CONSEQUENCES OF THE SAQIFAH CONSPIRATORIAL MEETING
As much as I know, there has never been any event in the history of Islam more harmful to the Muslims than the event of the conspiratorial meeting that was held under the shed (i.e. Saqifah) of Banu-Sa‛idah. This event sowed the seeds of disunity among Muslims, cleft their union, tore their concord into pieces, and cast them into great evil.
Let us now refer to some fatal consequences of this event:
Discrepancy of Muslims
About the issue of caliphate (i.e. the religious and civil rule of the Muslim community), Muslims have disagreed intensely although scholars of all Muslim sects have agreed on the necessity of caliphate in its capacity as one of the most important and indispensable elements in the Islamic life without which Muslims can never attain rectitude.
The point of discrepancy in this regard is summed up in the following question: Is holding the position of caliphate conditional upon a nomination text from God and the Prophet, or is it subject to the ordinary processes of candidature and election?
The Shi‛ah Muslims categorically believe that the position of caliphate must be held by one nominated by Almighty Allah and the Holy Prophet (s). They, including myself, the author, believe that the Holy Prophet (s) did not neglect the issue of the civil and religious succession to him; rather, before his passing away, he had appointed the leader, ruler, and chief who would lead his community; namely, Imam ‛Ali ibn Abi-Talib, the father of social justice in Islam.
In some previous topics of this book, I have included some Prophetic texts that are neither dubitable nor mistakable, proving the Prophetic nomination of Imam ‛Ali (‛a) as the next leader of the Muslim community. Besides, a big number of experienced scholars have decided the authenticity of the chains of authority of these traditions, while their purports are free of generalization, obscurity, or imposition.
On the other hand, another Muslim sect claims that the Holy Prophet (s) had neglected the issue of caliphate and relegated it to the Muslims to decide on the one they want to rule them. In other words, the followers of this sect argue that the Holy Prophet (s) did not impose upon them to follow a certain person as their leader; rather, he gave the masses free hand to choose their ruler.
Apart from fanaticism, this opinion is full of points of weakness and debility, because it is illogic to propose that the Holy Prophet (s) who cared for his people very much, acted towards them with the utmost amount of clemency, and it was hard for him that they should be overburdened - it is illogic that the Prophet would leave his community floundering in chaos and ignorance and sinking in the abysmal mazes of life.
In fact, to declare the name of the person who would rule over the Muslims after the passing away of the Holy Prophet (s) was too important to be neglected.
In previous chapters of this book, I have presented the social circumstances that were circulating in the last days of the Holy Prophet’s lifetime as well as the dangers that surrounded Muslims internally, like the threats of the hypocrites and the feeble-faith new Muslims, and externally, like the great powers that Islam had threatened with imminent conquest. Of course, all these powers were ready to attack Islam by all means possible and at the first opportunity.
To come to the point, a refined and attentive pondering over the history of Islam reveals to us decisively that the Holy Prophet (s) did entrust Imam ‛Ali (‛a) with the position of the next religious and civil leadership. The most evident proof that substantiates and reinforces this fact is the famous event that took place at Ghadir Khumm.
The Infliction of Persecution upon the Prophet’s Household
Being another upshot of the Saqifah conspiratorial conference, the members of the Holy Prophet’s household suffered various sorts of persecution and harassment at the hands of those who came to power and seized caliphate illegitimately, such as the Umayyad dynasty.
The Umayyad rulers and their authorities exerted all possible efforts in persecuting the descendants of Imam ‛Ali (‛a) and their partisans. During the reign of Mu‛awiyah the tyrant, it was a formal duty upon all religious leaders to revile at Imam ‛Ali (‛a) from the minbars (i.e. the set of steps in a mosque from which religious sermons are delivered), within the religious sermons on Fridays and feast days, and in the establishments of formal education and institutions of learning and teaching.
This duty lasted for long ages until it was cancelled by ‛Umar ibn ‛Abd al-‛Aziz. The Shi‛ah (i.e. followers of the Ahl al-Bayt) also suffered cruel types of painful punishments.
In this respect, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‛a) says,
Our partisans were killed in all towns and their hands and legs were cut off merely on suspicion. Whoever would refer to love for or loyalty to us, was cast into prison, his property was destroyed, or his house was ruined.
Depicting the great persecution that he had to suffer because of his loyalty to the Ahl al-Bayt, ‛Abdullah ibn ‛Amir al-‛Abli composed these poetic verses:
They kept on chasing me because I only had praised ‛Ali, and they regarded this act as cureless malady!
By my Lord, I will not leave this world before my heart becomes replete with love for ‛Ali and for his sons on account of my love for Ahmad.
In fact, I loved them because I loved the Prophet.
I love them, for they represent the true religion; I never loved them for worldly desires.
The evilest of all sorts of love is to love something for a worldly gain.
As I am fond of them, this means that Allah has created me unblemished, censure-free, and legitimately born.
In this way, the great poet al-‛Abli has expressed the persecution and punishment he had suffered for his love for Imam ‛Ali (‛a) the leader of the believers. Nevertheless, the poet would not pay any heed to these cruel deeds, because his love for Imam ‛Ali (‛a) was not out of emotion; rather, it was for the religion that has imposed the love for ‛Ali (‛a) on all Muslims. Such love must be the strongest, the firmest, and the most determined in the hearts of true believers.
Referring to the same topic, al-Numayri composed some poems giving details of the acts of subjugation and injustice that were committed against the Shi‛ah for no reason but their loyalty to the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a). The poet thus says,
The Prophet’s family and those who love them are nodding their heads for fear of being killed!
The Christians and Jews are safe, while the Shi‘ah are experiencing tightness and ordeal among the people monotheism (i.e. Muslims)!
The followers of all religions used to be secured from terror and fear except for the descendants of Imam ‛Ali (‛a) and their followers.
One day, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‛a) was greeted with the morning greeting.
He (‛a) answered,
This morning as well as all mornings, I am fearful because of my family relation to the Holy Prophet (s), while all other people are safe because of their claim of relating to the Holy Prophet (s).
The following poetic verses are ascribed to one of the Holy Imams (‛a); the describe the ordeals and calamities that befell them:
We, the descendants of the Divinely-Chosen Prophet, are facing ordeals, but we are acting patiently towards them from amongst the people due to our suppression of rage.
Our ordeal from people is so heinous; both the first and the last of us are trialed by it.
While these people are glad in the feast days, our feast days are just like the days of our sorrows.
The feast days on which all Muslims are happy, putting ornaments and showing celebrations, have become days of sorrow for the Holy Prophet’s family whose house was the center of the Divine Revelation.
The tyrannical rulers who ruled over the Muslim community for ages applied to the descendants of the Holy Prophet (s) such savage and ruthless procedures like massacres, imprisonments, and banishments.
Giving a picture of the sufferings of the Shi‛ah during these dark ages, al-Taghra'i composed the following poetic verses:
The Jews’ love for the family of Moses is very obvious; and their loyalty to the descendants of his brother is well-known.
They have followed the true guidance of their leader who is from the offspring of Aaron. Verily, there is a guide for each people.
Likewise, the Christians are honoring a carpentered piece of wood as a sign of their love for their prophet.
However, whenever a Muslim declares loyalty to the family of Ahmad, he will be then killed and accused of atheism!
