayers he would stop there and proclaim, “Come to prayer, O Ahlul Bayt, to prayer. Allah desires to keep away un-cleanliness from you, O Ahlul Bayt, and to make you as pure as possible.”5 Imam Anas ibn Malik adds that the Prophet did this for six months every day on his way for his morning prayers at the masjid.6

The Verse of Affection (Muwaddah)

Say, I do not ask from you any reward for it (preaching the message) but love for my relatives (qurba which here refers to the Ahlul Bayt7 ).8

When explaining this verse, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi says, “Without doubt, no one was as near to the Prophet as Lady Fatima, ‘Ali, Hassan, and Husayn. This is a well-known fact for all the chains of narration, that these were his ‘al’.” Thus, ‘al’ or ‘ahl’ refers only to the immediate family of the Prophet-namely: Lady Fatima, ‘Ali, Hassan, and Husayn.

Some argue that Hassan and Husayn were not the sons of the Prophet because they were the sons of Imam ‘Ali. According to old Arab custom, the mother was considered as only a means to deliver a child, but nonetheless, their direct lineage to the Prophet is through their mother, Lady Fatima al-Zahra.

It has been narrated that the ‘Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid asked the seventh Imam of the school of Ahlul Bayt, Imam Musa ibn Ja‘far how he could attribute himself to the Prophet while he was the child of ‘Ali and Lady Fatima - thus, how could he be related to the Prophet? The Imam then cited to him a verse that refers to the descendants of Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim), “And from his progeny were David (Dawud), Solomon (Sulayman), Job (Ayyub), Joseph (Yusuf), Moses (Musa), and Aaron (Harun)-thus do We reward the good-doers-and Zachariah (Zakariyya), and John (Yahya), and Jesus (Isaa), and Elias (Ilyas)-each one of them was of the righteous.”9 The Imam then asked the caliph who the father of Isaa (Jesus) was. Harun answered that he was fatherless. The Imam replied, “Then you can see that Allah linked him to Ibrahim through his mother, Mary and Allah did the same for us, linking us to Prophet Muhammad through our mother Lady Fatima al-Zahra.”10

In many instances, the Prophet refers to Lady Fatima with intense love and affection, such as when he says, “Fatima is a part of me. Her happiness is my happiness, and her pain is my pain.” The Prophet would also point towards the children of Fatima - Hassan and Husayn - and say on many occasions, “These are my sons,” or “This is my son.” That is why the community of the companions in Madina referred to both Hassan and Husayn as the ‘sons of Prophet Muhammad.’

The Verse of Malediction (Mubahilah)

But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say, ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us beseech Allah and invoke His curse upon the liars.’11

This milestone event in the Islamic history has been narrated by all the historians, narrators, and commentators of the Qur’an. It is an event which reveals the exalted status of the Family of the Prophet. The narrations say that a delegation of Christians from Najran came to the city of Madina in order to meet with the Prophet to discuss his prophethood and the religion he was preaching.

The Prophet proved to them that Jesus (Isa) was the son of Mary; he was a human being, a Prophet, and a servant of Allah as the Qur’an states and that regarding him as the son of God is blasphemy, since Allah, the Exalted is much higher than such human characteristics. After discussing these points extensively, the Prophet found them still deliberately persisting in their false beliefs and traditions-namely on the deification of Prophet Jesus-thus, Allah revealed the verse, which was a major challenge to the Christians, to pray and invoke upon Allah that a curse may overtake the party that insists on falsehood.

Early the next morning, on the 24th of the lunar month of Dhul al-Hijjah, in accordance with Allah’s command, the Prophet arrived at the meeting carrying Husayn in his arms, while holding Hassan by the hand, followed by his beloved daughter, Lady Fatima and behind them was his son-in-law and cousin, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib carrying the banner of Islam. Seeing that the Prophet was accompanied only by his immediate family, the Christians were convinced that he was truthful otherwise he would have never dared to bring his dearest kin along with him. The Christian delegation backed away from the malediction argument and returned back to Najran.

Zamakhshari, in his Tafsir al-Kashshaf, narrates the event as:

When this verse was revealed, the Prophet invited the Christians to the malediction, to invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars. The Christians held a discourse among themselves tmhat night in which their leader, ‘Abd al-Masih stated his views. He said, “O Christians, know that Muhammad is a God-sent Prophet who has brought you the final message from your Lord. By God, no nation ever dared to challenge a Prophet with malediction but that woe befell them. Not only will they perish, but their children will also be afflicted by the curse.” Saying this-that it is better to reach a compromise with the Prophet rather than challenge his truth and perish-‘Abd al-Masih advised his party to stop hostilities and retain their religion by submitting to the Prophet’s terms.

