Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

5. Reconciliation

Allah, the Wise, has said:

وَ اِنْ طاَئِفَتاَنِ مَنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ إقْتَتَلُوْا فَأَصْلِحُوْا بَيْنَهُما

(And if two parties of the believers fall into a quarrel, restore peace between them two)1

Imam Sadiq (a.s .) said:

لَأَنْ اَصْلَحَ بَيْنَ اِثْنَيْنِ اَحَبُّ اِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ اَتَصَدَّقَ بِدِيْناِرَيْنِ

(Reconciling between two (disputing) persons is dearer to me than giving two dinars in charity.)2

Short Explanation

One of the mandatory acts required of us is the inspection and rectification of our souls. Until a person reforms himself, he would be unable to bring about reformation within others. Attempting or achieving reconciliation between the brethren-in-faith,relatives, or neighbours, is an attribute which is immensely loved by God.

For the purpose of establishing unity and harmony instead of disunity and discord, it is essential to make every possible effort to bring about reconciliation. In fact, in certain circumstances, it becomes permissible to resort to white lies. At times, it may even become obligatory, so that dissension dies down and discord subsides.

1) The Order to Reconcile

Once, during the time of Imam Sadiq (a.s .), Abu Hanifah, the administrator of Hajjaaj, had a quarrel with his son-in-law over some inheritance. Mufadhdhal Ibn U'mar Kufi (one of the close companions of Imam Sadiq (a.s .)) happened to pass by at the time. When he overheard the dispute, he stopped and said to both the men:

“Come with me to my house.”

They did as requested. Upon reaching the house, he entered inside only to come out shortly afterwards with a bag containing four hundred dirhams, which he gave to both men and made peace between them. He then explained:

“This is not my money but Imam Sadiq’s (a.s.). He hadinstructed me: Whenever you happen to see two of our Shiites disputing over money, give them this and make peace between them.”3

2) Exercise Caution in Reconciliation

A’bd al-Malik says:

There arose a dispute between Imam Baqir (a.s .) and some of the children of Imam Hasan (a.s.). I approached the Imam (a.s .) and sought to intervene in the matter in order to reconcile them, but the Imam (a.s.) advised:

“Do not say a word in this dispute for our problem is like that of the old man from Bani Israel, who had two daughters. One of them was married to a farmer, while the other to a pottery-maker. Once he decided to pay them a visit. He first visited the daughter who was the wife of the farmer and reaching her house, he inquired about her health. The daughter said: “Dear father, my husband has cultivated a large area of land and if it were to rain, we would be the most prosperous of the entire Bani Israel.”

Then, proceeding towards the house of the other daughter, whose husband was a potter, he inquired about her health.

The daughter said, “Dear father, my husband has moulded pots in great quantity and if God were to withhold the rains till his pots dry up, we would be better off than the entire Bani Israel.”

As he departed from the house of his second daughter, he prayed:

“O’ God! Act asYou deem fit for, in this situation, I cannot pray for either of them.”

The Imam then said to me, “You too cannot intervene in this matter. Be wary, lest you show disrespect to either of us. Your responsibility towards us, because of our relationship with the Holy Prophet, is to treat all of us with deference and esteem.”449

3) Reward of Reconciliation

Fudhail Ibn A’yyadh says:

A distressed man once took some rope, which his wife had woven, to the market in order to sell it so as to save himself and his family from hunger. Having sold it for one dirham, he intended to purchase some bread when he came across two persons quarrelling and trading blows with one another over one dirham. The man stepped forward, gave them a dirham and established peace between them. Empty-handed once again, he went home and narrated the entire incident to his wife. She expressed happiness over his conduct. On searching the house, she found an old dress, which she handed to her husband, so that he could sell it and procure some food.

The man brought the dress to the market but there was nobody willing to buy it from him. Looking around, he saw a person with a putrefied fish in his hand.

He approached the man and said, “Let us exchange our goods. You give me your fish and I shall hand you my dress.”

The fish-seller agreed and the man returned home with the fish.

