Question 309 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 4

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them abundant peace. Answer to Q1: Allah willing, by your question you mean those who believed in the Messenger Muhammad (s), supported him, and supported the religion of Allah with everything their Lord placed at their disposal, until their lives ended well and they died holding allegiance to the guardian of Allah, the Proof of Allah, and the vicegerent of Allah in their time. There is no doubt that these were the best people of their time. But if you mean everyone who believed in the Messenger Muhammad (s) for a period of time, know that among those who believed in the Messenger Muhammad (s) were some who apostatized during his lifetime, some who apostatized after his death, some who openly displayed their apostasy, and some who concealed their lack of faith. The Quran explains the condition of the hypocrites, and the biographical works of the Sunnis and the Shia mention the apostates. Know-may Allah grant you success-that the whole world is ignorance except the places of knowledge; all knowledge is a proof against one except that which is acted upon; all action is ostentation except that which is sincere; and sincerity is in grave danger until a person sees how his life ends. If you want to know the truth, you must adhere to the law of Allah that He established from the first day He created Adam (a): the vicegerency of Allah on His earth. ‘And when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I am placing a vicegerent upon the earth”’ (^[33]). Thus you believe in the vicegerents of Allah and support them with everything your Lord has placed at your disposal. As for other people, you are not charged with believing in them, whether they were companions of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (s) or anyone else. Allah will ask you only about belief in His vicegerents upon His earth. If your life ends well and you believe in Allah’s vicegerents upon His earth through the last of them in your time, you are saved; otherwise, there is the Fire-may Allah give you refuge from it. This is the law of faith as the Exalted sent it down. Do you find in it belief in the companions of the messengers-the vicegerents of Allah upon His earth? The Exalted said: ‘The Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. Each believes in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the destination”’ (^[34]). You must believe in Muhammad (s), the Seal of the messengers from Allah, and in the Imams, Allah’s vicegerents upon His earth, who are the messengers of Muhammad (s) to the people. They are twelve Imams and twelve Mahdis, as stated in the will of your Prophet Muhammad (s), transmitted by Sheikh al-Tusi-may Allah have mercy on him. No one transmitted any other will of the Messenger of Allah (s) on the night of his death. The Quran made the will obligatory when death approaches in the words of the Exalted: ‘Prescribed for you, when death approaches one of you if he leaves wealth, is a bequest for parents and near relatives according to what is right-a duty upon those who are mindful of Allah’ (^[35]). There is no escape from accepting this unique will. Whoever rejects it, whether Sunni or Shia, accuses the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (s) of contradicting the Quran; far be it from him (s) to contradict the words of Allah, Glorious is He. Discussion of the will is lengthy. But merely ask yourself-and let every fair-minded person ask himself-the inescapable question after learning what is narrated in the books of the Muslims: when the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (s) fell ill with his fatal illness, he requested paper and a pen so that he could write a document which the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (s) described as a document that would protect the nation adhering to it from misguidance until the Day of Resurrection. Umar and a group with him prevented him from writing this document in the well-known Calamity of Thursday incident-consult the Calamity of Thursday in al-Bukhari, for example. The question is: would anyone accept accusing the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (s) of falling short in writing this important document, which protects the nation from misguidance, after he had the opportunity for several days before his death on Monday to write it? Then, if we know that this document had to be written and that neglecting it was impermissible, because it was the will Allah commanded His Messenger to write in the words of the Exalted, ‘Prescribed for you, when death approaches one of you if he leaves wealth, is a bequest,’ can we say that the Messenger failed to write this document, or the will that Allah commanded him to write, because Umar and a group with him objected? This is despite the Messenger being pained by their objection and expelling them from the gathering, as mentioned in the Calamity-the Calamity of Thursday. I ask you to be fair to yourselves, show yourselves mercy, and answer this question so that all of you may be saved by accepting the will of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (s). Answer to Q2: As for seeking blessings through graves on the basis that they are places containing the bodies of the allies of Allah, and therefore windows through which their sacred souls open onto this world, the Quran affirmed and encouraged it. The Exalted said: ‘And thus We caused them to be discovered, so that they would know that the promise of Allah is true and that there is no doubt about the Hour. When they disputed among themselves concerning their affair, they said, “Build a structure over them; their Lord knows them best.” Those who prevailed in their affair said, “We will surely take over them a place of prostration”’ (^[36]). If the proposal of those who wanted and built a place of prostration over the graves of the Companions of the Cave had been false, Allah would have denounced it and explained its falsity. Neglecting to do so in that situation would entice toward falsehood, and far be it from Him, Glorious is He, to entice and deceive His servants with falsehood. It is thus clear that the statement, ‘Those who prevailed in their affair said, “We will surely take over them a place of prostration,”’ is the truth from Allah, that seeking blessings through graves is part of the religion of Allah, and that no hadith or narration has any value or consideration if it contradicts an unequivocal Quranic text that is clear to everyone of sound understanding and upright comprehension. Answer to Q3: As for insults and abuse, they are not among our morals. I ask Allah to bestow upon me and make me among those who forgive whoever wrongs them, and I seek refuge in Allah from His making me a wretched tyrant. I have forbidden the believing men and women from bad character, which wrongs them first and Islam, which Muhammad (s) brought, second, since they are counted as belonging to him (s). I have asked them to adopt the character of the Quran, and many of them know how many times I have asked them to read and act upon certain surahs that explain divine morals. Mockery, insults, abuse, offensive nicknames, attacks upon people’s honor, and every character trait Allah does not approve of are repudiated and categorically rejected by us. We do not accept them, nor do we accept that any believing man or woman take them on as character. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you. Ahmed Alhasan Dhu al-Qidah, 1430 AH