When the Prophet SAW died, this clan of the Ansar gathered round Sa'd ibn 'Ubada in the hall of the Bany Sa'ida; and Ali an Az-Zubair ibn al-'Awwam and Talha ibn 'Ubaydullah separated themselves in Fatima's house whiel the rest of the Muhajirun gathered round Abu Bakr accompanied by Usayd ibn Hudayr with the Banu Abdu'l Ashhal. Then someone came to Abu Bakr and Umar telling them that this clan of the Ansar had gathered round Sa'd in the hall of the Banu Sa'ida: "If you want to have command of the people, then take it before their action becomes serious." Now the body of the Prophet SAW was still in his house, the burial arrangements not having been completed, and his family had locked the door of the house. Umar said, "I said to Abu Bakr 'Let us go to these our brothers of the Ansar to see what they are doing.'" Related by az-Zuhri, recorded by Ibn Ishaq.
Prior to the death of the Prophet (SAW), the Muslim community was unified, at least on the surface. However, just under the surface lay the seeds of division. The Muhajirun were the first Muslims who had endured incredible prosecution in Makkah, before emigrating to Yathrib in the Hijrah. They were the core, the heart of the community, tested by fire, and most knowledgeable of the teachings of Islam. The Ansar were the second group of Muslims, who accepted Islam because they saw the wisdom in its teachings, and they were willing to defend it. They took the refugee Muhajirun into their community and even into their homes, sharing everything. But among the Ansar were some who joined the Muslims for reasons other than sincere belief.
Selfishness does not sacrifice itself. The Muhajirun and Ansar were willing to make sacrifices by standing up and announcing their faith, and then being willing to defend it against those who sought to wipe them out physically through violence. They were unselfish, having submitted their whole selves to Allah SWT. But when the Prophet SAW came to Yathrib, his community no longer suffered from the iron hand of the Quraish tribe of Makkah, and it began to flourish, not only spiritually, but financially.
Located closer to the markets of Sham then its rival city, Makkah, the city of the Prophet, Madina al-Munawwarah, flourished after the arrival of the Prophet SAW due to a combination of the business acumen of the Quraish Muhajirun and the hard work and agricultural knowledge of the Ansar. We know that the community was flourishing from the evidence provided by hadith literature. The community was so successful that Abu Bakr was able to give all he had of wealth several times. Uthman ibn Affan was able to outfit an entire campaign. And Ka'b ibn Malik records that he was never as comfortable was during the time of the preparations for the expedition of Tabuk (Related in Al-Bukhari).
Wealth acts as a magnet to those who prefer the life of this world over the life of the next world, so the vibrant economy of Yathrib began to attract people with little interest in spiritual matters, and far more interest in financial ones. The Qur'an refers to these people as Munaafiq. Many translate this term to mean "hypocrit," however the terms stems from the root n-f-q, which carries the connotation of spending of wealth. How apt the name, because these people were often stingy with money, refusing to spend in the cause of Allah SWT, but they were also more interested in accumulating wealth and spending it on their own selfish interests, then in surrendering to Allah SWT and reconciling with the community of mankind.
The next group among the Muslims were those who had come into Islam following the Fatah Makkah or Opening of Makkah. They entered Islam late in the game and they did so for several reasons. Some, undoubtedly were sincere. Abu Sufyan, for example, was so overwhelmed by seeing the Prophet SAW and his respectful treatment by the Muslims, that he accepted Islam after years of fighting against it. Others just as undoubtedly, were only following the crowd. They had not had the long careful training in Islamic character and principles afforded the Ansar and Muhajirun. They retained much of the culture and character of jahilliyah, the time of ignorance. The Qur'an refers to such people as barely having Islam.
The desert Arabs say "We believe." Say "Ye have no faith; but ye (only) say `We have submitted our wills to Allah.' For not yet has Faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey Allah and His Apostle He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful." (49:14)
They seldom had any real faith in Allah SWT, and the Prophet SAW, to them, was only a successful tribal leader.
