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Why the Holy Prophet of Islam (S.A.W.) was not allowed to write His Last Will?
Why the Holy Prophet of Islam (S.A.W.) was not allowed to write His Last Will?
The last chapter of the life of the Prophet of Islam, when he was
confined to bed, is one of the most delicate and subtle chapters of the
history of Islam. In those days the Muslims were passing through very
tragic moments. Open disobedience on the part of some companions and
their refusal to join the army of Usamah was an evidence of a series of
underground activities and the earnest determination of the persons
concerned that after the demise of the Prophet they would take
possession of the governmental and political affairs of Islam, and
would
push back the person, who had been formally appointed on the day of
Ghadir as the successor to the Prophet.
The Prophet also knew to some extent their intentions and, in order to
neutralize their activities, insisted that all the senior companions
should join the army of Usamah and should leave Madina as early as
possible to fight against the Romans. However, in order to put their
own
plans into operation, the political jugglers excused themselves from
joining Usamah's army on various pretexts and even prevented the army
from marching off, so much so that the Prophet passed away but the army
of Islam did not depart from Jurf (camping-place at Madina) and
returned
to Madina after sixteen days. Their detention was due to the death of
the Prophet. Thus the desire of the Prophet that on the day of his
death
Madina should be free from political mischief-makers, who might indulge
in activities against his immediate successor, was not fulfilled. They
did not only fail to leave Madina but endeavoured to forestall every
action, which could possibly confirm the position of Ali as the
uninterrupted successor of the Prophet and to prevent the Prophet, by
different means, from talking on this subject.
The Prophet came to know about the shocking actions, and secret
activities of some of their daughters, who happened to be his wives. In
spite of the fact that he was suffering from high fever, he entered the
mosque, stood by the side of the pulpit, turned his face to the people
and said with a loud voice which could be heard even outside the
mosque:
"O people! The mischief has been sparked off and rebellion has appeared
like the pieces of a dark night. You have no excuse against me. I did
not declare lawful anything except that which the Qur'an declared
lawful
and did not declare unlawful anything except that which the Qur'an
declared unlawful.
This
sentence shows the Prophet's grave anxiety about the future and about
the fate of Islam after his own death. What did he mean by the mischief
which had been sparked off? Could it be anything other than the
mischief
and dispersion which was created after the death of the Prophet and its
flames have not yet extinguished but continue to flare up?
BRING A PEN AND AN INK-POT SO THAT I MAY WRITE A WILL
The Prophet was aware of the activities which were in the offing
outside
his house, to take possession of the caliphate. In order to check the
deflection of the caliphate from its real pivot and the appearance of
differences and disputes he decided to affirm the Caliphate of Ali, the
Commander of the Faithful, and the position of Ahl al-Bayt in writing
so
that the document in question might serve as a clear-cut evidence on
the
subject of caliphate.
One day, when the senior companions came to enquire about his health,
he
lowered his head a little and reflected for some time. Then he said to
them: "Bring me a sheet of paper and an ink-pot so that I may write
something for you, after which you will never be misguided".
At this moment the Second Caliph broke the silence and said: "Sickness
has overpowered the Prophet. The Qur'an is with you. The Divine Book is
sufficient for us".
The view expressed by the Caliph became the subject of discussion, some
persons opposed him and said: "The orders of the Prophet must be
obeyed.
Go and bring him pen and paper so that whatever he has in mind should
be
recorded". Some others took the side of the Caliph and prevented the
procurement of pen and ink. The Prophet was extremely annoyed on
account
of their dispute and presumptuous words and said: "Get up and leave the
house". (Be off from here).
After narrating this incident Ibn Abbas says: "The greatest calamity
for
Islam was that the discord and dispute of some companions prevented the
Prophet from writing the deed which he intended to write''.
This historical event has been quoted by a number of Sunni and Shi'ah
traditionalists and historians, and from the viewpoint of a critical
study of tradition they consider it as falling under the category of
the
authentic and correct reports.
The point, which needs attention, is that the Sunni traditionalists
have
quoted only the purport of the words of Umar and have not reproduced
his
presumptuous remarks. Evidently, they have refrained from quoting the
original remarks not because reproduction of such presumptuous remarks
amounts to taking liberty with the Prophet but have altered the words
of
the Caliph with a view to protecting his position, so that the
posterity
might not form an adverse view about him on coming across such
insulting
remarks of his. Hence when Abu Bakr Jauhari, author of al-Saqifa,
reaches at this point in his book he says, while quoting the remarks of
Umar: "Umar said something the purport of which is that the sickness
had
overpowered the Prophet".
However, when some of them wish to quote the text of the remarks of the
Caliph, they refrain, with a view to protecting his position, from
mentioning his name clearly and write only this: "And they said: The
Prophet of Allah has spoken in a delirious state of mind''.
It is an admitted fact that whosoever utters such an indecent and
repulsive sentence cannot be forgiven, because, as clearly mentioned by
the Qur'an the Prophet was immune from every kind of mistake and
whatever he said was revealed to him.
The dispute of the companions in the presence of the infallible Prophet
was so repugnant and annoying that some of his wives, who were sitting
behind a curtain, asked, by way of objection, as to why his orders were
not being obeyed. In order to silence them the Caliph replied: "You
women are like the companions of Prophet Yusuf. As and when the Prophet
falls ill you shed tears and when he regains health you rule over
him".
Although some fanatics have apparently coined excuses for the Caliph
having opposed the demand of the Prophet
they
have condemned him from the standpoint of logic, and have considered
his
remark (The Book of Allah is sufficient for us) to be baseless. All of
them have admitted it very clearly that the Sunnah of the Prophet is
the
second pillar of Islam and the Book of Allah cannot at all relieve the
Muslim Ummah from the need of the Prophet's Sunnah.
It is, however, surprising that Dr Haykal, the author of the book
Hayat-i Muhammad has undertaken to side with the Caliph by way of a
hint
and writes: "After this event Ibn Abbas believed that on account of not
writing what the Prophet wanted to be written the Muslims had lost
something important but Umar stuck to his view, because Allah says in
the Qur'an: We have neglected nothing in the book.
If, however, he had studied the preceding and succeeding words of the
verse he would not have explained it in such an unjustified manner and
would not have risen in support of the Caliph against the clear-cut
words of the infallible Prophet, because the meaning of the word 'book'
in the said verse is the creation and the pages of existence and the
various species in the world of existence are different pages of the
book of creation and these innumerable pages give shape to the book of
creation. Here is the text of the verse: All the beasts on land and
flying birds have different communities just as you (men) have. We have
not neglected anything in the book. They will be brought into the
presence of their Lord. (Surah al-An'am, 6:39)
As the words preceding the sentence under consideration relate to the
animals and the birds and the words succeeding it relate to the Day of
Resurrection it can be said definitely that in this verse the meaning
of
the word book, from which nothing has been left out, is the book of
creation.
Besides this, even if we admit that what is meant by the word book in
this verse of the Qur'an is the Qur'an itself even then, as specified
by
the Qur'an itself, it is an admitted fact that it can be understood
only
in the light of the hadith and the guidance of the Prophet of Islam.
