هُوَ الَّذِى أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَـبَ مِنْهُ آيَـتٌ مُّحْكَمَـتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَـبِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَـبِهَـتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فى قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَـبَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَآءَ
الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَآءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَالرَسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلاَّ أُوْلُواْ الأَلْبَـبِ
It is He Who has sent down to you the Book. In it are verses that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book; and others not entirely clear. So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they follow (only) that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking Al-Fitnah, and seeking its Ta'weel, but none knows its Ta'weel except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.'' And none receive
admonition except men of understanding.)
Holy Qur'aan {3:7}
Likewise, if the Tanzeel of the Holy Qur'aan occurred but there was no Ta'weel conducted on it, then the Holy Qur'aan would be an ambiguous codex scripture which could not be understood to benefit mankind. With that being said, we can affirm that the Holy Qur'aan does not consist of solely the Tanzeel, but rather it has both the Tanzeel along with Ta'weel working hand in hand to complete it.
The above verse of the Holy Qur'aan shows that there are a group of individuals who are responsible for the Ta'weel of Al-Qur'aan. No one else has the complete knowledge about its Ta'weel except those who are firmly rooted in knowledge, who are no other than the Ahlulbayt (a.s) of the Prophet (saw) as in accordance to many explicit, authentic narrations.
Furthermore, historical sources, as will be shown further on in the article, affirm that there is a certain individual responsible for handling the Tanzeel of the Holy Qur'aan, and another responsible for it's Ta'weel whom of which fights for it just as the Prophet (saw) fought for its Tanzeel. Moreover, all Muslims unanimously agree that it was clearly Prophet Muhammad (saw) who had fought for the Tanzeel of the Holy Qur'aan and no one else other than him, as Allah Almighty has only entrusted him to be His last and final messenger to mankind by revealing the Holy Qur'aan only to him (saw). However, the difference between the Muslims does arise with regards to the identity of who was given the authority by the Prophet (saw) over the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan.
Based on authentic Islamic sources, we shall discuss the fact that the Prophet (saw) announced that Imam Alee (a.s) would take the responsibility of fighting for the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan in a similar way to how he fought the Mushrikeen for it's Tanzeel. Moreover, we will consider the era of Imam Alee (a.s) when he became the Caliph. This era was one in which a considerable amount of Ummayad sponsored scribes described as the period of major Fitnah, and finally, we shall see how such Fitnah that those scribes portrayed, correlates to the Hadeeth of the Prophet (saw).
Ahmad bin Hanbal:
Narrated to us Hussain bin Muhammad, from Fitr, from Isma'eel bin Rija, from Al-Zubaydi, from his father, who said: I heard Aboo Sa'eed Al-Khudri say: We sat waiting for the messenger of Allah (saw) until he came out to us from one of the houses of his wives (A'isha). Then we stood up and his shoe was ripped. Then Alee (a.s) took the responsibility to fix his shoe. The Prophet (saw) then left and we left with him, and he (saw) said: "Verily, there will be one among you who will fight for the interpretation of this Qur'aan just as I have fought for its revelation." We were honoured (to hear such news). Then Aboo Bakr and Umar stood up, so the Prophet (saw) said: "No. But rather it's is the one who repairs the shoe." Then we went to give him (i.e. Alee (a.s)) the good news and it was as if he had heard it.
Shu'ayb Al-Arna'ut: This Hadeeth is Saheeh (Authentic) and it's chain is Hasan (Good). And Al-Hakim said: "This Hadeeth is Saheeh (Authentic) upon the standards of Al-Bukhari and Muslim," and Al-Dhahabi agreed with him.
Source: Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Vol. 18, Pg. # 296, H. # 11773.
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Al-Tahawi:
Narrated to us Muhammad bin Ja'far bin Muhammad bin Hafs Al-Baghdadi, known as ibn ul-Imam, from Yusuf bin Musa Al-Qattan, from Jarir bin Abd Al-Humayd, from Al-A'mash, from Isma'eel bin Rija' Al-Zubaydi, from his father, from Abi Sa'eed Al-Khudri, who said: We once sat down on the ground waiting for the messenger of Allah (saw) until he went out to us from the house of A'isha and his shoe was ripped. Then he threw (his shoes) to Alee (a.s) and then he sat down and said: "Verily among you there will be someone who will fight for the interpretation of the Qur'aan just as I have fought for its revelation." Aboo Bakr then said: "Am I the one O Allah's messenger?" He (saw) said: "No." Umar said: "Am I the one O Allah's messenger?" He (saw) said: "No, but rather it is the one who repairs the shoe inside the house." Rija Al-Zubaidy said: A man came to Alee (a.s) in the Rahba and asked him: "O Commander of the Faithful. Was there in the Hadeeth of the shoe anything (additional)?" He (Alee (a.s)) said: "O Allah (swt)! You are a witness that it was of those things that the Messenger of Allah (saw) used to entrust to me."
Shu'ayb Al-Arna'ut: The chain is Saheeh (Authentic).
Source: Sharh Mushkelul Athar. Vol. 10, Pg. # 237, H. # 4058.
Al-Dhahabi:
From Isma'eel bin Rija, from his father, from Abi Sa'eed, who heard the Prophet (saw) say: "Verily among you there will be a person who will fight for the interpretation of the Qur'aan just as I have fought for its revelation." Aboo Bakr then said: "Am I the one?" He (saw) said: "No." Umar said: "Am I the one?" He (saw) said: "No, but rather it is the one who repairs the shoe." And he (saw) had given Alee (a.s) his shoe to repair it.
I (Al-Dhahabi) say: He (Alee (a.s)) fought the Khawarij, the ones that interpreted the Qur'aan by their own opinion and ignorance.
Bashar Awwad Ma'roof: Narrated by Ahmad, and it's chain is Saheeh (Authentic).
Source: Tarikh ul-Islam Wa Wafiyat Al-Mashahir Wa Al-A'lam. Vol. 2, Pg. # 366.
Al-Baghawi:
Narrated to us Aboo Sa'd Ahmad bin Muhammad Al-Humaydi, from Aboo Abdallah Al-Hafidh, from Abu Al-Abbas Muhammad bin Ya'qoob, from Ahmad bin Abd Al-Jabbar, from Aboo Mu'awiyah, from Al-A'mash, from Isma'eel bin Rija, from his father, from Abi Sa'eed, who said: I heard the Prophet (saw) say: "Verily among you there will be a person who will fight for the interpretation of the Qur'aan just as I have fought for its revelation." Aboo Bakr then said: "Am I the one?" He (saw) said: "No." Umar said: "Am I the one?" He (saw) said: "No, but rather it is the one who repairs the shoe." And he (saw) had given Alee (a.s) his shoe to repair it.
Aboo Abdallah Al-Hafidh: This is a Saheeh (Authentic) chain.
Source: Sharh Al-Sunnah. Vol. 10, Pg. # 232 - 233, H. # 2557.
Ahmad bin Hanbal:
Narrated to us Wakee, from Fitr, from Isma'eel bin Rija, from his father, from Abi Sa'eed, who said: The messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Verily someone among you will fight for the Ta'weel (Exegesis) of the Qur'aan just as I have fought for its Tanzeel (Revelation)." Then Aboo Bakr and Umar stood up, and he (saw) said: "No. But rather it is the one who repairs the shoe," and Alee (a.s) was repairing his shoe.
Shu'ayb Al-Arnaut said: "The Hadeeth is Saheeh (Authentic) and it's chain is Hasan (Good), and all the narrators are trustworthy."
Source: Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Vol. 17, Pg. # 390, H. # 11289.
Aboo Ya'la Al-Mawsili:
Narrated to us Uthman, from Jareer, from Al-A'mash, from Isma'eel bin Rija, from his father, from Aboo Sa'eed Al-Khudri, who said: I heard the messenger of Allah (saw) say: "Verily, there will be someone among you who will fight for the interpretation of the Qur'aan just as I have fought for its revelation." Then Aboo Bakr said: "Am I the one, O messenger of Allah?" He (saw) said: "No." Then Umar said: "Am I the one, O messenger of Allah?" He (saw) said: "No, but rather, it is the one who repairs the shoe." And he (saw) had previously given Alee his shoe to repair it.
Hussain Salim Asad: Its chain is Saheeh (Authentic)
Source: Musnad Aboo Ya'la. Vol 2, Pg. # 341 - 342, H. # 1086.
Ibn Hibban:
Narrated to us Ahmad bin Alee bin Al-Muthanna, from Uthman bin Abi Shaybah, from Jareer, from Al-A'mash, from Isma'eel bin Rija, from his father, from Abi Sa'eed Al-Khudri, who said: I heard the messenger of Allah (saw) say: "Verily among you there will be someone who will fight for the interpretation of the Qur'aan just as I have fought for its revelation." Aboo Bakr then said: "Am I the one O Allah's messenger?" He (saw) said: "No." Umar then said: "Am I the one O Allah's messenger?" He (saw) said: "No, but rather it is the one who repairs the shoe." And he (saw) had given his shoe to Alee (a.s), to repair it.
Shu'ayb Al-Arnaut: The chain is Saheeh (Authentic) on the criteria of Muslim.
Source: Saheeh ibn Hibban. Vol 15, Pg. # 385, H. # 6937.
Al-Albani:
The Prophet (saw) said: "Verily, among you there will be someone who will fight for the interpretation of this Qur'aan just as I have fought for it's revelation." So we were honoured, and Aboo Bakr and Umar were among us, then the Prophet (saw) said: "No, but rather, it is the one who repairs the shoe," meaning Alee (a.s), may Allah (swt) pleased with him.
Al-Albani: This narration is Saheeh (Authentic), no doubt about it!
Source: Silsilat Al-Ahadith Al-Saheeh. Vol. 5, Pg. # 639, H. # 2487.
Mola Alee (a.s) was the one chosen for being responsible for the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan. Now let us examine the reasoning behind this: Ibn Abi Shaybah narrates a hadeeth which explicitly describes the very circumstances and the point at which it was made clear that Ameer ul Mo'mineen himself was nominated that duty and honour. Ibn Abi Shaybah in this hadeeth (the chain of which is Saheeh) states that he was at the masjid, when the Prophet (saw) entered. As he (saw) sat down, he made a startling revelation. The Prophet (saw) said, "Verily among you there will be one who will fight the people for the Ta'weel of the Qur'aan just as I have fought for its Tanzeel." Upon hearing this, Aboo Bakr stood up in a state of excitement and asked the Prophet (saw) if he was the chosen one. The Prophet (saw) plainly replied, no. The next one to stand was Umar, who also asked if he indeed was the one chosen for such a prestigious honour, again the Prophet (saw) replied by saying, no. He (saw) then went on to say, "It is the shoe repairer inside the house..." No sooner as he (saw) uttered these words, Mola Alee ibn Abi Talib (a.s), the lion of Allah (swt) came out and he was holding the shoe of our beloved Prophet (saw) in order to repair it.
This hadeeth was transmitted based on its literal saying (Naql Bil Lafth) rather than being transmitted based on its meaning (Naql Bil Ma'nah). Therefore, we can suggest that the majority of all versions (whether Shi'a or Sunni) quite categorically state that Mola Alee (a.s) "Will fight for the Ta'weel." From this, we can ascertain that there is no room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation of this hadeeth. Let us now examine this further; if we use the example of the hadeeth where the Prophet (saw) says, "You are to me as Haroon (a.s) was to Musa (a.s)" we know that the Prophet (saw) was referring to Mola Alee (a.s). This particular hadeeth also clearly indicates the similarity of Mola Alee's (a.s) relationship with the Prophet (saw) just as how close Haroon's (a.s) relationship and position was with Musa (a.s).
We shall now examine the background of this narration in further detail.
Ibn Abi Shaybah:
Narrated to us ibn Abi Ghania from his father from Isma'eel ibn Rajaa from his father from Abi Sa'eed Al-Khudri who said: We were sitting in the Masjid and then Allah's messenger (saw) entered and sat with us. We were just staring, no one of us was speaking, and then he (saw) said: "Verily among you there will be a man who will fight the people for the Ta'weel of the Qur'aan just as I have fought for its Tanzeel." Then Aboo Bakr stood up and said: "Am I the one O Allah's messenger (saw)?" He said: "No." Then Umar stood up and said: "Am I the one O Allah's messenger (saw)?" He said: "No, but rather it is the shoe repairer inside the house." Then Alee (a.s) came out towards us and he was holding the shoe of Allah's messenger (saw) that he had repaired.
Footnote: Its chain is Saheeh (Authentic), Rajaa is ibn Abi Rabia Al-Zubaydi, scholars have authenticated him and they have not talked against him.
The narration has been narrated also by Ahmad, Al-Nasa'i, and Abu Ya'lah, and ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim and he has authenticated it based on the criteria of the Shaykhayn (i.e. Bukhari and Muslim) and Al-Dhahabi has confirmed his authentication. All of them have narrated it through Isma'eel ibn Rajaa from Rajaa.
Source: Al-Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah. Vol. 17, Pg. # 105.
The author of the book Al-Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah was born in 160 A.H. He lived during the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth Imams (peace be upon them all) lifetimes. This is an important detail as he narrated this hadeeth during their (a.s) lives, thus strongly suggesting that this narration was common and was recited as early as the times in which the Imam's (a.s) themselves lived in. So it would be fair to say that it has strong validity, as opponents of the hadeeth cannot claim that it was fabricated made many years after the death of the Prophet (saw). It is classed as an early Islamic tradition, with a strong chain of narrators.
And what do Sunni scholars say about this hadeeth? The hadeeth is authentic according to a plethora of scholars. It should be clear to the reader by now that this hadeeth is without a doubt authentic; both in terms of content and its chain of narrators and this, without having to consider the Shi'a version in the Shi'a books. If one were to look at this without any kind of bias and from a secular viewpoint, it can be clearly ascertained that this hadeeth is Mutawatir (reached us from numerous chain of transmission) and hence, it is established that this hadeeth was common during the life time of the Prophet (saw) as well as in the later generations in early Islam.
The fact that both Shi'a and Sunni agree on the authenticity of this hadeeth shows that Mola Alee (a.s) was specifically chosen to have the responsibility of the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan. Thus, we can conclude that he was indeed the only logical choice to be the successor of the Prophet (saw). We must add that Aboo Bakr and Umar were clearly not chosen to undertake such a task simply because they were not divinely appointed to be the guides of Islam after the death of the Prophet (saw). Evidently, Mola Alee (a.s) was the only one fit to be the leader in succession and thus the only one worthy and wise enough to be responsible for the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan.
Ibn Abi Shaybah:
Narrated to us ibn Abi Ghania from his father from Isma'eel ibn Rajaa from his father from Abi Sa'eed Al-Khudri who said: We were sitting in the Masjid and then Allah's messenger (saw) entered and sat with us. We were just staring, no one of us was speaking, and then he (saw) said: "Verily among you there will be a man who will fight the people for the Ta'weel of the Qur'aan just as I have fought for its Tanzeel." Then Aboo Bakr stood up and said: "Am I the one O Allah's messenger (saw)?" He said: "No." Then Umar stood up and said: "Am I the one O Allah's messenger (saw)?" He said: "No, but rather it is the shoe repairer inside the house." Then Alee (a.s) came out towards us and he was holding the shoe of Allah's messenger (saw) that he had repaired.
Footnote: Its chain is Saheeh (Authentic), Rajaa is ibn Abi Rabia Al-Zubaydi, scholars have authenticated him and they have not talked against him.
The narration has been narrated also by Ahmad, Al-Nasa'i, and Abu Ya'lah, and ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim and he has authenticated it based on the criteria of the Shaykhayn (i.e. Bukhari and Muslim) and Al-Dhahabi has confirmed his authentication. All of them have narrated it through Isma'eel ibn Rajaa from Rajaa.
Source: Al-Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah. Vol. 17, Pg. # 105.
