The week ended Friday 30 March 2007 witnessed heated debate on DM Digital TV on whether the Iranian film "Imam Ali" should continue being screened or should be stopped outright as it was "offensive" to the Companions of the Prophet, all of whom are "Adil" without exception, as was alleged by the so-called ulama on the panel. The viewers could not have missed the scenario that developed through the phone calls (£1-50 per call!) and the self-righteous opinion of the "ulama" who had managed to unite the Deobandis, the Brailvis, the Sufis, the Salafis and the Wahhabis in defending the "adalat" and "sanctity" of all the Companions. The question arises, which Companions they sought to sanctify from the wrath of history and from the verdict of the Qur'an and the Sunnah?
They smelled the rat that the film had already started exposing the true face of Marwan and it was heading towards Mu'awiyah and 'Amr ibn al-Aas. One of the so-called Alim on the panel even had the audacity of including the "mu'allafatil qulub" (those whose hearts were to be won for Islam) who had accepted Islam after the final conquest of Makkah, into the category of Muhajireen and Ansar. Another so-called Alim included several Companions related to the Prophet into the fold of Ayat al-Tat'heer and into the Household of the Prophet.
The film had to be withdrawn after having shown the first few episodes for the sake of "Muslim unity", as was claimed.
In an unrelated incident, in the Friday sermon televised live from Qatar on 30th March, the imam of Jum'ah said that the Prophet had brought up with great care 120,000 Companions, all of whom were just and all of whom were like stars and a source of guidance towards the right path. If anybody curses them or any one of them, then may he and his succeeding generations be cursed, he prayed. In order to substantiate his claim, he quoted the following verses:
(a) Qur'an, 48:18: "Allah's Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they swore Fealty to thee under the Tree: He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down tranquillity to them; and He rewarded them with a speedy Victory".
(b) Qur'an, 9:100: "The vanguard (of Islam)- the first among those who forsook (their homes) and of those who gave them aid, and (also) those who follow them in good deeds,- well- pleased is Allah with them, as are they with Him: for them hath He prepared gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: that is the supreme felicity.
(c) Qur'an, 48:29 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great Reward.
The clerics have been assuming throughout that their listeners have no capability except to take them on face value, even if they make false allegations against the Qur'an and the Sunnah; and in most cases this may be so because the main source of information for the overwhelming majority are the Friday sermons only.
The Qatari cleric misled his congregation by mis-quoting the Qur'anic verse 48:18 which does not establish that all the Companions were of equal status. The verse is talking about a specific event in time. Only a few Companions were physically present to grace that occasion. All Companions were not involved in swearing the fealty to the Prophet. So the verse is limited in scope. As regards the Qur'anic verse 9:100, again the verse speaks about "first among those" and not all of them but only "those who follow them in good deeds". If all the Companions had followed them in good deeds, the verse would not have added a qualification and reservation in the first place. In the Qur'anic verse 48:29, it would be naive to allege that every single Companion had traces of prostration on his forehead. Moreover, the phrase "those among them" once again speaks volumes that it does not pertain to all the Companions. To allege that the three quoted verses include all Companions is bound to create several dilemmas:
(1) What about Sura al-Munafiqoon? Weren't those who are called "liars" by Allah in this Sura Companions of the Prophet?
(2) What about the incident of Ifk? Weren't those who wrongly accused Ayesha of unchastity the Companions of the Prophet or were they aliens from the Celestial world?
(3) What about Sura al-Tawba? Doesn't the Qur'an tell us that from among the dwellers of Madina there are those who are "obstinate in hypocrisy"? Weren't they the Companions of the Prophet?
(4) The Qur'an bluntly says in verse 9:58 "And among them are men who slander you (O Muhammad) in the matter of (the distribution of) the alms: if they are given part thereof, they are pleased, but if not, behold! they are indignant!". Weren't these the Companions of the Prophet?
(5) Didn't those who boldly ran away from the battle of Uhud leaving the Prophet injured in the battlefield the Companions of the Prophet? What is the verdict of the Qur'an against those who flee from Jihad?
(6) Weren't the archers who breached specific command of the Prophet in Uhud Companions of the Prophet?
The Qatari cleric had the courage to curse anybody who curses any one of the Companions of the Prophet. Perhaps his madressa should have been honest in telling him that the first person ever to curse any of the Companions was Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, who started a vile practice of cursing Imam Ali on the pulpit. This evil practice continued for 70 odd years. Has he got courage to pass a similar verdict on Mu'awiyah or is it for the sake of love for Mu'awiyah that they are prepared even to distort the Qur'an and the Sunnah?
The Salafis, the Deobandis, the Brailvis, the Sufis and the Wahhabis should start doing some serious homework and find out from their own sources to what extent they themselves are contradicting their own beliefs.
Bukhari narrates a hadith that on the Day of Judgement some Companions will be dragged towards the Fire of Hell and the Prophet will cry out "Ashabi, Ashabi" (my Companions, my Companions!). He will be told, you do not know what they did after you. This explains that all the Companions are not just and are not on the right path. If they were, then let us hear the verdict of curses against Bukhari from these clerics if they are true to their words.
