Quick Answer:
Detailed Answer:
Question: would it be possible to deny the brotherhood of the Prophet (s.a.) with Ali (a.s.)?
Answer: ibn Hazm Andalusi has written in <al-Fisal> book that: “the Prophet (s.a.) has said that “ if I wanted to choose a friend for myself, I would choose Abu Bakr, but he is my brother and my companion”. No one has been his brother, but Abu Bakr, and Ali was just the brother of Sahl ibn Hunayf”. (1)
We do not discuss about the tradition, which has been considered to be authentic by him, norabout its procession. We don’t deny this tradition with the same reason that ‘Umar used for denial of Kitf Wa Dawat tradition, because based on what has been mentioned in <Sahihayn> (2), this tradition is the same as that one, and both of them have been quoted from the Prophet during his illness (which led to death). We do not also repeat ibn Abi al-Hadid’s saying, he has said in Sharh Nahjul Balaghah that “the mentioned tradition is false and Abu Bakr’s followers have forged that, because of Ukhuwwat tradition”. We do not also expand our discussion by using the explanation of ibn Qutaybah about the tradition. He has said that: “in this tradition, Ukhuwwat and brotherhood mean the Islamic brotherhood, according to the following verse, “believers are indeed brothers” (5) and this verse has considered all of Muslims to be brothers, as the following narrative, in which the Prophet (s.a.) told ‘Umar: “O my brother” (6), or he told Zayd: “you are our brother” (7), and he alsotold Usamah: “O my brother” (8).
The meaning of brotherhood in the mentioned tradition will be clarified by the following tradition narrated by Bukhari (9), Muslim (10) and Tirmizi (11): “if I wanted to choose a friend, I would certainly choose Abu Bakr. (I mean) Islamic brotherhood and kindness”. In that tradition, the denied friendship is anespecial friendship, not the general one which has been proved, according to this verse:
“the friends shall on that day be enemies one to another, except those who guard (against evil)الْأَخِلَّاء یَوْمَئِذٍ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا الْمُتَّقِینَ” (12).
Therefore, by that tradition, the Prophet (s.a.) didn’t mean the special brotherhood contract, which had been concluded among the Companions by God’s command on the day of Muakhat (brotherhood contract) (13).Because that kind of brotherhood contract had been concluded among people, based on their groups, similarities and their sensual attributes.It means that, the brotherhood contract had been concluded among the two people whose souls were similar. The chiefs have confessed to this matter. During that event, the brotherhood contract had been concluded among Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Abdul Rahman ibn‘Auf, Talhah and Zubayr, Abu ‘Ubaidah Jarrah and Salim Mowla, Abu Huzayfah (the slave of Abu Hunayfah who became free), Ubay ibn Ka’ab and ibn Mas’ud, Mu’az and Thuban, Abu Talhah and Bilal, ‘Ammar and Huzayfah, Abu Durda’ and Salman, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas and Suhaib, Abuzar and Miqdad ibn ‘Amru, Abu Ayyub Ansari and ‘Abdullah ibn Salam, ‘Usamah and Hind–the Prophet’s phlebotomist- , Mu’awiah and Hubab Mujashi’I, Fatimah (the Prophet’s daughter) and Umm Salamah, and between ‘Ayishah and Abu Ayyub’s wife. (14)
He concluded the brotherhood contract between Ali (a.s.) and himself, with delay.Because he wanted Ali to be his brother.He told Ali that: “I adjure by God that I concluded your brotherhood contract with delay, since I wanted you to be my brother. You are my brother, my inheritor and my friend. You are my brother in this word and in the other world”. (15)
How would it be possible that arrogance and verbosity cause one to consider a tradition to be reliable, just based on his own thought, while he doesn’t know anything about its meaning or he does, but he likes to deceive people. On the contrary, he considers the following tradition to be null, while it is agreeable by the community and has been recorded and narrated in Sihah and Masanid books, “you will be to me as Harun was to Moses, except that there is no prophet after me. You are my brother and my inheritor”.
Is it possible that loving something make one blind to that extent? Have the human beings been that cruel and idiot, from the beginning of creation?