This is indeed the cureless malady because of which the intellects of civilized and uncivilized people dismayed.
They have not regarded the right of Prophet Muhammad about his descendants. However, Allah is always in ambush!
In the previous poetic verses, al-Taghra'i the poet brings in the loyalty of the Jews to the descendants of Prophet Moses and Prophet Aaron. Likewise, the Christians are totally loyal to every one who has any sort of connection to Prophet Jesus to the degree that they even hold in the highest regard some pieces of wood that Prophet Jesus is reported to have sit on. As for Muslims, instead of honoring their Prophet’s family members, they are massacring and tormenting them!
Another poet has composed these poetic lines:
No single clan that we know, such as the Yaman, the Bakr, and the Mu¤ar, but that they had shares in the bloodshed of the Prophet’s descendants, just like partners who have gathered to slaughter a camel to take their shares.
The descendants of Imam ‛Ali (‛a) suffered very much from the merciless processes of killing and torment that were targeted at them. In fact, the majority of the clans of these ages had shares in such processes.
Another poet, describing the extreme scope of persecution applied to the Shi‛ah, composed these poetic lines:
For their love for their prophet, the Jews were saved from the disgrace of their perfidious vicissitudes of time.
The people of the Cross, for their love for Jesus, could walk with dignity in the village of Najran.
But the believers, for their love for their Prophet, are being shot with fire in all territories.
These poetic verses express that the Jews and the Christians enjoy safety and security; while the loyalists of the Holy Prophet’s Household are suffering the cruelest sorts of torture.
Historicists relate that the son of al-Fa¤l ibn Dukayn, once, came to his father weeping. When the father, who had followed the sect of the Shi‛ah, asked why, the son informed that the news of his following Shi‛ism had been passed from one tongue to another. At this situation, the father said these poetic lines:
My love for you is bringing problems to me that it made me too mute to answer those who ask me about it.
This is so because I just want to spare my life against the informing of the tale-bearers against me and to spare your life, too.
However, no mortal can be saved from the tongues of people.
During the reigns of the Umayyad rulers, accusation of being Shi‛ah was an unforgivable crime. More precisely, to be accused of atheism and abandonment of faith was very much easier than being accused of loyalty to the Holy Prophet’s Household. This issue attained such horrendous levels that every one who would greet or be greeted by a descendant of Imam ‛Ali (‛a) should be exposed to mental and physical assault by the ruling authorities.
Historicists relate that Ibrahim ibn Harthamah, once, visited al-Madinah and on his way he was greeted by a descendant of Imam ‛Ali (‛a). Violently and intensely, Ibrahim said, “Go away from me! Do not cause my blood to be shed!”
The matter reached even further extents; the Umayyad government issued a governmental decree and put it into circulation, ordering all the deputy governors to kill every newborn that was given the name: ‛Ali.
In this connection, it is reported that ‛Ali ibn Rabah feared lest he would be killed because of his name; he therefore made this announcement: “No one is allowed to call me ‛Ali; rather, my real name is ‛Ulay.”
Shaykh al-Tusi says, “During these ages, the Shi‛ah had to encounter such tremendous levels of persecution that no other sect all over the world has ever experienced.”
To give an example, Ziyad ibn Abih the illegitimate brother of Mu‛awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan, during his reign, killed the Shi‛ah wherever he could find them, crucified them on the trunks of date-palm trees, cut off their hands and legs, and gouged out their eyes. Likewise, the criminal terrorist al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi, the deputy governor of Iraq in the reign of ‛Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, killed about one hundred and twenty thousand persons of the Shi‛ah. In his prisons, fifty thousand men and thirty thousand women, among whom sixteen thousand were found naked, died. About the persecution and injustice of al-Hajjaj, ‛Umar ibn ‛Abd al-‛Aziz says, “If every nation brings the most vicious individual of it and we bring al-Hajjaj (to compete against each other in a race of viciousness), we will certainly overcome.”
In the ‛Abbasid reign, the Shi‛ah suffered even crueler sorts of calamities and tribulations that they hoped if the Umayyad reign would come back despite the cruelty and torment that they used to suffer at that time.
It this respect, a poet says,
Would that the injustice of the Marwanid dynasty come back to us! And would that the “justice” of the ‘Abbasid dynasty be in fire!
Another poet composed this verse:
Persecution will never come to an end as long as this nation is ruled by one of the ‘Abbasid dynasty.
Barefacedly and deliberately, the ‛Abbasid rulers led harsh campaigns against the descendants of Imam ‛Ali (‛a). Al-Mansur, the ‛Abbasid ruler who had never heard of such words like mercy and sympathy and had never believed in any human value, left behind him a big treasure full of the heads of the descendants of Imam ‛Ali (‛a), as if he had saved it to be presented during his meeting with Almighty Allah!
Likewise, Harun the other ‛Abbasid tyrant set out to exterminate the descendants of Imam ‛Ali at the hands of the headsman Hamid ibn Quhtubah who, at one night only, put more than six descendants of Imam ‛Ali to death. Harun also sent to prison the great holy Imam Musa ibn Ja‛far (‛a) and ordered the jailor al-Sindi ibn Shahak to kill him there. So, the Imam (‛a) was poisoned inside his cell.
The other tyrannical ruler from the ‛Abbasid dynasty; namely, al-Mutawakkil, violated all the inviolabilities of Almighty Allah and committed all sins as much as he could. He destroyed the tomb of the Chief of the Youths of Paradise; namely, Imam al-Husayn (‛a) who is the unparalleled pride of humanity over all ages. He then inflicted strict punishments on the visitors of the holy tomb, which is the shelter of all deprived and persecuted creatures.
However, Almighty Allah took vengeance when He killed him by the hand of his own son. The swords of the Turks thus tore the sin-polluted body of al-Mutawakkil into pieces while he was drunk, causing his cups of wine to be filled with his filthy flesh that was brought up on all indecencies and offences.
In brief, the ‛Abbasid governments spared no effort in antagonizing the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a), killing their people and persecuting their followers. However, the days of the ‛Abbasid rulers ended with disgrace and humiliation, while the descendants of Imam ‛Ali (‛a) are still the chiefs of this nation and the guides to prosperity and righteousness, occupying all fields of honor and dignity.
Tyranny of the Deputy Governors
Another consequence of the Saqifah conspiratorial conference was that caliphate, which is supposed to act as the shadow of God on the earth, was seized by despotic people who did not fear the greatness of Almighty Allah; therefore, they went to extremes in persecuting and suppressing people. At the hands of these tyrants, heavy showers of painful torment were poured on people. They did not differentiate between human beings and sheep, because they did not consider their subjects to have any value, as expressed by al-Kumayt the great poet.
For instance, ‛Amr ibn al-‛As, who was a senior ruling authority during the reign of the Umayyad dynasty and one of their politicians, says, “The land of Iraq is no more than a garden owned by the people of Quraysh.” In the view of ‛Amr, the lands of Iraq were not the ownership of their lords; rather, they were possessed by the people of Quraysh who, accordingly, had the right to do whatever they liked in their ownership and to spend the fortunes of these lands on their personal interests and desires, while the subjects had no share at all! Mu‛awiyah gave a free hand to certain ferocious persons to rule over the Islamic territories. They therefore usurped the personal fortunes of people, leaving them under the mercy of misery and poverty.
