biography of prophet muhammad shia

Prophet Muhammad (s)
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Muḥammad [1] b. ʿAbd Allāh (Arabic: محمد بن‌ عبد اللّه ; b. 'Am al-Fil /571 Mecca – d. 11 /632 Medina ) is the prophet of Islam, whose mission was essentially the advancement of monotheism and morality . He (s) was also a social reformist and a political leader. He (s) was the last prophet of God, and his major miracle was the Qur'an .

Although the Prophet (s) was born in the polytheistic society of Arabia , he never worshiped any idols. He also avoided the inappropriate manners that were rampant in pre-Islamic Arabia. He (s) was chosen by God as a prophet at the age of forty. Although the polytheists of Mecca persecuted him and his followers for many years, neither he nor his followers gave up following Islam . After thirteen years of preaching in Mecca, he immigrated to Medina. This immigration ( Hijra ) marked what became the beginning of the Islamic calendar . In Medina, he established an ever-expanding community of believers, the Muslim ummah .

Because of the efforts of the Prophet (s), the pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance ended, and the polytheistic society of Arabia was transformed into a monotheistic society in a short time. Towards the end of the Prophet's (s) life, almost everyone in the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam. The number of Muslims has continued to grow ever since, and Islam is now the fastest-growing religion globally.

The Prophet (s) enjoined his followers to adhere to the teachings of the Qur'an and the Ahl al-Bayt (a) . He designated Imam 'Ali (a) as his successor on various occasions throughout his life, including the event of Ghadir .

Lineage, Teknonym, and Epithets

The Prophet's lineage is as follows: Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah b. 'Abd al-Muttalib (Shyba al-Hamd, 'Amir) b. Hashim ('Amr al-'Ula) b. 'Abd Manaf (al-Mughira) b. Qusayy (Zayd) b. Kilab (Hakim) b. Murra b. Ka'b b. Lu'ayy b. Ghalib b. Fihr (Quraysh) b. Malik b. Nadr (Qays) b. Kinana b. Khuzayma b. Mudrika ('Amr) b. Ilyas b. Mudar b. Nizar (Khuldan) b. Ma'add b. 'Adnan.

His mother was Amina bt. Wahb b. 'Abd Manaf b. Zuhra b. Kilab.

Al-'Allama al-Majlisi has said, "All Twelver Shi'as agree that Abu Talib , Amina bt. Wahb and 'Abd Allah b. 'Abd al-Muttalib and all of the forefathers of the Prophet (s), dating back to the time of Adam (a) , were believers [in God]." [2]

His teknonyms were Abu l-Qasim and Abu Ibrahim. Some epithets of his were: al-Mustafa (the chosen), Habib Allah (beloved one of Allah), Safi Allah (chosen one of Allah), Ni'mat Allah (gift of Allah), Khiyarat Khalq Allah (the chosen one from the creatures of Allah), Sayyid al-Mursalin (master of the prophets), Khatam al-Nabiyyin (the last of the prophets), Rahmat li-l-'Alamin (a blessing for the two worlds), al-Nabi al-Ummi (the unschooled Prophet).

The exact year of the Prophet's (s) birth is not known. Ibn Hisham and some others have written that it was in 'Am al-fil (literally, "the year of the elephant"), the year in which Abraha al-Ashram and his elephants attempted to destroy the Ka'ba . But this does not help much, since it cannot be said for certain what year the year of the elephant was. However, taking into consideration that the Prophet's (s) demise was in 632 CE and that he was sixty-three years old at the time of his demise, the year of his birth must have been either 569 or 570 CE. [3]

The date of his birth is Rabi' I 17th according to the majority of Shi'a scholars, and Rabi' I 12th according to Sunnis . [4]

Muhammad (s) spent his childhood as an orphan. A few months after 'Abd Allah (his father) married Amina , the daughter of Wahb (the chief of the Banu Zuhra family ), 'Abd Allah went on a business trip to Damascus , and passed away on his return in Yathrib (now Medina). Some historians say that his death was before Muhammad's birth, and some have written that he passed away a few months after Muhammad (s) was born. Muhammad (s) spent his early childhood with a woman from the Banu Sa'd tribe, named Halima , who breastfed him. Muhammad lived his first years with his wet nurse and her husband in the desert.

When Muhammad (s) was six years (or four years old according to some reports), he traveled to Yathrib with his mother, Amina, to see his relatives from the side of Abd al-Muttalib 's mother (i.e., Banu 'Adi b. Najjar). However, on her way back to Mecca , she passed away in Abwa' and was buried there. Amina was 30 years old when she passed away.

After the loss of his mother, Abd al-Muttalib undertook the guardianship of Muhammad (s). When Muhammad (s) was eight years old, 'Abd al-Muttalib also passed away. Since then, Muhammad's (s) uncle, Abu Talib , took care of him. [5] In the house of Abu Talib, his wife, Fatima bt. Asad , was so kind to Muhammad (s) that when she passed away, the Prophet (s) said, "Today, my mother has died!". [6]

First Journey to Syria and the Christian Monk's Prophecy

Historians have written that as a child, Muhammad (s) accompanied his uncle Abu Talib in one of his journeys to Damascus . On the way, they stopped in a place called Busra , where they met a Christian monk whose name was Bahira . He saw the signs of prophethood in Muhammad (s) and advised Abu Talib on how to treat him (Muhammad) best. He especially advised him to protect Muhammad (s) from the Jews who were his enemies.

It is recorded that when the caravan moved away from Bahira, he asked Muhammad (s) to stay and told him that, "By al-Lat and al-'Uzza , I command you to answer my questions!" Muhammad (s) responded to Bahira by saying, "Don't ask me to answer you in the name of al-Lat and al-'Uzza because I do not hate anything more than them". [7] . Then, Bahira asked him to answer by the name of Allah .

