The Second and the Third Verses
1.
(It is not (fit) for the Prophet and those who believe that they should ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even though they should be near relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are inmates of the flaming fire) 9:113.
2.
(Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases, and He knows best the followers of the right way) 28:56.
We would like first to quote the fabricated traditions that distorted the meaning of these verses then to discuss the source of the traditions and to uncover the reality of
(222)
the narrators one after the other.
1. Iss~haq bin Ibraheem said that Abdur Razaq told him from Mu'ammar from az-Zuhri from Sa'eed bin al-Mussayyab that his father had said: "When Abu Talib was dying, the Prophet (s) came to him while Abu Jahl and Abdullah bin Abu Umayya were sitting near him. The Prophet (s) said to Abu Talib: "O uncle! Say there is no god but Allah so that I will intercede with Allah for you by it!"
Abu Jahl and Abdullah bin Abu Umayya said: "O Abu Talib! Do you deny the religion of Abdul Muttalib?"
The Prophet (s) said: "I will pray Allah to forgive you as long as I am not forbidden from it."
Then this verse was revealed to the Prophet (s):
(It is not (fit) for the Prophet and those who believe that they should ask forgiveness for the polytheists ...)" (1)
2. From Abul Yaman, from Shu'ayb, from az-Zuhri, from Sa'eed bin al-Mussayab from his father: "When Abu Talib was dying, the Prophet (s) came to him. He found Abu Jahl and Abdullah bin Abu Umayya bin al-Mugheera sitting near him. The Prophet (s) said: "O uncle! Say there is no god but Allah so that I will intercede with Allah for you by this word."
Abu Jahl and Abdullah bin Abu Umayya said (to Abu Talib): "Do you deny the religion of Abdul Muttalib?"
The Prophet (s) kept on asking his uncle to say that and those two men repeated their saying until Abu Talib said, and it was the last word he had said before his death: "On the religion of Abdul Muttalib" and he refused to say that that there was no god but Allah.
The Prophet (s) said: "By Allah! I will pray Allah to forgive you as long as I am not forbidden from it."
Then Allah revealed to the Prophet (s):
(It is not (fit) for
____________
1 Al-Bukhari's Sahih, vol.2 p.201, vol.3 p.87.
(223)
the Prophet and those who believe that they should ask forgiveness for the polytheists ...).
Also Allah revealed to the Prophet (s) about Abu Talib:
(Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guide whom He pleases, and He knows best the followers of the right way)." (1)
3. From Harmala bin Yahya at-Tajeebi, from Abdullah bin Wahab, from Younus, from ibn Shihab, from Sa'eed bin al-Mussayab, from his father: "When Abu Talib was dying, the Prophet (s) came to him ... etc."
(2)
4. From Muhammad bin Abbad and ibn Abu Omar, from Marwan, from Yazeed bin Kayssan, from Abu Hazim, from Abu Hurayra: "The Prophet (s) said to his uncle when he was dying: "Say: there is no god but Allah so that I witness to you with it in the Day of Resurrection." He refused. Then Allah revealed:
(Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases, and He knows best the followers of the right way). (3)
5. From Muhammad bin Hatim bin Maymoon, from Yahya bin Sa'eed, from Yazeed bin Sa'eed, from Yazeed bin Kayssan, from Abu Hazim al-Ashja'iy, from Abu Hurayra: "The Prophet (s) said to his uncle: "Say: there is no god but Allah so that I witness to you with it in the Day of Resurrection." Abu Talib said: "I fear that Quraysh may blame me. They may say that he is forced by fearing death to say that, otherwise I will delight your eyes with it." Then Allah revealed:
(Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases, and He knows best the followers of the right way). (4)
The Narrators of the First Three Traditions
We started with the narrators of the first three traditions for some reasons:
____________
1 Al-Bukhari's Sahih, vol.3 p.107.
2 Muslim's Sahih, vol.1 p.40.
3 Ibid p.41.
4 Ibid
(224)
1. Among the narrators of the first traditions there was Iss~haq bin Ibraheem, whose name was incomplete. There were many persons having this name. We didn't know which one he was. Was he Iss~haq bin Ibraheem, the weak (unreliable)? Or whose sheikh was unregarded? Or who was not trusty? Or whom ath-Thahabi didn't know and who was considered as liar by ibn Adiy and al-Azdi because of fabricating traditions? Or about whom al-Hakim and ad-Darqutni said: he was not reliable? Or about whom an-Nassa'iy said that he was not trusty, Abu Dawood said that he was nothing and was considered at liar by the speaker of Him,
(1) Muhammad bin Ouf at-Ta'iy? Or who narrated the denied traditions? Or who was left without paying any attention to his traditions?
(2)
But he might be Iss~haq bin Ibraheem ad-Dubri, the companion of Abdur Razaq about whom ath-Thahabi said: "He was not a man of traditions ..." until he said: "but Abdur Razaq narrated from him denied traditions. Then they were treated with hesitation; were they narrated by him alone or they were known traditions narrated by Abdur Razaq alone?"
(3)
But the author of Sheikhul Abtah said when talking about this tradition that he was Iss~haq bin Ibraheem bin Rahwayh.
(4)
Ath-Thahabi said about this one: "Abu Obeid al-Aajuri said: I heard Abu Dawood saying: Iss~haq bin Rahwayh became different (dotard) five months before his death. I heard from him some traditions at those days but I brushed them aside" until he said: "A tradition was mentioned to our sheikh Abul Hajjaj. He said: It was said that Iss~haq doted at the last days of his life." Then he
____________
1 A city in Syria.
2 Mizanul I'tidal, vol.1 p.84-86.
3 Ibid p.85.
4 Ibid vol.? p.70.
(225)
mentioned, as he thought, some of Iss~haq's denied traditions.
(1)
We thought that he was the companion of Abdur Razaq because he related the traditions to Abdur Razaq.
Then who was this Abdur Razaq?
Was he Abdur Razaq bin Omar ath-Thaqafi, about whom it was said that he was weak, unreliable and his traditions were denied and about whom ad-Darqutni said that he was weak and his book was lost and Abu Mussahhar said from az-Zuhri that his book was lost?
(2)
But he might be that one, about whom ath-Thahabi had said in his traditions from Iss~haq bin Ibraheem, which we mentioned above: "... but he narrated from Abdur Razaq denied traditions ... etc."
He had narrated from Ma'mar bin Rashid ten thousand traditions!
(3)
Then we found among the narrators the name of Ma'mar. He was not but a liar, unknown and a narrator of denied traditions.
(4)
We thought that this Ma'mar was Ma'mar bin Rashid.
(5) Ath-Thahabi said about him: "He had famous illusions. Abu Hatim said. He didn't narrate traditions in Basra because he had many mistakes."
(6)
Abdur Razaq, who was one of the series of narrators of this tradition, said that he had written down from Ma'mar ten thousand traditions.
(7)
Did you see the great number of traditions?! And did
____________
1 Mizanul I'tidal, vol.1 p.86.
2 Ibid vol.2 p.126.
3 Mizanul I'tidal, vol.3 p.188. This Abdur Razaq defamed Othman as it was mentioned in al-Ghadeer, vol.5 p.252.
4 Mizanul I'tidal, vol.3 p.188.
5 Sheikhul Abtah p.70.
6 Mizanul I'tidal, vol.3 p.188.
7 Ibid
(226)
you see this naughty series of narrators? There was nothing except falseness, fabrication and split ties.
2. Also we found in the series of narrators of the second tradition incomplete and unknown names.
Who was Abdur Yaman?
We didn't find save one name that narrated a murssal tradition (a tradition narrated without -or with incomplete or unknown- series of narrators).
(1)
The second name was Shu'ayb. We found many persons having this name and no one of them was but a fabricator, a liar, weak, a narrator of denied traditions, unknown ... etc.
