was a certain purpose behind that!
Why wouldn't it concern Talha bin Obeidillah; the father of Umm Iss~haq, who was an-Nafs az-Zakiyya's grandmother, or Abdul Ozza, who was his mother's grandfather? An-Nafs az-Zakiyya's mother was Hind bint Abu Obeida bin Abdullah bin Zam'a bin al-Asswad bin al-Muttalib bin Assad bin Abdul Ozza.
(1) This Abdul Ozza was a chief among the unbelievers of Quraysh!
We don't say that one of these two was meant by the saying of an-Nafs az-
Zakiyya because it was not but suppose and guess that made ibn Abul Hadeed refer to Abu Talib alone!
Let's give up and say that an-Nafs az-Zakiyya didn't mean by his saying "the worst of the evil" save Abu Talib, then why did this saying especially, although it contradicted the truth, stop in ibn Abul Hadeed's chest and nothing of the sayings of Imam Sadiq, who lived in the same period of an-Nafs az-Zakiyya and ibn Abul Hadeed mentioned many of his sayings, stopped in his chest?
There was no any way of comparison between Imam Sadiq and an-Nafs az-Zakiyya whether in science and knowledge, fidelity, truthfulness, keeping to the rightness and announcing it. Ibn Abul Hadeed himself knew this very well, but in spite of all that this letter only that stopped in his chest!
A hair of a camel stopped in his mouth whereas he swallowed camels with their hooves whenever he liked!
Then why didn't the witnesses of Abu Talib's actual son Imam Ali (s) and his sons of the infallible imams after him, who had much any virtues and qualities that an-Nafs az-Zakiyya didn't have any of, stop in ibn Abul Hadeed's chest?
If an-Nafs az-Zakiyya was the son (grandson) of Abu
____________
1 Refer to Nasab Quraysh p.53, 227 and Sheikhul Abtah p.82.
(209)
Talib. "and he wouldn't be suspected" as ibn Abul Hadeed said, then would the witnesses of Imam Ali (s) and his infallible sons be suspected and would they be accused of adding Abu Talib to the Muslims whereas he was in the list of the unbelievers?
Was an-Nafs az-Zakiyya more pious and more truthful than Imam Ali (s) and the other infallible Imams that an-Nafs az-Zakiyya said what wouldn't be suspected and these imams said what would be far away from the truth?
I myself didn't think that an-Nafs az-Zakiyya had said this word after showing the evidences that prevented even the insane and the mad from saying such a thing.
(1)
If an-Nafs az-Zakiyya had said it, so what did he mean by saying "Abu Talib was the adopter and the protector of the Prophet (s)"?
And if he meant what he had said, we wouldn't depend upon it and leave aside the certain sayings of the infallible imams, who would never be suspected at all whether in their doings or sayings.
Ibn Abul Hadeed said: "His time was near to the time of the Prophet (s) and there was not so long period between them and it was not possible that the news might be fabricated."
Ibn Abul Hadeed depended upon a saying said by a man after nearly a century and a half since the death of whom it was said about and didn't depend upon the sayings of the infallible imam, who always and ever kept to the rightness and who lived with the man, he witnessed to, in one house.
Ibn Abul Hadeed didn't think that the news was fabricated because there was no so long period as he said
____________
1 The reality showed that the letter was fabricated or at least some statements were inserted into it just for defame and disgrace and not for proudness. It was the unjust policy that inserted such lies to assist the Abbasid rule.
(210)
whereas he himself showed the lies and the false traditions fabricated during the time of Mo'awiya, who was born in the time of the Prophet (s).
If the reason was the length or the shortness of time, we wouldn't find all that fabrications happened during the age of Mo'awiya.
I don't know how to justify this saying of ibn Abul Hadeed or what was the reason that made him adopt this thought and what made this saying stop in his chest rather than the others?
But we don't mistrust him as long as (mistrusting the Muslim is haram) and (the sanctity of the Muslim is greater than the sanctity of the Kaaba) as al-Ghazali says among what we have quoted in our chapter (At The Threshold) of this book.
After faltering with weak steps in a zigzag way, ibn Abul Hadeed returned to contradict himself by saying: "One of the Talibites
(1) wrote a book about the faithfulness of Abu Talib.
(2) He sent it to me and asked me to write a preface for it whether in poetry or prose to witness that the evidences mentioned in the book were true. I hesitated to give a final decision about that because I had some doubt about it ...