“So if you persist (for a confrontation) we will all perish. But if you, to keep your faith, refuse (to have a showdown) and remain as you are, then make peace with the man (the Prophet) and return to your land.” The next day, the Prophet, carrying Husayn in his arms, leading Hassan by the hand, followed by his daughter Lady Fatima, behind whom came ‘Ali, entered the appointed place and the Prophet was heard saying to his family, “When I invoke Allah, second the invocation.”

The pontiff of Najran, upon seeing the Prophet and his family, addressed the Christians, “O Christians! I am witnessing such faces that if God wishes, for their sake, He would move mountains for them. Do not accept their challenge for malediction, for if you do, you would all perish and there will not remain any Christians on the face of the earth till the Day of Resurrection.”12 Heeding his advice, the Christians said to the Prophet, “O Abul-Qasim, we have decided not to hold malediction with you. You keep your religion, and we will keep ours.” The Prophet told them, “If you refuse to hold malediction, then submit to Allah, and you will receive what the Muslims receive and contribute what the Muslims contribute.” The Christians delegates, saying that they had no desire to fight the Muslims, proposed a treaty asking for peace which the Prophet of Islam accepted.

Although other women were present in the family of the Prophet at that time, all the commentators, narrators, and historians agree that in reference to the Qur’anic verse, “our women” referred only to Lady Fatima al-Zahra, “our children” referred only to Hassan and Husayn, and “ourselves” referred only to the Prophet and Imam ‘Ali.

The Verse of Prayer (Salat)

Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet. O you who believe, call for divine blessings upon him, and salute him with a becoming salutation.13

In the five obligatory prayers, during the tashhahud (testimony), those offering their prayers must salute the Prophet and his progeny-a term exclusively reserved for ‘Ali, Lady Fatima, Hassan, Husayn, and their righteous descendants. The emphasis on the Prophet’s family in salutation is another indication of their pivotal position after the Prophet. By asking the believers to exalt these noble personalities, Allah, the Almighty reminds the Muslim nation that He has chosen the Ahlul Bayt for the role of leading the Muslim nation.

One of the most prominent commentators of the Qur’an, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi narrates the response of the Prophet when he was asked by some of his companions how to send blessings upon him. He said, “Say, ‘O Allah, send blessings on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad as you sent blessings on Ibrahim and on the progeny of Ibrahim. And send grace on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad just as you sent grace on Ibrahim and on the progeny of Ibrahim. You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.’”14

Al-Razi comments that if Allah and His angels send their blessings upon the Prophet, then what need is there for our blessings? He answers his own question by saying that when we send blessings on the Prophet Muhammad it is not because he is in need of them, because he already has the blessings of Allah and thus, he does not even require the blessings of the angels. When we send blessings on him, we send them to glorify Allah and also to reveal our gratitude towards Allah such that He may have compassion on us and reward us. Thus, the Prophet says, “Whoever sends blessings on me once, Allah will send blessings on him ten times.”

Another verse in the Noble Qur’an asserts the same teaching when Allah the Almighty sends His blessings on the family of the Prophet by saying, “Peace be upon the Al-e-Yasin!”15 According to some commentators, “Yasin” is one of the names of the Prophet, as stated in Surah (chapter) Ya Sin when it addresses the Prophet as, “Yasin, by the Qur’an full of wisdom, truly you are one of the messengers….”16

The Verse of Feeding

Truly, the righteous drink of a cup tempered with camphor, a fountain from which the servants of Allah drink, flowing in abundance. They (the Family of the Prophet) fulfill vows and fear a Day, the evil of which is widespread. And they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive. ‘We feed you for Allah’s sake and pleasure only. We desire from you neither reward nor thanks. Surely, we fear from our Lord a stern, distressful Day,’ so Allah will ward off from them the evil of that Day and cause them to meet with splendor and happiness and reward them for their steadfastness with a garden and with silk.17

Surah 76 in the Noble Qur’an descended to honor a sacred gesture performed by the Ahlul Bayt. Allah entitled this Surah, Insan (Mankind) to draw attention of the people to the beauty of mankind’s deeds on earth, and to tell them that they should not be selfish or greedy; rather, they should be caring and thoughtful people who spend their time thinking of other human beings around them. The chapter begins, “Has there not been over man a period of time when he was nothing to be mentioned? Verily, We and created man from drops of mixed semen in order to try him, so We made him hearing, seeing. Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.”