(2)
3. Then the series of the two traditions met with az-Zhuri. Would az-Zuhri's tradition be trusted whereas he himself had narrated that fabricated tradition, which we mentioned in the first chapter (At The Threshold), saying that Imam Ali and his uncle al-Abbas would be among the people of Hell and would die on a religion other than the Prophet's religion?
(3)
Would a tradition about Abu Talib, the father of Ali, be taken from this man, who had said such a lie, falseness and fabrication against Imam Ali so impudently?
The purpose behind that was clear and was brighter than the light of the sun. What would we expect this man to say about Abu Talib after that obscene accusation and impudent saying he had said about Imam Ali?
It was enough for az-Zuhri that Abu Talib was the father of Imam Ali to say about him worse than what he had said. After that we didn't need to say that he was one of those, who concealed the defects of the fabricated
____________
1 Mizanul I'tidal, vol.3 p.388.
2 Ibid vol.1 p.447-448. It was mentioned in al-Ghadeer, vol.5 p.204: "... Shu'ayb bin Amr at-Tahhan. Al-Azdi said about him that he was a liar."
3 Sharh Nahjol Balagha, vol.1 p.358.
(227)
traditions of the liars!
(1)
The two traditions about Ali and al-Abbas that narrated by him were enough for us to brush him aside!
It would be better to point out that Abdur Razaq and Ma'mar, who participated with az-Zuhri in weaving the threads of the first fabricated traditions against Abu Talib, couldn't keep on with him till the end Abdur Razaq said: "Ma'mar said: "Az-Zuhri had two traditions narrated by Orwa from Aa'isha about Ali (s)." One day I asked him about them. He said: What do you do with them and their traditions? Allah is more aware of them. I suspect them when they talk about the Hashemites."
(2)
He meant az-Zuhri and Orwa and he meant by the two traditions those traditions fabricated against Imam Ali and al-Abbas that they were among the people of Hell and they would die on a religion other than Islam.
It would be better too to mention this event about az-Zuhri:
Someone was in the mosque of Medina. He saw az-Zuhri and Orwa bin az-Zubayr sitting there. They criticized and defamed Imam Ali. Ali bin al-Husayn (Imam Sajjad) was informed of that. He came to them and said: "As for you Orwa! My father claimed against your father and it was judged for my father. But as for you Zuhri If you were in Mecca, I would show you the house of your father!"
(3)
4. Among the series of the narrators of the third tradition we found these names:
a. Harmala bin Yahya at-Tajeebi or at-Taheebi, whose odd traditions were narrated by him alone.
Abu Hatim said about him that no one depended about his traditions. Abdullah bin Muhammad al-
____________
1 Refer to Mizanul I'tidal, vol.3 p.126.
2 Sharh Nahjol Balagha, vol.1 p.358.
3 Ibid p.371.
(228)
Farhathan considered him as weak as it was said by ibn Adiy.
It was said that Harmala had one thousand traditions. All of them were narrated from ibn Wahab. This tradition, we are talking about, was narrated by Harmala from ibn Wahab. He narrated all ibn Wahab's tradition except two.
(1)
b. We were confused when we read about what had been said about Abdullah bin Wahab, the second narrator of the series of this false tradition. It was said that he had compiled one hundred and twenty thousand traditions and that all his traditions were with Harmala except two traditions.
(2)
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was asked by someone about bin Wahab: "Didn't he take traditions improperly?" He answered: "Yes, he did."
(3)
That he narrated one hundred and twenty thousand traditions alone ... wasn't it enough to certify that he took traditions improperly?!
What was this abundance of traditions? He just had to say: someone informed me, so told me, so narrated to me and so said to me until this great number of traditions was to be completed!
c. We didn't know who was this Younus mentioned among the narrators of the tradition. There were many bad memorizer, of denied traditions and even that some ones were surnamed as "the liar".