According to an authentic tradition which will be mentioned below, this special kind of brotherhood which is peculiar to Ali (a.s.), has been like a famous title, and the center of attraction in every parties among the companions, and they used to use it to argue and the poets used to include it in their poems. “Surely he is liar, the one (except you (Ali) who says these words)
there are abundant narratives in this regard, which can be gathered in a thick book, but here we mention some of them:
1. one day, the Prophet (s.a.) concluded brotherhood contract among his companions, such as Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and others, except Ali (a.s.). For this occasion, he went to the Prophet (s.a.) and told him that: “you concluded a brotherhood contract among the companions, but you didn’t do that among me and others!”. The Prophet told him that: “You are my brother in this world and the next world”.
The document of this narrative is from the following people:
1. Amir al-Muminin Ali (a.s.) 2. ‘Umar ibn Khattab 3. Anasibn Malik 4.ZaydibnAbyAwfa 5.’Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa 6.Ibn Abbas 7. Makhduj ibn Zayd 8. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah 9. Abuzar Ghaffari 10. ‘Amir ibn Rabi’ah 11. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar 12.Abi Ammamah 13.ZaydibnArqam 14. Sa’id ibn Musayyib (16)
You can also refer to the following books (17):<Jami’ Tirmizi>, <MasabihBaghawi>, <Mustadrak Hakim>, <Isti’ab> -which considers Mu’akhat tradition as a reliable tradition-, <Taysir al-Wusul>, <Mishkat al-Masabih> -in Mirqat margin- and <al-Riyaz al-Nazarah> (18).
It has been mentioned in <al-Riyaz al-Nazarah> (3) that: the best act for showing the high position of Ali was the conclusion of the brotherhood contract by the Prophet, because he had concluded this contract among those who had the same features. As a result, he concluded the brotherhood contract between Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, but he chose Ali (a.s.) for himself. What a great honour!
The master ‘Abdul-Fattah ‘Abdul-Maqsud has said in <al-Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib> book (19) that: “even if Abu Bakr is the honest minister of the Prophet (s.a.), Ali is his shadow, because Ali has never been separated from the Prophet (s.a.). The Prophet (s.a.) concluded the brotherhood contract between the immigrants (Muhajirin), who had come with him, and the Helpers (Ansar), to whom the Prophet (s.a.) had given refuge. He didn’t choose Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, nor Hamzah, but he chose Ali for concluding the spiritual brotherhood (Ukhuwwat) contract, who had been raised by the Prophet, himself. The Prophet (s.a.) preferred Ali to all of his friends (including the close, and the stranger ones). Based on all of these proofs, it can be realized that, the Prophet concluded the brotherhood contract between Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.
2. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah and Said Musayyib have said that: “the Prophet concluded the brotherhood contract among his companions, and there remained Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Ali and the Prophet, himself. Then he concluded the brotherhood contract between Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and told Ali that: “you are my brother and I am your brother. If anyone expresses enmity towards you, tell him in response that : “I am God’s servant and the brother of His Prophet. Surely he is liar, the one (except you) who says these words”.
This tradition has been mentioned in many books (20), such as: <Manaqib Ahmad>, <Tarikhibn ‘Asakir>, <KifayahGanji>, <Tazkarah al-Sabt> (in which this tradition has been considered as one of valid traditions, and he has rejected his ascendant’s word concerning the weakness of the document of tradition), and <al-Mirqat fi Sharh al-Mishkat>.
3. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah Ansari has said that: “the Prophet (s.a.) said that: “two thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth, it had been written on the door of paradise that: “There is no God, but Allah, Muhammad is His messenger and Prophet, and Ali is Prophet’s brother””. It has been mentioned in <Manaqib Ahmad>, <TarikhKhatib>, <al-Riyaz al-Nazarah>, <Tazkarah al-Sabt>, <ManaqibKharazmi> and <Kanzul ‘Ummal> by ibn ‘Asakir (21).
4. God’s Prophet (s.a.) has stated in a tradition that: “God has derived our names from His own names. the name of the Exalted God is <Mahmud>, my name is <Muhammad>, and (the other) name of God is <A’la>, and my brother’s name is <Ali>”. This tradition has been narrated by Hamuwaini in the second chapter (22) of <Fara’id>, from Abu Na’im and Natanzi.