Hilf al-Fudul

One of the most important events in the life of Muhammad (s), before his marriage, was his participation in an agreement called Hilf al-Fudul in which some of the youths of Mecca pledged "to support any person under oppression and defend their rights" [8] .

Second Journey to Syria

When Muhammad (s) was twenty-five years old, Abu Talib told him, "The caravan of Quraysh is ready to go to Damascus. Khadija bt. Khuwaylid , has given money to some of your family members to conduct business for her and to take their shares of profit. She might accept for you to join them if you would like to." Then, he spoke with Khadija and she accepted. Ibn Ishaq has written that when Khadija saw the trustworthiness and the dignity of Muhammad (s), she told him that she would pay him a bigger share than others if he accepted to conduct business using her money. [9]

After that business trip, Khadija married Muhammad (s).

"The best of you are the best of you to their wives."

Payām-i Payāmbar , p. 432 – 433

Muhammad (s) married Khadija (a) when he was twenty-five years old. [10] Khadija lived with the Prophet (s) for 25 years and passed away 10 years after Bi'tha . Khadija gave birth to a few children, the boys of whom died in childhood. The most famous of her daughters was Lady Fatima (a) .

After dimise of Khadija, the Prophet (s) married Sawda bt. Zam'a . The next wives of the Prophet (s) were:

Zaynab bt. Khuzayma
Zaynab bt. Jahsh
Juwayriyya bt. al-Harith
Safiyya bt. Huyyay
Maymuna bt. al-Harith
Mariya bt. Sham'un known as Mariya al-Qibtiyya. [11]

All of the Prophet's (s) children, save for Fatima (a) , died when the Prophet (s) was alive and his descendants are all from the line of Fatima (a). In total, he had three sons and four daughters:

Al-Qasim : the Prophet's (s) first child who died in Mecca at the age of 2.
Abd Allah : born in Mecca shortly after the beginning of the Prophet's (s) mission and died there.
Ruqayya : died in Medina , 2 /624
Zaynab : died in Medina, 8 /629-30
Umm Kulthum : died in Medina, 9 /630
Ibrahim : died in Medina, 10 /631
Fatima (a) : was martyred in Medina, 11 /632. (the Prophet's (s) progeny is continued only through her) [12]

Except for Ibrahim who was from Mariya al-Qibtiyya , all other six children were from Khadija bt. Khuwaylid .

Placing al-Hajar al-Aswad

Placing al-Hajar al-Aswad (black stone) on the Ka'ba happened before the Prophet's (s) mission began and confirmed his social status amongst people of Mecca . History has it that the Ka'ba was respected even amongst the polytheistic Arabs of the pre-Islam, during the Age of Ignorance . Once a flood damaged the Ka'ba and ruined its walls, the Quraysh reconstructed the walls. When they wanted to place the al-Hajar al-Aswad (black stone) onto the Ka'ba, an argument broke out between the chiefs of the Quraysh's families as to which of them should do it. Each of them wanted to have the honor of placing the stone back onto the Ka'ba. The argument was heated and they even brought a tub full of blood and put their hands in it, which was a type of pledge that they had to fight until one of them won. Finally, they agreed to accept the judgment of the first person who would enter al-Masjid al-Haram through the gate of Banu Shayba and to do whatever that person said. The first person who entered was Muhammad (s). The nobles of the Quraysh said that Muhammad (s) was trustworthy and that they would accept his judgment. Then, they told him what had happened. Muhammad (s) said, "Let us spread a piece of cloth." They did so, and he then placed the black stone on it. Then, he said that "The chief of every family should come and hold a corner of this cloth." They lifted up the cloth and brought the stone to the place it had to be installed, then he lifted the stone and placed it back onto the Ka'ba. By such a judgment, he prevented an imminent war. [13]

According to the Twelver Shi'as , the mission of the Prophet (s) began on the Rajab 27 / June 25 , 610 . [14] In the years prior to his mission, Muhammad (s) spent a lot of time in solitude, worshiping God . He would spend a month in solitude in a cave called Hira' , at the mountains and would worship God there (see: tahannuth ). After the month was completed, he returned to Mecca and circumambulated the Ka'ba seven times or more before returning home. [15] He was in the cave of Hira' when the mission began and verses of the Qur'an were revealed to him. Later, Muhammad (s) described the event:

It is widely believed that the Prophet (s) was forty years old at the beginning of his mission. [16] With this revelation which triggered his mission, the Prophet (s) returned to Mecca reading these verses, which are in Qur'an 96 . Upon that feeling which was new to him at that night, naturally, he returned to his house immediately. There were three people in his house that night: his wife Khadija , his cousin Ali b. Abi Talib , and his adopted son Zayd b. Haritha . [17] The holy Prophet (s) first began to teach Islam to his own family and so the first people who believed in his prophethood were his wife from amongst the women, and Ali b. Abi Talib from amongst the men. At that time, Ali was under the guardianship of the Prophet (s). [18] Other people mentioned in other sources as the first Muslims are Abu Bakr and Zayd b. Haritha. [19] Although the initial invitation was limited, the number of Muslims began to grow and soon they began to go out of Mecca and pray with the Prophet (s). [20]

Public Invitation

It is recorded that Muhammad (s) invited people secretly to Islam for three years after his mission. However, because of the order of the revelation of the verses of the Qur'an, some believe that the Prophet's (s) public invitation was carried out very shortly after the first revelation. [21]

In the beginning, the Prophet (s) invited people to abandon worshiping multiple gods (idols) and to begin worshiping one God (i.e. monotheism ). In the beginning, prayers were in two units. Later, it was an obligation for travelers to perform the prayers in two units and for others to perform it in four units. At the time of prayers, Muslims would hide from others in the splits of mountains and other faraway places to perform the prayers. Gradually, the Muslims began to grow in numbers in Mecca . [22] It is well-known that three years after the beginning of his mission, God ordered the Prophet (s) to invite people to Islam publicly [23] . Ibn Ishaq writes that the Prophet (s) told Ali (a) , "O Ali! God has told me to call upon the closest of my family to worship Him. So slaughter a sheep and provide some bread and a bowl of milk". Ali (a) did so and approximately forty members of the family of 'Abd al-Muttalib gathered together and ate the food, which was not enough for the number of people present there. However, they all ate the food till they were full, which was miraculous. When the Prophet (s) wanted to begin his speech, Abu Lahab said, "He has enchanted you all (for food!)". Because of this, confusion spread, and all the guests left. The Prophet (s) invited them again on another occasion and told them:

As al-Tabari writes, after the Prophet (s) declared his invitation to Islam amongst his relatives, he said:

This narration has been transmitted by other historians and writers of the Prophet's (s) biography and is among the most famous hadiths. (see: Hadith Yawm al-Dar ) [25]

"Good manners and good neighborhoods cause regions to flourish."

