فلعن اللّٰه أمَّةً أسَّست أساس الظلم والجَوْر عليكم أهل البيت ولعن اللّٰه أمَّةً دفعتكم عن مقامكم وأزالتكم عن مراتبكم التي رتبكم اللّٰه فيها ولعن اللّٰه أمَّةً قتلتكم ولعن اللّٰه الممهِّدين لهم بالتمكين من قتالكم

…therefore, may Allah distance from His mercy the community that laid the foundation of wrongdoing and injustice against you, O Household of the Prophet; and may Allah distance from His mercy the community who removed you from your position and separated you from your stations where Allah had established you; and may Allah distance from His mercy the community who slew you; and may Allah distance from His mercy those who facilitated for them the possibility to combat with you.

فلعن اللّٰهُ أمَّةً أسَّست أساسَ الظُّلم والجَوْر عليكم أهل البيت

…therefore, may Allah distance from His mercy the community that laid the foundation of wrongdoing and transgression against you, O Household of the Prophet.

Commentary

The conjunctive particle fa1 in the phrase “fa la’ana Allahu...” signifies that what follows is because of the preceding account2. In other words: The calamity and loss on all the Muslims and the entire universe due to what happened to Imam al-Husayn (‘a) is intense and severe, fa (therefore) la’ana Allahu… (may Allah distance from His mercy…”)

The trilateral verb la’ana comes from the infinitive La’n, which literally means “to distance or banish one”.3 Therefore, when Allah ‘curses’, He expels and distances one from His mercy and proximity. Although grammatically in the past tense, the verb is employed here in the invocative sense. Therefore, when we say “fa la’ana Allahu…” we do not mean “therefore, Allah distanced from His mercy…” but rather “therefore, may Allah distance from His mercy…”.

The word ummah, which we have rendered above as “community” is translated by leading lexicographers as “every group that is united in one thing, be it religion, time or place, whether forcefully or willingly”4. In simple words: If a group is united in religion, time, or place, etc., whether willingly or not, it is known as an ummah.

أسَّست أساسَ الظُّلم والجَوْر

…that laid the foundation of wrongdoing and transgression…

The past tense verb assasa5 literally means “He laid the foundation”. Al- Khurasani in his al-Mu’jam discussing its etymology says that its triconsonantal origin (a.s.s.) signifies ‘the root and origin of a thing’ (asl al- shay’ wa awwaluhu)6. And the root and origin of a thing in reality is its foundation. The root and origin of a building, for example, is its foundation. The Holy Qur’an employs the verb assasa when it tries to compare two kinds of foundations, that which is established on God- wariness (taqwa) and Divine pleasure, and that which is established on the basis of wrongdoing (zulm). Almighty Allah says:

أَفَمَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَىٰ تَقْوَىٰ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٍ خَيْرٌ أَم مَّنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَىٰ شَفَا جُرُفٍ هَارٍ فَانْهَارَ بِهِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

“Is he who founds his building on God-wariness and [the pursuit of Allah’s] pleasure better-off or he who founds his building on the brink of a collapsing bank which collapses with him into the fire of Hell? And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing lot” (9:109).

Here the concluding phrase “Allah does not guide the wrongdoing lot” (wa Allahu la yahdi al-qawma al-zalimin) implies that the second kind of foundation which is “the brink of a collapsing bank” in reality is the foundation of zulm and wrongdoing. It also informs us that such an edifice will be continuously deprived of Allah’s guidance (…la yahdi al-qawm al- zalimin).

The word asas in the phrase “…assasa asas al-zulm…” having the same origin as the verb assasa discussed earlier, offers a similar connotation. It means “the foundation or origin [of a thing]”. Al-Jawhari in his al-Sihah, says:

الاُسَ أصْلُ البِناءِ وكذلك الأَسَاسُ

Al-uss is the foundation of a building, and likewise is al-asas7.

The word zulm is “to place a thing where it does not belong” or “to place something in the wrong place”. Al-zulm ‘ala Ahl al-Bayt therefore, would mean to “to position the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) in the wrong place”. In other words, to deprive them of their position as the true guardians of religion, to treat them as ordinary fallible human beings, to separate them from the Muslims, and to carry out different kinds of oppression against them.

The word jawr is defined as follows:

Ibn Faris in his Mu’jam says:

الجيم والواو والراء أصل واحد وهو الميل عن الطريق

The single root of jim, waw, and ra’ [that spell jawr] means an inclination to move away from the path8.

Al-Jawhari in his al-Sihah says:

الجور الميل عن القصد

Al-Jawr is to decline from one’s equilibrium9. Ibn Sida explaining the meaning of jawr says:

وكل من مالَ فقد جارَ ومنه جوْرُ الحاكِم إنما هو مَيلُهُ في حكمِه

And whosoever inclines, faqad jara (he has done jawr). An example of such usage is jawr al-hakim, which means his (the ruler’s) sole personal inclination in his command10.

Al-Mustafawi says in his al-Tahqiq:

أن الأصل الواحد في هذه المادّة هو الميل الى شيء ... و إذا استعملت بحرف عن أو على: فتكون بمعنى الاعراض والتعدّي و الظلم

The single root meaning of the word jawr is “to incline to something (al- mayl ila shay’in)” … and when it is employed with the preposition ‘an or ‘ala it confers the meaning of turning away, transgression and oppression…11

In light of the aforesaid, therefore, the literal meaning of the phrase under discussion would be, “…therefore, may Allah distance from His mercy the community that established the foundation of wrongdoing and transgression against you, O Ahl al-Bayt”.

عليكم أهل البيت

against you, O Household of the Prophet

There has been a controversy among Muslims about the identity of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). Whereas a group is blindly adamant that the term does not refer to anyone save the wives of the Holy Prophet (S), another group establishes with evidence that it cannot refer to anyone save the infallible progeny of the Holy Prophet (S).

There are more than a hundred and fifty Sunni references12 that state the term “Ahl al-Bayt” refers to the five companions of the mantle (Ashab al- Kisa’). Examples of these authentic references are as follows:

1. Sahih Muslim, the chapter on the merits of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) (Fada’il Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)). The narrator is ‘A’ishah.

2. Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthur of Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti. The narrators of the tradition in this source are: Ahmad, Ibn Shaybah, Ibn Jurayr and Ibn Abi Hatim.

3. Al-Mustadrak of al-Hakim (v.3, p. 147). He narrates it from a different chain of narration from ‘A’ishah, the wife of the Prophet (S). He has also endorsed the tradition through two well-known sources accepted by Sunnis:

4. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih al-Muslim

5. Manaqib Ahl al-Bayt of al-Tirmidhi. The narration in this work is from ‘Umar Ibn Abi Salamah.

6. Musnad of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (v.6, p. 304). The narrator of the tradition is Umm Salamah, the wife of the Holy Prophet (S).

Following are some noteworthy narrations that explicitly reveal that Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) cannot refer to the wives of the Prophet (S):

Al-Tirmidhi in his Manaqib Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) narrates:

عن عمر بن أبي سلمة : نزلت هذه الآية على النبي (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله): إنَّما يريد اللّٰه ليذهب عنكم الرِّجس أهل البيت ويطهِّركم تطهيراً في بيت أم سلمة، فدعى النبي (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله) فاطمة وحَسَنًا وَحُسَيْنًا وعَليٌّ (عليه السلام) خلف ظهره، فجلَّلَهم بكساء، ثم قال: (اللهم هؤلاء أهل بيتي فأذهب عنهم الرِّجسَ وطَهِّرهم تطهيرا). قالت أم سلمة: وأنا معهم يا نبيَّ اللَّه؟ قال: أنت على مكانك، وأنتِ إلى خَيْرٍ.

‘Umar Ibn Abi Salamah narrates: The verse:

إنَّما يريد اللّٰه ليذهب عنكم الرِّجس أهل البيت ويطهِّركم تطهيراً

“Indeed, Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and purify you with a thorough purification” (33:33).

Was revealed to the Prophet (S) in the house of Umm Salamah. Thereupon the Prophet (S) called Fatimah (‘a), Hasan (‘a), and Husayn (‘a), while ‘Ali (‘a) stood behind the Prophet (S). So he (S) covered them with a mantle, and thereafter said: O Allah, these are my Ahl al-Bayt; therefore, remove from them impurities and purify them with a thorough purification. Thereupon Umm Salamah [who stood nearby] said: Am I also among them (the Ahl al-Bayt), O Prophet of Allah? The Prophet (S) said: You retain your station, and are heading towards the good13.

Observe here that Umm Salamah, one of the noble and loyal wives of the Holy Prophet (S), is told that despite her virtue and pleasant future, she is not from the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) mentioned in his prayer.

Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti narrates the following tradition in his Al-Durr al- Manthur fi Tafsir al-Ma’thur:

وأخرج ابن مردويه عن أم سلمة قالت: نزلت هذه الآية في بيتي: إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا وفي البيت سبعة جبريل وميكائيل عليهما السلام وعلي وفاطمة والحسن والحسين رضي اللّٰه عنهم وأنا على باب البيت. قلت: يا رسول اللّٰه ألست من أهل البيت قال: إنك إلى خير إنك من أزواج النبي صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم

Ibn Mardawayh narrated from Umm Salamah, who said: The verse

إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا

“Indeed, Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and purify you with a thorough purification” (33:33).

Was revealed in my house whilst seven were present: Jibril, Mika’il (peace be unto them both) and ‘Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them). And I was at the door of the house. I said: O Apostle of Allah, am I not among the Ahl al-Bayt? He said: You are towards goodness, and you are from the wives of the Prophet (S)14.

Al-Haythami in his al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah says with regard to the term “Ahl al-Bayt” mentioned in chapter 33, verse 33, as follows:

وأكثر المفسرين على أنها نزلت في علي وفاطمة والحسن والحسين لتذكير ضمير (عنكم) وما بعده

Most exegetes of the Qur’an hold that it [verse 33:33] was revealed about ‘Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, due to the masculine plural pronoun ‘ankum [from you] and what follows it [i.e. yutahhirakum…]15.

In other words, if the verse was revealed solely for the wives of the Holy Prophet (S) it would not have been mentioned with a masculine plural pronoun “kum” in both the phrases ‘ankum al-rijsa….and yutahhirakum. The mention of “kum” indicates that “Ahl al-Bayt” also includes males, who are Imam ‘Ali (‘a), Imam al-Hasan (‘a) and Imam al-Husayn (‘a).

The Shi’a narrators of tradition likewise have dealt with the meaning of “Ahl al-Bayt” in detail. While they do not negate that the Ashab al- Kisa’ are the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), they add that the term is also employed for the grandsons of the Holy Prophet (S) through the lineage of Imam al-Husayn until the present Holy Imam al-Hujjah (may Allah hasten his reappearance and enable us to actively serve him, avenge the blood of his grandfather al- Husayn (‘a), and attain martyrdom in his ranks).

In this regard there is a tradition narrated from Imam al-Husayn (‘a) from his father Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a), who said:

دخلت على رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله في بيت أم سلمة وقد نزلت عليه هذه الآية (إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا) فقال رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله: يا علي هذه الآية نزلت فيك وفي سبطي والأئمة من ولدك

I came into the presence of the Apostle of Allah (S) in the house of Umm Salamah and the verse

إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا

“Indeed, Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and purify you with a thorough purification” (33:33).

Had just been revealed to him. The Apostle of Allah (S) said: O ‘Ali! This verse has been revealed about you, and my two grandsons and the Imams from your sons…16

During his captivity together with the noble family of Imam al-Husayn (‘a), Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) met an old man in Sham (Syria and surrounding areas) who thanked Allah for having made Yazid victorious. Realising his innocence and ignorance, Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) conversed with him.

At one point the following conversation transpires, where Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) says:

أما قرأت في الأحزاب : إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا؟

Have you not read in chapter al-Ahzab the verse that says “Indeed, Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and purify you with a thorough purification”?17

The old man said:

وَلَأَنْتُمْ هُمْ؟

Are you really those people?

The Imam (‘a) replied:

نعم

Yes.

Having realised his ignorance and the truth of what had actually transpired, the old man started to repent.

عليكم أهل البيت

against you, O Household of the Prophet

It is imperative for us to understand that when we speak of the Ahl al- Bayt (‘a), we do not speak of any kind of nepotistic relationship18. The Ahl al- Bayt (lit. those intimate with the house (of the Prophet)), as the well-known successively narrated tradition of al-thaqalayn distinctly resonates, are religion (din) themselves. Their thoughts, speeches, and actions, are the commentary of the Holy Qur’an. Therefore, oppression and injustice done to them is oppression and injustice to the Holy Qur’an and Islam. Those who established the foundation (asas) of wrongdoing against them, in reality established the foundation of wrongdoing against the Qur’an and Islam. Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) revealing the unity between religion and the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) states:

هم أساس الدين و عماد اليقين

They [the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)] are the foundation of religion and pillars of conviction19.

هم دعائم الاسلام و ولائج الاعتصام

They are the pillars of Islam and shelters of protection20.

هم أزمة الحق، و أعلام الدين، و ألسنة الصدق، فأنزلوهم بأحسن منازل القرآن

They are the reigns of the truth, the guideposts of the religion, and tongues of the truth. Therefore, place them in the most beautiful stations of the Qur’an21.

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

لكل شيء أساس وأساس الاسلام حبُّنا اهل البيت

There is a foundation (asas) for everything, and the foundation of Islam is love for us, the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)22.

In the well-known Ziyarat al-Jami’ah al-Kabirah, we are taught by Imam ‘Ali al-Naqi (‘a) to address the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) as follows:

أنتم الصِّراط الأقوم

You are the most upright path23. Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

واللّٰهِ نحن الصِّراط المستقيم

By Allah, we (the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)) are the straight path24.

Who Are The Founders Of Wrongdoing Against The Ahl Al-Bayt (‘A)?

Those who have read authentic records of Islamic history do not need to thoroughly search for the founders of wrongdoing and transgression against the Ahl al-Bayt (Household of the Holy Prophet (‘a)). Both the Shi’a as well as the Sunni sources clearly mention the key founders of wrongdoing and transgression. In order to maintain the boundaries of this work, we prefer not to mention their names here. Research scholars are invited to decipher their identities themselves for their own satisfaction.

Al-Kulayni in al-Kafi narrates a tradition from Imam Abu Ja’far al- Baqir (‘a) in which the Imam (‘a), referring to the first two fundamental oppressors of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), says:

واللّٰهِ ما أسست من بليَّة ولا قضيَّة تجري علينا أهل البيت إلا هما أسَّسَا أوَّلها فعليهما لعنة اللّٰهِ الملائكة والناس أجمعين

I swear by Allah, no calamity has ever been established, nor does any incident happen to us, the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), save that those two established its origin; so upon them be the La’n of Allah and of the angels and of all of the people25.

History gives us the hint that the basis of oppression transpired on a Monday (yawm al-ithnayn) when the right of the succession of Amir al- Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) was usurped fundamentally by two people, well-known as the two idols of Quraysh26 (Sanamay Quraysh) in the confines of Saqifat Bani Sa’idah27 immediately after the demise of the Holy Prophet (S). Despite their vociferous claim of proximity to the Holy Prophet (S), instead of attending his burial ceremony, they deserted him and sped to Saqifah to decide for what it seems they had long been craving. This marked the genesis of an entire historical turmoil and division. Abu al-Fath

Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd al-Karim al-Shahristani (d. 548 AH lunar) in his al- Milal wa al-Nihal says:

واعظم خلاف بين الأمة خلاف الإمامة، ما سُلّ سيفٌ في الإسلام على قاعدة دينية مثل ما سُل على الإمامة في كل زمان

The greatest controversy in the Islamic community is the controversy over Imamah [Divine leadership]; and in every era, the sword was not unsheathed over any of the other principles of religion, as it was over the issue of Imamah28.

It was this incident that rent asunder the heart of the daughter of the Holy Prophet (S). In response to Umm Salamah, who once asked her how she encountered the beginning of the day, she said:

أصبحت بين كَمَدِ وكرب فَقْدِ النبي وَظُلْمِ الوصيِّ هُتِكَ واللّٰهِ حِجَابُه

I have encountered the morning in a state between grief and extreme sorrow, of losing the Prophet (S) and [the] oppression to his [rightful] successor. I swear by Allah, the curtain of succession has been violated…29

According to this nondescript, Hadrat Fatimah (‘a)’s sorrow transcended transitory emotion. It was meaningfully motivated and resonated so much of what would transpire in the future. She had well-calculated a whole future of oppression on the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), who were declared by the Holy Prophet (S) himself as the fundamental guardians of Islam and the Noah’s Ark of perpetuity. Perhaps to this sorrow was her reference when she lamentingly cried:

صُبَّت عليَّ مصائب لو أنها صُبَّت على الأيام صرن لياليا

I am afflicted with affliction with which if Days were afflicted, they would turn into nights30.

Fatimah (‘a)’s sorrow was in actual fact the sorrow of religion and its values. Notice that even when responding to Umm Salamah, she accurately and meaningfully employs words that depict her fundamental concern. She does not say “I encountered the morning in a state between grief and extreme sorrow of losing my father (faqdi abi) and oppression on my husband (zulmi zawji)”. The matter did not concern “losing a father or the oppression of a husband” but rather “losing one who had direct contact with Divine Revelation” and “witnessing oppression on one who was Divinely chosen as the rightful successor (wasi) and who was the most suitable candidate for safeguarding the ultimate Divine Message and leading the Muslim nation towards salvation”. Fatimah (‘a) was worried for the future of Islam and not why her husband was deprived of the seat of sovereignty over Muslims31. She very well knew what tragedy would ensue now that the sovereignty had been transferred to the wrong hands. She had foreseen how the fundamental branches of religion, which are means for human perfection, would be distorted and changed. She could foresee how the laxity of unsuitable candidates as rulers would facilitate the creation of a group of people who would challenge the very infallible leaders of Islam.