This introduction prepares our minds for the big sacrifice of the Family of the Prophet-’Ali, Lady Fatima, Hassan, Husayn, and their maidservant Fiddah. The incident provoking these verses began when Hassan and Husayn fell ill, and Lady Fatima al-Zahra asked her father what to do. The Prophet advised her to make a vow with Allah that if He cured them then the entire family would fast for three days. Hassan and Husayn were cured, and the process of fasting began. At that time there was nothing in their house to eat, so Imam ‘Ali went to a Khaybarian Jew named Shimon and borrowed three measures of barley.

His wife, Lady Fatima milled one measure into flour and baked it into five loaves of bread, one for each of them. ‘Ali, Lady Fatima, and their two sons, Hassan and Husayn along with their maidservant Fiddah fasted for three consecutive days. On the first day, at the time of breaking the fast, a destitute (miskin) person came to the door asking for some food. They took the food they intended to eat-a loaf of bread each-and gave it to him. They then broke their fast only with water. On the second day, at the time of breaking their fast, an orphan came to their door, and they again gave him all their food.

On the third day, at the time of breaking the fast, a prisoner of war (a non-Muslim who had been captured in the defensive wars of Islam and was living in the city of Madina) came to their door and asked for some food, and again, they took all five loaves of bread and gave it to the man, breaking their fast for the third consecutive day with only water. Afterwards, the Messenger of Allah made a visit and saw his daughter, Lady Fatima al-Zahra and her two children, Hassan and Husayn were pale and too weak to speak, and he saw that they were trembling from hunger. Lady Fatima herself was sitting hollow-eyed on her prayer mat, her stomach sunk into her back. As he was asking them the reason for their state, angel Jibril (Gabriel) immediately came to the Prophet with Surah 76, “O Muhammad, Allah congratulates you for the sacrifice of your household.”18

These verses not only translate the generosity and steadfastness of the Ahlul Bayt but also reveal the total submission of the Family of the Prophet and their immaculate and pure personalities. Commentators of the Qur’an have a consensus that these verses speak of the Ahlul Bayt and place them at the highest level of piety and show them as models for the generosity of mankind. Humanity would be rightly guided if they followerd their parable.

The Verse of Guardianship

O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those vested with authority over you (’ul ul-’amr minkum). And if you quarrel about something, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.19

This verse, as explained in the previous section, refers to the guardianship of Imam ‘Ali, and subsequently, the rest of the Ahlul Bayt. The Prophet has said about “those vested with authority over you,” that “They are my successors and the leaders of the Muslims after me. The first of them is ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, then al-Hassan and al-Husayn, then ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, then Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, who is known as al-Baqir, then al-Sadiq Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, then Musa ibn Ja‘far, then ‘Ali ibn Musa, then Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, then ‘Ali ibn Muhammad, then al-Hassan ibn ‘Ali, then the one who bears my name-Muhammad. And he will be the proof (hujjah) of Allah on the earth.”20

The Hadith of the Two Weighty Things (Thaqalayn)

It is probable that I will be called soon, and I will respond. So I leave behind me two weighty (very worthy and important) things, the Book of Allah (the Qur’an), which is a string stretched from the heaven to the earth; and my progeny, my Ahlul Bayt. Verily Allah, the Merciful, the Aware, has informed me that these two will never be separated from each other until they meet me at the Fountain of Abundance (the Hawdh of Kawthar, a spring in heaven). Therefore, be careful of how you treat these two in my absence, said the Messenger of Allah.21

This hadith was declared on, at least five occasions-the first being the farewell speech during the last hajj, the second at Ghadir Khum, the third after the Prophet left the city of Ta΄if near Makkah, the fourth at the pulpit in Madina, and the fifth-just before he died-in his room which was full of his companions.

Given the high importance of the Noble Qur’an, why would the Prophet associate the Ahlul Bayt with the Noble Qur’an and place them second in importance to it? The answer is that Ahlul Bayt are the best to explain the true meaning and interpretation of this Noble Book. The Noble Qur’an, as it states itself, contains both clear (muhkam) and unclear (mutashabiah) verses, and so the correct interpretation of these unclear verses must be passed on from the Prophet himself, as he did to his Ahlul Bayt. In addition, the Ahlul Bayt, due to their closeness to the Prophet, had an unparalleled knowledge of his traditions.

