In this part of the article titled “The Excellences of Imam Husain in Sunni Hadith”, we shall make reference to other Sunni hadiths on the superiority of Imam Husain (a.s).
This version of the tradition provides the meaning of the Kisa’ and the basis of its significance. The mantle is a symbol of divine mercy and blessing covering the Prophet and his holy family. It is, moreover, a source or haven of consolation and serenity in the face of the great sufferings and martyrdom which the Prophet’s family had to endure after him. In this infinite source of divine mercy, the pious also share in times of suffering and afflictions. The Kisa’ finally sets apart the ‘holy five’ from the rest of the faithful and distinguishes them from the rest of the Prophet’s family.
The event of the Kisa’ provides the occasion for the revelation of the verse of purification just cited. Before the sectarian conflicts which split the Muslim community set in, the classical tradition was almost unanimous in interpreting this verse as referring to the Prophet, his daughter Fatima al-Zahra (the Radiant), her husband and cousin,’ Ali, and their two sons Hassan and Husain (1).
In still another version of the kisa’ tradition, the continuity of the Prophet’s family with those of earlier prophets is clearly indicated. Wathila b. al-Asqa’, on whose authority this tradition in most of its variants is related, reports the following prayer uttered by the Prophet: O God, as you have bestowed your blessings, mercy, forgiveness, and pleasure upon Abraham and the family of Abraham, so they [‘Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussein] are of me and I am of them! Bestow, therefore, your blessings, mercy, forgiveness and pleasure upon me and them’ (2).
This prayer echoes a prayer which Muslims repeat daily: O God, bless Muhammad and the people of the House of Muhammad, as you have blessed Abraham and the people of the House of Abraham among all beings. The House of Muhammad is, therefore, for all Muslims, ‘the household of prophethood and the frequenting place of angels. The famous Qur’an commentator al-Suyuti quotes a tradition attributed to Umm Salama in the interpretation of the verse of purification: This verse was sent down in my house … There were in the house then, seven: Gabriel and Michael, and ‘Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn, and I stood at the door of the house. I asked: ‘O Messenger of God, am I not of the People of the House?’ He said: ‘You shall indeed come to a good end! You are, however, one of the wives of the Prophet.'(3)
The close friendship between the Prophet and the holy family, a relationship which went far beyond the bond of blood relation, may be seen in the incident of the Mubahala, or prayer ordeal, with which the Prophet challenged the Christians of Najran (4). In the Mubahala verse of the Qur’an, God orders the Prophet and his opponents to ‘Call together our sons and your sons, our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves.’ In the view of most Qur’an commentators and traditionists, the Prophet’s sons are Hassan and Husayn, ‘his women’ refers to Fatima, and ‘his self’ refers, apart from himself, to ‘Ali. When the people of Najran saw them, they recognized their high status with God, and with great trepidation, they declined the Mubahala and opted instead for peace.
Tradition asserts that the Prophet sensed the hostility which his community was to show to the People of his House after him. He is said to have often declared, ‘I am at war against him who fights against you, and will show peace toward him who shows peace to you.’ This invective is strongly put in a tradition related on the authority of Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s famous Companion and the first caliph. He said: I saw the Messenger of God pitch a tent in which he placed ‘Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn.
He then declared: ‘O Muslims, I am at war against anyone who wars against the people of this tent and am at peace with those who show peace toward them. I am a friend to those who befriend them. He who shows love toward them shall be one of a happy ancestry and good birth. Nor would anyone hate them except that he be of miserable ancestry and evil birth. (5) Love for the Prophet’s family is enjoined by God in the Qur’an, where He says: Say, ‘I ask no other reward of you save the love of my next of kin’ (6). Qur’an commentators have generally agreed that ‘the next of kin’ here intended are the Ahl al-Bayt (7).
The People of the House of the Prophet Muhammad have been for the pious an example of generosity, steadfastness in the face of hardship, and a source of solace in times of trials and afflictions. After days of fasting and prayers for the health of the two sick children Hassan and Husain, the family fed the few morsels of dry bread and dates for which ‘Ali had laboured so hard to the needy. On the first evening, we are told, a beggar came. On the second, it was an orphan, and on the third, a captive. To each, in turn, they gave the loaf of barley bread and a few dates which Fatima had prepared for the family to break their fast. Thus God sent down the verse: They give food to eat, even though they cherish it, to the needy, the orphan and the captive (8). Yet, in the end, God sent down a celestial table to feed His friends.
