Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Letter 76

Safar 19, 1330

I Her Yielding to Sentiment,

1) You have stated, while dealing with the first issue, that it is well­known from the lady's life­style that she does not yield to emotion, and that she does not seek any special interest. Please free your own self from the shackles of convention and sentimentality and carefully and studiously research her method of dealing with those whom she liked, as well as with those whom she did not like, for there you will see sentimentality most manifestly.

Do not forget her dealing with ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan by word and deed,291 her secret and public schemes against ‘Ali, Fatima, al­Hasan and al­Husayn (as), and her behaviour towards other mothers of the believers; nay, even with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, himself; for in these there is a great deal of manifestations of her sentiments and interest­seeking.

Suffices you for a proof what we, proving how sentimentality tempts some people into misbehaving, have cited regarding the masters of conspiracy and purgery, out of animosity towards Lady Mary [the Copt, consort of the Prophet] and her son Ibrahim, peace be upon him, till Allah, the Almighty and the Exalted One, cleared them of such unjust accusations at the hands of the Commander of the Faithful (as), in a manner that is tangible and clear:292

"And Allah turned the spiteful disbelievers back empty­handed (Qur'an, 33:25).

" If you desire, I may recount more proofs and state the fact that, following her own sentiments, she once said to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, "It seems as if you reek of the odor of maghafir [odorous tiny flowers],"293 so that he might not taste some honey at the house of the mother of believers Zainab bint Jahsh, may Allah be pleased with her.

If a trivial reason like this permits her to address the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, in such a manner, how can she be relied upon when she denies that he (pbuh) left a will for ‘Ali (as)? Do not also forget her yielding to sentiment when Asma' bint al­Nu’man was wedded to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny.

She said to her: "When the Prophet (pbuh) weds a woman, he likes to hear her say: ‘I seek refuge with Allah against you,'"294 aiming thereby to turn the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, against his wedding altogether and make him hate the poor woman, as if she allowed herself to attribute statements to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, as long as such statements served her own purpose, even when her purpose was petty or prohibitive.

Once he, peace be upon him and his progeny, asked her to see how a particular woman was doing, and she informed him of the opposite of what she had observed, seeking her own self­interest.295

Once she complained about him, peace be upon him and his progeny, to her father, succumbing again to her sentiments, saying, "Do not now be biased,"296 whereupon her father slapped her so hard that her clothes became soaked with her blood. Once, having felt angry with him (pbuh), she said: "... and you claim to be Allah's Messenger...,"297 in addition to many such incidents the narrative of which would require a much larger space, and what we have quoted here must suffice.

II Rationale Regarding the Pleasant and the Unpleasant,

2) You have said, while commenting on the second point, that Sunnis do not subscribe to what is called rationally pleasant or unpleasant, etc. I think of you as being above making such a statement which is reminiscent of sophists who deny even concrete facts. Among our deeds are those of whose goodness we are quite sure, and they are praiseworthy and rewardable due to their own merits, such as charity and fairness, since we know what they are, while there are others with whose ugliness we also are familiar, and they demand repudiation and punishment because of their own evil, such as injustice and aggression, since they are what they are.

The wise know that there is a need that necessitates such judgments, and the wise are as certain regarding these matters as they are certain that the single is half the pair. Simple common sense always determines the distinction between your treatment of someone who is good to you and of someone who is not. Reason determines the goodness of the first person's treatment to you and its being praiseworthy by you, as well as the ugliness of the second and its being worthy of renunciation and punishment. Whoever doubts this is a rebel against his own reason.

Had the goodness or the evil of what we have mentioned here been matters of the legislative code, then they would not have been adopted and implemented by those who denied all divine codes such as atheists and secular rulers. In spite of their denial of religion, the latter still condone equity and goodness, determining thereupon their praise and rewards, without doubting at all the ugliness of injustice or aggression, nor the necessity to denounce such deeds and to punish their doers.

Their criterion in their judgment is nothing other than reason; so, talk no more about those who belittle reason and conscience, nor of those who deny what all wise men know, ruling in the contrary of what the human nature dictates, the nature which Allah, the Praised One, has created and embedded within His servants.