Similar Narrations from the Prophet Muhammad about his Ahlul Bayt

The parable of my Ahlul Bayt is similar to that of Noah’s ark. Whoever embarks it will certainly be rescued, but the one who opposes boarding it will certainly be drowned.22

Just like the stars protect mankind from losing its way in travel, so are my Ahlul Bayt; they are the safeguard against discord in matters of religion.23

Acknowledgement of the Al-e-Muhammad means salvation from the Hellfire; the love of Al-e-Muhammad is a passport for crossing the bridge of Sirat; and obedience to Al-e-Muhammad is protection from divine wrath.24

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, 33:33

2. al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur

3. Tirmidhi, Manaqib Ahlul-Bayt, Vol. 2, 308

4. It is not uncommon to find a group of verses discussing one theme and having one verse in the middle that discusses another theme. For example see Qur’an, Surah 5, verse 3 and Surah 5, v. 66-68.

5. Ibn Mardawayh. Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Tirmidhi. Ibn Mundir. Tabarani. For more details see: Tabataba΄i, al-Mizan.

6. al-Miqrizi, Fadha΄il Ahlul-Bayt, 21

7. Ibn Hajar, Sawa΄iq. Vol.11, 160; Tabaqat al-Kubra, Ibn Sa΄ad; Sahih Muslim; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal; Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthur

8. Noble Qur’an, 42:23

9. Noble Qur’an, 6:84-85

10. Tabarsi, al-Ihtijaj, Vol. 2, Argument 271 and 335

11. Noble Qur’an, 3:61

12. Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 1, 185; Tabari, Tafsir, Vol. 3, 192; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. 3, 150; al-Hafiz Abu Nu΄aym, Dala΄il al-Nubuwwah, 297; al-Naysaburi, Asbab al-Nuzul, 74; Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi, Ahkam al-Qur’an, Vol. 1, 115; al-Fakhr al-Razi, Tafsir al-Kabir, Vol. 8, 85; al-Juzri, Usd al-Ghabah, Vol. 4, 25; Ibn al-Jawzi, Tadhkira Sibt, 17; Qurtubi, al-Jami΄ li-Ahkam al-Qur’an, Vol. 3, 104; Tafsir ibn Kathir, Vol. 1, 370; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, Vol. 5, 52; Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Isabah, Vol. 2, 503; Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki, al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, 108; Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur, Vol. 4, 38; Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, Tarikh al-Khulafa΄, 115; Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa΄iq al-Muhriqa, 199; Altogether 47 narrators and commentators of the Noble Qur’an from the four schools of thought narrate that the immediate family of the Prophet were only Lady Fatima, ‘Ali, Hassan, and Husayn.

13. Noble Qur’an, 33:56

14. Tafsir al-Kabir, Vol. 3, 56

15. Noble Qur’an, 37:130

16. Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa΄iq, Ch. 11

17. Noble Qur’an, 76:5-13

18. Zamakhshari, Tafsir al-Kashhaf, Ch. 76; Fakhr al-Razi, Tafsir al-Kabir, Ch. 76; Tabarsi, Mu΄jam al-Bayan, Ch. 76

19. Noble Qur’an, 4:59

20. Tafsir al-Burhan

21. This hadith has been narrated by more than twenty companions of the Prophet and has also been narrated by over 185 narrators mentioned in Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, 238; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 5, 181-182; Sahih Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, 220.

22. This hadith has been narrated by eight companions of the Prophet and eight disciples of the companions, by sixty well-known scholars and more than ninety authors from the brothers of the Sunni school, such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Mishkat al-Masabih, 523; Fara΄id al-Simtayn, Vol. 2, 242; al-Sawa΄iq al-Muhriqah, 234; ‘Uyun al-Akhbar, Vol. 1, 211.

23. al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak (quoting Ibn ‘Abbas), Vol. 3, 149

24. al-Shafa, Vol 2, 40

Infallibility

The Shi‘a school of thought maintains the belief that all the prophets of Allah, from Adam to Muhammad, as well as the twelve successors (imams) of the Prophet Muhammad, and his daughter, Lady Fatima al-Zahra were infallible throughout their entire lives and never committed any type of sin that would earn the displeasure of Allah. The clearest way to see this point is to consider that these people were the examples sent for humanity to follow, and thus, if they committed errors then people would be obliged to follow their errors, thereby rendering the prophets and messengers unreliable.

Infallibility means protection. In Islamic terminology it means the spiritual grace of Allah enabling a person to abstain from sins by his/her own free will. The power of infallibility or without sin does not make a person incapable of committing sins, rather he/she refrains from sins and mistakes by his/her own power and will.

