52. THE CALAMITY OF QIRTAAS
Islam was the life’s achievement for the prophet (s.a.) for the propagation of which he had borne all sorts of hardships and severe opposition. Every individual desires that whatever he has developed with hard work remains safe from the machinations of destructive opponents. He preserves and protects it in his lifetime and tries to leave it in safe hands when the time for leaving the world arrives. He therefore makes an oral will or reduces his instructions on paper to doubly safeguard his legacy. Can we imagine that the Prophet (s.a.) would leave intestate especially when it was the question of preserving and protecting his legacy which was the great Faith of Islam!
In view of this very important and urgent need, knowing that his sickness was of terminal nature, the Prophet (s.a.) asked for pen and paper brough to him two to four days before he demised. He wanted to write a document that would be a source of guidance for the people till the end of the world.and safeguard his Ummat from getting divided into many sects and groupings. But some persons conspired to obstruct the Prophet (s.a.) from making his will and testament.
“Hazrat Omer said that the Prophet (s.a.) was overwhelmed with pain and for us the Book of Allah is sufficient.”
Sahih Bukhari, Vol 1, Page 25
This is a narration from Bukhari who also says:
“The Prophet (s.a.) said, ‘Bring a paper to me that I write for you a document after which you will not go astray!’ On this persons started sharp arguments, although quarreling near the Prophet (s.a.) wasn’t proper. People said, ‘The Prophet (s.a.) is in a delirium!’ the Prophet (s.a.) said, ‘Leave me to my scruples! I am fine in whatever condition I am than what you are calling me to!”
Ref: Sahih Bukhari, Vol 2, Page 121
When the differences overstretched and the sounds of shouts were coming, the consorts of the Prophet (s.a.) said from behind the curtains:
“Give to the Prophet (s.a.) whatever he is asking for. Hazrat Omer asked them to keep quiet and said that they were like the women of Yusuf who cry when the Prophet (s.a.) falls ill and when he is hale and hearty ride on his neck. At this the Prophet said, ‘They are better than you!’”
Ref: Tabaqaat ibne Saad, Vol 2, Page 244
The ladies kept calling from their private quarters but none paid any heed and never gave a paper and pen to the Prophet (s.a.). The Prophet (s.a.) was sad over the Companions disobeying his Commands, terming his ill heath, although he was in full senses, as delirium (Hizyaan) and raising a rumpus instead of leaving him in peace. He was fed up of the happening around him and said,“Qoomua anni - Go away from me!” this was the worst calamity of the History of Islam that its founder wanted to write down his last will and tesatament for the benefit of the Ummat to protect them from going astray and his voice was submerged with in the noise raised by the people around him. Alas! He left this world disappointed and dismayed with certain of his close associates! Ibne Abbas used to cry much thinking of the events of that day and the pebbles of sand kept in frontof him used to get wet with the tears that dropped from his eyes:
“It was such a great calamity that the differences between the Companions and their shouting and misbehaviour obstructed the Prophet (s.a.) writing down his will.”
Ref: Tabaqaat Ibne Saad, Vol 2, Page 244
People have tried in several ways to find excuses from the happenings of that sad day. They tried to put the blame on the entire crowd instead of pin pointing the culprits and exposing their evil designs and faces! But all these efforts went in vain and the facts couldn’t be hidden from the public gaze. Bukhari’s two narrations quoted above are a reflection of this. While in the first narration there is reference of the Prophet (s.a.)’s acute pain and the accusation of delirium, he has tried to hide the name of the person by referring to the accuser in the plural form as“Qaalua” instead of mentioning it as a singular and recording the name of that person. Where the events are light of nature Bukhari doesn’t refrain from using the names of the characters involved! Where the words used are unpalatable he cleverly tries to avoid the name of the person who used them. But this attempt doesn’t seem to protect the memory of the perpetrators of those cruel and undesirable words. In some narratives they use the word“some” instead of blaming the“crowd” to protect the big ones from ignominy. Ibne Saad says:
“Some persons who were there said that because of the intensity of the ailment, the Prophet (s.a.) was uttering insensible words.”
Ref: Tabaqaat, Vol 2, Page 242
In this narration the circle of the perpetrators has been narrowed down. Bu even there the use of the word“some” doesn’t pinpoint the real culprit! However Sheik Shehab uddin Khafaji has lifted the curtain from the face of the person and written the fact, and nothing but the fact!
“Hazrat Omer said that the Prophet (s.a.) was uttering insensible words.”
