By
Syed B. Soharwardy
Introduction
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
May Allah’s peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad, his progeny, his
companions and his followers
Recently, I was
listening to a speech which was presented by a Muslim speaker from
This speaker from
Unfortunately, amongst
Muslims the Khawrji and Rafdhi ideology has been infiltrated under the disguise
of Islam by the extremists. Khawrji and Rafdhi were those hypocrites who
created a lot of corruption in the Islamic literature during the first two
centuries of Islam. They fabricated
hundreds of Hadith in the name of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). They
killed many companions and relatives of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
They wrote and spoke against the Companions (SAHABAH) and the Progeny
(Aal-e-Nabi) of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). These Khawrji and Rafdhi’s were the offspring
of hypocrites who lived in front of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). These
hypocrites apparently became Muslims, but their hearts never accepted Islam.
They tried several times to assassinate the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon
him). In the holy Qur’an these hypocrites have been condemned by Allah in many
places.
This speech reminded
me that the Khawrji and Rafdhi do still live amongst Muslims and we must do
what the Ahlul Bait (household) and the Companions of our noble Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) did, educate and inform people about the truth.
The Noble Ahlul Bait and the Progeny
of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)
The progeny of the Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has a very significant status in Islam. Allah has blessed them with very high
honours. In all prayers (Salaat), mandatory
or optional, Muslims must invoke Allah’s blessings upon Muhammad (peace be upon
him) and his progeny (May Allah be pleased with them). This invocation is called Salat-alan-Nabi OR
Darood Sharif. As Allah commanded the believers
in the Holy Qur’an;
إِنَّ
اللَّهَ
وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ
يُصَلُّونَ
عَلَى
النَّبِيِّ
يَا أَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا
صَلُّوا
عَلَيْهِ
وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Allah and His angels send
blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and
salute him with the best salutation. (Qur’an, 033:056)
When Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was asked how to send blessings on him, he (peace be upon him) replied, say;
“O Allah, exalt Muhammad and the progeny of
Muhammad as Thou didst exalt Abraham and the progeny of Abraham, Thou art the
Praised, the Magnified. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the progeny of
Muhammad as Thou didst bless Abraham and the progeny of Abraham, Thou art the
Praised, the Magnified.”
(Note: progeny must also be the true followers of the Prophet).
Like Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Peace be upon him), Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) always included his progeny in the blessings of almighty Allah. It is clear that the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) must be respected and loved by all Muslims. Sending our blessings on Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his progeny reflects our own relationship with Islam and Qur’an.
The Perfect Purification and Sanctification
The highest state of purification of the household of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has been described in the Holy Qur’an by Allah Himself.
إِنَّمَا
يُرِيدُ
اللَّهُ
لِيُذْهِبَ
عَنكُمُ
الرِّجْسَ
أَهْلَ
الْبَيْتِ
وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ
تَطْهِيرًا
And Allah
only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family (of
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him), and to make you pure with perfect
purification. (Qur’an, 033:033)
This verse emphatically describes the most pure and the most clean household on earth, the household of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). It has been a unanimous agreement of all Companions of Prophet Muhammad and all scholars of Islam that Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib (the son in law of Prophet Muhammad), Hazrat Fatimah Al Zahra (the daughter of Prophet Muhammad), Hazrat Imam Hassan and Hazrat Imam Husain (grandsons of Prophet Muhammad) (Peace be upon all of them) are the integral part of the Ahlul Bait. The difference among scholars is who else is part of Ahlul Bait? But there is no difference on the above mentioned names.
In this verse of “Mawaddat”, Allah says that He is the one who purifies and sanctifies the Ahlul Bait. Who could be more pure than those who are purified by Allah? This perfect purification tells us some thing. I wish Muslims pay attention to Allah’s guidance. Just reading the translation of Qur’an is not enough. One has to understand the essence of Allah’s guidance. This verse alone tells us that Ahlul Bait are those whose purification have been granted/guaranteed by Allah. Allah Himself purifies them. Imam Hussain, without a doubt, is among the Ahlul Bait and purified by Allah, but Yazeed, without a doubt, is not a part of the Ahlul Bait and Allah has not purified him.
