Continuing questions about Imam Ali (as), here I would like to discuss the event of Ghadeer-e-Khum, when the Holy Prophet announced Imam Ali (as) as his successor. This is arguably the most important question to address. Shias point to the event of Ghadeer-e-Khum after the Holy Prophet's final hajj, in which he announced "Of whomsoever I am mawla, Ali is also his mawla." What was said is undisputed, it is the interpretation which causes a difference of opinion.
Whilst Shias interpret the word 'mawla' to mean leader and that it was an announcement of Imam Ali's (as) succession to the Holy Prophet, Sunnis interpret the word 'mawla' to mean friend and that the Holy Prophet was simply announcing that Imam Ali (as) was a friend to all Muslims. However, the word 'mawla' has up-to 30 different definitions in arabic, but only one of which translates to 'friend'. Most translate it as 'leader', 'owner', 'guide', 'helper'. In the Holy Quran, the words 'mawla', 'awla', 'wali' are all used to refer to guidance and leadership. For friendship the Holy Quran tends to use the words 'khaleel', 'sadiq' and 'hameem'.
However, whatever concern you have about the interpretation of the word 'mawla', it doesn't make sense for the Holy Prophet to make such an announcement. Before making the announcement, the Holy Prophet ensured that those who had gone ahead were called back and waited for those behind to catch up with him. Over 100,000 people are estimated to have gathered at Ghadeer-e-Khum in the burning desert heat. The Holy Prophet then stood up on a pulpit with Imam Ali (as) and addressed the crowd, asking "Do I not have more authority upon you than you have over yourselves?"
All the people replied, "Yes, surely."
Then the Prophet (SAW) declared: "Of whomsoever I am mawla, Ali is also his mawla."
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Sunni scholar, narrates in his book, al-Isabah, that the Holy Prophet raised Imam Ali's (as) arm in the air and then placed a turban on his head. All in order to declare that he was a friend? Why would the Holy Prophet waste time to do that, didn't the people already know how close he was to the Imam Ali (as)? Why stop everyone in the stifling heat unless you had something important to announce?
Countless Sunni scholars, including Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, in his book Tafsir al-Kabir narrate that prior to stopping at Ghadeer-e-Khum, the Holy Prophet received revelation:
"O Messenger! Make known that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord, for if thou do it not, thou wilt not have conveyed His message. Allah will protect thee from mankind. Lo! Allah guideth not the disbelieving folk." (Surah 5, Verse 67)
It was at this point that the Holy Prophet stopped to make his announcement. How can Muslims believe that the Holy Prophet stopped only to state that Imam Ali (as) was his friend? Would everything the Holy Prophet strived for be rendered null and void if he didn't announce that Imam Ali (as) was his friend? The revelation came with an assurance that Allah would protect the Holy Prophet after making the announcement, because the succession was being confirmed and there were people in the crowd who were going to be upset and rebellious.
Following the proclamation by the Holy Prophet, numerous Sunni scholars (including Jalaluddin Al-Suyuti and Ismail ibn Kathir) go on to narrate that another verse was revealed to the Holy Prophet:
"This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam" (Surah 5, Verse 3)
This was the final verse of the Holy Quran, revealed after the announcement of the succession of Imam Ali (as) at Ghadeer-e-Khum. Islam was not complete until the caliphate of Imam Ali (as) was announced, revealed and made clear to the Muslim ummah. Otherwise, you have to believe that the religion was only complete after the Holy Prophet declared Imam Ali (as) to be his friend - rather nonsensical.
Furthermore, after the declaration of Imam Ali's (as) status,
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi and Ahmad ibn Hanbal both narrate that Umar ibn Khattab was amongst the first people to congratulate Imam Ali (as). "Well done ibn Abu Talib! Today you became the master of all believing men and women, 'Ameer al-Mo'mineen!"
This title that Shias use today in reference to Imam Ali (as), that Sunnis like to criticise, was first coined by none other than Umar ibn Khattab.
The event of Ghadeer-e-Khum makes it clear that Imam Ali (as) was the Holy Prophet's successor. Besides that there are other examples from the Holy Prophet's life. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari narrates in his Tarikh al-Tabari: "The Prophet (SAW) asked three times, at a dinner for his friends and relatives, who will help him in his prophetic mission? On each occasion, only Imam Ali (as) stood up and said he would. Twice the Prophet (SAW) asked Imam Ali (as) to sit down. On the third occasion, the Prophet (SAW) said, "Verily this is my brother, my successor and my caliph amongst you. Therefore, listen to him and obey."
