Tradition of Ghadeer in the Books of Ahle Sunnah

Tradition of Ghadeer in the Books of Ahle Sunnah

                                                              بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم  

                                                      صلى الله عليك يا ولي العصر ادركنا                                                   

Despite numerous Ahle Sunnah sources narrating the tradition of Ghadeer, it seems really difficult for the muslims to accept this command of the messenger of Allah (sawa). Denying this clear and direct order of the messenger of Allah is as combating him (sawa). As the order of Ghadeer-e-Khum is not a gentle marginal discussion, rather it is a matter of believe. Every Muslim compulsorily believes that the orders of the messenger of Allah are to be accepted whether we like it or dislike, and the Holy Quran confirms to this in the Surah Hashr 59:7

ومَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

" and whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is severe in retributing (evil)"

Let us quickly delve into the authentic  Ahle Sunnah sources and bring forth clear evidence's of the orders of the messenger of Allah (sawa) concerning the event of Ghadeer.

1. Musnad-e-Bazzar of Hafiz Imam Abu Bakar Al Bazzaar:

 

From Ayesha binte Saad, from her father that the messenger of Allah (sawa) caught hold the hand of Ali (a.s) and said: Do I not enjoy more authority upon the believers then themselves? For whomsoever I am his master then surely Ali is his master.


2. Al-Mataalib-ul-Aaliya of Hafiz ibne Hajar Al-asqalaani:

...From Ali (a.s): Surely the Prophet (sawa) came to the tree at khum, then he caught hold of the hand of Ali (a.s) and said, do you not bear witness that Allah (TWT) is your Lord? They said yes. He (sawa) said do you not bear witness that Allah and His messenger have more authority on you then yourselves and that Allah and His messenger are your Masters? They all said yes. He (sawa) said then for whomsoever Allah and His messenger are his master then surely this (Ali) is his master…

3. Kitaab Ash-Shariyah by Al-Imam Al-Muhaddis Abu Bakr Al-Aajerii:

...then he caught hold of the hand of Ali ibne Abi taalib (a.s) and said “Allah is my Master, and I am the master of all the believers and of whomsoever I am his master then Ali is his master…”

4. Musnad of Ahmad bin Hanbal:

...That the Prophet (sawa) on the day of Gadheer-e-Khum said: “of whomsoever I am his master then Ali is his master…”

5. Sahih-e-Sunan Ibne Maajaa along with the certification from the salafi Shaikh Al-albaani:

...then he caught hold of the hand of Ali (a.s) and said am I not having more authority on the believers then themselves? They all said yes. He (sawa) said am I not having more authority upon every believer then they have on themselves? They all said yes, the he (sawa) said “then this (Ali) is the authority for whomever I am the master, Oh Allah help who helps him, Oh Allah be enemy to the one who has his enmity…”

It is evident from the above mentioned proves that the incident of Ghadeer-e-Khum is not a hidden fact in the muslim books, rather the scholars of traditions consider it as Sahih, Asnaad-us-Sahih and mutawatir khabar.  it has been well documented, now the question to our readers is that why has the nation not given due right to this incident and why such an important incident is kept hidden or not known or heard at all by the masses? Can a just muslim ponder on the reason for this? The only reply we can think of is hostility towards Ameer-ul-momeneen Ali (a.s). On the other hand we observe that this same muslim nation strives hard to magnify every fake and forged merit of those who snatched the right of khilafat from Ali (a.s), for example the tradition of "My companions are like star's…". It is this same innocent nation that becomes extremely clever to extrapolate this tradition and prove the khilafat of the opposition, while their scholars of traditions treat this news to be fake and forged:

The Salafi Shaikh Albaani considers this tradition "My companions are like stars…" as fabricated, and goofed. Also he considers the chain of narration as unreliable, and the narrator to be a fabricator and this is a classical fabrication from him.

 If this prejudice is kept aside and the event of Ghadeer is analysed based on the traditions that are found in the books, the conclusion that can be drawn is extremely clear and evident.

Thus in the light of the event it becomes obligatory on everyone who submits to the messenger ship of the Holy prophet (sawa), to also submit to the mastership of his successor, his cousin, the first amongst them to believe and the foremost amongst them to submit, the spouse of his (sawa) daughter, and his (sawa) flag bearer, Amirul-Momeneen Ali ibne Abi Talib (a.s). 