But I couldn't refrain from glorifying Abu Talib because I knew that without him Islam would never stand and I knew that he had done favors that every Muslim must be grateful to him in this life until the Day of Resurrection, so I wrote on the back of the book these verses:
Without Abu Talib and his son,
the religion wouldn't be so firm to stand.
That in Mecca; sheltered and defended,
|
____________
1 The progeny of Abu Talib.
2 It was the book Al-Hujja Ala Ath-Thahib Ila Takfeer Abu Talib by Sayyid Shamsuddeen. It was one of our references in this book.
(211)
and this in Medina ready to die.
Abu Manaf (1) undertook the task and died,
then came Ali to complete it.
Praise a mountain that passed,
after achieving what he had and leaving but glory!
How great! This began the guidance,
and that concluded with nobilities!
No nonsense of an ignorant would harm the glory of Abu Talib,
nor would any of eyesight feigning to be blind.
As no one seeing the light of day as darkness,
would harm the signs of morning.
|
So I gave him his due of glory and honor in full and at the same time I didn't determine a matter that I was not certain about."
(2)
We found the contradiction clearly in his passage before his verses when he said that he hesitated to decide about the faithfulness of Abu Talib because he was in doubt about it but he couldn't refrain from glorifying the man, who was the basis of the great edifice of Islam,, without whom Islam wouldn't stand and whose favors made every Muslim grateful to him in this life until the Day of Resurrection!
These were two contradictories that couldn't meet together; Abu Talib was unbeliever! But without him Islam wouldn't stand nor would be there a basis for Islam to be erected upon, therefore the Muslims had to be grateful to him!
What an unbeliever he was after all that!
Wherefrom did he get that right to be thanked and respected by the Muslims until the Day of Resurrection? Was that because of his unbelief? And how was he the basis and the pillar of the great structure of Islam? Could an unbeliever be such?
After all that, ibn Abul Hadeed wrote on the book his
____________
1 Abd Manaf was the name of Abu Talib.
2 Sharh Nahjol Balagha, vol.3 p.317-318.
(212)
verses, in which the rightness was so clear. He showed the great deeds of Abu Talib and his son Imam Ali (s), who were the two pillars of Islam and without whom Islam wouldn't succeed or stand.
The father began the struggle and established the base of the structure and then the son completed the structure.
The father protected and defended the Prophet (s) and then the son often faced death in the way of supporting the Prophet (s).
The great task that the father had undertook but died before it reached the aim; the great son came and completed the efforts of the father.
The father was the beginner of guidance and the son was the completer of the nobilities.
What about this saying "How great! This (Abu Talib) began the guidance" said by ibn Abul Hadeed?
What did guidance mean? Didn't it mean the guidance of Islam?
Would the beginner of the guidance of Islam be unbeliever? I beg Allah's forgiveness!
But after ibn Abul Hadeed had given Abu Talib his due of glory and honor in full, he couldn't decide his believing in Islam. It stopped in his mouth. Perhaps he chocked with water or might his mouth be filled with it that he couldn't speak!
Let's stop at his saying:
No nonsense of an ignorant would harm the glory of Abu Talib,
nor would any of eyesight feigning to be blind.
As no one seeing the light of day as darkness,
would harm the signs of morning.
|
So what harm would be against the high glory of Abu Talib, his firm faithfulness and his certain believing in Islam if ibn Abul Hadeed, who knew every thing, ignored the truth?
Perhaps it was imposed upon ibn Abul Hadeed to walk in this crooked way and to avoid the bright straight one!
(213)
We referred, in the chapter (At The Threshold), to the black market that Mo'awiya had established and had spent too much of the Muslims' monies just to make it succeed, with not feeling of any responsibility nor fearing the bad end of his bad deeds; therefore fabricating the prophetic traditions and distortion the Quranic verses increased in this market.
The false goods accumulated in this market until a mark of disgrace was put on the forehead of time and the pages of history were blackened with dark letters. The truth was distorted and the face of history was deformed.
Abu Talib, the father of Imam Ali, received his share of that terrible injustice made in this market.
Many lies were fabricated against him to perish his faithfulness, to put out his bright belief and to do with his jihad he had done for the sake of Islam. In fact the purpose of these lies was to avenge on him because it was he, who prevented from choking the mission in its cradle when his nephew and come with it; therefore many lies and untrue traditions were fabricated and many Quranic verses were distorted just to defame him and to remove his virtues.