He has enabled them thereby to realize facts that are discernable by their faculty of reason, just as He made them able to recognize matters through their senses and feelings. Their nature, then, demands that they should be able to rationally judge equity and the like as good, and injustice and its peers as ugly, just as being able to distinguish through the sense of taste between the sweetness of honey and the bitterness of colocynth [citrullus colocynthis], and through their sense of smell can they distinguish between the fragrance of musk [chenopodium botrys] and the stink of cadaver, and through their sense of touch can they distinguish between what is soft and what is rough, and through their faculty of seeing can they tell the difference between a pleasant and an ugly view, and through their faculty of hearing can they tell the difference between the music of the pipe and the braying of a donkey. Such is the nature which Allah has created:

"He created people in such a way; indeed, there is no way anyone can change His creation; this is the straight religion, though most people do not know (30:30)."

The Ash’aris desired to exaggerate the power of faith in the legislative system and the attitude towards a total submission to its judgment; therefore, they denied the judgment of the wise, saying that there is no judgment other than what is legislated.

Thus did they become oblivious of the absolute rational theory stating that "Whatever a wise person decides should be the decision of the legislator," and heedless of the fact that they by doing so in fact left no excuse for their own selves, thus discarding any criterion whereby they might ascertain a legislative code or discard it altogether.

This is so due to the fact that to arrive at such a conclusion through legislative proofs is like running in a circle, and no pretext can be applied therewith. Had there been no authority for reason, implementing tradition or consecutively reportedhadith would have been rejected. Nay! Had there been no intellect, nobody would have worshipped Allah nor come to know Him. Expounding in this subject has been recorded in a library containing works of our renown scholars.

III Rejecting the Claim of the Mother of Believers,

3) As regarding the claim of the mother of the believers that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, died on her chest, it is a claim which we reject based uponsahihs sequentially reported by members of the purified progeny (as). Refer to what others have stated as quoted by Ibn Sa’d. He quotes ‘Ali (as) saying: "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, during his ailment [preceding his demise], said: ‘Fetch me my brother,' so I came to him and he asked me to come closer, and so did I; thereupon, he reclined on me.

He continued reclining on me thus and talking to me, so much so that some of his saliva fell on me, then the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, breathed his last;" as stated on page 51, Part Two, Vol. 2, of the author'sTabaqat , in a section about those who said that the Messenger of Allah died in ‘Ali's lap. It ishadith number 1107 on page 55, Vol. 4, of Kanz al-’Ummal.

Abu Na’im in his Hilyat al-Awliya', Abu Ahmad al­Fardi in his Naskh, and many other authors of books of traditions have all quoted ‘Ali (as) saying: "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, taught me," meaning during that sickness, "a thousand doors each one of which leads to a thousand others." It ishadith number 6009 quoted at the end of page 392, Vol. 6, of Kanz al-’Ummal. Whenever ‘Umar ibn al­Khattab was asked about anything regarding these matters, he would say nothing other than: "Ask ‘Ali, since he is the one who can handle it."

Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah al­Ansari is quoted saying that Ka’b al­Ahbar once asked ‘Umar: "What were the last words of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny?" ‘Umar answered: "Ask ‘Ali." Ka’b did so, and ‘Ali (as) said: "I let the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, recline his head on my flanks till he finally uttered: ‘Prayers! [i.e. uphold prayers] Prayers!" Ka’b said: "This, indeed, is the call of all prophets, and for this purpose are they sent." Then Ka’b asked ‘Umar who gave the ceremonial funeral bath to the Prophet's corpse, and his answer was again: "Ask ‘Ali."

When Ka’b asked ‘Ali (as), ‘Ali answered that it was he who did so, as stated by Ibn Sa’d on page 51, Part Two, Vol. 2, ofTabaqat , and it ishadith 1106 in Kanz al-’Ummal quoted on page 55, Vol. 4. Ibn ‘Abbas was asked once: "Have you seen when the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, died, if his head was on anyone's lap?" He answered: "He died reclining on ‘Ali's chest."