Addressing Mu‛awiyah, ‛Uqbah ibn Hubayrah al-Asadi, a poet, composed these poetic lines:
O Mu‛awiyah, we are only mortals; so, be lenient to us. We are neither mountains nor iron!
You have swallowed our lands and divested us of all things, leaving neither standing one nor mowing down one amongst us.
Leave the injustice of caliphate and stand upright; and stop appointing lowly ones and slaves as authorities over us.
Obviously, the previous poetic verses demonstrate that the Umayyads robbed the fortunes of the lands and deprived their real owners of all things. Hence, the majority lands of the Muslims were usurped by them. Intending to give back these lands to their original lords, ‛Umar ibn ‛Abd al-‛Aziz, the Umayyad ruler, said to his relatives, “O sons of Marwan, you enjoy supreme standing with regard to your lineage and fortunes. Now, give half, if not two thirds, of the property of the people to their original lords… etc.”
However, their reply to ‛Umar was this: “By Allah, even if you will decapitate us, we will never give back these lands to their lords.”
Threatening them, ‛Umar said, “By Allah, if you will not help me give back these lands to their lords, I will most surely humiliate and defame you.”
Al-Numayri, a poet, composed some poetic verses to explain the persecution suffered by his people after the tax collectors, who were slaves, deprived them of their nutriments and did not leave for them a single bite to eat. Addressing these verses to ‛Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, the poet thus says,
O representative of the All-beneficent Lord, we are faithful people who prostrate before God in morns and eves.
The tax collectors have disobeyed you when you ordered them (to be lenient) and instead committed scourges and horrible things, if you only had known about them.
They took the chiefs and tore their backs with their whips after they had made them stand before them and handcuffed them.
After they had not left any flesh to cover their bones and any sense of sanity in their minds, they presented their bills.
Even a shepherd whom their whips did not leave anything of him but a leftover while he was frightened,
They took his herd; so, he became out of work and unable to leave his own home.
He thus called on Amir al-Mu'minin (i.e. the caliph) because they caused to his body rupture so big that wind could come in and out of it.
He thus was like a bird whose wing was broken by the shooters; so, he sat on the public road waiting for his death.
O representative of the All-beneficent Lord, the camels of my tribe have become scattered tiny groups!
Although my people are Muslims who never stopped giving alms and never abandoned their faith,
They have now reached al-Yamamah because of banishment, as if they are a group who had murdered a person and they were chastised because of their crime.
For two months, their little camels have tasted nothing but bitter and salty grass.
Thus, Yahya (a tax collector) came to them and burdened over them a load that Muslims consider too heavy to be charged.
These bills have left the rich among them encounter poverty after wealth and left the poor among them feeble.
I have thus left my people referring the solution of their problems to you; lest, they would not be able to bear that forever.
In the previous poetic verses, the poet displayed the unbearable injustice and the horrible acts of persecution that were poured by the tax collector on his people although they are Muslims who carry out the religious duties; they thus prostrate before the Lord in their prayers and defray the poor-rate that is imposed on them. The whips of the oppressive tax collectors flared up their backs. Besides, all their fortunes were usurped by these collectors who left them like birds whose wings were broken; neither alive nor dead. Hunger snapped at their bodies and misery overshadowed over them.
Misappropriation of the public funds by the deputy governors and the governmental officials became a normal phenomenon for people.
When Ziyad, or his son ‛Ubaydullah, appointed Harithah ibn Badr al-Tamimi as the deputy governor of some territories in Iraq, Anas ibn Abi-Unas, a poet, sent him some poetic verses in which he demonstrated the usurpation of the personal properties of the subjects by the rulers and deputy governors as a natural and common state. Sarcastically, Anas says in these poetic verses:
O Harithah ibn Badr, you have been entrusted with a governmental office. So, act just like the others who betray and rob do!
Do not refuse to usurp anything because it is too little. Rather, your share from the kingdom of Iraq can be as little as the village of Surraq.
The people are of two kinds; one kind is those who give the lie to the usurpations of the officials and say whatever they wish, and the other kind is those who believe.
Nevertheless, they only say things on conjecture or suspicion; but when they are asked for evidence, they cannot find any.
Do not show lethargy in this regard, because lethargy is the worst thing that may attack one. Not all of those who are given opportunity to gain sustenance will be given sustenance!
Thanking Anas for this mordant advice, Harithah answered him with these poetic lines:
May the King of the creatures reward you with the best of His rewards, for you have done a favor by your words and you have given adequate advice!
You have instructed me to be more active. If you had instructed me the otherwise, you would not have found me responsive to you!
The acts of embezzlement and misappropriation of the public funds by the governmental officials were hugely common during the Umayyad reign, because they were supported by the rulers who used to have a share in these acts.
An orientalist says that instead of taking measures of legal interrogation against their deputy governors in order to deter them from persecuting the subjects, the Umayyad rulers used to split fifty-fifty the embezzled funds. This means that these rulers had no problem with the oppressive acts their deputy governors used to do against the subjects. This also means that the one and only concern of the ruler was to fill the central treasury with money.
Supplicatory Prayer of Sadif
The following supplicatory prayer composed by Sadif depicts accurately the ordeals, tribulations, and calamities that Muslims had to suffer during the reigns of the tyrannical rulers of the Muslim community:
“O Allah, our spoils of war have become restricted to certain individuals after it used to be distributed among all of us. Authority over us has become subjected to the law of survival for the strongest after it used to be subjected to the law of consultation. The appointment of the next ruler has become hereditary after it used to be subjected to the selection of the community. With the shares dedicated to the orphans and widows, instruments of entertainment and music are now purchased. The non-Muslims are now ruling over the Muslims. The affairs of Muslims are now administered by every licentious and sinful person. We have thus become without a defender who may save us from perdition, without a sympathetic person who may looks at us with the eye of mercy, without a just person who may deter those who come to him having committed wrongdoings against others, and without a kind person who may satisfy the bellies that are heated because of hunger. Thus, the people have become stuck to impatience and loss and attached to depression and humility. As a result, the crops of the falsehood have reached its very time of harvest, amassed its scattered parts, piled up together, and it has been firmly settled. So, O Allah, please provide us with a hand of truth that will harvest it, uproot it from the origin, smash its stem, disperse its amalgamation, and disunite its word, so that the truth will be manifest in its most brilliant form, most perfect illumination, and greatest blessing.”
The previous prayer of Sadif gives an account of the policy of the Umayyad rulers with all of its aspects. These rulers exceeded all limits in persecuting and wronging the subjects, violated the rights of people, and disrespected the values and principles of Islam. Openly, the majority of these rulers declared their disbelief and atheism.
‛Abdullah ibn ‛Abbas says, “The Umayyad rulers trod on the brain of the religion and slaughtered the Book of Allah with a blade.”
Despising the Peoples
Another feature of the policy of the Umayyad rulers was that they despised and looked down on the Muslim peoples. In this respect, al-Walid ibn Yazid, the Umayyad, says,
Leave your frequent mention of Si‘da’s family, for we are surely the owners of the largest lands and the most abundant money.
We are ruling over these people by means of coercion, inflicting on them humility and persecution.
We are also leading them to the pools of ignominy in humiliation, sparing no pains to ruin them.