Do not let a man deceive himself by saying that the acceptance of Abu Bakr was a falta (hasty mistake), which was ratified. Admittedly, it was that, but Allah averted the evil of it. There is none among you to whom the people would devote themselves as they did to Abu Bakr. He who accepts a man as ruler without consulting the Muslims, such acceptance has no validity for either of them; and they are subject to the penalty of death. Umar Ibn al-Khattab (Related by Ibn Ishaq and Al-Baladhuri)
Umar ibn Al-Khattab gave this speech after he heard that az-Zubair wanted to pledge fealty (baya') to Ali ibn Abi Talib. He is probably correct, Allah ta'ala alim. As we mentioned before, Abu Bakr was acceptable to all the factions - the Muhajirun knew him as the best friend of the Prophet; the Ansar knew him as the one whom the Prophet delegated to lead the prayers in his absence and during his last illness; and the newcomers knew him as a full member of the Quraish tribe. Ali, on the other hand, was of the Bani Abdul Muttalib.
Before we proceed, we remind our readers that the goal of this blog is to bring unity to Islam. Islam is neither Shia nor Sunni. Islam is the religion of surrender to Allah SWT. Allah SWT provided us with two gifts, the Qur'an - the verbatim word of Allah SWT, and the Sunnah - the actual sayings, doings, and behaviors of the Prophet SAW. Through these two sources, we come to understand the guiding principles of the Shariah - the Islamic Law - and these are the Maqaasid al-Shariah. Although precedent is persuasive, it is not slavishly binding. The arguments of the scholars of the past provide guidance, not blindness.
Ali ibn Abi Talib was the second person to accept Islam, coming to the faith only after one other person, Khadijah (RAA), the first wife of the Prophet SAW. He was the Prophet's cousin and later, his son-in-law. Abu Bakr came to Islam right after him. He was close the Prophet in age, grew up with him in Makkah, and was his best friend. Both men were close to the Prophet, both knew Islam and its principles and teachings. Both tried to put that faith into action in their lives. Both had led the prayers when the Prophet SAW was away from Madina. Both had the kinds of qualities necessary to lead the people after the Prophet's death.
In reality, though, Ali and Abu Bakr had one major difference. Ali was of the Bani Abdul Muttalib. We have noted previously that Shaybah ibn Hashim was born to a woman of the Bani Najjar in Yathrib. He grew up there. And his kunya shows, the Quraish never really accepted him as one of their own. He was the 'abd' servant of the Quraishi Muttalib. And his son Abi Talib suffered from the same prejudice. When the Quraish, led by Abu Jahl and the Bani Umayyah, including Abu Sufyan, wanted to punish the Prophet and his followers, they boycotted the whole subclan of the Bani Abdul Muttalib, Muslim and non-Muslim. And so, after the death of the Prophet, the Quraish, and especially the powerful Bani Umayyah, would never accept Ali ibn Abi Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib as their leader.
However, Ali ibn Abi Talib and his friends, Talha and Az-Zubair, may have not accepted Ali as leader either. What evidence do we have regarding the position of the Prophet SAW on leadership after his death? No hadith purports to say he chose Abu Bakr. And although the Shia hold that Ghadar Khum marks the appointment of Ali as the successor to the Prophet's leadership role; just as likely is the Sunni interpretation of this event as providing support to Ali's legal judgments in Yemen. Inshallah, if Allah SWT gives us life we will explore this issue later. However, evidence also supports a conviction that the Prophet's successor is not single individual, but a governmental system of shura centered around the ashabiyyah/saqifah system he instituted in Madina.
Muhammad is not The father of any Of your men, but (he is) The Apostle of God, And the Seal of the Prophets: And God has full knowledge Of all things. (Qur'an 33:40).
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Saqifah: The First Appearance of Division
The history of Islam following the death of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), is shrouded in a fog of partisan reporting. However, in order to begin the process of reconciliation among Muslims, we must attempt to understand how we arrived at our current state.
We begin our journey into understanding the sources of fitnah in our religion of Islam with the first appearance of division within our Ummah. Following the death of the Prophet (SAW), the people were busy preparing for his janazah. In the midst of this atmosphere of sorrow, the people of Medina, the Ansar, who had welcomed in the refugees from Makkah at a time when Islam and Muslims was subject to extreme persecution, met in their Sadifah to choose a leader.