It was said to him that ‘Urwah narrates a tradition from ‘Ayesha saying that he (pbuh) died reclining on her chest, and Ibn ‘Abbas denied it, asking the person who put the question forth: "Do you believe it?! By Allah, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, died reclining his head on ‘Ali's chest, and Ali is the one who gave him his bath," as quoted by Ibn Sa’d on the same page mentioned above, and it ishadith number 1108 of the ones enUmarated in Kanz al-’Ummal, page 55, Vol. 4.

Ibn Sa’d cites Imam Abu Muhammad ‘Ali ibn al­Husayn Zainul­‘Abidin (as) saying: "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, breathed his last while his head was in ‘Ali's lap," as quoted by Ibn Sa’d on page 51.

Traditions documenting this subject are consecutively reported from all Imams of the purified progeny (as). Many of those who opted to deviate from their path admit that, too, so much so that Ibn Sa’d has quoted al­Sha’bi saying: "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, passed away while his head was in ‘Ali's lap; and it was ‘Ali who gave him his [funeral] bath," as mentioned on the page referred to above inAl­Tabaqat .

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, used to declare the same publicly; therefore, you may refer to his statement in one of his sermons where he says: "Custodians of thehadith among the companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, know very well that I never hesitated to implement the commandments of Allah, nor lagged in discharging the orders of His Messenger, not even for one hour. I, by the Grace of Allah, on many occasions risked my own life defending his, when even heroes retreated and feet slowed down, and he (pbuh) breathed his last while his head rested on my chest, and even his saliva fell on my hand, whereupon I rubbed it on my face. I took care of washing his corpse, the angels assisting me, and the house and its courtyards became full of the noise of angels descending and ascending..., and I never ceased hearing their prayers unto him, till we buried him; so, who is more worthy of him alive or dead than I?" as stated at the conclusion of page 196, Vol. 2, of Nahjul Balaghah, and on page 590, Vol. 2, of Ibn al­Hadid'sSharh Nahjul Balaghah .

So is his soliloquy when he, peace be upon him, was burying the Mistress of all Women, peace be upon her. He said:

"Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah, from me and from your daughter who has come now to be your neighbour, rushing to reunite with you... My patience, O Messenger of Allah, about the death of your chosen one has run out, and my consolation has waned and withered. Deep, indeed, is my grief for being separated from you, and great is the calamity, while the extent of your grief is a source for consolation, for I laid you to sleep in the tomb of your grave, after your soul had parted from your body that was resting on my chest; therefore, we are God's, and unto Him is our return,"

up to the end of his statement which is stated at the end of page 207, Vol. 2, of Nahjul Balaghah, and on page 590, Vol. 2, ofSharh Nahjul Balaghah by Ibn Abul Hadid. Umm Salamah has also narrated an authentichadith saying: "By the One by Whom alone do I swear, ‘Ali was the closest to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) upon his death. We [she and Ali] visited him one afternoon, and he happily and repeatedly said: ‘Ali has come! ‘Ali has come!' Fatima (as) inquired whether ‘Ali had been sent on an errand.

Later on, ‘Ali came again, and I thought that probably he needed to have some privacy with the Prophet (pbuh); so, we came out and sat at the door. I was closer to the door. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) bent his head over ‘Ali and started talking to him confidentially, addressing him affectionately, till he passed away; so, ‘Ali was the last person to be with him before his death."298

Abdullah ibn ‘Umar narrates the following:

"During his sickness, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, asked that his brother be fetched; so, Abu Bakr came in, but he turned away from him and reiterated his request. This time ‘Uthman was brought in, but he turned away from him, too.

Then ‘Ali was called in his presence. The Prophet (pbuh) covered him with his own robe and reclined on him. When he came out of his room, people asked him what the Prophet (pbuh) had said, and he answered: ‘He taught me a thousand subjects each one of which leads to a thousand others.'’299

You know that thishadith portrays a behaviour typical of prophets, while the other one portrays a man ruled by his lust. If a shepherd dies on his wife's chest, between her chin and navel, or on her thigh..., having laxed in looking after his herd, he would surely be labelled as wreckless and irresponsible. May Allah forgive the mother of the believers. I wish that she, while denying ‘Ali such a will, had attributed the denial to her father, whom she thinks is more worthy of such a will, but her father was already in the army raised by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, under his own honourable patronage; he was in Usamah's army which was then camping at Jurf.

