Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 3 - Outward Refutation of the Conception

Formally, the Sahaba's ultimate decency conception, adopted by Sunnis, is, generally, refuted from two faces:

First Face: Admission and Witnesses

The Holy Quran is, indisputably, the (Reminder) intended in God's saying: (Surely We have revealed the Reminder and We will most surely be its guardians). The Prophet's traditions are, beyond any dispute, explanations and interpretation of the (Reminder.) God, the tremendously Almighty, has committed Himself of guarding that Reminder all over times. In this manner, guardianship of the Reminder is divinely guaranteed. The honorable Sahaba are not involved in such a guarantee or guardianship. Without need to witnesses, this religion is under guardianship and consonant since Allah is the witness and He is the guardian and the explainer. Only after God's perfecting the religion and completing the divine grace, The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) moved to his Elevated Associate.

Mohammed, hence, is the witness on Muslims. Muslims of every time are the witnesses on people of their time. Likewise, the Book is revealed from God and none, to any extent, can add, change or erase any single letter. This is because it is a divine arrangement.

Along with the revelation of any group of the Quranic Verses, there was the divine guidance concerning position of these Verses in the Quran book. At the Prophet's decease, the Quran, as a whole, was arranged as exactly as we have now. It was thoroughly written, not only in hearts of men - as some brothers claim - but also on papers. View of the Sahaba's ultimate decency shall not add anything to the consonant or the defended thing and, in the same way, view of the only sincere Sahaba’s decency shall neither vibrate nor influence consonance or safe. It is really unreasonable for them to discuss matter of the divine guardianship of the Quran for the purpose of proving the ultimate decency of the Sahaba as a whole. In this manner, thanks is God's particularly, and pride is Mohammed's, his folks' and his faithful companion's, who encompassed him. As a matter of fact, the Prophet would have been killed, like many other prophets, if his folks had let him down or delivered him to chiefs of Quraish and, as a sequence, his progeny would have not suffered all those years of blockade, pains and mistreatments. By the way, I wonder where the entire Sahaba were while the Hashemites were detained in Cols of Abu­Talib, having from leaves of trees and their children were sucking sands due to their starvation and thirst!! It is, positively or divinely, fair to measure the detainer and the detained in the same scale? (What is the matter with you?! On which grounds are you judging?!)

Second Face

For the following reasons, the claim of reckoning those who malign any of the Sahaba, with the miscreants, is not acceptable:

Since Islam is the last and final heavenly form of God's religion, it is presented and designed in a way enables every individual to understand it according to individual capability. Ideal understanding, however, is that fitting the legal intendment of the text so as to attain what God has exactly meant. This mission, at any rate, is not easy. It is perfectly a matter of specialization. This is why God forwards messengers with the Divine Books, and guides with the guidance. In the same way, it is the reason beyond the existence of Imams and the prophets' leadership. As a result, it becomes obvious that Islam is different from our understanding of Islam which depends upon our diverse education.

Difference of opinions and variance of cognition cannot be regarded as disbelief. It is to add that there was a number of Sahaba who maligned the Prophet and criticized his justice. As an example, you may refer to Ibnul­Khuweissira's following saying: “O Mohammed! Be just. You, by God, did not seek God's satisfaction by opting for such a sort of distribution!”

The Prophet, however, did not describe him as a miscreant or a hypocrite. He only answered him with the following statement: “Woe is you! Who will be just if I am not?!”

Are the Sahaba enjoying a standing higher than the Prophet's, then? How come do you rule of ultimate decency of all of the Sahaba while the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), the leader of mankind, says: “I am but a human. I may be right or, may be, wrong?”

Sunnis unanimously agree, or might be only showing so, that the Prophet is right, and what he has come with is right, too. As long as the Sahaba were the only persons who transferred these rights to us, they are the only witnesses on authenticity of their beliefs. Those vilifying at those Sahaba are attempting to negate the Book and the traditions we are pursuing. Those are miscreants, then.[27] You are not allowed to share those vilifiers at any Sahabi in a meal or a drink or even perform the funeral prayer for them.[28]

Prefatory Perusal

1st - Confusion

Belief of authenticity of the Prophet, the Quran and traditions is indisputably considerable by Muslims with their various sects. In an equal degree, all of Muslims are belonging to the religion and bearing its eternal identity. The religion, however, consists of two major sections; the Prophet as a person, his sayings, deeds and signature, and the revealed Book of God. This is an unanimity among Muslims. Their discrepancy, in fact, is in their understanding of legal intendment of this religion. It is unacceptable to confuse the religion and our understanding of it. Religion is the constant center, and our understandings are variables. Our understandings are practically differing among individuals and groups. This depends upon degree of knowledgeability, capability of grasping, activity and deserting one's fancies.

Had it been effectual to impose a single understanding to a text, God would have imposed it and there have been unnecessary to pursue the unanimous agreement or, even, the understanding itself. With existence of more than a conception of a definite text, this will definitely incite individuals opting for various understandings of the same text to prove their claim of grasping the legal intendment, to re study severally for attaining a united conception since each text does have one meaning only. Any other theory will grant discrepancies and differences the mark of legality. Likewise, every sect will appoint a different path as its goal while the good of this nation is achieved only by their unification. As an addition it is to say that achievement of any understanding, other than the very one intended by God, does not flow in the good of any. The good of this nation is acquired only by gaining the very understanding meant by God and putting it into action.

It is impermissible for us to confuse our understandings with the religion in various intendments, whether good or bad. It is also inappropriate to dedicate the religion to our inferable understandings so firmly that we sentence those who disagree with us to punition. By opting for such actions we should be exceeding the area of following into that of legislation which is God's concern exclusively. The judgment of regarding individuals embracing contrary opinions as miscreant, and the decision of forbidding sharing them in food and drink, and performing the funeral prayers for their bodies, are not admitted by religion. Such judgments are ruled as groundless punition and an aggression against others' properties. Furthermore, they are basically void and valueless.

