Progeny or Sunnah (ep 23)
Bismillah Alrahman Alraheem. Alhamdulillahi rabil a’alameen.
Wasalatu wasalamu a’la khayri khaliqi Muhammadin Wa aalihil tayibeen altahireen.
Today we try to examine what guarantee from the Prophet (saww) was left for the whole Muslim nation. What guarantees the whole Muslim nation to walk on the right path.
There are three possible theories.
One that Quran is sufficient, we don’t need anything but the Quran. Of course this is not going to be acceptable. Why? Because there are many things, many rulings, many facts are mentioned in the Quran briefly without giving the details.
For example we read in the Quran in tens of Ayat the obligatory nature of the daily prayers but there is no single Ayah in the Quran to tell us about how many (Rak’aat) are in Salat Al Fajr, how many for Salat Al Thuhr and how many for Salat Al Asr, Maghreb and Isha.
There are many times of mention about the necessity of Zakah but it doesn’t say that what are the rates of Zakat. What are the items that Zakat is applicable to them.
The Hajj again, it has been, Pilgrimage is mentioned in the Quran but the details about the rulings and so on.
So this first theory that (hasbona kitab Allah) is wrong because we can’t leave that to the Quran, then of course it comes to individuals interpretation. This understands it in this way and the other tries to interpret it in a different way and of course this would cause a lot of confusion which is to be avoided.
The second theory that the Hadeeth of the Prophet (saww) was that I’m leaving behind two things, or two precious things, the book of Allah and my Sunnah.
Lets examine the authenticity of this Hadeeth.
Whilst the Hadeeth of Thaqalayn which we mentioned yesterday talked about the chain of narrators, authenticity of this Hadeeth, now we come to examine the authenticity of Hadeeth The book of Allah and my Sunnah. The first appearance of this Hadeeth as the profound research proves is that the book of Al Muwat’a or Muwa’ta of imam Malik ibn Anas, the imam of the Maliki sect.
This Muwat’a was written by Malik ibn Anas and at the request of the Abbasid Calif Abu Jafar Al Mansoor and he meant to make it as the constitution and the civil law for the whole Abbasid Calif or the Muslim nations at his time.
Now, the time that Malik ibn Anas wrote this book was around 150AH or Abu Jafar Al Mansour was approximately that time.
According to (Ilmul Hadeeth) every thirty years is considered as one generation so between the time of the Prophet (saww) and the time of Malik in his book Al Muwata’a or at the time of Abu Jafar Al Mansour there was a gap of 150 years which means that five generations. Now we ask about the chain of narrators of this Hadeeth and unfortunately we see in the book of Muwata’a that Malik says that i was informed.I was informed. Who informed you that we may verify his authenticity. At least five or four in the chain of narrators are missing here and this Hadeeth becomes definitely weak by the scholars, they recognise it as the weak Hadeeth, why? Because it doesn’t say who are the narrators so we are able to see their credibility and research and verify their authenticity. For this reason we reject the Hadeeth of (Kitab Allah wa Sunnnati) for two reasons; First because it doesn’t have the chain of narrators so it is Mursal or Maqtu’ which means that no reliability of the narrators have been confirmed. Second reason, that when we go to Hadeeth Al Thaqalayn (kitab Allah was Itrati) of course (Itrati) do not have the progeny of the Prophet (saww) do not have something from themselves they only express, they only narrate, they only give reports of what they have learned from the Prophet (saww).
So if the Sunnah of the Prophet we have the option to accept the Sunnah, the tradition, the way of the Prophet (saww), the teachings of the prophet (saww) through a reliable chain of narrators, through the people whom have been purified thoroughly by Allah swt as it is mentioned in Surah Al Ahzab, Ayat Al Tat-heer Surah 33;33.
So if you are left with these two options, that you refer to the Hadeeth and the Sunnah of the Prophet from anyone, even if he’s weak, even if its not supported by a chain of narrators or you take the Sunnah and the way of the Prophet (saww) from those who are thoroughly, completely purified by Allah swt.
Of course we prefer the one which comes from pure and immaculate source.
Now, it is very simple to conclude that Hadeeth Al Thaqalain remains cautious about Progeny and not the Sunnah as such.
In many Ahadeeth we will see that the Prophet (saww), he explained who were meant by the Household. Are the Household in Ayat Al tat-heer which is Surah 33;33 the Prophets’ wives or they are they are the Progeny Ahlulbayt or the Household are totally different.
If we mention only one occasion here and that is the great lady Ummu Salama who was the most reliable and honourable wife of the Prophet (saww) says that it was in my house, in my section of the house when the Ayah of Tat-heer was revealed to the Prophet (saww).
So it was Fatima, the prophets daughter, Ali, Hassan and Hossein.
When the Prophet covered them by his cloak and the Ayah was revealed and he asked Allah swt ‘Oh Allah this is my Progeny, this is my Ahlulbayt, this is my Household, Oh Allah protect them and purify them thoroughly’.
So Ummu Salama says thats I sought permission to join them and the Prophet (saww) said you are a respected lady, you are honourable but who are meant by Household are only Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hossein.
When the incident of Mubahala took place in the outskirts of Madina and you know that Mubahala was about the nature of the Prophet Isa (as).