Anyhow, the claim that he (pbuh) died in her lap is attributed to nobody other than ‘Ayesha, whereas the claim of his demise, may I sacrifice my parents for his sake, is narrated through ‘Ali (as), Ibn ‘Abbas, Umm Salamah, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, al­Sha’bi, ‘Ali ibn al­Husayn (as), and all Imams of the progeny of Muhammad (as), thus making it more reliable and more fit of the personality of the Messenger of God (pbuh).

IV Preference of Umm Salamah's Hadith over Hers.

4) Had ‘Ayesha'shadith been disproved by Umm Salamah alone, the latter'shadith would have been preferred over hers for many reasons besides the ones mentioned above, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 77

Why Prefer Umm Salamah's Hadith to ‘Ayesha's?

Safar 20, 1330

As if your preference of Umm Salamah'shadith to that of ‘Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with them both, according to what you have stated, is not sufficient, you went a step further to claim that the reasons for such a preference are more than what you have already indicated. What are these reasons? State them, may Allah have mercy on you, no matter how many, and do not leave any, for our aim is to research and learn, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 78

More Reasons for Preferring Umm Salamah's Hadith

Safar 22, 1330

Not only did Lady Umm Salamah believe wholeheartedly in the great Book of Allah, which distinguishes between right and wrong and enjoins repentance to Allah Almighty, as the Holy Qur'an testifies,300 she is not rebuked in the Qur'an for insubordination to the Prophet nor because of her supporting the enemies of his wasi,301 nor did Allah, Gabriel, the true believers, and the angels, all side by His Prophet against her, nor did Allah threaten to divorce her and compensate His Prophet with a better wife than her,302 nor did He bring the example of the wives of Nuhh and Lut as being in her own category,303 nor did she try to instigate the Prophet to make unlawful unto himself that which Allah has made lawful unto him,304 nor did the Prophet (pbuh) preach once and point to her residence saying: "Right there is the dissension, disunity, and discord...; from there will the devil's horn come out,"305 nor did her manners permit her to stretch her legs before the Prophet while performing the rite of prayers, thus showing disrespect to him and to the rite of prayers, without removing them from the place of his prostration till he beckoned her to do so, then when he beckoned her, she lifted her leg till he stood up, then she put it down again...!306

This is how she was. As if she did not scandalize and arouse people against ‘Uthman, calling him "Na’thal," saying,verbatim , "Uqtulu Na’thal faqad kafar!" ("Kill Na’thal, for he has turnedkafir [disbeliever]."307 As if she did not go out of her house, after having been commanded by Allah Almighty to settle therein,308 ride her camel ‘Askar and lead an army,309 descending a hill or ascending a mountain. Yet she did not yield to advice but insisted on leading the army which she had raised to fight the Imam.310 Her statement that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) died on her chest, therefore, is as good as her statement claiming that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw a few Sudanese men playing at their mosque with their shields and spears, and he supposedly asked her if she liked to have a look at them, to which invitation she responded in the affirmative. ‘Ayesha goes on to say: "He let me stand behind him, my cheek on his, and said: ‘O Sons of Arfada, keep on!'" supposedly encouraging them to play so that the lady mighty be entertained, till he asked her if she saw enough. Upon saying "Yes," he told her to leave.311

And it is similar to her other story in which she claims: "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came in once when I had two concubines singing for me excitingly. He lay down on the bed. Abu Bakr entered and rebuked me saying: ‘Do I hear Satan's pipe being played in the presence of the Messenger of Allah?!' The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) approached him and told him to leave them alone."312

Yet similar to it is another story. She says: "The Prophet raced with me once and I outran him. We kept doing so for years during which I gained weight, and when he outran me, he said: ‘This [game] cancels that!'" as quoted by Imam Ahmad in ‘Ayesha'shadith on page 39, Vol. 6, of his Musnad.

