Your Questions , Our Answers

Q: Do Shias believe that Hazrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) did not bring the pen and paper when Prophet (s.a.w.a) was at his death bed ??

 ANS: This is not a matter of belief, it is history. Bukhari (and many other Sunni scholars) has given the full hadeeth narrated by Ibn Abbas – The Prophet was very ill in bed. Suddenly he asked for pen and paper (the Hadeeth is known as Hadeeth-e-Qirtas-o-qalam), saying: I want to leave something in writing for you so that you may not be astray after me. Umar intercepted the Prophet saying – Oh, he is overwhelmed with his sickness (meaning that the Prophet was not in his full faculties), the Book of Allah is sufficient for us.  

The Ummahaat-ul-Momineen were standing behind a curtain and Hazrat Ayesha spoke from behind the curtain: The Prophet is asking for something and you guys have the audacity to deny him that. Umar shouted back at Ayesha, saying: You are all like Sawaahebaat-E-Yusuf, when the Prophet was well you were riding over his neck (Umar’s words, not mine) and now you are fighting for him. Voices were raised. The Prophet opened his eyes and looking at the crowd around him said: Leave the women alone, they are better than you all, and get out of my presence. 

  

Q: What do you believe about the present Quran? Do you believe Hazrat Ali (Radhiyallaho anho) had the original Quran which has more verses than this one?  

ANS: The Holy Qur’an, each and every verse of it, as well as verses as organized in each Sura, were given to us by the Prophet of Islam. It is Allah’s WORD. There is no change in it, nothing missing from it and nothing has ever been added to it. Shi’a scholars over the centuries have been at pains to show that the word of Qur’an cannot be tampered with. 

Q: Do you believe Hazrat Ali suppose to be first Khalifa but Hazrat Abu Bakr, Umar and Usman (Radhiyallaho anhum) did not let him? 

ANS: The Prophet of Islam had announced at the occasion of Ghadeer-e-Khum: man kunto Mawla hu fa haza Ali-un Mawla – to whomever I am the mawla, so is this Ali Mawla. 

All the companions, including Hazrat Umar, came to Imam Ali and congratulated him for becoming the Mawla of all Muslims. That was an indication in so many words uttered by the Prophet that Imam Ali will lead the community in both spiritual as well as worldly matters after the Prophet. But as soon as the Prophet breathed his last, a party of Ansaar and another party of Muhajiroon left the dead body of the Prophet and assembled in Saqeefa Banu Saeda and started quarreling about who would head the government after the Prophet. Imam Ali and others were busy with funeral rites of the Prophet. When they were done with that, the election/selection/imposition of Abu Bakr had already taken place. Imam Ali and Fatima Zahra went to every door in Madinah and expressed their protest. Everyone agreed with them but said that what was done was done, it was too late. Imam Ali, knowing full well that it was a wrong decision, also looked at the public opinion and stepped back from making any political counter claim, He also had the good of the community at heart. Any active protest on his part would have started a civil strife, internal enemies, mainly Banu Umayya and some of the Baddoos would have joined into the conflict and may be, the Romans would have attacked Madinah. Either way Islam would have been destroyed. Imam Ali kept a low profile, not interfering in the governmental affairs, but he would intervene every time he saw a wrong being done by any of the institutions of the Islamic government. 

 Q:Why Hazrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) did not hand over the land to Hazrat Fatimah (Radhiyallaho anha) when she asked? 

ANS: This report is also found recorded in Bukhari and many other Sunni books. 

The sixth century scholar Ibn Abil-Hadeed has recorded a conversation in his book Sharh-e-Nahul Balagha, between himself and his father. 

He asked his father this very question you have posed here. Why didn’t Abu Bakr release the control of Fadak to Fatima Zahra, wasn’t her claim legitimate? 

The father replies: No, Her claim was quite legitimate and Abu Bakr knew the truthfulness of Fatima Zahra and her claim. The problem was, if Abu Bakr had accepted Fatima Zahra’s claim to Fadak, she would reappear in front of Abu Bakr next day claiming Ali’s legitimate claim to Khilafat. So, Abu Bakr denying Fatima Zahra her claim to Fadak was a pre-emptive action against Ali’s claim to be the rightful successor to the Prophet. 

So, the worldly government was taken over first by Abu Bakr, and then by Umar and after that by Uthman. It was only after Uthman that Imam Ali became the fourth Khalifa. During all those intervening years, 25 to be exact, the true followers of Imam Ali looked to him for all spiritual guidance, but they were reconciled with the worldly government of Khilafat. That was because Imam Ali himself had reconciled with the public opinion of the time. 

Q: Do you believe only Ahle bayt learn Islam correctly and none of the Sahabah (Radhiyllaho anhum) did?  

ANS: As things began to unfold after the Prophet, we saw that the Sahaba sided with the Khilafat of the time.The Ahl-e-Bayt preached the basic idea of Islam which was that, the Spiritual aspect of Islam over-rides the Political arrangement. Spiritual glory and knowledge are not subject to political success. That is the message of the holy Qur’an and also from the Ahl-e-Bayt. The newly emerging institution of Khilafat tried to dismantle that basic premise of Islam propagating the idea that whoever becomes the Khalifa of the time is also the head of the state in spiritual matters – although each one of those first three Khaleefas had not shown any indication of that during their lifetime. The Ahl-e-Bayt, did not take any forceful action against any of the Khaleefas in the interest of the well-being of the people, but kept a very strong opposition to the institution when it came to spiritual matters and where things started to go wrong even in worldly matters to keep the basic principle of Islam alive. So, considering all that, we will have to conclude that most of those Muslims who had sided with the Khilafat, did not understand the basic principles as enunciated in the Qur’an. Professor Wilfred Madelung of Oxford University has discussed this issue very thoroughly in his book: SUCCESSION TO MUHAMMAD. 

Q: Do you believe most of the Sahabah (Radhiyallaho anhum) turned to kufr after the departure of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihi wasallam)? 

 ANS: NO, We do not believe that. Although Eeman is something that can only be judged by Allah, and no one else. But I have firm belief that they were all Muslims, even though some of them made serious mistakes.

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