The
Holy Qur'an says: Whom we had sent with miracles and revelations, 'Ask
those who know about the Books, if you do not know about this'. We have
revealed the Qur'an to you, so that you may explain to mankind what has
been revealed to them and so that perhaps they will think. (Surah
al-Nahl, 16:44) In this verse it has not been said: "You may read to
mankind". The words used are: "You may explain to mankind". Hence even
if the Book of Allah be sufficient for mankind it stands in great need
of explanation by the Prophet.
If the Muslim ummah could really dispense with such a document (i.e.
the
one which the Prophet proposed to write) why should Ibn Abbas have said
the following words, while tears were trickling down his cheeks: "What
a
painful day was Thursday; when the Prophet said: "Bring me a
shoulder-bone and an ink-pot or a paper and an ink-pot so that I may
write something for you and you may not be misguided in future"; some
persons said "The Prophet is........"
How can it be said that in spite of the sentiments expressed by Ibn
Abbas and the insistence made by the Prophet himself, the Qur'an has
enabled the Muslim Ummah to dispense with the will in question. And as
the Prophet did not succeed in dictating such a will, can it be guessed
by means of any definite indications as to what he intended to record
in
his will?
WHAT DID THE WILL AIM AT?
One of the best method of explaining the verses of the Qur'an, which
even now commands the attention and favour of the research scholars and
the ulema of the present times, is that the brevity and the ambiguity
of
a verse which may have been revealed on a subject, may be removed by
means of another verse on the same subject, which may, from the point
of
view of expression, be more clear than the former one. In the
terminology of exegesis, it is called explaining one verse with the
help
of another.
This method is not peculiar to the explanation of the verses of the
Holy
Qur'an; it applies to the Islamic traditions as well and the ambiguity
of one hadith can be removed with the help of another tradition,
because
our great leaders have given emphatic and repeated directions on
delicate and appreciable matters, the expression of which with regard
to
the aim is not identical and at the same level. Sometimes the aim has
been expressed clearly and at another time it has been considered
advisable only to allude to it.
As has been stated above the Prophet, while confined to bed, asked his
companions to bring him pen and paper so that he might dictate a will
and the same should be recorded. He also told them that the will would
ensure their not going astray at anytime. (As is clear, the reason
mentioned by the Prophet for writing the will was that people might not
go astray). Later, on account of differences between those present, the
Prophet abandoned the idea of writing the will.
It may possibly be asked: "On what subject did the Prophet want to
write
a will?" Reply to this question is quite clear, because, keeping in
view
the basic facts mentioned at the beginning of this discussion, it must
be said that the aim of the Prophet in writing the will was nothing
except confirming the Caliphate and succession of Ali, the Commander of
the Faithful, and making it obligatory for the people to follow the
members of his household. This conclusion can be arrived at by studying
the Hadith Thaqalayn which has been accepted by the Sunni and the
Shi'ah
traditionalists unanimously, because he spoke thus with regard to the
will which he wanted to execute: "I am writing this document to ensure
that you do not go astray after me". And in the Hadith Thaqalayn also
he
used identical words and insisted that the people should follow the two
Siqls (weighty or precious things viz. the Holy Qur'an and his progeny)
so that they might not go astray after him. Here is the text of the
Hadith Thaqalayn:
I am leaving two weighty (valuable) things amongst you. So long as you
follow both of them you will not go astray. These two valuable things
consist of the Book of Allah (the Qur'an) and my progeny and Ahl
al-Bayt".
Can it not be concluded from the wording of these two traditions, and
the similarity present in them, that the aim of the Prophet in asking
for pen and paper was to record the contents of the Hadith Thaqalayn in
a more clear manner and to confirm the rulership and direct caliphate
of
his successor, which had been announced verbally on the 18th of Zil Haj
when the Iraqi, the Egyptian and the Hijazi pilgrims were parting
company (at Ghadir Khum).
Furthermore, the strong opposition of one, who immediately after the
demise of the Prophet constituted a consultative body in Saqifah bani
Sa'idah for the selection of a caliph and made his old friend a
candidate for it in a special manner and the latter's nominating him as
a caliph in violation of all principles, perhaps in recompense for his
help, shows that there were indications in the gathering and into the
speech of the Prophet that he wanted to dictate something about the
caliphate and the rulership of the Muslims. He, therefore, strongly
opposed the bringing of pen and paper, for otherwise there was no
reason
why he persisted so much that the pen and the paper should not be
brought.
WHY DID THE PROPHET NOT PERSIST IN WRITING THE WILL?
Why did the Prophet not exercise his power to write the will when, in
spite of the opposition by some persons, he could very well call his
secretary and dictate the same to him?
The reply to this question is also clear. If the Prophet had persisted
in writing the will, they, who were saying that illness had overpowered
him, would have persisted more in their impoliteness and their
supporters would also have given publicity to this view and endeavoured
to prove their viewpoint. In that case, besides the fact that
impoliteness towards the Prophet would have spread and continued, the
will, too, would have lost its value. Hence, when some persons in order
to make amends for the ill treatment, asked the Prophet, whether they
might bring pen and paper he was much disturbed and said: "After all
that has been said, do you want to bring pen and paper? l recommend
only
that you should behave well with my progeny". Having said this he
turned
his face from those present and they too got up and dispersed. Only
Ali,
Abbas and Fadl remained there.
MAKING AMENDS FOR THE MATTER
Although the open opposition by some companions made the Prophet
abandon
the writing of the will, he made his object known in another manner.
History testifies that while he was very seriously ill he placed one
hand on the shoulder of Ali and the other on the shoulder of Maiymunah,
his slave-girl, and proceeded towards the mosque. In spite of severe
pain and inconvenience he made himself reach the pulpit and mounted it.
Tears trickled from the eyes of the people and perfect silence
prevailed
over the mosque. People were waiting to hear his last words and
recommendations. The Prophet broke the silence of the gathering and
said: "I am leaving two valuable things amongst you". At this moment a
man stood up and asked: "What is meant by two valuable things?" Then he
added: "One of them is the Qur'an and the other is my progeny".
Ibn Hajar Askalani has given another version of making amends for the
matter and it is not incompatible with the former. He says: "One day,
while the Prophet was unwell and his bed was encircled by his
companions, he turned his face towards them and said: "O people! The
time of my death has arrived and I will be leaving you soon. Be it
known
to you that I am leaving the Book of Allah and my progeny and Ahl
al-Bayt amongst you . Then he held and raised the hand of Ali and said
Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with Ali and they will not
separate from each other till the Day of Resurrection".
The Prophet had narrated Hadith Thaqalayn on different occasions and in
various ways, before he fell ill and had drawn the attention of the
people to these two weighty things but the fact that, even when
bed-ridden, he once again gave attention to the correlation between the
Book and his progeny and stressed their importance before the same
persons, who had opposed his writing the will, would make one believe
that the object of this repetition was to make amends for the
non-execution of the will.
DISTRIBUTION OF DINARS
The policy of the Prophet with regard to public treasury (Baytul Mal)
was that at the very earliest opportunity he distributed its property
amongst the needy persons and refrained from keeping the contents of
the
treasury in custody for a long time. Hence, when he was confined to
bed,
and some Dinars were lying with one of his wives, he asked her to bring
them to him. When the Dinars were placed before him he took them in his
hand and said: "How will Muhammad expect anything of Allah if he meets
Him and has these with him?" Then he ordered the Commander of the
Faithful to distribute the money among the poor.
