7. Seventh objection
He says: “The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘If I wanted to take a friend and
companion for myself, I would definitely take Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr is my brother
and friend.’ Other than Abu Bakr, no one else had brotherhood with the Prophet.
As for Ali (a.s.); he had brotherhood only with Suhail bin Hunaif and that’s all.”1
Reply to the seventh objection
I don’t want to argue about the tradition, which he regards as authentic and I
also do not dispute its issuance and do not reject this tradition with the excuse
that Umar rejected the tradition of paper and ink-pot, because as this tradition is
mentioned in Saheeh Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim2, is identical and same as the
tradition and both were issued just before the demise of Prophet; I also don’t
repeat the statement of Ibne Abil Hadeed in Sharh Nahjul Balagha3 that the
captioned tradition is fabricated and supporters of Abu Bakr fabricated it against
the tradition of brotherhood.
I will not prolong the discussion regarding its conclusion like Ibne Qutaibah says in justification of the tradition:4
“The implication of brotherhood in this tradition is general Islamic brotherhood, which on the basis of verse:
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ
“The believers are but brethren.”5
…and all Muslims are regarded as brothers of each other, like the report
narrated from Prophet that he said to Umar: O brother,6
or said to Zaid: You are our brother.7 Or said to Usamah: O brother.8
In the same way, is the text of tradition which, Bukhari,9 Muslim and
Tirmizi have mentioned: If I wanted to select a friend, I would have definitely
selected Abu Bakr. But Islamic love and brotherhood, clarifies the implication of
brotherhood in this tradition. As friendship negated in that tradition is special
friendship and not general friendship, which is proved according to the verse:
ٱلْأَخِلَّآءُ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ (٦٧)
“The friends shall on that day be enemies one to another, except those who guard (against evil).”10
So, the implication of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) is special brotherhood,
which he established among companions on the day of brotherhood,11 it was
established on the basis of similarity and nature of persons. That is brotherhood
was established between two persons of same temperament, as numerous scholar
have admitted.
In that instance, brotherhood was established between Abu Bakr and Umar,
Uthman and Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Talha and Zubair, Abu Ubaidah Jarrah and
Saalim, freed slave of Abu Huzaifah, Ubayy bin Kaab and Ibne Masud, Maaz and
Thauban, Abu Talha and Bilal, Ammaar and Huzaifah, Abu Darda and Salman,
Saad bin Abi Waqqas and Suhaib, Abu Zar and Miqdad bin Amr, Abu Ayyub
Ansari and Abdullah bin Salam, Usamah and Hind, the barber of the Prophet,
Muawiyah and Habbab Majashai, Fatima, daughter of Prophet and Umme Salma,
Ayesha and wife of Abu Ayyub.12
After that he kept aside Ali (a.s.) for his own brotherhood and said: “By
God, I have not excepted you, but for myself. You are my brother and successor;
my brother and companion; you are my brother in the world and the hereafter.”13
Yes, amazing is exaggeration and selfishness that drags man to the position
that he regards as correct only that tradition, which is authentic in his view,
without understanding its meaning; or if he understands it, he wishes to deceive
people by his unawareness; and regards as invalid, a tradition accepted by the
whole Ummah and mentioned in all authentic books of traditions.
Can loyalty to something make a person blind? Is man created as such an
unjust creature?
This brotherhood in a special meaning, proved in favor of Ameerul
Momineen (a.s.) on the basis of authentic traditions, as would be mentioned, and
in view of companions it was like a famous title in every gathering, and which
was used as a protest and used by poets; is the special quality of Ali (a.s.) and if
anyone other than him claims this, he is indeed a liar. And if we like, we can
compile all recorded traditions on this topic and make a whole book. However we
shall mention only a few of them here:
1. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) established brotherhood among his companions including Abu Bakr and Umar, except Ali.
So Ali (a.s.) came to the Prophet and said: “You established brotherhood among companions, but did not make me a brother of anyone?”
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said: “You are my brother in the world and the hereafter.”
The chains of narrators of this tradition ends at the following persons:
- Ameerul Momineen Ali (a.s.)
- Umar bin Khattab
- Anas bin Malik
- Zaid bin Abi Aufa
- Abdullah bin Abi Aufa
- Ibne Abbas
- Makhduj bin Yazid
- Jabir bin Abdullah
- Abu Zar Ghiffari
- Aamir bin Rabia
- Abdullah bin Umar
- Abi Amama
- Zaid bin Arqam
- Saeed bin Musayyab14
Refer to the books15 of Jami Tirmizi, Masabih Baghawi, Mustadrak Hakeem,
Istiab, which regard tradition of brotherhood to be authentic, Taisirul Wasul,
Mishkatul Masabih – on the margins of Mirqat – and Riyazun Nazara.
It is mentioned in Riyazun Nazara:16
The best evidence of the position of Ali (a.s.) near the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) is the act of Prophet in establishment of brotherhood, because His
Eminence (s.a.w.a.) joined together in brotherhood, persons having similarities
and identical natures. So, he established brotherhood between Abu Bakr and
Umar and selected Ali (a.s.) for himself. Now, what excellence can be greater
than this?
Ustad Abdul Fattah Abdul Maqsood say in the book of Al-Imam Ali Ibne Abi Talib:17
If Abu Bakr is the true vicegerent of Prophet, Ali is the shadow joined to
him, because Ali (a.s.) never left the side of the Prophet. He established
brotherhood between Muhajireen and Ansar; but for himself, neither selected
Abu Bakr, nor Umar or Hamza – God’s lion – on the contrary, he selected the
youth he had himself reared; that is Ali, and gave precedence to him over
everyone else.
All these writings and sources clarify that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
established brotherhood between Abu Bakr and Umar and no sign of the
hollowness of Ibne Hazm is found.
2. Jabir bin Abdullah and Saeed bin Musayyab have said that the Prophet
established brotherhood between all companions and only the Prophet, Abu Bakr,
Umar and Ali remained. So he established brotherhood between Abu Bakr and
Umar. After that he said to Ali (a.s.):
“You are my brother and I am yours. If someone is inimical to you, tell him:
I am the slave of God and brother of Prophet. And if other than you, anyone
claims thus, he would indeed be a liar.”
This tradition is mentioned in numerous books18 like Manaqib Ahmad, Tarikh Ibne Asakir, Kifaya of Ganji, Tadkiratus Sibt, who regards this tradition as
authentic and has refuted his grandfather, who considered it inauthentic; and
Mirqat fee Sharh Mishkat.
3. Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari says: The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said:
“Two thousand years before the creation of the heavens and earth, it was
inscribed on the gate of Paradise: There is no god, except Him, and Muhammad
is His prophet and messenger and Ali is the brother of the Prophet.”
Manaqib Ahmad, Tarikh Khatib, Riyazun Nazara, Tadkiratus Sibt, Manaqib
Khwarizmi, Kanzul Ummal have narrated from Ibne Asakir.19
4. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said in a tradition:
“Almighty Allah derived our names through His name. Allah, the Mighty
and Sublime is Mahmood and I am Muhammad, God is high (Aala) and my
brother is Ali.”
Hamawaini has mentioned this report in chapter two20 of his Faraid through chains of Abu Nuaim and Natanzi.
It is narrated in the book of Al-Imamah was Siyasah that: One day Ali
came to Abu Bakr and said:
“I am the slave of Allah and brother of His Prophet.”
He was told: “Pay allegiance to Abu Bakr.”
He said: “I am more eligible for Caliphate than you and I will not pay
allegiance to you; on the contrary you are more worthy of paying allegiance to
me.”21