The Dark Wednesday of 8th Shawwal

On 8th Shawwal, Wednesday, in the year 1345 AH (April 21, 1925), mausoleums in Jannatul al-Baqi (Madina) were demolished by King Ibn Saud.

In the same year (1925), he also demolished the tombs of holy personages at Jannat al-Mualla (Makkah) where the Holy Prophet (s)'s mother, wife, grandfather and other ancestors are buried.

---

Amongst the matters about which the Wahhabis are most sensitive is the matter of renovation of graves and construction over the graves of Prophets, Imams and the pious ones.

This matter was at first initiated by Ibn Taymiyya and his famous student Ibn al-Qayyim and they gave their verdicts (fatawa) in prohibiting the construction of a structure and the necessity of its destruction.

Ibn al-Qayyim in his book Zad al-ma’ad fi huda khayr al-‘ibad  says as such:

                                

                                                                                                                                

It is obligatory to destroy the structure constructed over the grave and after gaining power for their destruction it is not permissible to reinstate them even for one day.

The Origins of Al-Baqi

Literally "al-Baqi" means a tree garden. It is also known as "Jannat al-Baqi" due to its sanctity, since in it are buried many of our Prophet's relatives and companions.

The first companion buried in al-Baqi was Uthman b. Madhoon who died on the 3rd of Sha'ban in the 3rd year of Hijrah. The Prophet (s) ordered certain trees to be felled, and in its midst, he buried his dear companion, placing two stones over the grave.

On the following years, the Prophet's son Ibrahim, who died in infancy and over whom the Prophet (s) wept bitterly, was also buried there. The people of Madina then began to use that site for the burial of their own dead, because the Prophet (s) used to greet those who were buried in al-Baqi by saying, "Peace be upon you, O abode of the faithful! God willing, we should soon join you. O' Allah, forgive the fellows of al-Baqi".

The site of the burial ground at al-Baqi was gradually extended. Nearly seven thousand companions of the Holy Prophet (s) were buried there, not to mention those of the Ahlul Bayt (a). Imam Hasan b. Ali (a), Imam Ali b. al-Husayn (a), Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a), and Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a) were all buried there.

Among other relatives of the Prophet (s) who were buried at al-Baqi are: his aunts Safiya and Aatika, and his aunt Fatima bint al-Asad, the mother of Imam Ali (a). The third caliph Uthman was buried outside al-Baqi, but with later extensions, his grave was included in the area.

Al-Baqi as viewed by historians

Umar bin Jubair describes al-Baqi as he saw it during his travel to Madina, saying "Al-Baqi is situated to the east of Madina. You enter it through the gate known as the gate of al-Baqi. As you enter, the first grave you see on your left is that of Safiya, the Prophet's aunt, and further still is the grave of Malik bin Anas, the Imam of Madina. On his grave is raised a small dome. In front of it is the grave of Ibrahim son of our Prophet (s) with a white dome over it, and next to it on the right is the grave of Abdul-Rahman son of Umar bin al-Khattab, popularly known as Abu Shahma, whose father had kept punishing him till death overtook him. Facing it are the graves of Aqeel bin Abi Talib and Abdullah bin Ja'far al-Tayyar. There, facing those graves is a small shrine containing the graves of the Prophet's wives, following by a shrine of Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib.

The grave of Hazrat Imam Hasan bin Ali (a), situated near the gate to it's right hand, has an elevated dome over it. His head lies at the feet of Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib, and both graves are raised high above the ground, their walls are panelled with yellow plates and studded with beautiful star-shaped nails. This is how the grave of Ibrahim, son of the Prophet (s) has also been adorned. Behind the shrine of Abbas there is the house attributed to Fatima, daughter of our Prophet (s), known as "Bayt al-Ahzaan" (the house of grief) because it is the house she used to frequent in order to mourn the death of her father, the chosen one, peace be upon him. …

The First Destruction of Al-Baqi

From 1205 AH to 1217 AH, the Wahhabis made several attempts to gain a foothold in Hijaz but failed. Finally, in 1217 AH, they somehow emerged victorious in Taif where they spilled the innocent blood of Muslims. In 1218 AH, they entered Makkah and destroyed all sacred places and domes there, including the one which served as a canopy over the well of Zamzam.

In 1221 AH (Around 1800AD), the Wahhabis entered Madina to desecrate al-Baqi as well as every mosque they came across. An attempt was even made to demolish the Prophet's tomb, but for one reason or another, the idea was abandoned. Al-Baqi was razed to the ground, with no sign of any grave or tomb whatsoever. But the Saudis were still not quite satisfied with doing all of that. Their king ordered three black attendants at the Prophet's shrine to show him where the treasure of valuable gifts were stored. The Wahhabis plundered the treasure for their own use.