In the conflict between Imam Hussain and Yazeed, who could be wrong? It is not possible that the one who was purified by Allah Himself could go wrong. It is not possible that a murderer, Yazeed and the one who was murdered (martyred), Imam Husain, can be the same or similar in ranks in the sight of Allah. How someone can use Islamic blessings such as “May Allah be pleased with him,” for YAZEED?
Hypocrites never respected the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). How can their children, Khawrji and Rafdhi, ever respect the family and the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
The honours of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Ahlul Bait has been repeatedly described by Allah in the Holy Qur’an.
النَّبِيُّ
أَوْلَى
بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ
مِنْ
أَنفُسِهِمْ
وَأَزْوَاجُهُ
أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ
The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own
selves, and his wives are their mothers. (Qur’an, 033:006)
يَا
نِسَاء
النَّبِيِّ
لَسْتُنَّ
كَأَحَدٍ
مِّنَ
النِّسَاء
O Consorts of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the
(other) women. (Qur’an, 033.032)
By now, it should be very clear that the honours and sanctity of Prophet Muhammad’s progeny and households are clearly guided by Allah and no Muslim should doubt in those high honours.
Let’s review another important verse from Surah Al Shura.
قُل
لَّا
أَسْأَلُكُمْ
عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا
إِلَّا
الْمَوَدَّةَ
فِي الْقُرْبَى
Say: "No reward do I ask of you for this except
the love of those near of kin." (Qur’an, 042:023)
One does not need any further explanation
after this clear verse of the holy Qur’an. Hurting, insulting, murdering, robbing,
humiliating and destroying the honours, lives and properties of Prophet
Muhammad’s family (Peace be upon them) is against the command of Allah and His
Messenger (Peace be upon him). Yazeed
and his army did what Allah and His Messenger forbade. How can a Muslim use the
phrase (Radhi Allah Anh) for Yazeed? But
there are so called scholars who consider Yazeed as an honourable man, like
this speaker from
Do we still doubt that Khwarji and Rafdhi don’t live among us and they are not trying to hijack Islam from Muslims? The petro-dollars and the support from fanatics help these Khawrjis and Rafdhis to use media and contaminate our EEMAN (faith).
As believers, we must show our love and respect for the Ahlul Bait and the Sahabah. We must not take sides with the enemies of Ahlul Bait and the Sahabah (May Allah’s peace be upon all of them). Some people have been misinformed that Yazeed was a SAHABI (Companion) of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). This is a lie. Yazeed was not even born when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) passed away. Yazeed was a killer of Ahlul Bait and the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). His actions must be condemned by all Muslims.
Let me share with you some of the most authentic Ahadith (plural of Hadith, sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)) on the honours of the Ahlul Bait. There are hundreds of authentic Ahadith in the books of Hadith. I have taken only few from Bukhari, which is considered the most authentic book after Qur’an.
Narrated by Hazrat Aisha, mother of the Believers (May Allah be pleased
with her) said, “We, the wives of the Prophet were all sitting with the Prophet
and none of us had left when
Narrated by Al Miswar Bin Makhrama (May Allah be pleased with him),
Allah's Apostle (Peace be upon him) said, "
Narrated Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him): Once the Prophet
went out during the day. Neither did he talk to me nor I to him till he reached
the market of Bani Qainuqa and then he sat in the compound of Fatima's house
and asked about the small boy (his grandson Al-Hasan) but Fatima kept the boy
in for a while. I thought she was either changing his clothes or giving the boy
a bath. After a while the boy came out running and the Prophet embraced and
kissed him and then said, "O Allah! Love him, and love whoever loves
him." (Bukhari, 3:333)
Whenever the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) would return home from a journey, he would visit his daughter, Hazrat Fatima (May Allah’s peace upon her) first. Although she had other sisters, the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) loved her the most.
