After showing the defects of the tradition and the false
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1 Al-Issaba, vol.4 p.203, Siyer A'lam an-Nubala' vol.2 p.64, 423, 425, 436.
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series of narrators, it would be better to discuss the facts that would refute the tradition.
1. The tradition mentioned by al-Bukhari showed that these two Quranic verses were revealed when Abu Talib was dying but when we referred to the two verses, we found that the first one of them had been revealed in Medina.
(1)
The all knew well that the sure of Bara'a (at-Tawba) was revealed in Medina after Islam had become so strong and prevailing.
The story of informing of the sura of Bara'a was famous for the all. It was the last thing that was revealed of the Quran.
(2)
There was a long period between the revelation of these two verses. It was about ten years.
2. It was clear that the first verse, which was a part of sura of Bara'a, was revealed in Medina after the conquest of Mecca. So there was nearly eight years between the death of Abu Talib and the revelation of this verse.
The meaning of the tradition showed the continuity of the praying of the Prophet (s) that Allah might forgive his uncle and that the Prophet (s) didn't stop praying Allah to forgive his uncle along this period according to the Prophet's saying (as they pretended in the tradition). "I will pray Allah to forgive you as long as I am not
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1 Abu Talib died in Mecca three years before the hijra (migration) to Medina.
2 Al-Bukhari's Sahih, vol.3 p.77, al-Kashshaf, vol.1 p.570 (vol.2 p.246), Ta'leeq Sharih al-Kashshaf, vol.2 p.188, al-Baydhawi's Tafseer, vol.2 p.274, Majma'ul Bayan, vol.10 p.5, ibn Katheer's Tafseer, vol.2 p.331, al-Itqan, vol.1 p.27. It was mentioned in vol.1 p.26 that nothing was revealed of the Quran after this except its end. He (the author of al-Itqan) was surprised at the saying of ibnul Farass: "The sura was revealed in Medina except two verses ..." He said: "How wonder! How was that and it was said that this was the last thing to be revealed of the Quran." Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.10
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forbidden from it."
Praying for forgiving Abu Talib (according to their tradition) continued by the Prophet (s) and didn't stop except by the revelation of this verse:
(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).
How was it possible for the Prophet (s) to pray Allah to forgive his uncle along the period since the death of his uncle until the revelation of this verse -as they confessed- whereas many verses were revealed to the Prophet (s) during this period forbidding the Prophet (s) and the believers from being loving and kind to the polytheists and from praying Allah to forgive them or from obeying the enemies of Allah before the revelation of this verse in a long time?
We mentioned some verses in a previous chapter but we mention some of them here too:
a. (You shall not find a people who believe in Allah and the latter day befriending those who act in opposition to Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their (own) fathers, or their sons, or their brothers ...) 58:22.
This verse, which was a part of the sura of al-Mujadila, was revealed in Medina years before the revelation of Bara'a. Seven suras were revealed before the sura of Bara'a.
(1) Also it was said that it was revealed to the Prophet (s) during the day of the battle of Badr
(2) in the second year of hijra.
Also it was said that it was revealed during the battle of Uhud
(3) in the third year of hijra.
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1 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.10, al-Itqan vol.1 p.17.
2 Ibid as mentioned by Abu Hatim, al-Hakim, Abu Na'eem, al-Bayhaqi, ibn Katheer in his Tafseer vol.4 p.329, ash-Shawkani in his Tafseer vol.5 p.189.
3 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.10.
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Some said that this sura or some verses of it were revealed in Mecca.
(1)
According to the all sayings, the revelation of the sura of al-Mujadila was, no doubt, many years before the sura of Bara'a.
b. (O you who believe! do not take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; do you desire that you should give to Allah a manifest proof against yourselves?) 4:144.
An-Nahhass said that this verse was revealed in Mecca. Also it was said that it was revealed at the hijra.
(2)
Some said that it was revealed in Medina depending upon the saying of Aa'isha: "The sura of an-Nissa' was revealed when I was with the Prophet (s) (his wife)."
(3)
So its revelation was in the first years of hijra.
(4)
Any how the sura of an-Nisa' was revealed before the sura of Bara'a. There were twenty-one suras between them.
(5)
c. (Those who take the unbelievers for guardians rather than believers. Do they seek honor from them? Then surely all honor is for Allah) 4:139.
This verse was a part of sura of an-Nisa', which was revealed before the sura of Bara'a.
d. (Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing of (the guardianship of) Allah, but you should guard yourselves against them, guarding carefully) 3:28.
This verse was one of the first verses in the beginning of the sura of Aal Imran. The beginning of the sura, until the eightieth verse or some more, was revealed on the day
____________
1 Many of the interpreters referred to that.
2 Al-Itqan vol.1 p.12.
3 Ibid, al-Bukhari's Sahih, vol.3 p.141, al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.11.
4 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.11.