Here below we mention five fundamental consequences of laying the foundation of wrongdoing and transgression against the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a):

1. Facilitating Deviation In Islamic Beliefs (‘Aqa’id) Among The Muslim Ummah

Belief is a fundamental pillar that elevates the human being and validates his actions. Without sound belief the actions of the human being carry less or no value. The fundamental transgression against the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) resulted in a situation that deprived the Muslims from the fountain- spring of the teachings of the true guardians of Islam, and unreliable and unworthy substitutes were replaced to guide or rather misguide the people.

The very concept of leadership by Divine appointment (Imamah) was completely abandoned and distorted. Imamah is not merely a socio-political

control. It is the grand responsibility of continuing the important duties of the Messenger of Allah (S), which involves guidance in the different dimensions of human life, including the spiritual. Hence, it is absurd to leave the matter of selecting a ruler on the people to elect someone appropriate through voting. Nor is it correct to allow a layperson, who does not enjoy perfect knowledge of the most suitable candidate for this office, to select anyone he deems appropriate. Appointing a committee likewise, whose majority consists of people of one’s own inclination, is nothing more than playing with the weighty matter of Divine leadership.

The practical distortion of the concept of Imamah was one of the great deviations that transpired after the establishment of the foundation of wrongdoing and oppression against the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a).

In order to understand how serious the belief in Imamah is, let us consider the following traditions:

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

والذي نفس محمد بيده لو أن عبداً جاء يوم القيامة بعمل سبعين نبيًّا ما قَبِلَ اللّٰه ذلك منه حتَّى يلقاه بولايتي وولاية أهل بيتي.

I swear by the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if a slave of Allah comes forth on the Day of Resurrection having performed the actions of seventy prophets, Allah would not accept that from him until he meets Him with [the belief in] my guardianship (wilayah) and the guardianship of my Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)32.

Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) is reported to have said:

إن أفضل البقاع ما بين الرُّكن والمقام، ولو أن رجلاً عَمَرَ ما عَمَرَ نوحٌ في قومه. ألف سنة إلا خمسين عاما. يصوم النهار ويقوم الليل في ذلك المكان ولقي اللّٰه بغير ولايتنا لم ينفعه شيئًا

Indeed, the most meritorious spot is between the rukn33 and the maqam34. If a man were to live as long a life as Noah (‘a) lived among his people, which is nine hundred and fifty years, fasting during the day and standing in prayer during the night in that spot, and (thereafter) meet Allah without our wilayah (guardianship), nothing of that would benefit him35.

Imam Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (‘a) is reported to have said:

فواللّٰهِ لو أن رجلاً عَبَدَ اللّٰه عُمرَه ما بين الرُّكن والمقام ثمَّ مات ولم يجئ بولايتنا لأَكبَّهُ اللّٰه في النار على وجهه.

…for I swear by Allah if a man were to worship Allah throughout his life between al-rukn and al-maqam36, and thereafter die, but not come with our wilayah (guardianship), Allah would throw him down on his face into the Fire37.

Imam Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (‘a) is reported to have said:

إن الجنَّة لتشتاق ويشتد ضوءها لمجيء آل محمدٍ (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله) وشيعتهم، ولو أن عبدًا عَبَدَ اللّٰه بين الرُّكن والمقام حتَّى تتقطَّع أوصاله وهو لا يدين اللّٰه بحبنا وولايتنا أهل البيت، ما قَبِلَ اللّٰه منه

Indeed, the Garden of Heaven craves for the arrival of the progeny of Muhammad (peace be upon them) and their followers and its light intensifies on their arrival. And if a slave of Allah were to worship Allah without our love and our guardianship between al-rukn and al-maqam until such an extent that his joints are severed, Allah would not accept that from him38.

Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ridha (‘a) is reported to have said:

إن الإمامة أسُّ الاسلام النَّامي، وفرعه السَّامي، بالامام تمام الصَّلاة والزَّكاة والصِّيام والحجِّ والجهاد

Indeed, Imamah (Divine leadership) is the base of this flourishing religion of Islam, and is its lofty branch. Through the Imam is achieved the completeness of Prayer, Zakat, Fasting, Hajj, Jihad…39

It is because of disregarding the very fundamental belief of Imamah that the rest of the roots of religion like Tawhid (belief in the unity of God), ‘adl (belief in the justice of God), ma’ad (belief in the Hereafter and Judgement Day), etc. were misunderstood. Misleading ideas such as determinism (al- jabr), anthropomorphism (al-tajsim), literalism, etc. crept into the Muslim nation. The Shi’a of Imam ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) however, remaining steadfast to the rope of Imamah, never deviated from the path of salvation and always maintained the correct principles (usul) and branches (furu’) of faith. The Holy Prophet (S) had guaranteed them the following reality:

ما إن تمسكتم بها لن تضلوا بعدي

As long as you hold fast onto them both [i.e. the Qur’an and my infallible household], you shall never go astray40.

2. Interpolation Of The Shari’ah, Which Is A Path To The Proximity Of Allah

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

الشريعة أقوالي والطريقة أفعالي والحقيقة أحوالي

The Shari’ah is my utterances, the spiritual path (al-Tariqah) is my actions, and the ultimate truth (al-Haqiqah) is my states41.

The Shari’ah (Islamic law), the Tariqah (the spiritual path), and the Haqiqah (the reality) are all united. It is through observing the Shari’ah accurately and maintaining its overt and covert etiquette through the Tariqah, that one can attain the proximity of the Haqiqah (vision of Allah by the heart).

In his Glosses on Ibn ‘Arabi’s Fusus al-Hikam and Ibn Fannari’s Misbah al- Uns, Imam Khumayni says:

ان الطريقة والحقيقة لا يحصلان إلا من طريق الشريعة فإن الظاهر طريق الباطن بل بفهم منه أن الظاهر غير منفك عن الباطن فمن رأى أن الباطن لم يحصل له من الأعمال الظاهرة واتباع التكاليف الإلهية فليعلم أنه لم يقم على الظاهر على ما هو عليه ومن أراد أن يصل إلى الباطن من غير طريق الظاهر كبعض عوالم الصوفية فهو على غير بيّنة من ربه.

Indeed, the path (al-tariqah) and the reality (al-haqiqah) cannot be attained save through the apparent Islamic laws (al-shari’ah); for indeed, the apparent (zahir) is the path to the hidden (batin). Rather, by verse (5:66)42 we understand that the apparent is not separate from the hidden. Therefore, whosoever observes that he has not attained the secrets of the hidden world through the performance of apparent actions and by fulfilling Divine obligations, must know that he has not performed the apparent the way it actually must be performed, and whosoever wishes to reach the hidden without the means of the apparent like some of the laity among the Sufis, is ignorant of His Lord’s guidance43.

This informs us how the distortion of the apparent laws of the religion, which is the Shari’ah, can adversely determine the nature of one’s journey towards human perfection.

In a lengthy sermon where he enumerates some of the interpolations the preceding caliphs made, Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) says:

لقد عمل الولاة قبلي بأمور عظيمة خالفوا فيها رسول اللّٰه (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله) متعمدين لذلك. ولو حملت الناس على تركها وحولتها إلى مواضعها التي كانت عليها على عهد رسول اللّٰه (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله) لتفرق عني جندي حتى أبقى وحدي إلا قليلا من شيعتي الذين عرفوا فضلي وإمامتي من كتاب اللّٰه وسنة رسول اللّٰه (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله)

Indeed, the rulers (wulat) before me have committed grave actions by which they purposefully contradicted the Apostle of Allah (S). And had I compelled the people to abandon their actions and place them in their correct positions as per the teachings during the lifetime of the Apostle of Allah (S), my army would have dispersed from me, until I would be left alone with very few of my followers, who know my merit and my designated leadership from the Book of Allah and the tradition of the Apostle of Allah (S)…44

In this limited commentary we cannot go into the details of how the laws of Allah were changed according to the whims of those who ruled. However, we can suffice with some examples:

Although the Holy Prophet (S) did not permit supererogatory (nafilah) prayers to be conducted in congregation, one of the misguided caliphs, due to his personal whim, changed that and allowed it and even encouraged it, such that it became a custom among the Muslims. When Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) retained his right, he felt legally bound to correct their deviation, and hence, told his son Imam al-Hasan (‘a) to publicly announce that nafilah prayers must not be performed in congregation. Some ignorant people started challenging Imam al-Hasan (‘a), and Amir al- Mu’minin (‘a) observing the detrimental repercussions told al-Hasan (‘a) to leave them to do what they wanted. In one of his sermons, expressing his sorrow on this issue, Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) says:

واللّٰه لقد أمرت الناس أن لا يجتمعوا في شهر رمضان إلا في فريضة وأعلمتهم أن اجتماعهم النوافل بدعة فتنادى بعض أهل عسكري ممن يقاتل معي يا أهل الإسلام غيرت سنة عمر بناها عن الصلاة في شهر رمضان تطوعا ولقد خفت أن يثوروا في ناحية جانب عسكري

I swear by Allah, I ordered the people not to gather in the Holy Month of Ramadan in congregation save during the obligatory prayers, and I informed them that their congregation in supererogatory prayer is an innovation (bid’ah), whereupon a soldier from among my army who fought besides me, called: O Muslims, ‘Umar’s tradition has been changed. He (‘Ali) is prohibiting us from supererogatory prayer in the month of Ramadan! Indeed, I feared that they would revolt within my army45.

In a comprehensive but succinct tradition, Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

حلال محمد حلال أبدا إلى يوم القيامة، وحرامه حرام أبدا إلى يوم القيامة

The things made lawful by Muhammad will remain lawful until the Day of Resurrection, and the things made unlawful by Muhammad will remain unlawful until the Day of Resurrection46.

In light of the above, let us look at the following well-known tradition of ‘Umar narrated by Sunni collectors of tradition:

متعتان كانتا على عهد رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم أنهى عنهما وأعاقب عليها متعة النساء ومتعتة الحج

There existed two forms of mut’ah during the lifetime of the Apostle of Allah (S), but I prohibit them and I will punish anyone who practices them: the mut’ah (temporary marriage) of women and the mut’ah (minor pilgrimage) of Hajj47.

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is reported to have said:

لولا أن عمر نهى عن المتعة ما زنى إلا شقي

If ‘Umar had not prohibited mut’ah (temporary marriage) none save the wretched would have committed fornication48.

In a letter to Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, ‘Umar writes:

لقد هممت أن أجعل إذا طلق الرجل امرأته ثلاثا في مجلس أن أجعلها واحدة، ولكن أقواما جعلوا على أنفسهم فألزم كل نفس ما لزم نفسه، من قال لأمرأته أنت عليَّ حرام، ومن قال لامرأته: أنت بائنة. ومن طلق ثلاثا فهي ثلاث.

I decided to stipulate that when a man divorces his wife thrice in one sitting then I reckon it as a single divorce, but groups of people enforced that on themselves. Hence, I am obliging every soul what it has adhered to: Whosoever says to his wife: You are unlawful to me, she becomes unlawful to him; and whosoever tells his wife “You are divorced [with an irrevocable divorce]” then she is as such; and whosoever divorces thrice, then it is counted as three times49.

Ibn ‘Abbas is reported to have said:

لما كان زمن عمر رضي اللّٰه عنه قال: يا أيها الناس قد كان لكم في الطلاق أناةٌ، وإنه من تعجَّل أناة اللّٰه في الطلاق ألزمناه إيَّاه.

During the caliphate of ‘Umar, he said: O people, indeed, you had a deliberation in divorce; and indeed, whosoever hastens the deliberation bestowed by Allah in divorce, we will force it on him.

Commenting on the above traditions, al-’Allamah al-Amini in his Mawsu’at al-Ghadir says:

إن من العجب أن يكون استعجال الناس مسوغا لأن يتخذ الانسان كتاب اللّٰه ورائه ظهريا ويلزمهم بما رأوا، هذا الذكر الحكيم يقول بكل صراحة: الطلاق مرتان فإمساك بمعروف أو تسريح بإحسان. إلى قوله تعالى: فإن طلقها فلا تحل له من بعد حتى تنكح زوجا غيره. فقد أوجب سبحانه تحقيق المرتين والتحريم بعد الثالث، وذلك لا يجامع جمع التطليقات بكلمة _ ثلاثا _ ولا بتكرار صيغة الطلاق ثلاثا متعاقبة بلا تخلل عقدة النكاح بينها.

It is indeed, strange that the haste of people can make it permissible for a person to place the Book of Allah behind his back and make it obligatory on the people to act according to their personal opinions. This wise reminder [Qur’an] very clearly says: [Revocable] divorce may be only twice; then [let there be] either an honourable retention, or a kindly release…And if he divorces her, she will not be lawful for him until she marries a husband other than him… [2:229-230]. Indeed, Allah has made it obligatory that the divorce must transpire twice, and the couple become forbidden to each other after the third instance, and that does not tally with performing three divorces by uttering the word “thrice”, nor by repeating the formula of divorce three times in succession without there being any marital contract in between50.

We wish to suffice with the aforesaid examples of how laws were freely interpolated by people. Those who would like to explore other lapses of the caliphs preceding Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) may refer to the magnum opus Mawsu’at al-Ghadir of al-’Allamah al-Amini. The beauty of this masterpiece is that it heavily refers to Sunni sources to convince our Sunni brethren about the traditions quoted.

3. Facilitating The Ground For A Group Of Ignorant Muslims Like The Renegades (Khawarij) To Have The Audacity To Openly Question And Challenge The Divinely Chosen Leader

Although some historians mention that the khawarij appeared after Imam ‘Ali (‘a) persisted in his covenant with Mu’awiyah to stop the battle of Siffin, the reality is that the “holier than thou” attitude of the khawarij must have taken roots much earlier during the time of the earlier caliphs. Many of the Muslims realised that those who have taken the responsibility of leadership themselves cannot interpret the verses of the Qur’an properly and have to refer to others. They also closely observed how some of the rulers were ignorant of the very basic Islamic laws and sometimes would make grave mistakes in cases of penal laws. This perhaps implanted the concept in their minds that religion can be judged and interpreted by any Muslim, even though he is not directly endorsed by Almighty Allah or His Apostle. To them, the necessity of infallibility of the chosen leader was completely farfetched.

The following are some instances that naturally give way to doubts about the authority of Islamic leadership and create an atmosphere of independence in judging and interpreting Islamic matters:

In his Sahih al-Muslim the Sunni compiler of tradition Muslim narrates with four chains of narrations from ‘Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abzi, as follows:

إنَّ رجلًا أتى عمرَ فقال: إني أجنبت فلم أجد ماءً. فقال: لا تصلِّ. فقال عمار: أما تذكر يا أمير المؤمنين إذ أنا وأنت في سرية فأجنبنا فلم نجد ماءً، فأما أنت فلم تصل، وأما أنا فتمعكت في التراب وصليت. فقال النبي صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم: إنما كان يكفيك أن تضرب بيديك الأرض ثم تنفخ ثم تمسح بهما وجهك وكفيك...

A man came to ‘Umar and said: Indeed, I have become ritually unclean (ajnabtu), and have not found water. He [‘Umar] said: [Then] do not pray. ‘Ammar [who was nearby] said: Do you not remember O Amir al-Mu’minin when I and you were in a military detachment and we became ritually unclean and did not find water, and you did not pray, but I rolled on the soil and then prayed. Then the Prophet (S) said: Indeed, it was sufficient for you to strike with your two hands on the earth and blow [the sand on your hands] and then wipe with them your face and two palms…51

In his Qur’anic Exegesis Al-Jami’ li Ahkam al-Qur’an, al-Qurtubi narrates the following tradition:

وخطب عمر رضي اللّٰه عنه فقال: ألا لا تغالوا في صدقات النساء فإنها لو كانت مكرمة في الدنيا أو تقوى عند اللّٰه لكان أولاكم بها رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم، ما أصدق قط امرأة من نسائه ولا بناته فوق اثنتي عشرة أوقية. فقامت إليه امرأة فقالت: يا عمر، يعطينا اللّٰه وتحرمنا! أليس اللّٰه سبحانه وتعالى يقول: (وَآتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَاهُنَّ قِنطَارًا فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا مِنْهُ شَيْئًا)؟ فقال عمر: أصابت امرأة وأخطأ عمر. وفي رواية أخرى فأطرق عمر ثم قال: كل الناس أفقه منك يا عمر!

‘Umar addressed the people and said: Indeed, do not exceed in the dowers of women, for if that would have been a noble deed in this world or a deed of piety to Allah, then the Apostle of Allah (S) would have been worthier to do it than you. No woman from his women or daughters ever fixed a dower beyond twelve awqiyahs52. On hearing this, a woman stood up towards him and said: O ‘Umar, whilst Allah is giving us, you deprive us? Does Allah not say

وَآتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَاهُنَّ قِنطَارًا فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا مِنْهُ شَيْئًا

“…and you have given one of them a quintal [of gold], do not take anything away from it…” (4:20)?

Hearing this, ‘Umar said: A woman got it correct but ‘Umar made a mistake. In another tradition, the following expression has come: “Thereupon ‘Umar lowers his head and says: All the people are more understanding than you O ‘Umar (kullu al-nas afqahu minka ya ‘Umar!)!”53

The phrase “All the people are more understanding than you O ‘Umar” (kullu al-nas afqahu minka ya ‘Umar!) has been repeated by ‘Umar on a number of occasions when he made mistakes. If such is the situation of a leader who is addressed by some as Amir al-Mu’minin, how vulnerable can the laws of Islam be to wrong interpretation?!

Other similar statements narrated from ‘Umar are as follows:

كلُّ أَحَدٍ أَعْلَمُ مِنْ عُمَرَ

Everyone is more leaned than ‘Umar54.

كلُّ النَّاسِ أَفْقَهُ مِنْكَ يَا عُمَرُ

All the people are more understanding than you, O ‘Umar55.

كلُّ النَّاسِ أَفْقَهُ مِنْ عُمَرَ حَتَّى المُخَدَّرَاتِ فِي البُيُوتِ

All the people are more understanding than ‘Umar including spinsters in the houses56.

كلُّ وَاحِدٍ أَفْقَهُ مِنْكَ حَتَّى النِّسَاءِ يَا عُمَرُ

Everyone is more understanding than you, including the old women, O ‘Umar57.

كلُّ أَحَدٍ أَفْقَهُ مِنِّي

Everyone is more understanding than me58.

In his Mawsu’at al-Ghadir ‘Allamah ‘Abd al-Husayn al-Amini narrates the following tradition from Sunni sources:

عن أنس بن مالك قال: إن عمر قرأ على المنبر: فأنبتنا فيها حبًّا وعنبًا وقضبًا وزيتونًا ونخلًا وحدائق غلبًا وفاكهةً وأبًّا. قال: كل هذا عرفناه، فما الأب؟ ثم رفع عصا كانت في يده فقال: هذا لعمر اللّٰه هو التكلف. فما عليك أن لا تدري ما الأب؟ اتبعوا ما بين لكم هداه من الكتاب فاعملوا به وما لم تعرفوه فكلوه إلى ربه.

Anas Ibn Malik reports: Indeed, ‘Umar read the following verse on the pulpit:

فأنبتنا فيها حبًّا

“…And made the grain grow in it” (80:27).

وعنبًا وقضبًا

“And vines and vegetables” (80:28).

وزيتونًا ونخلًا

“Olives and date palms” (80:29).

وحدائق غلبًا

“And densely-planted gardens” (80:30).

وفاكهةً وأبًّا

“Fruits and pastures (fakihatan wa abban)” (80:31).

And then said: We have understood all this, but what is the meaning of al-abb? Then he left the stick that he had in his hand and said: I swear by the ever-lasting existence of God, this is self- burdening (al-takalluf), and what will happen to you if you do not know what the word al-abb is? Follow the guidance of the Book that has been made clear for you, and that which you do not know, leave it to its Lord59.

In his Mawsu’at al-Ghadir, ‘Allamah ‘Abd al-Husayn al-Amini narrates the following tradition from Sunni sources:

أخرج الحافظان العقيلي وابن السمان عن أبي حرب بن أبي الأسودِ: أنَّ عمرَ أرادَ رَجْمَ المرأةِ التي ولدت لِسِتَّةِ أشهرٍ فقال له عليٌّ: إنَّ اللّٰه تعالى يقول: وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا. وقال تعالى:

وَفِصَالُهُ فِي عَامَيْنِ. فالحمل ستة أشهر والفصال في عامين. فترك عمرُ رَجْمَها وقال: لولا عليٌّ لهلك عمر.

Al-’Uqayli and Ibn Samman narrated from Abi Harb Ibn Abi al-Aswad: ‘Umar wanted to punish a woman who had conceived after six months by stoning her to death [because of suspected adultery]. Thereupon ‘Ali (‘a) said to him: Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, says:

وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا

“… And his gestation and weaning take thirty months” (46:15).

and He, the Exalted says:

وَفِصَالُهُ فِي عَامَيْنِ

“…and his weaning takes two years” (31:14).

Therefore, pregnancy can be six months and weaning two years. Having heard this, ‘Umar abandoned his decision to stone her, and said: “If it was not for ‘Ali, Umar would have perished!”60

In another similar case, Ibn ‘Abbas reminds ‘Umar that his decision of stoning a certain woman who delivered after six months is incorrect, and after explaining to him the reason, he submits to Ibn ‘Abbas’ view61.

In his Mawsu’at al-Ghadir ‘Allamah ‘Abd al-Husayn al-Amini narrates another similar occasion which is very sad indeed:

أخرج الحفاظ عن بعجة بن عبد اللّٰه الجهني قال: تزوج رجل منا امرأة من جهينة فولدت له تماما لستة أشهر، فانطلق زوجها إلى عثمان فأمر بها أن ترجم فبلغ ذلك عليًا رضي اللّٰه عنه فأتاه فقال: ما تصنع؟ ليس ذلك عليها قال اللّٰه تبارك وتعالى: وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا وقال: وَالْوَالِدَاتُ يُرْضِعْنَ أَوْلَادَهُنَّ حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ. فالرضاع أربعة وعشرون شهرًا والحمل ستة أشهر. فقال عثمان: واللّٰه ما فطنت لهذا، فأمربها عثمان أن تُرد فوجدت قد رُجِمَتْ

Ba’jah Ibn ‘Abdullah al-Jahanni is reported to have said: A man married a woman from the tribe of Jahinah, and she bore a sound child after six months. So her husband went to ‘Uthman [and informed him about the case] and ‘Uthman ordered that she should be stoned to death. ‘Ali (‘a) came to know about this matter, and he came to ‘Uthman and said: What are you doing? She does not deserve to be stoned. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted says:

وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا

“…and his gestation and weaning take thirty months” (46:15).

And He says:

وَالْوَالِدَاتُ يُرْضِعْنَ أَوْلَادَهُنَّ حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ

“Mothers shall suckle their children two complete years…” (2:233).

Hence, suckling is twenty-four months and gestation six months. [Hearing this,] ‘Uthman said: I swear by Allah, I did not know this. So ‘Uthman ordered that she should be acquitted and not punished, but she was found already stoned to death…62

4. Facilitating A Perpetual Ground For Torture And Oppression Against The Ahl Al-Bayt (‘A)

Some noteworthy examples of the brutal consequences of usurping the caliphate were:

1. Forcefully snatching away Fadak, the property gifted by the Prophet (S) to Bibi Fatimah (‘a) during his lifetime.

2. Martyrdom of Hadrat Muhsin (‘a) in the pure womb of Bibi Fatimah al- Zahra’ (‘a)

3. Martyrdom of Bibi Fatimah al-Zahra’ (‘a), a short period after the Holy Prophet (S)’s demise.

4. The domination of Banu Umayyah and their atrocities on the Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) and their sincere followers.

5. Facilitating the ground for the appearance of the slayers of Amir al- Mu’minin who were known as the Qasitun (the unjust, such as Mu’awiyah and his followers), the Nakithun (the breakers of allegiance such as Talhah and Zubayr), and the Mariqun (the renegades who were the Khawarij).

6. Murder of Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a).

7. Murder of Imam al-Hasan (‘a).

8. The horrendous massacre and tragedy of Karbala and the murder of Sayyid al-Shuhada (Imam al-Husayn (‘a))

9. Captivity of Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) and the rest of the family of Imam al-Husayn (‘a)

10. The despicable tragedy of al-Harrah in Madinah.

11. Murder of Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) and Imam al-Baqir (‘a)

12. The victory of Banu ‘Abbas and their atrocities against the Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) and their sincere followers

13. Murder of the sixth to eleventh Imams (peace be upon them) at the hands of Banu ‘Abbas

14. The ghaybah of Imam al-Mahdi (‘a), whose separation has injured the hearts of his sincere followers.

5. Facilitating The Ground For Disunity And Hence, Weakening The Power Of The Muslims And Islam

The Pharaonic divide and rule policy63 has always been helpful to the oppressors, and has always been destructive to the oppressed. When the disbelievers observed how devastating this policy can be, they tried to employ it wherever and whenever they could. On observing the Shi’a- Sunni divide, the enemies of Islam would always induce hatred and animosity among the Muslims so that they are able to subjugate and dominate them.

We can tangibly observe the same even today: the disbelievers allow terroristic activities in different places of the Muslim world to rationalise their forceful presence. In some Muslim lands lots of wealth is spent to motivate a group of so-called Muslims to carry out terrorist activities against another group of Muslims who have a different ideology.

The Wahhabi faction, whose very creation and momentum has been facilitated by non-Muslims opposed to Islam, have been misled to believe that slaying the Shias for example, will guarantee their place in Paradise. Whereas the aim of the Satanic enemies of Islam is to create unrest, disunity, hatred, animosity, etc. among the Muslims, so that they can control them however they want, the ignorant or rather mischievous Wahhabis, who have not revised the basis of their beliefs, nor authenticated the same, are happily motivated to dip themselves in the innocent blood of scores of Muslims, and as a result establish two things:

Terrorism: The provokers of their activities themselves then publicise their terror throughout the world to tarnish the name of Muslims and Islam in general (which is always extremely cautious when it comes to shedding even a drop of blood). The paradox is that despite the world having so many non-Muslims according to the definition of the Wahhabi ideology, only the Shi’a Muslims are targeted in this manner!

Disunity: The perpetrators of such massacres undoubtedly instil hatred between the Muslims, and lead ignorant groups among the victims to retaliate, which in turn results in greater bloodshed.

The slumbering Muslims therefore, should wake up and realise that unless they change their immature attitude and come to their senses, they will continue to be victims of bloodshed, discord, and disunity, and will never gain control over themselves.

If we observe carefully, ever since Ayatullah al-’Uzma al-Sayyid ‘Ali al- Sistani (may Allah protect him) came into the political scene, he has repeatedly called the people of Iraq towards unity and brotherhood. In extremely infuriating circumstances when the Shias commemorating the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) have been attacked by the Wahhabis, his message has been “unity and no emotional retaliation”. Obviously, that does not mean that the perpetrators of the massacres should not be condemned, apprehended or punished. Rather, it means a vigilant Muslim must not be provoked to attack a Sunni Muslim just because one of his fellow Sunni brothers committed an act of terror.

Why Curse The Founders Of Wrongdoing?

There is an ongoing debate among our esteemed brethren about the permissibility of expressing La’n on the fundamental elements of oppression against the Household of the Holy Prophet (S) throughout history. In order to understand the truth of this matter, it is imperative for us to first map out a course of discussion, and thereafter tackle each point carefully.

God-willing, we shall adopt the following course, and thereafter try to arrive at a conducive conclusion:

1. The definition of La’n & curse

2. The difference between Sabb & La’n

3. The law of La’n according to the Qur’an and the Sunnah

4. Expressing La’n for a particular person

5. Understanding the crux of La’n

The Definition Of La’n

A majority of the authoritative lexicographers define the word La’n as “to distance” or “to expel” (al-ib’ad or al-tard). Al-Zamakhshari, in his lexicon Asas al-Balagha says:

لعنه أهله: طردوه و أبعدوه، وهو لعين طريد، لقد لعن اللّٰهُ إبليس: طرده من الجنة، وأبعده من جوار الملائكة ولعنت الكلب والذئب: طردتهما.

La’anahu ahluhu means “His family expelled and banished him” and thus, he is the expelled and banished one (wa huwa la’inun taridun). Indeed, Allah did La’n on Iblis [Satan], meaning “He expelled him from Paradise and banished him from the neighbourhood of the angels”. And [when I say] la’antu al-kalba wa al-dhi’ba, I mean I expelled both [the dog and the wolf].64

When we are advised to do La’n, it means we are advised to pray to Allah to distance from His mercy those who deserve to be distanced.

Having known the definition of La’n, which we normally translate in the English language as curse, let us now consider the exact definition of curse, and then compare and reflect whether we can employ it as an equivalent for the word La’n or not.

The Definition Of Curse

According to the authoritative encyclopaedic twenty-volume Oxford English Dictionary (OED), curse is translated as:

An utterance consigning, or supposed or intended to consign, (a person or thing) to spiritual and temporal evil, the vengeance of the deity, the blasting of malignant fate, etc. It may be uttered by the deity, or by persons supposed to speak in his name, or to be listened to by him.65

If the word “consign” is employed in its original sense, which is “setting a seal or mark”, the meaning of curse would be “to mark a person or thing with spiritual or temporal evil”. However, if what is meant by consigning is “to entrust”66, curse would signify “to entrust a thing to spiritual and temporal evil”.

As concerns its etymology, the Oxford English Dictionary says:

[Late OE. curs, of unknown origin; no word of similar form and sense is known in Teutonic, Romanic, or Celtic….]67

Irrespective of the aforesaid information, what is important in our present discussion is how we define “curse” today in our age. Skimming through different lexicons, we get the impression that it signifies “invocation of evil on someone”. Consider the following examples:

Dictionary of the World Book Encyclopaedia:

a) CURSE: vt. (1) to ask God to bring evil or harm on. (2) to bring evil or harm on. (3) to swear at. (4) to excommunicate. (5) to speak profanely against.68

The Merriam Webster’s Dictionary:

Definition of CURSE

transitive verb

1: to use profanely insolent language against: blaspheme <curse God and die — Job 2:9(REB)>

2 a: to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon <was cursed and fears he will die>

b: to execrate in fervent and often profane terms <cursed by future generations unless we act now>

3: to bring great evil upon: afflict <a land cursed with famine> 69

Having known the definition of curse in its present usage, which is what is important for us at the moment, we come to realise that the word curse cannot accurately replace the word La’n, which means “to distance, banish, expel, etc” or “to pray for the banishment of someone from Divine mercy”.

If however, we take the meaning of its corollary (lazim), which is spiritual harm on the one who is expelled from Divine mercy (mal’un), perhaps the meaning “to ask God to bring evil or harm on” as defined by the Dictionary of World Book Encyclopaedia, may be suitable. Consequently, we can

employ the word curse as a substitute for La’n. In this book, whenever we employ the word curse henceforth, we refer to the accurate meaning of La’n as expounded by authoritative Arab lexicographers.

The Difference Between Sabb & La’n

A group of misinformed Muslims (for whose guidance we eagerly pray), claim that the Shias fling defamatory remarks on the companions of the Holy Prophet (sahaba). The word they employ in this accusation is “Sabb”.

In the Arabic language, however, the word Sabb is quite different from the word La’n: Ibn al-Athir in his al-Nihayah says: “al-Sabb means al- shatm (to speak ill of)”. Its etymological meaning is “to cut” (al-qat’)70. Some experts of lexicography, however, opine that al-Sabb is more stern than al-shatm, for whereas the latter is to speak ill of someone, the former is to persist and prolong the same. Small wonder, al-Isfahani in his Qur’anic lexicon, defining al-Sabb says that it is “al-shatm al-waji’” (painful vilification)71.

Hence, it is incorrect to say that by invoking Allah to expel those who deserve to be expelled from His mercy, we are directly speaking ill and employing abusive language about them.

In his epistle Ziyarat ‘Ashura’ fawqa al-Shubahat (Ziyarat ‘Ashura Beyond Ambiguities), the late esteemed jurisprudential authority, Ayatullah al- Shaykh Mirza Jawad al-Tabrizi writes72:

It may be said that what has been narrated from Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) that “Indeed, I dislike that you be frequent vilifiers” (Inni akrahu lakum an takunu sabbabin) is a proof for the prohibition of [both] La’n and Sabb (vilification). Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is reported to have said:

إني أكره لكم أن تكونوا سبابين، ولكنكم لو وصفتم أعمالهم، وذكرتم حالهم كان أصوب في القول وأبلغ في العذر...

Indeed, I dislike you to be frequent vilifiers; but were you to describe their actions and mention their state it would be more correct in speech and more convincing in excuse73.

In response we say: This statement originates from lack of contemplation, due to the following various reasons:

The phrase “Inni akrahu” (Indeed, I dislike) does not establish and prove legal prohibition, save in the case where there is an indication (qarinah) towards that.

Indeed, the ruling is directed to the addressees about whom the Imam (‘a) said “lakum” (for you) in the above-mentioned tradition. And this does not clarify that it includes all the Muslims, due to the possibility of the existence of a specific characteristic in those warriors who accompanied the Imam (‘a) in war, for the situation of war against the enemy requires aloofness from verbal confrontation, and attention to what is of greater importance and more appropriate in that state.

Indeed, what is disliked is “one who frequently vilifies (sabbab)”, and there is a difference between one who [merely] vilifies (Sabb) and one who frequently vilifies (sabbab), for the former is a word that signifies abundance, and means “abundance of vilification”. And it is clear that disliking frequent vilification is not the same as disliking mere vilification.

The prohibition in the verse is not a legislative prohibition (nahy mawlawi) but an advisory prohibition (nahy irshadi), due to the hint in the sentence that comes after it, which says “for were you to describe their actions, and speak about their deeds, it would be more correct in speech and convincing in excuse.” This means that the content of the tradition was geared to guide and show the importance of describing the state of the enemy instead of vilification in influencing the souls of the other side; it did not mean the prohibition of vilification or the exposition of its lesser importance.

Indeed, there is a clear linguistic and commonly understood difference between Sabb (vilification) and La’n, for Sabb signifies the lowering of dignity and honour in a person, whereas La’n is an invocation to seek expulsion from Divine Mercy. Prohibition of the first, therefore, does not necessitate the prohibition of the second [as they are two different things].

The Law Of La’n According To The Qur’an And The Sunnah

The Holy Qur’an is the fundamental source of Islam. Those who have carefully read it have no doubt that Islam permits a believer to express La’n to a category of people who deserve to be distant from Divine mercy.