Muslims from all over the world denounced this Saudi savagery and exhorted the Caliphate of the Ottoman Empire to save the sacred shrines from total destruction. Then, as it is known, Muhammad Ali Basha attacked Hijaz and, with the support of local tribes, managed to restore law and order in Madina and Makkah, dislodging the Al-Saud clansmen. The entire Muslim world celebrated this victory with great fanfare and rejoicing. In Cairo, the celebrations continued for five days.

In 1818 AD, the Ottaman Caliph Abdul Majid and his successors, Caliphs Abdul Hamid and Mohammed, carried out the reconstruction of all sacred places, restoring the Islamic heritage at all important sites. In 1848 and 1860 AD, further renovations were made at the expense of nearly seven hundred thousand pounds, most of which came from the donations collected at the Prophet's tomb.

The second plunder by the Wahhabis

1924 AD Wahhabis entered Hijaz for a second time and carried out another merciless plunder and massacre. People in streets were killed. Houses were razed to the ground. Women and children too were not spared.

Awn bin Hashim (Shairf of Makkah) writes: "Before me, a valley appeared to have been paved with corpses, dried blood staining everywhere all around. There was hardly a tree which didn't have one or two dead bodies near its roots."

In the year 1344 AH (1924 AD) when the Sa’uds had gained control over Mecca, Medina and its surroundings, they planned a pretext for destroying the graves of Baqi’ and the traces of household and companions of the Holy Prophet (s). By getting verdict (fatwa) from the scholars of Medina they wanted to pave the way for demolition and preparing the minds of the people of Hijaz who were never in favour of such action. For this reason they sent the Chief Judge of Najd, Sulayman bin Bulayhid towards Medina for the purpose of deriving benefit from the scholars of that place regarding this matter. Thus he planned the questions in such a manner that its answers (as per the viewpoint of the Wahhabis) were hidden in the questions itself. And in this way he declared to the muftis that their replies should match the answers which had come in the questions; otherwise they would be called as polytheists and be killed if they would not repent.

The questions and answers were published in the newspaper Umm al-Qura in Mecca in the month of Shawwal 1344 AH.  As a result of this publication, a severe reaction took place among the Muslims mainly Sunnis and Shi’as because they were aware that after taking the verdict (fatwa) even if it was by way of force, the destruction of graves of the leaders of Islam would commence.

Incidentally, after taking the verdict from fifteen scholars of Medina and publishing it in Hijaz, the destruction of the traces of the household of the Prophet (s) began on the 8^th of Shawwal of the same year. The entire traces of Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) and the companions of the Holy Prophet (s) disappeared and the valuable properties of the shrine of the Holy Imams (‘a) at Baqi’ were plundered.All Islamic heritage were destroyed. The only shrine that remained intact was that of the Holy Prophet (s). Tombs of Hazrat Hamza and other martyrs were demolished at Uhud.  In the same year Jannat al-Mu'alla, the sacred cemetery at Makkah was destroyed alongwith the house where the Holy Prophet (s) was born.

May Allah hasten the reappearance of Imam Zamana (atfs)

May Allah destroy the enemies of Ahle Bait (as).

May Allah give us the taufeeq to see restoration of Jannatul Baqi.

Summary of Nafahatul Azhaar Fee Khulasate Abaqatul Anwaar

Nafahatul Azhaar Fee Khulasate Abaqatul Anwaar by groupoftranslators

Biography of our scholars – Shaikh Kulaini (ar)

SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN YAQUB BIN ISHAQ KULAYNI (ar)

Birth: His exact year of birth has not been recorded. However, it is mentioned that his birth had already taken place by start of the imamate of the 11th Imam, which lasted from 254 A.H to 260 A.H. Thus if he was 9-10 years old at this time, (an age when children begin to understand matters), then he must have been born around 250 A.H. He was born in the village of Kulain, about 38 kms from the Iranian city of Raiy (currently Tehran), which was an important city at that time. His father was also a scholar. Thus, Shaikh Mohammed bin Yaqoob al Kulayni was born around 250Ah, which was the period of imamate of the 10th Imam, and then when he was a little older, it was the period of the imamate of the 11th Imam.

Kunniyat: His kunniyat (agnomen) was Abu Jafar. 

Title: His laqab(title) was Thiqatul Islam, the one trusted by Islam and Muslims. He was  respected and trusted by all muslims and all have given him this title.

Family and early life: His family was very learned and his father was a very well-known alim(scholar) and the sheikh and leader of the other Ulema of the village.

Teachers: History has recorded the names of 36 of his teachers, prominent amongst these was Janab Abu Jafar Barqi Ali bin Samri (ar), and Janab Ali bin Mohammed Samri (ar) who later became the 4th special naeb(representative) of the12th Imam. Another of his teachers was Janab Ali bin Ibraheem Qummi (ar), the famous author of Tafseer e Qummi. Janab Ali bin Ibraheem Qummi (ar) was a companion of the 11th Imam, hence this tafseer has been written by a companion of the 11th imam. This implies that it was written by the author after hearing it from the Imam himself. Hence this tafseer is highly regarded in the circles of learning. 

Death: Kulaini died in  Baghdad in 329 A.H. The year he died is called Tanasirul nujoom or the year of the breaking of the stars, because during this year it was observed that a lot of stars appeared to break and fall. It was a year that saw the death of prominent Ulema like Shiakh Kulayni (ar), the father of Sheikh Sadooq (ar), Janab Ali bin Babwayh Qummi. The Twelfth Imams special naeb(representative), Janab Ali bin Mohammed (ar), too, died in this year. This year also marked the beginning of ghaibat e kubra  (major occultation) of the Imam.

His age, when he died is calculated to be about 80 years. According to the Christian calendar it was the year 941 AD. His salatul mayyit (prayer over the dead body) was recited by Mohammed bin Jafar Husseini abu Qaraat. He is buried in Baghdad, in Bab e Koofa. This is the same district where he used to live. It is located in eastern  Baghdad . He grave exists there even today.   
 Sayyed Nematullah Jazaeri relates that a great opponent of Shias established his rule in Baghdad. He wanted to stop the people from visiting the graves of the Masoomeen(a), and decided to destroy them. He decided to begin with the grave of The 7th Imam, it being closest to Baghdad. Preparations got underway, when someone informed him that the Shias believe that the bodies of their Imams do not decay in the graves. The king replied, let the grave be opened. If what they say turns out to be true, I will close the grave with great honor. If I find the body decayed, I will consider my actions justified. But someone else told him, you do not need to go far to check their claim, because they claim the same thing for their Ulema as well. One of their Ulema is buried in Baghdad itself. Open that grave. If the body is still fresh, it can be concluded that their faith is the correct one. Thus Kulainis grave was opened, the body was found to be so fresh that he appeared to be asleep. Even the color of henna on his nails had not faded. The king was impressed. He ordered the grave to be closed and a dome erected over it. 

Some details about his life: His initial schooling took place in the city of Raiy. Later, he came to be known as Shaykh ul fuqaha (the leader of the jurisprudents) in Raiy. Then he migrated to Baghdad and started teaching there. Even in Baghdad he was called Shaykhul Fuqaha. When Shiakh Kulaini (ar)  came to Baghdad, the 3rd nominated representative of Imam was residing there, but he( the representative) was doing dissimulation (taqayyah), so much so that the ordinary Muslims considered him to be their alim, and his orders and writings were much respected, even in the court of the king.

His Books: Ruqatul Aimma (a collection of letter penned by the Aimma (as)), Kitab al-rijal( a book about the transmitters of ahadeeth), Kitab tabeer ar-ruya( a book on the interpretation of dreams. It is said that a better book on this topic has not been written till today). Kitab al madh al Aimma( a collection of poetry in praise of the Aimma),Kitab rad al Qaramata(a book denouncing a sect who had invaded the Kaaba, robbed the Hajar e Aswad, and kept it in their land for 17 years). However, his greatest contribution is the Al-Kafi. 

Al-Kafi: This book is Kulaini greatest contribution. It is a collection of 16,199 ahadeeth. One of the principal features of the work is that the traditions are presented systematically in chapters according to their subject matter. The Kafi is divided into 3 parts: 2 volumes of Usool e Kafi, comprising ahadeeth on beliefs, 5 volumes of Furoo e kafi containing ahadeeth on jurisprudence, and 1 volume of Rawdhatul Kafi. Rawdha means garden. It is a type of shia encyclopaedia, containing ahadeeth not covered in the other volumes. Thus it contains assorted ahadeeth about, eg, the life and times of our Aimma (as) and their opponents. 

It should be noted that till the time of the 11th Imam, the Shias were not overly concerned about preserving ahadeeth, because whenever they were faced with a problem an Imam was there to solve it. Even during the initial stages of the minor occultation, they had recourse to the Imam through his nominated representatives. But when Janab Husain bin Rouh (ar) was appointed the representative, the Shias grew concerned as their Imam was in occultation and Janab Hussain bin Rouh (ar) was in taqayyah on the orders of the Imam. It was at this time that Shaikh Kulaini (ar) migrated to Baghdad , and since he was the Shaykh ul Fuqaha, it fell upon his shoulders to assume the responsibility of collecting and preserving the ahadeeth. 