5 Ibid, al-Itqan, vol.1 p.26.
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when the delegation of Najran
(1) came to the Prophet (s) in the first years of hijra.
(2)
It was mentioned that this verse was revealed about Obada bin as-Samit on the day (battle) of al-Ahzab in the fifth year of hijra.
(3)
Any how the sura of Aal Imran was revealed before the sura of Bara'a and there were twenty-four suras between them.
(4)
e. (It is alike to them whether you beg forgiveness for them or do not beg forgiveness for them; Allah will never forgive them) 63:6.
The sura of al-Munafiqoon, which this verse was a part of, was revealed in the year when the Prophet (s) and his army fought against the people of al-Mustalaq. It was the sixth year of hijra and it was definitely before the sura of Bara'a.
(5)
There were many other verses forbidding from supporting the polytheists, from praying Allah to forgive them and from being loving and kind to them.
The Prophet (s) kept on praying Allah to forgive his uncle and this was the utmost support and being loving and kind to him. Even the false tradition showed that the Prophet (s) kept on that and he didn't stop except when this forbidding verse was revealed as the tradition pretended.
Could we -the Muslims- ascribe to the Prophet (s) a doing that his God, Who had sent him to guide the people, had forbidden him from?
Was it possible for the Prophet (s) to beg forgiveness for his uncle if he was a polytheists whereas there were
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1 As-Seera al-Hishamiyya, vol.2 p.225, Asbab an-Nuzool p.43, ibn Katheer's Tafseer, vol.1 p.343.
2 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.11.
3 Ibid
4 Ibid with reference to al-Itqan, vol.1 p.17.
5 Ibid.
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many verses forbidding him from that? Did the Prophet (s) not pay any attention to those verses or he refused to obey Allah until this verse of the sura of Bara'a was revealed to him?
This sura itself had many other forbidding verses but why didn't the Prophet (s) obey Allah except when this special verse was revealed to him? O Allah! Forgive us!
We didn't know how to justify the continuous praying of the Prophet (s) for forgiving his uncle while Allah every time revealed to him a verse ordering him to cut every relation with the polytheists!
What raving it was! Was that possible to be ascribed to the Prophet of guidance and mercifulness?
It was not but defaming the sanctity of the Prophet (s), violating his high position and causing harm to him.
O Allah! We seek Your protection from causing any harm to Your messenger in order not to be liable to Your wrath and punishment as You threatened whoever would harm a hair of him according to the verses and the traditions!
3. We found many traditions and sayings that contradicted these traditions, which talked about why this verse was revealed.
We quoted here some of them:
a. Imam Ali (s) said: "I heard someone praying Allah to forgive his parents whereas they were polytheists. I said to him: "Do you beg forgiveness for your parents whereas they were polytheists?" He said: "Didn't Abraham pray Allah to forgive his father?" I mentioned that to the Prophet (s) and then the following verses were revealed:
(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. And Ibrahim asking forgiveness for his sire was only owing to a promise which he had made to him; but when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he declared himself to be clear of
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him; most surely Ibrahim was very tender-hearted forbearing) (1) 9:113-114.
This showed that forbidding begging forgiveness for the polytheists was famous among the Muslims; otherwise Imam Ali (s) wouldn't object to that man, who prayed Allah to forgive his polytheist parents. Imam Ali wouldn't deny that if he was not certain that there was a divine order.
The objection of Imam Ali against this man didn't agree with begging forgiveness by the Prophet (s) for his uncle if he was polytheist as it was pretended! And if it was so, the man would answer Imam Ali with another answer and would justify his doing by saying that the Prophet (s) prayed Allah to forgive his polytheist uncle, for example!
But the man justified his doing by saying that Abraham prayed Allah to forgive his father and then the verse was revealed to explain why Abraham had begged forgiveness for his father.
When Prophet Abraham (s) prayed Allah to forgive his father
(2) while he was still alive, he hoped that his father might be guided and be faithful but when Prophet Muhammad (s) prayed Allah to forgive his uncle after his death that because his uncle was faithful. It wouldn't be justified that the Prophet (s) hoped that his uncle might be guided and be faithful because his uncle was no longer
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1 Refer to al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.12 to see the true tradition mentioned by at-Tabari, ibn Abu Shayba, Ahmad, at-Tarmithi, an-Nassa'iy, Abu Ya'la, ibn Jareer, ibnul Munthir, ibn Abu Hatim, Abush Sheikh, al-Hakim, ibn Mardwayh and al-Bayhaqi. Refer to Sheikhul Abtah p.67, al-Itqan vol.1 p.34, A'yan ash-Shia, vol.39 p.158, Asbab an-Nuzool p.127, ibn Katheer's Tafseer vol.2 p.393 and al-Kashshaf vol.2 p.247.
