Introduction
It is essential to have a proper
understanding of the event of al-Ghadīr before reading this section. In order to gain the basic knowledge please
click here,
otherwise continue:
The fundamental event of Ghadīral-Khum was the Divine strategy of the Islamic administration, which was
well defined through the Wilāyah (Guardianship, Loyalty) of the
infallible imāms. The unnecessary
meeting of Saqīfah
is one of the most puzzling events of the early history of Islam,
immediately after the departure of prophet Muḥammad (ph&hp). It caused a major deviation from the Divine
Rule of Wilāyah, which had been ordained by Allāh (j.j.) and
elucidated by His Last Prophet (ph&hp), in the Ghadīr al-Khum. The ungodly meeting at Saqīfah was the
starting point to create an immeasurable split in Islam from the very
beginning. It practically undid the
painstaking endeavour of the most beloved Prophet of Allāh (J.J.) for
establishing a Divine system of government for a united Muslim community.
It should be mentioned that in this
section and the next (ʿĀshūrā Heartbreak
) practically all material are based on
authentic Sunni sources.
Illegitimate decisions made in the Saqīfah
meeting trampled on the Divine right of the rightful Wilāyah, and placed
the government in the hands of fallible personalities who had naturally
inherited personal, family, tribal, national, and racial motivations of the
pre-Islamic Arab society (Jāhiliyyah era). Those who caused this divergence were
impatient to earn worldly dignity, wealth, status, position, and the like. Adhering to the Will of Allāh (J.J.)
and His Prophet (ph&hp) was certainly a secondary issue. None of the 10 qualifications
of a Khalīfah (Caliph) is taken from divine Waḥy, or the
directives of infallible personalities.
They are man-made tenets based on the course of events and happenings
after the absence of the Holy Prophet of Islam (ph&hp).
The Shī
ʿī
criterion of Divine purity and
infallibility (
ʿiṣmah
(
عصمه
)) of the Leader (Waliy),
which is set by Divine Command during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet
(ph&hp) in the significant event of al-Ghadīr,
is not adhered to by those who separated themselves from the Path of the
Wilāyah
in the
Saqīfah
get-together, and decided have a Ṭ
ā
gh
ū
ti
(as opposed to Divine) leadership for
the Muslim community.
The
words of Abū Bakr when he spoke from the pulpit before the Companions of
the Holy Prophet (ph&hp) support this point. He said
“O people! I have been made ruler over you although I am
no better than you are. So, if I perform
my duties well, help me. And, if I go
wrong, you should set me right. You
should know that satan comes to me now and then. So if I am angry, keep aloof from me.”
A Tragedy which Happened Few Days Before The Saqīfah
Intrigue
In the Ṣaḥiḥ of Muslim,
there is a tradition narrated by Ibn
ʿAbbās
that “Three days before the Prophet’s decease, ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb and other Companions of Prophet Muḥammad (ph&hp) were present
at his side. The Noble Prophet (ph&hp)
said, “Now let me write something for you by way of a will so that you are not
misled after me.” ʿUmar said “The Prophet is talking in
delirium; the Book of Allāhis sufficient for us”. ʿUmar’s statement
caused uproar among those who were present. Some were saying that the Prophet’s command
should be obeyed so that he might write whatever he desired for their
betterment. Others sided with ʿUmar.
When the tension and uproar increased, the Prophet (ph&hp) said: “Get up and go away from me. It is not appropriate to make a row in
presence of a prophet [of Allāh(J.J.)]!”
A few Qur’ānic injunctions
should be mentioned here:
يا
أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا لا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْواتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَ
لا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَنْ تَحْبَطَ أَعْمالُكُمْ
وَ أَنْتُمْ لا تَشْعُرُونَ
O
you who believe! Do not raise your
voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak aloud to him similar to
your yelling one another, lest your deeds should fail while you perceive not.
Sūrah Al-Ḥujurāt (49),
Āyah
2.
The Holy Prophet’s words are “revelation” from Allāh:
وَ
مَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الهَْوَى (3)
إِنْ
هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌ يُوحَى(4)
Indeed, he does not speak out of selfish
desire! It is really not anything but
revelation, which is revealed [to the Prophet].
Sūrah An-Najm (53), Āyah 3-4.