First he collected whatever he could of the 400 books of Usool. Then he sorted them topic-wise. Next, Shaikh Kulaini (ar) himself traveled all over the Islamic world to collect ahadeeth. As soon it would come to his notice that a person in a particular village knows a hadeeth, he would go to that village, even if it entailed journeying over great distances, to hear it from him personally and write it. He refused to appoint anyone else to go in his stead, so that he could be sure that the written hadeeth tallied word for word with what was related by that person. This process went on for 20 years. Thus the kafi came into existence. After Shaikh Kulaini (ar) , this type of work was done by others too, but Shaikh Kulaini (ar) was the first to undertake this task. Today no mujtahid can issue a fatwa without studying every hadeeth of the Kafi. He compiled the book and gave it to his students. During those times writing was not popular, because it was very difficult to get paper and ink. Thus the preferred method was oral transmission. Hence, Shaikh Kulaini (ar) would read out the ahadeeth to his students and they would memorize them. Then the students would recite the ahadeeth and he would hear them. When he was satisfied that a student had learnt all the ahadeeth, he would give the student permission to narrate them on his authority. This permission was called Ijaza e Riwayat, and was an important permission in those days. Thus his students were instrumental in spreading these ahaheeth, till such a time when printing became popular and books began to be printed. 
History chronicles about 15 of his eminent students, although innumerable seekers of knowledge benefited from his company. Of the 15 eminent students there are three who were instrumental in bringing the Usool al Kaafi to the posterity. These illustrious students of Shaikh Mohammed Kulaini (ar) are Janab Ahmed ibne Ahmed Katib Toofi (ar), Janab Mohammed ibne Ibrahim (ar) and Janab Abu Abdallah Safwani (ar) who was from the progeny of Janabe Safwan-e-Jammal (ar)- a companion of the Seventh Imam  who refrained from  giving his camels on hire to the tyrannical ruler on the instructions of the Seventh Imam (as).

This was the only book of ahadeeth compiled during minor occultation. Thus it was compiled in the presence of the nominated representatives of the Imam. The 4th and last representative of Imam died shortly after Shaikh Kulaini’s (ar) own death. And, of course the Imam himself was well aware of the existence of this book and also knew that this was going to become a basic book of the Shias. If there was something very wrong about this book, the Imam would have pointed it out or would have forbidden the compilation. But we find that nothing of this kind happened.

May Allah give us taufeeq  to seek the lesson of hard work from our scholars.

Insulting a believer

During the Battle of Tabuk the Holy Prophet (S) announced that people should donate as much as they can to cover the cost of the Battle. The affluent people donated large amounts and the poor gave whatever little they could. A companion by the name of Abu Aqīl Ansari brought 1.75 sīr of dates and said, “I have laboured from last night till morning and received 3.5 sīr of dates. Half I left for my family and the other half for Allah.” The hypocrites began to make fun of both the types of people and began to find faults with them. For those who donated more, they said that they have given such large amounts to show off their wealth and for those who could contribute little, they said: They want to be included among the philanthropist, or they wanted people to consider them at the time of giving charity.

However, Allah (s.w.t.) did not like the insulting of the believers and promised them a painful chastisement:

“They who taunt those of the faithful who give their alms freely, and those who give to the extent of their earnings and scoff at them; Allah will pay them back their scoffings and they shall have a painful chastisement.”

(Surah at-Tawba 9: 79)

Inuslting a believer – believing men or woman, elder or younger, relative or non-relative is one of the Gunahe Kabeera.

We need to keep an eye on our actions and know that all  of the below listed actions are actually considered as an Insult of a believer :

·        Making fun of the actions of a believer

·        Mocking the defects of a believer

·        Abusing a believer by associating an evil thing with them (drunkard, betrayer of trust, donkey, pig etc.)

·        Taunting the actions of a believer to cause them disgrace

·        Calling out the faults of a believer in a gathering

We need to realise that sometimes while we avoid these things whilst dealing with strangers and unrelated people, we are heedless with regards to our close relatives like our wife, children, and parents etc.  We are mindful of these actions when dealing with our colleagues in office but least bothered when dealing with our brothers and those who are serving Imam (as).

It is good to avoid all kinds of formalities with our loved ones, relatives and brothers but we cannot afford to be so casual so as to devoid them of all kinds of respect and actually insult them.

Our loved ones, near relatives and these brothers are our actual assets, real companions and true friends and we need to take care of them, keep them satisfied and happy. We cannot afford to lose them at any cost.

Insulting a believer has been criticized by our Aimmah (as) and we find a tradition wherein Hazrat Imam Baqir (a.s.) says,

“One who taunts a believer on his face will die the most terrible death. And he has moved in such a direction from where there is no return to goodness.”

(al-Kāfi Vol. 2 page 360)

Lastly, a question may arise as to why insulting a believer is so disliked by Allah(s.w.t), His Prophet(s.a.w.s) and the AhlulBayt(a.s.).  The answer is provided by Holy Prophet(s.a.w.s):

“Indeed Allah has made the believer an example of His Greatness and Power. So one who taunts a believer or rejects his request, he has actually rejected the command of Allah.”

(Wasa’ilul-Shia, vol. 8 page 612)

Thus, the insult of a believer is in fact the mockery, abuse and taunt of the Greatness and Power of Allah(s.w.t.) .

Let us resolve to list down those who could have faced our insulting words or gestures and thereafter gather courage and seek forgiveness of all the above to ensure the wrath and punishment of Allah(s.w.t)  does not befall us.

Khatemiyat – Finality of the Prophethood

Whoever denies the finality of the last prophet, Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.a.) exits the domain of Islam and ventures into the domain of Kufr, the result of which is the Hell Fire.

To understand this concept of Khatemiyat we need to refer a few Quranic verses and traditions from Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). Infact, it is better to examine the dictionary meaning of the word خاتم  or ختم  before read the relevant verse and traditions.

The Dictionary meaning of the word خاتم  or ختم

As per Arabic language the word خاتم  or ختم is used in the below meanings:-

·       To affix seal

·       To close

·       To come to an end

·       To carry something to its ultimate end

Let us also consider a few examples

·       ختم العمل  - to get over with the task

·       ختم الكتاب  - the letter has been enclosed and sealed

From the above mentioned dictionary meanings and the examples one can safely conclude that the word خاتم  or ختم is used when one intends to convey the meaning of ‘coming to an end’ or ‘seal’ or ‘close’ or ‘end’.

Similarly the word خاتم النبين  can be interpreted in the below meanings:-

·       Coming to end of Prophethood

·       Seal of Prophethood

·       Finality of Prophethood

Finality of Prophethood in the light of Holy Quran

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran with regards to Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.a.) in Surah Ahzaab verse 40,

مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَكِن رَّسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ

And Mohammed (s.a.w.a.) is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Last of the Prophets.

This is one of the most frequently repeated verses in the discussion of finality of Prophethood, probably because it conveys the message in the most direct, simple and straight forward manner as possible.

The above verse of Holy Quran clearly while discussing about the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) says that he is خاتم النبين  meaning the seal to the chain of Prophethood, the last of the Prophets from the side of Allah.

When the Holy Quran announces that Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.a.) is the last prophet it invariably means that there cannot be another prophet or messenger from Allah who will either continue the message which Allah has revealed earlier or come with a new message and since the Holy Quran is the Book of Allah till the Day of Judgement it means that there cannot be any other messenger from the side of Allah till the Day of Judgement.

Finality of Prophethood in the light of traditions from Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)

Continuing the discussion of Finality of Prophethood let us look at the traditions which we have received in this aspect.

1.     Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) says – The tribe of Bani Israel were guided by Prophets. When a prophet passed away, another prophet succeeded him. But no prophet will come after me; only caliphs will succeed me.

2.     Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) says – The chain of Messengers and Prophets has come to an end. There shall be no Messenger nor Prophet after me.

3.     In the famous tradition of Holy Prophet where he said to Ameerul Momineen (as) – You are related to me Haroon was to Musa. Except that there will no Prophet after me.

4.     Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) says – I am the last in the line of Prophets of God and my mosque is the last mosque.

There are numerous other traditions from Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wherein he clearly establishes in his own words that he is the last prophet and there will not be and never be another prophet after him.

This leaves no scope for anyone who recognizes the Prophethood of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) to believe that there is or was any messenger or prophet from the side of Allah after him. If anyone maintains such a belief then indeed he has disbelieved and belittled the words of the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.a.)

To conclude this discussion in the light of traditions of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) we bring one last narration from the Prophet of Islam himself, wherein he explains the concept of Finality of Prophethood in the most beautiful manner.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said, “My position in relation to the prophets who came before me can be explained by the following example: A man erected a building and adorned this structure with great beauty, but he left an empty place, in the corner where just one brick was missing. People looked around the building and marvelled at its beauty, but wondered why a brick was missing from that niche?  I am like that one missing brick and I am the last in the line of the Prophets.”