Question 510 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 5

Supporters Response:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send abundant prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them peace. Fear Allah and do not attribute to the Messenger what you do not know. Consult your books and make certain before you speak. Here are these hadiths from what you claim are your most authentic books, so that you may know the truth: It is reported in al-Bukhari from Imran ibn Husayn that he said: ‘The verse of mut‘a was revealed in the Book of Allah, and we practiced it with the Messenger of Allah-may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him. No Quran was revealed prohibiting it, and he did not forbid it until he died. A man then said whatever he wished according to his own opinion.’ Muhammad-that is, al-Bukhari-said: ‘It is said that he was Umar-may Allah be pleased with him’ (^[72]). This is what al-Bukhari related in his Sahih, which, by the consensus of the Sunni scholars whose views carry weight, is the most authentic book after the Quran. It states, in explicit terms admitting no interpretation, that mut‘a is permissible and that this permissibility continues until the Day of Resurrection. This hadith also expressly states that no Quran was revealed prohibiting it and that the Prophet (s) did not forbid it before joining the Highest Companion. It is also explicit that the one who prohibited it was Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. As for the imam of hadith among the Sunnis, Imam Muslim, he related in his Sahih, in the chapter on temporary marriage, from Ismail, from Qays, who said: ‘I heard Abdullah say: We used to go on military expeditions with the Messenger of Allah-may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him-while we had no women. We said, “Should we not castrate ourselves?” He forbade us from doing so, then permitted us to marry a woman for a garment for a fixed term. Then Abdullah recited: “O you who believe, do not prohibit the good things Allah has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not love the transgressors”’ (^[73]). In another narration, likewise in Sahih Muslim, Abu Nadra said: ‘I was with Jabir ibn Abdullah when someone came to him and said: Ibn Abbas and Ibn al-Zubayr differed concerning the two mut‘as. Jabir said: We practiced both of them with the Messenger of Allah-may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him-then Umar prohibited us from them, and we did not return to them’ (^[74]). Imam Muslim also related: ‘… Ibn Abbas used to command mut‘a, while Ibn al-Zubayr used to forbid it. He said: This was mentioned to Jabir ibn Abdullah, and he said: The hadith circulated through me. We practiced mut‘a with the Messenger of Allah-may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him. When Umar assumed authority, he said: Allah used to make lawful for His Messenger whatever He wished by whatever means He wished, and the Quran has reached its appointed places. So complete Hajj and Umrah for Allah as Allah commanded you, and make permanent the marriages to these women. If a man who has married a woman for a fixed term is brought to me, I will stone him with stones’ (^[75]). As for Umar’s and Abu Bakr’s prevention of writing the Sunnah and their burning it, here are these hadiths from your books: Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Abu Hurayra: ‘You must cease narrating hadith from the Messenger of Allah, or I will send you back to the land of Daws’ (^[76]). He also said to him: ‘You must cease narrating hadith from the Messenger of Allah, or I will send you back to the land of al-Fayh,’ meaning the land of his people (^[77]). Yahya ibn Ja‘da said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab wanted to write down the Sunnah. Then it occurred to him not to write it, and he wrote to the provinces: whoever has any of it should erase it’ (^[78]). Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab learned that books had appeared in the people’s hands. He disapproved of them, disliked them, and said, “O people, I have learned that books have appeared among you. The most beloved of them to Allah is the most just and upright. No one who has a book should keep it from me; let him bring it to me so that I may give my judgment concerning it.” They thought that he wanted to examine them and set them upon a matter in which there would be no disagreement, so they brought him their books. He burned them with fire and then said, “A wish like the wish of the People of the Book”’ (^[79]). In some versions it reads, ‘A Mathna like the Mathna of the People of the Book’ (^[80]). Aisha, the caliph’s daughter, described his condition by saying: ‘… My father collected hadith from the Messenger of Allah (s), and there were five hundred hadiths. He spent that night turning over frequently. She said: This distressed me, so I said, “Are you turning over because of an ailment or because of something that has reached you?” In the morning he said, “My daughter, bring me the hadiths that are with you.” I brought them to him. He called for a fire and burned them! I said, “Why did you burn them?” He said, “I feared that I would die while they were with me, and among them might be hadiths from a man whom I trusted and deemed reliable, but he was not as he narrated to me; I would then have transmitted that”’ (^[81]). End of the text. Al-Dhahabi said: ‘Abu Bakr collected the hadiths of the Prophet (s) in a book, and their number reached five hundred hadiths. Then he called for a fire and burned them’ (^[82]). Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, one of the Zaydi imams, narrated from al-Hakim, through his chain of transmission to Aisha, who said: ‘My father collected hadith from the Messenger of Allah, and there were five hundred hadiths. He spent his night turning over. In the morning he said, “My daughter, bring me the hadiths that are with you.” I brought them to him, and he called for a fire and burned them’ (^[83]). As for your question, ‘If a woman contracts temporary marriage with more than one person within a period of one month, for example, and becomes pregnant, to whom is the child attributed?’ its answer is: had you known the reality of temporary marriage and its conditions, you would not have asked this question. Among the conditions of temporary marriage is that, when its term expires after consummation, her waiting period is two menstrual cycles. If she does not menstruate but has not reached menopause, it is forty-five days. Following death, even if the marriage was not consummated, she observes a waiting period of four months and ten days if she is not pregnant, and, if she is pregnant, the longer of the two periods. The Scientific Committee Supporters of Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah establish him upon the earth) Mr. Abu Muhammad al-Ansari 20 Rajab 1431 AH