In general, Muslims are expected to follow the
command of Holy prophet (ph&hp) without any ‘ifs’
and ‘buts’:
وَ
مَا ءَاتَئكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَ مَا نهََئكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا
…And
take what your Messenger gives you. And
abstain from what he forbids you…
Sūrah Al-Ḥashr (59),
Āyah
7.
But when such a dear Prophet of Allāh
(J.J.) had to write a directive out of his god-given innate compassion to save his
Ummah from going astray after his departure, he was offensively accused
of “talking in delirium!”
When Abū Bakr, who had no such
Divine purity, infallibility, and guardian-ship (Wilāyah), began
dictation of the appointment letter in the most critical condition that he even
fell unconscious before naming his successor,
ʿUmar
did not say that he was talking in delirium.
No one can be sure of what it was
that the Holy Prophet wanted to write.
However, the phrase he often stated gives us an idea. On several occasions, the Holy Prophet had
declared:
إِنِّي تَارِكٌ فِيكُمْ ثَقَلَيْنِ مَا إِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِمَا
لَنْ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدِي
كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَ عِتْرَتِي أَهْلُ بَيْتِي
.
Verily, I am
leaving among you Two Precious Things. If
you adhere to them both, you will never go astray after me, the Book
of
All
ā
h
, and my
ʿIṭrah
,
my Ahl al-Bayt.
Many famous references.
When he used the same phrase before
his departure “...Let me write
something for you by way of a will so that you are not misled after me,” it was easy enough to understand that the Holy Prophet (ph&hp) was
going to write what he had been telling his nation all along about the Glorious
Qur’ān and the
noble Wilāyah of the infallible ʿIṭrah, Ahl al-bayt (a.s.).
As much as is apparent from
ʿUmar’s
claim that “The Book of Allāh is sufficient for us”, it can be guessed that he wanted to make it known to the Prophet
that he would not follow “the Two Precious Things.” One was enough for him. He himself admitted it in a talk with ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAbbās, in which he said, inter alia, that “Certainly
he (the Noble Prophet, ph&hp) intended to declare his [Imām ʿAli’s] name during
his illness, and I prevented it!’’
Perhaps the word “delirium” would have served his purpose even
if the Holy Prophet had written the directive.
ʿUmar and his
partisans would have claimed that “as it was written in delirium” it had no validity. This may
be a reason why “Go away from me!” did suffice the Beloved Prophet of Allāh
(J.J.), peace and blessing upon him and his progeny (dynasty).
It is important to realise that there
is no record of anyone denying the rightful Rights of the 14 infallibles,
including that of ḥaḍrat
ʿAli
(a.s.). The fact remains
that those involved in the Saqīfah intrigue did not deem advisable (i.e.
it was not in their best interest) to adhere to the Divine Command of Ghadīr Khum. The world of Ṭāghūt has
always preferred its fallible common sense, in lieu of the rightful
Rights. Human Rights, Terrorism, and
peaceful Nuclear Rights are few contemporary examples. They well know the basic Rights of human
beings, the difference between terrorism and rightful defence, and between
peaceful and violent nuclear activities.
Nevertheless, it is not in their best interest to distinguish and
recognize these rights.
The Saqīfah Get-Together
The following is a brief account of
what happened in the Saqīfah (covered porch) of Benū Sā
ʿidah
:
The Muslims of Medina were of mainly
two groups: al-Anṣār (meaning ‘the helpers’ who were natives of
Medina) and al-Muhājirūn (meaning ‘the immigrants’ who were
mostly from the Quraysh tribe, migrated from Makkah to Medinah). The Anṣār consisted of two tribes
,
al-’Aws
(
الأوس
) and al-Khazraj (
الخزرج
)
who were old enemies of each other since
pre-Islamic days.
Soon after the departure of Prophet Muḥammad
(ph&hp), and even before his burial the Medinah supportive Muslims, known
as al-Anṣār (
الانصار
), forgot all about the
indispensable event of Ghadīr al-Khum, and gathered in the Saqīfah
(covered porch) of Ben
ū
Sāʿidah
to gain an upper hand for the leadership of the Muslim community. Here the famous companion, Sa
ʿd ibn ʿUbbādah
(from
the tribe of Khazraj), who was then ailing, was led to a stately chair,
and made to sit down in it, hoping that he might be elected as the Khalīfah
(Caliph, Leader). Sa
ʿd ibn ʿUbbādah
then delivered a speech in which he recounted the virtues of the Anṣār
and told the attendants to take over the Khilāfah (Caliphate, Leadership)
before anyone else could do so. The Anṣār
agreed and said that they wanted him to be the Khalīfah. Then among themselves, they began to wonder: “What reply should we give to our rival, Al-Muhājirūn if they
opposed our move and put forth their own claim?”