Infallibility is essential for the prophets and messengers because their job is not only to convey the divine scriptures of Allah but also to lead and guide humanity towards the right path. Therefore, they must be role models and perfect examples for all of mankind. Both the Noble Qur’an and conventional wisdom illustrate this point; the Noble Qur’an mentions infallibility thirteen times. Allah says to Satan, “Certainly you shall have no authority over My servants except those who follow you and go astray.”1 Satan thus replied to Allah, “By Your might, I will surely mislead all of them, except Your chosen servants among them (the messengers and the imams).”2

There are some verses in the Noble Qur’an which might imply that some of the prophets (such as Adam, Musa (Moses), or Yunus (Jonah)) committed sins. As for Prophet Adam, he did not disobey the obligatory commands of Allah; the command that he did not honor was a recommended one, not a mandatory one and so-according to Islamic terminology-he did not commit a sin.

When speaking about the “disobedience” of Prophet Adam, the Noble Qur’an does not mean disobedience in the literal term; it means that it was not expected from a person like Prophet Adam, who was a leader for humanity, not to adhere to Allah’s advisory commands. Therefore, such an act is labeled allegorically as a sin in the Noble Qur’an. “And indeed We made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We found on his part no firm will-power (‘azm).”

His guilt was that he did not demonstrate will-power, not that he violated Allah’s rules because the commands were advisory and not obligatory. As a result of his behavior, he was to lose the privilege granted to him, “Verily, you have a promise from Us that you will never be hungry therein, nor naked, and you will not suffer from thirst therein, nor suffer from the sun’s heat.”3

As for Prophet Musa, the Noble Qur’an says about him saying the following, “And they have a charge of crime against me, and I fear that they will kill me.”4 This charge came about when he pushed a man and inadvertently killed him. At that time, Prophet Musa was defending one of his tribesmen, and when he pushed the man from the people of Pharaoh it happened that the man was so weak that he fell to the ground and died. Prophet Musa did not intend to kill him, and thus he fled the scene because he did not want to fall captive to Pharaoh and his army, which was searching for him. When Prophet Musa speaks of them having a “charge of crime” against him, he is reiterating the accusations of the Pharaoh’s people, not necessarily believing that those accusations are true.

The case of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) is similar. The Qur’an says, “And remember, when he went off in anger, and he imagined that We would not confine him. But he cried through the darkness, saying, ‘There is no Lord except You. Glory be to You! Surely, I have been one of those who did injustice to their own souls.’”5 In this case, Prophet Yunus meant that he had been wrong to himself, but wrongdoing one’s self is neither a sin nor a mistake. His “wrongdoing to himself” was being impatient with his followers and fleeing from them when they persisted in rejecting his call to worship Allah. They ridiculed him and thus he left them to face their grave destiny.

Most of the verses of the Noble Qur’an which might imply that the Prophet Muhammad committed a sin have deeper hermeneutic interpretations. Not all of the verses of the Qur’an are meant to be taken literally; in-fact deeper meaning lies behind many of them. “It is He who has sent down to you the Book. In it are verses which are entirely clear. They are the foundations of the book. And (there are) others that are not entirely clear (i.e. allegorical); so as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation, they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking dispute (fitna) and seeking to distort the true meaning. But none knows the hidden meanings save Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge (the Prophet and the Ahul-Bayt).”6 Furthermore, the character and general respect accorded to the Prophet shows without any doubt that he was not one of the wrongdoers.

Inappropriate narrations are found in some books of hadith regarding violations committed by various prophets of Allah. For example, Imam al-Bukhari narrates:

Umar sought permission from the Messenger of Allah to visit him when some women of Quraysh were busy talking with him and raising their voices above his voice. When Umar sought permission, they stood up and went hurriedly behind the curtain. The Messenger of Allah gave him permission smilingly. Thereupon Umar said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, may Allah keep you happy all your life.’ Then the Messenger of Allah said, ‘I wonder at those women who were with me, and that no sooner did they hear your voice that they immediately wore the hejab.’7

Similarly, Imam Muslim narrates about the Noble Prophet as follows:

Abu Bakr came to see me and I had two girls with me from among the girls of the Ansar, and they were singing what the Ansar recited to one another at the Battle of Bu΄ath. They were not however singing girls. Upon (seeing) this, Abu Bakr said, ‘What? This wind instrument of Satan (being played) in the house of the Messenger of Allah, and this too on Eid (Muslim holiday) day?’ At this, the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Abu Bakr, all people have a festival, and this is our festival (so let them play on).’8

It has also been narrated that the Prophet Muhammad was seen standing and urinating in public.9 Clearly, acts which the first and second caliphs and the laymen alike would consider un-Islamic would not have been done openly by the Prophet of Allah. No Muslim would accept such behavior from the leader of humanity whose example the Noble Qur’an commands to be followed in all aspects.