Or like her statement: "I used to play with girls, and some of my friends would come to play with me, and the Messenger of Allah used to let them in so that I would play with them," which is quoted by Imam Ahmad who discusses ‘Ayesha on page 75, Vol. 6, of his Musnad.

Or like yet another story of hers quoted by Ibn Abu Shaybah, and it ishadith number 1017 of theahadith narrated by Ibn Abu Shaybah in Vol 7 of Kanz al-’Ummal: "I have acquired seven merits no woman, other than Mary daughter of ‘Umran, was endowed with: The angel of revelation descended in my own form; the Messenger of Allah married me as a virgin whom no man ever touched before; the revelation descended upon him while we were having intercourse; he loved me more than any other woman; several verses of the Qur'an were revealed on my behalf that almost caused the nation to perish; I saw Gabriel while none of the other wives of the Prophet saw him besides me; and he breathed his last in my house while nobody was there except I and the angel of death."313 Other "ahadith " which she has narrated go in more details about her "merits," all falling in the same pattern.

As regarding Umm Salamah, suffices her for a merit her loyalty to herwali and her Prophet's wasi. She was well-known for her terse opinion and great intellect, her strong faith, her suggestion on the Day of Hudaybiya which testified to her intellectual prowess, her wise judgment, and her lofty status; may Allah have mercy and blessings upon her, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 79

Consensus Endorses al-Siddiq's Caliphate

Safar 23, 1330

If what you have said about the covenant and the will, as well as the clear texts, is proven accurate, then what can you say about the nation's consensus to nominate [Abu Bakr] al-Siddiq? Its consensus is an unequivocal proof that testifies to his statement (pbuh): "My nation's consensus shall never occur regarding anything wrong," and his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "My nation's word shall never be misleading;" so, what do you have to say about that?

Sincerely,

Letter 80

No Consensus

Safar 24, 1330

We say that the meaning of his (pbuh) statements: "My nation's consensus shall never occur regarding anything wrong," and "My nation's word shall never be misleading," is that he (pbuh) negates the error, or the misguidance, of the issue regarding which the nation arbitrates; thus, the nation will be reaching a unanimous endorsement in that issue's regard. This is the meaning of such traditions, and nothing else.

As regarding the matter which is considered by a group of individuals of the nation who decided to carry it out, successfully forcing it even on those who had a say, their carrying it out does not prove its validity. The pledge of allegiance taken at the saqifa was not an issue regarding consultation; rather, it was something which was undertaken by the second caliph and by Abu ‘Ubaydah and a group of their friends, then they took by surprise those who actually had the authority to do and undo, assisted by contemporary circumstances.

Thus did they finally achieve what they had aspired. Abu Bakr himself declared that the oath of allegiance which he had received was conducted neither in accordance with consultation nor wisdom. He did so when he delivered a sermon at the dawn of his caliphate in which he apologized to the public saying: "The allegiance which I have received is a rash slip from the evil of which Allah has protected us, and there was a presentiment regarding dissension."314

‘Umar testified to the same fact in front of many eye-witnesses when he delivered a sermon from the pulpit of the Prophet's Mosque one Friday shortly before the conclusion of his reign, a sermon the news of which became widely publicized. Al-Bukhari has included it in his Sahih,315 and I would like to quote it for you hereverbatim :

"It has come to my knowledge that someone316 has said that if ‘Umar dies, he will swear the oath of allegiance to so-and-so; therefore, let nobody hesitate from saying that the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr was a slip that was driven home, for it was exactly so, yet Allah protected us from the evil of its consequences... Whoever swears the oath of allegiance to someone prior to consulting others, doing so only out of fear of being killed if he did not, then he should not do it at all [and accept death instead]...317 One of the rumours circulated about us when Allah took His Messenger (pbuh) away from us is that the Ansar differed from us in their views; they all assembled at the saqifa [shed] of Bani Sa’idah; besides them, ‘Ali (as) and al-Zubayr, and their followers, differed, too..."