THE PROPHET IS ANNOYED ON ACCOUNT OF THE MEDICINE GIVEN TO HIM
During her stay in Ethiopia Asma' daughter of 'Umays, who was a near
relative of the Prophet's wife, Maiymunah, had learnt the composition
of
a medicine which was the juice of some herbs. She imagined that the
Prophet was suffering from pleurisy and in Ethiopia this ailment was
treated with the said syrup. When the Prophet's condition was very
serious and he was suffering from acute pain, she dropped some of that
medicine in his mouth. When the condition of the Prophet improved
somewhat, and he came to know about the incident he was very much
displeased and said: "Allah does not at all make his Prophet suffer
from
such an ailment".
LAST FAREWELL TO FRIENDS
During the period of his illness the Prophet used to come to the mosque
sometime or other, and offered prayers along with the people, and also
talked on some matters. On one of those days he arrived in the mosque,
while he had tied a piece of cloth on his head, and Ali and Fadl bin
Abbas had placed their hands under his arm-pits, and he was walking
with
dragging feet. He mounted the pulpit and began to speak, saying: "O
people! The time has arrived when I should leave you. If I have made a
promise with anyone I am prepared to fulfil it, and if I owe something
to somebody, he should speak out, so that I may make payment to him".
At
this moment a man stood up and said: "You promised me some time back
that if I married, you would help me with money". The Prophet ordered
Fadl to pay the required amount to him immediately. Then he dismounted
the pulpit and went home. Thereafter he came to the mosque again on
Friday (i.e three days before his death) and began to speak, and said
inter alia: "Whoever has any right over me should get up and mention
it,
for punishment in this world is lighter than the punishment on the Day
of Judgement."
At this moment Sawadah bin Qays stood up and said: "At the time of
return from the Battle of Ta'if, when you were riding a camel, you
raised your scourge to hit your animal, but by chance it struck my
belly. I now want to take revenge".
The offer made by the Prophet was not a mere formality for he was
seriously inclined to compensate others even for those rights, which
are
not usually cared for by the people.
He
therefore, ordered the same scourge to be brought from his house.
Thereafter he pulled up his shirt so that Sawadah might take revenge.
The companions of the Prophet were watching the scene with grieved
hearts, and with tears in their eyes, and were awaiting as to where the
matter would end, and whether Sawadah would actually take revenge.
However, they suddenly saw Sawadah kissing the belly and chest of the
Prophet. At this moment the Prophet prayed for him and said: "O Allah!
Forgive Sawadah in the same manner in which he has forgiven the Prophet
of Islam".
Notes:
Seerahi Ibn Hisham, vol. II, p. 654 and Tabaqat-i Ibn Sa'd, vol. 2,
p. 216.
Evidently what was meant was that the Prophet might dictate the
deed
and one of his secretaries might write it out, because the Prophet had
never held a pen in his hand or written anything.
Sahih Bukhari, Kitabul 'Ilm, vol. I, page 22 and vol. II, page 14;
Sahih Muslim, vol. II, page 14; Musnad Ahmad, vol. I, page 325 and
Tabaqat-i Kubra, vol. II, page 244.
Sharh-i Nahjul Balaghah, Ibn Abil Hadid, vol. II, page 20.
Sahih Muslim, vol. I, page 14 and Musnad Ahmad, vol. I, page 355.
Kanz al-Ummal, vol. III, page 138 and Tabaqat, vol. II, page 244.
The late Allamah Mujahid Sharfuddin has collected all these excuses
his book entitled al-Muraji'at and refuted them in a decent manner.
Hayat-i Muhammad, page 475.
Musnad Ahmad, vol. I, page 355.
Biharul Anwar, vol. XXll, page 469, quoted from al-lrshad by
Shaykh
Mufid and A'lamul Wara' by Tabrsi.
Biharul Anwar, vol. XXII, page 476, quoted from Majalis by Mufid.
al-Sawaiq, Chapter 9 of Part 2, page 57 and Kashful Ghummah, p.
43.
The Hadith Thaqalayn is one of those traditions which are
unanimously accepted by the Sunni and the Shi'ah traditionalists, and
it
has been narrated by the companions of the Prophet in sixty different
ways. Ibn Hajar Askalani writes: "The Prophet invited the attention of
the people to the correlation between the Book and his progeny on
different occasions like the day of Arafah, the day of Ghadir, on
return
from Ta'if, and even while he was confined to bed. (al-Sawaiq
al-Muhriqah, page 136). The late Mir Hamid Husayn of India has
allocated
a part of his book to the narration of authorities for the Hadith
Thaqalayn. It has been published recently in Isfahan in six volumes. In
the year 1374 A.H. a tract about this hadith was published by the Darut
Taqrib Foundation (Egypt). Its importance from the viewpoint of
authorities and the esteem shown to it by the traditionalists in
different eras of Islamic history have been quoted in it briefly.
Tabaqat-i Kubra, vol. II, page 238.
Tabaqat, vol. II, page 236.
Manaqib-i Al-i Abi Talib. vol. I. page 164.
Furthermore, as the Prophet did not hit Sawadah's body
intentionally he had no right to take revenge, but the act could be
compensated by payment of 'diya' money (prescribed compensation). In
spite of this the Prophet decided to meet his demand.
Source: The Message
By: Ayatullah Ja'far Subhani
P. 764 - 774
The last chapter of the life of the Prophet of Islam, when he was
confined to bed, is one of the most delicate and subtle chapters of the
history of Islam. In those days the Muslims were passing through very
tragic moments. Open disobedience on the part of some companions and
their refusal to join the army of Usamah was an evidence of a series of
underground activities and the earnest determination of the persons
concerned that after the demise of the Prophet they would take
possession of the governmental and political affairs of Islam, and
would
push back the person, who had been formally appointed on the day of
Ghadir as the successor to the Prophet.
The Prophet also knew to some extent their intentions and, in order to
neutralize their activities, insisted that all the senior companions
should join the army of Usamah and should leave Madina as early as
possible to fight against the Romans. However, in order to put their
own
plans into operation, the political jugglers excused themselves from
joining Usamah's army on various pretexts and even prevented the army
from marching off, so much so that the Prophet passed away but the army
of Islam did not depart from Jurf (camping-place at Madina) and
returned
to Madina after sixteen days. Their detention was due to the death of
the Prophet. Thus the desire of the Prophet that on the day of his
death
Madina should be free from political mischief-makers, who might indulge
in activities against his immediate successor, was not fulfilled. They
did not only fail to leave Madina but endeavoured to forestall every
action, which could possibly confirm the position of Ali as the
uninterrupted successor of the Prophet and to prevent the Prophet, by
different means, from talking on this subject.
The Prophet came to know about the shocking actions, and secret
activities of some of their daughters, who happened to be his wives. In
spite of the fact that he was suffering from high fever, he entered the
mosque, stood by the side of the pulpit, turned his face to the people
and said with a loud voice which could be heard even outside the
mosque:
"O people! The mischief has been sparked off and rebellion has appeared
like the pieces of a dark night. You have no excuse against me. I did
not declare lawful anything except that which the Qur'an declared
lawful
and did not declare unlawful anything except that which the Qur'an
declared unlawful.