Narrated Sahl Bin Sa’d, Allah's Apostle (Peace be upon him) said,
"Tomorrow I will give the flag to a man with whose leadership Allah will
grant (the Muslim) victory." So the people kept on thinking the whole
night as to who would be given the flag. The next morning the people went to
Allah's Apostle and every one of them hoped that he would be given the flag.
The Prophet said, "Where is Ali bin Abi Talib?" The people replied,
"He is suffering from eye trouble, O Allah's Apostle." He said,
"Send for him and bring him to me." So when 'Ali came, the Prophet
put his saliva in his eyes and invoked good on him, and he became alright as if
he had no ailment. The Prophet then gave him the flag. 'Ali said, "O
Allah's Apostle! Shall I fight them (i.e. enemy) till they become like
us?" The Prophet said, "Proceed to them steadily till you approach
near to them and then invite them to Islam and inform them of their duties
towards Allah which Islam prescribes for them, for by Allah, if one man is
guided on the right path (i.e. converted to Islam) through you, it would be
better for you than (a great number of) red camels." (Bukhari 5.51)
We all know that “asadullah” (the
Lion of Allah), Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with him)
conquered the Khaiber. There is a famous
quote from Sayyidna Omar Ibn Al Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) that
“if Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Karramallaho Wajhal Kareem) would not have been with me,
I would have been destroyed.”
Narrated Sa’d that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to 'Ali
ibn Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with him), "Will you not be pleased
from this that you are to me like Aaron was to Moses (Peace upon them)?"
(Bukhari 5.56)
This Hadith reflects the honours
and high ranks of the Ameer ul Mo’mineen Sayyidna Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (May
Allah be pleased with him). The nearness and closeness that Hazrat Ali enjoyed
with Allah’s Messenger is unique and special for him.
Narrated Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be pleased with him): I heard the
Prophet talking at the pulpit while Al-Hasan was sitting beside him, and he
(i.e. the Prophet ) was once looking at the people and at another time
Al-Hasan, and saying, "This son of mine is a Saiyid (i.e. chief) and
perhaps Allah will bring about an agreement between two sects of the Muslims
through him." (Bukhari 5.89)
Narrated Usama Ibn Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him) : That the
Prophet used to take him and Al-Hasan, and used to say, "O Allah! I love
them, so please love them," or said something similar. (Bukhari 5.90)
Narrated by Uqba bin Al Harith (May Allah be pleased with him): I saw
Abu Bakr carrying Al-Hasan and saying, "Let my father be sacrificed for
you; you resemble the Prophet and not 'Ali," while 'Ali was there and laughing
at this. Bukhari 5.93)
Ibn Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated; Abu Bakr used to say,
"Please Muhammad (i.e. the Prophet) by doing good to his family."
(Bukhari 5.94)
Ibn Abi Numan narrates that A person asked 'Abdullah bin 'Umar whether a
Muslim could kill flies. I heard him saying (in reply). "The people of
Following are two authentic Ahadith from Muslim Sharif and Musnad Imam Ahmad.
Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him said, “The parable
of my Ahlul-Bayt is similar to that of Noah's Ark. Whosoever embarks it
certainly will get rescued, but the one who opposes the boarding of it, surely
gets drowned." (Musnad Imam Ahmad)
The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
"It is probable that I be called soon and I will respond. Then, I leave
behind me among you two weighty (very worthy and important) things: The Book of Allah (i.e. the Qur'an), which is
a stretched string from the heaven to the earth, and my progeny, my Ahlul-Bait;
for verily Allah, The Merciful, the Aware, informed me that never, never, will
these two get separated from each other until they meet me at the Houd of
Kauthar (the Pond of Abundance). Therefore, be careful how you will treat due
to those two in my absence." And,
in another tradition it is added: “Never, never, shall you get astray if you
attach yourselves to these TWO. (Sahih Muslim, vol. 2, p. 238 & Musnad
Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol.5, p. 181-182; Sahih-i-Tarmathi, vol.2, p.220)
The above AHADITH clearly prove that the Ahlul Bait / Progeny of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) can not be wrong. Those who remain faithful to the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and follow them are the only Muslims on the right path and the path of salvation. Those who apparently follow Islam but remain faithful to the enemies of the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) will find out their place with Allah very soon.
