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).
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