In the books of hadith, there are other unreliable narrations which contradict wisdom and common sense.

There are similar narrations also about some of the other prophets of Allah, for example:

The Angel of Death came to Musa and said, ‘Respond to (the call of) Allah (i.e. be prepared for death).’ Musa gave a blow to the eye of the Angel of Death and knocked it out. The Angel went back to Allah and said, ‘You sent me to Your servant who does not want to die, for look he knocked out my eye.’ Allah then restored his eye.10

If an ordinary Muslim person attacked someone who was doing his duty, then he would be called an abuser, and an offender and charges would be brought against him. Thus, such behavior is completely unbelievable and unacceptable especially if that person is one of the five universal prophets sent to guide, enlighten, and educate people by their fine examples and morality. Why would one, such as Prophet Musa attack the Angel of Death who came to bring him closer to Allah? Narrations like this one are completely not authentic or acceptable. Muslims must open their eyes to such stories in the books of hadith which have no harmony with the teachings of the Noble Qur’an.

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, 15:42

2. Noble Qur’an, 38:82

3. Noble Qur’an, 20:118-119

4. Noble Qur’an, 26:14

5. Noble Qur’an, 21:87

6. Noble Qur’an, 3:7

7. Sahih al-Bukhari, “Book on the Beginning of Creation” Hadith 3051, “Book on Outstanding Traits” Hadith 3407, “Good Manners” Hadith 5621; Sahih Muslim, “Book on the Merits of the Companions” Hadith 4410; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 1, 171, 182, and 187

8. Sahih al-Bukhari, “Book on Friday Prayer” Hadith 897; Sahih Muslim, “Book on the ‘Eid Prayers” Hadith 1479; al-Nisa΄i, “Book on the ‘Eid Prayers” Hadith 1575-1577 and 1579; Sunan ibn Majah, “Book on Marriage” Hadith 1888; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Part 6, 166, 186, and 247

9. Sahih Muslim, Bab al-Hirab wal-Darq Yawm al-‘Eid; Sahih Muslim, “Book of Taharah” Ch. 22; Sahih al-Bukhari, “Book of Wudu” Vol. 1

10. Sahih al-Bukhari, “Book on Funerals” Hadith 1253; Sahih Muslim, “Book in the Virtues” Hadith 4374; al-Nisa΄i “Book on Funerals” Hadith 2062; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 2, 269, 315, 351, and 533

Intercession (Shafa‘ah)

The issue of Intercession (Shafa‘ah) is one of the most controversial issues within Islam. The Shi‘a school of thought and some schools within the Sunni tradition believe in the concept of Intercession, while others, like Wahabism reject it and say that whoever believes in it is not a Muslim, rather is a heretic. The Qur’an addresses this issue in three manners. First, there are verses which negate intercession, such as 2:123 and 2:254. Second, there are verses which say that the Intercession is exclusively the domain of Allah-He and only He has the ability to intercede, such as in 6:70 and 39:44. Third, there are verses which take precedence over the first two categories and it is in these verses that the power and ability of intercession is best defined. They state that while the Intercession is the absolute right of Allah, nevertheless, if He wishes, He can extend it to certain people among His creation. The Qur’an states:

No intercessor can plead with Him except by His permission.1

Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission?2

On that Day, no intercession shall avail, except the one from whom Allah, the Most Gracious has given permission and whose word is acceptable to Him.3

And they cannot intercede, except for Him with whom He is pleased.4

None shall have the power of intercession except one who has received permission or a promise from Allah, the Most Gracious.5

Intercession with Him profits none except for those He permits.6

According to these verses, certain people will have permission from Allah-such as prophets, imams, and awliya’ (intimate friend of Allah)-to intercede and help people by the permission of Allah. Without His permission, no intercession will be accepted. Even during their lifetime, prophets had the ability to intercede on behalf of those who repented and sought forgiveness and returned to the path of Allah. The Qur’an states:

We sent no messenger but to be obeyed by the leave of Allah. If they who have been unjust to themselves had come to you (Prophet Muhammad) and begged Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had begged forgiveness for them-indeed they would have found Allah All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.7