The author of the book Al-Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah was born in 160 A.H. He lived during the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth Imams (peace be upon them all) lifetimes. This is an important detail as he narrated this hadeeth during their (a.s) lives, thus strongly suggesting that this narration was common and was recited as early as the times in which the Imam's (a.s) themselves lived in. So it would be fair to say that it has strong validity, as opponents of the hadeeth cannot claim that it was fabricated made many years after the death of the Prophet (saw). It is classed as an early Islamic tradition, with a strong chain of narrators.
And what do Sunni scholars say about this hadeeth? The hadeeth is authentic according to a plethora of scholars. It should be clear to the reader by now that this hadeeth is without a doubt authentic; both in terms of content and its chain of narrators and this, without having to consider the Shi'a version in the Shi'a books. If one were to look at this without any kind of bias and from a secular viewpoint, it can be clearly ascertained that this hadeeth is Mutawatir (reached us from numerous chain of transmission) and hence, it is established that this hadeeth was common during the life time of the Prophet (saw) as well as in the later generations in early Islam.
The fact that both Shi'a and Sunni agree on the authenticity of this hadeeth shows that Mola Alee (a.s) was specifically chosen to have the responsibility of the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan. Thus, we can conclude that he was indeed the only logical choice to be the successor of the Prophet (saw). We must add that Aboo Bakr and Umar were clearly not chosen to undertake such a task simply because they were not divinely appointed to be the guides of Islam after the death of the Prophet (saw). Evidently, Mola Alee (a.s) was the only one fit to be the leader in succession and thus the only one worthy and wise enough to be responsible for the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan.
The Holder Of The Banner Of Islam
Now we shall examine the crux of the content of this Hadeeth which discusses the wars that the Prophet (saw) and Mola Alee (a.s) were involved in and their bravery and sacrifice. Those wars were an integral component in order for Islam to be established and recognised. All Muslims regardless of which sect they belong to agree to this since those battles between Muslims and the disbelivers laid the foundations for our faith, the foundations that even today make Islam the fastest growing religion in the world.
Battles such as the battle of Badr (17th Ramadhan, 2 A.H) was one in which our Prophet (saw) made a stand against the cruelty and oppression of the Quraysh, but despite being heavily outnumbered, was a decisive victory for the Muslims and it was Mola Alee (a.s), who was responsible for the majority of the casualties on the Quraysh side.
Then came the battle of the Trench (Dhul Al-Qa'dah, 5 A.H). Again, the Muslims were heavily outnumbered, but thanks to the strategic brilliance of the Prophet (saw) and the bravery of Mola Alee (a.s) it was another decisive victory for the Muslims.
One must question why these battles were so important for Islam? It was because the Prophet (saw) was fighting the Kuffar for the sake of the Tanzeel (Revelation) of the Holy Qur'aan, thus fighting those who rejected the divine revelations from Allah (swt). The enemies and deniers of Islam had to be defeated so that the pagan idol worshipping in pre-Islamic Arabia would come to end, as well as ending the time of Jahiliyyah. The Prophet (saw) needed to be victorious in order to bring the people towards Tawheed and establish the final authority of Allah (swt) on earth.
An important aspect of this Hadeeth which the reader must pay attention to, is that the Prophet (saw) announces to his companions quite explicitly that just as he himself (saw) was involved in battles, so shall Mola Alee (a.s). As we have just discussed, the battles that the Prophet (saw) was involved in was between Muslims and the Kuffars, which was based on the Hadeeth of the Prophet (saw). So likewise, one can safely assume that the battles that Mola Alee (a.s) was involved in (such as Jamal) would be between Muslims and the Kuffar just as the Prophet (saw). This is clearly stated by the Prophet (saw) himself, as he used the word "Kama" which is Arabic word for "Just as."
The only difference is that the manifest Kuffar were denying the Relevelation (Tanzeel) itself, while the concealed Kuffar, i.e. the hypocrites, were denying the Meaning (Ta'weel) of the Holy Qur'aan as it was taught to the Prophet (saw) and his rightly guided successor. Therefore, the Prophet (saw) said quite clearly that just as he fought for the enemies of Islam for the Tanzeel, so would Mola Alee (a.s), the only difference being that Mola (a.s) would fight for the Ta'weel (interpretation) instead. Thus, for one who is aware of the Prophet's (saw) revelation on this, it would be extremely difficult that there be any doubt that any army opposing Mola Alee (a.s) would not be of the Kuffar also. Now whilst some schools of thought in Islam find this revelation unpalatable, we must emphasise that facts are simply facts. If one were to assume that the enemies of Mola Alee (a.s) were not enemies of Islam, but were rather confused Muslim brethren who made a mistake to oppose him, then that would be a difficult stance to take since this would totally contradict the Hadeeth of the Prophet (saw). It would also suggest that the Prophet (saw) must have fought with "confused" brethren also, which all Muslims, regardless of school of thought know is incorrect, as the Prophet (saw) fought with the worst of Kuffar and to suggest otherwise is incongruous to say the least.
We know that there was not a single battle where the Prophet (saw) was involved in where he considered his enemies to be brethren and that they made a small error of judgement to oppose the divine revelations of Allah (swt). Those early battles to establish Islam were battles of Truth vs Falsehood where the banner of Islam from the Prophets (saw) side is the Haqq (Truth), and the opposing side is the Batil (Falsehood).
We can safely conclude that both the Prophet (saw) and Mola Alee (a.s) fought only the Kuffar. Both in the Prophet's (saw) lifetime (battle of Uhud, Badr and the Trench) and wars that took place after his (saw) death which Mola Alee (a.s) fought (Jamal, Siffeen and Nahrawan) in which he (a.s) was on the Haq and the opposing side (A'isha, Mu'awiyah etc.) were on Batil (Falsehood).
Another aspect that we can take from this Hadeeth is that the Prophet (saw) stated that in order for the banner of Islam to be used, only two kinds of fighting is legitimate. The first type of fighting is the fight for the Tanzeel (which he (saw) did at Uhud, Badr and the Trench). And the Ta'weel (battle of Jamal, Siffeen and Nahrawan). No other battles would be legitimate by the banner of Islam other than the battle for the Tanzeel and Ta'weel, which we re-iterate that the Prophet (saw) clearly stated that Mola Alee (a.s) would be responsible for the Ta'weel. Hence, all other battles which have subsequently been fought in the name of Islam, are not legitimate.
Battles such as the Ridda wars of Aboo Bakr or the wars of Umar do not carry the banner of Islam, since they were not the ones responsible for either the Ta'weel or the Tanzeel of the Holy Qur'aan. Aboo Bakr and Umar clearly went against the instructions and guidance from the Prophet (saw) as suggested earlier, as the reasons for Islamic war are quite consise and are not for monetary gain or personal arrogance and glory. Of course, we also know that in a Hadeeth narrated by ibn Abi Shaybah, Aboo Bakr and Umar both asked if they were the ones chosen to be responsible for fighting for the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan, but the Prophet (saw) said, "No, the shoe repairer of the house shall be responsible" who was no other than Mola Alee (a.s).
If we are to comprehend that Mola Alee (a.s) fought for the Ta'weel (interpretation) of the Holy Qur'an and what it means, we must firstly understand what is meant by the Prophet (saw) fighting for the Tanzeel (revelation) of the Holy Qur'aan. We need to identify that there is a direct correlation between the two by their very natures and attributes as stated in the Hadeeth. So, what did the Prophet (saw) mean about what he fought for? (i.e. Tanzeel). Let us examine the following Hadeeth:
Al-Albani:
The Prophet (saw) said, "I have been ordered to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah (swt) and that Muhammad (saw) is his messenger and when they do so, their blood and money are protected and their trials are with Allah (swt)."
Source: Al-Silsila Al-Saheeha Al-Hadeeth. Vol. 1, Pg. # 767, H. # 409.
This Hadeeth is Mutawatir as it was narrated from a high number of people and so it is highly improbable that they all got together and colluded. Hence, this Hadeeth has strong validity. Nevertheless, we have a Mutawatir Hadeeth stating that the Prophet (saw) will fight for the Tanzeel, stating he will fight the people until they declare "La illaha illallah" (There is no god but Allah (swt)). Thus, we can see that from the Prophet's (saw) words, his (saw) fighting for the Tanzeel was comprised of calling the people to Islam and Tawheed.