2 He was the uncle of Prophet Abraham and not his father but he brought him up and in Arabic the uncle was called as father metonymically.
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alive.
Zayni Dahlan said about this tradition of Imam Ali (s): "The tradition was true because we found a true tradition narrated by ibn Abbas confirming this tradition. Ibn Abbas said: "The Muslims used to pray Allah to forgive their parents until this verse was revealed. When this verse was revealed, they stopped begging forgiveness for their dead parents but they weren't forbidden from begging forgiveness for their live parents until they died.
Then Allah revealed: (And Ibrahim asking forgiveness for his sire was only owing to a promise which he had made to him). It meant that he asked for forgiveness for his father as long as he was alive but when he died, Abraham (s) stopped begging forgiveness for him."
This was true evidence and doing according to it would be more correct. It showed that the verse concerned those, who prayed Allah to forgive their polytheist parents and not concerned Abu
Talib."
(1)
b. The Muslims asked the Prophet (s): "Do we pray Allah to forgive our parents, who died in the pre-Islamic time?" Then Allah revealed this verse and showed that neither a prophet nor a believer should pray for an unbeliever or beg forgiveness for him/her.
(2)
c. The believers said: "Don't we pray Allah to forgive our parents whereas Abraham has prayed Allah to forgive his unbelieving father?"
Then Allah revealed this verse:
(And Ibrahim asking forgiveness for his sire was only owing to a promise which he had made to him). (3)
d. When the Prophet (s) came back from the battle of
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1 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.13 from Assna al-Matalib p.17, Sheikhul Abtah p.67.
2 A'yan ash-Shia, vol.39 p.158, Majma'ul Bayan, vol.10 p.150.
3 A'yan ash-Shia, ibn Katheer's Tafseer vol.2 p.394, al-Kashshaf vol. p.570 (vol.2 p.246).
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Tabook, he did the minor hajj and then visited his mother's tomb. He asked Allah to permit him to beg forgiveness for her and prayed Him to permit him to intercede for her in the Day of Resurrection but Allah didn't permit him and then the verse was revealed.
(1)
e. When the Prophet (s) came to Mecca, he visited his mother's tomb. He remained beside his mother's tomb until the sun became hot hoping that Allah might permit him to beg forgiveness for her then Allah revealed these two verses.
(2)
f. The Prophet (s) visited his mother's tomb. He cried and made the others around him cry. He said: "I asked my God's permission to beg forgiveness for her but He didn't permit me but I asked His permission to visit her tomb and He permitted me. Visit the tombs because they remind of the afterlife!"
(3)
This tradition was narrated by Abu Hurayra too. It permitted visiting the tombs and crying for the dead whereas those, who trusted in Abu Hurayra's traditions blindly, criticized severely these two points and whoever believed in them.
g. The Prophet (s) passed by his mother's tomb in the year of al-Hudaybiyya.
(4) He asked his God's permission to visit the tomb. Allah permitted him. He visited the tomb, repaired it and stayed beside it for some time. Then he asked his God's permission to beg forgiveness for his mother but Allah didn't permit him. He left the tomb crying and feeling sorrowful. The Muslims cried with him
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1 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.13 from at-Tabari, al-Hakim, ibn Abul Hatim and al-Bayhaqi from ibn Mas'ood, Burayda, at-Tabari, ibn Mardwayh and at-Tabari from Akrima from ibn Abbas.
2 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.13 from at-Tabari in his Tafseer vol.1 p.31.
3 Muslim's Sahih vol.3 p.65, al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.13.
4 Al-Hudaybiyya was a place near Mecca in which the Prophet (s) had concluded a covenant of peace with the polytheists.
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and became sorrowful because of his sorrowfulness.
(1)
h. Ibn Mas'ood said: "One day the Prophet (s) visited the graves. He sat beside a tomb. He talked to the tomb for a long time and then he cried. I cried for his crying. He said: "The tomb that I sat beside was my mother's tomb. I asked my God's permission to pray for her but He didn't permit me and then He revealed:
(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 ...). (2)
i. Burayda said: "Once I was with the Prophet (s) when he stopped in Asfan where he saw his mother's tomb. He made wudhu
(3) and offered prayer then he cried and said: I asked my God's permission to pray for my mother but I was forbidden from doing that then Allah revealed: (It is not (fit) for the Prophet and those who believe ... etc.)