5. The following has been mentioned in <al-Imamah wal-Siasah>: “when Ali (a.s.) was brought to Abu Bakr, he said that: “I am God’s servant and the brother of His prophet”. Someone told him that: “swear allegiance to Abu Bakr!”, he said that: “I am more deserving of the caliphate than all of you and I will not swear allegiance to you, and you should swear allegiance to me” (23). (24)
1. al-Fisal [4/147]
2. Sahih Bukhari [4/1612, tradition No, 168 and 4169]; Sahih Muslim [3/455, Tradition No, 22, Kitab al-Wasiyyah]
3. Sharh Nahjul-Balaghah 3:17 [11/49, Sermon No, 203]
4. Ta’wil Mukhtalif al-Hadith:51 [p. 63]
5. Al-Hujurat Sura: 10
6. Al-Riyaz al-Nazarah 2:6 [2/272]
7. Khasa’is al-Nisa’i: 19 [p. 205, Tradition No, 194; and in Sunan al-Kubra 5/169, Tradition No, 8579]
8. Tarikhibn ‘Asakir 6:9 [6/623; and in MukhtasirTarikhdamighq 9/139]
9. Sahih Bukhari [3/1338, Traditon No, 3457]
10. Sahih Muslim [5/8, Tradition No.3 ,Faza’il al-Sahabah book]
11. Sunan Tirmizi [5/569, Tradition No, 3661]
12. Zukhruf Sura: 67
13. The brotherhood contract has been concluded twice: 1. Before the Hijira 2. Five months after the Hijira. We will refer to this matter later.
14. Sirah ibn Husham [2/108, 109]; Tarikhibn ‘Asakir 6:90, 200 [12/136; and in Tarjumah al-Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) –revision type-: No. 146]; Asad al-Ghabah 2:221 [2/277, No. 1822]; Matalib al-Su’ul:18; Irshad al-Sari, Qastalani 6:227 [8/467]; Sharh al-Mawahib 1:373
15. Manaqib Ali, Ahmad ibn hanbal [p. 94, Tradition No. 141]; al-Riyaz al-Nazarah 2:209 [3/160];Tarikh Madinah Damishq 6:201 [12/136]; in these sources the tradition has been narrated as follows: “I adjure by God that I concluded your brotherhood contract with delay, since I wanted you to be my brother”
16. This tradition has widely been narrated, by itself (Mutawatir), based on the theory of ibnHazm about the successive transmission of traditions
17. Sunan Tirmizi 2:213 [5/595, tradition No. 3720]; Misbah al-Sunnah 2:199 [4/173, tradition No. 4769]; al-MustadrakAla al-Sahihayn 3:14 [3/16, tradition No. 4289]; al-Isti’ab 2:460 [al-Qism al-Thalith/ 1098, No. 1855]; Taysir al-Wusul 3:271 [3/315, tradition No. 2]; Mishkat al-Masabih 5:569 [3/365, tradition No. 6093]; al-Riyaz al-Nazarah 2:167 [3/111]; al-Sawa’iq al-Mahraqah [p. 122]; Tarikh al-Khulafa’ [p. 159]
18. Al-Riyaz al-Nazarah 2:212 [3/164]
19. Al-Imam Ali ibnAbiTalib: 73
20. Manaqib Ali (a.s.), Ahmad ibn Hanbal [p. 78, tradition No. 117]; Tarikh Madinah Damishq [12/136]; Kifayah al-Talib: 82, 83 [p. 194, chapter 47]; Tazkarah al-Khawass: 14 [p. 22]; al-Mirqat fi Sharh al-Mishkat 5:569 [10/465, tradition No. 6093]
21. Manaqib Ali (a.s.), Ahmad ibn Hanbal [p. 182, tradition No. 254]; al-Riyaz al-Nazarah 2:168 [3/112]; Tazkarah al-Khawass: 14 [p. 22]; al-Manaqib 87 [144, tradition No. 168]; Kanzul ‘Ummal 6:399 [11/624, tradition No. 44043]; Tarikh Madinah Damishq [12/139]
22. Fara’id al-Samtayn [1/41, tradition No. 5].
23. Al-Imamah wal-Siasah: 12, 13 [1/18].
24. Shafi’I Shahrudi, a comprehensive s e l e c tion of al-Ghadir, p. 287
No feedback yet