haiderzaidi
13th October 2009, 05:58
It is possible for the Sunni scholars to call for an Islamic conference in which religious
differences may be discussed and an appreciation for each other's viewpoint developed. This
is what the Qur'an calls for:
"O you who believe, if a transgressor brings to you news, verify it, lest you
inflict damage on people unwittingly; you may consequently regret your hasty
action." (ch. 49, v.6)
It is regrettable that the Sunni scholars did not move in this direction and did not try, as far as
is known, to refute the untrue accusations which were publicized by the hypocrite
campaigners.
Our silence did not stop this campaign. It made it more vehement. Many people thought that
our silence is evidence of the truthfulness of the accusations, and that we are unable to answer
them.
Thus, it has become necessary to clarify the truth and inform all the Muslims who like to
know the truth. In this effort, we shall not accuse the Sunni brothers of disbelief, deviation, or
transgression, as some of them have accused the Shi'ites. We shall not place ourselves in such
a position, which is improper for any Muslim to take. We obey the Almighty in His
prohibition
Comparisions between Abu bakr and imam ali
He said to the martyrs of Uhud, "Those, I bear
witness against." Abu Bakr then said, "O Messenger of Allah, are we not their brothers? Did
we not become Muslims as they did? Did we not fight as they did?"
The Messenger replied, "Yes, but I do not know what you are going to do after me."
On hearing that, Abu Bakr cried bitterly and said, "We are going to alter many things after
your departure."
sunni referene
Muwatta, Malik, vol 1 p 307
Maghazi, al Qawidi, p 310
I searched in the books of both parties and found that only Ali received total support, and both
Shiites and Sunnis agreed on his leadership in accordance with the texts they approved of.
However there is neither support nor agreement on the leadership of Abu Bakr except by a small
group of Muslims, and we have mentioned what Umar said about his succession to the caliphate.
Furthermore. there are many virtues and good deeds attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib by the Shiites
and cited as authentic references in the Sunni books. The sayings are full of the virtues of Ali, more
than any other Companion ever received, and even Ahmed ibn Hanbal said: No one among the
Companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw) had more virtues than Ali ibn Abi Talib. [76]
sunni reference
al Mustadrak, al Hakim, vol 3 p 107
al Manaqib, al Khawarizmi, p 3 and 9
Tarikh, Suyuti, p 168
al Sawaiq al Muhriqah, Ibn Hajar, p 72
Tarikh, Ibn Asakir, vol 3 p 63
Shawahid at Tanzil, al Haskani al Hanafi, vol 1 p 19
If Allah knew that Abu Bakr had such a high degree of faith, and that his faith exceeded the faith of
all Muslims, Allah - praise be upon Him - would not have had to threaten him that He would spoil
his work when he raised his voice above the Prophet's voice. [83]
[83]Sahih, Bukhari, vol 4 p 184
Qadi Ismail, al-Nasa'i and Abu Ali al-Naisaburi said: No Companion had as many virtues
attributed to him as Ali. [77]
[77]al Riyadh al Nazarah, Tabari, vol 2 p 282
al Sawaiq al Muhriqah, p 118, 72
As for Abu Bakr, I searched in the books of the two parties, and found that the virtues attributed
to him by the Sunnis were much less than that attributed to Ali. The virtues of Abu Bakr that have
been mentioned in historical books were narrated either by his daughter Aisha, whose position
vis-a-vis Ali is well documented, and she tried hard to support her father, even by fabricating
sayings, or by Abdullah ibn Umar, who was never close to Ali, and he was one of those who
refused to pay homage to Ali despite the popular support he had received. Abdullah ibn Umar
used to say that the best people after the Prophet were Abu Bakr then Uthman, and after that
everybody was equal [78]. Thus, he made Imam Ali like any other ordinary person, without
preferences or virtues.
[78]Sahih, Bukhari, vol 2 p 202
Ahmed ibn Hanbal said, "Ali had many enemies who searched hard to find a fault attributable to
him, but they could not, so they brought a man whom Ali had-fought and battled with, and praised
him because of their hatred towards Ali." [79]. But Allah said: "Surely they will make a scheme,
and I too will make a scheme so glad the unbelievers a respite: let them alone for a while" [Holy
Qur'an 86:15-17].
[79]Fath al Bari (Sharah al Sahih Bukhari), vol 7 p 83
Tarikh, Suyuti, p 199
al Sawaiq al Muhriqah, p 125
Despite the fact that Abu Bakr was the first caliph, and had all the power and authority, despite the
bribes and gifts that the Umayyads gave to every one who praised Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman,
and despite all the alleged virtues and good deeds that they invented for Abu Bakr, which filled
many books ... despite all that, they did not amount to a fraction of the true virtues of Imam Ali.
