Necessity of Tabarra with the enemies of Ahle Bayt (a.s)

Tabarra with the enemies of Ahle Bait (a.s.) is from the acts of  Furoo-e-deen and wajib upon every beleiver. There have always been questions about the method of doing Tabarra. But recently, there have been questions on the necessity of tabarra itself. We intend to present some traditions for our readers to understand the importance and necessity of Tabarra.

The ayat 56 and 57 of Surah Ahzab point to the essentiality of Tawalla and Tabarra both. The holy quran says :

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَ مَلائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلِّمُوا تَسْليماً (56)

إِنَّ الَّذينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ أَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذاباً مُهيناً (57)

33.56: Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who believe! call for (Divine) blessings on him and salute him with a (becoming) salutation.

33.57: Surely (as for) those who speak evil things of Allah and His Apostle, Allah has cursed them in this world and the here after, and He has prepared for them a chastisement bringing disgrace.

In the above verses, the first verse Allah sends salutations on the Prophet and in the immediate verse after it Allah sends lanat on those who trouble the Prophet. This clearly indicates that both tawalla and tabarra are equally necessary.

Love and hatred is part of Imaan:

We find traditions which tell us that Imaan is incomplete without Tawalla and Tabarra. In Kafi, Shaikh Kulayni brings a chapter called

باب الحب في الله والبغض في الله

He has brought 16 traditions in it.  One of these is as follows:

5- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ فُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الْحُبِّ وَ الْبُغْضِ‏ أَ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ هُوَ فَقَالَ وَ هَلِ الْإِيمَانُ إِلَّا الْحُبُّ وَ الْبُغْضُ ثُمَّ تَلَا هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ- حَبَّبَ‏ إِلَيْكُمُ‏ الْإِيمانَ‏ وَ زَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ‏ وَ كَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَ الْفُسُوقَ‏ وَ الْعِصْيانَ‏ أُولئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ‏ «3».

From Fuzayl bin yasar, he says, I asked Imam Sadiq a.s. concerning love and hatred, whether they are from Imaan ? He a.s, replied weather Imaan is other than love and

hatred? Then he a.s. recited the verse of Quran, Surah Hujarat:7 “…but Allah has endeared the faith to you and has made it seemly in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you unbelief and transgression and disobedience; these it is that are the followers of a right way...”

What is Tabbarra?

Our discussion for today is tabarra. The meaning of Tabarra in Qamoos is as follows:

تَخَلَّى عَنْهُ وَقَطَعَ الصِّلَةَ بِهِ

To be unconnected from it or cut relations from it. To distinct one selves from it. To send lanat upon someone and to dissociate. Tabarra is babe Taffaul, one of its application is to do ijtenaab or avoid or distance.

One of the ways to distance ourselves from the oppressors is through verbal expression. When we do laan on something we express verbally our distance from it.

Laan actually means to pray to Allah that He removes His mercy from that person upon which Laan is sent.

Hazrat Ibraheem (as) expresses Tabaraa openly against the disbelievers:

(60) الممتحنة : 4 قَدْ كانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ في‏ إِبْراهيمَ وَ الَّذينَ مَعَهُ إِذْ قالُوا لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَآؤُا مِنْكُمْ وَ مِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ كَفَرْنا بِكُمْ وَ بَدا بَيْنَنا وَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَداوَةُ وَ الْبَغْضاءُ أَبَداً حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ …..

60.4: Indeed, there is for you a good example in Ibrahim and those with him when they said to their people: Surely we are clear of you and of what you serve besides Allah; we declare ourselves to be clear of you, and enmity and hatred have appeared between us and you forever until you believe in Allah alone….

Allah calls this expression of tabarra of Hazrat Ibrahim and his followers as uswatun hasana.

We find the companion of Hazrat Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s) famous as Yahya ibne Ummut taweel pronouncing this same verse facing the grave of Umar and Abu Bakr in Masjide Nabi and declaring his Tabarra against them.

Those who send lanat are acknowledged in the Holy Quran

We see that in the Holy Quran Allah has sent Laanat openly and has also introduced a group that sends lanat and called them laenoon:

(2) البقرة : 159 إِنَّ الَّذينَ يَكْتُمُونَ ما أَنْزَلْنا مِنَ الْبَيِّناتِ وَ الْهُدى‏ مِنْ بَعْدِ ما بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتابِ أُولئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللاَّعِنُون‏

2.159: Surely those who conceal the clear proofs and the guidance that We revealed after We made it clear in the Book for men, these it is whom Allah shall curse, and those who curse shall curse them (too).

There are duas and ziyarats where the Holy Ahle Bayt (a.s) have taught us to do Lanaat and also have elaborated the reward in it like ziyarat Ashura, Dua Saname quraysh, the salwat of Thursday night etc.