It is important to note when considering the context of this Hadeeth, that the Prophet (saw) will fight until the unbeliever says the Shahadah. However, as we know, saying the Shahadah does not automatically make one a Mo'min (true believer). A hypocrite (we have had plenty of them in Islamic history) can also declare the Shahadah (testimony of faith) and can pretend to love Islam and abide by the laws of Allah (swt). We can clearly see this when reading this verse of the Holy Qur'aan;
There is no denying that the Munafiqoon (hypocrites) accompanied the Prophet (saw. Outwardly they declared their submission to Islam, but their hearts were far from the truth and were disbelievers. In this noble verse, Allah (swt) is warning the Prophet (saw) of such people and that not every person who recited the declaration of faith (Shahadah) were necessarily believers. Numerous commentators of the Holy Qur'aan have testified to this fact.
Al-Tabari:
Allah Almighty says to his Prophet Muhammad (saw): "When the hypocrites come to you O Muhammad, they say by their tongues: 'We bear witness that you are most surely Allah's Messenger' Whether the hypocrites say it or not, and Allah knows that you are most surely His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are surely liars." He says: Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars in their sayings about themselves that they bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah (saw), because they do not believe that, and have no faith in it, so they are liars in saying that.
Source: Tafsir Al-Tabari. Vol. 22, Pg. # 650.
Al-Qaysi:
The saying of Allah: "When the hypocrites come to you, they say: We bear witness that you are most surely Allah's Messenger." {63:1}
It means: O Muhammad (saw)! The hypocrites confess that you are the Messenger of Allah (saw), because Allah (swt) knows that you are His Messenger, but Allah (swt) witnesses that the hypocrites are certainly liars in what they have displayed to you from their confession, because what is inside their heart is the opposite of what they manifest.
Source: Al-Hidayah Elah Belogh Al-Nihayah. Vol. 12, Pg. # 7479.
Al-Qurtubi:
Almighty's saying: "They say: We bear witness that you are most surely Allah's Messenger;" It is said that the meaning of "We bear witness" is we swear. He mentions the swear as bearing witness, because everyone who swears and bears witness, it is to prove something hidden.
It is also possible that it applies on the apparent of what they were displaying that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah (saw) by confirming their faith and denying the hypocrisy about themselves, and that is more likely, "And Allah (swt) knows that you are most surely His Messenger" as they said it by their tongues, "And Allah (swt) bears witness that the hypocrites are surely liars." It means: In what they are manifesting by bearing witness and swearing by their tongues.
Source: Al-Jami' Al-Ahkam Al-Qur'aan. Vol. 20, Pg. # 497.
In this verse, Allah (swt) is addressing the bedouins and stating how they have submitted to Islam but have not attained true Iman yet, thus are not at the stage of true believers. Allah (swt) further states that once they continue to obey Him and His messenger (saw) after submitting to Islam, then he will grant them their reward.
Based on the above verse of the Holy Qur'aan, we must make the distinction between the words "submitting" and the word "believing" as they both mean very different things. Using the example of the Bedouins in this verse of the Holy Qur'aan, we can see that by one merely submitting to Islam does not mean that one is of the true believers. Hence, the enemies of Mola Alee (a.s) fall into this very category of being "submitters" to Islam, not believers.
If we continue on to examine the second part of the Ayah, it states that having faith (i.e being a true believer (a Mo'min)) is completely dependent in obeying Allah (swt) and His messenger (saw). Therefore, we need to understand that this does not always happen solely upon reciting the Shahadah, rather it is one's actions which determines if one is to be classed as a true believer.
With regards to the above Hadeeth, we can see that the Prophet (saw) fought the enemies of Islam until they submitted to our faith. However, he (saw) did not fight them until they became true "believers." Thus he (saw) accepted their conversion to Islam when they recited the Shahadah whilst also acknowledging the fact that them being Mo'min, was the decision of Allah (swt).
It should now be more clear and apparent to the reader as to why our beloved Prophet (saw) took part in several battles. The significance of fighting for the Tanzeel (revelation) of the Holy Qur'aan and the fact that he gave the responsibility of the Ta'weel (interpretation) to Mola Alee (a.s) was the sole reason. We can now also understand that the wars in which the Prophet (saw) fought with the Kuffar were similar to Mola Alee's (a.s) battles with the Kuffar in his time (Jamal etc). This Hadeeth may cause some upset to the so-called 'Ahl Al-Sunnah' but sticking their heads in the sand is not a viable option. We then went on to examine the difference between an individual who only submits to Islam, but not wholeheartedly (i.e. the hypocrites) and true believers. Unfortunately the enemies of Mola Alee (a.s) fall into the former part, as well as those who falsely fought under the banner of Islam.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal:
Narrated to us from Aswad ibn Amir from Sharik from Mansoor from Riba'ee from Alee (a.s) who said: A group of people from Quraysh came to the Prophet (saw) and said: "O Muhammad (saw)! Verily, we are your neighbours and friends. Certainly some people from our slaves have come to you not because of their passion towards religion or jurisprudence, but rather, they ran from our property so send them back to us." Then he said to Aboo Bakr: "What do you say?" He said: "Verily they have said the truth and are your neighbours." And then the face of the Prophet (saw) changed. Then he said to Umar: "What do you say?" He said: "They have spoken the truth and they are your neighbours and friends." Then the Prophets (saw) face changed again...]
Note: Ahmad Bin Hanbal does not narrate the remaining part of the narration.
Footnote: Ahmad Shakir: Its chain is Saheeh (Authentic)
Source: Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Vol. 2, Pg. # 151 - 152, H. # 1335.
In the following two narrations, the Prophet (saw) is addressing Alee (a.s) after Aboo Bakr as opposed to Umar, as shown in the previous narrations.
Muhammd ibn Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak said: Al-Aswad ibn Amr has narrated to us and said: narrated to us Shreek from Mansoor from Rab'i from Alee ibn Abi Talib (a.s) who said: A group of people from Quraysh came to the Prophet (saw) and said: "O Muhammad (saw)! We are your neighbours and friends and verily some people from our slaves have come to you, and certainly they have no passion for the religion but have only escaped from working, so return them to us." Then he said to Aboo Bakr: "What do you think?" Aboo Bakr said: "They have spoken the truth." Then he said to Alee (a.s): "What do you say?" He said: "They have spoken the truth, O people of Quraysh. Verily Allah (swt) will send from amongst you a man who Allah (swt) has tested his heart for Iman so that he will strike you in the name of the religion or strike some of you." Then Aboo Bakr said: "Am I the one O Allahs messenger (saw)?" He said: "No." Then Umar said: "Am I the one?" He said: "No, but rather it is the shoe repairer." [And it is as if he has given Alee (a.s) his shoe to repair].
Footnote: The chain is weak. Shreek is ibn Abdullah Al-Qadhi Al-Nakh'i. Al-Daraqtani said: He is not strong in what he says. Yahya ibn Sa'eed said: I saw confusions in the origins of Shreek. And from ibn Al-Mubarak: His Ahadeeth are nothing. And ibn Ma'een said: Trustworthy, except that he makes mistakes and is not precise. And ibn Hajr said: Truthful but makes a lot of mistakes.
Al-Nasa'i; And this Hadeeth is narrated by Al-Tirmidhi (297:5), Ahmed in his Musnad (155:1), Tahawi in Sharh Ma'ani Al-Athar (359:4), And Qutay'i in Zawa'id Al-Fadhal (1105), Al-Hakim (297:4), And Al-Khawarzmi in Al-Manaqib (75) and ibn Al-Muayad Al-Juwayne in Fara'id Al-Semtain (126:1), from the path to Shreek, from Mansoor. Al-Hakim said: Saheeh (Authentic) based on the standards of Muslim and he did not narrate it. I say: Muslim has never taken Shreek as authoritative. And he is bad at memorizing and what ever he says should be taken as authoritative. And Al-Bazar has narrated it from the path of Yahya Bin Salamah Bin Hukail, from his father, from Mansoor. And Yahya said this about him in Al-Taqreeb: Matruk (abandoned). Therefore he should not be followed.