2nd - Suggestive Words

Islam is a distinct term of a definite meaning. It is:

1. Mohammed, the Prophet, as a person, his words, deeds and signature. Likewise, it is the Holy Quran with its two aspects; theory and practice. These aspects are forming the total exemplary juristic structures that God revealed to His Prophet who, in turns, explained to people. It is the divine creed intended, by Allah, to be religion of the obedient creatures. It is an idiosyncratic denotation.

2. The virtuous Sahaba who pursued the religion and acceded to the Prophet in his divine missive and establishment of the Islamic government. Neither being the religion itself nor a pillar part of it, they are mere followers.

3. The Muslims who followed and aspired to Islam. Considering them as more than followers, Muslims are not Islam itself. There is a great distance between belief and individuals embracing. The same is said about law and people and, in the same way, judges and the judged.

3rd - Protection and Covering Up

Benefits of Islam and Muslims is achieved by understanding the genuine intendment of the Islamic doctrine, that is exactly intended by Allah, the Elevated. Conceiving such an intendment, which is the demand of every person, requires specialization and individual talents. Unfortunately, there are some individuals who occupied others' fields and attempted, peacefully or coercively, at imposing their false conclusions on people. Furthermore, they locked the way to inspecting and searching for the true intendment, and they ruled of atheism of those who contradict them as they judged that their elicitation is the religion itself.

They, however, are not rightful to declare so since there is a great difference between religion, as a belief, and them, as individuals. It is to add that contradicting such individuals has no relation to contradiction of the religion. Opting for such a false perception is regarded as deciding the proofless choice and as an impressive custody. This will definitely make the whole process a form of utilizing the religion for covering up and protecting a certain belief or conception.

Precisely, contrariety about the understanding of a text does not lead to apostasy of somebody or godliness of another. Such a conception is judged as a proofless preponderance and a baseless outrage. It flows only in the arteries of those who dominated the Islamic nation by discriminating them into various groups and sects using means of dishonest political trickeries. This was done by aid of the ill scholars of this nation who used to stand against consensus and unification of Muslims. It is they who used various names and attributes to the Muslims; such as unbelievers, Sunnis, Shias and the like. Even the unbelievers of the Scriptuaries disdained the naughty matters of discrimination that is detested by sound sense and pure nature. At any rate, it does show the narrow-mindedness of those opting for, and does contravene principals of Islamic fraternity and its general spirit.

The literal degree of oddity and detestability of excessive enthusiasm is recognized by God alone. In his thesis about the most authentic narrators of hadiths, At­Thehbi says:

Abu­Omar­bn­Abdil­Berr says: It was narrated that Mohammed­bn­Weddah had said: “I sought Yahya­bn­Mu'in's opinion about Ashafi'i.­Yahya­bn­Mu'in is one of the most considerable scholars of evaluating narrators of hadiths and traditions whose opinion is highly taken into account and ruled as a decisive evidence. He answered that Ashafi'i is distrustful! Regarding Ja'far­bn­Mohammed As­Sadiq, except for Al­Bukhari who excluded him from the group of acceptable narrators, Abu­Hatem and An­Nisa'i ruled of his authenticity.”

See how Yahya­bn­Muin, the well known scholar, denied honesty of Ashafi'i, and how Al­Bukhari denied Imam Ja'far As­Sadiq's being among the admissible narrators, while others of less standing, were considered. Imam Ja'far As­Sadiq, however, is the chief of Ahlul­Beit Sect. He is the tutor of founders of the four schools of jurisprudence. He is the unprecedented and the most celebrated savant, from whose school four thousand students of jurisprudence and hadith were graduated. Moreover, he is the sixth Imam of the Prophet's progeny whose fathers are Mohammed, Ali Zainul­Aabidin, Al­Hussein and Ali­bn­Abi­Talib.

Despite all these specifications, Al­Bukhari did neither regard Imam Ja'far as one of the reliable relators nor did he rule of his authenticity! Even though they are Sahaba according to the conception of Sunnis, the Imams' narratives were ignored by Al­Bukhari.

A Topical Refutation of the Sahaba's Ultimate Decency Conception

It is a common belief among Sunnis that all of the Prophet's companions are unexceptionably decent. While this conception was invented by the dominant politicians - of that time - for a specific wicked purpose, as we are to verify sooner, they could prove to feeble people that it was a pillar part of Islam and a constant principal of this divine doctrine. They could cheat those people that he should be ruled as a miscreant and should be abandoned that who attempts to disbelieve, discuss or criticize this conception.

It is undeniable that companionship of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is a remarkable honor and a high standing. According to the lexical and the terminological meaning unanimously adopted by Sunnis, all of people of the Prophet's government are included. Characteristics that defining the Prophet's companionship are:

1. Meeting the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).

2. Declaring true believing in his message. This characteristic can easily be gotten by the hypocrites, like those who spared no efforts for fighting Islam, but they declared their being Muslims when they had been fully surrounded and when the entire doors had been locked in their faces except that of Islam. God, however, alone knows the real intents.

3. Keeping on this state till death.

Those faithful believers, the ostentatious hypocrites and the unbelievers were not of the same degree so that we can ruled of their equal decency! As a matter of fact, among them there were those who showed their Islam while they were hiding disbelief and defiance. Those are the group of the Muslim hypocrites who lived with and after the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).

The Holy Quran divulged constancy on hypocrisy, treason, mendacity, dishonesty, prevarication, planning for rebellion, hurting the Prophet and disobedience of such individuals.