That the Ansar would desire to choose a leader is both natural and reasonable. We should all remember how the Prophet (SAW) came to be in that enlightened town. Yathrib, as it was called before the Prophet (SAW) came, was the home of two major tribes, the Aws and Khazraj, and many minor tribes, clients to these two super powers. The Aws and Khazraj, however, were not at peace. A war of attrition between the two was devastating the community. Both tribes realized the situation was unconscionable and they realized they needed a single leader to bring the community together. They considered appointing Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul to be their king, but they finally agreed to go to Makkah and ask the Prophet (SAW) to come to Medina and be their leader, both spiritually and politically.
When the beloved Prophet (SAW) died, the people of Medina quite naturally felt they still needed a single leader. So they met in the Saqifah Bani Saa' ida to choose a new civic leader. However, they also realized if they chose a single person, their choice would favor either one or the other of the two super power tribes. They were reluctant to open old wounds and rekindle the flames of intertribal warefare. We do not really know if they intend this leader to be for all Muslims or only for their city, but they met and they chose Sa'd ibn Ubadah, a member of the Aws tribe.
Hearing the news that the Ansar were meeting to choose a leader, Umar ibn al-Khattab met with his friend Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. Umar was a practical man, well versed in tribal society and its mores. He consulted with Abu Bakr and told him that the Quraish tribe, of which Abu Bakr was also a member, would never accept a person of another tribe as their leader. The Quraish were too arrogant and proud of their lineage to accept anyone other than a Quraish member as their leader. Both Umar and Abu Bakr were Muhajirun, those that had emigrated from Makkah in order to escape persecution in Makkah. They knew their own tribe all too well. They were now caught in the middle. They still had love for their own tribe, but they also had great feelings of loyalty and brotherhood with the Ansar, who had given many of them half of their property and had taken them into their homes in a manner beyond the bounds of hospitality. The Ansar had really treated the Muhajirun as members of their own family. And Islam had created a bond between these people that was stronger than the blood of heredity because it was based on the blood of shared sacrifice.
The Quraish were long the preeminent tribe of Arabia. They believed themselves to be more noble than any other tribe in Arabia. This truth is born out by their treatment of the Prophet (SAW) and his family. For three years, the Quraish tribe had boycotted the Prophet's family, the Bani Abdulmuttalib. This incident shows Quraishi opinion of "outsiders."
How were the Prophet (SAW) and his family "outsiders?" The most powerful subclan of the Quraish at the time of the Prophet (SAW) was the Bani Umayyah. The family of Umayyah includes Abu l'as, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Uthman ibn Affan, and Muawiyyah ibn Abu Sufyan. Their chief rivals within the Quraish were the sons of Hashim. One of sons of Hashim was Shayba ibn Hashim. Shayba was born in the town of Yathrib to Salma bin Amr, a daughter of the Bani Najjar. When he came of age, his father decided to have him brought down to Makkah. He sent his brother, Muttalib up to Yathrib to get him. Shayba came to Makkah riding behind his uncle. When the people saw him, they assumed he was a new slave of Muttalib, so they called him "Abd al-Muttalib," "the slave of Muttalib." The nickname stuck.
But, Shayba's kunya reveals something else. He was not quite really Quraish. He was never completely accepted. And his status passed on to his son, Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet (SAW) and father of Ali ibn Abi Talib. This facet of Shayba ibn Hashim's position within the Quraish tribe plays a huge role in the development of the Shia.
For now, however, we note this as proof that Umar was correct; the Quraish would not accept a non-Quraishi leader. Umar, being realistic, realized that the community would need a Quraishi leader that would be acceptable to everyone. He told his friend, Abu Bakr, that he should be the leader. Abu Bakr was not a man who craved power or who had ambition, but he understood what Umar was saying, and so the two of them went quickly to the Saqifah, and appealed to the people to choose Abu Bakr as their leader.
The people quickly agreed to choose Abu Bakr as their leader. Why were they so eager - well, the Ansar did not want their fued to resume. If either an Aws or a Khazraj was the leader, the two tribes might start killing each other again. And everyone loved Abu Bakr. This was the "second amongst the two," who has fled with the Prophet (SAW) from Makkah. Lifelong friends, the Prophet (SAW) said that if he had chosen a khalil then it would have been Abu Bakr. And everyone of the Quraish also admired Abu Bakr. He was not of a powerful subclan, but he was still fully Quraish. How could anyone refuse to have Abu Bakr as their leader? He was the best choice given the situation.
However, there were some who did not agree. Ali ibn Abi Talib, Talha and al-Zubair separated themselves. Why? Inshallah, this we hope to explore in the next post, if Allah (SWT) gives us life.