Early tradition shows tension in the relationship of the Prophet to the community and in the relationship of the latter to the holy family. Much of the literature reflecting this tension was most likely the product of a later age but projected back to the time of the Prophet and his Companions. Her love for the Prophet’s family is not simply recommended as a pious act but is presented as a challenge, and in a harsh reproaching tone. Furthermore, it is on this love of the Ahl al-Bayt that rewards and punishments on the Last Day are predicated (9). Thus we are told that the Prophet said: He who desires the pleasure to live my life, die my death and dwell in a garden of Eden which my Lord has planted, let him be a friend to ‘Ali after me. Let him also be a friend to his friends. Let him finally be guided by the Imams after me, for they are my progeny.
They were created of my clay, and have been vouchsafed knowledge and understanding. Woe to those of my community who deny their superiority, and those who violate the demands of kindness to my next of kin. May God not grant them my intercession (10). In another tradition, the Prophet promises his intercession to those who honour his descendants, provide them with whatever needs they may have, and those who love them with their hearts and profess this love with their tongues (11). It has already been stressed that the Ahl al-Bayt shares with the prophets of old and their descendants a high status and divine favour, but not the office of prophethood. They share, moreover, with the Prophet Muhammad the prerogative of intercession. This is expressed in hagiographical language, a language common to both Sunni and Shi’i traditions. One such common example may suffice to demonstrate the devotion in the piety of both traditions to the Prophet and the people of his household.
The Qur’an tells us that Adam received certain words of God which earned him God’s forgiveness and mercy: Adam received words from his Lord, and He turned towards him; for He is relenting, compassionate (12). Suyuti reports that Ibn Abbas, the famous traditionist and authority on the Qur’an, asked the Prophet about the words which Adam received. The Prophet answered: ‘He prayed saying, “O God, for the sake of Muhammad, ‘Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn, do turn toward me”, and He turned toward him’ (13). In another highly dramatic version of this tradition, Adam is taught the words as the only means by which God would accept his repentance and forgive him. ‘Ali, we are told, enquired of the Prophet concerning the verse under discussion.
The Prophet told him that when Adam and his wife were expelled from Paradise, Adam wept bitterly over his sin for a hundred years. Finally, Gabriel came to him and spoke thus on God’s behalf: O Adam, did I not create you with my own hand? Did I not breathe into you of my spirit? Did I not command my angels to bow down before you? Did I not provide you with Eve my servant?’ ‘Yes’, Adam answered. Gabriel asked: ‘What then is the cause of this weeping?’ Adam replied, ‘Why should I not weep when I have been expelled from the proximity of the All-Merciful?’ The angel then said: ‘You must pray fervently with these words, and God will accept your repentance and forgive your sin. Say: “O God, I beseech you for the sake of Muhammad and the people of the household of Muhammad; nor is there any god but you. I have done evil, and have wronged my soul. Turn towards me for you are relenting, compassionate” (14).
To be continued!
NOTES:
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1. See, for example, the commentary on this verse in al-Zamakhshari and al-Tabari.
2. Ala al-Din Ali al-Muttaqi b. Husam al-Din al-Hindi, Kanz al-‘ummal (Haydarabad [Deccan], 1312), p. 217.
3. See the commentary of 33: 33 in al-Suyuti, Al-Durr al-manthur.
4. The Quran 3:61. See also Muhammad b. ‘Isa al-Tirmidhi, Sahih al-Tirmidhi (Cairo, 1920), 2: 300, and Ibn Hanbal, 1: 185.
5. Abu Ja’far Ahmad al-Muhibb al-Tabari, Al-Riyad al-Nadira (Cairo, n.d.), 2: 199 For other versions of this tradition, see Murtada al-Husayni al-Fayruzabadi, Fada’il al-khamsa fi Sihah al- Sitta (Najaf, 1384), p. 252.
6. The Quran: 42:23
7. See the commentaries on this verse in al-Zamakhshari, al-Tabari, and al-Suyuti.
8. The Quran: 76:8.
9. For a detailed discussion of this tradition, see M Ayoub, pp 43-5.
10. Abu Nu’aym, Ahmad b. Abd Allah al-Isbahani, Hilyat al-awliya’ (Cairo, 1351). I, 86.
11. Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, 8: 151, and 4: 217. See also Shihab al-Din Ahmad b. Hajar al-Haytami al-Asqalani, Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa (Cairo, 1312), p. 150.
12. The Quran: 2:37
13. See the commentary of 2:37 in al-Suyuti.
14. Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, 1: 234.