Beginning with expansion of the Islamic state, elevation of the Prophet's pennon, domination all over the Arabia, mastery over the entire people, perfection of the religion and crowning of God's grace till the Prophet's decease, situations of that faction of hypocrites showed no change at all, whereas the other Muslims were of discrepant standings in believing and sacrificing.

The Wonder of Wonders

With or without political introductories, the entire individuals of the Prophet's state became Sahaba! They, as a whole, did see, or were seen by, the Prophet. They believed faithfully or ostentatiously in him and kept on such a believing to the end of their life. This conception, nevertheless, was invented in the Umayid reign before the extinction of generation of Sahaba. This is to mean that they ruled of the decency before waiting for the end!

In this manner, this mentioned conception is basically annulled.

Aspect of Annulment

1. This conception opposes categorical Quranic texts.

2. This conception opposes traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) in their three aspects; words, deeds and signature.

3. This conception opposes actuality.

4. This conception opposes general spirit of Islam, concept of the unforeseen end result and concept of cause finale.

Expatiating and Proving Aspects of Annulment

I. the Conception Opposes Categorical Quranic Texts

Manifestation Of Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy was prevalently manifested during the Prophet's age. The hypocrites were forming a considerable tangible power. They are a group of people who showed their believing in the Prophet's message and admitting, by words, the two creeds of Islam besides the very statements frequently repeated by Muslims. By uttering so, they were aiming at deceiving and mocking at Muslims. God says: (And these are some people who says, We believe in Allah and the last day and they are not at all believers. They desire to deceive Allah and those who believe, and they deceive only themselves and they do not perceive.)

Manifestation of hypocrisy included deeds also. The hypocrites were performing prayers, giving alms, providing convincing excuses as they were withdrawing from battles of Islam and repeating their claims of being believers.

Sooner or later, conducts reflect substance of beliefs. Yet, intents are God's concern lonlily. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) who is, as a norm, kind, merciful and highly polite as he is the ideal of perfect human, is to deal with individuals according to their appearances and outwards conducts, entrusting intents to Allah. When they exceeded limits, the Holy Quranic Verses began to disclose the real peculiarities of such a group. The following is a number of such Verses:

(And they are not all believers. They desire to deceive Allah and those who believe.) (And when they are alone with their Shaitan they say: surely we are with you, we were only mocking.) (And they do not come to prayer but while they are sluggish, and they do not depend but while they are unwilling.) (And if they intended to go forth they would certainly have provided equipment for it, but Allah did not like their going forth, so He withheld them, and it was said to them: Hold back with these who hold back. Had they gone forth with you, they would not have added to you aught save corruption, and they would certainly have hurried about among you seeking dissension among you, and among you there are those who hear for their sake; and Allah knows the unjust.) (And they swear by Allah that they are most surely of you, and they are not of you, but they are a people who are afraid - of you) (And among them there is he who says: allow me and do not try me, Surely into trial have they already tumbled down, and most surely hell encompasses the unbelievers.)

Categorical Divine Judgment

As God uncovered their realities and bared their intendments, He issued His just ordinance fitting their grave offenses of lying to people and God. In Addition, God enjoined His Prophet informing them of contents, recitals and causes of this divine judgment: (Say: Spend willingly or unwillingly it shall not be accepted from you.)

What for is this decision? This was by reason that they had been deceiving God and those who believed in Him, and their claims had been false and aimed for mocking. As a result, they disbelieved in God and His Messenger in spite of their claims.

As to his responsibility, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) declared this divine judgment without neglecting its causes and recitals. Consequently, he put such facts before everybody's eyes.

Nevertheless, the Prophet, as to his perceptible nature, went on seeking God's forgiveness and guidance to the right path for such individuals. Evidently, God answered: (Ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them; even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will not forgive them; this is because they disbelieve in Allah and His Apostle, and Allah does not guide the transgressing people.)

Examples Of Contradiction Between The Holy Quran And The Sahaba's Ultimate Decency Conception

The first example is God's saying: (And there are those of them who made a covenant with Allah; if he give us out of His grace, we will certainly give alms and we will certainly be of the good. But when He gave then out of His grace, they became niggardly of it and they turned back and they withdrew. So He made hypocrisy to follow as a consequence into their hearts till the day when they shell meet Him because they failed to perform towards Allah what they had promised with Him and because they told lies.)

This is concerning the story of Tha'laba, the destitute Sahabi, who implored the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) to seek God's bestowing him a considerable fortune. The story goes on in this form: “Woe is you, Tha'laba!” said the Prophet, “A thankful scantiness is better than an unbearable plenitude.” “By Him Who messaged you with the Truth I swear,” Tha'laba asserted, “I will settle the whole rights.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) supplicated God to bestow Tha'laba. Hence, the man was greatly enriched. Unwillingly, Tha'laba resisted the Prophet's demand and refrained from defraying the poor rate imposed on every wealthy Muslim. His excuse was that he had regarded the poor rate as tributes that he was not to pay. Without receiving Tha'laba's taxable sums, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was deceased. Abu­Bakr, Omar and Othman, during whose reign Tha'laba was deceased, rejected receiving his poor rates.[29]

The second example is God's saying: (Is he then who is a believer like him who is a transgressor? They are not equal. As for those who believe and do good, the gardens are their abiding place; an entertainment for what they did. And as for these who transgress their abode is the fire; whenever they desire to go forth from it they shall be brought back into it, and it will be said to them, taste the chastisement of the fire which you called a lie.)