Source: Khasa'is of Ameer Al Mo'mineen (Alee (a.s)). Pg. # 54 - 55.
Al-Albani:
Narrated Alee ibn Aboo Talib: Some slaves (of the unbelievers) went out to the Messenger of Allah (saw) on the day of Al-Hudaybiyyah before treaty. Their masters wrote to him saying: "O Muhammad (saw)! They have not gone out to you with an interest in your religion, but they have gone out to escape from slavery." Some people said: "They have spoken the truth, Messenger of Allah (saw), send them back to them." The Messenger of Allah (saw) became angry and said: "I do not see your restraining yourself from this action), group of Quraysh, but that Allah (swt) send someone to you who will strike your necks." He then refused to return them, and said: "They are emancipated (slaves) of Allah, the Exalted."
Al-Albani: It is Saheeh (Authentic).
Source: Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood. Vol. 2, Pg. # 155, H. # 2700.
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Battles such as the battle of Badr (17th Ramadhan, 2 A.H) was one in which our Prophet (saw) made a stand against the cruelty and oppression of the Quraysh, but despite being heavily outnumbered, was a decisive victory for the Muslims and it was Mola Alee (a.s), who was responsible for the majority of the casualties on the Quraysh side.
Then came the battle of the Trench (Dhul Al-Qa'dah, 5 A.H). Again, the Muslims were heavily outnumbered, but thanks to the strategic brilliance of the Prophet (saw) and the bravery of Mola Alee (a.s) it was another decisive victory for the Muslims.
One must question why these battles were so important for Islam? It was because the Prophet (saw) was fighting the Kuffar for the sake of the Tanzeel (Revelation) of the Holy Qur'aan, thus fighting those who rejected the divine revelations from Allah (swt). The enemies and deniers of Islam had to be defeated so that the pagan idol worshipping in pre-Islamic Arabia would come to end, as well as ending the time of Jahiliyyah. The Prophet (saw) needed to be victorious in order to bring the people towards Tawheed and establish the final authority of Allah (swt) on earth.
An important aspect of this Hadeeth which the reader must pay attention to, is that the Prophet (saw) announces to his companions quite explicitly that just as he himself (saw) was involved in battles, so shall Mola Alee (a.s). As we have just discussed, the battles that the Prophet (saw) was involved in was between Muslims and the Kuffars, which was based on the Hadeeth of the Prophet (saw). So likewise, one can safely assume that the battles that Mola Alee (a.s) was involved in (such as Jamal) would be between Muslims and the Kuffar just as the Prophet (saw). This is clearly stated by the Prophet (saw) himself, as he used the word "Kama" which is Arabic word for "Just as."
The only difference is that the manifest Kuffar were denying the Relevelation (Tanzeel) itself, while the concealed Kuffar, i.e. the hypocrites, were denying the Meaning (Ta'weel) of the Holy Qur'aan as it was taught to the Prophet (saw) and his rightly guided successor. Therefore, the Prophet (saw) said quite clearly that just as he fought for the enemies of Islam for the Tanzeel, so would Mola Alee (a.s), the only difference being that Mola (a.s) would fight for the Ta'weel (interpretation) instead. Thus, for one who is aware of the Prophet's (saw) revelation on this, it would be extremely difficult that there be any doubt that any army opposing Mola Alee (a.s) would not be of the Kuffar also. Now whilst some schools of thought in Islam find this revelation unpalatable, we must emphasise that facts are simply facts. If one were to assume that the enemies of Mola Alee (a.s) were not enemies of Islam, but were rather confused Muslim brethren who made a mistake to oppose him, then that would be a difficult stance to take since this would totally contradict the Hadeeth of the Prophet (saw). It would also suggest that the Prophet (saw) must have fought with "confused" brethren also, which all Muslims, regardless of school of thought know is incorrect, as the Prophet (saw) fought with the worst of Kuffar and to suggest otherwise is incongruous to say the least.
We know that there was not a single battle where the Prophet (saw) was involved in where he considered his enemies to be brethren and that they made a small error of judgement to oppose the divine revelations of Allah (swt). Those early battles to establish Islam were battles of Truth vs Falsehood where the banner of Islam from the Prophets (saw) side is the Haqq (Truth), and the opposing side is the Batil (Falsehood).
We can safely conclude that both the Prophet (saw) and Mola Alee (a.s) fought only the Kuffar. Both in the Prophet's (saw) lifetime (battle of Uhud, Badr and the Trench) and wars that took place after his (saw) death which Mola Alee (a.s) fought (Jamal, Siffeen and Nahrawan) in which he (a.s) was on the Haq and the opposing side (A'isha, Mu'awiyah etc.) were on Batil (Falsehood).
Another aspect that we can take from this Hadeeth is that the Prophet (saw) stated that in order for the banner of Islam to be used, only two kinds of fighting is legitimate. The first type of fighting is the fight for the Tanzeel (which he (saw) did at Uhud, Badr and the Trench). And the Ta'weel (battle of Jamal, Siffeen and Nahrawan). No other battles would be legitimate by the banner of Islam other than the battle for the Tanzeel and Ta'weel, which we re-iterate that the Prophet (saw) clearly stated that Mola Alee (a.s) would be responsible for the Ta'weel. Hence, all other battles which have subsequently been fought in the name of Islam, are not legitimate.
Battles such as the Ridda wars of Aboo Bakr or the wars of Umar do not carry the banner of Islam, since they were not the ones responsible for either the Ta'weel or the Tanzeel of the Holy Qur'aan. Aboo Bakr and Umar clearly went against the instructions and guidance from the Prophet (saw) as suggested earlier, as the reasons for Islamic war are quite consise and are not for monetary gain or personal arrogance and glory. Of course, we also know that in a Hadeeth narrated by ibn Abi Shaybah, Aboo Bakr and Umar both asked if they were the ones chosen to be responsible for fighting for the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan, but the Prophet (saw) said, "No, the shoe repairer of the house shall be responsible" who was no other than Mola Alee (a.s).
If we are to comprehend that Mola Alee (a.s) fought for the Ta'weel (interpretation) of the Holy Qur'an and what it means, we must firstly understand what is meant by the Prophet (saw) fighting for the Tanzeel (revelation) of the Holy Qur'aan. We need to identify that there is a direct correlation between the two by their very natures and attributes as stated in the Hadeeth. So, what did the Prophet (saw) mean about what he fought for? (i.e. Tanzeel). Let us examine the following Hadeeth:
Al-Albani:
The Prophet (saw) said, "I have been ordered to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah (swt) and that Muhammad (saw) is his messenger and when they do so, their blood and money are protected and their trials are with Allah (swt)."
Source: Al-Silsila Al-Saheeha Al-Hadeeth. Vol. 1, Pg. # 767, H. # 409.
This Hadeeth is Mutawatir as it was narrated from a high number of people and so it is highly improbable that they all got together and colluded. Hence, this Hadeeth has strong validity. Nevertheless, we have a Mutawatir Hadeeth stating that the Prophet (saw) will fight for the Tanzeel, stating he will fight the people until they declare "La illaha illallah" (There is no god but Allah (swt)). Thus, we can see that from the Prophet's (saw) words, his (saw) fighting for the Tanzeel was comprised of calling the people to Islam and Tawheed.
It is important to note when considering the context of this Hadeeth, that the Prophet (saw) will fight until the unbeliever says the Shahadah. However, as we know, saying the Shahadah does not automatically make one a Mo'min (true believer). A hypocrite (we have had plenty of them in Islamic history) can also declare the Shahadah (testimony of faith) and can pretend to love Islam and abide by the laws of Allah (swt). We can clearly see this when reading this verse of the Holy Qur'aan;
إِذَا جَآءَكَ الْمُنَـفِقُونَ قَالُواْ نَشْهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُهُ وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّ الْمُنَـفِقِينَ لَكَـذِبُونَ اتَّخَذُواْ أَيْمَـنَهُمْ جُنَّةً فَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُمْ سَآءَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ءَامَنُواّ ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا فَطُبِعَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لاَ يَفْقَهُونَ وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ تُعْجِبُكَ أَجْسَـمُهُمْ وَإِن يَقُولُواْ تَسْمَعْ لِقَوْلِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ خُشُبٌ مُّسَنَّدَةٌ يَحْسَبُونَ كُلَّ صَيْحَةٍ عَلَيْهِمْ هُمُ الْعَدُوُّ فَاحْذَرْهُمْ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ
When the hypocrites come to you, they say: "We bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah.'' Allah knows that you are indeed His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars indeed.They have made their oaths a screen. Thus they hinder (others) from the path of Allah. Verily, evil is what they used to do. That is because they believed, and then disbelieved; therefore their hearts are sealed, so they understand not. And when you look at them, their bodies please you; and when they speak, you listen to their words. They are as blocks of wood propped up. They think that every cry is against them. They are the enemies, so beware of them. May Allah curse them! How are they denying the right path).
Holy Qur'aan {63:1-4}
Al-Tabari:
Allah Almighty says to his Prophet Muhammad (saw): "When the hypocrites come to you O Muhammad, they say by their tongues: 'We bear witness that you are most surely Allah's Messenger' Whether the hypocrites say it or not, and Allah knows that you are most surely His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are surely liars." He says: Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars in their sayings about themselves that they bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah (saw), because they do not believe that, and have no faith in it, so they are liars in saying that.
Source: Tafsir Al-Tabari. Vol. 22, Pg. # 650.
Al-Qaysi:
The saying of Allah: "When the hypocrites come to you, they say: We bear witness that you are most surely Allah's Messenger." {63:1}
It means: O Muhammad (saw)! The hypocrites confess that you are the Messenger of Allah (saw), because Allah (swt) knows that you are His Messenger, but Allah (swt) witnesses that the hypocrites are certainly liars in what they have displayed to you from their confession, because what is inside their heart is the opposite of what they manifest.
Source: Al-Hidayah Elah Belogh Al-Nihayah. Vol. 12, Pg. # 7479.
Al-Qurtubi:
Almighty's saying: "They say: We bear witness that you are most surely Allah's Messenger;" It is said that the meaning of "We bear witness" is we swear. He mentions the swear as bearing witness, because everyone who swears and bears witness, it is to prove something hidden.
It is also possible that it applies on the apparent of what they were displaying that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah (saw) by confirming their faith and denying the hypocrisy about themselves, and that is more likely, "And Allah (swt) knows that you are most surely His Messenger" as they said it by their tongues, "And Allah (swt) bears witness that the hypocrites are surely liars." It means: In what they are manifesting by bearing witness and swearing by their tongues.
Source: Al-Jami' Al-Ahkam Al-Qur'aan. Vol. 20, Pg. # 497.
قَالَتِ الاٌّعْرَابُ ءَامَنَّا قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُواْ وَلَـكِن قُولُواْ أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الايمَـنُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِن تُطِيعُواْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لاَ يَلِتْكُمْ مِّنْ أَعْمَـلِكُمْ شَيْئاً إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُواْ وَجَـهَدُواْ بِأَمْوَلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الصَّـدِقُونَ
The bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
Holy Qur'aan {49:14}
Based on the above verse of the Holy Qur'aan, we must make the distinction between the words "submitting" and the word "believing" as they both mean very different things. Using the example of the Bedouins in this verse of the Holy Qur'aan, we can see that by one merely submitting to Islam does not mean that one is of the true believers. Hence, the enemies of Mola Alee (a.s) fall into this very category of being "submitters" to Islam, not believers.
If we continue on to examine the second part of the Ayah, it states that having faith (i.e being a true believer (a Mo'min)) is completely dependent in obeying Allah (swt) and His messenger (saw). Therefore, we need to understand that this does not always happen solely upon reciting the Shahadah, rather it is one's actions which determines if one is to be classed as a true believer.
With regards to the above Hadeeth, we can see that the Prophet (saw) fought the enemies of Islam until they submitted to our faith. However, he (saw) did not fight them until they became true "believers." Thus he (saw) accepted their conversion to Islam when they recited the Shahadah whilst also acknowledging the fact that them being Mo'min, was the decision of Allah (swt).
It should now be more clear and apparent to the reader as to why our beloved Prophet (saw) took part in several battles. The significance of fighting for the Tanzeel (revelation) of the Holy Qur'aan and the fact that he gave the responsibility of the Ta'weel (interpretation) to Mola Alee (a.s) was the sole reason. We can now also understand that the wars in which the Prophet (saw) fought with the Kuffar were similar to Mola Alee's (a.s) battles with the Kuffar in his time (Jamal etc). This Hadeeth may cause some upset to the so-called 'Ahl Al-Sunnah' but sticking their heads in the sand is not a viable option. We then went on to examine the difference between an individual who only submits to Islam, but not wholeheartedly (i.e. the hypocrites) and true believers. Unfortunately the enemies of Mola Alee (a.s) fall into the former part, as well as those who falsely fought under the banner of Islam.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal:
Narrated to us from Aswad ibn Amir from Sharik from Mansoor from Riba'ee from Alee (a.s) who said: A group of people from Quraysh came to the Prophet (saw) and said: "O Muhammad (saw)! Verily, we are your neighbours and friends. Certainly some people from our slaves have come to you not because of their passion towards religion or jurisprudence, but rather, they ran from our property so send them back to us." Then he said to Aboo Bakr: "What do you say?" He said: "Verily they have said the truth and are your neighbours." And then the face of the Prophet (saw) changed. Then he said to Umar: "What do you say?" He said: "They have spoken the truth and they are your neighbours and friends." Then the Prophets (saw) face changed again...]
Note: Ahmad Bin Hanbal does not narrate the remaining part of the narration.
Footnote: Ahmad Shakir: Its chain is Saheeh (Authentic)
Source: Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Vol. 2, Pg. # 151 - 152, H. # 1335.
Al-Tahawi:
Narrated to us Fahad ibn Sulaiman, he said: Muhammad ibn Sa'id ibn Al-Asbhaani informed us and said: Shreek ibn Abdullah Al-Nakhu'i has narrated from Mansoor ibn Al-Mu'tamar, from Reb'i ibn Herash from Alee ibn Abi Talib (a.s): I overheard the messenger of Allah (saw) say after the conquest of Makkah and when people from Quraysh came to him and said: "O Muhammad (saw)! We are your friends and your people and verily some of our sons have fled to you, but certainly they did not do so due to their passion for Islam, but rather, they have fled from labour, so return them to us." So the Prophet (saw) whispered to Aboo Bakr on their matter and Aboo Bakr said: "They have spoken the truth O Allah's messenger (saw)." His face changed then he asked Umar: "O Umar, what do you think?" Umar said: "The same as Aboo Bakr." Then Allah's messenger (saw) said: "O people of Quraysh! Verily Allah Almighty will send to you a man from amongst you who Allah (swt) has tested his heart for Iman and will strike your necks in the name of the religion." Aboo Bakr said: "Am I him O Allah's messenger (saw)?" He said: "No." Umar said: "Am I him O Allah's messenger (saw)?" He said: "No, but rather it is the shoe repairer in the Masjid." And it is as if he had given his shoe to Alee (a.s) so He (Alee (a.s)) can fix it. And Alee (a.s) said: "And verily I have heard him say: 'And do not lie about me. Verily he who has lied, his place is in the hellfire.'"
Shu'aib Al-Arnaut: The chain is weak. Shreek ibn Abdullah is bad in memorizing what he says and is unreliable.
Source: Sharh Mushkelul Athar. Vol. 10, Pg. # 231 - 232, H. # 4053.
In the following two narrations, the Prophet (saw) is addressing Alee (a.s) after Aboo Bakr as opposed to Umar, as shown in the previous narrations.