(The brothers of Yusuf) said, “O our father! Ask forgiveness from Allah for our sins. Indeed, we have been sinners.” He said, “I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you.” Verily, He, and only He, is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.8

The Prophet Muhammad has also mentioned to the people in regards to his own intercession:

I will be interceding on the Day of Judgment for whoever has faith in his heart.9

Each prophet before me asked Allah for something which he was granted, and I saved my request until the Day of Judgment for intercession on behalf of my nation.10

My intercession will be for the people who committed the cardinal sins (al-kaba΄ir) except shirk and dhulm (polytheism and oppression).11

The Intercessors are five: the Qur’an, one’s near relatives, trusts (amanah), your Prophet, and the family of your Prophet (the Ahlul Bayt).12

Shafa΄ah is not to ask the prophet or the imams for protection or to ward off calamity or to bring happiness and success. Rather, it is to plead to Allah, the Almighty by the sake of those who are near to Him, like the prophets and the imams.

As the Noble Qur’an asserts, only those who receive promise and permission from Allah can intercede and help people on the Day of Judgment. Intercession will be for those with good intentions and good belief in this life, who neither defied Allah nor challenged His authority but, perhaps fell behind in part of their religious obligations. Their good record will help them receive the intercession of the messengers, the imams, and the believers on the Day of Judgment.

Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq, the sixth Imam of the school of Ahlul Bayt, at the time of his martyrdom called his relatives and companions and said, “Verily, our intercession will never reach one who takes the prayers lightly.”13

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, 10:3

2. Noble Qur’an, 2:255

3. Noble Qur’an, 20:109

4. Noble Qur’an, 21:28

5. Noble Qur’an, 19:87

6. Noble Qur’an, 34:23

7. Noble Qur’an, 4:64

8. Noble Qur’an, 12:97-98

9. al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-Ummal, Hadith 39043

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid., Hadith 39041

13. al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, 82:236

Calling Upon the Prophet and Imams for Help

Calling upon the Prophet and the imams (also referred to as istighathat al-nabi wal-a’immah) is allegorical, not literal. The Noble Qur’an teaches people to worship and seek help from Allah (“iyyaka na‘budu wa iyyaka nasta‘in”); however, the allegorical seeking of help is permitted in the Noble Qur’an. For example, in the story of Prophet Musa (Moses), “And he found there two men fighting-one from his party (Shi‘a), and the other from his foes. The man of his own party asked him (istighathahu) for help against his foe, so Musa struck him with his fist and killed him.”1

Many of the narrators of hadith narrate a prayer (du΄a) from the Prophet which begins, “O my Lord! I turn to you by your Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy (Allahumma, inni atawajjahu ilayka bi nabiyyika nabi al-rahma…).” Then it says, “O Muhammad! I turn to Allah by you to solve my difficulties.”2

It is also narrated that the feet of ‘Abdullah ibn Umar al-Khattab became disabled and he could no longer walk. After being told to call upon the closest people to his heart, he said, “Wa Muhammada!” His feet became cured and worked properly again.3 The Noble Qur’an teaches us to “seek help through patience and prayer (sabr and salat).”4 Sabr (according to commentators of the Qur’an, in this context refers to fasting) and salat (prayers) are means which ultimately lead one to Allah. Thus calling upon the Prophet or Imam ‘Ali is allegorical since all agree that Allah is the main source of support, aid, and assistance and they are just a means to Him.

Some Muslims associate calling upon the Prophet or the imams as shirk (heresy). They argue that a person should not ask any person for help. However, we see that if a person is faced with a problem in life, often, this person will logically and naturally call upon a nearby person for help. If a person was about to drown and he called out for help, then would his seeking help from someone other than Allah make him a mushrik (associating one with Allah)?

By the same reasoning, calling upon the Prophet or the imams is not shirk. The argument that they cannot be called upon because they are dead is also invalid, because the Qur’an falsifies the notion of martyrs being classified as dead,

“Think not of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive with their Lord, and they have provision.”5

“And say not of those who are killed in the way of Allah, ‘They are dead.’ Nay, they are living, but you perceive it not.”6

If an ordinary Muslim was martyred (for the cause of Allah) is considered to be alive, then how can the Prophet and his family, who were not only martyrs, but whose rank also surpassed that of all other human beings, be considered dead? Calling upon the Prophet and his family does not negate the fact that Allah is the source of help and rescue in this universe. However, because these people are the closest to Him, and they enjoy a special status with Him, then calling upon them means calling upon Allah for the sake of those whom He loves.