We have, in this chapter, to rove through the accusations woven against Abu Talib and the ill-wills that fabricated against him what he was free from.
We have to examine these fabrications and distortions and to criticize them with full analysis in order to clarify the truth.
Allah says:
(And of them is he who hearkens to you, and We have cast veils over their hearts lest they understand it and a heaviness into their ears; and even if they see every sign they will not believe in it;
(214)
so much so that when they come to you they only dispute with you; that who disbelieve say: This is naught but the stories of the ancients. * And they prohibit (others) from it and go far away from it, and they only bring destruction upon their own souls while they do not perceive. *And could you see when they are made to stand before the fire, then they shall say: Would that we were sent back, and we would not reject the communications of our Lord and we would be of the believer) 6:25-27.
These three verses talked about the doings of some of the polytheists, who listened to the Prophet (s) when reciting the verses of the holy Quran revealed to him but they understood nothing. Allah had put veils over their hearts not to perceive and heaviness into the ears not to hear. They didn't believe in the verses they narrated from the Prophet (s). They disputed with the Prophet (s) about these verses and said stubbornly that these verses were not but myths of the ancient people.
(1) The three verses were common and connected in talking about the same subject; the doings of some of the polytheists, but the fabricators came and distorted the middle verse from among the three.
At-Tabari and others mentioned a tradition narrated by Sufyan ath-Thawri from Habeeb bin Abu Thabit from someone, who heard ibn Abbas saying that this verse was revealed to the Prophet (s) concerning Abu Talib; he prohibited from harming the Prophet (s) but he refused to
____________
1 Az-Zamakhshari said in his book al-Kashshaf, vol.1 p.447 (vol.2 p.10) when explaining these verses: "It was mentioned that Abu Sufyan, al-Waleed, an-Nadhr, Otba, Shayba, Abu Jahl and their likes gathered to listen to the Prophet's recitation of the Quran. They said to an-Nadhr: O Abu Qutayba! What is Muhammad saying? He said: I swear by Him, Who made it (the Kaaba) as his House. I don't know what he says. He just moves his tongue and tells of the myths of the ancient people." ... until az-Zamakhshari said: "... then this verse was revealed ..." It was also mentioned by al-Baydhawi in his Tafseer, vol.2 p.184 and Majma'ul Bayan, vol.7 p.33.
(215)
be a Muslim.
(1)
We put our notes about this tradition as the following:
a. We found among the stories of the narrators of this tradition Sufyan ath-Thawri. He concealed the defects of the traditions of the unreliable narrators, wrote down traditions from the liars
(2) and narrated traditions from the unreliable narrators.
(3)
Ibn Mubarak said: "Sufyan narrated a tradition. I came and found that he was changing something of it. When he saw me, he felt shy and said: "We narrate it from you."
(4)
Ibn Mo'een said: "The mursal
(5) traditions of Sufyan are like the wind."
(6)
It was mention in Tathkiratul Huffadh from ath-Thahabi that al-Faryani had said: "I heard Sufyan saying: If we wanted to tell you of the traditions as we had heard, we wouldn't tell you even of one tradition."
(7)
Sufyan narrated traditions from as-Salt bin Dinar al-Azdi. As-Salt was one of those, who criticized and defamed Imam Ali (s) and the scholars of jarh and ta'deel
(8) criticized him. In spite of that, Sufyan narrated traditions from him but he didn't mention his name. He said, when narrating from him, Abu Shu'ayb told us ... until Shu'ba said: "If Sufyan narrates a tradition
____________
1 Ibn Katheer's Tafseer, vol.2 p.127, al-Ghadeer, vol.3 p.8.
2 Mizanul I'tidal, vol.1 p.398 and Dala'il as-Sidq, vol.1 p.34.
3 Is'aful Mubta' p.2 and Dala'il as-Sidq, vol.1 p.34.
4 Dala'il as-Sidq, vol.1 p.34, A'yan ash-Shia, vol.35 p.38.
5 Mursal is a tradition narrated without a series of narrators or with incomplete series of narrators or the narrators are unknown.
6 Dala'il as-Sidq, vol.1 p.34.
7 Ibid.
8 Jarh means proving the unreliability and untruthfulness of a certain person, who narrates prophetic traditions. Ta'deel means proving that a certain person, who narrates prophetic traditions, is reliable and truthful.
(216)
from someone that you don't know, don't accept from him because he narrates traditions from persons like Abu Shu'ayb the mad."