Al-Nasa'i
Muhammd ibn Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak said: Al-Aswad ibn Amr has narrated to us and said: narrated to us Shreek from Mansoor from Rab'i from Alee ibn Abi Talib (a.s) who said: A group of people from Quraysh came to the Prophet (saw) and said: "O Muhammad (saw)! We are your neighbours and friends and verily some people from our slaves have come to you, and certainly they have no passion for the religion but have only escaped from working, so return them to us." Then he said to Aboo Bakr: "What do you think?" Aboo Bakr said: "They have spoken the truth." Then he said to Alee (a.s): "What do you say?" He said: "They have spoken the truth, O people of Quraysh. Verily Allah (swt) will send from amongst you a man who Allah (swt) has tested his heart for Iman so that he will strike you in the name of the religion or strike some of you." Then Aboo Bakr said: "Am I the one O Allahs messenger (saw)?" He said: "No." Then Umar said: "Am I the one?" He said: "No, but rather it is the shoe repairer." [And it is as if he has given Alee (a.s) his shoe to repair].
Footnote: The chain is weak. Shreek is ibn Abdullah Al-Qadhi Al-Nakh'i. Al-Daraqtani said: He is not strong in what he says. Yahya ibn Sa'eed said: I saw confusions in the origins of Shreek. And from ibn Al-Mubarak: His Ahadeeth are nothing. And ibn Ma'een said: Trustworthy, except that he makes mistakes and is not precise. And ibn Hajr said: Truthful but makes a lot of mistakes.
Al-Nasa'i; And this Hadeeth is narrated by Al-Tirmidhi (297:5), Ahmed in his Musnad (155:1), Tahawi in Sharh Ma'ani Al-Athar (359:4), And Qutay'i in Zawa'id Al-Fadhal (1105), Al-Hakim (297:4), And Al-Khawarzmi in Al-Manaqib (75) and ibn Al-Muayad Al-Juwayne in Fara'id Al-Semtain (126:1), from the path to Shreek, from Mansoor. Al-Hakim said: Saheeh (Authentic) based on the standards of Muslim and he did not narrate it. I say: Muslim has never taken Shreek as authoritative. And he is bad at memorizing and what ever he says should be taken as authoritative. And Al-Bazar has narrated it from the path of Yahya Bin Salamah Bin Hukail, from his father, from Mansoor. And Yahya said this about him in Al-Taqreeb: Matruk (abandoned). Therefore he should not be followed.
Source: Khasa'is of Ameer Al Mo'mineen (Alee (a.s)). Pg. # 54 - 55.
Attesting Al-Nasa'i
Al-Dhahabi:
There is none from among the three hundred who has memorized more than Al-Nasa'i and he is the most talented in Hadeeth, in it's criticism and it's narrators than Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj, Abi Dawood and from Abi Isa and he has met the standards of Bukhari and Abi Zar'ah. But he is is deviant in his inclinations towards Tashayyuh on the issues between Alee (a.s) and Mu'awiyah.
There is none from among the three hundred who has memorized more than Al-Nasa'i and he is the most talented in Hadeeth, in it's criticism and it's narrators than Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj, Abi Dawood and from Abi Isa and he has met the standards of Bukhari and Abi Zar'ah. But he is is deviant in his inclinations towards Tashayyuh on the issues between Alee (a.s) and Mu'awiyah.
Source: Siyar A'lam Al-Nubala. Vol. 14, Pg. # 133.
Al-Dhahabi in his commentary on Al-Nisa'i raises some critical points. Firstly, he portrays that Al-Nasa'is issues were not with Aboo Bakr or Umar, but rather it was with Banu Ummayah in inclining towards the Shi'a position on Mu'awiyah. At the same time, Al-Dhahabi shows that Al-Nasa'i has reached the standards of 'Ilm Al-Hadeeth of Bukhari and is more of an expert than Muslim. Yet his book is degraded and did not become as authoritative to the so-called 'Ahl Al-Sunnah' as Bukhari's and Muslim's. Moreover, as it can be seen from Al-Dahabi's commentary, this was due to his opposition of Banu Ummayah by opposing Mu'awiyah, which really does not explain how his authority in Hadeeth has anything to do with his political beliefs. So long as he is recognized as a trustworthy authority in collecting Ahadeeth, his political views should not be a criterion to determine his level of authority.
Its as if the system of Hadeeth science in Sunnism degrades a person's status and authority based on his political views rather than what should be most important, that is; his trustworthiness, reliability and precision, all of which Al-Nasa'i has met, yet has been rejected to reach the level of Bukhari and Muslim because he opposed the politics of Banu Ummayah. Of course, this is nothing new to expect from the Sunni methodology in criticism of a narrator, as they have weakened hundreds of narrators that lived during the times of the Tabi'een, including companions of the Imams (a.s) such as Hisham ibn Al-Hakam, Jabir ibn Yazid Al-Ju'fi or Zurarah ibn Al-A'yan merely based on the fact that they rejected Aboo Bakr, Umar and Uthman even though there is no evidence to show that these people are not truthful, reliable or accused of lies in what they narrate.
Narrated Alee ibn Aboo Talib: Some slaves (of the unbelievers) went out to the Messenger of Allah (saw) on the day of Al-Hudaybiyyah before treaty. Their masters wrote to him saying: "O Muhammad (saw)! They have not gone out to you with an interest in your religion, but they have gone out to escape from slavery." Some people said: "They have spoken the truth, Messenger of Allah (saw), send them back to them." The Messenger of Allah (saw) became angry and said: "I do not see your restraining yourself from this action), group of Quraysh, but that Allah (swt) send someone to you who will strike your necks." He then refused to return them, and said: "They are emancipated (slaves) of Allah, the Exalted."
Al-Albani: It is Saheeh (Authentic).
Source: Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood. Vol. 2, Pg. # 155, H. # 2700.
Al-Albani:
I have found a different Tariq for this Hadeeth through Rub'i in which the Hadeeth is strengthened, narrated through Shreek, from Mansoor, from him (Rub'i), from Alee (a.s) who said; A group of people from Quraysh came to the Prophet (saw) and said: "O Muhmmad (saw)! We are your neighbours and friends and verily some people from our slaves have come to you, and certainly they have no passion for the religion but have only escaped from working, so return them to us." Then he said to Aboo Bakr: "What do you think?" Aboo Bakr said: "They have spoken the truth." Then he said to Alee (a.s): "What do you say?" He said: "They have spoken the truth." The Prophet (saw) said: "O people of Quraysh. Verily Allah (swt) will send from amongst you a man who Allah (swt) has tested his heart for Iman so that he will strike you in the name of the religion or strike some of you." Then Aboo Bakr said: "Am I the one O Allahs messenger (saw)?" He said: "No." Then Umar said: "Am I the one?" He said: "No, but rather it is the shoe repairer, [and it is as if he has given Alee (a.s) his shoe to repair.]
Commentary: Al-Tirmidhi has narrated it (289/2), and Al-Nasa'i in Al-Khasa'is (Pg. # 8), and Al-Dhiyia in Al-Mukhtarah (161/1), and Al-Tirmidhi said: "Hadeeth Saheeh Hassan Gharib and we do not know it other than from Ruba'i from Alee (a.s)."
I (Albani) said: Shreek is bad in memorizing. However, it is still correct to acknowledge his strengthening, and Aban ibn Saleh has followed him, from Mansoor ibn Al-Mu'tamar. Aboo Dawood has narrated it (2700) and Al-Dhiyiaa (172-171/1)
Source: Silsilat Al-Ahadith Al-Saheeh. Vol. 5, Pg. # 642 - 643.
Al-Albani:
Narrated to us Sufyan ibn Waki'. Narrated to me my father. From Shreek, from Mansoor, from Narrated Rib'i bin Hirash: "At Ar-Rahbah, Alee (a.s) narrated to us: On the Day of (the Pledge of) Hudaibiyah, some people from the idolaters came out to us. Among them was Suhail bin Amr, and some people among the heads of the idolaters. They said: "O Messenger of Allah (saw)! People among our fathers, brothers, and slaves have come to you, and they have no knowledge of the religion, rather they came fleeing from our wealth and property, so return them to us. If they do not have knowledge of the religion, then we will teach them." So the Prophet (saw) said: "O people of Quraysh, you will desist, or Allah (swt) will send upon you one who will chop your necks with the sword over the religion. Allah (swt) has tested their hearts regarding faith." They said: "Who is he O Messenger of Allah (saw)?" Aboo Bakr said to him: "Who is he O Messenger of Allah (saw)?" 'Umar said to him: "Who is he O Messenger of Allah (saw)?" He said: "He is the one repairing the sandals." And he had given Alee (a.s) his sandals to repair them. He said: Then Alee (a.s) turned to us and said: "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: 'Whoever lies upon me intentionally, then let him take his seat in the Fire.'"
