Shia of Ahle Bayt (a.s.) have no doubt in the faith of Abu Talib (a.s.), and
they believe that he is in the highest ranks and pans of faith, and they have
received this matter from companions and companions of companions, hand to
hand and they accept it due to traditional reports of their Imams after this matter
is proved from their holy ancestor, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.).
The great teacher, Shaykh Mufeed writes in Awailul Maqalat:1
“Imamiyah have consensus that ancestors of Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)
from Adam to Abdullah, were all believers and monotheists; and they have
consensus that Abu Talib died a believer; and that Amina binte Wahab followed
the monotheistic religion…”
Allamah Majlisi writes in Bihar:2
“Shia have consensus that Abu Talib was a Muslim, and believed in
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) since the beginning, and he never did worship an
idol, on the contrary he was a successor of Ibrahim (a.s.), and in the Shia religion,
his Islam is well known, so much so, that all opponents attribute it to the Shia,
and reports narrated through Shia and Sunni are widely narrated (Mutawatir)
about his Islam and a large number of our scholars and traditionists have written
separate book on this subject,3 as is clear to those, who are aware about books of
tradition narrators.”
That which supports this consensus about traditional reports is what that
Imams of Ahle Bayt (a.s.) have said regarding Abu Talib.
After that Allamah has mentioned forty traditions in Al-Ghadeer; some of
them being:
1. It is narrated from Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) that he said to Aqil bin
Abi Talib: “O Aqil, I am fond of you from two aspects: One for your own sake and the other for the sake of Abu Talib, because he was fond of you.”(4)(5)
2. It is narrated from Maula Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) that: “By God, my
father and my grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, Hashim and Abde Manaf definitely
did not worship an idol. He was asked: Then what did they worship? He replied: They prayed facing the Kaaba and followed the religion of Ibrahim.”6
It is narrated that Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) was asked: “Who was the last
prophetic successor before Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)?” He replied: “My
father.”7
4. It is narrated from Imam Sadiq Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad (a.s.)
that he said: “Indeed, the matter of Abu Talib is same the case of the Folks of
Cave, who concealed their faith and made a show of infidelity. Thus, Almighty
Allah granted them two rewards.”8
5. In Al-Kafi,9 Thiqatul Islam Kulaini has narrated through chains of
narrators from Ishaq bin Ja’far from his father that His Eminence was asked:
“People think that Abu Talib was a disbeliever.” He replied:
“They are wrong. How he was a disbeliever, whereas he said: Don’t you
know that we found Muhammad a prophet like Musa?”
A number of senior tradition scholars have mentioned this tradition in their
writings.
6. It is narrated from Yunus bin Nubata from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) that:
“O Yunus, what do people say regarding Abu Talib?” I replied: “May I be
sacrificed on you, they say that he in a pit of Hellfire, while his brain is boiling
due to that.” He said: “The enemies of Allah are wrong. Indeed Abu Talib is from
companions of prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous, and what
nice companions they are.”10
7. In Al-Kafi,11 Thiqatul Islam Kulaini has narrated through chains of
narrators from Durust bin Abu Mansur that he asked Abul Hasan, the first –
Imam Musa Kazim (a.s.): “Was Abu Talib a Divine Proof on Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.)?”
“No,” he replied, “but he was having bequests as trust, which he handed over to His Eminence.”12
I asked: “Did he issue those bequests as His Eminence was the giver of
divine proof and he was the divine proof?”
He replied: “If His Eminence was the giver of proof and he was the divine
proof, he would not have made bequest to him.”
I asked: “Then what was the position of Abu Talib?”
He replied: “He confessed to the Prophet and what he had brought, and he
gave him the bequests; and died that same day.”
Allamah Amini says: This rank is higher than the rank of the imam,
because keeping aside these traditional reports and traditional reports, which we
narrated from Maula Ameerul Momineen (a.s.), they prove the position of
successorship and Divine Proof for Abu Talib during his time. What to say only
about faith? And the evidence of this issue reached to such an extent that the
questioner thought that before the proclamation (Besat) of Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.), Abu Talib was Divine Proof on the former, but the Imam has negated
this, but added that he was a successor and said that: He was on the upright
religion of Ibrahim; after that he embraced the illuminated faith of Muhammad
and submitted the trusts to the one, who called to this faith; and his faith got
precedence by Islam of Ali (a.s.) his son, who was instrumental in establishment
of religion.
8. Our great teacher and exegesist, Abul Futuh, in his Tafseer,13 has narrated
from Imam Ali Reza (a.s.) that His Eminence has narrated from his ancestors
through a number of channels that: The following was engraved on the ring of
Abu Talib:
“I accept the Lordship of Allah, prophethood of my nephew, Muhammad
and successorship of my son, Ali.”
Many Shia scholars have mentioned detailed discussions regarding this
reasoning; like our great teacher, Allamah Majlisi in Biharul Anwar14 and our
teacher, Abul Hasan Sharif Fatuni in part two of his valuable book of Ziyaul
Aalameen, and I have this book in my possession. It is the best book written on
this subject: as Sayyid Barzanji has mentioned and Sayyid Ahmad Zaini Dahlan
has summarized it; it is the best book written by Ahle Sunnat on this subject.
Other scholars have written independent books on this issue. Among them being:
1. Our great teacher, Abu Abdullah Mufeed, Muhammad bin Muhammad
bin Noman (d. 413 A.H.) as mentioned in Fehrist of Najjashi.1 He has written a
book on faith of Abu Talib.
2. Our chief, Abul Fadhail, Ahmad bin Tawus (d. 673 A.H.). He has written
a book on the faith of Abu Talib. Among his books is Bina al-Maqalatul Alwiya
Li Naqz Risala Uthmaniya, on the subject of Imamate and it is in refutation of
Abu Uthman Jahiz’s treatise.