The believer, in the above Verses, is, dedicatedly, Ali­bn­Abi­Talib, while the transgressor is Al­Waleed­bn­Aqaba. It is worth to mention that this (transgressor) became Othman's governor of Kufa and Muawiya's governor of Al­Madina.[30]

The third example is God's saying: (And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah and he is invited to Islam, and Allah does not guide the unjust people.)

This Verse was reveled for the case of Abdullah­bn­Abi­Sarh, the governor of Egypt in the reign of Othman. He forged lies against Allah. As a result, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) judged of shedding his blood in impunity and going unrevenged even if he hangs to curtains of Ka'ba. This report is quoted by the Shafi'ite author of As­Seeretul­Halabiyya, Section: Conquest of Mecca. The author adds that Othman led him seeking the Prophet's securing him. That was on the day of the conquest of Mecca. By keeping silence, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) anticipated that the man would be killed by somebody. Eventually, he had to grant secure to the man as he recognized that none would kill him.

Explication of the 3 Examples

1. God's Judgment In The Three Individuals

In the First example God rules of hypocrisy of Tha'laba's intendment.

In the second example God explicates that Al­Waleed­bn­Aqaba is a transgressor who shall be certainly sent to where he shall never find any other choice or an exit.

In the third example God points out that Abdullah­bn­Abi­Sarh has forged lies against Allah and attempts to contort God's Book. He is, then, the most unjust. In addition, God shows that this individual shall be never following the true path since God shall not guide the unjust.

2. Sunnis' Judgment Respecting The Three

These three individuals are reckoned with Sahaba considering they are meeting qualifications of Sahaba lexically and terminologically. On that account, they are such decent persons that it is inapt for them to fabricate at all and they are ruled as honest who shall certainly be sent to the Paradise and none of them shall see the Hell. These matters are fortified by the facts that Abdullah­bn­Abi­Sarh had been Othman's governor of Egypt and one of his close viziers. The same is said about Al­Waleed­bn­Aqaba who was the governor of Kufa who had performed the Fajr Prayer with four Rak'as - units of prayer - and showed his readiness to add any number according to desires of his followers. He was Othman's vizier and Muawiya's governor of Al­Madina. In due course, he shall be decided as a miscreant, that is forbidden from being shared in a food or a drink or prayed for his dead body, that whoever asperses any of those three individuals!!

Forthrightly, which one is to be believed? Is it God's Book and judgment, or is it partisan pursuance? From this cause, the Sahaba's ultimate decency conception is topically nullified because of its being paradoxical to decisive Quranic texts. Generalization of the ultimate decency of the Sahaba, as a whole, opposes and counteract the divine doctrines.

2 The Conception Opposes the Prophet's Traditions - 6 Examples

The first example is Thuthedyeh. He was one of the pious Sahaba, whose godliness and saintliness were admiring people. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), however, described him as “a man with a face of Satanic traces.” Abu­Bakr and Omar were sent by the Prophet for killing that man, but they did not do it as they found him in a state of praying. Imam Ali, then, was charged for the mission. The man had left the place just before the arrival of Imam Ali. Thus, he survived.[31]

This man was the leader of the Kharijites in the battle of Nahrawan. At any rate, the man was killed by Imam Ali during that battle.[32]

The second example is that group of Sahaba who used to meet in a house for driving people against the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). Pursuant to the Prophet's orders, the house was put on fire while they were in.

The third example is Qazman­bn­Al­Harith. This man fought remarkably in the line of Muslims. Before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), attendants mentioned Qazman's courage and great role in the battle. “Indeed, he shall be in the Hell.” commented the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). Qazman was dying due to heavy stabs when some Muslims congratulated him for he should be in the Paradise very soon. “Is it not that Paradise of harmaline?” mimed Qazman, “I swear I fought only for the sake of the worldly benefits!”

The fourth example is Al­Hakam­bn­Al­Aas­bn­Umaya­bn­Abd Shams, uncle of Othman­bn­Affan and father of Marwan­bn­Al­Hakam.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) cursed this individual and his progeny; “My people shall be countering anguishes on the hands of this one's progeny.”

It is related that A'isheh addressed at Marwan: “I do attest that God's messenger did curse your father while you were in his back.”

Al­Hakam was banished to Marj, a village near At­Ta'if, and prevented from entering Al­Madina city. Abu­Bakr, in the same way, rejected his request of visiting Al­Madina. Othman mediated at Omar, the caliph, to let him in Al­Madina anew. The caliph rejected strictly. Having come to power, Othman canceled the Prophet's decision of the banishment. Hence, the man entered Al­Madina with full honor and dignity. Besides, he was gifted one hundred thousand dirhams. Marwan, this man's son, was assigned as secretary of the caliph. This was the main cause of eruption of the revolution against the caliph which led to his assassination and to devastation of the regime of caliphate. It is to add that Marwan had been called ‘a thread of the wrong.’

A poet used this name when he said:

To Allah I complain against a people took a thread of the wrong as their leader..[33]

The fifth example is (Those who built a mosque to cause harm and for unbelief and to cause disunion among the believers.) Those twelve individuals, who are reckoned with Sahaba despite their hypocrisy, declared that the aim before establishing that mosque had been seeking God's favor.[34]

The sixth example is a number of Sahaba who had been declaratorily cursed by the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). Al­Halabi mentions that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), for a considerable period, cursed some persons.[35]

Al­Bukhari relates: Salim, his father: After reciting the statement of the last ritual genuflection of Fajr prayer, I, frequently, heard the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) curse some names.

As­Suyouti relates: Ahmed, Al­Bukhari, At­Tirmithi, An­Nisa'i, bn­Jarir and Al­Beihaqi­in his Dela'ilun­Nubuwweh, record the following narrative:

bn­Omar related: “On the day of battle of Uhud, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) cursed Abu­Sufian, Al­Harth­bn­Husham, Suheil­bn­Amr and Safwan­bn­Umaya.”