Al-Albani: The chain is weak. However, the last sentence of it is Saheeh (Authentic) and Mutawatir.
Aboo Isa said: This Hadeeth is Hassan Saheeh Gharib. We do not know about it except from this angle, from the hadeeth of Rabi'i to Alee (a.s). He said: And I heard Al-Jarood say: I heard Waki'a say: Rabi'i ibn Hirash has never lied a single lie on Islam. And Muhamed ibn Isma'eel informed me, from Abdullah ibn Abi Al-Aswad, who said: I heard Abdul Rahman Bin Mahdi say: Mansoor ibn Al-Mu'tamar is the best of the people of Kufa.
Source: Sunan Al-Tirmidhi. Pg. # 423 - 424, H. # 3175.
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Al-Hakim:
I was informed by Aboo Abd Allah Ahmad bin Qane' the judge of Baghdad, from Aboo Shu'ayb Abdullah bin Hassan Al-Hurani, from Abd Al-Aziz bin Yahya Al-Kholani, from Muhammad bin Salamah Al-Hurani, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Iban ibn Saleh, from Mansoor Bin Al-Mu'tamar, from Rabi'i ibn Al-Hirash, from Alee bin Abi Talib may Allah (swt) be pleased with him: Two slaves (of the unbelievers) went out to the Messenger of Allah (saw) on the day of Al-Hudaibiyah, before the treaty so their owners had written to him a letter and said: "O Muhammad (saw)! By Allah (swt)! They did not come to you for their passion towards your religion, but rather they have left to flee from working." So the people said: "They have spoken the truth O Allah's messenger (saw) so return them." So the Prophet (saw) became furious and said: "I will not see you end O people of Quraysh until Allah (swt) brings to you one who will strike you by your necks because of this." And he refused to return them and said: "They are free slaves of Allah (swt)."
Note: This hadeeth is Saheeh (Authentic) based on the standards of Muslim and he (Muslim), did not narrate them.
Al-Dhahabi: It is Saheeh (Authentic) by the criteria of Muslim.
Source: Al-Mustadrak Alaa Al-Sahihayn. Vol. 2, Pg. # 136, H. # 201 / 2576.
Al-Hakim:
Narrated to us Aboo Ja'far Muhammad ibn Alee Al-Shaybani in Kufa from Ahmad ibn Hazim Al-Ghifari from Aboo Na'eem and Aboo Ghassan, both of them narrated from Shareek from Mansoor from Rab'i ibn Harrash from Alee ibn Abi Talib (a.s) who said: When the Messenger of Allah (saw) conquered Makkah, a group of people from Quraysh came to him (saw) and said: "Verily some people from our slaves have come to you, and certainly they have no passion for the Religion but have only escaped from taking care of our livestock and farms." Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "By Allah (swt) O people of Quraysh! You should perform prayers and give Zakat, or I will send a man to you who strikes your necks in the name of the religion." Alee (a.s) then said: "I am that man" or he (a.s) said: "I am that shoe repairer." Alee (a.s) said: "I was repairing the shoe of the Messenger of Allah (saw)." Alee (a.s) then said: "Verily I heard the Prophet (saw) say: 'Whoever lies upon me, he will be punished with Hellfire.'"
Al-Hakim: This Hadeeth is Saheeh (Authentic) by the criteria of Muslim, but they (i.e. Bukhari and Muslim) have not narrated it.
Al-Dhahabi: It is Saheeh (Authentic) by the criteria of Muslim.
Source: Al-Mustadrak Alaa Al-Sahihayn. Vol. 4, Pg. # 332, H. # 20 / 7819.
Al-Hakim:
Narrated to us Aboo Ja'far Muhammad ibn Alee Al-Shaybani from ibn Abi Urwah from Muhammad ibn Sa'eed Al-Isbahani from Shareek from Mansoor from Rab'i ibn Harrash from Alee (a.s) who said: When the Messenger of Allah (saw) conquered Makkah, a group of people from Quraysh came to him (saw) and said: "O Muhammad (saw)! We are your allies and your people and verily some people from our slaves have come to you, and certainly they have no passion for Islam but have only escaped from working, so return them to us." Then he said to Aboo Bakr: "What do you think?" Aboo Bakr said: "They have spoken the truth O Messenger of Allah (saw)." Then he said to Umar: "What do you say?" So he said what Aboo Bakr said. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "O people of Quraysh! Verily Allah (swt) will send from amongst you a man whom Allah (swt) has tested his heart for Iman so that he will strike you in the name of the religion." Then Aboo Bakr said: "Am I the one O Allahs messenger (saw)?" He said: "No." Then Umar said: "Am I the one O Allahs messenger (saw)?" He said: "No, but rather it is the shoe repairer in the mosque." And he had given his shoe for Alee (a.s) to repair, he then said: "Verily I heard him say: 'Do not lie upon me, for whoever lies upon me, he will be punished with Hellfire.'"
Al-Hakim: This Hadeeth is Saheeh (Authentic) by the criteria of Muslim, but they (i.e. Bukhari and Muslim) have not narrated it.
Al-Dhahabi: It is Saheeh (Authentic) by the criteria of Muslim.
Source: Al-Mustadrak Alaa Al-Sahihayn. Vol. 2, H. # 30 / 2614. Pg. # 149 - 150.
Al-Hakim:
Narrated to us Aboo Ja'far Muhammad ibn Alee Al-Shaybani in Kufa from his book from Ahmad ibn Hazim ibn Abi Ghurza from Aboo Ghassan from Abdul-Salam ibn Harb from Al-A'mash from Isma'eel ibn Raja from his father from Abi Sa'eed Al-Khudri; Ibn Abi Ghurza said and narrated to us Ubaydallah ibn Musa from Fitr ibn Khalifa from Isma'eel ibn Raja from his father from Aboo Sa'eed Al-Khudri who said: We were sitting with the messenger of Allah (saw) that he gave his shoe to Alee (a.s) to repair it, so he (a.s) took it and went to repair it, when he walked away a little bit the Prophet (saw) said: "Verily, there will be one among you one who will fight for the interpretation (Ta'weel) of Qur'aan just as I have fought for its revelation (Tanzeel)." So a group of people felt honor hearing it, among them were Aboo Bakr and Umar, so Aboo Bakr said: "Am I that person?" He (saw) said: "No." Then Umar said: "Am I that person?" So the Prophet (saw) said: "No. But rather it is the one who repairs the shoe, i.e. Alee (a.s)." So we went to Alee (a.s) to give him this glad tiding, but he did not even raise his head, as if he had heard it from the Prophet (saw) before.
Al-Hakim: This Hadeeth is Saheeh (Authentic) by the criteria Al-Shaykhayn (i.e. Bukhari and Muslim), but they have not narrated it.
Al-Dhahabi: It is Saheeh (Authentic) by the criteria of Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Source: Al-Mustadrak Alaa Al-Sahihayn. Vol. 3, Pg. # 132, H. # 219 / 4621.
It has been concluded that the Hadeeth wherein the Prophet (saw) gave Imam Alee (a.s) the authority over the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan, is an authentic tradition. Alongside this, it should come to the readers attention how this can serve as a valid and strong Hujjah (proof) for their beliefs. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that the intention of the RTS team is not to use this article explicitly and only as the main proof of Imam Alee's (a.s) Imamah (divine leadership). There are many discussions that have been made on that collectively in our other articles. This one specifically is just one of them that supports the position of Imamah (divine leadership) and it highlights the great merits of Imam Alee (a.s), and how the Prophet (saw) announced that his merits surpass the merits of Aboo Bakr and Umar in entrusting him with authority of the Ta'weel of the Holy Qur'aan over them.
Mashallah excellent article brother. May Allah reward you very much.
ReplyDeleteAhsantum..very well explained with genuine proofs.
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