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, 28:15

2. Ibn Majah; Tirmidhi, al-Nisa’i; “al-Husn al-Hasin” Ibn al-Juzri

3. al-Samhudi, Shifa’ al-Asqam

4. Noble Qur’an, 2:45

5. Noble Qur’an, 3:169

6. Noble Qur’an, 2:154

Imam al-Mahdi

All Muslims agree that at the end of time al-Mahdi will reappear to make justice prevail on earth after being overwhelmed with injustice, corruption, and tyranny. However, the dispute between the different schools of thought is as to who he is, and whether or not he is already born. Great scholars emphasize that al-Mahdi is a member of the Ahlul Bayt (the Family of the Prophet):

Imam al-Bukhari narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “How will you feel once the son of Mary descends among you, and your leader (imam) is from you?”1

Imam Muslim narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “A caliph will be appearing at the end of time from my nation.” Timridhi and Abu Dawud, commenting on this hadith, say that this caliph will be al-Mahdi.2

Abu Dawud narrates from the Noble Prophet, “If there remained but a single day until the end of time, Allah will prolong that day until He sends a man from my progeny whose name will be like mine and who fill the earth with justice and equity as it had been filled with oppression and tyranny.”3

Ibn Majah narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “We are the Ahlul Bayt for whom Allah has chosen the hereafter to this world. My Ahlul Bayt after me will face difficulties, hardships, and persecution in the land until a group of people will come from the East, bearers of black banners. They will demand the right, but it will be denied. So they will fight and emerge victorious. They will be given what they demanded but will not accept it until they give the right to rule to a man from my Ahlul Bayt, who will fill the earth with justice as it was filled with oppression.”4

Ibn Majah also narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “The Mahdi is from us, the Ahlul Bayt. He is among the children of Fatima.”5

Tirmidhi narrates from the Prophet Muhammad, “A man from my Ahlul Bayt whose name is like mine will verily rule the world and if there remains but a single day before the end of time, Allah will prolong that day until he assumes rule.”6

According to the Shi‘a school of thought, Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Mahdi was born in 255H (869AD) on the 15th of the month of Sha’ban in the city of Samarra in northern Iraq. His father was Imam Hassan al-Askari, whose lineage traces back to Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, and his mother’s name was Narjiss.

He is the last of the twelve imams for the people on earth, and with him the line of succession to the Prophet ends. Due to the necessity of having a representative from Allah present on earth, he is still, by the will of Allah, living in this world-but out of the public view. He will however reappear towards the end of human civilization to restore order and justice at a time when the world will be filled with evil and injustice.

Although the idea of Imam al-Mahdi still being alive after nearly thirteen centuries is difficult for some people to fathom, nonetheless, the Noble Qur’an sets several examples of prophets who lived even longer than al-Mahdi has lived, such as Prophet Isa, and al-Khidr (see Qur’an, chapter 18, verses 60-82 for his story with Prophet Musa). The Noble Qur’an also gives two other examples about people who died and then were resurrected by Allah. One is the example of the companions of the Cave (ashab al-kahf; see Qur’an, chapter 18, verse 25). The other is the example of ‘Uzayr:

Or like the one who passed by the town, and it had tumbled over its roofs. He said, ‘How will Allah ever bring it alive after its death?’ So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years and raised him up again. He said, ‘How long did you remain dead?’ He replied, ‘Perhaps I remained dead a day, or part of a day.’ He said, ‘Nay! You have remained dead for a hundred years. Look at your food and drink. They show no change.’7

Furthermore, if Allah allowed Prophet Ibrahim, Prophet Musa, and Prophet Isaa to perform certain miracles, then allowing al-Mahdi to live for such an extended period of time is not difficult for Him, for He is capable of doing all things.

Notes

1. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, 143

2. Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2; Sunan Tirmidhi; Sunan Abu Dawud, Vol. 2, 421

3. Sunan Abu Dawud, Vol. 2; 421

4. Ibid., Vol. 2, Hadith 4082 and 4087

5. Ibid., Vol. 2, Hadith 4082 and 4087

6. Tirmidhi, al-Jami‘al-Sahih, Vol. 9, 74-75; For more references on this topic see: Fath al-Bari, al-Hafiz, Vol. 5. 362; Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, al-Sawa’iq Vol. 2, 212; Muntakab al-Athar, Ayatullah Lutfullah Safi, which includes over sixty hadiths from the Sunni sources and ninety hadiths from the Shi΄a sources.

7. Noble Qur’an, 2:259