(4) Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Hanbal, v2, pp 563,572
(5) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v2, p129, v3, pp 109-110,116,371
(6) Khasa'is, by al-Nisa'i, pp 4,21
(7) Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p103 (from several transmitters)
(8) Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, v12, pp 49-50
(9) al-Durr al-Manthur, by al-Hafiz Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v3, p19
(10) Tarikh al-Khulafa, by al-Suyuti, pp 169,173
(11) al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, by Ibn Kathir, v3, p213, v5, p208
(12) Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, v2, pp 307-308
(13) Habib al-Siyar, by Mir Khand, v1, part 3, p144
(14) Sawaiq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, p26
(15) al-Isabah, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v2, p509; v1, part1, p319,
v2, part1, p57, v3, part1, p29, v4, part 1, pp 14,16,143
(16) Tabarani, who narrated from companions such as Ibn Umar, Malik Ibn
al-Hawirath, Habashi Ibn Junadah, Jari, Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas,
Anas Ibn Malik, Ibn Abbas, Amarah,Buraydah,...
(17) Tarikh, by al-Khatib Baghdadi, v8, p290
(18) Hilyatul Awliya', by Abu Nu'aym, v4, p23, v5, pp26-27
(19) al-Istiab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, Chapter of word "ayn" (Ali), v2, p462
(20) Kanzul Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, pp 154,397
(21) al-Mirqat, v5, p568
(22) al-Riyad al-Nadirah, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, v2, p172
(23) Dhaka'ir al-Uqba, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, p68
(24) Fayd al-Qadir, by al-Manawi, v6, p217
(25) Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn Athir, v4, p114
(26) Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, by al-Qudoozi al-Hanafi, p297
... And hundreds more...
No Muslim would ever doubt that the Messenger of God is the leader of all
Muslims for all generations. The Prophet in his statement granted Ali the
same position as his, when he said that Ali is the leader of everyone who
follows the Prophet.
This declaration which was narrated by more than one hundred and ten
companions and rated authentic (Sahih) and frequent (Mutawatir) by the
leading Sunni scholars, not only indicates that Ali is the executor of
Messenger, but also indicates that Ali takes the place of the leadership of
all Muslims after the Messenger of Allah. However, these mercenaries still
allow themselves to say that the belief that Ali was the executor of the
Messenger had come from a Jew who declared his Islam during the days of
Uthman!!!
Abdullah Ibn Saba has no base on the disputes immediately after the death
of prophet related to his successorship, and all relevant claims of Shia is
proven to be on the death of the prophet or even before that, not during
the reign of Uthman which is far long after prophet's demise. At the very
start and immediately after the death of the prophet (PBUH&HF), the Shia of
Ali included those companions who where loyal to Imam Ali, such as Ammar
Ibn Yasir, Abu-Dhar al-Ghafari, Miqdad, Salman al-Farsi, Ibn Abbas ...etc.,
all gathered in the house of Fatimah (AS). Even Talha and Zubair were loyal
to Imam Ali at the beginning and joint the others in the house of Fatimah.
al-Bukhari narrated:
Umar said: "And no doubt after the death of the Prophet we were
informed that the Ansar disagreed with us and gathered in the shed of
Bani Sa'da. 'Ali and Zubair and whoever was with them, opposed us,
while the emigrants gathered with Abu Bakr."
Sunni Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Arabic-English, v8, Tradition #817
Other Sunni traditionists narrated that on the day of Saqifah:
Umar said: "Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Zubair Ibn Awwam and those who were
with them separated from us (and gathered) in the house of Fatimah,
the daughter of the messenger of Allah."
Sunni References:
- Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, p55
- Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, by Ibn Hisham, v4, p309
- History of Tabari (Arabic), v1, p1822
- History of Tabari, English version, v9, p192
Also:
They demanded confirmation of the oath, but Ali and al-Zubair stayed
away. al-Zubair drew his sword (from the scabbard), saying, "I will
not put it back until the oath of allegiance is rendered to Ali." When
this news reached Abu Bakr and Umar, the latter said, "Hit him with a
stone and seize the sword." It is stated that Umar rushed (to the door
of the House of Fatimah) and brought them forcibly while telling them
that they must give their oath of allegiance willingly or unwillingly.
Sunni reference: History of al-Tabari, English version, v9, pp 188-189
Certainly that Jew did not have any role in the division of the companions
into two factions right at the death of Prophet since he was non-existent
at that time.