Abu Lahab (the Prophet's paternal uncle) said to Abu Talib (his brother and Imam Ali's (as) father) "The Prophet (SAW) has told you to obey your own son."
The tragedy is that the majority of Muslims do not understand today what Abu Lahab, an open enemy of Islam, understood on the day of the introduction of Islam in Mecca.
I was going to cover more questions in this entry, but I'll let this question be digested for now before dealing with a few more questions about Imam Ali (as).
It's been absolutely ages since I last posted on here, over 4 months. However, inshallah I plan to complete the series this Ramadhan. In Section 3 I will attempt to answer some of the common questions about a very divisive figure in Islam. Venerated by most Muslims, nevertheless, Imam Ali (as) divides opinion and there are a lot of mistruths and lies about him and about the Shia viewpoint about him. He is a great figure in Islam, the Holy Prophet's cousin and true successor. The Shia-Sunni split revolves around the succession to the Holy Prophet and the treatment towards Imam Ali (as).
Q16: Do Shias worship Imam Ali (as)?
This is arguably the greatest fallacy about Shias. We absolutely do NOT worship Imam Ali (as). Imam Ali (as) himself tells us to worship Allah and how he alone is worthy of worship in his very first sermon in Nahjul Balagha:
"Praise is due to Allah whose worth cannot be described by speakers, whose bounties cannot be counted by counters and whose claim (to obedience) cannot be satisfied by those who attempt to do so, whom the height of intellectual courage cannot appreciate, and the height of human understanding cannot reach; He for whose description no limit has been laid down, no eulogy exists, no time is ordained and no duration is fixed. He brought forth creation through His Omnipotence, dispersed winds through His Compassion, and made firm the shaking earth with rocks." (Sermon 1)
Imam Ali (as) is the most eloquent exponent of Allah's existence and his unity. There exists other groups, chief amongst them the Nuzairis who do worship Imam Ali (as), and though they may describe themselves as Shia, they are not considered true followers of the traditional Shia beliefs. We Shias worship Allah alone and we love Imam Ali (as). We take great pride that Imam Ali (as) was the first male to worship Allah after the Holy Prophet, the first to bow down in prayer behind the Holy Prophet in worship of Allah.
The Nuzairis and their like have abandoned true Islam by attributing divinity to Imam Ali (as). Too many Shias have turned a blind eye or even praised the Nuzairis but their beliefs are un-Islamic and something which Imam Ali (as) would reject. "Two kinds of people will be damned on my account. Those who form an exaggerated opinion about me and those who underestimate me because they hate me." (Nahjul Balagha, Saying 116)
Q17: Do Shias believe that Imam Ali (as) is superior to the Holy Prophet?
Yet another ridiculous and false accusation. Some try to accuse Shias of positioning Imam Ali (as) above the Holy Prophet and that the Holy Quran was intended for the Imam Ali (as) but mistakenly given to the Holy Prophet instead. Complete nonsense. Imam Ali (as) spent his life protecting the Holy Prophet, fighting and defending the cause of Islam.
Imam Ali (as) was only 12 years old when the Holy Prophet received revelation from Jibraeel. Are we meant to believe that the angel mistook a 40 year old man for a 12 year old boy? Imam Ali (as) willingly slept in the bed of the Holy Prophet to act as a decoy when the Holy Prophet's life was in danger. He slept there on the night of Hijra so the Holy Prophet could migrate to Madina safely. "And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath compassion on (His) bondmen." (Surah 2, Verse 207)
After the Holy Prophet, Imam Ali (as) was the most superior and greatest being created by Allah (SWT), but he was in no way superior to the Holy Prophet.
Q18: Why do Shias believe Imam Ali (as) to be superior to the first three caliphs?
This fact has been backed up by numerous Sunni scholars. Ahmed ibn Hanbal has said "There is no companion about whom as many merits are reported as Ali ibn Abu Talib." Sunni scholar Ali ibn Abd-al-Malik al-Hindi in his book, Kanz al-Ummal, narrates a tradition from the Holy Prophet, in which he was asked to name his favourite companions. When he omits the name of Imam Ali (as), he is asked "But what about Ali? To which the Prophet (SAW) replied: Look at this man, he asks me about my own self."