In the previous poetic verses, the poet confirms that the members of the Umayyad dynasty have ruled over people by means of power and caused them nothing but humility and disgrace. In fact, this depiction is unexaggeratedly accurate, because the Umayyad rulers followed the policy of persecution and bloodshed, paying no attention to the Muslim people.
Indifference to the Islamic Values
Their indifference to the Islamic values was a distinctive feature of the policy of the Umayyad rulers. The first to have declared this policy was Mu‛awiyah. After the concluding of the truce with Imam al-Hasan (‛a), Mu‛awiyah declared before the masses that he would not fulfill the articles of his truce with the Imam (‛a). He thus said, “I have given al-Hasan my word to fulfill some points that he had specified as conditions. Now, these conditions are under my feet and I will never fulfill even one of them.”
The fulfillment of promises and conditions is one of the highly regarded Islamic values. However, Mu‛awiyah paid no attention to his promise and declared his indifference to his binding words.
The governments led by Mu‛awiyah and the descendants of Marwan were direct consequences of the process of eliminating the members of the Holy Household - the center of the Divine Revelation and the essence of wisdom in Islam - from taking their natural position of leadership.
Atheism and Apostasy
Although it goes without saying that the majority of the Umayyad rulers had originally abandoned the faith of Islam, they did not leave any amount of allegiance to this religion in their hearts after they had come to power and held sway over the Muslims. The first to have forsaken Islam was Mu‛awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan. This tyrant killed prominent Muslim personalities, such as Imam al-Hasan ibn ‛Ali (‛a), the Holy Prophet’s grandson and one of the two chiefs of the youths of Paradise.
Mu‛awiyah also assassinated the lofty Companion Hijr ibn ‛Adi and his faithful brothers in the encounter at Marj ‛Adhra'. He also put to death ‛Amr ibn al-Hamq al-Khuza‛i, a companion of the Holy Prophet (s).
Mu‛awiyah made the Muslims follow a regular program of reviling at the Holy Prophet’s Household during the religious occasions. More than once, he declared his unspeakable hatred towards the Holy Prophet (s), because his name was mentioned five times a day.
However, the greatest of all these crimes and serious offenses was committed by Mu‛awiyah when he appointed his son Yazid as the next ruler of Muslims, although he had already known about Yazid’s awful wickedness, immorality, and apostasy.
After he had exterminated the Holy Prophet’s family members, Yazid recited this poetic line to express his real idea about Islam:
It is only that the descendants of Hashim are playing with sovereignty, while, in fact, nothing came from the heavens and no revelation was sent down!
Another Umayyad tyrannical ruler who abandoned Islam was al-Walid ibn Yazid. This dictator committed all sins and violated all the prohibitions of Almighty Allah. He once made a dome in the same size of the Holy Ka‛bah and decided to install it on the roof of the Ka‛bah to sit under it with his retinue who did not have anything to do with Islam. Bringing with him wines and tools of illegal entertainment, al-Walid came to the Holy Ka‛bah. However, he could not mount it because he feared the reaction of people.
On another occasion, al-Walid committed incest with his daughter, depriving her of her virginity! When her governess blamed him, expressing that only the Magi had deemed such an act legal, al-Walid said,
Whoever checks on people will die grieved; and will only the bold win pleasures.
He also married his father’s maidens who had given birth of children from his father.
Another example of al-Walid’s apostasy is that he, once, browsed the Holy Qur'an to see a good omen in it. However, his eyes fell on this holy Qur'anic verse: “And they asked for judgment and every insolent potentate was disappointed. (14/15)” He then tore the copy of the Holy Qur'an into pieces and composed these poetic lines:
Are you threatening every insolent potentate? Here I am an insolent potentate!
If you (Qur'an) will come to your Lord on a day of so-called resurrection, then tell him that al-Walid had torn you!
Hisham, criticizing this act of al-Walid, said to him, “By Allah, I am not sure whether you are still Muslim or not! You have not left any abominable act uncommitted indifferently and barefacedly.”
Answering Hisham, al-Walid said these poetic lines:
O he who asks about my faith! My faith is the same of Abu-Shakir!
We shamelessly drink it (i.e. wine) pure and mixed with both cold and hot water.
Without a doubt, the regimes of such insolent tyrants were only extension of the regimes of those who eliminated Imam ‛Ali (‛a) and the Holy Prophet’s household from caliphate and said to them openly, “Prophethood and caliphate should never come together in the same family.”
Caliphs and Impudence
The overwhelming majority of the Umayyad and ‛Abbasid rulers applied themselves totally to entertainment, profanity, and impudence. For instance, Yazid ibn ‛Abd al-Malik, an Umayyad tyrant, exceeded all bounds in insolence and licentiousness. One day, he was too drunk to be steady on his feet. He thus said, “Let me fly!” Sarcastically, a famous she-singer named Habbabah said to him, “If you fly, with whom will you then leave the affairs of the ummah (i.e. Muslim community)?” He answered, “I will leave them with you!”
Yazid was madly fond of this singer that he could not depart from her for even a moment. One day, she went with him to Jordan. Joking with her, he threw a grape at her. The grape entered her mouth and she choked and became ill. Before long, she died consequently. Yazid left her dead body unburied for three days during which he very frequently smelled and kissed it. However, some of his retinue could persuade him to bury the body. After that, Yazid returned to his palace overshadowed with sadness and depression.
Al-Mas‛udi, a historicist, added that Yazid used to sit by the grave of Habbabah and repeat this poetic live
If my soul leaves you or abandons love for you, then it is because of despair, but not out of patience.
It was said that Yazid then dug the grave of Habbabah to have a look at the dead body.
Another bad example of the Umayyad rulers is al-Walid ibn Yazid about whom Ibn ‛Asakir, a historicist, says, “Al-Walid was so addicted to intoxicants and delectations that he paid no attention at all to the Hereafter. He was extremely engrossed in improper amusement, entertainment, and taking pleasure with his drinking companions. He used to play on lute and drums. He violated all the prohibitions of Almighty Allah so excessively that he was given the nickname of fasiq (i.e. dissolutely sinful).”
Not very much different from the Umayyad rulers, the ‛Abbasid rulers exceeded all bounds in impudence and dissipation. Al-Mahdi, the ‛Abbasid ruler, was totally dipped in consuming intoxicants, listening to musical instruments excessively, and playing with the tools of illegal amusement.
Stirring up the Umayyad people to revolt against the ‛Abbasid rulers, a poet describes al-Mahdi, the ‛Abbasid ruler, as extraordinary profligate and impudent. He thus composed these poetic verses:
O descendants of Umayyah, rise up, because your slumber has been taking long time. The true caliph is Ya‘qub ibn Dawud.
O my people, your sovereignty has gone to waste. So, search the “vicegerent of Allah” between flutes and lutes!
Al-Hadi, another tyrannical ruler of the ‛Abbasid dynasty, committed against the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a) a bloodbath whose astounding exorbitance was not less than the exorbitance of the massacre of Karbala'; namely, the massacre of Fakh.
Moreover, he spent the public funds on the impudent and lewd singers. Ibrahim ibn Ishaq, a famous musician and singer, is reported to have said, “If al-Hadi had lived little longer, we would have built our palaces with golden bricks!”