Consider the following Verses.

1) The Holy Qur’an says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَىٰ مِن بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتَابِ ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ

“Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down of manifest proofs and guidance, after We have clarified it in the Book for mankind, they shall be cursed by Allah and cursed by the cursers” (2:159).

Following is an exposition worthy of consideration:

We very well know that according to the Holy Qur’an the Holy Prophet (S) does not speak out of his own desire. The source of what he says is Divine Revelation: “Nor does he speak out of [his own] desire, it is just a revelation that is revealed [to him].” (53:3). There are traditions that clearly say that Allah, the Exalted, ordered His Messenger (S) to openly announce to the people the succession of Imam ‘Ali in Ghadir Khumm, and if he were not to do so, then he would have failed in communicating the Divine Message in totality.

Almighty Allah revealed the following verse to the Holy Prophet (S) during his farewell pilgrimage (hijjat al-wida’):

يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ

“O Apostle! Communicate that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you will not have communicated His message at all; and Allah shall protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the faithless” (5:67).

According to the successively narrated (mutawatir) tradition of Ghadir, the phrase “ma unzila ilayk” (that which has been revealed to you) of the abovementioned verse refers to appointing Imam ‘Ali (‘a) as the successor of the Holy Prophet (S). Thereupon the Holy Prophet (S) explicitly communicated to a multitude of pilgrims present that Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is his successor and the guardian of every faithful male and female. Interestingly, the very two people who later laid the foundation stone of oppression against religion, are reported to have preceded everyone in congratulating Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) on this occasion. One of the two, according to different chains of narration from the Shi’a as well as the Sunni, addressing Imam ‘Ali (‘a), is reported to have said:

بخٍّ بخٍّ لك يا علي أصبحت مولاي ومولى كل مؤمن ومؤمنه

Congratulations, O ‘Ali, you have become my guardian and the guardian of every believing male and female74.

The two were the same people who later in a place in Madinah called Saqifah practically concealed what Allah revealed of the manifest proofs75. Consequently, according to the Holy Qur’an, they are perpetually cursed by Allah Himself. The aorist verb yal’anu-hum in the verse above signifies continuity. Therefore, Allah, the All-Majestic, continuously distances them from His Mercy.

Al-’Ayyashi in his Tafsir al-’Ayyashi, narrates the following from Imam al- Sadiq (‘a):

إن الذين يكتمون ما أنزلنا من البيِّنات والهُدى في علي (عليه السلام(

[The Imam read verse] “Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down of manifest proofs and guidance” and said it (i.e. manifest proofs and guidance) is about ‘Ali (‘a).76

Following is a rational and systematic exposition of the aforesaid discussion:

1. Allah ordered His Messenger to declare ‘Ali (‘a) as his successor in Ghadir Khumm77

2. Concealers of Divine Revelation are constantly cursed by Allah78

3. Some people after the Prophet’s demise practically concealed the truth of ‘Ali’s succession by declaring a successor of the Holy Prophet (S) based on their own whims and selfish desires

4. They never repented, and for as long as they were alive, they never gave the caliphate to its rightful owner. They are also reported to have never written a will where they would surrender the caliphate to its rightful owner.

5. Therefore, they are always cursed by Allah.

2) The Holy Qur’an says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

“Indeed, those disbelieved and died in their state of disbelief, it is they on whom shall be the curse of Allah, the angels and all mankind” (2:161).

In a tradition narrated from al-Kafi, we come to learn that three specific companions of the Holy Prophet (S) whose names have not been mentioned explicitly, due to their denial of the guardianship of Imam ‘Ali (‘a) left this world with no faith. Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) commenting on the following verse of the Qur’an, says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا ثُمَّ آمَنُوا ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا ثُمَّ ازْدَادُوا كُفْرًا لَّمْ يَكُنِ اللَّهُ لِيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ وَلَا لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ سَبِيلًا

“As for those who believe and then disbelieve, then believe again and then disbelieve and then increase in disbelief, Allah shall never forgive them, nor shall He guide them to any way” (4:137).

نزلت في فلان وفلان وفلان، آمنوا بالنبي صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله في أول الأمر وكفروا حيث عرضت عليهم الولاية، حين قال النبي صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله: من كنت مولاه فهذا علي مولاه، ثم آمنوا بالبيعة لأمير المؤمنين عليه السلام، ثم كفروا حيث مضى رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله، فلم يقروا بالبيعة، ثم ازدادوا كفرا بأخذهم من بايعه البيعة لهم فهؤلاء لم يبق فيهم من الإيمان شيء

This verse was revealed about so and so, so and so, and so and so. They believed in the Prophet (S) at the onset and disbelieved in him when the matter of the guardianship [of Imam ‘Ali] was presented to them, when the Prophet (S) said: “Whosoever’s master I am, this ‘Ali is his master”. Thereafter, they [once again] believed by [apparently] paying their oath of allegiance to Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a), and then disbelieved when the Holy Prophet (S) passed away and did not confess their oath of allegiance [to Amir al-Mu’minin]. Thereafter they increased in disbelief by taking the oath of allegiance from those who had established their oath of allegiance with Imam ‘Ali (‘a). These therefore, are those in whom no speck of belief remained79.

Hence, since these companions had no faith, curse of Allah, His angels and all the people, is on them.

Following is a rational exposition of the aforesaid discussion:

1. The curse of Allah, His angels and all the people are on those who died while they were disbelievers80

2. Three anonymous companions of the Holy Prophet (S), as the aforementioned tradition of al-Kafi establishes, died as disbelievers.

3. As a result, these three are cursed by Allah, the angels and all the people.

3) The Holy Qur’an says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا

“Indeed, those who torment Allah and His Apostle are cursed by Allah in the world and the Hereafter, and He has prepared a humiliating punishment for them” (33:57).

Both the Shi’a as well as the Sunni sources unanimously narrate the following tradition of the Holy Prophet (S) about Bibi Fatimah Zahra’ (‘a) with slight variations in expression:

من آذى فاطمة فقد آذاني ومن آذاني فقد آذى اللّٰه

Whosoever torments Fatimah has tormented me, and whosoever has torments me, has tormented Allah81.

History mentions two particular companions whom Hadrat Fatimah Zahra’ (‘a) herself reminds about the above tradition:

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) narrates from his noble grandfathers:

بينما ابو بكر وعمر عند فاطمة عليها السلام يعودانها، فقالت لهما: أسألكما باللّٰه الذي لا إله إلا هو هل سمعتما رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله يقول: من آذى فاطمة فقد آذاني ومن آذاني فقد آذى اللّٰه؟ فقالا: اللهم نعم. قالت: فأشهد أنكما آذيتماني.

While so and so and so and so were at Fatimah (‘a)’s place visiting her when she was sick, she said to them: I ask you two by Allah, besides whom there is no god, did you hear the Apostle of Allah (S) say: Whosoever torments Fatimah (‘a) has tormented me, and whosoever torments me, has tormented Allah? They both said: Yes. She thereupon said: Therefore, I bear witness that both of you have tormented me!82

The Holy Prophet (S) is also reported to have said the following about Imam ‘Ali (‘a):

من آذى علياً فقد آذاني

Whosoever torments ‘Ali has tormented me83.

‘Amr al-Aslami, one of the companions of the Holy Prophet (S) present in Hudaybiyyah, had gone to Yemen with Imam ‘Ali (‘a), and apparently was a cause of disturbance to him. After returning to Madinah, the Holy Prophet (S) said to him:

لقد آذيتني

Indeed, you have tormented me! ‘Amr, afraid of his situation, says:

أعوذ باللّٰه (من ان) أوذيك يا رسول اللّٰه (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله(

I seek refuge from tormenting you, O Apostle of Allah, (peace be on him and his progeny)!

The Holy Prophet (S) explains the reason:

بلى من آذى عليا فقد آذاني

Indeed, whosoever torments ‘Ali has tormented me84. He (S) is also reported to have said:

ألا من آذاني في قرابتي فقد آذاني، ومن آذاني فقد آذى اللّٰه

Indeed, whosoever torments me in relation to my near ones, has tormented me, and whosoever torments me has tormented Allah85.

It is also important to know that there are traditions that mention other categories of people, whose disturbance would be tantamount to tormenting Almighty Allah and the Holy Prophet (S). Examples of such traditions are as follows:

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

من آذى والديه فقد آذاني، ومن آذاني فقد آذى اللّٰه، ومن آذى اللّٰه فهو ملعون

Whosoever torments his parents, has tormented me; and whosoever torments me, has tormented Allah; and whosoever torments Allah is cursed [and distant from Allah’s Mercy]86.

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

من آذى مؤمناً فقد آذاني، ومن آذاني فقد آذى اللّٰه عزَّوجلَّ، ومن آذى اللّٰه فهو ملعون في التوراة والإنجيل والزبور والفرقان

Whosoever torments a faithful believer has tormented me, and whosoever torments me has tormented Allah, the Invincible and Majestic, and whosoever torments Allah, is cursed in the Torah, in the Gospel, in the Psalms and in the Furqan [Qur’an]87.

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

من آذى المسلمين فقد آذاني، ومن آذاني فقد آذى اللّٰه عزَّوجلَّ

Whosoever torments the Muslims has tormented me, and whosoever torments me, has tormented Allah, the Invincible and Majestic88.

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

من آذى جاره فعليه لعنة اللّٰه والملائكة والناس أجمعين

Whosoever torments his neighbour, then upon him be the curse of Allah and the angels and all human beings89.

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

... ومن آذى غازيا فقد آذاني، ومن آذاني فقد حرَّم اللّٰه عليه الجنة ومأواه النار ...

…And whosoever torments a warrior [in the way of Allah] has tormented me, and whosoever torments me, Allah will prohibit him from Paradise and his abode will be Hell Fire…90

In light of the aforesaid, the following is a rational exposition to establish the validity of ‘curse’:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا

“Allah curses those who torment Allah and the Holy Prophet (S) in both this world as well as the Hereafter” (33:57).

Tormenting Fatimah (‘a), ‘Ali (‘a), the relatives of the Prophet (S), a believer, etc. is tantamount to tormenting Allah and the Holy Prophet (S).

Consequently, the tormenting ones (some of whom were companions of the Holy Prophet (S), and who visited Fatimah (‘a) in her house), are therefore, cursed by Allah in this world and the Hereafter.

4) The Holy Qur’an says:

كَيْفَ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ قَوْمًا كَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِيمَانِهِمْ وَشَهِدُوا أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ حَقٌّ وَجَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

“How shall Allah guide a people who have disbelieved after their faith and after bearing witness that the Apostle is true, and after manifest proofs had come to them? Allah does not guide the wrongdoing lot” (3:86).

أُولَٰئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ أَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

“Their requital is that there shall be upon them the curse of Allah, the angels, and all mankind” (3:87).

5) The Holy Qur’an also says:

قُلْ هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُم بِشَرٍّ مِّن ذَٰلِكَ مَثُوبَةً عِندَ اللَّهِ مَن لَّعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ وَعَبَدَ الطَّاغُوتَ أُولَٰئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ عَن سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ

“Say, ‘Shall I inform you concerning something worse than that as a requital from Allah? Those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He is wrathful, and turned some of whom into apes and swine, and worshippers of Evil! Such are in a worse situation, and more astray from the right way’” (5:60).

Therefore, not only is it allowed in Islam to seek the Divine expulsion of those who deserve such expulsion, it is also an expression of harmony with the All-Wise and All-Merciful Creator Himself, who curses those who deserve it.

There are so many instances in the traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) as well as the distinguished companions of the Holy Prophet (S) where La’n is perfectly expressed. The following are some noteworthy examples:

Shi’a Sources

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

إذا ظهرت البدع في أمتي فليظهر العالم علمه فمن لم يفعل فعليه لعنة اللّٰه

When innovations appear in my nation, the knowledgeable one must manifest his knowledge, and whosoever does not do so then upon him be the curse of Allah91.

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

حلق اللحية من المثلة ومن مثل فعليه لعنة اللّٰه

Shaving the beard is an example of mutilation, and whosoever mutilates, then upon him is the curse of Allah92.

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

من قال بأنَّنا أنبياء فعليه لعنة اللّٰه ومن شكَّ في ذلك فعليه لعنة اللّٰه

Whosoever says that we are Divine prophets, may the curse of Allah be upon him; and whosoever [even] doubts about that, may the curse of Allah be upon him93.

‘Ali Ibn Mahzyar is reported to have said: I heard Aba Ja’far (‘a) saying the following when the name of Abu al-Khattab was mentioned near him:

لعن اللّٰه أبا الخطَّاب ولعن أصحابه ولعن الشَّاكِّين في لعنه ولعن من وقف في ذلك وشكَّ فيه

May Allah’s curse be on Aba al-Khattab94, and may He curse his companions, and may He curse those who doubt in invoking curses on him, and may He curse those who stop cursing him and doubt about the same95.

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is reported to have said: The Messenger of Allah (S) said to me:

أنا وأنت يا علي أبوا هذا الخلق، فمن عقَّنا فعليه لعنةُ اللّٰه

I and You, O ‘Ali, are the two fathers of creation; whosoever disobeys us then upon him be the curse of Allah96…

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said that the Holy Prophet (S) said:

ملعون ملعون من عبد الدينار والدرهم ... ملعون ملعون من نكح بهيمة

Cursed, cursed is one who worships the dinar and dirham97… Cursed, cursed is one who copulates with an animal98.

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said that the Holy Prophet (S) said:

ملعون ملعون مالٌ لا يزكَّى

Cursed, cursed, is that wealth that is not purified99.

Imam Abu al-Hasan Musa Ibn Ja’far (‘a) is reported to have said:

المؤمن أخو المؤمن لأبيه وأمه ملعون ملعون من اتَّهم أخاه ملعون ملعون من غَشَّ أخاه ملعون ملعون من لم ينصح أخاه ملعون ملعون من احتجب عن أخيه ملعون ملعون من اغتاب أخاه

A believer is the brother of a believer from the same father and mother; cursed, cursed, is he who wrongly blames his brother; cursed, cursed, is he who cheats his brother; cursed, cursed, is he who does not advise his brother; cursed, cursed, is he who hides himself from his brother; cursed, cursed, is he who backbites his brother100.

Sunni Sources

After the Holy Prophet (S) returned from his farewell pilgrimage, he ordered a twenty-year-old brave youth called Usamah Ibn Zayd Ibn Harithah to take an army and go for an expedition against the Romans who were about to attack Madinah. He also commanded some very prominent companions to join the ranks. Historical accounts tell us101 that from among those whom he commanded to join this army were Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, Abd al-Rahman Ibn ‘Awf, Abu ‘Ubaydah Ibn al- Jarrah, Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas, Talhah, Zubayr, and Khalid Ibn al-Walid. Unfortunately, many did not heed to the Holy Prophet (S)’s words and the Holy Prophet (S) declared:

جَهِّزوا جيش أسامة لعن اللّٰه من تَخَلَّفَ منه

Prepare and equip the army of Usamah. May Allah’s curse be on one who lags behind it102.

Here there is a clear mention of the Prophet’s curse on some of his prominent companions.

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

ملعون من سَبَّ أباه ملعون من سَبَّ أمه ملعون من ذبح لغير اللّٰه … ملعون من وقع على بهيمة ملعون من عمل بعمل قوم لوط (عليه السلام)

Cursed is one who vilifies his father, cursed is one who vilifies his mother, cursed is one who slaughters [a sacrifice] for other than Allah…cursed is one who copulates with an animal, cursed is one who does the act of the people of Prophet Lut (‘a)103.

Abu Bakr reports from the Holy Prophet (S):

ملعون من ضارَّ مؤمنا أو مَكَرَ به

Cursed is one who harms a believer or deceives him104.

Abu Hurayrah narrates from the Holy Prophet (S):

خير هذه الأمة من بعدي علي بن أبي طالب وفاطمة والحسن والحسين فمن قال غير هذا فعليه لعنة اللّٰه

The best of this nation after me are ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn. And whosoever says other than that, may the curse of Allah be on him105.

Abu Hurayrah narrates from the Holy Prophet (S):

إذا دعا الرجل امرأته إلى فراشه فأبت عليه فبات وهو غضبان لعنتها الملائكة حتى تصبح

If a man calls his wife to his bed, and she refuses, and he spends the night while he is angry [with her], the angels curse her until morning106.

‘Abdullah Ibn Zubayr is reported to have said:

أشهد لسمعت رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم يلعن الحكم وما ولد

I bear witness that indeed, I heard the Apostle of Allah (S) cursing Hakam and his offspring107.

The aforesaid are only a few of the ample examples from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Hence, trying to challenge them under the pretext that Islam is a religion of peace and mercy is trying to question the validity of the Qur’an and the dictums of the Holy Prophet (S) and the Ahl al- Bayt (‘a). Such an argument does not hold weight and questions the most fundamental Islamic sources.

Invoking La’n On A Specific Person

Some Muslims opine that we are only allowed to do La’n in a general way, and that we cannot curse a particular person, whom we determine and decipher to be among those who according to the teachings of Islam deserve to be cursed.

The reality, however, is quite contrary, for not only do we have proofs that establish the permissibility of La’n on specific people, there are traditions where some of the signposts of guidance clearly expressed their La’n on specific people by name.

We do not negate that expressing La’n in small instances, due to personal grudges or interests, is abhorred, forbidden, and dangerous as well. Nor do we encourage one to invoke La’n on those whose identities and states one does not know properly. However, that does not mean that we restrict La’n to a general invocation of curse.