His wife busied herself with cleaning the fish when, suddenly, something valuable popped out of its stomach. She handed the object to her husband to sell in the market. The man sold it for a very good sum and returned home, but he had hardly entered the house when a destitute person came up to the door and called out, “Provide me from that which God has granted to you.”

As soon as the man heard the cry, he brought out all the money and invited the poor man to take as much as he wanted. The beggar picked up some money and started to walk away. But he had just gone a few paces, when he returned and said:

“I am not a poor person. I have been sent by God and have to inform you that the amount of money which has reachedyou, is your reward for reconciling those two quarrelling persons.”5

4) Mirza Jawad Agha Maliki

Regarding the mystic, Mirza Jawad Agha Maliki (died 1343 A.H.), it has been recorded that during the initial stages of his journey in quest of spiritual purification and after having studied under his teacher, the great mystic Mulla Husainquli Hamadani (died 1311 A.H.) for two years, he complained to the teacher:

“In my quest for spiritual purification, I have not been able to achieve anything as yet!”

“What is your name?” asked the teacher.

He replied, “Don’t you recognize me? I am Jawad Maliki Tabrizi.”

Husainquli Hamadani enquired, “Are you related to such and such Maliki family?”

Mirza Jawad replied in the affirmative, and then went on to speak critically of them.

“Whenever the time comes for you to place their shoes before them to wear (which you regard as base and lowly), I shall personally come to guide you,” advised Husainquli Hamadani.

The next day when Mirza Jawad went for his classes, he seated himself behind all the other students and from that day on, slowly and steadily, he began to become acquainted and friendly with the students of the Maliki family living in Najaf. This continued until a stage was reached when he would even place their shoes before them to wear. When the relatives living in Tabriz came to know of this, the dissension and discord that existed among the members of thefamily, subsided and peace was established amongst them.

Later Mirza Jawad approached his teacher, who said to him:

“There are no new instructions for you (after that of reconciling the members of the Malikifamily). Continue to act upon this order of the Sharia’h and derive benefits from it.”

Author’s note: Incidentally, the book Miftaah al-Falaah of the late Sheikh Bahaai is an excellent book to actupon.”6

Slowly, Mirza progressed in his quest. He came to the Hawza of Qum where he embarked upon training and guiding students in the field of spiritual purification. A great number of people, the common public as well as the educated elite, benefited from him and his teachings.

5) Advice of Mamun’s Minister

Once, Mamun the Abbasid Caliph, became furious with Ali Ibn Jahm Saami, the court poet, and in a fit of anger ordered his servants:

“Put him to death and confiscate all his possessions.”

Mamun’s minister, Ahmad Ibn Abi Duwaad, in a reconciliatory move, approached him and asked, “If you kill him, from whom shall we confiscate his wealth.”

“From his heirs,” replied Mamun.

Ahmad said, “In such an event, the Caliph would not have confiscated his wealth but that of his heirs, for after his death he shall cease to be the owner of his possessions. And seizing the wealth of one for punishing another is an act of injustice, which does not befit the rank ofCaliphate!”

Mamun said, “Well, if this is the case, imprison him, confiscate his wealth and then put him to death.”

Ahmad departed, imprisoned Ali Ibn Jahm and held him alive till Mamun’s anger had subsided. Mamun pardoned Ali Ibn Jahm and commended the minister for his conduct and elevated him in rank and status.7

Notes

1. Holy Qur’an, ch. Al-Hujaraat, (49), vs. 9.

2. Al-Kafi, vol. 2, pg. 167.

3. Muntahal Aa’maal, vol. 2, pg. 249.

4. Daastaan-ha Wa Pand-ha, vol. 1, pg. 134; Raudhah al-Kafi, pg. 85.

5. Namunah-e-Ma'arif, vol. 1, pg. 218; Farajun Ba’d al-Shiddah.

6. Taareekh-e-HukamaaWa U’rafaa, pg. 133

7. Lataaif al-Tawaaif, pg. 98.

6. Hopes

Allah, the Wise, has said

ذَرْهُمْ ياَكُلُوْا وَ يَتَمَتَّعُوْا وَ يُلْهِهُمُ الْاَمَلُ

(Leave them that they may eat and enjoy themselves and (that) hope may beguile them, for they will soon know.)1

Imam Ali (a.s .) said:

الآماَلُ لاَ تَنْتَهِي

(Hopes never come to an end)2

Short Explanation

People who are not content with what they possess of this world and crave for things which they do not possess, will keep chasing high hopes and lofty aspirations. A person, who imagines that he will always remain young, becomes heedless of death and goes after huge ambitions.