Payam-i Payambar, pp. 773 – 774

Enmity of Quraysh and Its Consequences

As the number of Muslims grew, the chiefs of the Quraysh became more worried about it. They went to Abu Talib (the Prophet's (s) uncle and protector) and asked him to stop his nephew from the mission of prophethood that he had started. They asked him to give Muhammad (s) over to them so that they could kill him and in return, they offered Abu Talib the guardianship of Ammara b. al-Walid who was -in their opinion- a handsome and wise young man. Abu Talib responded by exclaiming: "Shall I give my son to you so that you can kill him and raise your son? What a difficult task! [26]

The Quraysh could not harm the Prophet (s) because of tribal customs, and if they did, they would enter a war with Banu Hashim and other tribes would interfere and the situation would become too difficult to bear. Therefore, their opposition to the Prophet (s) would consist of using foul language and causing minor injuries. However, they would harass other new Muslims, as this same type of protection did not extend to them. [27]

The conflict began to escalate. So, the chiefs of the Quraysh went to Abu Talib again and asked him to stop his nephew from the path he was following. Abu Talib informed the Prophet (s) about their request and the Prophet (s) said: "By God, I swear, that if the sun was given to me in my right hand and the moon on the other, I would not abandon my mission." Abu Talib said: "Then follow your mission, and I will not let them harm you." After that, the Quraysh became more determined to harm him and his followers. [28]

Immigration of Muslims to Abyssinia

As the number of new Muslims grew, the hostility of the Quraysh towards them also increased. Abu Talib supported the Prophet (s), so the Quraysh could not harm him due to the tribal pacts. However, they felt no limits in harming his followers because they had no protection. The harassment and torture of his followers deeply upset the Prophet (s). To practice their faith freely, he ordered them to immigrate to Abyssinia . He told them that, "There is a king there who harms no one. Go there and stay there so that God frees you from the trouble here." When the Quraysh learned of the immigration of these new Muslims, they sent 'Amr b. al-'As and 'Abd Allah b. Abi Rabi'a to the king of Abyssinia to implore him to return those Muslims to Mecca. After a lengthy trial, when the king heard the representatives of the Quraysh and the responses of the Muslims, he refused to submit to the requests of the Quraysh. Thus, the representatives of the Quraysh returned to Mecca empty-handed. [29]

Boycott of Banu Hashim

When the Quraysh saw that Islam was spreading in Mecca and that the king did not hand over the immigrants, they decided to put Muhammad (s) and his followers under severe economic sanctions. Doing so, they wrote a treaty which said nobody could marry any of the children of Hashim or 'Abd al-Muttalib. Further, nobody could sell or buy anything from them. Then, they hung this decree in the Ka'ba (as the sign of its great obligation). Thereafter, Banu Hashim and Banu 'Abd al-Muttalib had to live under the boycott in Shi'b Abi Talib . [30]

The sanctions lasted two or three years. During this time, the Muslims lived in extreme difficulty. A couple of their relatives would smuggle wheat or other essentials to them so that they could have the bare minimum. One night, Abu Jahl , who was a bitter enemy of Banu Hashim, was informed of this and stopped Hakim b. Hazam from bringing wheat to Khadija . Others interfered and criticized Abu Jahl for the severity of his actions. Eventually, some of the Quraysh felt guilty and chose to side with Banu Hashim. They wondered why Banu Makhzum should live an easy life while the children of Hashim and 'Abd al-Muttalib should live in difficulty. Thus, they decided to end the treaty. And some of those that had signed it decided to tear up the treaty. Ibn Hisham narrates from Ibn Ishaq that when they went in the Ka'ba, they saw that termites had miraculously eaten the treaty and that only the phrase "Bismik Allahumma" [In Your name O Allah] had remained of it. Ibn Hisham narrates that "Abu Talib went to a meeting of the Quraysh and said: "My nephew says that termites have eaten the treaty and that only the name of God remains. See for yourself, and if he is right, end the boycott. If he is lying, I will hand him over to you".

When they went to see the treaty, they saw that termites had indeed eaten all of it except for the portion with the name of God. It was in this way that the sanctions against Banu Hashim eventually ended, and they left the valley." [31]

Journey to Ta'if

Immigration to medina, first allegiance of al-'aqaba.

In the eleventh year after Bi'tha (3 BH/620), the Prophet (s) visited six people from the tribe of Khazraj and told them about the message of Islam. They returned to Yathrib and informed the people of their city about the invitation. Next year (2 BH/621), twelve people of Medina gave allegiance to the Prophet (s) after the hajj pilgrimage in an area called al-'Aqaba . They solemnly vowed:

not to associate anyone with God
to not steal
not to commit adultery
not kill their children
not to slander anyone and to obey the Prophet Muhammad (s) in his orders.