We begin our journey into understanding the sources of fitnah in our religion of Islam with the first appearance of division within our Ummah. Following the death of the Prophet (SAW), the people were busy preparing for his janazah. In the midst of this atmosphere of sorrow, the people of Medina, the Ansar, who had welcomed in the refugees from Makkah at a time when Islam and Muslims was subject to extreme persecution, met in their Sadifah to choose a leader.
That the Ansar would desire to choose a leader is both natural and reasonable. We should all remember how the Prophet (SAW) came to be in that enlightened town. Yathrib, as it was called before the Prophet (SAW) came, was the home of two major tribes, the Aws and Khazraj, and many minor tribes, clients to these two super powers. The Aws and Khazraj, however, were not at peace. A war of attrition between the two was devastating the community. Both tribes realized the situation was unconscionable and they realized they needed a single leader to bring the community together. They considered appointing Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul to be their king, but they finally agreed to go to Makkah and ask the Prophet (SAW) to come to Medina and be their leader, both spiritually and politically.
When the beloved Prophet (SAW) died, the people of Medina quite naturally felt they still needed a single leader. So they met in the Saqifah Bani Saa' ida to choose a new civic leader. However, they also realized if they chose a single person, their choice would favor either one or the other of the two super power tribes. They were reluctant to open old wounds and rekindle the flames of intertribal warefare. We do not really know if they intend this leader to be for all Muslims or only for their city, but they met and they chose Sa'd ibn Ubadah, a member of the Aws tribe.
Hearing the news that the Ansar were meeting to choose a leader, Umar ibn al-Khattab met with his friend Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. Umar was a practical man, well versed in tribal society and its mores. He consulted with Abu Bakr and told him that the Quraish tribe, of which Abu Bakr was also a member, would never accept a person of another tribe as their leader. The Quraish were too arrogant and proud of their lineage to accept anyone other than a Quraish member as their leader. Both Umar and Abu Bakr were Muhajirun, those that had emigrated from Makkah in order to escape persecution in Makkah. They knew their own tribe all too well. They were now caught in the middle. They still had love for their own tribe, but they also had great feelings of loyalty and brotherhood with the Ansar, who had given many of them half of their property and had taken them into their homes in a manner beyond the bounds of hospitality. The Ansar had really treated the Muhajirun as members of their own family. And Islam had created a bond between these people that was stronger than the blood of heredity because it was based on the blood of shared sacrifice.
The Quraish were long the preeminent tribe of Arabia. They believed themselves to be more noble than any other tribe in Arabia. This truth is born out by their treatment of the Prophet (SAW) and his family. For three years, the Quraish tribe had boycotted the Prophet's family, the Bani Abdulmuttalib. This incident shows Quraishi opinion of "outsiders."
How were the Prophet (SAW) and his family "outsiders?" The most powerful subclan of the Quraish at the time of the Prophet (SAW) was the Bani Umayyah. The family of Umayyah includes Abu l'as, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Uthman ibn Affan, and Muawiyyah ibn Abu Sufyan. Their chief rivals within the Quraish were the sons of Hashim. One of sons of Hashim was Shayba ibn Hashim. Shayba was born in the town of Yathrib to Salma bin Amr, a daughter of the Bani Najjar. When he came of age, his father decided to have him brought down to Makkah. He sent his brother, Muttalib up to Yathrib to get him. Shayba came to Makkah riding behind his uncle. When the people saw him, they assumed he was a new slave of Muttalib, so they called him "Abd al-Muttalib," "the slave of Muttalib." The nickname stuck.
But, Shayba's kunya reveals something else. He was not quite really Quraish. He was never completely accepted. And his status passed on to his son, Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet (SAW) and father of Ali ibn Abi Talib. This facet of Shayba ibn Hashim's position within the Quraish tribe plays a huge role in the development of the Shia.
For now, however, we note this as proof that Umar was correct; the Quraish would not accept a non-Quraishi leader. Umar, being realistic, realized that the community would need a Quraishi leader that would be acceptable to everyone. He told his friend, Abu Bakr, that he should be the leader. Abu Bakr was not a man who craved power or who had ambition, but he understood what Umar was saying, and so the two of them went quickly to the Saqifah, and appealed to the people to choose Abu Bakr as their leader.