He continued to point out what had happened at the shed, the disputes and differences of opinion, the voices that rose out of concern for the safety of the religion, etc. It was under those circumstances that ‘Umar swore allegiance to Abu Bakr.

It is a fact well-known by those who research the events that prevented the members of the Prophet's household (as), the custodians of the Message, from attending the allegiance [inauguration] ceremony. They were detained at ‘Ali's house together with Salman, Abu Tharr al-Ghifari, al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi, ‘Ammar ibn Yasir, al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Khuzaymah ibn Thabit, Abu ibn Ka’b, Farwah ibn ‘Amr ibn Wadqah al-Ansari, al-Bara' ibn ‘Azib, Khalid ibn Sa’d ibn al-’As al-Amawi, and many others.

So, how can it be said that there was a consensus in spite of the fact that all these men, including Muhammad's progeny (as), who are to the nation like the head to the body, the eyes to the face, the descendants of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and the custodians of his knowledge, the ones who are peers only to and the companions of the Book of Allah, the arks of the nation's redemption, and the gates of its salvation, the nation's protection against straying, and the standard-bearers of its guidance, as we have proven above...,318 did not attend? But their dealing requires no proof if conscientiously discerned.

Both Bukhari and Muslim,319 in theirsahihs , in addition to many other renown traditionists and historians, have all proven the fact that ‘Ali (as) did not participate in the allegiance process, and that he did not reconcile and make peace except after the mistress of the ladies of the world (as) had joined her father (pbuh) [in Paradise], six months thereafter, compelled by the general Islamic interest during those very critical circumstances.

The testimony to these facts comes from ‘Ayesha herself who says: "Al-Zahra' (as) boycotted Abu Bakr and did not speak to him after the demise of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) till she died, and when ‘Ali (as) made peace with them, he accused them of depriving him of his place in the caliphate." This hadith, as you can see, does not mention anything about his swearing the oath of allegiance to them. How thought-provoking his statement is when he addresses Abu Bakr thus:

If you had argued with them, kinship claiming,

Then others are closer to the Prophet and more deserving;

And if through consultation you took control,

How so when those with counsel were not there at all?!320

Al-’Abbas ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib had used the same argument with Abu Bakr, as Ibn Qutaybah discusses him on page 16 of his bookAl-Imama wal Siyasa , telling him once: "If you demanded what you demanded through kinship to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), then you had confiscated our own. If you had demanded it due to your position among Muslims, then ours is a more prestigious than yours. If this affair is accomplished when the believers are pleased with it, then it cannot be so as long as we are displeased therewith."

So; tell me where is the consensus you are talking about, having heard what the uncle of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), the one who was his father's peer, stated, in addition to the statement of his cousin, brother and executor of his will, as well as the statements of all his household and kin?

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 81

Consensus Concluded When Dispute Dissipated.

Safar 28, 1330

Sunnis do not deny the fact that the allegiance was not taken after consultation or serious consideration. Rather, they admit that it took place suddenly and unexpectedly. They do not deny going against the wish of the Ansar and their preference of Sa’d, nor in opposing the descendants of Hashim and their followers from the Muhajirun and Ansar who joined the Imam (as) in his boycott.

But they say that the caliphate was finally vested upon Abu Bakr who was accepted by everyone as the Imam; dispute dissipated, hostilities halted, and everyone became determined to support al-Siddiq and provide him with counsel in secrecy and in public; therefore, they fought in his wars, they supported him when he concluded a peace treaty, and they carried out his orders.

Nobody at all differed in that regard, thus a total consensus was finally reached, and the consignment of caliphate was accomplished; praise be to Allah for having united their word after their dissension, and for unifying their hearts after their discord, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Letter 82

Consensus Was Not Concluded; Dissension Did Not Dissipate

Safar 30, 1330

Their consolidation in supporting al-Siddiq, and their providing him with counsel in secrecy and in public, is one thing; the validity of the consignment of the caliphate through consensus is quite another. They are not correlated judged by reason or tradition, for ‘Ali and all the infallible Imams from his descendants (as) have a well-known policy in supporting the Islamic authority; it is the same whereby we worship Allah.