The Prophet (s) then sent one of the Muslims, Mus'ab b. 'Umayr , with them to Yathrib to teach them the holy Qur'an and to report back to the Prophet (s) with an assessment of the situation in the city and how receptive the people were to Islam. [34]

Second Allegiance of al-Aqaba

The following year (1 BH/622), 73 men and women gathered again after the pilgrimage in al-'Aqaba. The Prophet (s) went to them with his uncle al-'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib . It is reported that 'Abbas first spoke to them and said, "O people of Khazraj! Muhammad (s) is one of us, and we protected him against all harms as much as we could. Now, he (s) is going to come to you. So support him if you can and defend him from his enemies. Otherwise, let him go now". They answered by saying, "We have heard you now, O Messenger of God! Tell us whatever you and your God please!" The Prophet (s) recited a few verses of the Qur'an and then said, "I accept your allegiance with the condition of supporting me like your relatives." Representatives of the people of Medina pledged allegiance to him and vowed to be enemies of his enemies, friends of his friends, and at war with anyone who was at war with him. They called this pledge Bay'at al-Harb . After this, the Prophet (s) allowed the Muslims to immigrate to Yathrib. They went to Yathrib and were warmly welcomed. Those who immigrated to Medina were later called the Muhajirun [i.e., the immigrants] and those who received and hosted them in Yathrib were called the Ansar [i.e., the supporters]. [35]

Dar al-Nadwa Conspiracy

The chiefs of the Quraysh felt that Islam has posed a danger to them, especially when they discovered that a new group had converted to Islam, leading Islam to become more established among people. They felt further threatened because the people of Medina had pledged their allegiance to the Prophet (s). They were terrified of the possibility that the Prophet (s) would take revenge on them for all of the torture and harassment that he and his followers had faced at their hands. They thought that even if the Prophet (s) did not want to wage war against them, he would still be a severe threat to them as Yathrib was the largest city close to Mecca. The businessmen of Quraysh would travel to Yathrib to sell their goods, and each of them had valuable customers there, important to the success of their businesses. They would suffer a huge economic loss if they were to lose access to that city. To prevent such a loss in profit, they concluded that they had to ignore their tribal pacts and kill Muhammad (s). However, killing him was not an easy task because if they did so, Banu Hashim would take revenge. So, they held a meeting in Dar al-Nadwa in order to find a solution for their problem and concluded that a group of young men from all tribes would attack Muhammad (s) and kill him together. This way, his killer would not be one person and Banu Hashim could not take revenge because they could not wage war against all of the tribes in Mecca, and they would be forced to accept a ransom instead of taking revenge.

That night, when the Quraysh attempted to carry out the assassination of the Prophet (s), he had already left Mecca by order of God, and Ali (a) was lying in his bed instead. The Prophet (s) and Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa stayed in a cave near Mecca called Thawr for three days so that those chasing him could not find him and had to return to Mecca empty-handed. Then, the Prophet (s) and Abu Bakr continued on their way to Yathrib. [36]

Arrival in Yathrib

There is a disagreement amongst historians as to which day of Rabi' I the Prophet (s) left Mecca and when he arrived in Yathrib . Ibn Hisham narrates that the Prophet (s) came in Quba (a village in the outskirts of Yathrib) on Monday , the 12th of Rabi' I. Ibn Kalbi has written that he left Mecca on Monday, the 1st of Rabi' I and that he arrived in Quba on Friday , the 12th of Rabi' I. Some other historians have narrated that the Prophet (s) came in Quba on the 8th of Rabi' I. More contemporary European and Muslim historians have said that it took him nine days to travel to Quba, and he arrived there on the Rabi' I 12 , 1 / September 24 , 622.

Later, the immigration of the Prophet (s) to Yathrib was used to mark the beginning of the Islamic calendar . However, the month of Muharram became the calendar's first month, and Rabi' I is the third.

When the Prophet (s) arrived in Quba, he built a mosque which was called the mosque of Quba . [37]

Ali (a) stayed in Mecca for three days after the Prophet (s) departed for Yathrib. He returned everything that people had entrusted to the Prophet (s). Then he himself traveled to Yathrib alongside other members of the family of the Prophet (s) including Fatima (a) , his beloved daughter. They joined the Prophet (s) at the house of Kulthum b. Hadam in Quba before heading to Yathrib together. [38] The Prophet (s) arrived in Yathrib on Friday with a group of people from Banu Najjar . He held the first Friday prayer at the tribe of Banu Salim b. 'Awf .

When he entered the city, everyone wanted to host him to bring honor to their families. The Prophet (s) said, "Wherever my camel sits, that is where my house will be." In response to the invitation of the people, he said, "My camel is just an agent and knows where to go." The Prophet's (s) camel sat in front of the houses of Banu Malik b. Najjar, where his mosque ( al-Masjid al-Nabawi ) was later built on. It was the property of two orphans who would dry fruit dates there. The Prophet (s) bought the property from Mu'adh b. 'Afra' who was their guardian. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari took the Prophet's (s) luggage and belongings to his house. The Prophet (s) stayed at his house for a brief time until they built a room for him. Muhammad (s) helped them in building the mosque. They also built a suffa (stage) extension for the poor companions of the Prophet (s) to live in. They were to become famous as companions of Suffa . [39]

The immigration of the Prophet (s) from Mecca to Yathrib, which later became known as the Hijra , was a significant event in the life of the Prophet (s) and the history of Islam . After this immigration, the city became known as "Madinat al-Rasul" (city of the Prophet) and, in short, "Medina".