(1)
There were some people, who considered Sufyan as one of the Shia.
We found ourselves between two contradictories; ascribing Sufyan to the Shia and the truthfulness of this tradition of him!
They were two contradictories that would never meet; Shiism and considering Abu Talib as unbeliever where Ahlul Bayt (s) and all the Shia agreed upon the faithfulness of Abu Talib. So did every fair prudent person. Objecting this consensus meant being away from Shiism. If it was proved that Sufyan was one of the Shia, then he would be free from narrating this tradition.
Imam al-Ameen talked about Sufyan in his book A'yan ash-Shia
(2) and mentioned both jarh and ta'deel about him and said: "... but I incline towards jarh because he showed many objections against the imam of Shiism, Ja'far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (s)."
(3)
There was a saying about his Shiism and then he deviated from that
(4) and another said that he was a Zaydi.
(5)
b. The series of the narrators was cut between Habeeb and ibn Abbas. There was unknown narrator without mentioning any name. This uncovered the hidden secret and answered the riddle!
c. Al-Ameeni said: "This tradition was narrated by Habeeb only without being narrated by anyone else. Ibn
____________
1 Dala'il as-Sidq, vol.1 p.38, Mizanul I'tidal, vol.1 p.468.
2 vol.35 p.137-138.
3 A'yan ash-Shia, vol.35 p.142-148.
4 Ibid p.141.
5 Zaydiyya was a sect of Shi'ite Muslims owing allegiance to Zayd bin Ali, grandson of Imam Husayn. Refer to A'yan ash-Shia, vol.35 p.139-141.
(217)
Habban and ibn Khuzayma said that he was a falsifier. Al-Aqeeli said: Ibn Oun slandered him. He narrated some traditions from Ata' that no one paid attention to them.
Al-Qattan said: He narrated some traditions from Ata' that no one paid attention to them and they were not memorized.
Al-Aajuri said that Abu Dawood had said: There is no true tradition narrated by Habeeb from Aasim bin Dhamra.
(1)
Ibn Ja'far an-Nakhkhas said: He (Habeeb) often said: If a man told me of a tradition narrated by you and then I narrated it, I would be truthful."
(2)
Do you see the indifference of this man towards his narration and his mockery in his tradition?
d. Al-Qurtubi said: "The meaning of the Quranic verse was general and it concerned all the unbelievers, who kept away from Muhammad (s) and prevented people from following him. So was said by ibn Abbas and al-Hasan."
(3)
Al-Ameeni quoted from at-Tabari, ibnul Munthir, ibn Abu Hatim and ibn Mardwayh a tradition narrated by Ali bin Abu Talha and al-Qufi that ibn Abbas thought that this verse concerned the polytheists, who prohibited people from believing in Muhammad (s) and who kept away from him.
(4)
Al-Ameeni mentioned another tradition narrated in many ways and the all thought that the verse meant: they prevented people from the Quran and from the Prophet (s) and they kept away from the Prophet (s).
(5)
e. No one interpreted the verse like Sufyan ath-Thawri
____________
1 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.4 from Tahtheeb at-Tahtheeb, vol 2 p.179.
2 Dala'il as-Sidq, vol.1 p.26.
3 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.3.
4 Ibid, Majma'ul Bayan, vol.7 p.35.
5 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.3.
(218)
did, especially after mentioning the tradition of ibn Abbas that was narrated in many ways. Ibn Abbas contradicted Sufyan in interpreting this verse and in his thought about his uncle Abu Talib.
(1) We have mentioned his clear thought about his uncle in the previous chapter.
(2)
f. The unity of the meaning between the three Quranic verses prevents any one from distorting the meaning of the second verse where it is connected with the previous and the following one.
g. Distorting the meaning of the middle verse especially conflicts with its clear meaning.
The meaning of the verse, as it was explained by all the interpreters, was: they prohibited from listening to the Quran and to the Prophet (s) ... whereas the distorters distorted the meaning of (prohibition) and interpreted it as supporting the Prophet (s) and prohibiting people from harming him!
How could we get such a meaning out of this verse?
h. This interpretation, in which they said that the verse concerned Abu Talib alone because he prevented the unbelievers from harming the Prophet (s) and so they kept away from believing in him, was falser than the previous interpretation.
(3)
The pronoun in the verse was a plural pronoun (... they prohibit ... they ...). If it concerned Abu Talib alone, the pronoun would be a singular pronoun.