If the Messenger of Allah was aware of this high degree of faith in Abu Bakr, he would not have
appointed Usama to command the army; nor would he have refused to bear witness for him as he
did for the martyrs of Uhud, and then said to him that he did not know what he was going to do
after him", so that Abu Bakr [80] cried. In addition to that, the Prophet would not have sent Ali ibn
Abi Talib to take "Surat Bara'a" from him and prevented him from transmitting it. [81]
[80]Muwatta, Malik,. vol 1 p 307
Maghazi, al Waqidi, p 310
[81]Sahih, al Tirmidhi, vol 4 p 339
Musnad, Ahmed Hanbal, vol 2 p 319
Mustadrak, al Hakim, vol 3 p 51
Nor would the Prophet have said in Khayber while presenting the flag: "Tomorrow I will give my
flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, ever going forward and never retreating, Allah
had tested his heart with the faith" then he gave it to Ali and no one else. [82]
[82]Sahih, Muslim (Chapter on the virtues of Imam Ali (as))
If Ali and the Companions who followed him knew that Abu Bakr had this high degree of faith,
they would not have hesitated to pay homage to him. If Fatimah al-Zahra, the leading lady, knew
that Abu Bakr had this high degree of faith, she would not have been angry with him, nor would
she have refused to talk to him or return his greetings, or cursed him in her prayers [84], and even
banned him - according to her will - from attending her funeral.
[84]al Imamah was Siyasah, Qutaybah, vol 1 p 14
Treatise, al Jahiz, p 301
A'alam al Nisa, vol 3 p 1215
The Messenger of Allah said: "Ali is with Quran, and Quran is with Ali. They shall not separate from each other till they both return to me by the Pool (of Paradise)."
Sunni references:
al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p124 on the authority of Umm Salama
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 9, section 2, pp 191,194
al-Awsat, by al-Tabarani; also in al-Saghir
Tarikh al-Khulafa, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, p173
Then we can conclude that Imam Ali is * the Quran verbatim *. That is, Imam Ali is the Strong Rope of Allah also, because they (Quran and Ali) are non-separable. In fact, there are a huge number of traditions in authentic Sunni sources where Prophet said Quran and Ahlul-Bayt are inseparable and if Muslims want to remain in the right path, they should stick to BOTH of them. (Please refer to the article titled: Quran and Ahlul-Bayt). Therefore, one can conclude that those who separated from Ahlul-Bayt are the sectarian who divided into sects and were denounced by Allah and His prophet due to their divergence.
In fact, the opinion of majority is not a good criteria to distinguish the false from the truth. If you look at the Quran, you will see that Quran severely denounces the majority of by frequently saying that "the majority do not understand", "the majority do not use their logic", "the majority follow their whims"...
In another verse, Allah said:
"You are the best nation (Ummah) that has been raised up for the (benefit of) people. You enjoin the good and forbid the evil..." (Quran 3:110).
The best nation is also the Ahlul-Bayt. Let us remember that according to Quran, "nation" does not mean the whole people. This is even clear from the above verse that such Ummah (nation) are raised FOR benefiting the people. Thus Ummah can be only a subset of people and not the whole people. In fact one person can be a nation. Sometimes the act of a single person is worthier than the deeds of the whole nation. This was the case for Prophet Muhammad, Imam Ali, as well as the case for Prophet Abraham, peace be upon them all. Quran states that Abraham (AS) was a nation (Ummah), meaning that his deeds was more valuable than all other people. Allah stated:
"Lo! Abraham was a nation (Ummah) who was obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the idolaters" (Quran 16:120)
Thus, one single individual can be a nation in the language of Quran. As for the Verse 3:100, it is interesting to note that some Sunni scholars have narrated from Abu Ja'far (Imam Baqir (AS)) that:
Abu Ja'far (AS) said about the verse 'You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) people...(3:110)': "The Members of the House of the Prophet."
Sunni references:
Ibn Abi Hatam, as mentioned in:
al-Durr al-Manthoor, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti under commentary of verse 3:110 of holy Quran.
Also Allah mentioned in Quran:
"O' you who believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful"
(Quran 9:119)
According to some Sunni Commentaries, "the truthful" means Imam Ali (AS):
Sunni reference:
Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Hafidh Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, two reports: one from Ibn Mardawayh by Ibn Abbas and the second from Ibn Asakir by Abi Ja'far (AS).