At­Tirmithi, who ruled of authenticity of the following narrative, bn­Jarir and bn­Abi­Hatem write down the following narrative:

bn­Omar related: “The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was wont to supplicate God against four individuals. In his Fajr prayers, he used to supplicate God to curse certain names.”

Nasr­bn­Muzahim Al­Minqari records: Abdul­Gheffar­bn­Al­Qasim, Edi­bn­Thabit, Al­Bera­bn­Azib: Abu­Sufian and Muawiya were approaching when the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) pointed at them and said: “O Allah! Curse the follower and the followed. O Allah! Take charge of the uneven­bodied.”

The uneven­bodied is Muawiya.

Nasr, Ali­bn­Al­Aqmur records:...The Prophet's sights fell on Abu­Sufian who was riding a pack animal while Muawiya and his brother were driving and leading the animal, and said: “O Allah! Curse the rider, the driver and the leader.”[36]

Another evidence is Mohammed­bn­Abi­Bakr's missive to Muawiya. The following is an excerpt of that missive:

“I saw you attempt to liken him - Ali­bn­Abi­Talib - and you are what we know, and he is what we know. He is the most well-meaning, father of the best progeny, husband of the finest wife and cousin of the most honorable man. He is brother of that self­sacrificer on the day of Mu'teh. He is nephew of master of martyrs on the day of Uhud. He is son of the protector of the Prophet and his group. While you are the cursed and son of the cursed. Continuously, your father and you have been waylaying the Prophet and sparing no efforts for darkening God's light. For so you have been allying the arrays, spending fortunes and instigating tribes against him. On this state, your father was deceased. You did succeed him.)[37]

In spite of his expressive reply to this missive, Muawiya neither denied his father's being cursed nor did he deny his.[38]

A Solicitation To Scrutinizing The 6 Examples

All the six previous examples related to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) are contradictory to the Sahaba's ultimate decency conception. It is rational that the condemned and sentenced to death, by the Prophet, are not decent. In a like manner, those the Prophet flamed their house while they were in are not decent. Those who mock at the Paradise and fight for the sake of spoils are not decent. As well, those who are cursed, along with their progenies, by the Prophet are not decent. Those who built a mosque for the sake of harm are not decent. Ruling of decency of the previous individuals is opposite to the Prophet's holy traditions. While the blind followers posit decency of such individuals without referring to their senses, the Prophet's tradition abjure it. Which is to be believed; the Prophet's traditions or the blind followers?!

Decency of the virtuous Sahaba is unanimously acceptable. The real disagreement exists in conception of generalizing such a decency, that is thoroughly contrary to the Prophet's traditions.

3 The Conception is Contradictory to Actuality - 7 Examples

1st example: Muawiya acquired declaration of fealty, as a caliph, by means of massacring, destroying, searing and reviling at the Prophet's supporters. He misused the Muslims' fortunes he had amassed during the twenty year dominion of Syria for the aim of fortifying his authorities. He invented an income distributed on the military at the nomination of a new caliph.[39]

This trend became indisputably obvious after Muawiya's proposing his son, Yazeed the notorious lascivious and ill-mannered, as the caliph, in addition to the coercive procedures of acquiring people's declaration of allegiance.

2nd example: Muawiya­bn­Abi­Sufian advised his son, Yazeed, to opt for Muslim­bn­Aqaba for quelling any probable rebellion in Al­Madina. Muslim­bn­Aqaba kept a list containing names of the most immaculate Sahaba, so that he would not miss any. In the center of the Prophet's capital, Muslim perpetrated the most outrageous crimes. Marwan was the commander while Muslim and his militaries were the executors. Besides the merciless executions, results of this operation advised by Muawiya, can be counted in the following points:

1. The whole warriors of Badr were terminated.

2. Seventy men from people of Quraish and the Ansar were killed.

3. Ten thousand individuals from the Arab and the non Arab were killed.

These were incidents of Al­Harra encounter that occurred in 63A.H. Abdullah­bn­Omar, who had been withdrawing from the continuous conflict between Ali and Muawiya, declared the saying which was changed, afterward, into an institutional rule; “We are with the controlling.”[40]

3rd example: Muawiya assigned Bisr­bn­Arta'a as the commander of three thousand soldiers and ordered him of acquiring fealty declaration of people of Al­Madina, Mecca and Yemen. It was the year 40 when Bisr ascended the pulpit and menaced people of Al­Madina with killing if they would reject declaring fealty to Muawiya. After having finished his mission in Mecca, Bisr advanced towards Yemen. As he could not find Ubeidullah­bn­Abbas, the governor of Yemen, Bisr killed Abdor­Rahman and Al­Qasim, the two young children of Ubeidullah, and their maternal uncle. Bisr perpetrated heavy massacres in Al­Madina, between the two mosques, Al­Jawf and San'a. He killed every man descried as acceding to Ali­bn­Abi­Talib.[41]

Juweiriyeh, the mother of the two young children killed by Bisr, used to circumbulate around her house with her hair dispersed, and eulogize her two children with excessively expressive words.

4th example: It is related that Ja'deh­bnt­Al­Ash'ath­bn­Qeis killed her husband, Al­Hassan­bn­Ali, with poison she had taken from Muawiya. The incentive beyond her ill deed was that Muawiya had promised her with one hundred thousand dirhams and selecting her as his son's wife. After the decease of Al­Hassan due to poisoning, Muawiya sent the sum he had promised Ja'deh of, but he broke the other promise saying: “We will chose you as our son's wife unless we do want him to live!”