Attacking Two of Most Beloved Companions of
the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and Their Disciples
Sayf alleged that Ibn Saba is the one who instigated the two prominent
companions of the Prophet Muhammad, namely Abu Dhar (RA) and Ammar Ibn
Yasir (RA), against Uthman. He said this Jew met Abu Dhar in Damascus, and
that he introduced to him the idea of prohibiting treasuring gold and
silver. Sayf included the following great companions of prophet and their
disciples, among the list of the followers of Ibn Saba:
(1) Abu Dhar (RA),
(2) Ammar Ibn Yasir (RA),
(3) Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr (RA), son of the first Caliph,
(4) Malik Ashtar (RA).
... and more
To better understand the heresy of Sayf and his allegation, let us quickly
review the biography of the above great Muslim pioneers:
(1) Abu Dhar al-Ghafari (Jundub Ibn Jonadah): He is the THIRD person in
the list of the four pioneers who first embraced Islam. He was a
monotheist even before his conversion. He frankly declared his faith
in Islam at Mecca beside the Holy House of God. The infidels of Mecca
beat him almost to death but he survived, and on the instruction of
the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) he returned to his tribe. After the
Battles of Badr and Uhud he came to Medina and stayed with Prophet
until the demise of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). During the reign of the
early Caliphs, Abu Dhar was sent to Damascus where he could not agree
with Muawiyah. Later Muawiyah complained about Abu Dhar to Uthman, the
third Caliph, and thus Uthman sent Abu Dhar into exile at Rabadha
where he later died. Rabadha was known for having the worst climate.
(2) Ammar Ibn Yasir: He was also known as Abuyaqzan. His mother's name was
Somayyah. He and his parents were pioneers in embracing Islam, and he
was the SEVENTH person to declare his faith. His parents were executed
after the torture by the infidels of Mecca, because of their
conversion to Islam, but Ammar managed to escape to Medina. Ammar
fought on Imam Ali's side in the battle of Jamal (Camel) and later in
the war of Siffin where he was killed in the battle field by Muawiyah
soldiers, at the age of ninety-three.
(3) Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr: He was adopted by Imam Ali after his father,
Abu Bakr, died. Muhammad was one of the commanders of the army of
Imam Ali (AS) in the battle of Camel. He was also in the battle of
Siffin. Imam Ali appointed him as the governor of Egypt, and he took
his office 15/9/37 AH. Later, Muawiyah sent an army under the
leadership of Amr Ibn al-Aas to Egypt in the year 38 AH, who fought
and captured Muhammad, and then killed him. His body was placed in a
belly of a dead donkey and then was brutally burnt. (See al-Istiab,
v1, p235; History of al-Tabari, v4, p79; Ibn Kathir, v3, p180; Ibn
Khaldoon, v2, p182)
(4) Malik Ashtar al-Nakha'i: He met the Prophet and was one of the
trustworthy disciple of companions (Tabe'in). He was chief of his
tribe, and after receiving an injury to one of his eyes in the battle
of Yarmuk, he became known as Ashtar. He was the general of the army
of Imam Ali in the battle of Siffin and known for his bravery and
combating the enemies of Islam. At the age of 38, he was appointed by
Imam Ali as the governor of Egypt. But on his way to Egypt, near the
Red Sea, he died after eating poisonous honey which had been planned
by Muawiyah.
The above were the short bibliographies of some eminent Muslim pioneers. It
is regrettable that some historians who reported from Sayf's heresy, allege
that they followed a mysterious Jew. The mercenary workers did not even
hesitate to attack such outstanding companions. They said that Abu Dhar and
Ammar Ibn Yasir met Ibn Saba, were affected by his propaganda, and thus
turned against Uthman. However, we should not forget that by their
attacking those two prominent companions, they are actually attacking the
Messenger of God who attested to their purity and righteousness frequently:
The Messenger of God said: "Certainly Allah commanded me to love four
persons and informed me that He loves them." The companions asked:
"O' Messenger of God, who are those four persons?" The Prophet
(PBUH&HF) said: "Ali is from them (repeating that three times),
Abu Dhar, Salman al-Farsi, and Miqdad."
Sunni references:
- Sunan Ibn Majah, v1, pp 52-53, Tradition #149
- al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p130
- Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v5, p356
- Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p648, Tradition #1103
- Hilyatul Awliya', by Abu Nu'aym, v1, p172
The Messenger of Allah also said:
"Every prophet was given by God seven righteous companions. I was
given fourteen righteous companions". He included in them Ali, al-
Hasan, al-Husain, Hamza, Ja'far, Ammar Ibn Yasir, Abu Dhar, Miqdad,
and Salman.