This means that people should have feared Allah and should not have separated from Imam Ali (AS) after the demise of Prophet (PBUH&HF). This unfortunately did not happen at large, and therefore, unfortunate divisions followed it.
differences may be discussed and an appreciation for each other's viewpoint developed. This
is what the Qur'an calls for:
"O you who believe, if a transgressor brings to you news, verify it, lest you
inflict damage on people unwittingly; you may consequently regret your hasty
action." (ch. 49, v.6)
It is regrettable that the Sunni scholars did not move in this direction and did not try, as far as
is known, to refute the untrue accusations which were publicized by the hypocrite
campaigners.
Our silence did not stop this campaign. It made it more vehement. Many people thought that
our silence is evidence of the truthfulness of the accusations, and that we are unable to answer
them.
Thus, it has become necessary to clarify the truth and inform all the Muslims who like to
know the truth. In this effort, we shall not accuse the Sunni brothers of disbelief, deviation, or
transgression, as some of them have accused the Shi'ites. We shall not place ourselves in such
a position, which is improper for any Muslim to take. We obey the Almighty in His
prohibition
Comparisions between Abu bakr and imam ali
He said to the martyrs of Uhud, "Those, I bear
witness against." Abu Bakr then said, "O Messenger of Allah, are we not their brothers? Did
we not become Muslims as they did? Did we not fight as they did?"
The Messenger replied, "Yes, but I do not know what you are going to do after me."
On hearing that, Abu Bakr cried bitterly and said, "We are going to alter many things after
your departure."
sunni referene
Muwatta, Malik, vol 1 p 307
Maghazi, al Qawidi, p 310
I searched in the books of both parties and found that only Ali received total support, and both
Shiites and Sunnis agreed on his leadership in accordance with the texts they approved of.
However there is neither support nor agreement on the leadership of Abu Bakr except by a small
group of Muslims, and we have mentioned what Umar said about his succession to the caliphate.
Furthermore. there are many virtues and good deeds attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib by the Shiites
and cited as authentic references in the Sunni books. The sayings are full of the virtues of Ali, more
than any other Companion ever received, and even Ahmed ibn Hanbal said: No one among the
Companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw) had more virtues than Ali ibn Abi Talib. [76]
sunni reference
al Mustadrak, al Hakim, vol 3 p 107
al Manaqib, al Khawarizmi, p 3 and 9
Tarikh, Suyuti, p 168
al Sawaiq al Muhriqah, Ibn Hajar, p 72
Tarikh, Ibn Asakir, vol 3 p 63
Shawahid at Tanzil, al Haskani al Hanafi, vol 1 p 19
If Allah knew that Abu Bakr had such a high degree of faith, and that his faith exceeded the faith of
all Muslims, Allah - praise be upon Him - would not have had to threaten him that He would spoil
his work when he raised his voice above the Prophet's voice. [83]
[83]Sahih, Bukhari, vol 4 p 184
Qadi Ismail, al-Nasa'i and Abu Ali al-Naisaburi said: No Companion had as many virtues
attributed to him as Ali. [77]
[77]al Riyadh al Nazarah, Tabari, vol 2 p 282
al Sawaiq al Muhriqah, p 118, 72
As for Abu Bakr, I searched in the books of the two parties, and found that the virtues attributed
to him by the Sunnis were much less than that attributed to Ali. The virtues of Abu Bakr that have
been mentioned in historical books were narrated either by his daughter Aisha, whose position
vis-a-vis Ali is well documented, and she tried hard to support her father, even by fabricating
sayings, or by Abdullah ibn Umar, who was never close to Ali, and he was one of those who
refused to pay homage to Ali despite the popular support he had received. Abdullah ibn Umar
used to say that the best people after the Prophet were Abu Bakr then Uthman, and after that
everybody was equal [78]. Thus, he made Imam Ali like any other ordinary person, without
preferences or virtues.
[78]Sahih, Bukhari, vol 2 p 202
Ahmed ibn Hanbal said, "Ali had many enemies who searched hard to find a fault attributable to
him, but they could not, so they brought a man whom Ali had-fought and battled with, and praised
him because of their hatred towards Ali." [79]. But Allah said: "Surely they will make a scheme,
and I too will make a scheme so glad the unbelievers a respite: let them alone for a while" [Holy
Qur'an 86:15-17].
[79]Fath al Bari (Sharah al Sahih Bukhari), vol 7 p 83
Tarikh, Suyuti, p 199
al Sawaiq al Muhriqah, p 125
Despite the fact that Abu Bakr was the first caliph, and had all the power and authority, despite the
bribes and gifts that the Umayyads gave to every one who praised Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman,
and despite all the alleged virtues and good deeds that they invented for Abu Bakr, which filled
many books ... despite all that, they did not amount to a fraction of the true virtues of Imam Ali.