The Prophet (s) officially made a pact of brotherhood between Muhajirun and Ansar and took Ali (a) as his own brother. [40] There were also a few people who had accepted Islam by their tongue but did not harbor true faith in their heart, they were hypocrites ( Munafiqun ). Soon after the Prophet (s) entered Medina, he established a constitution between different groups of people in the city, including the Jews . [41]

Hypocrites and Jews

While most of the population of Medina was either Muslim or friends with the Prophet (s), all of the inhabitants of the city and its surroundings were not completely in love with the Prophet (s). 'Abd Allah b. Ubay , who was about to become the chief of the city, but was denied of this because of the people accepting the message of the Prophet (s), was not happy and would not remain silent. Although he called himself a Muslim, he would secretly plot schemes against Muhammad (s) and his followers and had a relationship with the Jews of Medina who would also plot against the Prophet (s). [42]

Such people were named hypocrites and they were spoken of in the first verses of the holy Qur'an that were revealed to the Prophet (s) in Medina. This was because they were causing problems for the Prophet (s) and the Muslims. Dealing with them was more difficult than dealing with the non-Muslims because they called themselves Muslims, and thus the Prophet (s) could not openly fight with them. [43]

Verses of the Qur'an threatened them that God and the Prophet (s) were aware of their true beliefs and knew that calling themselves "Muslims" was just a plot to protect themselves. [44]

'Abd Allah b. Ubay continued to cause troubles until his death ( 9 /631). Although the Jews had signed the Constitution of Medina , they were not happy living with the Muslims. They played friendship games with Muslims. Even some of them (Jews) had outwardly become Muslims. The reason for this discontentment was that before the Islamic government , they controlled the city's economy and traded widely with the Bedouins and polytheists of Mecca. They (Jews) were expecting 'Abd Allah b. Ubay to become the chief of Medina so that their financial power would increase. However, the coming of Muhammad (s) and the expansion of Islam under his command prevented this. Moreover, they could not accept a prophet who was not of Jewish lineage. Therefore, they expressed their opposition to Muhammad (s). Apparently, it was Abd Allah b. Ubay who had a hand in provoking them. The Jews would claim that "the prophet we expected is not Muhammad" and mentioned verses of the Torah that contradicted verses of the Qur'an , saying that "what is in the Qur'an is not the same as what is in our books." Some verses of the Qur'an were then revealed to the Prophet (s), suggesting that verses of the Torah had been distorted over time by Jewish scholars to promote their positions. Eventually, the holy Qur'an attempted to sever the relationship between Islam, Christianity and Judaism . And just to show the Arabs that, compared to Jews, they were a separate nation [45] . [46]

Change of Qibla

The Prophet (s) prayed towards the al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine for seventeen months after entering Medina. During this time, the Jews harassed the Prophet by their persistent criticism. They said: "Muhammad (s) had no Qibla until we taught him about it." These rather harsh criticisms upset the Prophet (s) and one day, in Rajab 2 /623-4, while he was performing the afternoon prayers in the Banu Salama mosque , a verse was revealed to him commanding him to change the Qibla to al-Masjid al-Haram [47] . The Prophet (s) instantly turned his face towards the Ka'ba . After that, the mosque became known as the Dhu l-Qiblatayn mosque .

Battles before the Conquest of Mecca

Battle of badr.

Since the Prophet (s) had made the second allegiance with people of Medina at al-'Aqaba , a battle with the Quraysh seemed inevitable. The first encounter with the Quraysh took place in the month of Safar in the second year after Hijra /August 623. This encounter was called Ghazwa Abwa' or Wuddan in which there was no violent clash, only a minor fight. Another encounter, Ghazwa Buwat , occurred in Rabi' I /September of the same year which just like the first one there was no violent clash. Then, in Jumada I /November, there was news that a caravan of the Quraysh led by Abu Sufyan had begun traveling from Mecca to Damascus . The Prophet (s) went to an area called Dhat al-Ashira to confront them, but the caravan had already passed it before the Muslims arrived. Their attempt was unsuccessful because a few spies in Medina, who had become aware of the Muslims' plans, were able to reach and inform the caravans from Mecca that there was a threat ahead of them and that the caravans should change the route or speed up to avoid them. [48]

Eventually, in the same year (2/624), there was an important battle between the Muslims and polytheists of Mecca. This battle, called the Battle of Badr , was won by the Muslims even though they were less in number. Many polytheists were either killed or captured and many more escaped. [49] In this battle, Abu Jahl and around 70 other chiefs of the Quraysh were killed and roughly the same number captured. Only 14 Muslims were martyred in Badr . In this battle, Ali (a) made great sacrifices and helped the Prophet (s) enormously. He also killed some bold warriors from the army of Mecca and his valor assured the victory of Islam (36 or 37 polytheists were killed by him). [50]

Battle with Banu Qaynuqa'

The first battle with the Jews came about a few weeks after the Battle of Badr which led to the great victory of the Muslims. The Jews of Banu Qaynuqa' had a castle outside of Medina . Their business was to make objects out of gold and other precious metals. It is narrated that once, an Arab woman went to the market to sell her goods in Banu Qaynuqa's market and sat at a jewelry store. One of the Jews tied her clothes from behind and when she tried to stand up, her clothes were drawn to the side and they mocked her by laughing at her. The woman cried and asked for help from the other Muslims in the market, causing a fight. A Muslim rose to help the woman, and in the scuffle that ensued, killed the Jewish man and the Jews killed him, causing the situation to become worse.

Later, the Prophet (s) warned the Jews about the consequences of what they were doing and told them that they had to surrender if they wanted to stay in the city. Banu Qaynuqa' responded to the Prophet (s) by saying that he should not be proud of defeating the Meccans since they were not warriors. They claimed that if they fought the Prophet (s), they would show him how powerful they were. Then, the following verse was revealed:

Say to the faithless, 'You shall be overcome and mustered toward hell, and it is an evil resting place.' (12) There was certainly a sign for you in the two hosts that met: one host fighting in the way of Allah and the other faithless." Quran, 3:12-13

Thus, the Muslims surrounded their castle and the Jews surrendered after 15 days. Abd Allah b. Ubay implored the Prophet (s) not to kill them, and the Prophet (s) agreed, exiling them to Syria . The siege of the Banu Qaynuqa Jews occurred in the month of Shawwal , 2/April 624. [51]

Battle of Uhud

In 3/625, the Quraysh asked for help from their allied tribes, and sent an army led by Abu Sufyan towards Medina . Initially, the Prophet (s) wanted to stay inside the parameters of Medina but then decided to meet the army outside the city. The two armies met somewhere near the Mount Uhud . Although the Muslims were initially close to victory, they ended up losing the war. This was because of a trick played by Khalid b. Walid and the ignorance of a group of Muslims which let the Meccans attack them from behind, killing many Muslims in the process. It was in this battle that Hamza , the uncle of the Prophet (s), was martyred. The Prophet (s) took serious injuries during the war, causing a rumor of his demise among both sides. This was another reason that the Muslims became disheartened at the battle. They returned to Medina dejected and sad at their loss. A few verses were then revealed to console them.