Some people said “We shall tell them, let us have one leader from among you and one
from us.” Saʿd ibn ʿUbbādah said,
“This is the first sign of weakness you have shown.”
Someone informed
ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb
(a Quraysh Muhājir)
about the Saqīfah meeting, telling him: “If at
all you desire to acquire the dignity of leadership you should reach the Saqīfah
before it is too late and too difficult to undo what is being decided there.” On receiving this news, ʿUmar sent for Abū Bakr who left
the Prophet’s body, and rushed together to the Saqīfah meeting. Abū ʿUbaydah bin al-Jarrāḥ also
accompanied them.
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr
aṭ-Ṭabarī
(
أبو جعفر
محمد بن جرير الطبري
),
Ibn al-Athīr
(
عزّالدين ابن الاثير الجزری
)
, ʿAbdullāh bin Muslim Ibn Qutaybah Ad-Dinā
varī
(
أبو محمد عبد الله بن مسلم بن
قتيبة الدينوري
), known as
Ibn al-Qutaybah
, and other historians proceed with their narrations stating that
having reached the Saqīfah, Abū Bakr,
ʿUmar
, and Abū ʿUbaydah had hardly
taken their seats when Thābit ibn Qays stood up, began enumerating the
virtues of the Anṣār,and suggested that the office of the Khilāfah
should be offered to someone from the Anṣār.
ʿUmar
is reported to have said later on that “When
the speaker of the Anṣār finished his speech, I made an attempt to speak
as already I had thought over some important points, but Abū Bakr
beckoned me to keep quiet. Therefore, I
remained silent. Abū Bakr had
more competence and knowledge than I did.
He did say the things I had thought of, and expressed them even better.”
According to Tārikh Rawḍat uṣ-Ṣafā
(
تاريخ
روضة الصّفا
),
Abū Bakr addressed the assembly at the Saqīfah, saying:
“O’ Assembly of the Anṣār! We acknowledge your good qualities and
virtues. We have also not forgotten your
struggles and endeavours for promoting the cause of Islam. But the honour and respect the Quraysh
kin have among the Arabs is not enjoyed by any other tribe; and the Arabs will
not submit to anyone other than the Quraysh.”
In As-Sirat al-Ḥalabiyyah, it
is added:
“However, it is a fact that we the Muhājirūn
were the first to accept the dīn if Islam. The Prophet of Islam was from our tribe. We are the relatives of the Prophet ... and therefore we are the people who are
entitled to the Caliphate... It will be
advisable to have the leadership among us and for you to take the ministry. We will not act unless we consult with you.”
Intense arguments started, during
which
ʿUmar
cried: “By Allāh, I will kill him who opposes us now.” al-Ḥubāb ibn al-Mundhir ibn Zayd, an Anṣār
from the Khazraj tribe, challenged him saying “By Allāh, we will not allow anyone to rule over us as a Caliph! One leader must come from you and one from
us.” Abū Bakr
said “No, this cannot be; it is our right to be the rulers and yours to be our
ministers.” al-Ḥubāb
said: “O Anṣār! Do not submit yourselves to what these people
say. Be firm . . . By Allāh, if
anyone dares to oppose me now, I will cut his nose with my sword.” ʿUmar remarked, “By Allāh, duality is not
advisable in the Caliphate. There cannot
be two kings in one regime, and the Arabs will not agree to your leadership,
because the Prophet was not from your tribe.”
In their history books,
aṭ
-Ṭabarī
and Ibn
al-Athīr both state that there was a fairly prolonged exchange of words
between al- Ḥubāb and
ʿUmar
on this matter.
ʿUmar
cursed al- Ḥubāb “May Allāh
kill you.” al- Ḥubāb retorted
“May Allāh kill you”.