This
sentence shows the Prophet's grave anxiety about the future and about
the fate of Islam after his own death. What did he mean by the mischief
which had been sparked off? Could it be anything other than the
mischief
and dispersion which was created after the death of the Prophet and its
flames have not yet extinguished but continue to flare up?
BRING A PEN AND AN INK-POT SO THAT I MAY WRITE A WILL
The Prophet was aware of the activities which were in the offing
outside
his house, to take possession of the caliphate. In order to check the
deflection of the caliphate from its real pivot and the appearance of
differences and disputes he decided to affirm the Caliphate of Ali, the
Commander of the Faithful, and the position of Ahl al-Bayt in writing
so
that the document in question might serve as a clear-cut evidence on
the
subject of caliphate.
One day, when the senior companions came to enquire about his health,
he
lowered his head a little and reflected for some time. Then he said to
them: "Bring me a sheet of paper and an ink-pot so that I may write
something for you, after which you will never be misguided".
At this moment the Second Caliph broke the silence and said: "Sickness
has overpowered the Prophet. The Qur'an is with you. The Divine Book is
sufficient for us".
The view expressed by the Caliph became the subject of discussion, some
persons opposed him and said: "The orders of the Prophet must be
obeyed.
Go and bring him pen and paper so that whatever he has in mind should
be
recorded". Some others took the side of the Caliph and prevented the
procurement of pen and ink. The Prophet was extremely annoyed on
account
of their dispute and presumptuous words and said: "Get up and leave the
house". (Be off from here).
After narrating this incident Ibn Abbas says: "The greatest calamity
for
Islam was that the discord and dispute of some companions prevented the
Prophet from writing the deed which he intended to write''.
This historical event has been quoted by a number of Sunni and Shi'ah
traditionalists and historians, and from the viewpoint of a critical
study of tradition they consider it as falling under the category of
the
authentic and correct reports.
The point, which needs attention, is that the Sunni traditionalists
have
quoted only the purport of the words of Umar and have not reproduced
his
presumptuous remarks. Evidently, they have refrained from quoting the
original remarks not because reproduction of such presumptuous remarks
amounts to taking liberty with the Prophet but have altered the words
of
the Caliph with a view to protecting his position, so that the
posterity
might not form an adverse view about him on coming across such
insulting
remarks of his. Hence when Abu Bakr Jauhari, author of al-Saqifa,
reaches at this point in his book he says, while quoting the remarks of
Umar: "Umar said something the purport of which is that the sickness
had
overpowered the Prophet".
However, when some of them wish to quote the text of the remarks of the
Caliph, they refrain, with a view to protecting his position, from
mentioning his name clearly and write only this: "And they said: The
Prophet of Allah has spoken in a delirious state of mind''.
It is an admitted fact that whosoever utters such an indecent and
repulsive sentence cannot be forgiven, because, as clearly mentioned by
the Qur'an the Prophet was immune from every kind of mistake and
whatever he said was revealed to him.
The dispute of the companions in the presence of the infallible Prophet
was so repugnant and annoying that some of his wives, who were sitting
behind a curtain, asked, by way of objection, as to why his orders were
not being obeyed. In order to silence them the Caliph replied: "You
women are like the companions of Prophet Yusuf. As and when the Prophet
falls ill you shed tears and when he regains health you rule over
him".
Although some fanatics have apparently coined excuses for the Caliph
having opposed the demand of the Prophet
they
have condemned him from the standpoint of logic, and have considered
his
remark (The Book of Allah is sufficient for us) to be baseless. All of
them have admitted it very clearly that the Sunnah of the Prophet is
the
second pillar of Islam and the Book of Allah cannot at all relieve the
Muslim Ummah from the need of the Prophet's Sunnah.
It is, however, surprising that Dr Haykal, the author of the book
Hayat-i Muhammad has undertaken to side with the Caliph by way of a
hint
and writes: "After this event Ibn Abbas believed that on account of not
writing what the Prophet wanted to be written the Muslims had lost
something important but Umar stuck to his view, because Allah says in
the Qur'an: We have neglected nothing in the book.
If, however, he had studied the preceding and succeeding words of the
verse he would not have explained it in such an unjustified manner and
would not have risen in support of the Caliph against the clear-cut
words of the infallible Prophet, because the meaning of the word 'book'
in the said verse is the creation and the pages of existence and the
various species in the world of existence are different pages of the
book of creation and these innumerable pages give shape to the book of
creation. Here is the text of the verse: All the beasts on land and
flying birds have different communities just as you (men) have. We have
not neglected anything in the book. They will be brought into the
presence of their Lord. (Surah al-An'am, 6:39)
As the words preceding the sentence under consideration relate to the
animals and the birds and the words succeeding it relate to the Day of
Resurrection it can be said definitely that in this verse the meaning
of
the word book, from which nothing has been left out, is the book of
creation.
Besides this, even if we admit that what is meant by the word book in
this verse of the Qur'an is the Qur'an itself even then, as specified
by
the Qur'an itself, it is an admitted fact that it can be understood
only
in the light of the hadith and the guidance of the Prophet of Islam.
The
Holy Qur'an says: Whom we had sent with miracles and revelations, 'Ask
those who know about the Books, if you do not know about this'. We have
revealed the Qur'an to you, so that you may explain to mankind what has
been revealed to them and so that perhaps they will think. (Surah
al-Nahl, 16:44) In this verse it has not been said: "You may read to
mankind". The words used are: "You may explain to mankind". Hence even
if the Book of Allah be sufficient for mankind it stands in great need
of explanation by the Prophet.
If the Muslim ummah could really dispense with such a document (i.e.
the
one which the Prophet proposed to write) why should Ibn Abbas have said
the following words, while tears were trickling down his cheeks: "What
a
painful day was Thursday; when the Prophet said: "Bring me a
shoulder-bone and an ink-pot or a paper and an ink-pot so that I may
write something for you and you may not be misguided in future"; some
persons said "The Prophet is........"
How can it be said that in spite of the sentiments expressed by Ibn
Abbas and the insistence made by the Prophet himself, the Qur'an has
enabled the Muslim Ummah to dispense with the will in question. And as
the Prophet did not succeed in dictating such a will, can it be guessed
by means of any definite indications as to what he intended to record
in
his will?
WHAT DID THE WILL AIM AT?
One of the best method of explaining the verses of the Qur'an, which
even now commands the attention and favour of the research scholars and
the ulema of the present times, is that the brevity and the ambiguity
of
a verse which may have been revealed on a subject, may be removed by
means of another verse on the same subject, which may, from the point
of
view of expression, be more clear than the former one. In the
terminology of exegesis, it is called explaining one verse with the
help
of another.
This method is not peculiar to the explanation of the verses of the
Holy
Qur'an; it applies to the Islamic traditions as well and the ambiguity
of one hadith can be removed with the help of another tradition,
because
our great leaders have given emphatic and repeated directions on
delicate and appreciable matters, the expression of which with regard
to
the aim is not identical and at the same level. Sometimes the aim has
been expressed clearly and at another time it has been considered
advisable only to allude to it.