Be sincere in your intentions, and struggle hard to recognize the truth, and halt for a moment ponder and think so that you reach the truth and follow it.

Unacceptable qualities in a debator

There are times in our life when we have to discuss and debate on various issues with our students, friends and relatives. These discussions for the sake of Amr BIl Maroof and Nahi Anil Munkar should be done in the best possible manner since its outcome would be bringing them back to religion and religious practices. Let us educate ourselves with some of the traits which are not acceptable for a debator :

a.   Should not be emotionally weak. We should not be affected by the bad language, insulting statements, criticisms of the opponent. Moreover, if we could not give him a befitting reply, we should not blame ourself at that time and concentrate on the debate. A person who is emotionally weak will not be able to take intial attacks in his stride. We should realise that the opponent without doubt has certain points which were strong enough to misguide him and others. These points would be difficult to handle but these would be limited and the truth is with us.

b.   Should not be overconfident – Self confidence is a quality and overconfident is as a disaster. We should not consider any opponent or any argument to be strong. It could surpise us. We need to realise that our opponent is muballigh of shaitaan and shaitaan would whisper him of the best things known to him. We should be careful in replying to each and every query.

c.  Should not be overjoyed so as to lose concentration or develop pride. There are times when a person presents an argument which leaves the opponent baffled, purplexed and speechless. Though, it is an indication of your victory, it is not victory. We have to remain concentrated till the last sentence of the debate. Our celebrations and joy should start only after the end of the debate. Initial success should not make us so happy that weou lose our concentration. Moreover, it should not be a reason for development of pride. We could be winning in front of our opponent but shaitaan may strike a lethal blow by whispering ideas of greatness and pride.  Hence, it is desirable that during the times of success a person should thank Allah and Imam-e-Zamana (Atfs), recite Isteaaza and carry on with utmost concentration, caution and vigilance.

d.  Should not be aggressive – A person who is aggressive silences his opponent with his behaviour rather than his argument. There is no benefit in this kind of victory, he actually stops listening and there is no scope of guidance.

e.  Should not waste time while arguing. We should not allow are opponents to waste time in discussing things which have no relevance, seeking unnecessary details or references at inappropriate places etc. Debate is a serious matter and should be undertaken to finish as soon as possible. There is no scope for vain talks, unnecessarily spreading it.  We find Imam Ali Reza (as) putting this as a condition to debate – “..Then Al-Reza (s) said, “O people! If any of you is opposed to Islam and wants to ask me any questions, then let him ask me without any shame.” Imran As-Sa’bee who was an expert in theology stood up and said, “O Scholar of the people. I would not have asked you any questions if you had not invited me to ask. I have been to Kufa, Basra, Syria and Algeria. There I have met many theologians. However, none of them has been able to establish for me the proof that there is One who has no second other than Him and that He remains to be One Being. Will you permit me to ask you this question?” Al-Reza (s) said, “If Imran As-Sab’ee is present among the people here, it must be you.” He said, “Yes. This is me.” The Imam (s) said, “O Imran! Ask. But I advise you to be fair. Avoid vain talk and nonsense.” (Chp 12 tradition no. 1 – Oyune Akhbare Reza (as))

f. Should not be hasty – You should not be hasty in presenting the reply.  You should not present all the replies at a time. You have to be slow, allow the opponent to understand, realise it. Each of your argument causes injury to falsehood, breaks it, weakens it. Hence, commence with the next argument only after the first argument has had its complete impact. There is no hurry.

Moreover, you need to comprehend the whole question before starting the reply. Anticipation and foresightedness about the question is a good trait but your reply should not be based on your anticipation but you will have to reply to the actual question. It would be very awkward if the opponent points out to your error in understanding the question and thereby presenting an answer to a question not raised.