By cursing those who curse any one of the Companions, the clerics have committed a blasphemy against the Prophet.
Very briefly, the following Sunni sources have narrated that the Prophet himself had prayed that may Allah not satisfy Mu'awiyah's stomach:
Ibn Abil Hadeed in Sharh Nahjul Balaghah Al-Baladhari in Futuh al-Buldan Asadul Ghabah
As regards Mu'awiyah being included in Shajarat al-Mal'oonah, the following Sunni sources have written:
Al-Seerah al-Dahlaniyyah Tafseer Al-Dur al-Manthur of Jalaluddin al-Suyuti Tafseer of Fakhuddin al-Razi
As regards Mu'awiyah being in al-Fi'ah al-Baghiyah (the rebel party who rebelled against the truth), the following Sunni sources have written:
Al-Aqd al-Fareed of Ibn Abdu Rabboh Khasais al-Nisa'i Al-Isti'aab Kanzul Ummal Al-Akhbar al-Tiwaal of Abu Hanifa al-Dainoori Al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah of Ibn Qutayba Al-Riyad al-Nadarah of al-Muhib al-Tabari Al-seerah al-Nabawiyyah of al-Qadi al-Halabi
As regards the Prophet condemning Mu'awiyah in particular, the following Sunni sources have written:
Al-Hasan al-Basri as narrated by Ibn Abil Hadeed in Sharh Nahjul Balaghah Ibn al-Athir in his History Abul Fida in his History
As regards the Prophet cursing Mu'awiyah and his father Abu Sufyan, Imam Hassan told him that the Prophet has cursed them on seven occasions; and as regards Mu'awiyah being among the Qasiteen (the deviants) the following Sunni sources have written:
Ibn Abil Hadeed in Sharh Nahjul Balaghah Ibn Hajjah al-Hamawi Ibrahim bin Muhammad al-Bayhaqi al-Shafi'ee Al-Nisa'i in his Sahih
If anybody is entitled to be cursed for cursing any one of the Prophet's Companion, then these clerics should be true to their words in cursing al-Nisa'i, the author of one of their Sahihs. But the fact remains that the majority of Muslims had been misled and are being misled by those who have no guts of speaking the truth even when they are occupying the Mimbar of Rasool. Shaykh al-Qardawi stated in his Friday sermon of 16 March 2007 from Qatar that when Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas went to meet Mu'awiyah, he did not salute him. When Mu'awiyah objected, Sa'ad replied that you have acquired this position through bloodshed, so I won't bid you Salaam. This means that a prominent Companion did not think that Mu'awiyah is even worth the Salaam. Now, if the distorters of the Qur'an and the Sunnah believe that all the Companions were compassionate and merciful towards each other, then was it through that compassion and mercy that they fought each other and shed each others' blood in the battles of Jamal, Siffin and Naharwan? Or was it through their unity of purpose that they had managed to forge over the hatred for Imam Ali that they had assembled huge forces to fight the unanimously elected Caliph?
Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, the exegete of the Qur'an, writes in his Tarikh al-Khulafa (History of the Caliphs):
(1) Two Companions created mischief in the affairs of the people: (a) Amr ibn al-Aas for raising the Qur'an on the lances and (b) Mughira bin Shu'aba for adivising Mu'awiyah to nominate his son Yazid to the Islamic Caliphate (p. 229). (Both of them were the Companions of the Prophet).
(2) May Allah curse Ibn Ziyad and the murderers of Hussain and Yazid also, writes al-Suyuti (p. 231).
(3) Nofal bin Abi Furat said in the presence of Umar bin Abdul Aziz: "Amirul Mo'mineen Yazid". Umar bin Abdul Aziz ordered that he be punished with 20 lashes (p. 232). (Today Umar bin Abdul Aziz would have needed a troop of unemployed people in the oil rich countries to lash their Sufyani clerics for considering the likes of Mu'awiyah and Yazid "Commanders of the Believers" (na'oozo billah).
(4) Al-Suyuti writes that in the year 63 H. Yazid was involved in sacking Madinat al-Rasool, in killing a generation of the Companions, in desecrating and robbing Madina. His troopers rapped 1000 virgin daughters of the Companions. Al-Suyuti continues that the Prophet had said whoever terrifies the people of Madina, upon him is the curse of Allah, that of His angels and that of all the people of the world, quoting Sahih Muslim. After creating carnage in Madina, the army of the incident of Harrah proceeded to Makkah to confront Abdullah ibn al-Zubair, where the Ka'aba was set on fire (p. 232).
One does feel sorry for the millions of Muslims who are being misled on purpose by their clerics who are quite aware of the true state of affairs, but there is a loyalty in their blood for Mu'awiyahs and Yazids of the time, as their predecessors had for the murderers of Ahl ul Bayt. In any dialogue for tolerance and unity, we will have to call them towards the path of Ahl ul Bayt and the noble Companions who followed the truth. They will call us to twist the truth to suit the position of the Companions who did not follow the truth and to whom they owe their position. Who will solve the stalemate?
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