Sunni references:
- Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, Traditions #109, #277
- Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p329, p662
- Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, pp88,148,149 from several chain of narrators
- al-Kabir, by al-Tabarani, v6, p264, p265
- Hilyatul Awliya', by Abu Nu'aym, v1, p128
Also al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad, al-Hakim and many others narrated that the
Messenger of Allah said:
"Heaven has not shaded, nor has the earth carried a person more
straight forward than Abu Dhar. He walks on earth with the
immaterialistic attitude of Jesus, the son of Mary."
Sunni reference:
- Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p334, Tradition #3889
- Tahdhib al-Athar, v4, pp 158-161
- Musnad Ahmad Hanbal, #6519, #6630, #7078
- al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p342
- al-Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd, v4, part 1, pp 167-168
- Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, pp 329-330
Ibn Majah, in his authentic Sunan, narrated that Imam Ali said:
I was sitting in the house of the Prophet and Ammar asked to see him.
Then Prophet said: "Welcome the good and the purified." Ibn Majah
also narrated that Aisha narrated that the Messenger of God said
"Whenever Ammar is given two alternatives, he always chooses the most
righteous of the two."
There are much more authentic narrations told by the Prophet (PBUH&HF)
about Ammar, such as "Ammar is full of faith." Also Prophet said:
"A band of rebels will kill Ammar."
Sunni references:
- Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter # MCCV, pp 1508-1509,
Trditions #6966-6970 (five traditions).
- al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p383
Now to see who those rebels were, look at Musnad Ahmad and Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd
who narrated:
"In the Battle of Siffin, when the head of Ammar Yasir (RA) was cut
off and taken to Muawiyah, two people were arguing over it, each one
claimed that he had killed Ammar."
Sunni references:
- Musnad Ahmad (Pub. in Dar al-Maarif, Egypt 1952), Tradition #6538, #6929
- Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd, v3, p253
Also it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said:
"Paradise longs for three men, Ali, Ammar and Salman."
Sunni reference: Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p332, Tradition #3884
Moreover al-Tirmidhi narrated:
When the Messenger of God heard that Ammar and his parents were
tortured in Mecca, he (PBUH&HF) said: "Members of Yasir's family, be
patient. Your destination is paradise."
Sunni Reference: Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p233,
Thus, Ammar and his parents were the first people declared by the Prophet
to be dwellers of paradise.
Here we should say: When a Muslim knows that the Prophet has commended
these two important companions (Abu Dhar & Ammar Ibn Yasir) so highly, and
if he is a believer in the truthfulness of Muhammad, he does not allow
himself to insult these two companions. Such an insult discredits the
Prophet. As we just saw, the above authentic traditions in the six Sunni
collections claim that Prophet said he has only four or fourteen righteous
companions, out of his 1400 companions. Interestingly enough that Abu Dhar
and Ammar Ibn Yasir were mentioned among those very few individuals.
We find that the hostility of Sayf Ibn Umar al-Tamimi, who lived during the
second century after the Prophet, and the hostility of his students towards
the Shi'ites, motivated them to spread such cheap propaganda. Sayf knew
that attributing the revolt against Uthman to the work of Ibn Saba
contradicts known historical facts which show that the two companions, Abu
Dhar and Ammar, were opposed to Uthman's ever coming to power. Because Sayf
knew of their opposition to Uthman, he tried to smear their reputations by
adding the names of the two prominent companions to the list of students of
that fictitious Jew.
If Ibn Saba ever existed, he had declared his Islam after Uthman was
killed. Now let us suppose we accept what Sayf alleged concerning that
Abdullah Ibn Saba declared his faith after Uthman came to power. Abu Dhar
and Ammar Ibn Yasir, on the other hand, had been opposed to Uthman's
caliphate before he came to power. The two companions were followers of the
Imam Ali (AS), and they firmly believed that Ali was appointed by the
Prophet to be his successor. Since this was their belief before the
appearance of Ibn Saba, the story of Sayf about their being influenced by
Ibn Saba, is unfounded and untrue.
Thus, in order to clear the third caliph from all accusations pertaining to
his ill-management of the Islamic treasury, Sayf accused the revolters
being the students of Ibn Saba. He then completed his story by adding the
two companions to the class of Ibn Saba's students, intentionally
overlooking the fact that the two companions belong to the first successful
class of the school of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF). They were among the
important companions who were honored by the Prophet. In fact, Sayf was led
by his untrue story to reject the testimony of the Prophet. By this, Sayf
had disproved his whole tale.