I mention it here in answer to what you have stated. It may be summed up thus: They believe that the Muslim nation can never rise to glory except through a state that unites its populace, mends any crack in its structure, protects its borders, and safeguards its undertakings. Such a state cannot be established except by subjects who support it with their lives and possessions.

If it is possible for such a state to be led by a legitimate statesman who represents in the true sense of the word the government of the Messenger of Allah, then he is the one to be assigned for such a responsibility rather than anyone else.

But if this becomes impossible, and the government is usurped by someone else, then the nation has to support him in every issue upon which the dignity and fortitude of Islam hinges, and so do the protection of the borders of the Islamic state, and the safeguarding of its national security.

It is not permissible to divide the Muslims or create discord among them by opposing him; rather, the nation has to treat him, albeit if he is a slave with amputated limbs, the treatment meted to rightful caliphs, entrusting him with the land's khiraj tax and his share thereof, the zakat of cattle and other items, etc. It has the right to take the same from him through the sale and purchase, as well as all means of property transfers, such as by way of awards, gifts, and the like.

There is no doubt about the clearing of conscience of one who pays him liabilities, as though he is paying them to the Imam of truth, and the rightful caliph. This is the path of ‘Ali and the purified Imams from his descendants (as).

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said: "There will be after me favouritism, and unpleasant matters," as stated in onehadith narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud which is quoted by Muslim on page 118, Vol. 2, of his Sahih, and by many authors ofsahihs andsunan . People asked him (pbuh): "O Messenger of Allah! What do you enjoin one of us who witnesses them to do?" He (pbuh) answered: "Perform your obligations, and pray Allah for the attainment of what rightfully belongs to you."

Abu Tharr al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him, is also quoted by Muslim in Vol. 2 of hisSahih as saying, "My friend the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) advised me to listen and to obey even [a ruler who is] a slave whose limbs are amputated." Salamah al-Ju’fi is quoted by Muslim and others asking the Messenger of Allah (pbuh): "O Messenger of Allah! Suppose we are ruled by those who require us to discharge our duties towards them while they themselves decline to grant us our rights, what do you advise us to do then?" He (pbuh) answered him saying, "Listen and obey, for they will bear the burden of their sins, and you will bear yours."

In one particularhadith quoted by Muslim on page 120, Vol. 2, of his Sahih, which is narrated by all authors of books of traditions, Huthayfah al-Yemani, may Allah be pleased with him, quotes the Prophet (pbuh) saying: "There will be rulers after me who will neither guide according to my guidance, nor follow my Sunnah; and there will be among them men whose hearts are like those of the devils' clad in human form."

Huthayfah asked him (pbuh): "What shall I do then, O Messenger of Allah, if I happen to witness that?" He (pbuh) answered: "You shall listen to the ruler and obey him; if he whips your back and confiscates your property, you will still have [no choice but] to listen and obey."

Similar to thishadith is one narrated by Umm Salamah thus: "There will be [unjust] rulers over you, and you will either acknowledge [their being unjust] or deny it. Those who acknowledge shall be considered innocent, while those who deny it will be saved from chastisement."321 They asked him (pbuh): "Are we not supposed to fight them?" He answered: "No, as long as they uphold their prayers."

Sahihs are consecutively reported in narrating the above quoted traditions, especially through the purified progeny (as). For this reason, the latter remained persevering as they saw eye-sores, and they kept tongue-tied, acting upon these sacred commandments and upon others whereby they were bound.

They were enjoined to persevere while suffering as they felt forced to overlook eye-sores, safeguarding the unity of the nation, and keeping it intact. They abided by the gist of these texts while dealing with those who were entrusted with faring with the affairs of the Muslims. While being aware of the fact that they themselves were more worthy of being in their shoes, they tasted the bitterness of colocynth, hoping they might be able one day to lead them to the Right Path.

The ascension of those individuals to power was more painful to them than the blows of sharp swords, yet they tolerated it only to fulfill the covenant, discharge the commitment, and carry out their duties as far as the Shari’a is concerned, favouring - while opposing such rulers - to prefer what is most important over what is more important. For this reason, the Commander of the Faithful (as) tried his best to provide counsel to all three caliphs, exerting himself in providing them with advice.

