[1] Replies to a Shi`i by GF Haddad
From: GF Haddad <[email protected]> Subject: Re: A Shi’ite View of the Companions Date: Tuesday, June 01, 1999 11:24 PM
[email protected] wrote in message <[email protected]>…
>The Shia divide the companions into three factions: First, are those who > >believed in Allah (SWT), believed in the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and gave all > >they could for the sake of Islam. These are the highest in rank. These >companions ALWAYS supported the Prophet and were WITH him. They never >disobeyed him in every other issue, nor did they ever accused him of >talking non-sense! (may Allah protect us).
The conclusions of the Shi`a — the first true splinter group in Islam, the first major doctrinal innovation also — are not based upon the Prophet’s actual Shari`a in the matter, but upon innovation and fabrication. “And those who malign believing men and believing women undeservedly, they bear the guilt of slander and manifest sin.” (33:57-58)
This insinuation that some of the Companions accused the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — is an accusation against Allah Almighty, since He said of the Companions without differentiating them: “You [undifferentiated plural] are the best Community ever brought forth for humankind.” This is why I do not believe in the sincerity of the above du`a. May Allah protect us from self-delusion first! One truly hoping for Allah’s protection, would flee from blatantly contradicting His words.
The Prophet said — Allah bless and greet him: “Allah, Allah! Fear Him with regard to my Companions! Do not make them targets after me! Whoever loves them loves them with his love for me; and whoever hates them hates them with his hatred for me. Whoever bears enmity for them, bears enmity for me; and whoever bears enmity for me, bears enmity for Allah. Whoever bears enmity for Allah is about to perish.” Narrated by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, and others.
>The second group, are those who believed in Allah (SWT) and the Prophet >(PBUH&HF), but were not sincere to the fullest limit. These include, >but >are not limited to, Abu Bakr and Umar.
Another rejection of Allah’s word — Subhan Allah! — since He said of Abu Bakr and Umar among other Muhajirin: “Those who spent and fought before the victory are not upon a level (with the rest of you).” (57:10)
The above claim is also an insinuation against the Prophet’s choice — Allah bless and greet him — of Abu Bakr and `Umar as his closest Companions, as narrated by `Ali — Allah be well-pleased with all of them: “The best of this Community after its Prophet are Abu Bakr and `Umar.” `Ali also said that the Muslims’ love followed that order: “Allah’s Messenger, Abu Bakr, and `Umar.”
It is also an imputation of ignorance to `Ali who said that he wished he could exchange his deeds with `Umar’s:
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: When `Umar was placed on his deathbed, the people gathered around him, invoked Allah, and prayed for him before the body was taken away, and I was among them. Suddenly I felt somebody taking hold of my shoulder and saw that it was `Ali ibn Abi Talib. `Ali invoked Allah’s Mercy for `Umar and said: “O `Umar! You have not left behind you a person whose deeds I like to imitate more than yours, nor would I more prefer to meet Allah with other than your deeds. By Allah! I always thought that Allah would keep you with your two companions, for very often I used to hear the Prophet saying: I, Abu Bakr and `Umar went somewhere; I, Abu Bakr and `Umar entered someplace; and I, Abu Bakr and `Umar went out.” Narrated by Muslim.
How far removed from `Ali, Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq, Imam Zayd, and their likes are those who mumble against Abu Bakr and `Umar today!
>The third group, are those who became apostate after the death of >Prophet >as al-Bukhari recorded (see below), or those who neither believed in >Allah >(SWT), nor the Prophet (PBUH&HF) in the first place, but managed to >infiltrate the Islamic isles to be included among the Muslims. These >are >the hypocrites, like Abu Sufyan, his son Muawiyah, and his grandson >Yazid.
So now you have declared as disbelievers two of the Muslims of the First Generation, giving the lie to the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — who said: “The best of mankind is my century, then the one that follows it” and overtly disobeying his orders: “Do not curse my Companions. If any of you were to spend the weight of Uhud in gold, it still would not reach the measure (mudd) of one of them nor even one-half of it” and “When my Companions are mentioned, hold back.” Notice the prophetic mercy in the latter hadith: if one wishes not to praise, one can at least hold back.