It is related that during his dying, Al­Hassan said: “He, Muawiya, did achieve his goal; but he shall never make his words nor shall he fulfill his promise.“

Al­Abbas­bn­Abdil­Muttelib related: I was with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) when he smiled in the face of Ali­bn­Abi­Talib while he was approaching. As I sought an explanation, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: “O the Prophet's uncle! I do assert that Allah does love this man more than I do. The prophet's progenies are their sons. Mine is Ali's.”[42]

People of Syria elected Abdor­Rahman­bn­Khalid­bn­Al­Waleed as Muawiya's successor. This was the reason beyond Muawiya's poisoning him. The same thing was done to Abdor­Rahman­bn­Abi­Bakr.[43]

5th Example: The Grand Beatitude:

Mohammed­bn­Jarir At­Tabarani, Mohammed­bn­Hameed Ar­Razi, Ali­bn­Mujahid, Mohammed­bn­Isaaq, Al­Fadhl­bn­Rabee'a:

Abdullah­bn­Al­Abbas related: I was in the mosque when I heard Muawiya recite ‘Allahu Akbar’ declaratorily. Responding this declaration, people encompassing him, recited the same statement. When people of the mosque heard so, they participated. From her place, Fakhiteh bnt­Qaraza­bn­Amr­bn­Nawfel­bn­Abd Menaf went out and wondered: “God may please you, Amirul­Mu'minin! What is this news that made you so jovial?” “It is the decease of Al­Hassan­bn­Ali.” answered Muawiya. She was highly touched; therefore, she wept and cried: “The master of Muslims and the son of the Prophet is dead.” “The best thing you are doing.” said Muawiya, “ He was certainly as exactly as you have described.”

As soon as I was informed of the news I hurried up to Muawiya. “O son of Al­Abbas! Have you been informed of the news of Al­Hassan­bn­Ali's death?” he asked. “Yes, I have. Did you recite ‘Allahu Akbar’ for this very reason?” I wondered. “Yes, it was.” Muawiya affirmed.[44]

6th example: The troops led by Amr­bn­Sa'd­bn­Abi­Waqqas, the Sahabi, advanced.. Because of the heavy numbers of troops surrounding Al­Hussein (peace be upon him), he had to fight them since he was sure he would not find an exit. He fought to death. A man from people of Mithaj decapitated Al­Hussein and took his head to Ubeidullah­bn­Ziyad seeking the prize of killing that ‘deferential celebrity, son of the most honorable father and mother’ as the killer admits.

Al­Belathiri, in his Ansabul­Ashraf, relates that in addition to their robbing the apparel of Al­Hussein, the killed, horsemen executed the command of Omar­bn­Sa'd, the Sahabi, of treading Al­Hussein's chest with their horses. Isaaq­bn­Hubeira Al­Hadhrami and his group were mandated for this operation. Thus, they trod Al­Hussein's dead body. After having terminated the offspring of Mohammed, intercepting them from having from the near at hand River Euphrates, from which even dogs drink, Omar­bn­Sa'd­bn­Abi­Waqqas and his troops came back bearing triumph.

7th example: During his meeting Muawiya, Imam Al­Hassan addressed at people of Kufa: “Saving your three acts that I can never disregard; your killing my father, robbing my gear and stabbing me in the abdomen, I would be careless for you. Thereupon I declare fealty to Muawiya.”

This occurred after he (peace be upon him) had led a twelve thousand fighter army and camped in Al­Meda'in. Aback, some of his warriors robbed his luggage and gave him up. In addition, some attempted to enchain Imam Hassan and take to Muawiya. Some, however, aimed at killing him.

Explication Of The 7 Examples

Massacres, destruction, flaming, terminating the warriors of - the battle of - Badr, killing eleven thousand Muslims of the capital, Al­Madina, in a single day; all these are matters contradictory to decency.

In a like manner, murdering young children and executing every one showing, even surmisingly, Ali's affection are matters opposing claim of decency.

Correspondingly, poisoning Al­Hassan, killing Al­Hussein, trudging his chest with horses, terminating Mohammed's progeny and depriving them of drinking are matters violating claim of decency.

Besides others, occurrence of such matters repeals claims of those who rule of the ultimate decency of Sahaba as a whole. It repeals, likewise, their claim of the Sahaba's being in the Paradise and being saved from the Hell. Adopting for such a claim leads to the existence of rewarding those who perpetrated actions illegalized by Allah.

Actions like poisoning Imam Al­Hassan, killing Imam Al­Hussein and terminating the Prophet's progeny and companions cannot be regarded but an aggression. It cannot be decided as a sort of Ijtihad - doing the best for gaining an acceptable manner - under any circumstances. It is logically, religiously, justifiably and topically impossible to reckon perpetrators of such murders with the decent. Any commander, even paganists, will elevatedly evade committing such crimes of killing young children in the absence of their father, like that perpetrated by Bisr­bn­Arta'a. As a matter of fact, existence or absence of two young children should never affect authority of Muawiya. It is, by all means, a savage unreasonable deed. Is it, then, rational that the perpetrator of such a misdeed is reckoned with the decent? It is rational that the perpetrator of such a misdeed shall be certainly in the Paradise?

As to partisan pursuance, any strange matter is acceptable. It is, however, unacceptable in accordance to laws of the infallible Divine Doctrine.

Thus, actuality, together with incidents occurred after the Prophet's decease, does perfectly repeal the Sahaba's ultimate decency conception. Occurrences are contradictory to the conception which had been established, as we shall see, only for certain political purposes, including covering up transgression against legality and the illegal transference of power. God, however, is the Prevalent. People pursued each other in respect to this conception till it became as same as transference of fashions.