The hadith references the ayat of Mubahila in the Holy Quran: "And whoso disputeth with thee concerning him, after the knowledge which hath come unto thee, say (unto him): Come! We will summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, then we will pray humbly (to our Lord) and (solemnly) invoke the curse of Allah upon those who lie." (Surah 3, Verse 61). All historians acknowledge that the Holy Prophet took Imam Hasan (as) and Husain (as) as his 'sons', Bibi Fatima (as) as the representative of 'women' and Imam Ali (as) as his self. (Sahih Muslim, Book 31, No. 5915)
The reason why Imam Ali (as) is considered superior to the first three caliphs, and indeed anyone else (except the Holy Prophet) was because he wasn't just a companion. He was a self of the Holy Prophet, "nafs al-Rasoolallah."
Q19: Why do we call ourselves "Shia" or "Shias of Ali?"
The word "Shia" in arabic simply means follower, friend, partisan. It is used twice in the Holy Quran with reference to Prophets of Allah.
"Verily among the followers (Shia) was Abraham" (Surah 37, Verse 83)
"And he entered the city at a time of carelessness of its folk, and he found therein two men fighting, one of his own followers (Shia), and the other of his enemies; and he who was of his followers asked him for help against him who was of his enemies. So Moses struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: This is of the devil's doing. Lo! he is an enemy, a mere misleader." (Surah 28, Verse 15)
Numerous Sunni scholars including Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Ibn Hajar al-Haytami and Abu Nu`aym all narrate the the Holy Prophet said "Glad tidings, O Ali! Verily you and your companions, your Shia, will be in Paradise."
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, despite declaring that Shias are liars and deviants in his book Al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, narrates a tradition from Abdullah ibn Abbas who says that "When the verse "Those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of creation" (Surah 98, Verse 7) was revealed, the Holy Prophet said to Ali: "They are you and your Shia. O Ali! (on the Day of Judgement), you and your Shia will come towards Allah well pleased, and your enemies will come angry with their head forced up."
Ali said: "Who are my enemies?"
The Prophet (SAW) replied: "He who disassociates himself from you and curses you. And glad tiding to those who reach first under the shadow of al-Arsh on the Day of Resurrection."
Ali asked: "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?"
He replied: "Your Shia, O Ali, and those who love you."
Allama ibn Hajar Asqalani, narrates the following tradition of the Holy Prophet: "The parable of Ali is like a tree, in which I am the root, Ali is the branch, Hasan and Husain are the fruits and the Shia are the leaves."
There is no mention of "Sunni" or "Ahle-Sunnah wal Jamaah" in the Holy Quran. The term "Shia" has been around since the time of the Holy Prophet and is a title of distinction used in the Holy Quran. We are proud to be followers of Imam Ali (as).
Q20: Why do you give such importance to the father of Imam Ali (as), Abu Talib?
Some Muslims not only criticise Imam Ali (as), but they also attack his father, Abu Talib. Many people claim that he was a non-Muslim and recent BBC2 documentary on the life of the Holy Prophet, presented by Rageh Omaar, claimed that he died a non-believer. However, this is simply not true.
For starters, he conducted the nikkah ceremony of the Holy Prophet with Bibi Khadija (as). He was married to Fatima bint Asad, who was an early convert to Islam. If he was a non-Muslim, then his wife would've been obliged to divorce him if he was a non-believer, but she remained married to him until his death.
The Holy Prophet's grandfather, Abdul Muttalib died when he was 8 years old. The Holy Prophet was subsequently looked after by his uncle, Abu Talib until he was 25 years old, and he remained under Abu Talib's care until his death in 619 AD, when the Holy Prophet was 49 years old. The Holy Prophet was protected by an alleged non-believer for over forty years?
"O you who have believed, do not take the disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do you wish to give Allah against yourselves a clear case?" (Surah 4, Verse 144)
"O you who have believed, do not take your fathers or your brothers as allies if they have preferred disbelief over belief. And whoever does so among you - then it is those who are the wrongdoers." (Surah 9, Verse 23)
If Abu Talib was a non-believer and yet looked after the Holy Prophet, wasn't the Holy Prophet ignoring a command of Allah? The fact that the Holy Prophet took refuge with and guidance from Abu Talib shows that he was a Muslim.
"Did He not find you an orphan and take care of you? Did He not find you perplexed, and show you the way?" (Surah 93, Verses 6-7)
Allah (SWT) took care of the Holy Prophet through Abu Talib, would he allow a non-believer to raise his last messenger? Not only that, there is no evidence that Abu Talib rejected the concept of the oneness of God, rejected Islam or even worshipped idols. He was a Muslim who followed Allah and the Holy Prophet. Thanks to him, Islam was allowed to spread and thrive, there would've been no Prophet without Abu Talib. That's why he is important.
Next time I will address more questions about Imam Ali (as), dealing with the important issue of the succession of the Holy Prophet. Inshallah the wait will not be too long.