For a Muslim, the security and the strength of EEMAN (faith) is in the association and the following of Ahlul Bait (Peace and blessings of Allah upon them).
Animosity of Ahlul Bait
How painful it would have been for the
grandfather of Hazrat Imam Husain, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) that
his beloved grandson and his entire family was martyred by Yazeedi forces in
Narrated by Anas Ibn Malik (May Allah be pleased with him), "The
head of Al-Husain was brought to 'Ubaidullah bin Ziyad (the commander of
Yazeedi Army) and was put in a tray, and then Ibn Ziyad started playing with a
stick at the nose and mouth of Al-Husain's head and saying something about his
handsome features." Anas then said (to him), "Al-Husain resembled the
Prophet more than the others did." Anas added, "His (i.e.
Al-Husain's) hair was dyed with Wasma (i.e. a kind of plant used as a
dye)." (Bukhari 5.91)
Imagine how Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) would have felt about the above mentioned incident, if he would have been there. Imam Hussain and Hasan were the flowers of Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) life. He used to smell them as we smell flowers. Imam Hussain, the grandson of Hazrat Muhammad Mustufa (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) once climbed on the shoulders of the Prophet (peace be upon him) during the congregational prayer; Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not remove him. He prolonged the Sajdah (prostration). He remained in Sajdah as long as Imam Hussain remained on his shoulders. When the baby Imam Hussain removed himself from his shoulders then Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his head from the Sajdah (prostration) and completed the prayer.
Yazeedy army carried out genocide of
Prophet Muhammad’s family and relatives in
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ
يُؤْذُونَ
اللَّهَ
وَرَسُولَهُ
لَعَنَهُمُ
اللَّهُ فِي
الدُّنْيَا
وَالْآخِرَةِ
وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ
عَذَابًا
مُّهِينًا
033.057 Those that annoy Allah and His Apostle - Allah
has cursed them in this World and in the Hereafter, and has prepared for them a
humiliating Punishment.
After this unambiguous warning from Allah, who would support Yazeed or Yazeedis? Who would use “Radhi Allah Anh (May Allah be pleased with him)” for Yazeed and his accomplices? Of course, the followers of Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) will not.
Sunni and Shi’a
The love and respect for the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him), his family and his progeny is a requirement of
faith. However, this does not mean
that mere sentimental ties with the Prophet’s Household are enough. It should
be a deep and heartfelt love. The true expression of love by the Muslims can
best be displayed by following the high examples set by the Ahlul-Bait,
applying their teachings and guidelines in our daily behavior and acknowledging
them as leaders after the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him).
Moreover,
Muslims must not divide the Progeny and the Companions of Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) on sectarian basis.
A very unfortunate trend has emerged after the Iran-Iraq war in 80’s and
the civil war in
Narrated by Al Bara; I saw the Prophet carrying Al-Hasan on his shoulder
and saying, "O Allah! I love him, so please love him." (Bukhari 5.92)
Conclusion
Yazeed represents
cruelty, terrorism, oppression, genocide, destruction and insult for humanity.
Imam Husain (may Allah be pleased with him) represents kindness, care, freedom,
sanctity, security and honours for humanity.
Yazeed represents rebellion against Allah and His Messenger (Peace be
upon him), Imam Husain represents obedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace
be upon him). Yazeed was a FASIQ (he had
a serious addiction to alcohol), Imam Husain (May Allah be pleased with him) is
a Mo’min and Mohsin. The Yazeedi army attacked on Makkah and Madinah, the
sanctuaries of Islam and destroyed Bait-ullah (Ka’bah) and Masjid Al Nabawi
Sharif. Imam Husain protected the honours of Makkah and Madinah. For details, please read Tareekh Ibn
Khaldoon, the famous history book by Ibn Khaldoon.
It
is a strange tradition of our Creator
that He likes to see the struggle between Good and Evil. Allah did not send His Messengers only; He
also created their worse enemies. For Prophet Ibrahim (Peace upon him), Allah
created Namrood. For Prophet Moses (Peace upon him), He created Pharaoh. For
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), Allah created Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl. For
Imam Husain (May Allah be pleased with him), Allah created Yazeed. This is
Allah’s way of testing His servants. Those
who are blessed with the stronger faith (Eeman), tougher their tests are.
However, the reward for them is higher too.
The
conflict in
Why
the hardest test for Imam Husain? The reason is that the grandfather of Hazrat
Imam Husain, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “I have been tested
hardest by Allah amongst all the Messengers and the Prophets of Allah”. Therefore, amongst the Ummah of Imam Husain’s
grandfather (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam), Imam Husain qualified for the hardest
test.
Time
to time, this test will continue for the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be
upon him), but amongst the Ummah, the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) will be tested the hardest. This
test will continue until we all meet with Allah.
يَا
أَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ
آمَنُواْ
اسْتَعِينُواْ
بِالصَّبْرِ
وَالصَّلاَةِ
إِنَّ اللّهَ
مَعَ
الصَّابِرِينَ
وَلاَ
تَقُولُواْ
لِمَنْ
يُقْتَلُ فِي
سَبيلِ
اللّهِ
أَمْوَاتٌ
بَلْ
أَحْيَاء
وَلَكِن لاَّ
تَشْعُرُونَ
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ
بِشَيْءٍ
مِّنَ الْخَوفْ
وَالْجُوعِ
وَنَقْصٍ
مِّنَ
الأَمَوَالِ
وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ
وَبَشِّرِ
الصَّابِرِينَ
الَّذِينَ
إِذَا
أَصَابَتْهُم
مُّصِيبَةٌ
قَالُواْ
إِنَّا
لِلّهِ
وَإِنَّـا
إِلَيْهِ
رَاجِعونَ
أُولَـئِكَ
عَلَيْهِمْ
صَلَوَاتٌ
مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ
وَرَحْمَةٌ
وَأُولَـئِكَ
هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ
O ye who believe! seek help with
patient perseverance and prayer; for Allah is with those who patiently
persevere.
And say not of those who are
slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay, they are living,
though ye perceive (it) not.
Be sure we shall test you
with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits
(of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere,
Who say, when afflicted with
calamity: "To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return":-
They are those on whom (Descend)
blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance. (Holy
Qur’an, 002:153-157)
On
the Judgment Day, the entire humanity will witness the highest honours for the
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) i.e. MAQAM-E-MAHMOOD. In the Heaven, the
leadership of Imam Hassan and Imam Husain (May Allah be pleased with them) will
not surprise the believers, because our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has
told us, “AL HASAN WAL HUSAIN SAYYIDAH SHABAB AHLIL JANNAH,” Hassan and Husain
(Peace upon them) are the leaders of the people in the Heaven.
QATL-E-HUSSAIN ASL MAY
MARG-E-YAZEED HAY
ISLAM ZINDA HOTA HAY HER
Translation: The murder (martyrdom) of
Imam Hussain is in fact the death of Yazeed.
Islam revives/thrives after each
O’
Allah keep us among the followers of Sayyidna Imam Husain (May Allah be pleased
with him) and give us the courage to stand against those who stand against the
noble Ahlul Bait and the noble Progeny of our noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be
upon him).
May Allah's peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
his family, his companions and all those who follow him (Sallallaho Alaihe wa
If someone still admires Yazeed and the followers of Yazeed, I invite them for a public debate at any time. They can reach me at contact@islamicsupremecouncil.com OR phone: 403-208-7148.
Address: Islamic Supreme Council of
28 Crowfoot Terrace, NW