4 The Sahaba's Ultimate Decency Conception Opposes the General Spirit of Islam, Concept of the Unforeseen End Result and Concept of Cause Finale

Indeed the Almighty Allah has created life, death, the earth and what is all over it, only for the purpose of discerning the best doers. This is shown in God's saying: (Surely We have made whatever is on the earth an embellishment for it, so that We may try them as to which of them is best in works.) (He Who created death and life that He may try you - which of you is best in deeds.)

Consequently, This life is existed as a field of testing the creatures. This field is composed of every element in this life. Process of testing commences with the mandate connected to the intellectual discernibility and ends at death. Considering all of Sahaba are ultimately decent, infallible, honest and that they shall certainly be in the Paradise and none of them shall be in the Hell, means that they, as a whole, are out of process of mundane testing. This is indisputably opposite to the cause finale of their existence. Reciprocally, this will lead to the cessation of process of the divine testing.

Furthermore, this is opposite to the general spirit of Islam since God says: (I swear by the Asr. Most surely man is in loss. Except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience.)

The providence of Muslims is committing to God's commands till doom. Any error occurs to such a commitment should result in being out of realm of Islam and, also, drawing God's ire that is invariable according to sort of errors. The criterion is taken from the end result.

Providing that a Muslim apostatizes only at the last day of his life, honesty and faithfulness of his entire previous life shall be valueless. Due to God's mercy and grace, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) does realize the morrow. On that account, he (peace be upon him and his family) addressed at the believers in his last (Farewell) Pilgrimage: “After me, turn not into disbelieving, decapitating each other!” This statement is addressed at Sahaba, in both terminological and lexical meanings.

The following are narratives respecting this meaning:

* Al­Bukhari: bn­Abbas: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: “You shall be resuscitated - on the Doomsday - barefooted and naked. Some from among my companions shall be taken to the right and to the left. Then, I will say: ‘They are certainly my companions.’ I will be answered: ‘They kept on apostasy from the moment you departed them.’ Thereupon I will repeat the words of that virtuous slave - of God - : (I was a witness on them so long I was among them.)”

* The same narrative is recorded by Muslim in the following form: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: “Individuals from among my companions shall be proceeding towards me. As soon as I realize them they will be intercepted from me. I, then, will say: ‘They are my companions.’ I will be answered: ‘You do not know what they did after you.’”

* Al­Bukhari: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: “ - On the Doomsday - While I will be standing erect, a group of people will be advancing towards me. When I realize them, a man comes out between them and me and lead to the hell­fire. I will ask about the reason, and I will be answered: ‘They apostatized and turned to their backs just after you.’ Saving very few of them, none will be saved.”

* As to another narrative recorded by Al­Bukhari: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) related: “On the Resurrection Day, a crowd from my companions will be advancing towards me when they shall be intercepted from having from my Pool. Then, I shall say: ‘O Lord! These are my companions.’ I will be answered: ‘You do lack knowledge of what they did after you. They apostatized and turned to their backs.’”

* Sahl­bn­Sa'd relates: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) says: “Peoples I do realize as same as they do realize me, shall be intercepted from keeping advancing towards me.”

* An­Nu'man­bn­Eyash testifies that he heard Abu­Sa'eed Al­Khidri add the following statements to the same saying: “I will say: ‘They are within my people.’ I will be answered: ‘You do not know what they did after you.’ Thereupon, I will say: ‘Remote be those who altered after me.’”

* bn­Abbas: “..People from among my companions shall be taken to the left. I will say: ‘They are my companions. They are my companions.’ I will be answered: ‘Since you departed them, they kept on apostatizing.’”

* The same is recorded by Abu­Ya'qub in his Musned Omar.

* Al­Bukhari, in Chapter: Al­Hudeibiyeh Battle, writes down: Al­Ala­bn­Al­Museyyeb, his father: “Congratulations! You accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and declared fealty to him under that tree.” I said to Al­Bera­bn­Azib. He answered: “O my brother's son! You do not know what heresies we contrived after him!”

* Al­Bukhari: Abdullah: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: “(On the Resurrection Day) I will be preceding you to the Pool. Some of you shall be certainly driven away from me. I will say: ‘O Lord! They are my companions.’ He shall answer: ‘You do not know what they did after you!’”

* Al­Bukhari: Asma bnt­Abi­Bakr: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: “I will be standing to the Pool so that I will see who advances towards me from among you. Some peoples will be driven away from me. ‘O Lord! They are with me and within my people!’ I will be saying. I, then, will be answered: ‘Do you cognize what they did after you? They went on returning to their backs!’”

bn­Melika used to supplicate: “O Allah! We do seek your protection against turning to our backs and being tested in our religion.”

These are a part of what is recorded in books of Muslim and Al­Bukhari about the subject. Evading elaboration, we neglected mentioning the plenteous narratives appertained.[45]

Explication of the Above Texts

From the above texts of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), it is proved that a number of Sahaba shall be altering his norms and turning to their backs and, consequently, sent to the hell­fire. Muslim and Al­Bukhari, whom are considered, by those who embrace the Sahaba's ultimate decency conception, as the most authentic and respectful after the Holy Quran, are among the hadithists who recorded such narratives. How should we, then, correspond between the Sahaba's ultimate decency conception and being unquestionably sent to the Paradise, and such decisive continuously related texts of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) that are, in addition, supported by actuality?

As long as it is impracticable to harmonize between the conception and these texts, the earlier will be regarded as null. Likewise, it opposes the cause finale which is, the testing, and the spirit of Islam that is binding the upright life to the good deeds and continuity of enjoining each other of truth and toleration. This courses should be crowned only by the satisfactory end result.