The Divine scholar, Mulla Muhammad al-Naraqi writes in his ethical masterpiece Jami’ al-Sa’adat:

والحق جواز اللعن على شخص معين عُلِمَ اتصافه بصفة الكفر أو الظلم أو الفسق. وما قيل من عدم جواز ذلك إلا على من يثبت لعنه من الشرع كفرعون وأبي جهل. لأن كل شخص معين كان على إحدى الصفات الثلاثة ربما رجع عنها، فيموت مسلما أو تائبا، فيكون مقربا عند اللّٰه لا مبعدا عنه كلام ينبغي أن يطوى ولا يروى، إذ المستفاد من كلام اللّٰه تعالى وكلام رسوله (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله وسلم) وكلام أئمتنا الراشدين: جواز نسبته إلى الشخص المعين، بل المستفاد منها أن اللعن على بعض أهل الجحود والعناد من أحب العبادات وأقرب القربات، قال اللّٰه سبحانه: (أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِين). وقال: (أُولَٰئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُون).

وقال النبي (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله وسلم): (لعن اللّٰه الكاذب ولو كان مازحا). وقال (صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله وسلم) في جواب أبي سفيان حين هجاه بألف بيت: (… اللهم العنه بكل حرف ألف لعنة) وقد لعن أمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام) جماعة. وروي أنه كان يقنت في الصلاة المفروضة بلعن معاوية وعمرو بن العاص وأبي موسى الأشعري وأبي الأعور الأسلمي، مع إنه أحلم الناس وأشدهم صفحا عمن يسوء به، فلولا أنه كان يرى لعنهم من الطاعات لما يتخير محله في الصلوات المفروضات. وروي الشيخ الطوسي: (أن الصادق (عليه السلام) كان ينصرف من الصلاة بلعن أربعة رجال).

ومن نظر إلى ما وقع للحسن (عليه السلام) مع معاوية وأصحابه وكيف لعنهم، وتتبع ما ورد من الأئمة في الكافي وغيره من كتب الأخبار والأدعية في لعنهم من يستحق اللعن من رؤساء الضلال والتصريح بأسمائهم يعلم أن ذلك من شعائر الدين، بحيث لا يعتريه شك ومرية. وما ورد من قوله (عليه السلام) (لا تكونوا لعانين)، ومثله. نهى عن اللعن على غير المستحقين، وما روي: أن أمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام) نهى عن لعن أهل الشام، فإن صح، فلعله كان يرجو إسلامهم ورجوعهم إليه، كما هو شأن الرئيس المشفق على الرعية. وبالجملة: اللعن على رؤساء الظلم والضلال والمجاهرين بالكفر والفسق جائز، بل مستحب، وعلى غيرهم من المسلمين غير جائز، إلا أن يتيقن بإتصافه بإحدى الصفات الموجبة له. وينبغي ألا يحكم باتصافه بشيء منها بمجرد الظن والتخمين، إذ لا يجوز أن يرم مسلم بكفر وفسق من غير تحقيق

The truth is that cursing a specific person who is known to have the attribute of wilful disbelief (kufr), wrongdoing (zulm), or volitional disobedience (fisq), is permissible. And what has been said about its impermissibility to the exception of one about whom there is religious evidence such as the Pharaoh and Abu Jahl, due to the possibility that whosoever possesses these attributes may [eventually] abandon them and die the death of a believer or in the state of penitence, and hence, be close to Allah and not distant from Him, is a statement which should be ignored and not narrated, for what we comprehend from the speech of Allah the Almighty and his Messenger (S) and the statements of our Divinely guided Imams (‘a), is the permissibility of attributing the same to a specific person. Rather, what we understand from them is that cursing some deniers of faith and opponents is from among the most beloved forms of worship and elements that enable one to attain the proximity of Allah better. Allah, the Glorified, says:

أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

“Those are they upon whom be the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people” (2:161).

And He says:

أُولَٰئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ

“These are those whom Allah [always] curses and the cursing ones [likewise always] curse” (2:159).

The Holy Prophet (S) said: “May Allah curse the liar even if he be joking”; and in response to Abu Sufyan’s thousand verses of poetry in ridicule of him, the Holy Prophet (S) said: “…O Allah curse him on every letter that he utters with a thousand curses.” Indeed, Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) cursed a group of people. It is narrated that during the state of qunut of his obligatory prayers, he would invoke curses on Mu’awiyah, ‘Amr Ibn ‘As, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, and Abu A’war al-Aslami, despite being the most forbearing of the people and most forgiving to whosoever does evil to him. If he would not consider his invocation of curses as being among the acts of Divine obedience, he would not have chosen its place to be the obligatory prayers. Al-Shaykh al-Tusi narrates that Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) would finish his prayer with cursing four men; and whosoever observes what transpired with Imam al-Hasan (‘a) and Mu’awiyah and his companions, and how the Imam (‘a) cursed them, and skims through what has been narrated from the Imams in al-Kafi and other texts of traditions and supplications about cursing those who deserve to be cursed from among the leaders of deviation, and [observes] the distinct mention of their names as well, realises that that is from among the teachings of religion, having no speck of doubt about it whatsoever.

And what has been narrated from Amir al- Mu’minin (‘a) such as “Do not be frequent cursers” and the like is the prohibition of cursing those who do not deserve to be cursed, and the narration of prohibiting to curse the people of Sham, assuming its authenticity, is perhaps because he (‘a) was hopeful of their submission and return to him, and such is the demeanour of a leader who is kind to his subjects. In conclusion: Cursing the leaders of oppression, deviation, and those who display their volitional disbelief and sinful state, is permissible. Rather it is recommended as well. However, cursing other Muslims is impermissible unless one attains conviction that he has one of the characteristics that makes him deserve the same. It is imperative for one not to make a conclusion that someone has one of the characteristics [that makes him fit to be cursed] through mere speculation and conjecture. This is because it is impermissible to attribute disbelief (kufr) and volitional disobedience (fisq) to someone without proper investigation.108

Understanding The Crux Of La’n

The human being has been moulded in a way that he has two fundamental reactions vis-à-vis the things around him:

Attraction of that which is beneficial (jalb al-manfa’ah)

Repulsion of that which is harmful (daf ‘ al-darar)

He is naturally attracted to those things that would benefit him and repelled from those things that would harm him. This is an undeniable innate and natural element in every sound human being irrespective of race or religion.

Seeking the long life and prosperity of those who promote one’s real prosperity and praying for the damnation of those who struggle for the destruction of the same, likewise is very natural.

La’n when expressed from the depths of the heart enables one to retain this innate disposition. Whereas through salutations (salam) one cultivates and strengthens the love for real prosperity of the human beings, the secret of which lies in following the tenets of the Divine religion in the different levels and attaining individual and social equilibrium among people, La’n enables one to fortify his heart to be completely against those who promote disbelief, lawlessness, slavery (overt as well as covert), oppression (internal as well as external), and theft (in all the modern manifestations of the vice), characteristics which are naturally abhorred by every human being of sound nature who has understood the truth and loves to progress and attain eternal felicity. It is through the destruction of such elements from the society that one attains true life. The Holy Qur’an says:

وَلَكُمْ فِي الْقِصَاصِ حَيَاةٌ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“There is life for you in retribution, O you who possess intellects! Maybe you will be God wary!” (2:179).

Hence, La’n should not be mistaken with an emotional grudge or rash reaction of ill-natured people. La’n is a strong opposition against falsehood and its supporters. It is the declaration of a stance against the enemies of Allah and all those who promote the destruction of human beings. If one contemplates on this reality painstakingly, one would realise that La’n is nothing but sheer love for Allah and a demeanour of intense mercy for other people.

Du’a’- Prayer Or Curse?

In the Arabic language when we want to make a prayer in relation to someone, we employ the word al-du’a’.109 However, the Arabic preposition that follows it would determine whether the prayer is for or against him. If it is linked with the preposition lam it would signify benefit, but if it is linked with preposition ‘ala, it would signify harm and curse. Following are two examples of each case:

Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

من أكرم مؤمنا فكأنما يكرم اللّٰه، ومن دعا لأخيه المؤمن دفع اللّٰه عنه البلاء ودرَّ عليه الرزق

Whosoever honours a believer honours Allah, and whosoever prays for his Mu’min brother Allah would dispel calamities from him and pour down (His) provision on him.110

Imam Musa al-Kazim (‘a) is reported to have said:

من دعا لأخيه بظهر الغيب نودي من العرش: ولك مائة ألف ضعف

Whosoever prays for his brother [in faith] in his absence is called from the Divine Throne and told: And for you is 100,000 times more111.

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

أيما رجل دعا على ولده أورثه الفقر

Whoever curses his children, Allah would make him inherit poverty112.

Ibn Abi Jamhur al-Ahsa’i in his ‘Awali al-La’ali al-’Aziziyyah fi al- Ahadith al-Diniyyah narrates:

وروي أن النبي صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله قَنَتَ في الصبح ودعا جماعة وسمَّاهم

It is narrated that the Prophet (S) performed qunut in the morning prayer and cursed a group of people and named them113.

If we plunge ourselves a little deeper, we will come to realise that when we love someone because he upholds human values, and we pray for his advantage and perfection, we do so due to the fact that our innate disposition naturally seeks and is attracted to benefit and good. Similarly, when we despise someone because he is the epitome of evil and spiritual destruction, we are actually revealing our innate disposition which naturally abhors and flees from evil. In other words, the root of prayer “for” or “against” someone is jalb al-manfa’ah (attracting benefit) and daf’ al-darar (repelling harm).

Notice, both prayer and curse are called du’a’, and both stem from the innate disposition of the human being. However, we should note that in the same way as there are limits and conditions for prayer, there are limits and conditions for curse as well. Consider the following traditions:

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

من دعا لظالم بالبقاء فقد أحب أن يعصى اللّٰه في أرضه

Whosoever prays for the subsistence of an oppressor, loves that Allah is disobeyed on His earth114.

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

أيما رجل دعا على ولده أورثه اللّٰه الفقر

Whosoever curses his children Allah would make him inherit poverty115.

Stripping Off The Spatial Limitations

It is important to realise that La’n knows no time, place and people. Yesterday it was Yazid and his likes, and today, it is our duty to decipher and condemn those who assimilate his footsteps in the modern world.

Imam Khumayni in his final will says:

آنچه لعن و نفرین بر ستمگران آل بيت است، تمام فریاد قهرمانانهٔ ملتها است، بر سردمداران ستم‌پيشه در طول تاريخ الي الابد. و مي‌دانيد که لعن و نفرين و فرياد از بيداد بنی امیه لعنه اللّٰه عليهم با آنکه آنان منقرض و به جهنم رهسپار شده‌اند، فرياد بر سر “ستمگران جهان” و زنده نگهداشتن اين فرياد ستم‌شکن است.

The curse and execration on the oppressors of the progeny of the Holy Prophet (S) are all brave protests of nations over the tyrannical rulers throughout history, in perpetuity. And you know that curse, execration, and protest against the injustice of Banu Umayyah (May Allah curse them) despite their extinction and transfer to Hell Fire, is a protest against the world oppressors; and the revival of such protest crushes oppression116.

Hence, the La’n that we express for the past transgressors must not make us oblivious of the present and the future. It should be a stepping stone towards comprehending its universal signification. The Holy Qur’an, which vocally expresses La’n on the oppressors for example, is for every time and place. Hence, we should also invoke the destruction and abandonment of all the contemporary transgressors, promoters of lawlessness, etc. This is because it is with the existence of such people that the human race is facing different kinds of problems.

Asserting the importance of being aware of the present extensions of evil, Martyr Murtada Mutahhari in one of his powerful statements said:

يزيد زمان حسين (عليه السلام) مُرد، يزيد زمان خود را بشناسيد!

“The Yazid of Imam Husayn (‘a)’s age is dead. You must now decipher the Yazid of your own time!”117

Does Curse Contradict One’s Merciful Demeanour?

The late Gnostic, Ayatullah al-Sayyid al-Haddad al-Musawi (may Allah sanctify his purified spirit) was once asked about the philosophy of invoking curses in the supplication of ‘Alqamah that follows Ziyarat ‘Ashura’.

The questioner asked: Are these severe curses in different forms in harmony with the spirit of Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) who is the school of mercy and love?

In response, the Sayyid said:

This supplication is entirely for seeking goodness (khayr) and mercy, although it appears in the form of execration and curse. Generally, all the curses of Allah or those that have come through the tongue of the Prophet and his Infallible progeny (may Allah’s abundant mercy and peace be on them all) are goodness, sheer goodness. Principally, nothing save goodness flows from God and His close servants. These curses are for the person of the transgressor, and not for a God-wary believer who is busy in his work. However, much life, health and power is given to the transgressor and the tyrant, he would employ them in harming his soul and transgressing the bounds of the oppressed. Hence, restraining his health, strength and life is repelling harm, and the repulsion of harm in reality is attaining benefit.

With our limited material and sensory vision, we conjecture that goodness is always in being healthy, having power and life, regardless of the reality of life, one’s good or evil intention, pleasant or unpleasant decision, good or evil belief [etc]. However, such is not the case. This is because one must consider the spirit as well. Life is good for the human being when he is the source of good for himself and others. However, if he becomes a source of evil, and the increment of life, protection, health and strength, brings about self- transgression and trespassing the vicinity of the human beings, it is not goodness. We cannot term this kind of facilitation as “goodness”. In this situation, its opposite is goodness. In other words, for such a person, death, illness, destitution, is good, although others may be unaware of it.

A knife employed by a surgeon who severs a contaminated part of one’s body is good, although it necessitates sickness, unconsciousness, shedding of the blood of the sick person, and consumption of bitter medicine. And although the contaminated part of the body deems itself to be good, the reality is that it is not as such. Mercy is not in continuously becoming fat and eating oily and sweet food. Sometimes it is in being thin, bearing hunger and sufficing oneself with simple food.

A child always wants sweets from his father, but the merciful father does not respond positively to his request. Sometimes he does give him sweets but to a limited proportion. This is good and mercy for the child. Sometimes, however, he gives him a bitter laxative and injection, places him in the hospital for an operation, and forbids him from playing. Never is the child pleased with this behaviour. He would always like to run around, eat sweets, and play; and [hence,] he opposes his father in this prohibition and limitation. Sometimes he conjectures that his father is selfish and [even] his enemy. However, the reality of the matter is other than this. All these actions of the father is goodness and mercy for the child, for it would facilitate his life, although the child neither knows [that] or wants it. Hence, the father is extremely disturbed by these events and predicaments. He does not rest, is at the bed-side of his child, and does not sleep until morning. And this is sheer mercy.

Mercy sometimes appears in the form of bestowals and giving sweets and sometimes in the form of prohibition and injection. Both are examples of mercy, but in two different complexions and forms.

The Prophets and Imams (‘a) came for the real life and eternal prosperity of humankind, and their message revolves around this [very] pivot. Hence, whenever the real life collides with the material life, the true health with the superficial health, and the true strength with the attributive strength, the latter is overlooked for the protection of the former. Hence, they give the command for war, kill the polytheists and the disbelievers, discipline the hypocrites and punish the sinful. All this is khayr (goodness).

In order to make a transgressor attain the highest station of humanness, corporal discipline, paralysis, poverty, illness, and weakness are khayr (goodness), for these things [wake him up] and make him come back to himself and lessen the swelling of the self that frequently invited towards evil, and confer him with nobility. Hence, it is goodness and mercy118.

Cursing: Harmonising Oneself With The Divine Spirit

A very important point to remember is that we are aware that Allah curses a group of people in the Qur’an due to some characteristics, and the reality of His curse is to deprive them from His mercy. Those who possess a Divine spirit assimilate Allah’s demeanour, and seek the same for these people. In simple words, it is as if they declare their harmony and pleasure with what Allah is pleased with.

The Holy Qur’an says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَىٰ مِن بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتَابِ ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ

“Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down of manifest proofs and guidance, after We have clarified it in the Book for mankind, they shall be cursed by Allah and cursed by the cursers” (2:159).

Observe here that not only Allah curses those who hide manifest proofs, but even those who are in harmony with the Divine spirit. They are known as al-la’inun (the cursing ones) in this verse.

It must be remembered that the principal curser as indicated in the verse is Allah. Hence, He expels a group of people from His mercy because they have wrought themselves in such a way that they deserve to be expelled. Consequently, they encounter nothing but the recompense of their deeds. We, on the other hand, who are encouraged to curse them, actually harmonise ourselves with the Divine spirit, and in fact strengthen our innate and natural aversion for the proponents of disbelief, deviation, oppression, and mischief.

Cursing The Dead Ones

It must be understood that curse or expulsion from Divine mercy does not stop in this world. There are verses that inform us that a group of people are cursed in this world as well as the Hereafter. They have planted the seeds of continual expulsion and harm for themselves. Hence, while Almighty Allah curses them, if His virtuous servants who are dissolved in Him adopt His demeanour, they are displaying complete submission to Him.

Cursing those who continually oppressed the guardians of Islam, such that they left this world in the state of disbelief, is therefore, sheer manifestation of Divine volition.

The Holy Qur’an says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

“Indeed, those who turn faithless and die while they are faithless, it is they on whom shall be the curse of Allah, the angels and all mankind” (2:161).

وَالَّذِينَ يَنقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللَّهِ مِن بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَيَقْطَعُونَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمُ اللَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّار

“But as for those who break Allah’s covenant after having pledged it solemnly, and sever what Allah has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption in the earth, it is they on whom is the curse, and for them will be the ills of the [ultimate] abode” (13:25).