Battles of Banu Nadir and Dumat al-Jandal

In 4/625-6, there were a few small fights with tribes around Medina, as they did not see Islam to their benefit. They felt that if they allied together, there was a chance that they could invade Medina. In the two events of Raji' and Bi'r Ma'una , in which Muslim missionaries were killed by the allied tribes, there is an indication of their alliance and the Prophet's (s) efforts in preaching Islam. [52]

In that year, one of the most important battles of the Prophet (s) took place with one of the Jewish tribes of Medina, called Banu Nadir . The Prophet (s) held a meeting with them, in which they tried to assassinate him. Later, they were forced to migrate from Medina. [53]

The following year ( 5 /626), the Prophet (s) and the Muslims went to a region called Dumat al-Jandal which was on the borders of Syria . When the Muslim army arrived there, the enemy had fled and the Muslims returned to Medina. [54]

Battles of Ahzab, Banu Qurayza, and Banu Mustalaq

In 4/625-6, Abu Sufyan attempted to bring a group of Meccans to fight at Badr , but he changed his mind when he was halfway through Medina and pulled his army back. This escape directly hit his reputation with the chiefs of the Quraysh , and in order to restore it, he had to amass a great army. He finally managed to gather an army of 7,000-10,000 people in 5/627, which included 600 mounted warriors. This massive army headed towards Medina, and the battle that ensued was called the Ahzab (the Arabic word al-Ahzab means parties) because Abu Sufyan's army basically comprised of several different tribes/parties. Also in this war, a group of Jews from Banu Nadir who lived in the castle of Khaybar , joined with the Quraysh and Ghatfan against the Prophet (s). Further, the Jews of Banu Qurayza who lived around Medina and had previously promised not to support the Quraysh, broke their agreement and allied with the Meccans. To confront the approaching army, the Prophet (s) had only 3,000 people who were all foot soldiers (save a few horsemen).

Unlike the Battle of Uhud , the people of Medina accepted to take defensive positions and stayed inside Medina. In order to defend the city from an onslaught, the Prophet's companion, Salman al-Farsi , proposed the strategy of digging a trench in front of the city. Since Medina was surrounded and protected by palm gardens and buildings except on one side, the enemy could not invade the city from those sides. Thus, digging a trench on the only open side where an attack was possible in the north, would keep the city safe from attacks. Before the Meccan army arrived in Medina, the trench had already been dug. The enemy was shocked when they arrived since they had not anticipated or seen such a blockade before. Mounted soldiers could not jump over the trench, and if they tried to approach it, Medinan archers would prevent them from coming any closer.

'Amr b. 'Abd Wad and 'Akrama b. Abi Jahl decided to jump across the trench. Audacious as he was, 'Amr was killed by Ali (a) . At the first glance, it seemed like Medina was going to be defeated. What could the little army of Muslims do against the massive army that was ready to attack their city? First, the Prophet (s) wanted to separate the tribe of Ghatfan from the Meccan army. So, he (s) sent an offer to them that one-third of the crops of Medina would be theirs if they did not help the Quraysh. The Ansar of Medina asked the Prophet (s): "Is this treaty a revelation ?" When he replied in the negative, they said: "Then, we would not accept that. Even in the past, when God had not yet guided us, we would not accept such a belittlement. How can we belittle ourselves today, when God has saved us by you?" Therefore, the treaty was not made.

But, very few people who did not reveal being Muslims, associated with Banu Qurayza and Ghatfan at the same time and made the two tribes distrustful about each other. Divine help arrived and a strong cold storm began, making the situation even more difficult than it was for the Meccan army. Abu Sufyan ordered the army to withdraw to Mecca, and so Medina was relieved after 15 days of being under siege.

The outcome of the Battle of Ahzab was a very positive one for the Muslims, but it was fatally tragic for the Meccans. It became clear that the Meccans had lost any prospects for business in Medina forever. In addition, Medina was in a strategic location and served as an obstacle in the path that the Meccans traveled on from Mecca to Syria . So, the Quraysh businessmen could no longer continue their businesses easily.

Abu Sufyan 's leadership was weakening in Mecca day by day, and the Quraysh had been disgraced in the face of other tribes. The unexpected victory of the Muslims in the Battle of Ahzab had attracted Bedouins to Islam, as they believed that an extraordinary power had supported the Muslims. After this, the situation became favorable for the Muslims. [55]

After the Battle of Ahzab, the Prophet (s) tried to solve the problem of the Banu Qurayza. According to the Constitution of Medina that they had signed soon after the arrival of the Prophet (s) in Medina, these Jews would be protected unless they rose against the Muslims. However, since they had allied with Muslims' enemies in the Battle of Ahzab, the constitution no longer applied. Further, it was obvious that their threat was not minor at all. So, the Prophet (s) went to them and surrounded them, keeping them under siege for 25 days, after which they surrendered. The tribe of Aws , who had been allied with the Banu Qurayza told the Prophet (s): "The Banu Qurayza are allied with us and they regret what they have done, so, treat our alliances the same way as you treated the Khazraj 's alliances ( Banu Qaynuqa' ). [We ask you this] since we saw you forgave those Jewish captives and handed them to the one they were allied with, 'Abd Allah b. Ubay ." The Prophet (s) left the judgment of the captives of Banu Qurayza up to Sa'd b. Mu'adh , who was the chief of the tribe of Aws ; and Banu Qurayza accepted. Sa'd said, "My opinion is that we kill their men and capture their women and children." So, this was done. [56]