The majority of the inmates of hell would have gone there as a result of their procrastination. Instead of contending themselves with what they possessed, they kept deferring the rectification of their souls and the repayment of their debts for later, and postponing their acts of worship for their old age.

Indeed, a person must lower his hopes and aspirations, perform every act at its appropriate time and occasion, and refrain from trusting the ‘tomorrow’, something that is entirely unknown and uncertain.3

1) Prophet Isa and the Farmer

It is reported that once, Prophet Isa Ibn Maryam (a.s .) had been sitting and intently observing a farmer who, with a spade in hand, was hard at work in his field.

At that moment Prophet Isa prayed to God:

“O’ Lord! Take away from him his hopes and aspirations.”

Suddenly, the person flung his spade aside and sat down in a corner.

“O’ Lord! Return his hopes and aspirations back to him” Isa (a.s .) prayed once again.

The man moved from his place, picked up the spade and began working again.

Isa (a.s .) approached him and asked, “Why did you behave in such a way?”

The farmer answered, “I said to myself: ‘You are an old man whose life has almost come to an end; how much more do you wish to work and exert yourself?’ And so I flung the spade aside and sat down in the corner. But after a while, I said to myself: ‘Why don’t you work? You are still alive and in need of livelihood’ and so, picking up the spade, I returned to my work.”4

2) Hajjaaj and the Milk Seller

Once, Hajjaaj Ibn Yusuf Thaqafi, the brutal tyrant, (and the minister of the Abbasid caliph, A'bd al-Malik Ibn Marwaan) was sauntering in the market when he witnessed a milk-seller talking tohimself . Whilst standing in a corner, Hajjaaj overheard him say:

“If I sell this milk, I shall earn a good income. I shall save the profit from this and future sales till I have sufficient money to buy a goat. I shall then purchasean ewe and utilize its milk to increase my capital and within a few years, I shall become a wealthy person, possessing several goats, cows and (other) assets.

“I shall then seek the hand of Hajjaaj’s daughter in marriage, after which, I shall come to acquire great importance and significance. And if, on any occasion, Hajjaaj’s daughter were to exhibit disobedience, I should kick her so hard that her ribs would break.”

As he said this, he kicked out with his leg, which unfortunately struck his milk container, spilling its entire contents in the process. Hajjaaj came forward and ordered two of his soldiers to force the milk-seller onto the ground and strike him a hundred lashes.

The milk-seller wailed, “But for what crime are you punishing me?”

Hajjaaj replied, “Did you not say that if you married my daughter, you would kick her so hard that her ribs would break? Now, as a punishment for that kick, you must taste a hundred lashes.”5

3) Desire for Martyrdom

A'mr Ibn Jamuh, an inhabitant of Madinah and from the tribe of Khazraj, was a generous and magnanimous person. The first time the people of Khazraj arrived in the presence of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), he sought to know who the leader of their tribe was. They informed him that he was a person by the name of Jadd Ibn Qais, a miser by nature. The Prophet (s.a.w.) said:

“Your chief should be A'mr Ibn Jamuh, the white-complexioned, curly haired person.”

A'mr was lame in one foot and as per Islamic laws, exempted from jihad. He had four sons and when the time for the battle of Uhud came, all of them prepared themselves to fight.

“I must come too and attain martyrdom,” said Amr eagerly.

However, his sons stopped him and said, “Father, we are going for battle. You stay in the house for it is not obligatory for you to fight.”

The old man refused to budge and insisted on participating in the battle. The sons gathered their relatives in an effort to get him to change his mind, but to no avail.