(4)
d. And as for ibn Shihab, he was more obscure than to
____________
1 Mizanul I'tidal, vol.1 p.219.
2 If we compared with what was said about Harmala and what was said about bin Wahab, the phrase "one hundred and twenty thousand traditions" wouldn't go with the talk about Harmala.
3 Mizanul I'tidal, vol.2 p.86.
4 Ibid vol.3 p.336-340.
(229)
know anything about him!
5. Thus the series of the three traditions connected with Sa'eed bin al-Mussayyab, who had narrated the traditions from his father.
Hence we couldn't trust in the tradition after all these defects even if it was narrated by Sa'eed bin al-Mussayyab. In fact there was a great disagreement about this Sa'eed himself in jarh and ta'deel (whether he was reliable or not).
Among those, who criticized him, was ibn Abul Hadeed. He considered him as one of those, who deviated from Imam Ali (s), and that there was something (evil) in his heart towards Imam Ali
(1) and he was one of those, who hated and criticized Imam Ali (s).
As long as he hated Imam Ali (s), so it wouldn't be possible in any case to trust in his traditions; then how about a tradition concerning Abu Talib, who was the father of Imam Ali. Imam Ali, according to many prophetic traditions, was the separative limit between faithfulness and polytheism; that no polytheist would love him and no faithful would hate him.
We would like to mention some events and saying concerning this man. We begin with this dialogue between him and Omar bin Ali bin Abu Talib as it was mentioned by ibn Abul Hadeed: "... Omar bin Ali (s) scolded him severely.
Abdur Rahman bin al-Asswad narrated that Abu Dawood al-Hamadani had said: "Once I was there when Sa'eed bin al-Mussayyab asked Omar bin Ali bin Abu Talib (s) in the mosque.
He said to Omar: "O my nephew!
(2) I don't see that you come to the Prophet's mosque so much like your brothers
____________
1 Refer to Sharh Nahjol Balagha, vol.1 p.370 and al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.9, 56.
2 It was just a metonymy because he was not his nephew.
(230)
and cousins!"
Omar said: "O bin al-Mussayyab! Do I meet you whenever I come to the mosque?"
Sa'eed said: "I don't like to make you angry. I have heard your father saying: I have a position that is much better for the family of Abdul Muttalib than all what is there on the earth."
Omar said: "And I have hard my father saying: No word of wisdom in a polytheist's heart remains, unless he utters it before he leaves this life."
Sa'eed said: "O my nephew! Do you make of me a polytheist?"
Omar said: "It is what I say." Then he left.
(1)
Thus this word of rightness had come out of bin al-Mussayyab's heart before he left this world.
This severity of Omar bin Ali towards bin al-Mussayyab might show his bad situation towards Imam Ali, his deviating from him, hating him and trying to defame him!
Here is another event showing his deviating from Ahlul Bayt (s):
One day Sa'eed bin al-Mussayyab passed by the dead body of Imam Sajjad (Ali bin al-Husayn) but he didn't offer the prayer for the dead. Someone came to him and denied his behavior. He said to him: "Don't you offer the prayer for this virtuous man of the virtuous Ahlul Bayt?
Sa'eed bin al-Mussayyab said: "Offering two rak'as
(2) is better to me than to offer the prayer for this virtuous man!"
(3)
____________
1 Sharh Nahjol Balagha, vol.1 p.370, al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.9, A'yan ash-Shia, vol.35 p.78-79.
2 Rak'a is a unit of prayer.
3 Sheikhul Abtah vol.1 p.370, al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.9, A'yan ash-Shia, vol.35 p.72-73.
(231)
Then how could we trust in a tradition against Ali from a man suspected of hating him?
If we knew that Sa'eed had said: "Whoever loved Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, confessed that the ten persons
(1) would be in paradise, prayed Allah to have mercy upon Mo'awiya (!!) and died on that, Allah wouldn't punish him in the Day of Punishment",
(2) then we would know, after he had cleared his situation towards Mo'awiya, what value a tradition, said by this man against Abu Talib, had!