During the reigns of the majority of the ‛Abbasid rulers, the public funds were not spent on life developments, spread of knowledge, and eradication of poverty; rather, they were spent on the rakish night gatherings, since any sign of piety or faith could not be found in the palaces of these rulers.
Concisely, history gives a detailed account of the wickedness of the ‛Abbasid rulers as well as their persecution of the Holy Imams (‛a), their inexcusable aggressions against the followers of the descendants of Imam ‛Ali (‛a), and their affliction of ceaseless punishments on the followers to the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a).
All these tragic events that befell the Muslim community were the results of parting the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a) - the natural extension of the Holy Prophet (s) in behavior and conduct as well as all life aspects - from the position of leadership.
Needless to say, if the Muslim community had followed the brilliant course that Almighty Allah and His Messenger decided for them, social justice would have been prevalent, no violent or even slight slips would have occurred to them, no devastating quakes would have attacked them in all of their life aspects, they would surely have been nourished “from above them and from beneath their feet,” and they would have been ceaselessly endued with Almighty Allah’s mercy and graces.
The Prohibition of Recording the Prophetic Traditions
The issue of prohibiting the Companions from recording any of the Holy Prophet’s verbal and practical traditions is as serious as the other issues that resulted from the Saqifah conspiratorial conference. When he seized power, Abu-Bakr issued a governmental verdict of prohibiting recording the Holy Prophet’s words after some prominent Companions who enjoyed perceptive understanding had called for recording these traditions so that no additions or deletions would occur to them and no fabrications would be forged against the Holy Prophet (s).
In fact, this call was of great importance. If it had been put into practice, the Prophetic traditions would have been protected against the forgers and liars who were too irreverent to fear God. Besides, this call would have maintained the dignity of Islam against attaching to the Prophetic traditions false reports that are in violation of the spirit and true guidance of Islam.
Moreover, the Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have laid much emphasis on this point and promised endless Divine rewards for those who would undertake this mission. He (s) is thus reported to have said,
Whoever writes down an item of knowledge or a discourse that I have said, will be endued with continual rewards as long as that item of knowledge or discourse continue to exist.
In this way, the Holy Prophet (s) accorded very much interest to the issue of recording his traditions, because, in one of its aspect, it would render a service to thought and knowledge and it would serve Islam.
Unfortunately, Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar adopted the decision of prohibiting writing down the Holy Prophet’s heritage under the pretense that they feared lest Muslims would no longer peruse the Holy Qur'an and would devote themselves to reading the Prophetic traditions.
Let us now read the following reports in this respect:
It has been narrated on the authority of ‛Urwah ibn al-Zubayr that when ‛Umar had intended to record the Holy Sunnah (i.e. the Prophet’s words, deeds, and confirmations), he consulted the companions of the Holy Prophet (s), and they advised him to record. For about a month, ‛Umar set to seek Almighty Allah’s proper guidance in this regard. One morning, after Allah had decided for him, ‛Umar said, “I had intended to record the Holy Sunnah, but I remembered some past nations who applied themselves completely to the items they had written and, as a result, neglected the Book of Almighty Allah. By Allah I swear! I will never allow anything to interfere with the Book of Allah.”
Obviously, ‛Umar’s pretense is unjustifiable, because the Holy Qur'an has its own language and style that is totally different from the style of the Holy Prophet’s words. Besides, the Prophetic traditions are inseparably connected to the Holy Qur'an; they specify the general notions, restrict the unconditional issues, discriminate between the repealing and the repealed verses, and explain the common laws mentioned in the Holy Qur'an.
To the greatest extent, the one and only reason for prohibiting the recording of the Prophetic traditions by Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar was that these traditions comprised tens of words about the virtues, precedence, and significance of the Holy Prophet’s Household in the religious and civil fields of the Muslim community. If these traditions then were to be kept in written forms, this would be in violation of the plots of the people of Quraysh who had planned to eliminate the Holy Household from the field of caliphate and had determined to detach them totally from any social and political activity, rendering them as ordinary people in the Muslim community.
In a few words, the prohibition of recording the Prophetic traditions was one of the most damaging problems suffered by the Muslims. Because of this prohibition, huge numbers of false traditions were fabricated against the Holy Prophet (s) and many irrelevant topics were falsely added to the religion of Islam.
This topic will be discussed, yet summarily, in the following few remaining pages of the book.
Fabricated Reports
In my conception, the most harmful event that caused detriments to Islam and contributed to the disunity of Muslims was the phenomenon of forging lies against the Holy Prophet (s). Such lies were forged for the purpose of gaining certain political interests. To support their policies and authorities, some rulers encouraged and called for forging these lies, most of which were in such fields as the following:
Fabricated Merits of the Companions
A group of false traditions was dedicated to demonstrating fake merits of certain personalities among the companions of the Holy Prophet (s) so that these fabrications would oppose, screen, and find inconsiderable the authentically reported traditions about the excellences and unmatched virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a). Let us now refer to some of these false traditions:
1. It is (falsely) reported that the Holy Prophet (s) said, “My companions are like stars; whomever you follow, you will be guided.”
Of course, this report includes all the Sahabah according to the definition of the non-Shi‛ite scholars.
It must thus include Ka‛b ibn Ubayy the notorious hypocrite, Abu-Sufyan the deviant, Mu‛awiyah, Marwan, and their likes who placed Muslims under excruciating tribulations, ordeals, and calamities.
2. In the field of the merits of the Companions, it is reported that the Holy Prophet (s) said, “Allah the Glorified had a look at the warriors of the Battle of Badr and said to them, ‘Do whatever you like to do, for I have forgiven you forever.’”
Obviously, this tradition is in violation of the ultimate justice of Almighty Allah Who has declared in the Holy Qur'an that He will call to account every human being for each and every deed, be it trivial or crucial. Supposing that a warrior of the Battle of Badr (i.e. one who had participated in this battle in the side of the Muslims against their enemy) killed a person whose blood is inviolable according to the religious law or committed a wrongdoing against others, adultery, larceny, or any other forbidden act, then this man will not be answerable for these violations, because, according to the fabricated tradition involved, Allah had already forgiven and pardoned him! Moreover, this silly idea is in clear violation of the following holy Qur'anic verses:
Man can have nothing but what he strives for (and) the fruit of his striving will soon come in sight. (53/39-40)
Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good see it; and anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it. (99/7-8)
If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (for ever): and the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him. (4/93)
The previous two reports have been only examples of tens of such false traditions that were fabricated against the Holy Prophet (s) in the field of the merits of the Sahabah.
Fabricated Merits of the First Three Caliphs
Many other narrations were invented about the merits of the first three caliphs; namely, Abu-Bakr, ‛Umar, and ‛Uthman, such as the following one:
The Holy Prophet (s) is (falsely) reported to have said, “On every leaf of every single tree in Paradise, this inscription is written: ‘There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger. Abu-Bakr is the veracious (i.e. Siddiq). ‛Umar is the distinguisher (i.e. Faruq). ‛Uthman is the two-light man (i.e. Dhu’l-Nurayn).’”
One of the many fabrications of ‛Ulayy ibn Jamil al-Raqqi, this report was mentioned by al-Tabarani.
Besides, many other reports dealing with false virtues of the first three caliphs were fabricated against the Holy Prophet (s). Al-Jahiz and al-Suyuti have decided the falsity of many such reports about the merits of these three caliphs.