However, some historians are skeptical of this story. In fact, Shahidi has said that:

In the year 6 /628, the Muslims conquered the Banu Mustalaq tribe who were gathering forces against the Prophet (s). [58]

Battle of Khaybar

The last war that occurred before the Conquest of Mecca and after the Treaty of Hudaybiyya was the Battle of Khaybar. In 7 /628, the Prophet (s) conquered the Jews of Khaybar who had allied with his enemies several times before. Khaybar which was a castle near Medina was seized by the Muslims. After the victory, the Prophet (s) agreed that the Jews could continue farming in the region, however, they had to give a part of their crop to the Muslims every year. [59]

In the battle of Khaybar, capturing one of the castles was very difficult. The Prophet (s) first sent Abu Bakr and then 'Umar to attempt to seize the castle, but they failed. Then the Prophet (s) said that,

The next day, he called Ali (a) and cured Ali's (a) eyes (which were infected at the time) with saliva from his mouth and told him, "Take this flag and proceed, may God give you victory." Ibn Ishaq narrates from Abu Rafi' that, "Ali went near the castle and fought with the Jews. When his shield fell after one of the Jews had hit it, he took a door of the castle and used it as his shield until victory was achieved and he dropped it [the door] when war was finished." Abu Rafi' says, "Seven people and I tried hard to lift the door, but we could not!" [60]

Treaty of Hudaybiyya

Many events in 6/627-8 ended favorably for the Muslims, such as the Battle of Ahzab , the surrender of the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza , and two or three other battles that they won. Further, the bring-backs of war which they had collected, raised the status and respect of Islam in the eyes of the population to the extent that many tribes converted to Islam or signed peace treaties with Muslims.

Therefore, it was an opportune time for the Prophet (s) to show the glory of Islam to the people of Mecca and to call them to Islam. In Dhu l-Qa'da , 6 /April 628, the Prophet (s) along with 1,500 people from Medina went to Mecca in order to perform the pilgrimage . The Quraysh prepared to stop the Muslims from the pilgrimage when they became aware of this. First, they sent Khalid b. Walid and 'Ikrama b. Abi Jahl to prevent them from coming to Mecca. The Prophet (s) arrived in Hudaybiyya , a place marking the beginning of the Haram (sacred land), and sent a message to the Meccans that "we have come for pilgrimage, not war." It was a humiliation for Quraysh to see their enemies enter Mecca and perform Hajj. But on the other hand, they could not prevent anyone from entering Mecca to perform Hajj, as Mecca was the free land of God. Finally, a peace treaty was agreed upon and signed between the Prophet (s) and the representatives of Mecca. According to the treaty, they would not engage in warfare with each other and allies of each other for the next ten years. However, the Muslims could not enter Mecca that year, but the following year, the Quraysh would leave the city for three days and the Muslims would be permitted to enter to perform the pilgrimage. Another article in the peace treaty was that if a Meccan man were to come to the Prophet (s), the person would have to be returned to Mecca. However, if someone were to go to Mecca, they would not have to return them. Further, the treaty permitted that other tribes were free to ally either with the Quraysh or with Muhammad (s). [61]

Some of the companions of the Prophet (s) were angry about the contents of the treaty and considered it to be a failure for the Muslims since they could not understand its importance and benefits. However, the signing of this treaty was a great victory for Muslims because the Meccans had completely disregarded the Prophet (s) and his companions until then. They had intended to kill all of them, and in this treaty, they finally recognized the Muslims on an official basis and dealt with them as equals. Moreover, it was written in the treaty that tribes were free to ally with the Prophet (s) or the Quraysh. So, the treaty would be broken if either the Muslims or the Quraysh waged war on their allies. Later, the Quraysh broke this condition, and the Muslims conquered Mecca. A short time after signing the treaty, a Meccan who had become Muslim was going to be returned to Mecca (as per the treaty). However, he escaped on the way, and instead of going back to Medina, he hid in a place which was on the path that the Quraysh's caravan took while traveling to Syria . Gradually, some of the Muslims of Mecca joined him at this spot and became a threat to the caravans of the Quraysh as they lay in wait. Since it was not appropriate here for the Prophet (s) to return them to Mecca, the Quraysh were forced to ask him to call them back to Medina, and so, the issue of returning refugees was canceled. More importantly, when the Quraysh violated one of the articles of the treaty, the Meccans were forced to submit to the Muslims. [62]

Inviting the Rulers of Neighboring Countries

In 7/628-9, when the Prophet (s) was no longer occupied by the troubles of the Quraysh (because of the Hudaybiyya peace treaty), he decided to invite rulers and kings of neighboring countries to Islam . Thus, he wrote letters to the East Roman Emperor , King of Persia , Nəgusä of Abyssinia , Ghassanid king of Syria , and the Emir of al-Yamama . [63]

Pilgrimage to Mecca

In Dhu l-Qa'da of 7 /629, the Prophet (s) went to Mecca for pilgrimage , as was agreed upon in the Hudaybiyya peace treaty . The glorious arrival of the Prophet (s) and the Muslims into Masjid al-Haram , their performing of the 'Umra , the glory of their rituals, and the great respect that Muslims paid to the Prophet (s) was magnificent in the eyes of the Quraysh . It became clear to them that they would not have the power to resist the Prophet (s), and those who were smarter realized that the former system was collapsing, and a new door had opened for the people. Therefore, two of their chiefs, Khalid b. Walid and Amr b. 'As , rushed to Medina and became Muslim. [64]

Conquest of Mecca

According to the Hudaybiyya peace treaty , all tribes were permitted to ally either with the Muslims or the Quraysh , as they wished. The tribe of Khuza'a allied with the Prophet (s) and Banu Bakr allied with the Quraysh. On 8/629, Banu Bakr fought the tribe of Khuza'ah, and the Quraysh supported Banu Bakr in this battle. In this way, the Quraysh had broken the Hudaybiyya peace treaty since they had fought against one of the Prophet's (s) allies. Abu Sufyan then realized that such a violation would have consequences, and rushed to Medina to attempt to renew the treaty, but he could not.