It is a wonder how Shaytan can so blind an entire nation of people who think they are followers of `Ali and lovers of al-Husayn, when `Ali explicitly disavows their insinuations against Abu Bakr and `Umar by his eulogy of them, and when al-Husayn himself accepted reconciliation with Mu`awiya — whom they claim is a disbeliever! — and pledged his loyalty to him as narrated by al-Bukhari. Allah be well-pleased with the Companions one and all. That is the true doctrine of those who follow and love the Prophet Muhammad — Allah bless and greet him — and do not second-guess Allah’s choice of the Companions as his ministers in his time and his successors after him.
As for Yazid ibn Mu`awiya, he was not a Companion. So whatever may be said of him, does not apply to them. Mentioning him in the same breath as the Companions in order to badmouth the latter by association, is dishonest, especially when we know that hundreds of them died in the events of al-Harra in the year 63 because of him!
As for your quotations from Ibn Abi Hadid’s Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, it is a Mu`tazili commentary on a Shi`i forgery. How far does one have to stray from the truth before one comes to one’s senses? Yet this is nothing compared to the following lie:
>f) There was a tragic Thursday when the Messenger of Allah wanted to >state > his will, and the very same companions accused him of talking >non-sense > and prevented him to do so.
What about the hadith “May Allah curse those who took graves as their temples of worship,” the thrice-repeated warning about “al-salat wa ma malakat aymanukum” (Observe prayer and respect the rights of your slaves), and the order for Abu Bakr to lead prayers, all spoken from the same death-bed and reported by the same Companions?
Secondly, why would the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — in the hypothetical event that he was prevented at that time from enacting a divine prescription for successorship, not prescribe it at a later time? For several days passed, and he did not return to the subject although he had many chances to as stated by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari. How do you judge? The reason was the same as the withholding of the date for Laylat al-Qadr, when the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — came out and heard two men bickering, and this momentous information was lost on the Umma. Similarly, some people bickered when he disclosed his intention to dictate instructions, and this intention was changed.
As for the verse:
“Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel – like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers – that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah hath promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward.” (48:29)
Suffice it to give Imam Malik’s explanation of this verse:
Abu `Urwa al-Zubayri narrated: We were with Malik ibn Anas when they mentioned a certain man who would find fault with the Companions of the Messenger of Allah. When he heard this, Malik recited the verse: “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him. . .” until he reached the words “delighting the sowers – that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them.” (48:29) Then Malik said: “Whoever among the people has become one who harbors spite towards any one of the Prophet’s Companions, this verse has hit him.”
>As for the third faction of the companions, there is a whole chapter in >the >holy Quran addressing them: “al-Munafiqun –The Hypocrites — Ch. 63”,
This is by definition untrue, as a Companion is “one who saw the Prophet, believed in him, and died a believer.” This basic flaw applies to the attempts to adduce proofs from the rest of the Qur’anic verses cited in the original post.
As for the hadith of the “Companions-turned-apostates” that has most misguided the misguided:
>Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 8.586 >Narrated Ibn al-Musaiyab: > > “Some men from my companions will come to my Lake-Fount and they >will > be driven away from it, and I will say, ‘O Lord, my companions!’ It > > will be said, ‘You have no knowledge of what they innovated after >you > left: they turned APOSTATE as renegades (reverted from true >Islam).” > (also Sahih Muslim, part 10, p64, also P59)
These hadiths are adduced with the same selective looking-glasses as the pseudo-proofs from the Qur’an. The understanding of both, is far removed from the conclusions that Sahabi-bashers are driving at.
The hadith refers to the Munafiqun or Dissimulators who _passed as Companions in the time of the Companions_ but disclosed themselves before they died. The Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — knew that this terrible judgment would come to pass, and knew against whom, but couches the episode of the Kawthar in terms of a sudden discovery on his part _for dramatic emphasis_. Thirdly, those who are turned back and led to the Fire can certainly never belong to the groups promised to Paradise, such as:
-The Ten Promised Paradise as well as those also promised Paradise besides them; -Those concerning whom Allah said: “The outstrippers, the first of the Muhajirun [=Abu Bakr and `Umar among others] and the Ansars,” (9:100) “Men who were true to their contract with Allah,” (33:23) “Allah was pleased with the believers when they gave allegiance to you under the tree,” (48:18) and similar verses. – Those who fought at the battle of Badr.
Even so, the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — emphasized love and respect, not only of his Family, but also of his Companions — _all_ his Companions. The narrations to that effect are too numerous to cite, but I intend to include them in forthcoming posts on the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs, Abu Hurayra, and the merits of the Companions insha Allah. May Allah be well-pleased with them and with all of Allah’s Messenger’s Companions, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon him, his Family, and all his Companions. Amin.