The Christians of the Arab peninsula would insist that Isa (as) is the Son of God. The Prophet (saww) would argue with them in a very very logical way to explain to them that Allah swt or God cannot have a son because HE is not of human nature. Reciting Surat Al Ikhlas or Surat Al Tawheed emphasises on that and he always would remind Muslims and everybody about it (lam yalid wa lam youlad)- HE does not beget and not begotten, so this doesn’t make sense, that Isa (as) is the son of God but after the Christians of Najran, a particular area in Hijaz, those days, that was occupied by the Christians, they insisted on their opinions that, yes Isa is the son of God. Allah swt says that the solution is what? (Fa in haajuka fehi min ba’adi ma jaa’aka min al ilmi) - if they still argue after that logical argument about the nature of Isa, (fa qul ta’alaw nad’oo abna’ana wa abnaa’akum wa nisa’ana wa nisa’akum wa anfusana wa anfusakum thumma nabtahil) and this Mubahala or Ibtihal asking Allah swt to send his wrath on those who are telling or they tell is false.
They are untrue in their claim, so what happened? What happened is the Prophet (saww) went ONLY with Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hossein. Although the Ayah says that Our sons and your sons, and Our ladies and your ladies, our women and your women, but the Prophet (saww) did not accompany one single wife from his household, he only accompanies Fatima (as).
As such for the sons, Hassan and Hossein, so if you argue or some people argue about Hassan and Hossein being the grandchildren and not sons really, this Ayah refutes that. That the practice of the Prophet (saww) proves that Hassan and Hossein are really his sons according to this Ayah.
Now, Tirmithee narrates that Sa’ad ibn waqas said that when the Ayah (let us summon our sons and your sons, our women and your women) and this is in Surah 3;61 was revealed, the Prophet (saww) summoned Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hossein and said Oh Allah these are my Household.
So Tirmithee narrates that and clearly saying that who was meant by the Household. This excluded, really excluded the wives. Again Tirmithee narrates from Ummu Salama saying that when Ayat Al Tat-heer Surah 33;33 (Allah intends to keep away all kinds of uncleanliness from you Oh people of the House and purify you thoroughly) when this Ayah was revealed Ummu Salama says it was in my house. I was sitting by the door and asked the Prophet (saww) Oh Allahs Messenger am I not amongst the people of your house?
He (saww) responded you are and exceedingly good lady and a Prophets wife, then he covered Ali, fatima, Hassan and Hossein with his cloak and said ‘Oh Allah these are my Household’.
In another report which has been mentioned by many that when this Ayah was revealed the Prophet (saww) for six months, in one narration, for nine months in another, for ten months in the third and believe me all of these sources are from non Shia recorders and scholars. Don’t think that this has been invented by the Shia Ulama, no, you find them in the books, in the Hadeeth books of Ahlul Sunnah, in the tafseer books of Ahlul Sunnah not the Shias that for six months, or nine or ten months every time for the prayer the Prophet (saww) after this Surah 33;33 was revealed he would go to the door of Ali and Fatima, knocking on the door and saying Oh household of the Prophet stand up for Salat, didn’t Salat time? Asalat asalat innama yuridoo Allaha yuth-hibu ankuma arijsa Ahlulbayt wa yutahirakum tatheera.
Whats clearer than the practice of the Prophet (saww)?
When the Ayah was revealed he wants to tell people that look this embodiment of the Ayah or the real meaning of the Ayah who is meant by Ahlu bayti or Ahlulbayt or (innama yureedo Allaha liyuth-hiba ankum alrijsa ahlulbayt wa yutahirakum tatheera) who are thoroughly purified and meant by that and by doing that repeatedly in front of every Muslim to say that the meaning of Ahlulbayt is Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hossein. The practice of the Prophet (saww) explains what is meant by that Ayah. So if we combine these two Ayahs the Ayah of Mubahala and the Ayah of Tat-heer and both of them are mentioned in the books of Tafseer and both Hadeeth that these are about Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hossein in addition to himself, these are the five highly respected entities and people and personalities within all the Muslim nation. When we refer to that we see that Allah swt first tells the Prophet to argue with the Christians about the nature of Isa (as) when a logical argument doesn’t work because they are not satisfied then let them come out and we ask Allah swt to send his wrath on the people who are not telling the truth, so what happened?
The Archbishops, the great priests of that time, they were carrying and bringing with them all the rituals, all the crosses and whatever is normally done to glorify Isa (as) came out but they thought that the Prophet (saww) comes with the crowd, with the mass but the archbishop said to them look (inni araa wujuhan) - i see faces that if they ask Allah swt to send his wrath on us, Allah swt will respond and will do that and everybody felt and smelled the coming of the (athaab)- the wrath of Allah swt the (ghathab) of Allah swt on the Christians of that time because of them insisting on Isa (as) being the son of God.
So they stopped when clearly Imam Ali (as), Fatima, Hassan and Hossein are so great and honourable that Allah swt for their dignity asks the Prophet (saww) to take them out and when in Ayat Al Tat-heer with many references we see that those who are meant by Household none but Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hossein then we understand that in connection with Hadeeth Al Thaqalayn Allah swt ordered the Prophet (saww) and HE said that I’m leaving two precious things: The Book of Allah and my Progeny. This Progeny is no one but my Household. Who are the Household? It has been explained in both practices of Mubahala and Ayat Al Tat-heer.
May Allah swt enable us to understand the truth as it is through the light of the guidance which prevailed in this and follow the footsteps of the Progeny as the Prophet wished.
Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.