Amr approached the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and complained to him, “I yearn to attain martyrdom. Why do my children prevent me from going for jihad and getting martyred in the way of Allah?”

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said to the sons:

“This man seeks martyrdom and although it is not obligatory for him to fight, it is not forbidden for him to do so.”

Overjoyed, Amr armed himself and set off for battle. During the battle, his sons kept an eye on him as he valiantly thrust himself into the heart of the enemy ranks, fighting heroically, till he was eventually martyred.

Before leaving for the battlefield, he had prayed: O’ God! Grant me martyrdom and do not return me to my house. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) stated that his prayer had been answered.Amr was finally laid to rest in the cemetery of the martyrs of the battle of Uhud.658

4) Jo’dah State of Disgrace and Humiliation

Imam Hasan (a.s .) was extremely good-looking, possessed great forbearance and generosity, and was very kind and affectionate towards the members of his family. After the martyrdom of Imam Ali (a.s .), Mua'wiyah, for a period of ten years, embarked upon a mission of hatred, deception and enmity with respect to Imam Hasan (a.s.). He subjected the Imam (a.s .) to harm and injury on several occasions, but did not achieve anything. He therefore resolved to use the Imam’s wife Jo’dah, the daughter of Asha’th Ibn Qais, to poison him.

Mua'wiyah lured her by promising her that if she poisoned Hasan Ibn Ali, he would give her a hundred thousand dirhams and, in addition, he would marry her to his son Yazid. In the hope of acquiring wealth and with the aspiration of becoming the wife of Yazid, she agreed to comply with his request. Mua'wiyah handed her the poison that he had acquired from the Roman Emperor.

On a very hot day, Imam Hasan (a.s .) had observed a fast. At the time of Iftaar, the Imam (a.s .) was extremely thirsty. Jo’dah brought him a drink of milk in which she had mixed the poison.

As soon as Imam drank the milk, he experienced the effect of the poison. He realized what had happened and cried out aloud: Inna lillahiwa inna ilaihi raajiu’n. After praising God that he would now be moving from the ephemeral world towards the eternal world, he turned towards Jo’dah and said to her:

“O’ Enemy of God! You have killed me, may God kill you! By God, you shall not come to acquire the slightest of that which you hope and aspire for. That person has deceived you. May Allah humiliate you and him by means of Hischastisement! ”

The forbearance of Imam Hasan (a.s .) can be gauged from the fact that when Imam Husain (a.s.) sought to know the identity of his murderer, Imam Hassan (a.s.) refused to divulge Jo’dah’s name.

According to one tradition, for two days (and according to another, for forty days), the Imam suffered from the ill effects of the poison, till eventually, on the 28th of Safar 50 A.H., he bid farewell to this material world at the age of 48 years.

As for Jo’dah, she carried her hopes and desires to her grave for Mua'wiyah reasoned that if she could not be faithful to Hasan Ibn Ali (a.s .), how could she be expected to be faithful to Yazid; and so he refused to fulfil any of his promises. As such, she died in a state of disgrace and humiliation.7

5) Mughirah Becomes Governor of Kufah

Mughirah Ibn Sho’bah, who was originally an inhabitant of Taaif and had embraced Islam in the 5th century A.H., was a deceitful, devilish and power-loving person.

When he heard that Mua'wiyah had arranged for Ziyaad Ibn Abihi to settle in Kufah so that he could later take the governorship of Kufah away from him (Mughirah), he quickly appointed a deputy in Kufah and set off towards Shaam to meet Mua'wiyah. He expressed his wish to be transferred from Kufah, explaining to Mua'wiyah:

“As I have grown old now, I have to request you to place a few small villages of Qirqisiya under my control, so that I can rest myself.”

Mua'wiyah realised that one of his opponents, by the name of Qais, lived in Qirqisiya and if Mughirah were to go there, he might form an alliance with him against Mua'wiyah.

“We are in need of you and you must remain in Kufah,” said Mua’wiyah.