Ibn Abi’l-Hadid states, “Ibn ‛Arafah, well known as Ibn Naftawayh and one of the master traditionists (i.e. versed in the Prophetic traditions), mentioned in his book on the history of Islam that the reports about the virtues of the Sahabah were fabricated during the Umayyad dynasty as a means to flatter them, since the fabricators believed that, by such actions, they would humiliate the Hashimites.”
Fabricated Merits of Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar
Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar gained the lion’s share of the fabricated traditions:
1. Anas ibn Malik is reported to have said, “When the Prophet held fraternity ties between Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar, he said to them, ‘You both are my viceroys in this world and the world to come. Your and my similitude in Paradise is as exactly as the similitude of a bird flying there. I am thus the breast of the bird and you both are its two wings. You both and I wander about in Paradise. You both and I visit the Lord of the Worlds. You both and I sit in the sessions of Paradise.’ The Prophet was asked, ‘Are there sessions in Paradise?’ He replied, ‘Yes, there are sessions of entertainment and amusement.’ He was further asked, ‘What is the amusement of Paradise?’ The Prophet answered, ‘There are in Paradise cups made of gold and red sulfur and placed on fine gems. From beneath the leg of the Throne, wind, which is called al-tayyibah, blows, making these cups foam. Then, a sound comes out that will make the inhabitants of Paradise forget their lives in this world and whatever they suffered therein.’”
Of course, this tradition, as well as many others, was made up by Zakariyya ibn Durayd al-Kindi. Commenting on this false tradition, Ibn Habban testifies to its falsity.
2. Abu-Hurayrah reports the Holy Prophet (s) as saying, “In the lowliest sky, there are eighty thousand angels imploring God’s forgiveness for every one who loves Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar. In the second sky, there are eighty thousand others imprecating God’s curse upon every one who hates Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar.”
Commenting on this false tradition, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi lines it up with the other false reports of al-‛Adawi from Kamil ibn Talhah.
3. The Prophet (s) is reported (yet falsely) to have said, “The chiefs of the middle-aged inhabitants of Paradise are Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar.”
When this false tradition was said before Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (‛a), he, who was still young, smiled and commented that Paradise does not include old or middle-aged persons; rather, all its inhabitants are beardless youths.
By fabricating this tradition, the forger only tried to oppose the uninterruptedly and authentically reported tradition of the Holy Prophet (s) who says,
Al-Hasan and al-Husayn are the chiefs of the youths of Paradise.
Many other false reports were forged against the Holy Prophet (s) about fictitious merits of Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar.
Fabricated Merits of Abu-Bakr
The books of Sahih (plural: Sihah; the most reliable reference books of Prophetic Traditions for the non-Shi‛ah) have recorded many false traditions about the merits of Abu-Bakr. As models, four of these false traditions will be cited hereinafter:
1. “Whenever the Prophet longed for Paradise, he would kiss the gray-haired beard of Abu-Bakr.”
In his book entitled Sifr al-Sa‛adah, al-Fayruz'abadi has regarded this false report as the most notorious fabricated and forged lies against the Holy Prophet (s), because its falsity is recognized by both reason and adequately good sense. So did al-‛Ajaluni in his book entitled Kashf al-Khafa' (2:419).
2. ‛Abdullah ibn ‛Umar reported the Prophet (s) to have said, “When Abu-Bakr was born, Allah looked at the Garden of Eden (the highest place in Paradise) and said, ‘By My grandeur and majesty (I swear), I will not allow anyone to enter you except those who love this newborn.’”
Commenting on this report, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi confirms that it is worthlessly fake, and its chain of authority holds the names of many anonymous narrators.
3. Al-Bara', without a further chain of authority, reports the Prophet (‛a) as saying, “Allah has made for Abu-Bakr exclusively a dome of white corundum and hung to nothing but His omnipotence in the highest region of Paradise. This dome is always penetrated by the wind of mercy. It has four thousand doors. Whenever Abu-Bakr longs for seeing Allah, one door will be opened through which Abu-Bakr will look at Allah directly.”
Al-Dhahabi has decided this false tradition as one of the most awful fabrications of Muhammad ibn ‛Abdullah Abu-Bakr al-Ashnani.
4. Abu-Hurayrah reports the Prophet (s) to have said, “When I was taken to the heaven (during the night ascension), in each sky I passed by, I found this inscription: Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger. Abu-Bakr al-Siddiq is behind me!”
Commenting on this tradition, Ibn Hajar quotes Ibn Habban as considering it to be one of the false reports.
Many such false reports were forged against the Holy Prophet (s) in praise of Abu-Bakr.
Fabricated Merits of ‛Umar
The books of Prophetic traditions and history are replete with false traditions about the merits of ‛Umar ibn al-Khattab. The following are few examples:
1. The Prophet (s) said, “‛Umar receives direct words from the angels.”
2. The Prophet (s) said, “‛Umar is taught directly by the Angel.”
3. The Prophet (s) said, “Tranquility speaks on the tongue of ‛Umar.”
Fabricated Merits of ‛Uthman
Another group of false traditions were made up to speak of ‛Uthman ibn ‛Affan’s merits:
1. Anas narrated, without a further chain of authority, that the Prophet (s) said, “When I was taken to the heaven, I entered Paradise and saw an apple attached to a Paradisiacal woman who said, ‘I am exclusively created for the wrongly assassinated one; i.e. ‛Uthman.”
Al-Dhahabi reports this false tradition from ‛Abbas ibn Muhammad al-‛Adawi, the notorious forger of lies against the Holy Prophet (s).
2. The Prophet (s) said, “The angels are shy of ‛Uthman.”
We wonder why the angels are shy of ‛Uthman. Was it because he banished the great Companion Abu-Dharr al-Ghifari who matched Prophet Jesus (‛a) in piety and godliness? ‛Uthman cast out Abu-Dharr to a village called al-Rabadhah where he died hungry and alienated, while ‛Uthman possessed the great funds and fortunes of the Muslim lands, distributing them without measure among Marwan, his father, and his family members. He once declared, “If I had the keys of Paradise, I would certainly hand them over to the descendants of Umayyah.”
Or perhaps the angels are shy of ‛Uthman because he tortured physically the great Companion ‛Ammar ibn Yasir so intensely that he caused him rupture of the abdominal wall!
Or perhaps the angels are shy of ‛Uthman because he punished the lofty Companion ‛Abdullah ibn Mas‛ud violently and deprive him of any allowance from the public fund, causing him to die poor and hungry!
That was not all; ‛Uthman committed more horrible acts. Why is it then that the angels are shy of him?
Fabricated Merits of Mu‛awiyah
Many false reports were forged against the Holy Prophet (s) with regard to merits of Mu‛awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan, the son of Hind the liver-eater. Some of these lies will be cited hereinafter:
1. The Prophet (s) said, “On the Resurrection Day, I will not miss any of my companions except Mu‛awiyah ibn Ab-Sufyan, because I will not have the opportunity to see him except after eighty (or seventy) years. At that time, he will come to me riding on a camel made of sweet-smelling musk, it is stuffed with the mercy of Allah, and its legs are made of aquamarine. Calling at him, I will say, ‘Mu‛awiyah!’ He will answer, ‘Muhammad, I am at your service!’ I will ask, ‘Where have you been all these eighty years?’ He will reply, ‘I have been in a garden under the throne of my Lord, exchanging talks. He said to me that this situation was recompense for what I used to smell in the worldly life.’”
