So far, all arrows shot by those inimical archers or stored in the vessels of
malice and Ahle Sunnat have aimed them at Abu Talib have exhausted and we
have rendered them useless and only the report of the pit of fire (Zahzah) and the
froth that enemies of Abu Talib have thrown against him remains.
That report is as follows: Bukhari and Muslim have narrated through Sufyan
Thawri, from Abdul Malik bin Umair from Abdullah bin Harith from Abbas bin
Abdul Muttalib that: I asked Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.): “What did you remove from
your uncle (and what benefit you got for him), Because he protected you and was
infuriated for your sake?”
He replied: “He is in a pit of fire and if I had not been there, he would have
been in the lowest level of Hell.”
It is mentioned in another version: I asked: “O Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.), Abu Talib defended and supported you; did all this benefit him in any
way?”
He replied: “Yes, I found him in whirlpools of fire, so transferred him into a pit.”1
Allamah Amini says: We don’t want to object against presence of Sufyan
Thawri and Abdul Malik bin Lakhmi Kufi in the chains of this report. We
mentioned about Sufyan previously that he narrated from weak reporters and
quoted reports from excessive liars.
Due to old age, the memory of Abdul Malik had weakened. Abu Hatim2 has
written: “He did not have good memory and he unable to recollect much.”
Ahmad has written:3 “He was weak.”
But I want to mention one point; and it is that: At the time of Abu Talib’s
demise, Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) offered his intercession for the sake of
decorum and said: Uncle, recite: “There is no god, except Allah, through which I
can intercede for you on Judgment Day.”
This point is mentioned in numerous other reports, which Hafiz Manzari has
compiled in his Al-Targhib wa Tarhib.4 Among them being: It is narrated from
Abu Zar Ghiffari in a tradition narrated through incomplete chains of narrators,
that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: “I am bestowed the power of intercession and it
will reach to anyone from my Ummah, who does not associate anyone with
Allah.”
In a tradition, it is narrated from Anas that: “Almighty Allah revealed to
Jibraeel (a.s.) to go to Muhammad and say: Raise your head and ask; it would be
bestowed to you, as your intercession is accepted. From your Ummah I will
admit into Paradise one, who says with sincerity: There is no god, except Allah,
and dies on this belief.”
After that Manzari5 has written: Ahmad has quoted this report.6 And the
narrators of that in books of Sihah are worthy of being given as evidence (that is
reporters are such that authors of Sahih tradition books rely on them).
Thus, if testimony of divine oneness is negated, intercession will also be
negated, because the disbeliever has no eligibility for it; so much so that if he is
punished in some stages and levels, then interceding in order to get reduction in
chastisement of a disbeliever is a negation of intercession; just as intercession in
this conditions is negated in verses of Quran:
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لَا يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا۟ وَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُم مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى كُلَّ كَفُورٍۢ (٣٦)
“And (as for) those who disbelieve, for them is the fire of hell; it
shall not be finished with them entirely so that they should die,
nor shall the chastisement thereof be lightened to them: even
thus do We retribute every ungrateful one.”7
And:
وَإِذَا رَءَا ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ فَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ (٨٥)
“And when those who are unjust shall see the chastisement, it shall not be lightened for them, nor shall they be respited.”8
Also, refer to: Surah Ghafir 40:18 & 49 & 50; Surah Baqarah 2:86; Surah
Anam 6:70; Surah Muddathir 74:38 & 48; Surah Maryam 19: 86 & 87.
Thus, supposing that Abu Talib (a.s.) died a polytheist (refuge of God!), the
report of Zahzah and points mentioned in it, that is seeking intercession for
reduction of chastisement and placing him in a pit of fire, contradict verses and
traditions, which we mentioned. And traditions, which contradict Quran and
Sunnah, should be thrown upon the wall (discarded).
Also, it is narrated in authentic traditions without chains of narrators that:
“After me excessive traditions would be attributed to you and when a tradition is
narrated for you, you should check it with Holy Quran, and accept what is in
agreement with the Book of Allah and reject what contradicts it.”9
The quoting of this report by Bukhari should not deceive you, because his
book, which is mentioned as Sahih, is a compilation of reports, which are
valueless, defective and invalid. We will make this clear during discussion
regarding it.10
We conclude the discussion on the faith of Abu Talib (a.s.) with a panegyric
(Qasida) by the teacher of jurisprudence, philosophy, ethics, our great teacher,
Ayatullah Shaykh Muhammad Husain Isfahani Najafi.11 He says: