The Ahulbayt in Quran [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

leaving Ali behind as his deputy to look after the affairs of Islam after
he met Allah (i.

e.

, his death).

This assertion becomes more evdient when we look at the last phrase of the
tradition of al-Bukhari where the Messenger of Allah mentioned: "but there
is no prophet AFTER me".

Think about the word "AFTER" in the statement of
the Prophet.

Dont you think that the Prophet Muhammad is talking about
AFTER his death? That position (leadership) which the Prophet entrusted to
Ali was with Ali till his death.

No body except the Prophet Muhammad can
take this position back from him.

Prophet Moses (AS) was away from his people for 40 days and he came back
and met them along with Haroon (AS).

Likewise, Prophet Muhammad is away
from us (living in the heaven), but he will soon meet us and his companions
as well as Imam Ali on the Day of Judgment.

He will then question them the
same way as Moses questioned his people, specially those who left his
religion and worshipped the golden calf.

Look at the following tradition
from Sahih al-Bukhari to have some idea about the would-be conversation
between Prophet Muhammad and some of his companions:
Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 8.

585
Narrated Abu Hazim from Sahl bin Sad:
The Prophet said, "I am your predecessor (forerunner) at the Lake-
Fount, and whoever will pass by there, he will drink from it and
whoever will drink from it, he will never be thirsty.

There will come
to me some people whom I will recognize, and they will recognize me,
but a barrier will be placed between me and them.

" Abu Hazim added:
Numan bin Abi Aiyash, on hearing me, said.

"Did you hear this from
Sahl?" I said, "Yes.

" He said, " I bear witness that I heard Abu Said
Al-Khudri saying the same, adding that the Prophet said: I will say:
They are my companions.

Then it will be said to me, You do not know
what they innovated (new things) in the religion after you left.

I will say, Far removed, far removed (from mercy), those who changed
after me.

" Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet said, "On the Day of
Resurrection a group of companions will come to me, but will be
driven away from the Lake-Fount, and I will say, O Lord
(those are) my companions! It will be said, You have no knowledge
as to what they innovated after you left; they turned apostate as
renegades (reverted from the true Islam).

"
===

Another person claimed: Not all of the people of Moses worshipped the calf
and those who did not killed the ones who did by the order of God.

Perhaps, this brother has been told another story.

But Quran tells us that
all the followers of Moses (except a few) were deceived by Sameri.

The
companions of Moses did not kill Sameri either.

The were rather about to
kill Aaron (AS) who tried to advise them on that affliction.

If the number
of those who preserved their faith was a lot, Aaron wouldnt have been in
trouble.

Here are some verses of Quran concerning the event:
7:148 And the community of Moses, after (he had left them), chose a calf
(for worship), (made) out of their ornaments, of saffron hue, which
gave a lowing sound.

Saw they not that it spake not unto them nor
guided them to any way? They chose it, and became wrong doers.

7:150 And when Moses returned unto his people, angry and grieved, he said:
Evil is that (course) which ye took after I had left you.

Would ye
hasten on the judgment of your Lord? And he cast down the tablets,
and he seized his brother by the head, dragging him toward him.

(Aaron) said: "Son of my mother! Lo! People did oppress me and they
were about to kill me.

Make not the enemies rejoice over my
misfortune nor count thou me amongst the sinful people.

"
20:90 Before this, Aaron had already said to them: "O my people! you are
being tested in this, for verily your Lord is (Allah) Most Gracious;
so follow me and obey my order.

"
20:91 They had said: "We will not abandon this cult but we will devote
ourselves to it until Moses returns to us.

"
So the last verse disproves the claim that the true followers killed the
wrong doers before Moses (AS) come back.

Yes, after Prophet Moses came
back, he punished the influential individuals among those who led people
astray.

But he did not kill them:
20:97 (Moses) said (to Sameri): "Go! Your (punishment) in this life will be
that you will say Touch me not; and moreover (for a future
penalty) thou hast a promise that will not fail: now look at thy god
of whom thou hast become a devoted worshipper: we will certainly
(melt) it in a blazing fire and scatter it broadcast in the sea!"
===

Another brother mentioned that if Ali wished could very well incite forcful
rebelion since he is from a very strong tribe Bani Hashm, and both Abu Bakr
and Umar from a week tribe Adiyy, and Taym.

Then why did he keep silent and
did not use force to restore his right after the election held in Saqifah?
If Bani Hashim were strong with respect to other tribes, as the above
brother claims, then Muslims wouldnt have had to migrate from Mecca to
Medina.

Also they wouldnt have been subject to economical sanctions in
Sheb Abi Talib.

The exceptional brevity of Imam Ali (AS) in various wars and his killing of
the most important warriors of Arabs, is well-known for even Sunnis.

Imam
Ali mentioned that he himself has killed 40,000 infidels by his sword (this
figure includes those who were killed by him in the civil wars).

Killing
the lions of Arabs developed a very intensive and long-lasting hatred in
the heart of the Arabs from different tribes.

For this very reason, most
Arabs due to their tribal ties, even after embracing Islam, were not
friendly toward Imam Ali and other members of Ahlul-Bayt.

This hatred gave
its fruit on the issue of Caliphate, and later in the civil wars at the
time of Imam Ali (AS) as well as the prosecution of Ahlul-Bayt and their
partisans after his martyrdom which continued with utmost brutality for a
number of centuries.