The situation of Sa'eed bin al-Mussayyab towards Mo'awiya couldn't be denied. He narrated another false tradition about Mo'awiya that the Prophet (s) had said: "... he went towards the One, Whom no one could go except towards; and I hope that Allah won't punish him."
(3)
Do you know what led him to narrate this false tradition, which made him forget all the shed bloods, the extorted rights and all the disgraceful and obscene doings done by Mo'awiya?
He justified that by an untruthful saying said by Mo'awiya when he was under the wing of death and all the ways were closed before him.
Mo'awiya said: "O Allah! Forgive the stumble, remit the slip and grant your patience to the one, who doesn't hope save You and doesn't trust save in You. You are the greatest forgive and there is no escape for a sinful save towards You."
(4)
Perhaps the saying of Mo'awiya was the cornerstone
____________
1 There was a tradition, in which it was pretended that the Prophet (s) had promised ten certain persons of being among the people of Paradise.
2 Al-Ghadeer, vol.10 p.38, ibn Katheer's Tareekh, vol.8 p.139-140.
3 A'yan ash-Shia, vol.35 p.80.
4 Ibid
(232)
for the heresy of the Murji'ah
(1) and hence Mo'awiya was considered to be the first of the Murjites.
Murjiism began from this unjust structure that Mo'awiya had erected upon committing sins and crimes and spreading vices and injustice.
Surely this unjust Mo'awiya uttered these words with his tongue only, when he was dying, without believing in them whereas his doings didn't know any of these meanings. Then came after him who hoped that might Allah not punish this immoral blood-shedder and might forget -may He forgive us- what this or that might have forgotten his sins and crimes.
And it would be better to show the situation of Sa'eed bin al-Mussayyab in evaluating Mo'awiya and his likes of the mean Umayyad house.
He was asked: "Who is the most eloquent of people?"
He said: "The messenger of Allah (s) ..."
It was said to him: "We don't ask you about this!"
Then he didn't find save Mo'awiya, his son Yazeed, Sa'eed bin al-Aass and his son Amr al-Ashdaq.
(2)
By this we knew that he was deviate from Ali and his progeny, for what eloquence these persons had in comparison with the ocean of Imam Ali's eloquence!
There was a great disagreement about Sa'eed and the thoughts were different about him. Some ones considered him as Shia and as one of Imam Ali bin al-Husayn's disciples.
But this was not true for many reasons that we didn't want to waste time in detailing. His traditions against Ahlul Bayt and their father Abu Talib besides the saying
____________
1 one of the earliest Islamic sects to believe in the postponement of judgement on committers of serious sins, recognizing Allah alone as being able to decide whether or not a Muslim had lost his faith.
2 Al-Bayan wet-Tebyeen, vol.1 p.302.
(233)
of Imam Sajjad himself, of whom Sa'eed was considered as disciple, was sufficient evidence for us to show his deviation.
If it was proved that he was a Shia, this tradition would be not his.
Some people, as al-Mufeed, considered him as one of those, who hated Ahlul Bayt.
And some, as Malik, considered him as one of the Kharijites.
(1)
Any how if ta'deel was preferred to jarh about this man, and this what we liked, then this tradition wouldn't have been narrated by him definitely.
If Sa'eed was reliable, then definitely it would be the doubtful series of the narrators that fabricated the tradition and ascribed it to Sa'eed.
As for the father of Sa'eed, al-Mussayyab bin Hazan, from whom his son Sa'eed had inherited "severity and impoliteness"
(2) and who was "one of those, who became Muslims (unwillingly) after the conquest of Mecca."
(3)
So how could he attend the death of Abu Talib? And if he attended the death of Abu Talib, then how would his tradition be trusted whereas he wanted to increase the number of the polytheists, who would join him to justify his polytheistic situation?
This tradition couldn't be trusted for many reasons; the incomplete and suspicious series of narrators and that it was objected by true and reliable traditions.