Incoherence of the Conception

In his Sharhu Nahjil­Belagheh, bn­Abil­Hadid records:

bn­Arafa, the well named 'Naftawayih', who is one of the most considerable hadithists, says:

“Most of sayings reckoned with the Prophet's traditions, that are appertained to excellencies of Sahaba, had been deceitfully intrigued in the Umayid reign. It was purposed for seeking those rulers' favors, considering such acts as an effort for subjecting the Hashemites. These lies were patterned in such a compiled form that it deems every Sahabi as the most virtuous exemplar of mankind. Besides, such sayings bring all sorts of virulence to those who malign or misthink of any of them. In this manner, the following is related to Anas­bn­Malik: “He whoever reviles at any of my companions is cursed by Allah, the angels and people entirely. You are not to share - in a food or drink - those whoever malign or impute dishonor to any of Sahaba. You are not to perform the ritual funeral prayer for such individuals.” Many a narratives were related in this style without showing any difference between the Prophet's companions.

Remarks

Regarding the God’s devotee, brother of God's messenger, chief of the Prophet's household, door to the city of Divine knowledge; Ali­bn­Abi­Talib, all these specifications are through categorical Divine texts. He is, furthermore, a Sahabi like others. What is, then, the judgment appertained to those who malign and impose his continuous defaming on people all over the Islamic state? What is the judgment respecting those who carried on such a decision issued by Muawiya? Will they be included in the previous narrative?

In addition, Muawiya, as he was advised by some to avoid maligning Ali­bn­Abi­Talib and his associates, said: “Nay, by God. I will never stop maligning and reviling at him so that children will be grown up on such a manner, and the middle­aged will become old on it!”

Muawiya gifted Samara­bn­Jundub, the Sahabi, five thousand dirhams in place of forging misrepresentatively that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had informed of Ali­bn­Abi­Talib's having been the one intended in God's saying: (And among men is he whose speech about the life of this world causes you to wonder, and he calls on Allah to witness as to what is in his heart, yet he is the most violent of adversaries, And when he turns back, he runs along in the land that he may cause mischief in it and destroy the tilth and the stock, and Allah does not love mischief­making.)

In a like manner, Samara was gifted a bribe for publicizing the fib that Abdor­Rahman­bn­Muljim, Ali's killer, had been the one intended in God's saying: (And among men is he who sells himself to seek the pleasure of Allah; and Allah is Affectionate to the servants.)

What for does this conception discriminate Sahaba? What for is it applied to some and neglect others of the same class?! No single sane can negate the fact that authorities of Muawiya's regime betook maligning and reviling at Ali as an action imposed on the entire people who, in any case, will undergo a part of this sin!!

The Sahaba's Role in Legislation

In their epoch, the Sahaba and the first class of followers were not more than reporters of the Prophet's words and deeds. In epochs of plurality of sects, the Sahaba's opinions were betaken as a part of the Prophet's traditions. Hence, the Sahaba's opinions were regarded as a third source of legislation in case that a judgment of an incident cannot be inferred from the Quran and the Prophet's traditions.

It seems that founders and scholars of the Hanafite, the Malikite and the Hanbalite sects are more fanatic, in this regard, than the Shafi'ites.

Despite the fact that he was favoring and enthusing over principal of analogy, Abu­Hanifa was wont to precede the Sahaba's opinions when contrasted with other items of jurisprudence. It is narrated that he said: “I will refer to the Sahaba's opinions if I lack the ability to infer from the Quran and the Prophet's traditions. In case there are different opinions of different Sahaba, I will take from any indiscriminately in order not to neglect their opinions and opt for the followers'.”

In his A'lamul­Muwaqqi'in, Ibnul­Qeyyim mentions the following:

“For Imam Ahmed, sources of legislation are five: texts, Shaba's verdicts...”

The Hahafites and the Henbelites ruled of allocating the Quran's judgments to the Sahaba's deeds. This is for the reason that Sahaba would not neglect applying the Quran's judgments unless they had an evidence. Hence, whenever the Sahaba contradicted the Quran, this item must have been allocated for a specific state or manner. The Sahaba's deeds, however, are as same as their words.[46]

It is a great remoteness between this conception adopted by Sunnis and Shias' ruling of impermissibility of referring to the Prophet's traditions, in field of legislation, unless when supported by a single Verse, at least, of the Holy Quran. They believe in the fact that the Quran is including the entire subjects; (Explaining clearly everything.) Likewise, the Quran was revealed in the tongue of the Arab that everyone can comprehend, while the Prophet's traditions were related by individuals so ordinary that they may say truth or lie.

Back the Sunni sects, they sometimes reject each other's narratives and adopted their own inference. Their disagreement reached climax when they accused each other of illegality to the degree that they ruled of legality of killing the other sects' followers.[47]

For Sunnis, words, deeds and opinions of Sahaba are one the most perceptible sources of legislation after the Quran. As if the Sahaba's opinions are immaculately true that are revealed from the Heavens, they used to allocate the generic rules and generalize the allocate rules of the Holy Quran according to such opinions. It is well recognizable that such pictures of exaggeration in sanctifying the Sahaba are indifferent from principal of sinlessness. In this manner, this sanctification is too extensive to defer hypocrites and polytheists who showed their being Muslims coercively.

At the same epoch, this form of sanctifying the Sahaba was created and directed for conflicting jurisprudence, legislation and rites of the Prophet's household sect; the Shia, whose course, representing the true Islam in its entire stages and echelons, is as exactly as what they had inherited from Ali, the door to city of Divine knowledge. The twelve Imams used to say: “Whatever we say is coinciding the Holy Book of Allah. You are to disdain every word imputed to us while it is contradicting the Holy Book of Allah.”[48]