The hatred of the house of Umayyah against Bani Hashim (the clan of Prophet
and Ali) is well-known.

The wars of Abu Sufyan and his son Muawiyah against
Prophet and Ali respectively, also the horrible massacre of the grandson of
prophet at Karbala by the grandson of Abu Sufyan, are only some of top
items among the long list of such crimes.

You might also want to refresh
the memory that when Muawiyah took over the power, he instituted the Sunnah
of cursing Imam Ali.

Sunni history books and Sunni collections of
traditions clearly state that Muawiyah commanded all the Imams of the
mosques throughout the Muslim world to CURSE Imam Ali in every Friday
prayer.

(Sunni references are available upon request).

Now, we turn to the events of Saqifah and the "election" of Abu Bakr:
During the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), the Mosque of Prophet was the
center of all Islamic activities.

It was there that the decision of war and
peace were made, delegations were received, sermons were delivered and
cases were decided.

It is not surprising that when the news of the demise
of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) spread, the Muslims assembled in that very Mosque.

On the other hand, Saqifah of Bani Saidah was located three miles OUTSIDE
Medina and was a secret location for the evil activities of some Arab
tribes.

(see Ghiyath al-Lughah, p228).

Why then Sad Ibn Ubadah and his fans as well as Abu Bakr and Umar, left
the Mosque secretly and without informing other prominent companions and
went three miles outside Medina to discuss the issue of Caliphate? Why
didnt they discuss the issue as important as this among the Muslims inside
the mosque? Wasnt that they wanted to usurp the Caliphate without the
knowledge of people? Why did Abu Bakr and Umar with Abu Ubaydah slip out
the mosque secretly? Was it because Ali and Bani Hashim were present in the
mosque and in the house of Prophet, and they did not want them to know the
plot?
Also, we should keep in mind that it was the custom of the Arabs that once
a person was declared, even by a small group, to be the chief of the tribe,
others hesitated to oppose him, and willy nilly followed suit.

Due to their
dislike of Imam Ali (AS) (which I discussed earlier), they did not respect
his right, nor did they even informed him of this meeting.

They SIMPLY
neglected the last sermon of Prophet in Ghadir Khum where the Messenger of
God declared him as his successor just two and a half months months before
the incedent of Saqifah.

===

A Sunni brother mentioned that: If Imam Ali disaproved Uthman, then why did
he risk the lives of his beloved sons, al-Hassan and al-Hussain, trying to
protect the life of his adversary from the blood-thirsty rioters in Medina?
According to the Shia sources such news are dubious.

We do not have any
strong evidence that Imam Ali sent his sons to support Uthmans House.

In
fact, al-Tabari who is one of the important Sunni Historians said that Imam
Ali deserted Uthman since Uthman did insisted in keeping Marwan in his
administration.

Here is the related part from the History of al-Tabari,
when the siege over Uthman was very severe:
People informed Ali of the news.

Then Ali came to Uthman and
said: "Surely you have satisfied Marwan (again), but he is satisfied
with you only if you deviate from your religion and reason, like a
camel carrying a litter that is led around at will.

By God, Marwan is
devoid of sense in regard to his religion and his soul.

I swear by
God, I think he will bring you in and then not send you out again.

After this visit, I will not come again to chide you.

You have
destroyed your own honor and you have been robbed of your authority.

"
When Ali departed, Uthmans wife told him: "I have heard that Ali said
to you that he will never return to you, and that you have obeyed
Marwan (again), who leads you wherever he wishes.

" Uthman said: "What
shall I do?" She responded: "You should fear God alone, who has no
partner, and you should adhere to the practice of your two
predecessors (Abu Bakr and Umar).

For if you obey Marwan, he will kill
you.

Marwan enjoys no prestige among the people, and inspires neither
awe nor love.

People have only abandoned you due to Marwans position
(in your councils).

Send to Ali, then, and trust in his honesty and
uprightness.

He is related to you and he is not a man whom people
disobey.

" So Uthman sent to Ali, but he refused to come, saying: "I
told him I would not return.

"
Sunni reference: History of al-Tabari, English version, v15, pp 176-179
Even we suppose that Imam Ali protected Uthman in his last days, the
protection was not because he loved Uthman to be on power.

He did so (if
true) since he knew that this is a conspiracy, and he knew that those
companions who plotted to kill Uthman, would become the avenger of his
blood tomorrow, as it happened (e.

g.

, the companions like Talha, Zubair,
Muawiyah, and .

.

.

) and it became a custom of assassination of Caliphs with
self-judgments including the assassination of Ali (AS) himself.

===

Another reader mentioned that, if some companions conspired against Imam
Ali and usureped his right of Caliphate, is it not a possibility that they
conspired to alter the Quranic text? The compilers and transmitters of the
Quran were fallible and sinners.

As for protection of Quran, it is the will of Allah! Even if all the
people of the world gather to change it they will fail.

Muslims could
recall the history that Allah willed to raise and preserve Moses in the
house of His Enemy, Pharaoh.

Also there was no reason for Umar or Abu Bakr to delete something from
Quran, because the name of Imam Ali did not appear in Quran.

(eventhough
his name was in the divine commentary which was revealed with Quran but was
not a part of text of Quran.

It is no surprise that this divine commentary