Do not be in a hurry to end the debate, you have to actually convince the person who may take time to understand, realise. He may require further arguments to leave his beloved false beliefs.

g.   Should not feel shy in asking questions or references – Your opponent is a representative of falsehood. His beliefs are based on false interpretaions, false traditions, false assumptions and false understanding. Hence, it is appropriate to ask cross question him, ask for reference, ask for bases of his conclusion. As a debator you should not feel shy in asking. Shyness could prove costly as it could have been the most difficult or devastating question for him. He should feel the stress of justifying each and every belief of his.

h.   Should not leave mistakes and errors of the opponent – All his mistakes and errors should be pointed. There is no question of sparing or showing sympathy to him since he is an enemy of Allah and Masoomeen (As). The more you expose him the more are the chances of guidance.

i.  Should not be awed with the opponent – As an opponent, he has some arguments and power of convincing. As said previously, these arguments are strong enough for misguiding himself and others. We need to realise this and not be awed with his argument, language, oratorship, memory of quranic verses and traditions etc. He may seem to be strong in some things but overall as compared to Masoomeen (as) and the truth received from them he is matchless. We should not compare his capabilities with ourself but compare his belief with the beliefs received by us through Masoomeen (as). There example is best explained through this idiom the bigger they are the harder they fall.

We end our discussion with this prayer to Allah (swt), that he gives us taufeeq to adopt the above practises to easily overcome all those who have some doubt with regards to truth and truthfulness. There is no doubt that our endeavour to convince the youths and our attempt to bring him back to truth will be rewarded appropriately.  But, we should be afraid of losing them due to our carelessness, defect in debating and wrong approach.

TAUHEED FROM THE TRADITIONS OF IMAM REZA (a.s.)

Tauheed is one of the most important belief and the purity of this belief is essential. During the life time of Imam Reza (a.s.), many questions were raised about the Unity of Allah which were answered by Imam Reza (a.s.). Today, we shall present a few of those questions and its replies by Imam Reza (a.s.).

One day a denier of God came to Imam Reza (a.s) and said :

“Tell me, how your God is? And where He is?”

Imam (a.s.) said, “What a baseless question is this? Where and how are the qualities of the creatures and not of the Creator. He is the Creator of space and conditions and He is the Maker. How can He have any relation to these things? He is not something that can be perceived by the five senses. Also, nothing can be compared to Him. You deny Him because you cannot perceive Him by fivesenses. And we believe that He is God, for the same reason. If he had been perceptible He would also have become a creature like us. His imperceptibility is the proof of our helplessness and imagination and His perfection.”

He said, “Then tell me, since when did He exist?” 

Imam (a.s.) said, “Tell me, when He did not exist?” He said, “I am asking you and you question me in return?” Imam (a.s.) said, “When you have no knowledge about His non-existence, the question itself is invalid. That since when He exists?”

He said, “What is the proof of His Being?”

Imam said, “Not one, there are thousands of proofs. Observe your body itself, when we are not having control over its height and width and none of its aspects, and we have no control over its benefit and harm, we realize that there is someone else who has created it. Apart from this, the movement of the heavens and the structure of the clouds. The speed of the winds, the proper movements of the Sun, the moon and the stars etc. Are these not proof enough of a wise maker?”

He said, “If He had existed He would have been visible, like all the things of the world are visible.”

Imam (a.s.) said, “Visible are those things, that are created by Him. If He also becomes visible what difference would remain between Him and His Creation? He is such a Being that neither can the eye behold nor the intellect understand.”

He said, “But He should be at some place?”

Imam (a.s.) said, “He is not encompassed at a particular place. Being in a limited space is the quality of a created thing, and not that of the Creator. He is the Creator of space and universe, and not that He Himself is enclosed in space. There is increase and decrease in limited things and His being is immune to increase and decrease. He is not made by synthesis of anything. He hears without ears and sees without eyes.”

He said, “How can it be that He can hear without having ears and see without having eyes? If He has created multi-colored things, He must also have hands.”

Imam (a.s.) said, “Do you think the Creator is like the creatures? Don't look for the qualities of the creatures in the Creator? If He is also perceived with senses like us, what would be the difference between us and Him? According to you our Creator should be like us.” (Uyoun Akhbaare Reza (a.s.) Vol 1, Chp 11, tradition 28)

We end our discussion with the above tradition. There are 51 such traditions in this 11^th chapter of the book Uyoun Akbaare Reza (a.s.). Let us intend to refer to all of them and keep purifying our belief on Tauheed.

Though, the generation has changed, questions have remained the same. There are many people who still carry these questions, our proficiency in answering to their queries through these traditions may help guide someone.