This tradition is one of the lies forged by ‛Abdullah ibn Hafs al-Waki. Assessing this tradition, Ibn ‛Adi says, “I have no doubt that this tradition was fabricated by ‛Abdullah ibn Hafs.”
As to al-Khatib, he comments that this tradition is false in its chain of authority and purport.”
Commenting on it, Ibn ‛Asakir says, “This is obnoxious tradition.”
I wonder why the Holy Prophet (s) misses Mu‛awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan the committer of hideous crimes in Islam. Mu‛awiyah opened a front against Imam ‛Ali (‛a) the successor of the Holy Prophet (s), shed streams of the blood of Muslims wrongfully, assassinated by poison the Holy Prophet’s grandson; namely, Imam al-Hasan (‛a), and killed such virtuous Companions like Hijr ibn ‛Adi and ‛Amr ibn al-Hamq al-Khuza‛i, not to mention the other dishonorable and criminal deeds that he perpetrated, violating all Islamic and human principles.
2. Anas reported that the Prophet (s) said, “The Trustees are seven: the Divine Tablet, the Divine Pen, Archangel Seraph, Archangel Michael, Archangel Gabriel, and Mu‛awiyah.”
Although he was enthusiastically loyal to the Umayyads, Ibn Kathir mentioned this false tradition and ranked with the obnoxious lies that were forged against the Holy Prophet (s).
Shaykh al-Amini, the master scholar, commented on this tradition by saying, “Wretched be the people who report such disgraceful pieces without having their foreheads sweated out of shame and embarrassment! Is it not ignominious for Islam and its people that Mu‛awiyah the treacherous is introduced as equivalent to the Prophet and the infallible trustees of Allah?”
Other traditions were forged to deform the great personality of the Holy Prophet (s). One made-up tradition reports that he (s) used to listen to songs and watch dancing ceremonies, carrying ‛A'ishah on his shoulder!
Other traditions were deliberately fabricated by Ka‛b al-Ahbar and the other Israelite enemies of Islam for purpose of degrading the Holy Prophet (s) whose virtues and exploits have reached every corner on this globe and have given him precedence to all of the other prophets.
These false traditions extended to the All-exalted Creator to ascribe to Him such imperfect attributes like His coming, on the Resurrection Day, to Hellfire to see whether it was full or not. When Hellfire asks for more increasingly, it will not be filled until the Lord puts His foot in it! Only then will it say, “Enough! Enough! I am now full out of Your might and honor!’
The previous false traditions have been few models of the forgeries that were made against the Holy Prophet (s). They have been introduced in the reference books of Prophetic traditions, written by non-Shi‛ah scholars, under such titles like the merits of the Sahabah. Of course, all these lies were fabricated against the Holy Prophet (s) by the command and under the direct support and supervision of the ruling authorities to be used as points of justification of the clear violations of the religion committed by the Umayyad and ‛Abbasid ruling authorities who had totally deviated from Islam. However, al-Jahiz and al-Suyuti have decided the falsity of numerous traditions that were reported about the merits of Abu-Bakr, ‛Umar, and ‛Uthman.
Mu‛awiyah’s Role in Fabricating Lies against the Holy Prophet
Assuredly, Mu‛awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan is answerable before Almighty Allah and before history for the fabricated lies against the Holy Prophet (s), because these forgeries have deformed the great religion of Allah and offended Islam and its real advocates.
Historicists say that Mu‛awiyah wrote this message to his officials and deputy governors: “Try to find the followers, fans, and adherents of ‛Uthman (ibn ‛Affan) as well as those who circulate narrations about his merits and virtues. If you find them, you should show favor to them, approach, and honor them. Write back to me the narrations that they report in this regard as well as their names and the names of their fathers and tribes.”
Having seen that Mu‛awiyah had endowed generously with gifts, dresses, grants, and fiefs on the fabricators of traditions, many people in every region competed with each other in forging lies against the Holy Prophet (s) so that they would gain more money and proximity to the ruling authorities and their names would be registered in the list of the close individuals to the ruling regime.
In this way, Mu‛awiyah could succeed in his scheme that was aimed at abolishing Islam and eliminating the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a) from all the fields of life inside the Muslim community.
Abu-Ja‛far al-Iskafi says, “Mu‛awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan employed a number of the Sahabah and another number of the Tabi‛un (i.e. the followers: the next generation after the Sahabah) to fabricated offensive reports against (Imam) ‛Ali (‛a) in order to encourage people to speak evil of him and to disavow him. For achieving so, Mu‛awiyah gave them terribly seductive prizes. They therefore fabricated many reports that pleased Mu‛awiyah. Among these Sahabah who had considerable roles in this process were Abu-Hurayrah, ‛Amr ibn al-‛As, and al-Maghirah ibn Shu‛bah; and from the Tabi‛un was ‛Urwah ibn al-Zubayr.”
Mu‛awiyah wrote another letter to his officials and deputy governors on the same topic, saying to them, “Narrations about ‛Uthman have spread out so excessively that it cover each and every province, city, and town. Hence, after you read this letter, I order you to call people to circulate narrations about the merits of the other Sahabah and the first two caliphs (namely Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar). As for the reports that Muslims narrate about the merits of Abu-Turab (i.e. Imam ‛Ali), you are ordered to contradict all these reports by fabricating opposing ones about merits of the Sahabah.”
When this letter was read before people, many false reports were forged about tenuous merits of some Companions. People exerted all possible efforts in concocting traditions that would achieve the desires of the ruling authorities and meet their plots. Unfortunately, these forged lies were said on religious occasions and congregations; and the teachers of elementary schools were ordered to circulate these fabrications among their pupils to learn them as exactly as they learn the Holy Qur'an. Thus, women, boys, and servants were nourished with such false material.
These fabrications resulted in corrupting the beliefs of Muslims and casting animosity and seditions among them. In my conception, the made-up traditions that cast greatness and honor on many personalities that had no account in Islam - such as Mu‛awiyah and his likes who had deviated from Islam - were among the most serious events by which Muslims have been afflicted.
A Serious Letter of Mu‛awiyah
This is an important and serious letter that Mu‛awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan sent in reply to a letter sent to him by Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr,
inviting him to pay homage to Imam ‛Ali (‛a).
In this letter, Mu‛awiyah confirmed that all the calamities that afflicted the Muslim community was originally because of Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar. He thus introduced these two persons as the only ones responsible for every event that took place after the passing away of the Holy Prophet (s).
This is the text of this letter:
“From Mu‛awiyah the son of Sakhr to Muhammad the son of Abu-Bakr who is impious to his father:
I have received your missive in which you have mentioned Allah, His greatness, omnipotence, and authority in an appropriate way and you have mentioned other articles about Allah’s choosing His Prophet as well as many other words that you had composed and invented, while these words demonstrate the fragility of your opinion and imply reproach of your father. In these words, you have referred to the right of the son of Abu-Talib as well as his precedence, his relation tie with Allah’s Prophet, his support for him, and his sacrifices for him in all horrible and breathtaking situations. So, in your argument against me and finding fault with me, you have presented the virtues of someone other than you. Thank Allah for He has taken away this virtue from you and given it to someone else. We, plus your father, since the lifetime of our Prophet, used to recognize the precedence of the son of Abu-Talib to be binding and his virtue to be surpassing us.