As has been stated above the Prophet, while confined to bed, asked his
companions to bring him pen and paper so that he might dictate a will
and the same should be recorded. He also told them that the will would
ensure their not going astray at anytime. (As is clear, the reason
mentioned by the Prophet for writing the will was that people might not
go astray). Later, on account of differences between those present, the
Prophet abandoned the idea of writing the will.
It may possibly be asked: "On what subject did the Prophet want to
write
a will?" Reply to this question is quite clear, because, keeping in
view
the basic facts mentioned at the beginning of this discussion, it must
be said that the aim of the Prophet in writing the will was nothing
except confirming the Caliphate and succession of Ali, the Commander of
the Faithful, and making it obligatory for the people to follow the
members of his household. This conclusion can be arrived at by studying
the Hadith Thaqalayn which has been accepted by the Sunni and the
Shi'ah
traditionalists unanimously, because he spoke thus with regard to the
will which he wanted to execute: "I am writing this document to ensure
that you do not go astray after me". And in the Hadith Thaqalayn also
he
used identical words and insisted that the people should follow the two
Siqls (weighty or precious things viz. the Holy Qur'an and his progeny)
so that they might not go astray after him. Here is the text of the
Hadith Thaqalayn:
I am leaving two weighty (valuable) things amongst you. So long as you
follow both of them you will not go astray. These two valuable things
consist of the Book of Allah (the Qur'an) and my progeny and Ahl
al-Bayt".
Can it not be concluded from the wording of these two traditions, and
the similarity present in them, that the aim of the Prophet in asking
for pen and paper was to record the contents of the Hadith Thaqalayn in
a more clear manner and to confirm the rulership and direct caliphate
of
his successor, which had been announced verbally on the 18th of Zil Haj
when the Iraqi, the Egyptian and the Hijazi pilgrims were parting
company (at Ghadir Khum).
Furthermore, the strong opposition of one, who immediately after the
demise of the Prophet constituted a consultative body in Saqifah bani
Sa'idah for the selection of a caliph and made his old friend a
candidate for it in a special manner and the latter's nominating him as
a caliph in violation of all principles, perhaps in recompense for his
help, shows that there were indications in the gathering and into the
speech of the Prophet that he wanted to dictate something about the
caliphate and the rulership of the Muslims. He, therefore, strongly
opposed the bringing of pen and paper, for otherwise there was no
reason
why he persisted so much that the pen and the paper should not be
brought.
WHY DID THE PROPHET NOT PERSIST IN WRITING THE WILL?
Why did the Prophet not exercise his power to write the will when, in
spite of the opposition by some persons, he could very well call his
secretary and dictate the same to him?
The reply to this question is also clear. If the Prophet had persisted
in writing the will, they, who were saying that illness had overpowered
him, would have persisted more in their impoliteness and their
supporters would also have given publicity to this view and endeavoured
to prove their viewpoint. In that case, besides the fact that
impoliteness towards the Prophet would have spread and continued, the
will, too, would have lost its value. Hence, when some persons in order
to make amends for the ill treatment, asked the Prophet, whether they
might bring pen and paper he was much disturbed and said: "After all
that has been said, do you want to bring pen and paper? l recommend
only
that you should behave well with my progeny". Having said this he
turned
his face from those present and they too got up and dispersed. Only
Ali,
Abbas and Fadl remained there.
MAKING AMENDS FOR THE MATTER
Although the open opposition by some companions made the Prophet
abandon
the writing of the will, he made his object known in another manner.
History testifies that while he was very seriously ill he placed one
hand on the shoulder of Ali and the other on the shoulder of Maiymunah,
his slave-girl, and proceeded towards the mosque. In spite of severe
pain and inconvenience he made himself reach the pulpit and mounted it.
Tears trickled from the eyes of the people and perfect silence
prevailed
over the mosque. People were waiting to hear his last words and
recommendations. The Prophet broke the silence of the gathering and
said: "I am leaving two valuable things amongst you". At this moment a
man stood up and asked: "What is meant by two valuable things?" Then he
added: "One of them is the Qur'an and the other is my progeny".
Ibn Hajar Askalani has given another version of making amends for the
matter and it is not incompatible with the former. He says: "One day,
while the Prophet was unwell and his bed was encircled by his
companions, he turned his face towards them and said: "O people! The
time of my death has arrived and I will be leaving you soon. Be it
known
to you that I am leaving the Book of Allah and my progeny and Ahl
al-Bayt amongst you . Then he held and raised the hand of Ali and said
Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with Ali and they will not
separate from each other till the Day of Resurrection".
The Prophet had narrated Hadith Thaqalayn on different occasions and in
various ways, before he fell ill and had drawn the attention of the
people to these two weighty things but the fact that, even when
bed-ridden, he once again gave attention to the correlation between the
Book and his progeny and stressed their importance before the same
persons, who had opposed his writing the will, would make one believe
that the object of this repetition was to make amends for the
non-execution of the will.
DISTRIBUTION OF DINARS
The policy of the Prophet with regard to public treasury (Baytul Mal)
was that at the very earliest opportunity he distributed its property
amongst the needy persons and refrained from keeping the contents of
the
treasury in custody for a long time. Hence, when he was confined to
bed,
and some Dinars were lying with one of his wives, he asked her to bring
them to him. When the Dinars were placed before him he took them in his
hand and said: "How will Muhammad expect anything of Allah if he meets
Him and has these with him?" Then he ordered the Commander of the
Faithful to distribute the money among the poor.
THE PROPHET IS ANNOYED ON ACCOUNT OF THE MEDICINE GIVEN TO HIM
During her stay in Ethiopia Asma' daughter of 'Umays, who was a near
relative of the Prophet's wife, Maiymunah, had learnt the composition
of
a medicine which was the juice of some herbs. She imagined that the
Prophet was suffering from pleurisy and in Ethiopia this ailment was
treated with the said syrup. When the Prophet's condition was very
serious and he was suffering from acute pain, she dropped some of that
medicine in his mouth. When the condition of the Prophet improved
somewhat, and he came to know about the incident he was very much
displeased and said: "Allah does not at all make his Prophet suffer
from
such an ailment".
LAST FAREWELL TO FRIENDS
During the period of his illness the Prophet used to come to the mosque
sometime or other, and offered prayers along with the people, and also
talked on some matters. On one of those days he arrived in the mosque,
while he had tied a piece of cloth on his head, and Ali and Fadl bin
Abbas had placed their hands under his arm-pits, and he was walking
with
dragging feet. He mounted the pulpit and began to speak, saying: "O
people! The time has arrived when I should leave you. If I have made a
promise with anyone I am prepared to fulfil it, and if I owe something
to somebody, he should speak out, so that I may make payment to him".
At
this moment a man stood up and said: "You promised me some time back
that if I married, you would help me with money". The Prophet ordered
Fadl to pay the required amount to him immediately. Then he dismounted
the pulpit and went home. Thereafter he came to the mosque again on
Friday (i.e three days before his death) and began to speak, and said
inter alia: "Whoever has any right over me should get up and mention
it,
for punishment in this world is lighter than the punishment on the Day
of Judgement."