Faith is rejected with slightest love for enemies of Ahlulbayt (a.s):

Tabarra talks of keeping enmity with the enemies of Ahle Bait (a.s.). It requires us not to keep any kind of friendship, love, sympathy for them. Any kind of soft corner for the enemies of Ahlulbayt (a.s.), for whatever reason,  will spoil our faith altogether. It is against the concept of Tabarra. We quote a couple of traditions for the same:

  وَ قِيلَ لِلصَّادِقِ ع إِنَّ فُلَاناً يُوَالِيكُمْ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ يَضْعُفُ عَنِ الْبَرَاءَةِ مِنْ عَدُوِّكُمْ فَقَالَ هَيْهَاتَ كَذَبَ مَنِ ادَّعَى مَحَبَّتَنَا وَ لَمْ يَتَبَرَّأْ مِنْ عَدُوِّنَا 

It was said to Imam Sadeq (a.s.), "So and so person expresses his love for you (Ahle Bait a.s.) but weakens in expressing his enmity against your enemy." Imam (a.s.) retorted, "Alas! He has lied who claims our love but did not express his hatred against our enemy." (Behaar Al-Anwaar, vol. 27, p. 58, H. 18)

…وَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ مُحَمَّداً بِالْحَقِّ لَوْ أَنَ‏ جَبْرَئِيلَ‏ وَ مِيكَائِيلَ‏ كَانَ فِي قَلْبَيْهِمَا شَيْ‏ءٌ لَأَكَبَّهُمَا اللَّهُ فِي النَّارِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمَا.

Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)…By the one who raised Mohammed with truth, if Mikaeel and Jibraeel had in their hearts even a thing (love of enemies) Allah would throw them in hell on their faces (Behaar Al-Anwaar, vol. 45, p. 339, H. 5)

Tabarra requires us to disregard kinship with the enemies of Ahle Bait (a.s.)

Those people who have troubled the Holy Ahle Bayt (a.s) deserve the lanaat of Allah and also the laanat from believers. Be it any personality, however great its appearance would seem. The criteria for greatness should be taqarrub to ahle bayt (a.s) and not any relations. A real lover of Ahle Bayt is the one who is ready to break any ties for the sake of Ahle bayt (a.s), even  if it be as lofty a relation between father and son.

19- وَ رُوِيَ عَنِ الرِّضَا ع أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كَمَالُ الدِّينِ وَلَايَتُنَا وَ الْبَرَاءَةُ مِنْ عَدُوِّنَا ثُمَّ قَالَ الصَّفْوَانِيُّ وَ اعْلَمْ‏  أَنَّهُ لَا يَتِمُّ الْوَلَايَةُ وَ لَا تَخْلُصُ الْمَحَبَّةُ وَ لَا تَثْبُتُ الْمَوَدَّةُ لآِلِ مُحَمَّدٍ إِلَّا بِالْبَرَاءَةِ مِنْ عَدُوِّهِمْ قَرِيباً كَانَ أَوْ بَعِيداً  فَلَا تَأْخُذْكَ بِهِ رَأْفَةٌ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَقُولُ‏ «1» لا تَجِدُ قَوْماً يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَ الْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ يُوادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ وَ لَوْ كانُوا آباءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْناءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوانَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ‏ الْآيَةَ

It is narrated from Imam Reza (a.s.) that he (a.s.) said, "The perfection of religion is (acceptance of) our mastership and expressing enmity towards our enemies." Safwaani

says, "Know that mastership will not be complete, love will not be pure and adoration for the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) will not be firm except by expressing enmity towards their enemies, whether near or far. So let not any kindness for them seize you. Surely, Allah - Mighty and Majestic be He - says, 'You will not find a nation believing in Allah and the Day of Judgment befriending those who act in opposition to Allah and His Apostle, even though they were their (own) fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kinsfolk;..till the end of the verse'. (Surah Mujaadilah (58): Verse 22)

(Behaar, vol. 27, p. 58, H. 19)

We quote the example of bayat of Janab Mohammed Ibne Abu Bakr (ar) at the hands of Amir ul momeneen (a.s)

فَقَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ إِمَامٌ مُفْتَرَضٌ طَاعَتُكَ وَ أَنَّ أَبِي فِي النَّارِ

…I bear witness that you are the Imam whose obedience is compulsory and that surely my Father is in Hell.

(Behaar, vol. 333 p. 584-5, H. 727).

We need to understand the importance of keeping enmity with the enemies of Ahle Bait (a.s.). When befriending somebody, entering into some kind of business relations, family relations etc we need to be prejudicial towards the enemies of Ahle Bait (a.s.). This prejudice is the essence of Tabarra. Traditions have warned us against entering into marriage contracts with their enemies, traditions have warned us against befriending their enemies.We are warned of helping the enemies of Allah and Ahle Bait (a.s.).  We need to know that any and all kinds of contact with the enemies might result in giving some space, creating some kind of love towards the enemies of Ahle Bait (a.s.) which will result in corruption of our faith. Let us review our life and locate areas which needs improvement with regards to Tabarra.

Let us end by seeking the sustenance of Tabarra through the words of Ziarat Ashura :

فَأَسْأَلُ‏ اللَّهَ‏ الَّذِي‏ أَكْرَمَنِي‏ بِمَعْرِفَتِكُمْ‏ وَ مَعْرِفَةِ أَوْلِيَائِكُمْ، وَ رَزَقَنِي الْبَرَاءَةَ مِنْ أَعْدَائِكُم‏

“Then, I make a plea with Allah to honor me by giving me the recognition of yourself and your friends and provide me with the sustenance of being disassociated with your enemies”