Mughirah declined the offer, but Mua'wiyah’s insistence persuaded him to give in. It was midnight when Mughirah returned to Kufah. He immediately ordered his associates to dispatch Ziyaad Ibn Abihi towards Shaam.

After a period, Mua'wiyah appointed Sa’eed Ibn A’as as the governor of Kufah in place of Mughira, who incited Yazid (son of Mua’wiyah) by telling him:

“Why is Mua'wiyah not thinking about you? It is imperative that he nominates you as his successor and the crown prince!”

Yazid found the idea so appealing that he presented it to his father, Mua'wiyah. With Mughira’s support, Yazid was eventually proclaimed successor to Mua'wiyah.

In the meantime, Mua'wiyah appointed A'mr A’as as the governor of Misr, while placing Kufah under his son, A'bdullah Ibn A'mr A’as.

When Mughirah came to know of this, he warned Mua'wiyah, “By this act, have you not placed yourself between the mouths of two lions?”

Having grasped the message of this statement, Mua’wiyah deposed A'bdullah from Kufah and once again placed Mughirah at the helm of affairs in Kufah.

Thus, by means of two cunning plots (Yazid’s succession to the caliphate, and the scheme of ‘between the mouths of two lions’), Mughirah became the governor of Kufah. After ruling for seven years and a few months, he died of plague at the age of forty-nine.860

Notes

1. Holy Qur’an, ch. Al-Hijr (15), vs. 3.

2. Ghurar al-Hikam, pg. 629.

3. Ihyaa al-Quloob, pg. 167.

4. Namunah-e-Ma'arif, vol. 1, pg. 298; Majmua’-e-Warraam.

5. Pand-e-Taareekh, vol. 3, pg. 150.

6. Daastaan-ha-e-Ustaad, vol. 1, pg. 48.

7. Muntahal Aa’maal, vol. 1, pg. 231.

8. PaighambarWa Yaraan, vol. 5, pg. 272-275.

7. Trustworthiness

Allah, the Wise, has said:

اِنَّ اللهَ ياَمُرُكُمْ اَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الْاَماَناَتِ اَليَ اَهْلِهَا

Surely Allah commands you to render back your trusts to their owners.1

Imam Baqir (a.s .) said:

فَلَوْ اَنَّ قاَتِلَ عَلِيّ بْنِ اَبيِ طاَلِب انْتَمَنَى عَلىَ اَماَنَةٍ لَاَدَّيْتُهاَ اِلَيْهِ

(If the murderer of Imam Ali (a.s.) places a trust in my possession, I would surely return it back to him)2

Short Explanation

If anything is placed in trust with someone, safeguarding of that thing is obligatory and unfaithfulness with respect to it is prohibited, irrespective of whether its owner is a believer or a disbeliever.

A trustworthy person, as a result of safeguarding people’s belongings, becomes the beneficiary of God’s grace and favour.

A person who is unfaithful towards people’s trust can be compared to a thief and God cloaks such a person with poverty and indigence.

One of the signs of perfect faith is not being unfaithful towards the trusts.

A trust can be in the form of money, things or even secrets. Shaitan leads astray a trustworthy person by causing him to become unfaithful towards the trust placed with him.

1) Trustworthiness of Umm Salamah

When Imam Ali (a.s .) decided to move to Iraq and settle there, he handed his letters and testament to Umm Salamah, who in turn passed them over to Imam Hasan (a.s.) on his return to Madinah.

In a similar manner, when Imam Husain (a.s .) set out for Iraq, he too placed his letters and testament in the custody of Umm Salamah with instructions that she should hand them over to his eldest son whenever he sought them from her. After the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s .), Imam Sajjad (a.s.) returned to Madinah and she handed documents over to him.3

U'mar, the son of Umm Salamah, narrates:

“My mother said: Once, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), accompanied by Ali (a.s .), came to my house and asked for a sheepskin. After I had handed it to him, he wrote something on the sheepskin and returned it to me with the instruction: “Whoever seeks this trust from you after mentioning these signs, hand it over to him.”

As time passed, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) departed from this world. Time passed and Imam Ali (a.s .) became Caliph and still nobody came to claim this trust.