Whoever acquaints himself with his policy during their epoch will come to know that he, having lost all hope to get his indisputable right to succeed the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), willingly took to reclusion, preferring to make asylum with those in authority.

He did not fight them while seeing his promised throne in their grip, nor did he oppose them openly. He did so only in order to maintain the solidification of the nation and safeguard the creed, always keeping the religion's interest in mind, preferring the life hereafter to this one. He suffered from agonies which nobody else suffered. He was agonized by two calamities: the caliphate in its texts and commandments was earnestly pleading to him in a heart-rending voice on one hand, and, on the other hand, oppressive discord was warning him against a possible mutiny in the peninsula.

There was a possible danger of bedouin Arabs renouncing their religion, thus annihilating the Islamic creed. The faith was being threatened by the hypocrites of Medina in whose nature hypocrisy was immersed, and who were aided by the hypocritical bedouins around them, according to the text of the Book (Qur'an). Nay, the latter party was even worse in disbelief and hypocrisy than the first, so much so that it was better they did not know the limits of what Allah had revealed to His Messenger (pbuh).

The loss of the Prophet (pbuh) emboldened the latter, and Muslims became in the aftermath like frightened cattle in a winter night, surrounded by wolves and ferocious brutes. While their fellows were quite active in their attempts to wipe out the religion of Islam and crush the Muslims, the Romans, the Kisras and others were waiting in anticipation, to the end of the list of such thronging elements that bore grudge against Muhammad, the progeny of Muhammad, and the companions of Muhammad (pbuh). These parties bore animosity towards and felt jealous of the message of Islam; they desired to demolish its foundations, and undermining its might.

In such endeavour, they would be very quick, seeing that they had their golden opportunity in the departure of the Prophet to his Supreme Companion. The chance had ripened then for them to make use of the chaos before Islam had recovered its strength and organization. It was then that the Commander of the Faithful (as) realized both dangers, and it was only natural that he would sacrifice his own right in order to sustain the religion of Islam, thus preferring the general interest to that of his own.

This is how such confusion ended, and the dispute between him and Abu Bakr was suspended, for he dreaded nothing save the disunity of Muslims and was concerned only that the Muslims should have the upper hand. So, he, all members of his household, their supporters from the Immigrants and Ansar, remained patiently tongue-tied even as they saw eye-sores. His speech after the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had departed is very frank in reflecting this attitude, and relevant reports are consecutive through the Imams of the purified progeny.

But the head of the Ansar, Sa’d ibn ‘Abadah, never made asylum with the first two caliphs, and he was never seen in public accompanying either of them during an ‘Id celebration or on a Friday, and he never subscribed to their views, nor did he ever yield to their orders, till he was assassinated in Huran during the reign of the second caliph, and his assassins claimed that he was killed by the jinns. He made a memorable statement during the saqifa incident, but we see no need to quote it here.322

As regarding his friends such as Haban ibn al-Munthir323 and other Ansaris, these succumbed unwillingly, yielding to pressure; so, do you consider the actions dictated by the fear of the sword or the burning by the fire324 as a belief in the consignment of the allegiance? Or is it a testimony to such "consensus" implied in the statement of the Prophet (pbuh) saying "My nation shall never commit an error in its consensus of opinion"? Please state your verdict; may Allah reward you, Wassalam.

Sincerely,

Sh

Letter 83

Can You Compromise the Text's Accuracy With the Companions' Truthfulness?

Rabi’ul-Awwal 2, 1330

Those who are endowed with a discreet insight and keen comprehension regard the companions as being above doing anything contrary to the wish of the Prophet (pbuh) in whatever he bids or forbids, neither do they permit anything other than such a policy.

Therefore, they could not have heard the text regarding the Imam once, twice or thrice, then deviated therefrom. And how can you describe such companions to be truthful had they heard the text about him then refrained from following it? I do not think that you are able to compromise both [contradictory] situations, Wassalam.

Sincerely,