In accordance with authentic traditions, Shia Muslims believe that Shia Islam was born from the beginning of Islam and it is the pristine Islam preached by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH). In fact, he was referred to as the father of Shia Islam. They believe also in the point that the term “Shia” was used by the Prophet to refer to the partisan of Hazrat Ali (1).
But, some of the mercenary writers accused Shia Islam to be absent in the Prophet’s era and was created many years later by a Jew who converted to Islam called Abdullah Ibn Saba. These mercenary writers whose goal is to split the Muslims allege that a Yemenite Jew from Sana’, Abdullah Ibn Saba, adopted Islam during the reign of the third Caliph ‘Uthman.
They allege that Ibn Saba, through some doctrines that he spread among Muslims, was a big factor in causing the revolt against ‘Uthman. The following is the doctrine attributed by These mercenary writers to Ibn Saba:
Ibn Saba is the one who propagated the idea that Ali Ibn Abi Talib is the executor and successor of the Messenger of God. He said that there were a thousand Prophets before Muhammad, that each Prophet had an executor after him, and that Ali is the executor of the Prophet.
But, The fact is completely different, because there are many authentic documents accepted by Shia and Sunni great Scholars that prove that he was the Prophet who appointed Imam Ali as his executor and the first Caliph after himself.
The Followings are some of these important documents that prove Imam Ali’s Executorship by the Prophet (PBUHH).
The Doctrine of Imam Ali’s Executorship
The dividers of Muslims alleged that Ibn Saba was the one who invented the doctrine of Ali’s executorship. Yet, history testifies that the Messenger of Allah himself is the one who declared that Ali would be his executor. Imam Ali reported the following:
When the Qur’anic verse: “Warn the nearest of your kinsfolk”(2). was revealed, the Messenger of Allah called me and said: “Ali, certainly Allah commanded me to warn my closest relatives, and I feel the difficulty of this mission. I know that when I confront them with this warning, I will not like their response.” The Prophet invited the members of his clan to dine with him on a small amount of food and little milk. There were forty of them. After they ate, the Prophet spoke to them: “Children of Abdul-Muttalib, by God, I don’t know of any young man from the Arabs who brought to his people better than I brought to you. I have brought to you the goodness of this world and the Hereafter. The Almighty Allah commanded me to invite you to it. Who among you will assist me on this mission to become my brother, executor, and successor?” No one accepted the invitation, and I said: “O, Messenger of Allah, I shall be your assistant.” He held my neck and said to them: “This is my brother, executor, and successor. Listen to him and obey him.” (3)
This hadith was reported by Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Mardawayh, and Al-Bayhaqi in his book aI-Dala’il. This was also reported by a number of historians including Abu al-Fida and Ibn al-Athir.
In addition, Muhammad Hussein Haykal recorded it in his book Hayat Muhammad. (4) So, Imam Ali reported that the Messenger of God is the one who granted him the office of executorship, brotherhood, and successorship while Sayf Ibn ‘Umar reported that the idea of the executorship of Ali had come from a Jew called Abdullah Ibn Saba.
We should ask members of the ‘Takfeer University’ (who call everyone who disagrees with them “Kafir”-unbeliever) the following question: Don’t you believe in your own authentic works and what your outstanding scholars wrote?
Imam Ali’s leadership and successor-ship are reported by your own Scholars. So, How do you reject the proven and strong teachings of your own important works?
Another answer to this accusation is that Sayf was accused by prominent Sunni scholars of weakness, forgery, and heresy. In addition, of course, we must not expect any true Muslim to choose the report of a liar such as Sayf Ibn ‘Umar and reject the report of Imam Ali as the best companion of the Prophet, his successor, brother and the Imam of the faithful.
The Messenger of Allah once said to Imam Ali:
“Would you not be pleased to be to me like Aaron was to Moses, but there shall be no Prophet after me?”(5)
Hadith Al-Ghadir
One of the most important and obvious pieces of evidence to prove that the Prophet appointed Imam Ali as the leader of all Muslims after himself is the Hadith al-Ghadir.
Do the mercenary writers who endeavour to spread hostility among Muslims forget that while returning from his farewell pilgrimage, and in the presence of over a hundred thousand pilgrims, the Messenger of God declared:
“Do I not have more right over the believers than they have over themselves?” “They answered: ‘Yes, Messenger of God.’ “The Prophet held up the hand of Ali and said: ‘Whoever I am his Mawla (leader), this Ali is his Mawla. God, love whoever loves him, and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him.’ “
No Muslim would doubt that the Messenger of God is the leader of all Muslims from all generations. And the Prophet in his statement granted Imam Ali the same position as his when he said that Ali is the leader of everyone who follows the Prophet.
This declaration that was reported by about a hundred companions does not just indicate that Ali is the executor of the Prophet, but also indicates that Ali takes the place of the Messenger in the leadership of all Muslims. However, these mercenaries still allow themselves to say that the belief that Ali was the executor of the Messenger had come through a Jew who declared his Islam during the days of ‘Uthman.
NOTES:
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- https://en.al-shia.org/the-term-shia-quran-hadith/
- 26:214
- al-Tabari, al-Ta’rikh, Vol. 2, P. 319-21.
- first edition.
- al-Bukhari in his Sahih reported this through his channel to Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas, part. 6, page. 3 also SAhih Muslim, part. 15, page. 176.