(4)
j. Az-Zamakhshari mentioned that this verse was revealed about Abu Talib and then he said: "... and it was said: when the Prophet (s) conquered Mecca, he asked that which of his parents was later in dying. It was said to him: Your mother Aamina. So he visited her tomb in al-Abwa' then he stood up sighing and said: I asked my God's permission to visit my mother's tomb and He permitted me but when I asked permission to beg forgiveness for her I was forbidden then this verse was
____________
1 The margins of As-Seera an-Nabawiyya, vol.1 p.193.
2 Asbab an-Nuzool p.127 from al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi and others, Ibn Katheer's Tafseer vol.2 p.393, As-Seera an-Nabawiyya, vol.1 p.72, al-Itqan vol.1 p.34.
3 An act of ablution that is required before the performance of certain actions such as prayer.
4 Asbab an-Nuzool p.127 from Ahmad and ibn Mardwayh. He said too: "At-Tabari and ibn Mardwayh mentioned a tradition narrated by ibn Abbas that when the Prophet (s) came back from the battle of Tabook, he traveled to Mecca to perform the minor hajj and he went to Asfan: "Ibn Katheer mentioned something like that in his Tafseer vol.2 p.393-394 and commented: "This is a strange tradition and a surprising context."
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revealed:
(It is not (fit) for the Prophet and those who believe ... etc). This is more correct because the death of Abu Talib was before the hijra and these verses were the last verses of the Quran that were revealed in Medina."
(1)
k. Al-Qastalani said: "It was proved that the Prophet (s) had visited his mother's tomb when he had performed the minor hajj. He asked his God's permission to beg forgiveness for her but Allah revealed to him this verse. This was mentioned by al-Hakim and ibn Abu Hatim from ibn Mass'ood and by at-Tabarani from ibn Abbas. This showed that the verse was revealed a long time after the death of Abu Talib and the revelation of a verse wouldn't be repeated."
(2)
The thought of al-Qastalani here contradicted the thought of as-Sayooti in al-Itqan, who tried to reconcile between the fabricated traditions, some of which defamed Abu Talib and some defamed the Prophet's mother, so he justified that by saying that the revelation of a certain verse might be repeated in spite of that the revelation of a certain verse couldn't be repeated (that the same verse couldn't be revealed twice).
l. Some of the Prophet's companions said: "O messenger of Allah! Some of our fathers used to be good to their neighbors, helped their relatives, freed the captives and carried out their promises. Don't we pray Allah to forgive them?" The Prophet (s) said: "By Allah, I will beg forgiveness for his father. So Allah revealed:
(It is not (fit) for the Prophet and those who believe ... etc). Then Allah justified the praying of Abraham for his father by saying:
(And Ibrahim asking forgiveness for his sire was only owing to a promise which he had made to him; but when it became clear to him that he was
____________
1 Al-Kashshaf vol.1 p.570 (vol.2 p.246). Something like this was mentioned by al-Baydhawi in his Tafseer vol.2 p.298.
2 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.14 from Irshad as-Sari vol.7 p.270, As-Seera an-Nabawiyya, vol.1 p.126.
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an enemy of Allah, he declared himself to be clear of him). (1)
m. The Prophet (s) wanted to beg forgiveness for his father but Allah forbade him from that by saying:
(It is not (fit) for the Prophet and those who believe ... etc). The Prophet (s) said that Abraham had begged forgiveness for his father then Allah revealed:
(And Ibrahim asking forgiveness for his sire ... etc). (2)
n. The Prophet (s) entered Mecca in the year of al-Fat~h (the conquest) victoriously. While he was in some place of Mecca, he saw a tomb. He sat beside it and asked Allah's permission to beg forgiveness for the one in the tomb but he was not permitted. He left the tomb sorrowfully. He cried and the people began to cry. There were no crying people more than them in that day.
(3)
Taha Husayn commented after this tradition by saying: "The narrators were confused about this tomb. They thought that it was the Prophet's mother's tomb whereas her tomb was in al-Abwa'. It might be the tomb of the Prophet's grandfather, the sheikh."
(4) He meant Abdul Muttalib.
I didn't know what the value of the world "might" was while we were talking about an important historical event having its great value whether in the scales of deeds or men!
We knew Taha Husayn well. He always doubted about every thing. He might deny the light of the sun easily by saying: The sun may be not shining!
But to change his doubt so suddenly to a degree that
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1 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.14 from at-Tabari's Tafseer vol.1 p.131, Ibn Katheer's Tafseer vol.2 p.394.
2 Al-Ghadeer, vol.8 p.14 from ad-Durr al-Manthoor vol.3 p.283.
3 Ala Hamish as-Seera vol.1 p.193, ibn Katheer's Tafseer vol.2 p.393 but this mentioned that the tomb was of the Prophet's mother.
4 Ala Hamish as-Seera vol.1 p.193