At this moment Sawadah bin Qays stood up and said: "At the time of
return from the Battle of Ta'if, when you were riding a camel, you
raised your scourge to hit your animal, but by chance it struck my
belly. I now want to take revenge".
The offer made by the Prophet was not a mere formality for he was
seriously inclined to compensate others even for those rights, which
are
not usually cared for by the people.
He
therefore, ordered the same scourge to be brought from his house.
Thereafter he pulled up his shirt so that Sawadah might take revenge.
The companions of the Prophet were watching the scene with grieved
hearts, and with tears in their eyes, and were awaiting as to where the
matter would end, and whether Sawadah would actually take revenge.
However, they suddenly saw Sawadah kissing the belly and chest of the
Prophet. At this moment the Prophet prayed for him and said: "O Allah!
Forgive Sawadah in the same manner in which he has forgiven the Prophet
of Islam".
Notes:
Seerahi Ibn Hisham, vol. II, p. 654 and Tabaqat-i Ibn Sa'd, vol. 2,
p. 216.
Evidently what was meant was that the Prophet might dictate the
deed
and one of his secretaries might write it out, because the Prophet had
never held a pen in his hand or written anything.
Sahih Bukhari, Kitabul 'Ilm, vol. I, page 22 and vol. II, page 14;
Sahih Muslim, vol. II, page 14; Musnad Ahmad, vol. I, page 325 and
Tabaqat-i Kubra, vol. II, page 244.
Sharh-i Nahjul Balaghah, Ibn Abil Hadid, vol. II, page 20.
Sahih Muslim, vol. I, page 14 and Musnad Ahmad, vol. I, page 355.
Kanz al-Ummal, vol. III, page 138 and Tabaqat, vol. II, page 244.
The late Allamah Mujahid Sharfuddin has collected all these excuses
his book entitled al-Muraji'at and refuted them in a decent manner.
Hayat-i Muhammad, page 475.
Musnad Ahmad, vol. I, page 355.
Biharul Anwar, vol. XXll, page 469, quoted from al-lrshad by
Shaykh
Mufid and A'lamul Wara' by Tabrsi.
Biharul Anwar, vol. XXII, page 476, quoted from Majalis by Mufid.
al-Sawaiq, Chapter 9 of Part 2, page 57 and Kashful Ghummah, p.
43.
The Hadith Thaqalayn is one of those traditions which are
unanimously accepted by the Sunni and the Shi'ah traditionalists, and
it
has been narrated by the companions of the Prophet in sixty different
ways. Ibn Hajar Askalani writes: "The Prophet invited the attention of
the people to the correlation between the Book and his progeny on
different occasions like the day of Arafah, the day of Ghadir, on
return
from Ta'if, and even while he was confined to bed. (al-Sawaiq
al-Muhriqah, page 136). The late Mir Hamid Husayn of India has
allocated
a part of his book to the narration of authorities for the Hadith
Thaqalayn. It has been published recently in Isfahan in six volumes. In
the year 1374 A.H. a tract about this hadith was published by the Darut
Taqrib Foundation (Egypt). Its importance from the viewpoint of
authorities and the esteem shown to it by the traditionalists in
different eras of Islamic history have been quoted in it briefly.
Tabaqat-i Kubra, vol. II, page 238.
Tabaqat, vol. II, page 236.
Manaqib-i Al-i Abi Talib. vol. I. page 164.
Furthermore, as the Prophet did not hit Sawadah's body
intentionally he had no right to take revenge, but the act could be
compensated by payment of 'diya' money (prescribed compensation). In
spite of this the Prophet decided to meet his demand.
Source: The Message
By: Ayatullah Ja'far Subhani
P. 764 - 774
Comments on this journal
wow, all of a sudden u have knowledge now??? who's pleaing for help in the mut'ah village's alerts section? :)
coward, i dont remember u answering me on any journal yet! at least asif-ali tried then ran away, kharanaseeb's comments i think are written while he's on his orgasm while doing mut'ah to some shia naseeber girl (that's the only explanation to him not making sense, beside being a shia), hahahahaha.
check out my next new journal :) Abtahi encouraging incest!!
in Urdu: www.irib.ir
1. Say : O ye that reject Faith!
2. I worship not that which ye worship,
3. Nor will ye worship that which I worship.
4. And I will not worship that which ye have been wont to worship,
5. Nor will ye worship that which I worship.
6. To you be your Way, and to me mine.
wa salaam
If we were meeting in real life, you can rest assured you would get the full salaams... I don't find these things that necessary because of the lack of personal sentiment when it comes to communicating over the internet. It tends to become an unnecessary formality...
Abused by who? The Shi3a do not have problems with Ibn Abbas.
When I say abused, I mean much is FABRICATED in his name. The Tafseer ibn Abbas is not even the tafseer of ibn Abbass. It is considered to be a spurious account.
Youre basically playing multiple choice and you have not shown a shred of evidence, from your own scholars who refute this, historically or via hadith.
What do you define as evidence? It's already been given as Umer pointed out. In fact, Shibli Numaani criticizes this incident in his Seerah of Umar al-Farooq, and this publication is widely known and praised...
Abused by who? The Shi3a do not have problems with Ibn Abbas.
Bro, basically what yorue playing musical chairs with whatever ibn Abbas reports, whatever you like you take and whatever you dont like you dont take.
Youre backpedalling on the age issue, as I mentioned how do you determine which criteria is deemed "worthy" adn which isnt "worthy" since according to you Ibn Abbas as a kid.
Youre basically playing multiple choice and you have not shown a shred of evidence, from your own scholars who refute this, historically or via hadith.
If you have the latter, do present it, and it possibly may exist, but you have failed to show it.
And bro, I keep saying salams, I would appreciate if you said wa alaykum as salam or wa salam. I consider you a Muslim and a brother, although we may disagree on several issues.
Unlike your salafi buddies, you do maintain respect and I apprecaite that, so at the very least please return the salams of whoever gives you salams, unless of course you dont consider the shi3a as Muslims, which I dont think you do, based on what I have seen.
Fe amani allah
mansoor
That doesnt add up.
Actually, it does add up. It allows a narrator to determine if something is fabricating in the name of Ibn Abbas (R), and what is not. If ibn Abbass (R) is allegedly narrating something that is suppose to have happened when he was a child, and it is NOT CORRABORATED by indepedent testimony than the credibility in the narration is questionable. it further becomes even more questionable depending the SEVERITY of the content...
Saad ibn Jubair was alos very young, and as I stated before, you have two children narrating an event of such magnitude at a time of FITNA... this is what is called GHAREEB in hadeeth narrations...
Many things have been fabricated with respect to ibn Abbass (R)... he is one of the most abused Companions (R) in the history of the ummah...
Az-Zuhri would sometimes present his own words with a narration, and no diustinguish what was his words with those of the hadeeth.... Az-Zuhri was actually criticized be scholars.
Umer..
thos narrations which SINGLE OUT UMAR, go through Az-Zuhri, and he was known for adding things into narrations that were not present...
it's quite convenient that Umar is made the scape-goat..
I mean, we can just as well assume that Ali was with those Companions (R) as well... and the room of the Prophet (S) could miraculously hold all these Companions (R)...