These statements and what follows
next, are reflections of pre-Islamic Jāhiliyyah (Ṭāghūti)
inspirations. They have nothing to do
with the spirit of Islam. Moreover, they
disrespect the principled event of al-Ghadīr,
the Command of
Allāh
(J.J.), and the prophetic mission of
Prophet Muḥammad (ph&hd).
Please continue:
ʿUmar
then crossed over, and stood at the head of Sa
ʿd ibn ʿUbbādah
and
said to him “We want to break every limb of yours.” Infuriated by this threat, Saʿd ibn ʿUbbādah
got up and caught ʿUmar’s beard. ʿUmar said: “If
you pull out even one hair, you will see that all will not be well with you.” Then Abū Bakr pleaded
with ʿUmar to be calm
and civil. ʿUmar turned his face from Saʿd ibn ʿUbbādah who was saying “By Allāh, had I strength enough just to stand, you would have
heard the lions roar in every corner of Medina and hidden yourselves in holes. By Allāh, we would have made you join
again with those people among whom you were only a follower and not a leader.”
Ibn Qutaybah
says that when Bashīr ibn Sa
ʿd
, the chief of the
’Aws
tribe of the Anṣār saw that the Anṣār were uniting
behind [his rival], Sa
ʿd ibn ʿUbbādah
the chief of the Khazraj
tribe, he was overcome with envy and, therefore, supported the claim of the QurayshiteMuhājirūn [the renowned enemy of his party, al-Anṣār]. This is another case of un-Islamic (Ṭ
ā
gh
ū
ti) behaviour to let personal jealousy dictate the fate of Muslim
community.
In the midst of this confrontation,
ʿUmar
said to AbūBakr“Hold out your hand so that I may give my bayʿah (pledge of allegiance)”. AbūBakr said, “No, you give me your hand so that I may give my bayʿah, because you are stronger than me and
more suitable to the position of Khilāfah.”
ʿUmar
took the hand of AbūBakr and pledged allegiance to him saying, “My strength is not of any value when compared to your merits and
seniority. And if it is of any value
then my strength added to yours will successfully manage the Khilāfah.”
Bashīr ibn Saʿd,
chief of the
’Aws
tribe of the Anṣār, followed
suit. Khazrajites cried to him
that he was doing it out of envy for Sa
ʿd ibn
ʿUbbādah
. Then the tribe of
’Aws
talked amongst themselves that if Sa
ʿd ibn ʿUbbādah
was
made Caliph that day, the tribe of Khazraj would always feel superior to
the
’Aws
, and no one
from the
’Aws
would ever
achieve that position. Therefore, they
all pledged their allegiance to AbūBakr (a Muhājir). Someone from the Khazraj tribe took
out his sword, but others stopped him.
Amidst all this unseemly wrangling,
Ḥ
aḍrat ʿAli
(a.s.)
and the true friends of the Grand Prophet of
Allāh
(J.J.)
attended to the ghusl (washing of the body) of the Holy
Prophet (ph&hp) and the proper observances regarding the burial. By the time these important tasks were performed,
Abū Bakr had achieved a fait accompli. This is the basis of Abū Bark’sKhilāfah,
way away from the Will of Allāh (S.T.), revealed to, and expressed by
His most beloved Prophet, at Ghadīr Khum, the sermon of al-Thaqalayn,
and the Text of Glorious Qur’ān (directing people to obedience, fellowship,
affection, and love of the Wil
ā
yah
, the Ahl al-Bayt).
Ibn Qutaybah writes:
“
ʿAli (a.s.)
was commanded to take the oath of allegiance to Abū Bakr. ʿAli said “I am the
most rightful to the Khilāfah than anyone of you. I will not pledge allegiance to you. As a matter of fact, you should give the
pledge of allegiance (bayʿah) to me. You called the Anṣār
to give their bayʿah on the ground that you had blood relations with the Messenger of
All
ā
h
(J.J.)
. You are
usurping the Khilāfah from us, the Members of his House (the Ahl
al-Bayt). Did you not reason with
the Anṣār that you have better rights to the Khilāfah because the Prophet
(ph&hp) was of your kinship, and they handed over the government to you and
accepted your leadership? Then, the very
reason put forth by you before the Anṣār is now forwarded by me. Our relations with the Prophet (ph&hp) in
life, as well as after death, are much closer than that of anyone of you. If you are faithful to your argument, you
should do justice; otherwise you know that you have knowingly moved towards
tyranny.”