U'mar continues:

“On the day when the people pledged allegiance to Ali (a.s .), I was seated among them. As he stepped down from the pulpit, the Imam’s eyes fell on me whereupon he said: Seek permission from your mother for I wish to meet her.

I hurried to my mother and as soon as I informed her of Imam’s (a.s .) request, she announced that she had been waiting for that day.”

The Imam (a.s .) entered and asked Umm Salamah to hand him the trust which contained certain signs.My mother got up and took out a small chest from inside a larger one and handed it to him. Then, she turned to me and advised: “Do not forsake Ali (a.s.), for none other than him is the rightful Imam after the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).”4

2) The Unfaithful Grocer

During the rule of A’zud al-Daulah Dailami, a stranger once came to Baghdad wishing to sell a necklace worth a thousand dinars, but could not find any purchaser for it. As he intended to travel to Makkah, he began to search for a trustworthy person who would safeguard his necklace.

The people pointed him to a grocer who was known for his piety. The stranger placed the necklace in the grocer’s trust and proceeded towards Makkah.

When he returned from Makkah, he approached the grocer and presented him with some gifts that he had brought with him. To the stranger’s great surprise, the grocer pretended as if he did not know him and denied having possession of anything belonging to him. A quarrel ensued, as a result of which, people gathered and threw the person out of the ‘pious’ grocer’s shop.

The person approached the grocer for his necklace several times, only to receive abuse and invectives.

Someone advised him to complain to King A’zud al-Daulah Dailami.Heeding the advice, the man wrote a letter to the king, who replied:

“For three days, wait by the door of the grocery. On the fourth day, I shall pass there and when I greet you, reply to my greetings. The following day, seek your necklace from thegrocer and then inform me of the outcome.”

The person did as instructed. On the fourth day, the king, with great pomp and grandeur, passed by the grocery and as soon as his eyes fell upon the person from Baghdad, he greeted him. The person returned the greeting. The king, exhibiting great respect and esteem, began to complain:

“You have come from Baghdad but you did not deem it fit to honour me with a visit and to grant me an opportunity to provide you with accommodation and comfort.”

The stranger apologized for not having informed the king of his arrival.

All the while, the grocer and the people aroundhim, looked on in amazement, wondering who this person was who was revered so greatly by the king. The grocer began to fear for his life.

As soon as the king’s procession had passed, the grocer turned towards the stranger and said:

“Brother, when exactly did you place that necklace with me? Did it have any marks? Let me have another look, perhaps I might just be able to locate it.” The person described his necklace and the grocer, after a short search, found it.

He handed it over to the person and said:“ God is aware of the fact that it had simply slipped out of my mind.”

Arriving before the king, the person related the entire episode to him. The king ordered the grocer to be arrested, placed the necklace around his neck and sent him to the gallows. He then ordered the following announcement to be made all over the city:

“Such is the punishment for anyone who takes possession of a trust and then denies it. O’ People! Do take heed from this incident!”

The king then returned the necklace to the stranger from Baghdad and sent him to his own city.5

3) Remaining Faithful when Someone Trusts you

A'bdullah Ibn Sinaan says:

“I approached Imam Sadiq (a.s.) in the mosque at a time when he had completed his A’sr prayers and was sitting down facing the Qiblah. I asked him:

“Some of the governors and rulers consider us to be trustworthy and thus place their wealth with us, but at the same time, they do not pay their ‘khums’. Do we return their money to them or do we keep it for our use?”

The Imam (a.s.) replied three times,“ By the Lord of the Ka’bah! Even if Ibn Muljam, the murderer of my father Ali (a.s .), were to place something in trust with me, I would return it to him whenever he wanted it back.”6

4) The Shepherd and the Jews’ Sheep

In the year 7 A.H., the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) with an army of one thousand and six hundred soldiers, set out to conquer the fort of Khaibar, which was about 96 miles from Madinah. The Muslim soldiers had stationed themselves in the desert around Khaibar for sometime but the conquest of the fort remained elusive. During this period, they found themselves in a very difficult situation as far as food was concerned. The lack of food and intense hunger forced them to eat animals like horses and mules, whose meat is disapproved by Islam.