The hadeeth scholars very well recognize this principle of hadeeth. SOme scholars differ, and do not even ACCEPT the narration of a child, while others hold the narration as credible DEPENDING UPON THE CONTENT BEING TRANSMITTED...
Where should I begin?
"....... In fact if it was true that Omar (r) did in fact prevent him from doing so this only serves as a testament to Omar's wisdom.........."
Thank God that Omar was there to stop the Prophet saw , since of course he knows more than the Prophet (saw). Asturgfillah.
And then of course we have your enlightening historically fallacy by claiming Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) murdered Uthman.
Youre two for two bro.
In fact the prophet (saw) DID announce the wilaya of Imam Ali (3as) before this event, as early as Dawatul Ashira. (when the prophet (saw) announces this to Quraysh at a dinner where he was commanded to announce his apostleship.
You should see the Tahrif that exists in some books, and I will be happy to show them to you where in THE SAME BOOK, Haykal (an Egyptian Muslim historian who wrote a book on the Prophet saw) mentions this incident, and then again he convienently omits it in another edition without any footnote or chapter.
Get it through your head NO ONE, including the holy prophet (saw) is above the law, and that means the sahaba or the wives of teh prophet (saw).
Silly Salafi.
Tricks are for kids. ;)
In response to your point where you said :
"..................5. ibn Abbass (R) was at a maximum of 13 years old by the time the Prophet (S)had died. This is not just a minor, who would not be allowed to participate in the Battles such as Badr or Uhud at the age, and yet he
is the only one reporting it......................"
If we take the point that you're trying to make here, that Ibn Abbas was a "kid" when this happened, you need to note the following:
a)this incident was when the Prophet (saw) was in his last few days. If we accept your argument, then that means ANYTHING Ibn Abbas said is not valid if his age is a factor because all his narrations in Bukhari Or Muslim would be WHEN HE WAS 13 YEARS OR YOUNGER SINCE THIS INCIDENT IS WHEN THE PROPHET (SAW) WAS DYING.
According to your reasoning, ALL narrations by Ibn Abbas need to be thrown out by Bukhari and Muslim because he was a "minor" throughout the life of the Prophet (saw).
That doesnt add up.
good job always, khiladi bro. may allah bless you.
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
When the time of the death of the Prophet approached while there were some men in the house, and among them was 'Umar bin Al-Khatttab, the Prophet said, "Come near let me write for you a writing after which you will never go astray." 'Umar said, "The Prophet is seriously ill, and you have the Quran, so Allah's Book is sufficient for us." The people in the house differed and disputed. Some of them said, "Come near so that Allah's Apostle may write for you a writing after which you will not go astray, "while some of them said what 'Umar said. When they made much noise and differed greatly before the Prophet, he said to them, "Go away and leave me." Ibn 'Abbas used to say, "It was a great disaster that their difference and noise prevented Allah's
Apostle from writing that writing for them.
Narrated Said bin Jubair:
That he heard Ibn 'Abbas saying, "Thursday! And you know not what Thursday is? After that Ibn 'Abbas wept till the stones on the ground were soaked with his tears. On that I asked Ibn 'Abbas, "What is (about) Thursday?" He said, "When the condition (i.e. health) of Allah's Apostle deteriorated, he said, 'Bring me a bone of scapula, so that I may write something for you after which you will never go astray.'The people differed in their opinions although it was improper to differ in front of a prophet, They said, 'What is wrong with him? Do you think he is delirious? Ask him (to understand). The Prophet replied, 'Leave me as I am in a better state than what you are asking me to do.' Then the Prophet ordered them to do three things saying, 'Turn out all the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula, show respect to all foreign delegates by giving them gifts as I used to do.' " The sub-narrator added, "The third order was something beneficial which either Ibn 'Abbas did not mention or he mentioned but I forgot.'
Here we have two narrations that come from the books of Bukhari. Now`it is common among sunnis to accept everything that comes from Bukhari or Muslim as absolutely sound, even though this was not the precedent of the greatest Muslim scholars. It is well-worth to note that some of the greatest scholars have criticized narrations from amongst the books, among them Daraqtuni. The reason I have brought this out is to make people realize that one cannot make the Books of Bukhari and Muslim as infallible and this will be deomstrated very clearly through these hadeeth.
1. The Quran has given the Companions a very special place in the ummah. In fact, the Quran has spoken quite clealry that they are to be "witnesses unto mankind, and the Prophet was witness to them."
They serve as the 'middle nation' in which the truth is transmitted to the world. During the period of Riaalah, the truth becomes manifest to those that witness it. The good are separated from the false. Just as God destroyed the people of falsehood in the past, God had
destroyed the people of falsehood during the time of Muhammad (S). Whether God destroys the nations through a natural disaster such as in the case of Pharoah and His People, or the hands of the Messenger and His Followers, the point becomes very clear: the truth is separated from the false. This is precsiely why the Battle of Badr was called the Day of FURQAN in the Quran. It was here that the 70 leaders of Quraysh were killed one by one, and the only one that was not was Abu Lahab. Even he did not escape, because upon hearing of the news that the Quraysh had lost at Badr, he contracted a disease which ended up killing him a few days later. Further, this disease was so bad that his sons refused to even touch his body to bury it.
2. In the case of Muhammad (S), God decided in His wisdom to destroy the nations through Muhammad and His Companions (R). "It was not you who threw, it was Me" and "We will punish them through your hands" are
clear evidence to this fact. What further needs mentioning is that the situation of the Prophet and His Companions was different from other nations of the past, because they migrated to Medina, a place
where hypocrites hid themselves under the guise of Islam. God, in order to prove the true from the false and separate the good from the ugly, and to further cleanse the good from their sins, put the Companions through a series of trials and tribulations from the Battle
of Badr to the Battle of Tabuk. One will find numerous illustrations of the Quran of this very basic fact. The reason for this is that because the Companions were tasked with delivering the message of Truth to mankind. That is why the Sahabah, when they went for jihad
in the various lands, they proclaimed their purpose to the Kings of each country and their God-given right to transmit the message.
3. The Consensus of Companions are as close to prophethood as one can get. Whatever they have said as a collectivity is religion is religion. It is noteworthy that in the prophecies of the Old Testament, God himself refers to His descent from Paran being accompanied by TEN THOUSAND SAINTS establishing his fiery law. The Dead Sea Scrolls refers top the Battles of the sons of Light versus the Sons of Darkness, and despite the tampering of the scriptures of old, it becomes quite evident that the Prophet and His Companions are the ones predicted that would topple the Mighty Godless Empires.
4. It is also noteworthy that the first loss the Muslims suffered in France, halting their progression into Europe, coincided in the same year as the death of the Last Companion (R). Because of this loss, the Muslims expansion was halted. Even though this period cannot be considered the reign of the Companions, which ended with the death of Muawiya (R), it is quite interesting.
5. As far as the ranking of the Sahabah, God himself has given them specific rank. That is why He says that among the Sahabah, the best are those who migrated and the first among the Ansar. After these, the Quran ranked those that followed as of a lesser rank but still
highly rewarded. What is further significant to note is that the Quran marks the believers as one who prays for forgiveness of those that precded them in faith. We know that the Sahabah committed mistakes, but we pray for their forgiveness and we very well know that
their good far outweighs their bad. It is further significant to note that this command took precdence even in public policy during the reigns of the 5 rightly guided khaleephs. Because of their services
to Islam, Sahabah themselves were given portions out of the spoils of war whether they participated in certian battles or not. Those that participated in Badr were given more than those who did not.