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْغَافِلَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ لُعِنُوا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

“Indeed, those who accuse honourable and unwary faithful women shall be cursed in this world and the Hereafter, and there shall be a great punishment for them” (24:23).

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا

“Indeed, those who torment Allah and His Apostle are cursed by Allah in the world and the Hereafter, and He has prepared a humiliating punishment for them” (33:57).

يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ الظَّالِمِينَ مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ وَلَهُمُ اللَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ

“The day when the excuses of the wrongdoers will not benefit them, and the curse will lie on them, and for them will be the ills of the [ultimate] abode” (40:52).

These verses clearly indicate that the process of La’n does not stop in this world, but continues in the Hereafter as well.

When one invokes curses, he actually does the following:

1. Expresses dislike for the cursed one, who in reality is a composition of his beliefs, thoughts, words, deeds and aims.

2. Expresses his stance vis-à-vis falsehood, corruption, oppression, mischief and all that is evil.

3. Trains his spirit to dislike and detach himself from the characteristics of the cursed one. The expression of curse enables one to think of the root of the matter. One realises that it is the evil habits of the cursed one that makes one curse him. Hence, he struggles to eliminate even the small shades of the habits in himself.

4. Expresses his concern to repel harm from himself and others. One of the effects of curse is death and divine punishment. If curse would bring about the death, destruction, illness, etc. in one who is harmful for the human beings, it is nothing but extreme mercy.

5. Assimilates the Divine spirit. Indeed, the human being was created to represent Allah on earth. By following Allah’s demeanour, he manifests the Divine spirit.

ولعن اللّٰه أمَّةً دفعتكم عن مقامكم وأزالتكم عن مراتبكم التي رتبكم اللّٰه فيها

…and may Allah expel from His mercy the community who removed you from your position and separated you from your stations where Allah had established you…

This verse can be taken as an emphasis or description of the previous verse: Those who laid the foundation of wrongdoing and transgression against the Household of the Prophet (S) did so by depriving them their right of leadership through Divine appointment and separating them from the stations where Allah had firmly established them.

The past tense daf’a employed in the above verse signifies repulsion. Its triconsonantal meaning is “to move something away”119 (tanhiyat al- shay’)120. Therefore, the phrase “dafa’at-kum” literally means “they removed you”.

In one of his sermons after the death of ‘Uthman, Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) reminds the people about how the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) were removed from their right, which alludes to the very station (maqam) we are discussing here. The Imam (‘a) said:

فلما مضى صلى اللّٰه عليه وآله لسبيله دفعنا عن حقِّنا من دفعنا…

When he [the Holy Prophet (S)] passed away onto his path [of the Hereafter], removed us from our right those who removed us…121

The word maqam literally means ‘a standing place’ (mahall li al-qiyam). Maqamu Ibrahim mentioned in the Qur’an, for example, means ‘the standing place of Ibrahim (‘a)’. Although employed in its physical sense, it is also used to signify a spiritual standing place or a spiritual station.

Apparently, the position (maqam) and stations (maratib) spoken about in this verse do not refer to their spiritual stations, from which they can be neither removed nor separated. Despite being deprived of their right to govern the Islamic nation they enjoyed stations that no other human being can describe.

The word maqam (the place of standing) therefore, refers to the station of the political & social role of Imamah (leadership by Divine appointment). Imam al-Baqir (‘a) refers to the same in a tradition narrated by a contemporary of his called Abu al-Fadl. The latter reports that the Imam (‘a) said:

من ادَّعى مقامنا يعني الإمامة فهو كافر أو قال مشرك

Whosoever claims our station (maqam), which is Divine Leadership, then he is an unbeliever, or he may have said: he is a polytheist122.

Notice the Imam (‘a) employs the word maqam here for leadership by Divine appointment.

Another word worthy of consideration is azalat in the phrase azalatkum ‘an maratibikum…which we have rendered as “separated”. The triconsonantal root meaning of the word is “the moving away of something from a spot through separation” (tanahhi shay’ ‘an nuqtatin bi iftiraqin ‘anha)123.

The word maratib is the plural of martabah (station). Its triconsonantal root (r.t.b) signifies “to be firm, constant, etc.” Al-Turayhi in his lexicon Majma’ al-Bahrayn, under the root (r.t.b) says:

رَتَبَ الشيء رتوبا من باب قعد أي استقرّ ودام … والرُّتبة المنزلة وكذلك المرتبة

Rataba al-shay’u rutuban is pronounced like qa’ada (qa’ada qu’udan) and means “it settled and continued”… and al-rutbah means a waystation (al- manzilah), and likewise is al-martaba124.

Hence, when we speak of maratib, we speak of stations.

ولعن اللّٰه أُمَّةً دفعتكم عن مقامكم وأزالتكم عن مراتبكم التي رتَّبكم اللّٰه فيها

…and may Allah expel from His mercy the community who removed you from your position and separated you from your stations where Allah had established you…

Although we said that the maqam and maratib spoken about in this verse only refers to the apparent political and social position bestowed to them through Divine appointment, there is a probability that it also refers to their spiritual stations. Obviously, this does not mean that the fundamental oppressors removed or separated them from their spiritual stations. It rather means that the oppressors hid and covered their spiritual stations by depriving them of their role and sidelining them, such that the people did not realise their great spiritual stations. A similar usage is found in a tradition of Imam al-Sadiq (‘a); during his time there was a group of notorious people who claimed Divinity for Imam al-Sadiq (‘a), whereupon the Imam cursed them. In one of his statements, he employs the same phrase “azalana” to signify a kind of cover. The Imam (‘a) is reported to have said:

لعن اللّٰه من قال فينا ما لا نقوله في أنفسنا ولعن اللّٰه من أزالنا عن العبوديَّة للّٰه الذي خلقنا وإليه مآبُنا ومعادُنا…

May Allah’s curse be on one who says about us what we do not claim for ourselves, and curse be on one who separates us from being slaves of Allah, for the purpose of which He created us, and towards Him is our return…125

Notice that Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) here employs the phrase ‘azalana ‘an al-’ubudiyyah li Allah’ (he separated us from being slaves of Allah), which does not in any way mean that they were actually separated from really being the utter slaves of Allah. Rather it means that the extremists (ghulat) depicted them to possess the station of Divinity. Hence, the phrase azalana alludes to a kind of covering of their real station, which was their utter submission to God (‘ubudiyyah).

وأزالتكم عن مراتبكم التي رتبكم اللّٰه فيها

…and separated you from your stations where Allah had established you…

The phrase rattabakum Allahu fiha in the verse explicitly informs us that the stations bestowed on the Ahl al-Bayt, irrespective of their kind and nature, are all Divine bestowals.

There is an implicit confession here that the station of Imamah is not that which can be bestowed by fallible human beings. Neither election, nor selection, nor a committee, can select one who would have the deserving qualities and abilities to bear the great responsibilities of the Holy Prophet (S) in the different dimensions of life.

ولعن اللّٰه أمَّةً دفعتكم عن مقامكم وأزالتكم عن مراتبكم التي رتَّبكم اللّٰه فيها

…and may Allah expel from His mercy the community who removed you from your position and separated you from your stations where Allah had established you…

The second person masculine plural object pronoun ‘kum’ iterated in this verse refers to the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). In fact, whatever transpired on Imam al- Husayn (‘a) esoterically also transpired on the rest of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). Imam al-Ridha (‘a) describing the calamity employs the first-person plural pronoun “na” revealing the sorrow of the entire Ahl al-Bayt (‘a):

إن المُحرَّم شهر كان أهل الجاهلية يحرِّمون فيه القتال فاستحلَّت فيه دماؤُنا وهُتِكت فيه حرمتنا وسُبيَ فيه ذراريُّنا ونساؤُنا وأضرمت النِّيران في مضاربنا وانتهب ما فيها من ثقلنا ولم تُرعَ لرسول اللّٰه حرمةٌ في أمرنا إن يوم الحسين أَقرَحَ جفوفنا وأسبل دموعنا وأذلَّ عزيزنا بأرض كربٍ وبلاءٍ … فعلى مثل الحسين فليبك الباكون فإنَّ البكاء عليه يحُطُّ الذنوب العظام.

Indeed, Muharram is a month in which the people of the age of ignorance would prohibit war, but thereafter our blood was allowed to be spilled therein, our sanctity was violated, our children and women were taken as captives, the place where our tents lay was set on fire, our property was looted, and no esteem was observed for the Apostle of Allah in our matter. Indeed, the day of al-Husayn wounded our eyelids, shed our tears, humiliated our revered in the land of karb (deep anguish) and bala’ (trial)...Therefore, for the likes of al-Husayn (‘a) the weepers must weep, for weeping over him drops the grave sins126.

In the well-known Tradition of the Mantle, the Holy Prophet (S) expressing his unity with his Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) says:

اللهم إنَّ هؤلاء أهل بيتي وخاصَّتي وحامَّتي، لحمهم لحمي، ودمهم دمي، يؤلمني ما يؤلمهم، ويحزنني ما يحزنهم، أنا حربٌ لمن حاربهم، وسلمٌ لمن سالمهم، وعدوٌ لمن عاداهم، وحبٌ لمن أحبَّهم، إنَّهم مني وأنا منهم…

O Allah, indeed, these are my Household, special to me, and intimate with me, their flesh is my flesh and their blood is my blood; whosoever hurts them hurts me, and whosoever makes them sad, makes me sad; I am at war with he who fights against them, and at peace with he who is at peace with them; I am an enemy of he who shows enmity to them, and a lover of he who loves them. Indeed, they are from me and I from them127.

Rather, whatever transpired on the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) transpired on their true followers (Shi’a) as well. Hence, they express their sorrow or happiness according to the sorrow and happiness of their masters: In a tradition about the true followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) is reported to have said:

إن اللّٰه تبارك وتعالى اطَّلَعَ إلى الأرض فاختارنا واختار لنا شيعةً ينصروننا ويفرحون لفرحنا ويحزنون لحزننا ويذلون أموالهم وأنفسهم فينا أولئك منَّا وإلينا

Indeed, Allah, the abundantly gracious and exalted, inspected the earth and selected us, and he chose for us followers who help us; they get happy due to our happiness and sad due to our sadness; they spend their wealth and sacrifice themselves in our way. These are those who are from us, and get close to us128.

ولعن اللّٰه أمَّةً …

…and may Allah expel from His mercy the community(ummah)129

Having realised earlier the broad connotation of the word ummah, which means “a group of people united due to a common thing in them”, invoking curse is not limited to the two fundamental oppressors. Rather all those who succeeded them in usurping the right of political leadership of the Islamic government or hid their spiritual stations are also worthy of being cursed.

The Abbasids, for example, whose entire history is brim with oppression and injustice against the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) cannot be excluded. All of them without exception oppressed the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) and usurped their rights. When Ma’mun with his ruse tried to coerce Imam al-Ridha (‘a) to accept the caliphate, the Imam (‘a), presenting a beautiful reasoning, rejected the same. Al-Shaykh al-Saduq in his Amali narrates the conversation between Imam al-Ridha (‘a) and Ma’mun as follows:

فقال له المأمون: إني قد رأيت أن أعزل نفسي عن الخلافة وأجعلها لك وأبايعك. فقال له الرضا (عليه السلام): إن كانت الخلافة لك وجعلها اللّٰه لك، فلا يجوز أن تخلع لباسا ألبسك اللّٰه وتجعله لغيرك، وإن كانت الخلافة ليست لك، فلا يجوز لك أن تجعل لي ما ليس لك. فقال له المأمون: يا ابن رسول اللّٰه لا بد من قبول هذا الأمر، فقال: لستُ أفعل ذلك طائعا أبدا

…So Ma’mun said to the Imam (‘a): Surely, I thought that I should remove myself from the caliphate and give it to you and pay my oath of allegiance to you. Thereupon al-Ridha (A) said: If the caliphate belongs to you and Allah made it for you, then it is not permissible that you remove the apparel that Allah has made you to wear, and render it for other than yourself. And if the caliphate does not belong to you, then you are not allowed to give me what is not your property. Ma’mun [irritated by the Imam’s sharp-witted response] said: O Son of the Messenger of Allah, you must agree to this matter. The Imam (‘a) said: I will never do that obediently…130

Another example worthy of reflection is that of Imam Musa Ibn Ja’far (‘a). Harun al-Rashid informed the Imam (‘a) that he is ready to return the land of Fadak to the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). Thereupon Imam al-Kazim (‘a) told him that he would not accept it save with all its boundaries. The following conversation transpired:

يا أبا الحسن خذ فدكاً حتى أَرُدُّها عليك، فَيَأبى، حتَّى أَلَحَّ عليه، فقال: لا آخذها إلا بحدودها، قال: وما حدودها؟ قال: … إن حدَّدتها لم تَرُدّها، قال: بِحَقِّ جَدِّكَ إلاَّ فعلت، قال: أمَّا الحدَّ الأَول فَعِدَن، فتغيَّرَ وجه الرَّشيد، وقال: هيَّه، قال: والحَدُّ الثاني سَمَرْقَنْد، فَارْبَدَّ وجهه، قال: والحَدُّ الثالث أفريقيا، فَاسْوَدَّ وجهه، وقال: هَيَّه، قال: والرابع سيف البحر ممَّا يلي الخَزَرْ وأُرْمِيْنية، قال الرَّشيد: فلم يبق لنا شيء، قال موسى (ع): قد أعلمتك أنِّي إن حدَّدتها لم تَرُدها. فعند ذلك عَزَمَ على قتله.

O Aba al-Hasan, take Fadak so that I may return it to you. The Imam (‘a) refused to accept until Harun persisted. Thereupon the Imam (‘a) said: I will not take it accept with its boundaries. Harun asked: And what are its boundaries? The Imam said: If I identify the boundaries, you will not return it back. Harun said: I swear by the station of your grandfather, that I will return it. The Imam (‘a) said: The first boundary is Eden. The colour of al- Rashid’s face changed. He said: Continue! The Imam (‘a) said: The second boundary is Samarqand. Harun’s face took on a glowering expression. The mam (‘a) continued and said: The third boundary is Africa. Harun’s face turned black and gloomy. He said: Continue! The Imam (‘a) said: The fourth boundary is the ocean, and whatever is beyond the Caspian Sea and Armenia. Thereupon Harun al-Rashid said: Therefore, nothing remains for us?! Imam Musa al-Kazim (‘a) said: Indeed, I did inform you that if I identify the boundaries of Fadak, you will not be able to return the same!

And at this instance Harun decided to kill the Imam131.

‘Abd al-Mun’im Hasan, having quoted the above narration in his book Bi Nuri Fatimah Ihtadaytu (I was guided through the light of Fatimah) concludes:

فدك إذا هي التعبير الثاني عن الخلافة الإسلامية والزهراء (سلام اللّٰه عليها) جعلت فدك مقدمة للوصول إلى الخلافة.

Fadak, therefore, is another expression for the Islamic caliphate, and al- Zahra’ (‘a) made Fadak a foundation to attain the caliphate [and place it in its proper place]132.

ولعن اللّٰه أُمَّةً قتلتكم

…and may Allah expel from His mercy the community who slew you…

Although apparent history records one wretched person who mercilessly martyred Imam al-Husayn (‘a), the reality is that a whole group is introduced as responsible for this act. Obviously according to Islamic law, not only is the immediate killer (al-mubashir) responsible for a crime, but also the one who commanded (al-Amir) him to carry out the same. Rather, the latter’s crime is more despicable. Notice that the word ummah has also been mentioned in the above phrase. The entire army of Yazid who came to fight against Imam al-Husayn (‘a), having a single aim, are known as the qatalah (killers) of Imam al-Husayn (‘a). Rather, all those who supported them even by word are among them.

In a Ziyarah addressed to Hadrat Abu al-Fadl al-’Abbas, we say:

قَتَلَ اللّٰه أُمَّةً قتلتكم بالأيدي والألسن

May Allah slay that community who slew you with actions and words.

Therefore, expressing support for Yazid and his people, is actually to have participated in their crimes. Small wonder it is then that in some traditions we are told that our 12th Holy Imam (‘a) would even kill some of the descendents of the killers of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) because they enjoy the same spirit and aspire to do the same thing that their ancestors did.

In a tradition narrated in Al-Burhan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an, a person asks Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) about the interpretation of the Qur’anic verse 17:33, and the Imam (‘a) says that it referred to the Qa’imu Ali Muhammad (‘a) who will avenge for the blood of Imam al-Husayn (‘a). Then at one point he (‘a) says:

يقتل اللّٰه ذراري قَتَلَةِ الحسين (عليه السلام) بفعال آبائها

He [Qa’imu Ali Muhammad (S)] will kill, I swear by Allah, the descendants of the slayers of al-Husayn (‘a), due to what their forefathers did133.

This tradition of Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) was known even during the time of Imam al-Ridha (‘a). Unclear about its meaning, ‘Abd al-Salam al- Harawi asks Imam al-Ridha (‘a) of his opinion about Imam al-Sadiq’s (‘a) statement, and the Imam (‘a) says: It is as he (‘a) had said. So al- Harawi argues and asks the meaning of the verse “No bearer shall bear another’s burden” (17:15). Imam al-Ridha (‘a) in response says:

صدق اللّٰه في جميع أقواله، لكن ذراريُّ قَتَلَةِ الحسين (عليه السلام) يرضون بفعال آبائهم ويفتخرون بها ومن رضي شيئا كان كمن أتاه ولو أنَّ رجلا قُتِلَ في المشرق فرضي بقتله رجلٌ في المغرب لكان الرَّاضي عند اللّٰه عزَّ وجلَّ شريك القاتل وإنما يقتلهم القائم (عليه السلام) إذا خرج لرضاهم بفعل آبائهم

Allah is right in all His words. However, the progeny of the slayers of al- Husayn (‘a) would approve [and be pleased with] the deeds of their forefathers and they would boast of the same. And indeed, whosoever sanctions an act is like one who has done the act. And if a person were to be killed in the East, and a man from the West were to approve his deed, the one who approves would be a participant in his murder. And indeed, al- Qa’im (‘a) would kill them when he appears, because they approve and are happy with what their forefathers did134.