In these circumstances, a black shepherd, who used to graze the sheep of the Jews, arrived in the presence of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). He embraced Islam and then said to the Holy Prophet:

“These sheep belong to the Jews and I hereby hand them over to you.”

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) replied unequivocally:

“These goats have been placed in your possession as a trust and in our religion it is forbidden to be unfaithful to one’s trust. It is incumbent upon you to lead the sheep to the door of the fort and hand them over to their owners.”

The shepherd, in compliance with his orders, handed the sheep over to their respective owners and then returned to join the Muslim army.7

5) Possessions Entrusted to the Holy Prophet

When the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) migrated from Makkah to Madinah, he left behind Amirul Mu'mineen in Makkah so that he could return the possessions entrusted to the Prophet, back to their respective owners.

Handhalah Ibn Abi Sufiyaan instructed U’mair Ibn Waail to go to Ali and tell him:

“I had placed one hundred mithqaal8 of gold with the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). Since he has fled to Madinah and you are his representative here, please handmy property back to me.” Handhalah added that if Ali asked for witnesses to support the claim, all the Quraish would testify to the veracity of U’mair’s claim.

Initially, U’mair was hesitant but Handhalah enticed him by presenting him with some gold and a necklace belonging to Hind, the wife of Abu Sufiyaan.

U’mair approached Ali (a.s .) and made the claim, adding thatAbu Jahl, I’krimah, U’qbah, Abu Sufiyaan and Handhalah would testify for him.

The Imam (a.s .) retorted, “May their deception rebound on themselves”, and then asked him to bring his witnesses near the Ka’bah. When all of them had arrived, he began questioning each one, individually and separately, about the items being held in trust.

“What time was it when you had placed your possession with Muhammad (s.a.w.)?” he questioned U’mair first.

“It was morning when I gave him the gold and he handed it over to his servant,” replied U’mair.

H. Ali (a.s .) asked Abu Jahl the same question.

He replied, “I have no idea.”

When Abu Sufiyaan was questioned, he responded, “It was at sunset and he had placed it in his sleeves.”

When Handhalah was questioned, he gave the answer,“ He took possession of the gold at the time of Dhuhr and placed it in front of him.”

When U’qbah was questioned, he replied, “It was A’sr when the Prophet took the possession in his own hands and carried it to his house.”

And finally, when the Imam (a.s .) questioned I’krimah, he answered, “It was bright and early in the morning when Muhammad (s.a.w.) took possession of it and sent it to the house of Fatimah (a.s.).”

The Imam (a.s .) then informed them of their conflicting statements and their deception thus became apparent.

Then, turning to U’mair, he asked him, “Why was it that while you lied, you appeared uneasy and your face had gone pale?”

U’mair replied, “By the Lord of the Ka’bah! I had not placed anything in trust with Muhammad (s.a.w.). It was a deception Handhalah had bribed me into. This necklace here, belonging to Hind, with her name inscribed on it, is one of the things presented to me as a bribe.”9

Notes

1. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-Nisaa (4), vs. 58.

2. Al-Kafi, vol. 5, pg. 133

3. Safinah al-Bihaar, under ‘سلم ’

4. Payghambar Wa Yaaraan , vol. 1, pg. 275; Bihaar al-Anwaar vol. 6, pg. 942.

5. Pand-e-Taareekh, vol. 1, pg. 202; Mustatraf, vol. 1, pg. 118.

6. Namunah-e-Ma'arif, vol. 1, pg. 354; Bihaar al-Anwaar vol. 15, pg. 149.

7. Daastaan-ha Wa Pand-ha, vol. 8, pg. 114; Seerah Ibn Hishaam, vol. 3, pg. 344.

8. A weight, equivalent to 5 grams.

9. Rahnamaa-e-Sa’adat, vol. 2, pg. 435; Naasikh al-Tawaareekh - Amirul Mu'mineen, pg. 676.