“ʿUmar said, “Unless you give bayʿah, you will
not be released.” Ḥaḍrat ʿAli (a.s.) cried, “Milk out as much as
you can for the udders are in your hand.
Make it as strong as possible today, for he is going to hand it over to
you tomorrow. ʿUmar!
I shall not yield to your commands. I shall not pledge allegiance to him.” Ultimately, Abū Bakr said, “O ʿAli! If you do not desire to
give your bayʿah, I am not going to force you for it.”
Analysis Of The Saqīfah Intrigue
Several aspects of the
above-mentioned events deserve more attention:
1.
The
central issue which seems to have been forgotten is that ḥ
a
ḍ
rat
ʿAli
(a.s.) is one of the
14 infallibles of the Ahl
al-Bayt, who had already been appointed by Divine Command, through the
blessed being of the Prophet of Islam (ph&hp) in the presence of
practically entire Muslim community;
they all sworn allegiance to him in al-Ghadīral-Khum. Therefore, it was bizarre to pay no heed to
the Divine Order, and try to have an election, selection, or consultation to
appoint a fallible personality as leader of the dīn
of
All
ā
h
(S.T.), no matter
who was nominated
.
2.
The Saqīfah
event clearly demonstrates that the important issue for the key figures (and
their followers) was their personal, kinship, tribal, and racial persuasions,
not the dīn
of
All
ā
h
(J.J.)
.
In other words, the pre-Islamic Jāhiliyyah tradition was the
dominating force. This was the first
test of choice between the Divine Islamic disciplines versus a Ṭāghūt
government. It is much to be regretted
that the big chiefs ignored the loyalty and commitment of al-Ghadīr,
left the corpse of ḥ
a
ḍ
rat
Muḥammad
(ph&hp) and his funeral, rushed to follow their selfish desires
(
هویٰ
نفس
), deviated
from the Divine rule of infallible Imāms, and formed a Ṭāghūt
regime. The sad consequences of their
words and actions are still being felt.
Only a minority kept with the Wilāyah of the infallible Imām.
It is appropriate to present this
blessing ḥadith at this point:
مَنْ سَنَّ سُنَّةً حَسَنَةً كَانَ لَهُ أَجْرُهَا وَ أَجْرُ مَنْ عَمِلَ
بِهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ مَنْ سَنَّ سُنَّةً سَيِّئَةً كَانَ عَلَيْهِ وِزْرُهَا
وَ وِزْرُ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَة
.
One who
generates a good establishment earns its reward, and the reward of anyone who
shall adhere to it until the Day of Qiy
ā
mah
. And, one, who
generates an ill-founded establishment, the heavy burden [of its sin] is on his
shoulder, plus that of anyone else who shall follow him, until the Day of Qiyāmah.
Book No. 38, p. No. 136.
The above ḥadith, well backed up by blessed
Āyāt
of the
Glorious Qur’ān, is very alarming to the fate of the companions of the Saqīfah
Intrigue.
3.
Ḥaḍrat
ʿAli
(a.s.) knew that the successor (khalifah)
of the Holy Prophet was not supposed to be the chieftainship of the tribe. It was not supposed to be based on the
declaration of allegiance by the ordinary people. It was a responsibility given by Allāh
(S.T.), not by fallible individuals. And,
as he had already been publicly appointed by Allāh through His Prophet
(ph&hp), there was no need for him to rush to the public to seek their
allegiance. He did not want the people
to think that his Imamate was based on the bay
ʿah
of men. If people came to him to respect the
declaration of Ghadīral-Khum, well and good, but if they did
not, it was their loss. Yet he was
responsible to deliver the Will of
All
ā
h
(j.j.)
. This is why imām al-
ʿAli
(a.s.) refused to extend his hand
even to accept the bay
ʿah
ofʿAbbās ibn
ʿAbd ul-Muṭṭalib, when he extended his pledge of allegiance.
4.
