I only know well that reasoning and protestation of Maula Ameerul
Momineen (a.s.) was based on the statement of Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)
issued only a short while ago that: if anyone fights you – and it is mentioned in
another quotation – If anyone quarrels with you, tell him: I am the slave of Allah and brother of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.). Whether Umar heard this
statement and in spite of that replied in such a severe manner and denied the
brotherhood? I don’t know:
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
“Therefore if they come to you, judge between them or turn
aside from them, and if you turn aside from them, they shall not
harm you in any way; and if you judge, judge between them
with equity; surely Allah loves those who judge equitably.”1
6. In his Tarikh,2 Khatib Baghdadi has narrated from Husain bin Hamid bin
Musa Akki from Hammad bin Mubarak Baghdadi from Abdullah bin Maimun
Baghdadi from Ismail bin Umayyah from Ibne Jarij from Ataa from Jabir that he
said:
“The Prophet never ascended the pulpit, but that he announced: Uthman is in
Paradise.”
Dhahabi says in Mizan that:3 “This report is not correct.”
Allamah Amini says: Are you not amazed at Khatib that he mentions such
sophistry through such a strange and hateful chain of narrators, without any
remark whatsoever, and does not expose the conditions of its narrators? This is
his usual habit regarding those, whose love has blinded him. You would find him
refuting, picking defects and getting work up only with regard to the excellence
of Ahle Bayt (a.s.)!
Can someone like Khatib be unaware of the statement of Muslima bin
Qasim regarding Husain Akki that: “He is unknown.”? Or is the presence of
Hammad bin Mubarak, who is another unknown entity, not important for him?4
Or the statement of Bukhari5 regarding Abdullah bin Maimoon: “Indeed, in
traditions, he is weak,” and the statement of Nasai6 that: “Indeed, he is weak,”
were unknown to him? Or it is that Khatib did not like to pick defects in Ismail
bin Umayyah Abshami, cousin of Uthman, who fabricated this tradition in favor
of his cousin, the Caliph?
Yes, all these statements were before the eyes of Khatib, but finally
extremism regarding excellence of Uthman made him speechless so as not to say
anything that casts aspersion on the Umayyad.
If this imagination has any value on the criterion of reliability and were a fact, it would necessitate that Uthman would be in Paradise on the basis of this
fabricated tradition, more important than all principles of faith, Islamic laws and
wise sayings, which the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) announced.
Because we don’t find that His Eminence accorded so much importance to
him and did not announce it from all the pulpits, yes, he has repeated some points
in order to show their importance, but they are few and can be counted on ones
fingers, even the ritual prayer, which is supposed to be the pillar of religion, that
is also not mentioned as many times.
Alas, if I only knew whether the being of Uthman in Paradise is from basic
principles of Islam, with which only can the Shariat be complete so that in every
period of time the Prophet emphasized it so much? Is it a command of the
Shariah? Is it an absolute wisdom? Or an excellent quality? Or a divine honor
that should be so emphasized and insisted on?
Moreover, if Uthman had been from believers, there would definitely had
been testimony of holy verses of Quran and numerous traditions stating his
entering Paradise and what was the need of making so much special effort to
announce his name and that also such an effort that it’s like was not there for
whatever the Prophet brought from the Lord?
Also, if the Prophet had done such a thing it was necessary for all the
companions to have heard it; even one, who heard him once, and it was necessary
for this tradition to have come as a widely narrated tradition (Mutawatir) from
His Eminence, and only Jabir would not have been restricted with this fabricated
attribution, and only liars would not have attributed it to Jabir.
And among the most important pulpits is the pulpit of the day of Ghadeer, as
ten thousand or more persons were present there. Did anyone from them, whether
in front of the gathering or someone from the rear, ever heard Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.) announce that Uthman is in Paradise? And in any of these sermons of
Prophet; can you find or hear even the slightest voice of such a false address?
Whether these companions, who numbered tens of thousands, and who
heard this from Prophet, and remembered it, did they ignore it on the day they
attacked the house of Uthman? On the day they told him: “By God, Allah has
made shedding your blood lawful.”7
On the day they wrote a letter to him and called him to repentance and
quarreled with him and swore most severely in the name of God that they would
not leave him till they eliminate him.8
On the day that he greeted them and no one heard anyone responding to his
salutation, and there were among them senior-most companions of Prophet.9
On the day their mother called out in a loud voice: “Kill the old fool, may God kill him; he has indeed apostatized,” and the days, whose events we narrated to you.