After Allah had chosen for His Prophet what He has in possession, fulfilled what He had promised him, made prevalent his call, and made overcoming his arguments, He took him towards Him. Then, your father and his faruq (i.e. ‛Umar) were the first to rob his right and to infringe his order, although these two had already agreed to do this. They then called him (i.e. Imam ‛Ali) to pledge allegiance to them, but he was too slow and too dilatory to respond to them. As a result, they determined to face him with grievous acts and decided to apply to him the gravest thing (i.e. killing).
However, he then swore allegiance and surrendered to them; therefore, they neither gave him any share in their affairs nor did they apprise him of their confidential matters. When they passed away and ceased to exist, they appointed ‛Uthman ibn ‛Affan after them, following their guidance and patterning after them. However, your acquaintance and you censured him so intensely that you both made even the remote people of acts of disobedience revolt against him. You also incurred the animosity of him secretly and openly, and revealed your rancor towards him until you attained what you had wanted against him.
So, be careful, son of Abu-Bakr, for you will very soon face the bad consequence of your deeds. If you only measure your tiny size with your own tool, you will find that you are too short to be parallel or equivalent to one whose forbearance is as weighty as mountains, whose lance cannot be bent under duress, and whose endurance cannot be attained by any one known for his tolerance. It is your father who had paved the way to him (i.e. Mu‛awiyah), and constructed and established his sovereignty. If our current course is true, then your father was its originator, but if it is false and wrong, then it is still your father who had founded it and we are only partners of him, since we followed his guidance and patterned after his deeds. Had it not been for what your father had already done, we would not have opposed the son of Abu-Talib; rather, we would certainly have succumbed to him. However, when we saw your father doing this before us, we only imitated and took after him. So, you must first of all censure your father as you like; otherwise, you must leave this issue. Peace be upon those who turn from their errors and repent remorsefully.”
This letter sheds light on the reason for Mu‛awiyah’s armed rebellion against Imam ‛Ali (‛a). In his rebellion, Mu‛awiyah, as he claims, depended upon the actions of Abu-Bakr and ‛Umar who had taken over power by force and usurped Imam ‛Ali (‛a) from his right, paving the way for Mu‛awiyah and his likes to fight and wage war against the Imam (‛a).
To come to the point, the main reason for all the tragic events that afflicted the Muslims was the Saqifah conspiratorial conference, which brought upon Muslims innumerable woes and perditions.
Remark of Al-Yasin
His Eminence the late Shaykh Ra¤i Al-Yasin, investigating the black seditions that have winded up the Islamic world as a result of separating the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a) from caliphate, which is in turn the main goal for the achieving of which the Saqifah conspiratorial conference was held, says,
The conspiratorial process of putting apart the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a) from caliphate has always been the object of the historical hot disputes that took place between those who were fond of power and authority all over ages. It has also been the stimulus of staggering tragedies that occurred among the Muslims themselves, and the source of the disparaging reflections on the ideality of Islam. Muslims could have evaded all these problems if caliphate, on its first day, had taken its conspicuous path in which acting upon personal views are illegal, applying the miscellaneous methodologies of politics is cast off, and none has the right to issue any verdict except Almighty Allah and His Prophet:
“And it behoves not a believing man and a believing woman that they should have any choice in their matter when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he surely strays off a manifest straying. (Holy Qur'an, 33/36)”
This long aged crushing contention between the prominent families of Muslims that has been transferred among the generations is no more than a result of making way for everyone to aspire for invading the position of the leadership of Muslims. Likewise, the repulsive massacres, Muslims had to encounter at various stages of their history, between the Banu-Hashim and Banu-Umayyah, between Banu’l-Zubayr and Banu-Umayyah, between Banu’l-‛Abbas and Banu-Umayyah, between Banu-‛Ali and Banu’l-‛Abbas, and so on have been the direct product of breaking the religious tradition
on which the Holy Prophet (s) had focused practically in order that he should be able to prevent the occurrence of such tragic and sorrowful events in Islam.
The exceptionally dreadful misfortunes of the Holy Prophet’s offspring (whom were exposed to massacres, crucifixion, captivity, and banishment all over the history) were the results of the first mistake of violating the Holy Prophet’s instruction with regard to his future program that he had planned for his descendants and community - a program that would have maintained both the descendants and the community if only they had obeyed.
Unfortunately, these people were too ignorant to perceive the signification of the Holy Prophet’s perspicacious policy. They therefore despised that Prophethood and caliphate should be in the same house (i.e. family)! They had already melted in another policy. However, this claim was only the superficial justification they had made, because they could not find any other reason to say to the people. As for their real justification, none knows it except the One Who has full knowledge with the intrinsic substances. Most likely, the real reason for their having separated the Ahl al-Bayt (‛a) from caliphate had very strong connection with the bitter bloody memories left by the battles that had been flared up for maintaining the survival of Islam, or the reason had something to do with envy, which “consumes the religion as same as fire consuming logs,” as expressed by the Holy Prophet (s).
Fondness of authority and lust for governing has always been the most cureless malady; therefore, it acted as plague for the people. This malady can be found in its most intense states with the powerful people, like chiefs and those who impose themselves upon people as their rulers.
Prophethood and Imamate, in their capacity as Divinely commissioned positions, have nothing to do with the modern concept of politics. In other words, all policies inside the frame of Prophethood or in any of its subordinate administrative affairs must be considered part of the religion and must be understood in this domain. Hence, the one and only referential authority in all of these affairs must be the one who came with the religion and his word must always be the decisive criterion.”
Conceding to the very strong opinion of Shaykh Al-Yasin, I believe that all the tragic events that attacked Muslims violently were only direct consequences of the Saqifah conference. One of these tragic events was the policy of aggressive frightening that was applied to the members of the Holy Prophet’s family who are the core of Divine wisdom and the source of awareness and inspiration in the Muslim world.
If the Muslim community complied with the Holy Prophet (s) and abided by his decision about the next leadership, which was only intended to guarantee for this community a most exquisite destiny all over ages, this community would most certainly have been the foremost of the entire humanity in civilization, security, and luxury.
The Holy Prophet (s) had planned that the general religious and civil leadership of the Muslim community should be kept in the hands of his descendants who enjoyed sublime talents and qualifications, acted extremely piously towards the religious affairs, and preferred the public interests over all other considerations.
Most surely, if the Muslims had followed their Prophet who cared very much for them and tried his best to save them from all hardships, they would not have suffered the persecutions of the tyrannical rulers who ruled over them through whips and swords, spread injustice and terror, considered the fortunes of Almighty Allah and the public funds as their own properties and the servants of Almighty Allah as their incarcerated slaves, and used the finance of the state to satisfy their lustful desires and impudent night parties.
A swift look into the resources of the Islamic history can discover this fact tirelessly.
This is the end of our study of the Saqifah conspiratorial conference and the accompanying events that have been the main reason for all the misfortunes encountered by Muslims since the dawn of their history hitherto.
Finally, I hope that the gentle reader would come across pleasure and benefit from this book, which briefs about the reality of what had happened concerning the issue of the Islamic caliphate.
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Author: Baqir Sharif al-Qarashi