Cursing The Killers Of Al-Husayn (‘A) Is Compulsory

Cursing the killers of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) does not require any intricate proof. The most lucid proof is the following verse of the Holy Qur’an:

وَمَن يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا

“Should anyone slay a believer intentionally, his requital shall be Hell, to remain in it [forever]; Allah shall be wrathful at him and curse him and He shall prepare for him a great punishment” (4:93).

Imam al-Husayn (‘a) was not only a believer but the very epitome of belief and Islam. Therefore, his killers are more worthy of being cursed and abandoned from Divine mercy.

Those who deprive themselves from the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) opine that one should not invoke curses against Yazid, for perhaps he repented before death. The infallible Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), whom the Holy Prophet (S) declared as authorities of religion in the well- known tradition of al-Thaqalayn, have themselves in various instances enlightened the Muslims about the identity of Yazid. They have also explicitly cursed him, and therefore, there is no room to doubt whether it is correct to curse Yazid or not. In fact, they have said that the matter is so serious that the curse of Allah is essential for the killers of Imam al-Husayn (‘a). In a lengthy tradition, Maytham al-Tammar reports from Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (‘a) about what would transpire to Imam al-Husayn (‘a) on the tenth of Muharram. At one point he says:

وَجَبَت لعنة اللّٰه على قَتَلَةِ الحسين كما وجبت على المشركين الذين يجعلون مع اللّٰه إلهاً آخر…

The curse of Allah is obligatory on the slayers of al-Husayn (‘a) the way it is obligatory on the polytheists who associate another god with Allah…135

Addressing his companion al-Rayyan Ibn Shabib, Imam al-Ridha (‘a) says:

يا بن شبيب إن سَرَّكَ أن تسكن الغُرَفَ المبنيَّة في الجنَّة مع النبي (ص) فالعن قَتَلَةَ الحسين

O son of Shabib, if it pleases you to inhabit the rooms built in Paradise with the Prophet (S), then curse the killers of al-Husayn (‘a)136.

The Holy Qur’an says:

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ لَا تَسْفِكُونَ دِمَاءَكُمْ وَلَا تُخْرِجُونَ أَنفُسَكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ ثُمَّ أَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ

“And when We took a pledge from you: “You shall not shed your [own people’s] blood, and you shall not expel your folks from your homes,” you pledged, and you testify [to this pledge of your ancestors]” (2:84).

ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ هَٰؤُلَاءِ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَتُخْرِجُونَ فَرِيقًا مِّنكُم مِّن دِيَارِهِمْ تَظَاهَرُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِالْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَإِن يَأْتُوكُمْ أُسَارَىٰ تُفَادُوهُمْ وَهُوَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِخْرَاجُهُمْ أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ فَمَا جَزَاءُ مَن يَفْعَلُ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ إِلَّا خِزْيٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ أَشَدِّ الْعَذَابِ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

“Then there you were, killing your folks and expelling a part of your folks from their homes, backing one another against them in sin and aggression! And if they came to you as captives, you would ransom them, though their expulsion itself was forbidden you. What! Do you believe in part of the Book and defy another part? So what is the requital of those of you who do that except disgrace in the life of this world? And on the Day of Resurrection, they shall be consigned to the severest punishment. And Allah is not oblivious of what you do” (2:85).

In a tradition narrated in Tafsir Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) under the above verses, the Imam (‘a) is reported to have said:

فقال رسول اللّٰه (ص) لما نزلت هذه الآية في اليهود: هؤلاء اليهود [الذين] نقضوا عهد اللّٰه، وكذَّبوا رُسُلَ اللّٰه، وقتلوا أولياء اللّٰه: أفلا أنبئكم بمن يضاميهم من يهود هذه الأمة قالوا: بلى يا رسول اللّٰه. قال: قوم من أُمَّتي ينتحلون بأنهم من أهل ملَّتي، يقتلون أفاضل ذريتي وأطايب أُرُوْمَتي، ويبدلون شريعتي وسنتي، ويقتلون ولديَّ الحسن والحسين كما قتل أسلاف هؤلاء اليهود زكريا ويحيى. ألا وإنَّ اللّٰه يلعنهم كما لعنهم، ويبعث على بقايا ذراريهم قبل يوم القيامة هاديًا مهديًّا من ولد الحسين المظلوم، يحرقهم [بسيوف أوليائهم] إلى نار جهنم، ألا ولعن اللّٰه قتلة الحسين ومُحِبِّيهم وناصريهم والساكتين عن لعنهم من غير تقيَّةٍ تسكتهم. ألا وصلَّى اللّٰه على الباكين على الحسين بن علي (ع) رحمةً وشفقةً، والَّاعنين لأعدائهم والممتلئين عليهم غيظا وحنقا، ألا وإنَّ الراضين بقتل الحسين (ع) شركاء قتلته.

…So the Messenger of Allah (S) said when this verse was revealed about the Jews: These are the Jews who broke their covenant with Allah, rejected the Apostles of Allah, and slew the close servants of Allah. Should I not inform you of those who resemble them from the Jews of this nation? They [companions who were with him] said: Of course, O Apostle of Allah! The Holy Prophet (S) said: They are a people from my nation who would claim to be followers of my religion, and will slay the best of my progeny and the most pleasant of my lineage; they would change my religion and tradition, and will slay my two sons, al-Hasan and al-Husayn (‘a) in the manner that the predecessors of these Jews slew Zakariyyah and Yahya. Indeed, Allah curses them the way He cursed them [i.e. the Jews], and will send a Guide from the progeny of al-Husayn (‘a) before the Day of Resurrection to the remnants of their progeny, who would turn them by the swords of his close companions to the Hell Fire. Indeed, curse be on the slayers of al-Husayn (‘a) and their lovers, helpers, and those who are silent in cursing, without any dissimulation (taqiyya) silencing them. Indeed, and may Allah’s abundant mercy pour down on those who weep over al-Husayn Ibn ‘Ali in mercy and pity, who curse their enemies, and are filled with anger and rage against them. Indeed, those who are happy with the slaying of al-Husayn are partners in crime with his slayers137.

ولعن اللّٰه الممهِّدين لهم بالتَّمكين من قتالكم

…and may Allah expel from His mercy those who facilitated for them the possibility to combat with you.

“Al-mumahhidin” in this verse literally means ‘those who prepared or facilitated”. It is the plural of the word “mumahhid” (one who prepares, facilitates, paves the way, etc.). Its origin is from the root m.h.d, which signifies ‘to make a place ready for residing and rest’138.

And al-tamkin signifies “to make possible”. It is derived from the word ‘kawn’ (to be).

In this phrase therefore, we invoke Divine curse on those who facilitated and paved the way (al-mumahhidin) for the slayers of al-Husayn (‘a) whether directly or indirectly, by making it possible (bi al-tamkin) to combat with the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) in the plains of Karbala.

In order to understand how the usurpation of successorship of the Holy Prophet (S), which was a Divinely ordained right, facilitated the Karbala tragedy, we would like to draw your attention to the following brief chronology of events:

A Chronology Linking Karbala To Saqifah

10 AH: On the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) is explicitly declared as the successor of the Holy Prophet (S) in Ghadir Khumm. This is followed by words of congratulations from Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.

11 AH: On the 26th of Safar the Holy Prophet (S) orders Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Uthman, and other companions from the Muhajirun to accompany Usamah Ibn Zayd in an expedition against the Romans, but they do not respond positively. The Holy Prophet (S) curses them.

On the 28th of Safar the Holy Prophet (S) leaves this world at the age of 63 years.

On the 28th Safar while Imam ‘Ali (‘a) and some companions were busy with the burial arrangement of the Holy Prophet (S), a group of people fled to Saqifah and chose Abu Bakr as the caliph after the Holy Prophet (S).

• During Abu Bakr’s reign, Yazid Ibn Abu Sufyan is made the governor in Damascus.

• During Abu Bakr’s reign, Hadrat Fatimah al-Zahra’ (‘a) seeks a written title deed of a land called Fadak that the Holy Prophet (S) had gifted her during his life time, but is ultimately deprived of the same.

• As promised by the Holy Prophet (S), Hadrat Fatimah al-Zahra’ (‘a) left this world very soon after him. Prior to her demise she assertively said that two particular companions of the Holy Prophet (S) were not allowed to attend her funeral ceremony.

• Just before his death, Abu Bakr sought a paper and a pen to write his last will. His state at that moment, as historical accounts explicitly indicate, was not balanced. As he wrote about his successor, he fell unconscious, and the remaining contents of his will was written by ‘Uthman. ‘Uthman wrote ‘Umar’s name as the second caliph, and when Abu Bakr gained consciousness, he agreed to what had been written. We should try to compare this scenario with the scenario of the Holy Prophet (S) who sought a paper and a pen, but was deprived of the same and told by one of the companions “innahu la yahjur” (indeed, he is speaking nonsense).

13 AH: On the 22nd of Jamadi al-Thani Abu Bakr dies at the age of 68 years, and ‘Umar succeeds him through the former’s written appointment.

21 AH: After the sickness of Yazid Ibn Abu Sufyan ‘Umar appoints the former’s brother, Mu’awiyah Ibn Abu Sufyan as the governor in Damascus.

23 AH: ‘Umar is murdered on the 9th of Rabi’ al-Awwal139 and ‘Uthman Ibn al-’Affan comes to office by the appointment of a committee engineered by ‘Umar during his life time.

Mu’awiyah continued to subsist as governor of Syria as he strengthened his kingdom and sovereignty.

35 AH: On the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah which is also the anniversary of ‘Id al-Ghadir, ‘Uthman Ibn al-’Affan was murdered in his house. His age at that time is recorded to be 90.

Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) gains his usurped right after 23 years.

37AH: On the 10th of Jamadi al-¬la ‘A’ishah & her supporters like Talhah and Zubayr challenge Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) in the battle of Jamal, and they are completely defeated.

38 AH: On the 1st of Safar Mu’awiyah challenges Imam ‘Ali (‘a) in Siffin. Thereafter Imam is near to gaining victory when ‘Amr Ibn ‘As deceives a group of ignorant people by ordering Qur’ans to be raised on lances and announcing that Qur’an should be kept as a judge to decipher who is with the truth. This leads to a forced ceasefire.

39 AH: The harebrained Kharijites challenge Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) in the battle of Nahrawan. On the 9th of Safar Imam (‘a) defeats them completely.

40 AH: Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) is martyred on the 21st of Ramadan by Ibn Muljim al-Muradi, a Kharijite who swore near the Ka’bah to slay Imam during prayer.

Imam al-Hasan (‘a) succeeds the Imamah and is reckoned officially as the caliph.140

At the onset of his caliphate, Imam al-Hasan (‘a) heads to fight with the Umayyads, but is betrayed by his own army in several places. Among those who betrayed the Imam were the remnants of the Kharijites.

AH: Imam al-Hasan (‘a) agrees to sign an accord of understanding with Mu’awiyah. Among the conditions of the agreement was that Mu’awiyah should not appoint any successor after him. Mu’awiyah does not keep the

conditions, and later seeks support for his son Yazid’s future caliphate in different parts of the Muslim world.

Mu’awiyah rules as the caliph after having been a governor for twenty years (21 AH - 41 AH).

50 AH: Mu’awiyah plots to poison Imam al-Hasan (‘a) and Imam (‘a) is poisoned through one of his wives, Ja’dah daughter of Ash’ath Ibn Qays al- Kindi, and on the 7th of Safar attains martyrdom at the age of 47.

56 AH: Mu’awiyah, being unfaithful to his agreement with Imam al-Hasan (‘a), seeks the people’s oath of allegiance for his lawless and corrupt product Yazid as his successor.141

Imam al-Husayn (‘a) disagrees to pay the oath of allegiance to Yazid.

60 AH: On the 12th of Rajab Mu’awiyah dies at the age of 78 years as a Christian142 (after having been in Damascus for 39 years (21-60 AH)), and on the 15th of Rajab his product Yazid forcefully becomes the caliph.

Yazid orders for those who have not paid the oath of allegiance to do so. He says that if Imam al-Husayn (‘a) refuses to pay allegiance (bay’ah) he should be beheaded.

On the 28th of Rajab Imam al-Husayn (‘a), realising the chaos created in the Islamic world and the necessity of Islam’s revival, leaves Madinah for Makkah and begins his uprising. Then, on 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah, he heads towards Kufah, and finally before reaching Kufah diverges towards Karbala.

60 AH: On the 10th of Muharram Imam al-Husayn (‘a) is martyred in the plains of Karbala.

Hence, the distance from Saqifah to Karbala is 41 years. Saqifah was a manifestation of a practical rejection of the word of God. It was the foundation of so many subsequent turmoils within the Muslim world:

In his Riyad al-Madh wa al-Ratha’, Sayyid Baqir al-Hindi says:

كُلُّ غَدْرٍ وَقَوْلٍ وَافْكٍ وَزُوْر هُوَ فَرْعُ جَحْدِ نَصِّ الغَدِير

Every betrayal, malicious gossip, lie, and falsehood Was an offshoot of the denial of the explicit tradition of al-Ghadir.

Here al-Hindi would like to reveal that due to the denial of the explicit narration of the Holy Prophet (S)’s selection of Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (‘a) as his immediate successor in Ghadir Khumm, incidents of betrayal, malicious gossip, lie and falsehood came to transpire.

Mulla Sadra, the great gnostic and philosopher, in his brilliant work “Seh Asl” alluding to the pivotal role of Saqifah in the creation of Karbala says:

قُتِلَ الحسين يوم السقيفة

Imam al-Husayn (‘a) was slain on the day of Saqifah143.

‘Allamah Majlisi mentions something similar in his Bihar al-Anwar when he says:

ولنعم ما قيل: ما قتل الحسين إلا في يوم السقيفة

How excellent is what is said that al-Husayn (‘a) was not slain save on the Day of al-Saqifah144.

In reality, he wants to tell us that the basis and foundation for Imam al- Husayn (‘a)’s martyrdom was laid in Saqifah. This is because it is the usurpation of the caliphate that paved the way for the likes of Mu’awiyah and Yazid into the Islamic government, as a consequence of which the tragedy of Karbala came to transpire.

Perhaps his source of inspiration was the following couplets of Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn Qari’ah:

لولا اعتداء رعية ألقى سياستها الخلفية

وسيوف أعداءٍ بها هاماتنا أبدا نقيفة

لنشرت من أسرار آل محمد جملا لطيفة

يغنيكمو عما رواه مالك وأبو حنيفة

وأريتكم أن الحسين أصيب في يوم السقيفة

ولأي حال ألحدث بالليل فاطمة الشريفة

Was it not for the transgression of subjects A policy adopted by the caliph

And the swords of the enemies

By which our heads would always be slashed Indeed, I would have disseminated some secrets Of the Progeny of Muhammad which are subtle

They would suffice you from what Malik and Abu Hanifah have narrated And I would have shown you that al-Husayn

Was slain on the Day of Saqifah

And the reason why the Exalted Fatimah was buried at night145

Ayatullah Muhammad Husayn Kashif al-Ghita, in one of his poetry writes:

تاللّٰه ما كربلاء لولا سقيفتهم ومثل هذا الفرع ذاك الأصل أنتجه

By Allah, Karbala would not have transpired was it not for their Saqifah And a branch like this was the product of that root146

In some narrations Imam al-Husayn (‘a) is called al-maqtul yawm al- ithnayn147 (the one slain on Monday), which is a clear allusion to the Saqifah calamity.

Perhaps the following tradition of Imam al-Ridha (‘a) alludes to the same tragedy:

ما أصيب أل بيت محمد إلا في يوم الإثنين

The progeny of Muhammad was not afflicted with a calamity save on a Monday.148

Al-Isfahani in his al-Anwar al-Qudsiyyah alluding to how the arrow that severed the neck of ‘Ali Asghar, the six-month-old son of Imam al-Husayn (‘a), was facilitated in the event of Saqifah says:

وَمَا رَمَاهُ إِذْ رَمَاهُ حَرْمَلَة

وَإنَّمَا رَمَاهُ مَنْ مَهَّدَ لَهُ

سَهْمٌ أَتَى مِنْ جَانِبِ السَّقِيفَة

وَقَوْسُهُ عَلى يَدِ الخَليفَة

Harmalah did not throw [the arrow] when he threw [it] Only he threw [the arrow] who facilitated for him to throw An arrow that came from the side of Saqifah While the bow was in the hands of the Khalifah149.