The people quickly agreed to choose Abu Bakr as their leader. Why were they so eager - well, the Ansar did not want their fued to resume. If either an Aws or a Khazraj was the leader, the two tribes might start killing each other again. And everyone loved Abu Bakr. This was the "second amongst the two," who has fled with the Prophet (SAW) from Makkah. Lifelong friends, the Prophet (SAW) said that if he had chosen a khalil then it would have been Abu Bakr. And everyone of the Quraish also admired Abu Bakr. He was not of a powerful subclan, but he was still fully Quraish. How could anyone refuse to have Abu Bakr as their leader? He was the best choice given the situation.
However, there were some who did not agree. Ali ibn Abi Talib, Talha and al-Zubair separated themselves. Why? Inshallah, this we hope to explore in the next post, if Allah (SWT) gives us life.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Islamic Unitarianism
Verily, the Religion with Allah is Islam, nor did the People of the Book differ after the knowledge came to them except out of envy, and anyone who denies the signs of Allah, Allah is swift to call them to account. Surah Al-Imran, 3:19
Just as there is only one God, Allah SWT, there is only one deen, one religion. That religion is Islam. When Allah SWT sent down this religion of Islam to our beloved Prophet, Muhammad SAW, He revealed only one religion. However, over time, we have come to differ.
Ikhtilaf or difference can be a blessing. Imam Suyuti remarked in his, Jazil al-mawahib fi ikhtilaf al-
One way we can fall off the road is to make legitimate ikhtilaf a cause of fitnah. Fitnah is worse than qatl. Al-Baqara, 2:191. Ikhtilaf only becomes a source of fitnah if we allow our egos to drag us into arrogance or kibriyyah. We fall into fitnah when we seek to be better than our fellow human beings, our fellow Muslims.
The purpose of this blog is to explore early events in the history of Islam that led to the division of Islam into different branches, especially the Sunni and Shia branches. Today, these two branches seem to be worlds apart, but the divide between them has not always been so wide. Moreover, throughout Islamic history there have been attempts to create a basis for unity. Some people today refer to "Ahl al Sunna wa al Jama." In fact, this term was used to refer to one of these early attempts to create unity between the Sunni and Shia mudhaahibs.
In our attempt to explore the sources and reasons behind the early divisions of our community, we must take an honest look at all the events and all the people involved in them. In doing so, it is not our place to judge anyone. First of all, the sources of our early history are rife with sectarian bias and constructing an exact picture of events may well be impossible. Certainly, constructing an individual's intentions is even more impossible. So we will look at facts and acts, but no one but Allah SWT can see into a person's heart. We leave any judgments to Allah SWT and we will assume the best of intentions of all.
Just as there is only one God, Allah SWT, there is only one deen, one religion. That religion is Islam. When Allah SWT sent down this religion of Islam to our beloved Prophet, Muhammad SAW, He revealed only one religion. However, over time, we have come to differ.
Ikhtilaf or difference can be a blessing. Imam Suyuti remarked in his, Jazil al-mawahib fi ikhtilaf al-
One way we can fall off the road is to make legitimate ikhtilaf a cause of fitnah. Fitnah is worse than qatl. Al-Baqara, 2:191. Ikhtilaf only becomes a source of fitnah if we allow our egos to drag us into arrogance or kibriyyah. We fall into fitnah when we seek to be better than our fellow human beings, our fellow Muslims.
The purpose of this blog is to explore early events in the history of Islam that led to the division of Islam into different branches, especially the Sunni and Shia branches. Today, these two branches seem to be worlds apart, but the divide between them has not always been so wide. Moreover, throughout Islamic history there have been attempts to create a basis for unity. Some people today refer to "Ahl al Sunna wa al Jama." In fact, this term was used to refer to one of these early attempts to create unity between the Sunni and Shia mudhaahibs.
In our attempt to explore the sources and reasons behind the early divisions of our community, we must take an honest look at all the events and all the people involved in them. In doing so, it is not our place to judge anyone. First of all, the sources of our early history are rife with sectarian bias and constructing an exact picture of events may well be impossible. Certainly, constructing an individual's intentions is even more impossible. So we will look at facts and acts, but no one but Allah SWT can see into a person's heart. We leave any judgments to Allah SWT and we will assume the best of intentions of all.
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