During the
lifetime of the Holy Prophet (ph&hp), the Mosque of the Prophet was the
centre of all Islamic activities. It was
here that decisions of jihād and peace were made, deputations were
received, sermons were delivered, and cases were discussed. Therefore, when the news spread of the decease
of the Holy Prophet (ph&hp), the Muslims, naturally, assembled in that very
mosque. Then why did the partisans of Sa
ʿd ibn ʿUbbādah
decide
to go three miles outside Medina to meet in Saqīfah of Benū Sā
ʿidah
, which was not even a place of good
repute? Was it not because they wanted
to usurp the Khilāfah (successor ship) in secret and then present Sa
ʿd ibn ʿUbbādah
as
their favourite successor of Allāh’s Prophet?
5.
When majority of Muslims and prominent
personalities were around the corpse of the Prophet of Islam (ph&hp),
ʿUmar
was informed about the Saqīfah
meeting. He only informed Abū Bakr. They left the process of funeral to rush
toward the Saqīfah of Benū Sā
ʿidah.
Why did they not inform ḥaḍrat
ʿAli
(a.s.) about this
surreptitious gathering? Why did they,
together with Abū
ʿUbaydah
, slip out secretly? Was it not
because ḥaḍrat
ʿAli
(a.s.), Benū Hāshim and other faithful personalities were
present in the mosque, or in the house of the Prophet, and
ʿUmar
and Abū Bakr did not want
them to know about the plot? They knew well
that if ḥaḍrat
ʿAli
(a.s.) came to know about the meeting of Saqīfah, and if by a
remote chance he decided to attend that meeting, no one else would have had a
chance to succeed.
6.
When Abū
Bakr was extolling the virtues of Muhājirūn as being from the tribe
of the Holy Prophet (ph&hp), did he not know that there were other people
with much stronger right to that claim because they were members of the very
family of the Holy Prophet and the inheritors of his flesh and blood(a.s.)?
It was this aspect of the pretence that
prompted
ʿAli ibn Abi Ṭālib
(a.s.) to comment:
احْتَجَّتْ
بِأَنَّهَا شَجَرَةُ الرَّسُولِ
)
ص
(
فَقَالَ
)
ع
(
احْتَجُّوا بِالشَّجَرَةِ وَ أَضَاعُوا الثَّمَرَةَ
.
“They argued by the strength of the tree (tribe) and then destroyed
the fruit (i.e., the family of the Prophet).”
Looking neutrally at this event, we
are unable to call it an “election” because the voters (all the Muslims
scattered throughout Arabia, or, at least, all the Muslims of Medina) did not
even know that there was to be an election, let alone its time and its venue. Moreover, the majority of prospective
candidates were unaware of what was planned at Saqīfah. Again, we are reminded of the words of al-Im
ā
m al-ʿAlī
(a.s.)
in connection with these points, recorded by ash-Sharif ar-Raḍi (r.a.)
in his legendary book of Nahj ul-Balāghah as follows:
وَ
قَالَ (عليهالسّلام) اعَجَباً أَتَكُونُ اٰٰلْخِلَافَةُ بِالصَّحَابَةِ، وَ لا
تَكُونُ بِالصَّحَابَةِ وَ الْقَرَابَةِ.
“How strange it is! Could the Khilāfah
be through the (Prophet’s) companionship but not
through (his) companionship, plus (his) kinship?”
These words were mentioned with
reference to Abū Bakr’s claim that he had won the Khilāfah because
of his companionship with Prophet Muḥammad (ph&hp). Then it is narrated by ash-Sharif ar-Raḍi
(r.a.) that the Imām composed the following poem to Abū Bakr in
this regard:
فَإِنْ كُنْتَ بِالشُّورى مَلَكْتَ أُمُورَهُمْ
|
فَكَيْفَ بِهذَا وَ الْمُشيرُونَ غُيَّبٌ
|
وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ بِالْقُرْبى حَجَجْتَ خَصيمَهُمْ
|
فَغَيْرُكَ أَوْلى بِالنَّبِيِّ وَ أَقْرَبُ
|
“If you claim to
have secured authority over the Muslims
’ affairs by
consultation, how did it happen, that those to be consulted with [Benū Hāshim
and grand companions] were absent!”
“And if you have
scored over your opponents by kinship (to the Prophet), then someone else has
greater right on (kinship to) the Prophet (ph&hp) and is nearer to him.”
Book No. 1, p. No. 502-503, h.
No. 190185
.
7.
It cannot
be called a “selection” either, because majority of the prominent Companions of
the Holy Prophet (ph&hp) had no knowledge of the Saqīfah event. None of the chief personalities was involved,
present, consulted, or even informed about the secret meeting in the Saqīfah
of Benū Sā
ʿidah
. To talk about a few names, we suffice to
mention ḥaḍrat
ʿAlī
ibn Abi Ṭālib (a.s.),
ʿAbbās
,
ʿUthmān, Ṭalḥah, az-Zubayr, Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqās, Salmān al-Fārisi, Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī, ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir, Miqdād, ʿAbd ur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf
, and so forth. Allāh’s Mercyand blessing be
upon them.
8.
Abū
Bakr
knew that if the masses were given freedom of
choice,
ʿUmar
had no
chance. He was known as “rude and of harsh nature.” He stirred up the meeting by provocative
speeches, as mentioned above. In the
middle of the Saqīfah chaos, ʿUmar swore allegiance to Abū
Bakr. He well knew that it was a
firm custom of Arabs to follow suit as soon as one swears allegiance. Then Bashīr ibn Saʿd, leader of the ’Aws tribe of al-Anṣār, swore
allegiance to Abū Bakr. Seeing
this, the Khazraj tribe of al-Anṣār pledged allegiance, in order
not to lose favour in the eyes of Abū Bakr against their rival tribe,al-’Aws!
Abu Bakr was indebted to ʿUmar for establishing his Khilāfah, and therefore, he decided to impose
him as his successor upon the nation of Islam.
None of these incentives or considerations is as pure as the Divine Wilāyah
of Ḥaḍrat ʿAlī (a.s.).
9.
The event
narrated above, which is predominantly based on respectful Sunni
sources, shows that the secret meeting of Saqīfah was not a matter of
democracy among the Muslims, but was a plot to usurp the Wiṣāyah
(Trustee-ship), Wilāyah (Guardian-ship), and Khilāfah (successor-ship) of al-Imām
al-
ʿAlī
ibn Abi Ṭālib
(a.s.).
10.
If the fundamental issue of Khilāfah
(successor-ship) in Islam, the perfected stage of the dīn
of Allāh (J.J.), were supposed to be resolved on the basis of
“consultation” of fallible personalities, the Prophet of Islam would certainly
have clarified how it should be done before his departure. It is unbelievable that the Prophet of Islam
(ph&hp) would elucidate minor issues flawlessly, but would leave the most
essential issue of Wilāyah, Imāmah, or Khilāfah up in the
air. Please refer to the well-founded
juncture of Ghadīral-Khum to see how baseless the “Intrigue of Saqīfah” is.
11.
If some Muslims are led to believe that, the Saqīfah
meeting was a manifestation of the spirit of “election
and democracy” in Islam, they should be reminded that
the very event of Saqīfah indicates (wrongly) that it was the Sunnah
of Prophet of Islam (ph&hp) not to designate a successor! If so, actions of all Caliphs and Governors,
who should have followed his Sunnah, are all invalid in imposing their
successors to the Muslim community. This
is a very important point for the analytical mind of younger enthusiasts who
are eager to reinstate the Truth of Islam, i.e. the noble ḥadith of al-Thaqalayn
in Ghadīral-Khum:
إِنِّي
تَارِكٌ فِيكُمْ ثَقَلَيْنِ مَا إِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِمَا لَنْ تَضِلُّوا
بَعْدِي
كِتَابُ
اللَّهِ وَ عِتْرَتِي أَهْلُ بَيْتِي
.
Verily,
I am leaving among you Two Precious Things.
If you adhere to them both, you will never go astray after me,
the Book of
All
ā
h
, and my
ʿIṭrah
, my Ahl al-Bayt.
Having had this brief background, you
may now enter the next section, ʿĀshūrā Heartbreak,
to complete “The Epic of
ʿĀshūrā”
It should be mentioned that in
addition to specific references throughout the text, the following links could
be used as good reference for the lovers of Imām
Ḥ
usayn
(a.s.) who wish to discover more detail:
http://www.al-islam.org/imamate/3.htm
http://www.imamreza.net/eng/imamreza.php?id=7679
http://www.al-islam.org/nahjul/index.htm
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ali_ibn_Abi_Talib
http://www.shia.org