• 1. Fa is a prefixed conjunctive particle implying a close connection between the sentences before and after it. This connection may be either a definite cause and effect or a natural sequence of events signifying: and, then, for, therefore, so that, so, in order that, in that case, in consequence, afterwards, at least, lest, because, for fear of, truly, after, by, but, thus, consequently, in order to.
• 2. The calamity depicted in the previous verse.
• 3. Al-Turayhi, Majma’ al-Bahrayn, v.6, p. 309.
• 4. Raghib al-Isfahani, Al-Mufradat fi Gharib al-Qur’an, p. 86.
• 5. Note that the verb used in the verse is assasa(t) which alludes to the ummah (community) which is of feminine gender. Hence, it is essential to affix the ta in the verb assasa(t) to allude to the third person feminine singular pronoun, which refers to ummah.
• 6. Al-Khurasani, al-Mu’jam fi Fiqhi lughat al-Qur’an wa sirri Balaghatihi, v.2, p. 319.
• 7. Al-Jawhari, Al-Sihah, v.3, p. 903.
• 8. Ibn Faris, Mu’jam Maqayis al-Lughah, v.1, p. 493.
• 9. Al-Jawhari, Al-Sihah, v.2, p. 617.
• 10. Al-Khurasani, Al-Mu’jam, v.10, p. 418.
• 11. Al-Mustafawi, Al-Tahqiq, v.2, p. 141.
• 12. The contemporary esteemed Shi’a scholar Dr.’Abd al-Hadi al-Fadli in his work Ahl al-Bayt: Dirasah Mu’jamiyyah Diniyyah li al-Mustalah mentions 156 of all of these references (Al-Shaykh al- Fadli, Dirasah Mu’jamiyyah Diniyyah li al-Mustalah, pp. 24-31).
• 13. Al-Shaykh al-Fadli, Dirasah Mu’jamiyyah Diniyyah li al-Mustalah, p. 33.
• 14. Al-Suyuti, Al-Durr al-Manthur fi Tafsir al-Ma’thur, v.5, p. 198.
• 15. Al-Haythami, Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, p. 141; Al-Shaykh al-Fadli, Dirasah Mu’jamiyyah Diniyyah li al-Mustalah, pp. 22-23.
• 16. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.36, pp. 336-337.
• 17. Ibn Jurayr al-Tabari, Jami’ al-Bayan, v.22, p. 12.
• 18. Nepotism is favouritism granted to relatives or friends regardless of merit.
• 19. Al-Tabari, Dala’il al-Imamah, p. 21.
• 20. Imam ‘Ali (‘a), Nahj al-Balaghah, v.2, p. 232.
• 21. Al-Burujardi, Jami’u Ahadith al-Shi’ah, v.1, p. 7.
• 22. Ahmad al-Barqi, Al-Mahasin, v.1, p. 15, Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.2, p. 46, Al-Shaykh al- Saduq, Al-Amali, p. 341, Ibn Shu’bah Al-Harrani, Tuhaf al-’Uqul, p. 52, Al-Shaykh al-Tusi, Al- Amali, p.84, Al-Shaykh al-Tabrasi, Makarim al-Akhlaq, p. 439.
• 23. Al-Mashhadi, Al-Mazar, p. 528.
• 24. Al-Shaykh al-Huwayzi, Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, v.1, p. 21.
• 25. Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.8, p. 245.
• 26. One of the thought-provoking supplications that Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (‘a) is reported to have recited in his qunut prayer is Du’a’ Sanamay Quraysh, where the true character of the two fundamental oppressors is vividly exposed. This can be found in Bihar al-Anwar, v.82, p. 260.
• 27. Saqifah was a roofed building (hence, the name saqifah from the word saqf (roof)) used by the tribe (banu) of Sa’idah of the Khazraj faction.
• 28. Al-Shahristani, Al-Milal wa al-Nihal, v.1, p. 16.
• 29. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.43, p. 156.
• 30. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.79, p. 106.
• 31. ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas is reported to have said: I came into the presence of Amir al- Mu’minin (‘a) in Dhiqar, while he was mending his sandal. He asked me: What is the value of this sandal? I said: It has no value. He said: I swear by Allah indeed it is more lovable to me then my command over you people, unless [by taking command over you] I am able to establish the truth and dispel falsehood. (wallahi lahiya ahabbu ilayya min imratikum illa an uqima Haqqan aw adfa’a Batilan), ref: Bihar al- Anwar, v.32, p. 76.
• 32. Al-Shaykh al-Tusi, Al-Amali, p. 140.
• 33. Al-rukn (lit. the corner) refers to al-Rukn al-Yamani (the Yemenite Corner, which is the south- western corner of the Ka’bah). This is opposite the black stone behind the House. The sacred lady Fatimah Bint Asad, after delivering Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) inside the Ka’bah is reported to have exited from this corner of the House of God. The Prophet (S) is reported to have said: “Whenever I arrive at al-Rukn al-Yamani, I find Jibril is already there before me.” (Ref: Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.4, p. 408). Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said: “Rukn al-Yamani is our gate to Paradise.” (Ref: Al-Shaykh al- Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.4, p. 408).
• 34. Al-maqam (lit. standing place) refers to Maqamu Ibrahim (the standing place of Prophet Ibrahim (‘a)). It is obligatory for the pilgrim to pray two units of tawaf prayer behind this place after his tawaf (circumambulation).
• 35. Al-Barqi, Al-Mahasin,v.1, p.91.
• 36. Imam al-Baqir (‘a) is reported to have said: “Indeed (the area) between al-rukn and al-maqam is filled with the graves of prophets of Allah.” (inna ma bayna al-rukni wa al-maqami lamashhunun min qubur al-anbiya), ref: Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.11, p. 260.
• 37. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.24, p. 149.
• 38. Al-Maghribi, Da’a’im al-Islam, v.1, p. 74.
• 39. Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.1, pp. 198-200.
• 40. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.23, p. 106.
• 41. Al-Ahsa’i, ‘Awali al-La’ali, v.4, pp. 124-125.
• 42. Almighty Allah says:
  “Had they observed the Torah and the Evangel, and what was sent down to them from their Lord, they would surely have drawn nourishment from above them and from beneath their feet. There is an upright group among them, but evil is what many of them do” (5:66).
• 43. Imam Khumayni, Ta’liqat ‘ala Sharhi Fusus al-Hikam wa Misbah al-Uns, al-Fass al- Ayyubi, p. 202.
• 44. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.34, p. 168.
• 45. Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.8, pp. 58-63.
• 46. Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.1, p. 58.
• 47. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Mafatih al-Ghayb, v.5, p. 308; v.10, p. 42; v.10, p. 44.
• 48. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Mafatih al-Ghayb, v.10, p. 41.
• 49. Al-Hindi, Kanz al-’Ummal, v.9, p. 676, tr. 27944.
• 50. Al-’Allamah al-Amini, Mawsu’at al-Ghadir, v.6, p. 253.
• 51. Muslim, Sahih Muslim, the Book of Hayd, v.1, p. 355, tr. 112.
• 52. A unit of currency. One awqiyah is equal to forty silver dirhams.
• 53. Al-Qurtubi, Al-Jami’ li Ahkam al-Qur’an v.5, p. 99.
• 54. Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf, v.1, p. 514.
• 55. Ibn ‘Atiyyah al-Andalusi, v.2, p. 29.
• 56. Al-’Allamah al-Amini, Al-Ghadir, v.6, p. 328.
• 57. Al-’Allamah al-Amini, Al-Ghadir, v.6, p. 328.
• 58. Al-’Allamah al-Amini, Al-Ghadir, v.6, p. 328.
• 59. Al-’Allamah al-Amini, Mawsu’at al-Ghadir, v.6, p. 142.
• 60. Al-’Allamah al-Amini, Mawsu’at al-Ghadir, v.6, p. 134.
• 61. Al-’Allamah al-Amini, Mawsu’at al-Ghadir, v.6, p. 136.
• 62. Al-’Allamah al-Amini, Mawsu’at al-Ghadir, v.6, p. 135.
• 63. The Holy Qur’an reveals how the Pharaoh would gain control over the people. He would also employ the divide and rule policy:
  “Indeed, Pharaoh tyrannised over the land, reducing its people to factions, abasing one group of them, slaughtering their sons and sparing their women. Indeed, he was one of the agents of corruption” (28:4).
• 64. Jar Allah al-Zamakhshari, Asas al-Balaghah, v.2, p. 674 (Acc. to al-Mostafa.com Repository).
• 65. OED CD Rom, ver.4.0.
• 66. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consign
• 67. OED CD Rom, ver.4.0.
• 68. The World Book Dictionary, v.1 (A-K), p. 510.
• 69. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curse?show=1&t=1294845169.
• 70. Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd al-Qadir, Mukhtar al-Sihah, p. 152.
• 71. Al-Isfahani, al-Mufradat fi Gharib al-Qur’an, p. 391.
• 72. Ayatullah al-Mirza Jawad al-Tabrizi, Ziyarat ‘Ashura’ fawqa al-Shubahat, pp. 26-27.
• 73. Subhi al-Salih, Nahj al-Balaghah, w. 206, p. 323.
• 74. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Ta’rikh Baghdad, v.8, p. 284; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh Madinat Damishq, v.42, p. 233
• 75. Refer to Verse 2:159.
• 76. Al-Bahrani, Al-Burhan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an, v.1, p. 365.
• 77. Refer to Verse 5:67.
• 78. Refer to Verse 2:159.
• 79. Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.1, p. 420.
• 80. Refer to Verse 2:161.
• 81. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.29, p. 158.
• 82. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.29, p. 158.
• 83. Al-Hindi, Kanz al-’Ummal, v.11, p. 601, tr. 32901
• 84. Al-Shirawani, Manaqib Ahl al-Bayt, p. 164. This tradition has been narrated in different Sunni sources such as al-Bukhari in his Ta’rikh al-Kabir (v.6, p. 306), Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in his al-Musnad and Fada’il al-Sahabah, Ibn Hajar in the chapter of al-Manaqib of his work al-Matalib al-’Aliyah, and al-Isaba (v.4, p. 533), Ibn Kathir in his al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (v.7, p. 393 & v.11, pp. 64-65) and Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya (v.4, p. 202), Al-Tabari in his Al-Dhakha’ir al-Uqba (p. 65), Al-Manawi in his Fayd al-Qadir (v.6, p. 24), Al-Mutaqqi al-Hindi in his Kanz al’Ummal (v.11, p. 601, v.13, p. 122) and Mawarid al-Daman (v.13, p. 142), Ibn Sa’d in his al-Tabaqat, Ibn ‘Asakir in his Ta’rikh al- Damishq (pp. 201-204), among others (http://www.estabsarna.com/ImamAli/31Azaa/Main78.htm).
• 85. Al-Zarandi al-Hanafi, Nazmu Durar al-Simtayn, p. 233.
• 86. Al-Mirza al-Nuri, Mustadrak al-Wasa’il, v.15, p. 193.
• 87. Al-Nishaburi, Rawdat al-Wa’izin, p. 293.
• 88. Al-Hindi, Kanz al-’Ummal, v.7, p. 748, tr. 32901.
• 89. Al-Shaykh al-Nuri, Mustadrak al-Wasa’il, v.8, p. 425.
• 90. Al-Hindi, Kanz al-’Ummal, v.4, p. 313.
• 91. Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.1, p. 54.
• 92. Al-Shaykh al-Nuri, Mustadrak al-Wasa’il, v.1, p. 406.
• 93. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.25, p. 296.
• 94. He is Muhammad Ibn Miqlas, al-Asadi al-Kufi. In the beginning he was a direct companion of Imam al-Sadiq (‘a). Thereafter he claimed things which were incorrect such as Imams are Divine prophets and said things that necessitated his curse and expulsion from Divine mercy.
• 95. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.25, p. 318
• 96. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.34, p. 333.
• 97. This is indicative of all money.
• 98. Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.2, p. 270.
• 99. Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, v.3, p. 504.
• 100. Al-’Amili, Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, v.12, p. 231.
• 101. After the Holy Prophet (S) returned from the Farewell Hajj, he fell ill at the beginning of Safar 11 A.H. News was received that the Romans in the north west of Arabia were preparing to attack Madinah. The Holy Prophet (S) ordered the mobilisation of a huge Muslim army under the command of a youth of twenty years called Usamah Ibn Zayd Ibn Harithah. He ordered all those who had emigrated from Makkah with him to participate in the battle, except Imam Ali (‘a). To arouse the morale of the Muslims the Holy Prophet (S) tied the banner for Usamah with his own hands and then instructed him: “Fight in the name of Allah and in His path. Fight the enemy early in the morning, and cover the distance to that place so quickly that you reach them before they are aware of your march.” Usamah fixed his camp at Jurf, three miles outside Madinah, so that the Muslim soldiers could gather there ready for the expedition. Some of the Madinites protested in joining Usamah because they did not want to serve under such a young commander. On hearing their reluctance, the Holy Prophet (S) warned them and invoked Allah’s curse on anyone who remained behind. Despite this, some of the companions of the Holy Prophet (S) did not proceed, using his illness as a pretext to remain in Madinah. As time passed, the condition of the Holy Prophet (S) grew worse and ultimately the expedition of Usamah never materialised.
• 102. Al-Shahristani, Al-Milal wa al-Nihal, v.1, p. 23.
• 103. Ibn Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad, v.1, p. 217; al-Suyuti, al-Jami’ al-Saghir, v.2, p. 539; al- Hindi, Kanz.
• 104. Al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, v.3, p. 223.
• 105. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.37, p. 98.
• 106. Ibn Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad, v.2, p. 439.
• 107. Al-Hindi, Kanz al-’Ummal, v.11, p. 358; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh Madinat DamishQ, v.58, p. 272.
• 108. Mulla Muhammad al-Naraqi, Jami’ al-Sa’adat, v.1, pp. 353-355.
• 109. In his Mu’jam, Ibn Faris mentions the triconsonantal root meaning of du’a’ as: “to make something incline to you by means of sound or speech from you” (an tumila al-shay’a ilayka bi sawtin wa kalamin yakunu minka) - see Mu’jam Maqayis al-Lughah, v.2, p. 279.
• 110. Al-Shaykh al-Tabrasi, Mishkat al-Anwar, p. 329.
• 111. Al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Al-Amali, p. 540.
• 112. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.101, p. 99.
• 113. Al-Ahsa’i, ‘Awali al-La’ali al-’Aziziyyah fi al-Ahadith al-Diniyyah , v.2, p. 43.
• 114. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.72, p. 334.
• 115. Ibn Fahd al-Hilli, ‘Uddat al-Da’i wa Najah al-Sa’i, p. 89.
• 116. Imam Khumayni, Sahifeye Imam, v.21, p. 400.
• 117. http://www.pana.ir/NSite/FullStory/News/?Id=8425
• 118. Ayatullah Muhammad Husayn al-Tehrani, Ruh-e-Mujarrad, Section 3, pp. 110-115.
• 119. Al-Mustafawi in his Qur’an Lexicon al-Tahqiq defines the single triconsonantal root meaning of the word daf’ as “al-man’u baqa’an aw istidamatan” (to hamper in terms of subsistence or continuity) - Al-Mustafawi, Al-Tahqiq fi Kalimat al-Qur’an al-Karim, v.3, p. 226. Hence, if we consider this meaning, the phrase ‘…ummatan dafa’atkum ‘an maqamikhum’ would be rendered as “…the community that intercepted you from your position”.
• 120. Ibn Faris, Mu’jam Maqayis al-Lugha, v.2, p. 288.
• 121. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid, al-Jamal, p. 144.
• 122. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.25, p. 114.
• 123. Al-Mustafawi, al-Tahqiq, v.4, p. 373.
• 124. Al-Shaykh al-Turayhi, Majma’ al-Bahrayn, v.2, p. 140.
• 125. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.25, p. 297.
• 126. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.44, p. 283.
• 127. Mawsu’at Kalimat al-Husayn, p. 76.
• 128. Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.44, p. 287.
• 129. We have rendered ummah in this work as community, due to the sense of “common identity and characteristics” it conveys. Otherwise, the limitations of time and place can be absent.
• 130. Al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Al-Amali, p. 126.
• 131. Jar Allah al-Zamakhshari, Rabi’ al-Abrar. Also see the following references: Ibn Shahr Ashub, Manaqibu Ali Abi Talib (‘a), v.3, p. 435; Al-’Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.23, p. 200.
• 132. ‘Abd al-Mun’im Hasan, Bi Nuri Fatimah Ihtadaytu, p. 94.
• 133. Al-Shaykh al-Bahrani, al-Burhan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an, v.3, p. 528.
• 134. Al-Shaykh al-Bahrani, al-Burhan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an, v.3, p. 528.
• 135. Al-’Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.45, p. 202.
• 136. Al-’Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.44, p. 285.
• 137. Tafsir Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a), pp. 368-369.
• 138. Al-Mustafawi, Al-Tahqiq fi Kalimat al-Qur’an al-Karim, v.11, p. 189.
• 139. According to another account ‘Umar was murdered on the 26th of Dhu al-Hijjah.
• 140. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid, Al-Irshad, v.2, p. 9.
• 141. The Glowing Spirit al-Allamah Amini in his unparallelled masterpiece al-Ghadir narrates this date from Ibn Kathir in his historical work Ta’rikh Ibn Kathir (v.8, p. 79).
• 142. There are historical evidences that indicate Mu’awiyah dies as a Christian and not a Muslim.
• 143. Mulla Sadra, Seh Asl, p. 113.
• 144. Al-’Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.45, p. 328.
• 145. Kashf al-Ghummah, v.1, p. 505.
• 146. Adab al-Taff, v.10, p. 57 (http://www.rafed.net/books/shear/adab-altaff-10/04.html)
• 147. Al-Shaykh Shushtari, Fawa’id al-Mashahid, p. 458.
• 148. Al-Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v.4, p. 146.
• 149. Al-Shaykh Muhammad Husayn al-Isfahani, Al-Anwar al-Qudsiyyah, p. 151.