If the Messenger of Allah was aware of this high degree of faith in Abu Bakr, he would not have
appointed Usama to command the army; nor would he have refused to bear witness for him as he
did for the martyrs of Uhud, and then said to him that he did not know what he was going to do
after him", so that Abu Bakr [80] cried. In addition to that, the Prophet would not have sent Ali ibn
Abi Talib to take "Surat Bara'a" from him and prevented him from transmitting it. [81]
[80]Muwatta, Malik,. vol 1 p 307
Maghazi, al Waqidi, p 310
[81]Sahih, al Tirmidhi, vol 4 p 339
Musnad, Ahmed Hanbal, vol 2 p 319
Mustadrak, al Hakim, vol 3 p 51
Nor would the Prophet have said in Khayber while presenting the flag: "Tomorrow I will give my
flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, ever going forward and never retreating, Allah
had tested his heart with the faith" then he gave it to Ali and no one else. [82]
[82]Sahih, Muslim (Chapter on the virtues of Imam Ali (as))
If Ali and the Companions who followed him knew that Abu Bakr had this high degree of faith,
they would not have hesitated to pay homage to him. If Fatimah al-Zahra, the leading lady, knew
that Abu Bakr had this high degree of faith, she would not have been angry with him, nor would
she have refused to talk to him or return his greetings, or cursed him in her prayers [84], and even
banned him - according to her will - from attending her funeral.
[84]al Imamah was Siyasah, Qutaybah, vol 1 p 14
Treatise, al Jahiz, p 301
A'alam al Nisa, vol 3 p 1215
The Messenger of Allah said: "Ali is with Quran, and Quran is with Ali. They shall not separate from each other till they both return to me by the Pool (of Paradise)."
Sunni references:
al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p124 on the authority of Umm Salama
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 9, section 2, pp 191,194
al-Awsat, by al-Tabarani; also in al-Saghir
Tarikh al-Khulafa, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, p173
Then we can conclude that Imam Ali is * the Quran verbatim *. That is, Imam Ali is the Strong Rope of Allah also, because they (Quran and Ali) are non-separable. In fact, there are a huge number of traditions in authentic Sunni sources where Prophet said Quran and Ahlul-Bayt are inseparable and if Muslims want to remain in the right path, they should stick to BOTH of them. (Please refer to the article titled: Quran and Ahlul-Bayt). Therefore, one can conclude that those who separated from Ahlul-Bayt are the sectarian who divided into sects and were denounced by Allah and His prophet due to their divergence.
In fact, the opinion of majority is not a good criteria to distinguish the false from the truth. If you look at the Quran, you will see that Quran severely denounces the majority of by frequently saying that "the majority do not understand", "the majority do not use their logic", "the majority follow their whims"...
In another verse, Allah said:
"You are the best nation (Ummah) that has been raised up for the (benefit of) people. You enjoin the good and forbid the evil..." (Quran 3:110).
The best nation is also the Ahlul-Bayt. Let us remember that according to Quran, "nation" does not mean the whole people. This is even clear from the above verse that such Ummah (nation) are raised FOR benefiting the people. Thus Ummah can be only a subset of people and not the whole people. In fact one person can be a nation. Sometimes the act of a single person is worthier than the deeds of the whole nation. This was the case for Prophet Muhammad, Imam Ali, as well as the case for Prophet Abraham, peace be upon them all. Quran states that Abraham (AS) was a nation (Ummah), meaning that his deeds was more valuable than all other people. Allah stated:
"Lo! Abraham was a nation (Ummah) who was obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the idolaters" (Quran 16:120)
Thus, one single individual can be a nation in the language of Quran. As for the Verse 3:100, it is interesting to note that some Sunni scholars have narrated from Abu Ja'far (Imam Baqir (AS)) that:
Abu Ja'far (AS) said about the verse 'You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) people...(3:110)': "The Members of the House of the Prophet."
Sunni references:
Ibn Abi Hatam, as mentioned in:
al-Durr al-Manthoor, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti under commentary of verse 3:110 of holy Quran.
Also Allah mentioned in Quran:
"O' you who believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful"
(Quran 9:119)
According to some Sunni Commentaries, "the truthful" means Imam Ali (AS):
Sunni reference:
Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Hafidh Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, two reports: one from Ibn Mardawayh by Ibn Abbas and the second from Ibn Asakir by Abi Ja'far (AS).
This means that people should have feared Allah and should not have separated from Imam Ali (AS) after the demise of Prophet (PBUH&HF). This unfortunately did not happen at large, and therefore, unfortunate divisions followed it.