Ref: Naseem ar Riyaz, Vol 4, Page 278
Accusing the Prophet (s.a.) of delirium and insensible talk, from whatever quarter, is the most heinous thing to do and the persons who perpetrated such talk must be identified! A person having the ordinary knowledge of the Irfan e Nabuwat ( or the Divine Knowledge of the Prophet) will never dare to say that the prophet (s.a.) was talking insensible things in his delirium. Because of this impertinent talk the Prophet (s.a.) had to ask those persons to leave him alone! It is really a great calamity that the people succeeded in preventing the Prophet (s.a.) from making his will and testament. One fails to understand what fear the person had in his mind that he was not allowing the Prophet (s.a.) to get the paper and pen? Even in the state of delirium he wanted to write something, what was the problem for the person allowing to reduce to writing down the last wishes of a person no lesser than the Prophet 0f Islam (s.a). The persons who were bent on disobeying the Prophet (s.a.) succeeded in disobeying his last Command and wish!!
Here, to get over the blame of disobeying the Prophet (s.a.) they said that the Faith was Complete and the chain of the Revelations was already broken. Therefore it was not necessary to write down any thing else. Of course, the Deen or Faith was complete, but it doesn’t mean that the Ummat was totally safe from going astray. If it was the case there would never have been schisms in the ranks of the Muslims nor the springing up of myriad sects. This is all the result of the Ummat going astray. To eliminate these causes the Prophet (s.a.) wanted to write down his final Will and Testament. if he had not thought it necessary, what was the need for him to ask for paper and pen? It is also not correct to say that the chain of the Revelations was broken. Till the last breath the Prophet (s.a.) continued to get the Revelations. Therefore Anas bin Maalik says:
“Allah continued the series of Revelations from the time before the demise of the Prophet (s.a) till his last breath and the maximum revelations came on the day of his death.”
Ref: Tabaqaat Ibne Saad, Vol 2, Page 93
This proves that whatever the Prophet (s.a.) was saying, and whatever he wanted to be written down, was on the basis of revelations and the commands of Allah.The person who said that it was delirious talk, even if it was reduced to writing, they would have rejected it to suit their own ends!
We have also to conmsider what the Prophet (s.a.) was trying to communicate and what was the need for doing it. The books of history and tradition are witness that on his death bed, the Prophet (s.a.) was continuously saying:
“I am leaving behind me two things for you. If you remain attached to both of them, you will not go astray after me. Both the things are bigger than each other. One is the Book of Allah which is a rope that has one end in the Heaven and the other on the earth. The second thing is my Itrat, my Ahl al Bayt. These two shall not separate from each other till they come to me at the Cistern of kauthar. You must think yourself what attitude you should have for these things.”
Ref: Mishkaat, Page 599
When the time for his death drew nigh, he raised the hand of Ali (a.s.) and said:
“this Ali (a.s.) is with the Quran and the Quran is with him. The two will not separate from each other till they reach me at the Cistern of kauthar. I shall ask them how you proved yourself in THEIR regard?”
Ref: Sawaiq Mohriqa, Page 126
In the tradition previous to this, the Prophet (s.a.) had termed remaining attached to the Quran and the Ahl al Bayt as a guarantee against depravity and going astray.The words used by him were,“Lan tazillu baadi---You will not go astray after me” . We have also used the same words here lest we go astray in our act! Lan tazillu baadahu - after now you shall never go astray! This proves to every individual of average intelligence that the the things that the Prophet (s.a.) termed as the guarantee for their protection from going astray, he wanted to write in his Will and Testament for the benefit of the Posterity. He knew that there were certain forces in the Ummat who will leave no stone unturned to obstruct people coming to the Right Path. For this reason he wanted it to be reduced to writing that the people must attach themselves firmly to the Quran and the Ahl al Bayt. The opponents knew it well that the Prophet (s.a.) wanted to make his will in support of Ali (a.s.) and they enacted all the drama to obstruct it. Therefore one of the chiefs said,“Indana kitab Allah hasbana--- Allah’s Book is sufficient for us!” Although this sentence was said in a situation of disorder, it grew and bore fruits in the time to come! One sect made this saying as the foundation of their Faith and rejected even the Traditions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.). Although Hazrat Omer, in his later life, realized that the Quran was not sufficient to guide the people in their lives and he had to make access to the Traditions of the Prophet (s.a). So the author of Hasbana Kitab Allah realized very soon that he was not right when he said this. When there was a dispute between the Qureish and Ansar for the Caliphate, instead of seeking a solution from the Quran he said “Al immat min al Qureish and for denying the Garden of Fadak to Hazrat Fatima (a.s.), they quoted the tradition, “Ana ma-aashar al anbiya laa nauras---We the group of prophets (as.) don’t leave any inheritance. Whenever Omer said Laula Ali (a.s) lahlak Omer he was turning to Ali (a.s.) for resolution of his problems instead of solely depending on the Holy Quran!In practice he was not following his own dictum of hasbana Kitab Allah!! The Quran without its interpreters (The Ahl al Bayt) is certainly not sufficient!!!
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