Then how could the meaning of (and go far away from it) refer to Abu Talib, who had never separated from the Prophet (s) for a moment? When did Abu Talib keep away from the Prophet (s)?
Was that when he protected and supported the Prophet (s)? Was that when he propagandized for the
____________
1Ibn Abbas was Abu Talib's nephew too.
2 Under the title of (the sayings of the companions and others).
3 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.3.
(219)
mission? Was that when he defended the Prophet (s) and his followers?
How could Abu Talib do all that if he was away from the Prophet (s)?
i. It would be better to quote the sayings of some interpreters about this subject. We quoted these sayings from al-Ameeni's book Al-Ghadeer because some of the reference books were not easily to be at hand.
Ar-Razi mentioned in his Tafseer
(1) two sayings; the verse was revealed to talk about the polytheists, who prohibited people from believing in the Prophet (s), and the other saying; that the verse concerned Abu Talib especially and he said: "The first saying is more accepted for two reasons;
The first: all the previous verses criticized the unbelievers and even the sayings
(And they prohibit (others) from it) must concern them because if we interpret this saying to concern Abu Talib, who prohibited from harming the Prophet (s), there will be a confusion in the meaning of the verses.
The second: after that Allah said:
(and they only bring destruction upon their own souls). It refers to the very previous meaning and it is not suitable that the saying
(And they prohibit (others) from it) means prohibiting from harming the Prophet (s) because this is a good meaning and doesn't lead to destruction.
If it is said that the saying
(and they only bring destruction upon their own souls) concerns the saying
(and go far away from it) and not (And they prohibit (others) from it) because it means that (they kept away from him by refusing his religion) and this is dispraise so your justification is not right.
We say: the meaning of the saying
(and they only bring destruction upon their own souls) concerns all what mentioned previously because it is like saying that someone keeps
____________
1 vol.4 p.28.
(220)
away from a certain thing and disaffects the others from it and so he will harm himself. Harm, here, doesn't concern only one thing rather than the other."
Ibn Katheer in his Tafseer
(1) mentioned the first saying narrated by ibnul Hanafiyya, Qatada, Mujahid, ad-Dhahhak and others and said: "This saying is more acceptable -Allah is the most aware- and it is preferred by ibn Jareer."
(2)
An-Nasfiy, in his Tafseer printed on the margins of al-Khazin's Tafseer,
(3) mentioned the first saying and then said: "It was said that it concerned Abu Talib but the first saying is more acceptable."
Az-Zamakhshari in his Kashshaf,
(4) ash-Shawkani in his Tafseer
(5) and others mentioned the first saying and mentioned the second saying preceded by (it was said). Al-Aaloosi detailed the first saying then he mentioned the second and said: "The imam denied it." Then he mentioned the conclusion of ar-Razi.
(6)
Some people generalized the verse to concern all the Prophet's uncles: "... they were ten (uncles). They were the most of people in being with him openly and the most of people in being against him secretly."
(7)
You knew well that among the Prophet's uncles were Hamza; the master of the martyrs and al-Abbas!
You could decide after that whether these two; Hamza and al-Abbas, would be in Hell and would be concerned by this verse or not!
____________
1 vol.2 p.27.
2 It was also mentioned in Majma'ul Bayan, vol.7 p.36 narrated by ibn Abbas, Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyya, al-Hasan, as-Saddiy, Qatada and Mujahid.
3 Vol.2 p.1.
4 vol.1 p.448 (vol.2 p.10).
5 vol.2 p.103.
6 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.7-8.
7 Asbab an-Nuzool p.98, ibn Katheer's Tafseer, vol.2 p.12.
(221)
What would the perplexed and the infatuated ones interpret more?
As for me, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that. We have mentioned some examples in the first chapter of this book (At The Threshold).
One of them was a tradition narrated by Orwa saying that al-Abbas and Imam Ali would be among the people of Hell!
However Hamza wouldn't be better than Imam Ali in virtues so they would say about him whatever they liked!!!
j. Hence the hidden secret was uncovered and the mean purposes behind distorting the meaning of the Quranic verse from being about the unbelievers to concern the faithful man Abu Talib, became clear according to the weak series of the narrators, the unity of the meaning of the verses and the opinions of the interpreters.
Before all, the doings and the sayings of Abu Talib and the witnesses of the Prophet (s) and his progeny had confirmed the faithfulness of this man.
All that imposed upon us to brush that distorted interpretation aside and not to pay any attention to the evil wills.