Now on to these hadeeth:
There are two narrations of this hadeeth, the one that is considered generally reliable, i.e. the one going through ibn Abbass and all the others going through Zuhri. Here are some points worth mentioning :
1. In both narrations, there are either Basris or Kufis at the ends of each chain. As everyone very well notes, this was the place of political turmoil. How these Basris and Kufans came to know of an event that was exclusive to a few people in Medina, one will never know.
2. The Prophet (S) was ordered to make the truth known to all the People. It becomes clear that by the time the Prophet (S) had died, the truth had becmoe manifest to those around them. "Truth has come
and falsehood has perished, lo falsehood was ever bound to perish." The revelation of the Quran had ended, and the shareeah was already made manifest. "This day I have perfected my religion for you, and have chosen Islam as your religion." the point is the religion was made complete and that is why the Prophet (S) took witness from the people on hajj, "Have I not delivered thy message?" After the people proclaimed yes in throngs, the Prophet (S) looked to the heavens and asked God to bear witness. The Prophet (S) had fulfilled his obligations with respect to the deliverance of the message and to claim that the Prophet (S) had sent the people out and did not tell the Companions about this 'special thing' that would let the Muslims 'never go astray' is nothing but a direct contradiction to the Quran.
2. In the narration of ibn abbass (R) it says two things, with ibn Abbass forgetting the third. The two things mentioned had nothing to do with shareeah but certain policies of the Prophet (S) and how to handle certain affairs with respect to the foreign policy, including
treating foreign dignitaries with respect. What is significant to note is that among the two mentioned, one was already completed and "That was turning the polytheists out of the Arabian peninsula." This
in itself contradicts established history.
3. During the last 3 days of the Prophets (S) life, i.e. after the event, He urged the Comapnions to have faith in the leadership entrusted to Usama bin Zayd (R), and warned the ummah not to follow the ways of the ahl-kitab who took their leaders as people of worship.
He repeated on his deathbead the words of "prayer" to remind the ummah of their obligation to it, and he ordered Abu Bakr (R) to lead the prayers. In these last 3 days, the Prophet (S) was in good health and he even witnessed His Sahabah's (R) praying through the window of his house and smiled. He had 3 days to remind His Sahabah of this 'last thing' but nowhere do we find it.
4. The only one to narrate this event was ibn Abbass (R). What is very interesting to note is that many things are attributed to him, including the famous tafseer ibn Abbass, which is not his. What are the reasons behind this? He falls under the House of the Prophet (S),
and he witnesses the turmoil that raged during the ummah. By the end of Uthman (R), the majority of the elder Companions (R) had died.
5. ibn Abbass (R) was at a maximum of 13 years old by the time the Prophet (S)had died. This is not just a minor, who would not be allowed to participate in the Battles such as Badr or Uhud at the age, and yet he
is the only one reporting it. No elder Comapniosn report this. What is further is that this narration is ahad for the first three generations only being reported from ibn Abbass (R) through Said ibn Jubayr. He himself, was young, by the death of ibn Abbass (R) and by
the time any narrations would have been reported to him, it would be during the time of all the fitnas. So a narration such as this only found route during the period of the fitn and it is ghareeb. An event of such magnitude would not have been reported through one narartor
and that narrator being a mere 13 year old child. as stated before, none of the narrations are without Iraqis and this is especially significant when the hypocrites were attempting to raise dissension among the people with respect to the Sahabah's (R).
Even in Nahjul Balagah, Ali (R) is reported to have said:
"In the beginning of our matter, the people of Sham and us met. It is obvious that our God is one, our Prophet is one, and our call in Islam is one. We do not see ourselves more in faith in Allah or more in
believing His messenger than them, nor they do. Our matter is one, except for our disagreement in Uthman's blood, and we are innocent from his murder."
So we find that the differences between the Sahabah (R) was the death of Uthman (R). When the two parties arbitrated, i.e. Ali (R) and Muawiya (R), it was the Khawarij who split from Ali (R) further sending the ummah down the road to division leading to bloodshed. The fitna mongeres took well advantage of this situation, and they could never forget the fact that Islam had totally laid havoc to their system of hero worship and class system which in the past allowed them
to exploit the poor.
5. The narrations of ibn Abbass (R) single out NONE of the Companions(R), whether Ali (R) or Umar (R).
6. The narrations which single out Umar (R), go through Zuhri. Zuhri has been considered a follower of the tabeein, but has been accused of mudraj and mudallis. He has been accused of this by Shafii, Dara
Qutni, and Imam Malik left reporting from him. He inserts into hadeeth his own words, and it is very significant to note that Zuhri singles out Umar (R) exposing his shia leanings. Some of his hadeeth
put questionable marks on the Companions (R) including the Mother of the Faithful, Abu Bakr (R), and Umar (R).
Imam Abu Da'ud says:
Out of the twenty two hundred Ahadith narrated by Zuhri only half are Musnad . (Dhahabi, Tadhkiratu'l-Huffaz, vol. 1,`p. 109]
Mursal are hadeeth that are disconnected, i.e. Zuhri does not report whom he heard the hadeeth from. His mursal are given the strongest of criticisms.
Yahya Ibn Said Qattan is of the opinion that the Mursalat of Zuhri are baseless. (Ibn Hajar, Tahdhibu'l-Tahdhib, 1st ed., vol. 5, 269)
Imam Dhahabi has reported the following words of Yahya Ibn Said`Qattan The Mursalat of Zuhri are the worst of all since he is a Hafiz. Whenever, he wants he can disclose the name of a person, and whenever
he wants he can conceal his name. (Dhahabi, Sayar Alam al-Nubala, 8th ed., vol. 5, , p. 338)
Imam Shafii says:
The Mursalat of Zuhri are baseless since he even narrates from Sulayman Ibn Arqam. (Dhahabi, Sayar Alam al-Nubala, 8th ed., vol. 5, , p.
339)
So we find that such a hadeeth attributed to ibn Abbass (R) falls flat on the ground, despite it being from the books of Bukhari and Muslim, and it proves to fact that such fabrications have penetrated the best of books and Muslims must not accept such things uncritically. Zuhri
is reporting a fabricated hadeeth and one can only wonder how it escaped the eyes of Bukhari (R). But we ourselves know that Bukahri (R) never finished his work and died before even completing it. Others took to task to compile it but that is a different story.
If one opens the Quran he finds nothing but praise for the Comapnions, and nobody can find them worthy of blame from the words of God himself because "He has written faith on their hearts" and the Quran is the MIZAN AND FURQAN. Further, Jesus (AS) came to prepare the way for the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth... this very Kingdom was the reign of the Prophet and His Companions. It is precisely why in surah Saff, after mentioning the Prophecy of Ahmed, God ALmighty says He has sent the Messenger with the guidance and deen to MAKE IT PREVAIL OVER ALL OTHER RELIGIONS.
And God's promise was fulfilled.