In the month of Ramadan in 8 /630, the Prophet (s) went to Mecca with 10,000 Muslims. He began his trip while nobody knew of it. When they arrived, they stayed in a place called Marr al-Zahran . Abbas , the Prophet's uncle went out of his tent at night and searched for some Meccans in order to tell them to inform the Quraysh about the Prophet's (s) trip to Mecca. This was so that they could come to the Prophet (s) before he arrived in Mecca and a battle occurred. However, he suddenly saw Abu Sufyan, sheltered him, and took him to the Prophet (s). Abu Sufyan then became a Muslim. The following day, the Prophet (s) ordered Abbas to make Abu Sufyan stand in a place where he could see the Muslims accompanying the Prophet (s) passing by. When Abu Sufyan saw their glory and the massive number of Muslims, he told Abbas, "the kingdom of your nephew has grown!" Abbas said, "This is the prophethood, not the kingdom!" Abu Sufyan replied, "Yes, Indeed!" Then Abbas went to the Prophet (s) and told him that "Abu Sufyan is the type of person that wants to have the privilege." The Prophet (s) said that "Everyone [in Mecca] who goes to his house and shuts their door will be safe. Also, anyone who is sheltered in Abu Sufyan's house will be safe as well. Anyone who enters Masjid al-Haram will also be safe." The great crowds of Muslims entered Mecca. Ibn Hisham narrates from Ibn Ishaq that Sa'd b. 'Ubada , the chief of the tribe of Khazraj had come to Mecca that day and said, "Today is the day of massacre! Today is the day of disrespect and the violation of sanctity." He wanted to take revenge on the Quraysh and the 'Adnani families and sought revenge for the people of Medina. To avoid the misconception that the Islamic victory would be a form of tribal revenge, the Prophet (s) sent Ali (a) and told him, "Take the flag from Sa'd for today is the day of mercy." There was no fight between the Meccans and Muslims, save for a few arguments. The Prophet (s) went to Masjid al-Haram and circumambulated the Ka'ba seven times and then stood at the front of its door and said,

People abandoned every tribal claim except for the positions of serving the Ka'ba and giving water to the pilgrims. The Prophet (s) stayed in Mecca for two weeks and arranged for different jobs to be done. Among these, was sending some people around Mecca to destroy any idols or idol houses, and further, to destroy the idols that were in the Ka'ba.

The noble way that the Prophet (s) treated the Meccans showed the glory of Islam and the nobility of the Prophet in front of the former opposition to Islam. The Quraysh, who had not hesitated to harass the Prophet (s) and his followers in every possible way for twenty years, feared the punishment that they would face. When they heard the Prophet (s) say, "I free all of you!" they became determined to fight against the infidels instead of fighting against Islam. [65]

Battles after the Conquest of Mecca

Battle of hunayn.

No less than 15 days after the Prophet (s) had come to Mecca, a few large families from around the Arabian Peninsula who had not yet become Muslim, allied against him. So, the Prophet (s) left Mecca with a large army. When they arrived at a place called Hunayn , the enemies ambushed them using surrounding valleys and began to shoot arrows at the Muslims. The shooting was so intense that the Muslims' retreated, and only a few remained. However, those who retreated then returned, attacking the enemy and eventually defeating them. [66]

Battle of Tabuk

Among the most important events of 9/630 is the Battle of Tabuk . The Prophet (s) was informed that the Romans had gathered a great army at Balqa' and were planning to attack the Muslims. However, because the summer was scorching and extremely hot, and the season of ripe fruits had arrived, people wanted to stay at home and relax. In fact, the treasure house was half empty. The Prophet (s) did not use to aim at certain targets before campaigning, however, in the Battle of Tabuk, he announced that they were going to go to war with the Romans because of the difficulties that they had on the way. A few complained about the prospect of war and said: "It is summer and it is hot! Don't go now!" They were bitterly reproached in the Qur'an :

…and they said, 'Do not go forth in this heat.' Say, The fire of hell is severer in heat, should they understand. Quran, 9:81

The soldiers of the Muslim army numbered 30,000 [67] and this was the highest number of soldiers in the Muslim army in all of the battles of the Prophet (s). It was also perhaps the highest number for an army in the Arabian Peninsula till that day.

In this war, the Prophet (s) left Ali (a) in Medina to take care of its affairs. The hypocrites used the situation to say that the Prophet (s) did not want Ali (a) to accompany him on this trip. When Ali (a) became upset and complained about this to the Prophet (s), the Prophet (s) told him: "I appointed you as my deputy, since to me, you are like Aaron (a) to Moses (a) , except that there is no prophet after me." (see: Hadith Manzila )

The army suffered extreme thirst on the way, and when they arrived in Tabuk , they were informed that the news of the Romans gathering against them had not been true, then with no conflict they returned.

The Battle of Tabuk was the last confrontation (or attempt) between Muslims and non-Muslims in the lifetime of the Prophet (s). After that, all of the Arabian Peninsula submitted to the Muslims. It was after this battle that most tribes sent a representative to the Prophet (s) to inform him about their conversion to Islam and their obedience to him. This period later came to be known as the Sanat al-Wufud (the year of delegations/guests). [68]

Sanat al-Wufud

After the Battle of Tabuk, Islam began to spread all over the Arabian Peninsula . Delegations from different tribes came to Medina and became Muslim. In fact, the Prophet (s) stayed inside Medina for all of 10 /631-2 (called Sanat al-Wufud) and received various delegations. [69] In the same year, the Prophet (s) signed a treaty with the Christians of Najran (see: Mubahala ) [70] and then went on the Hajj pilgrimage. On his return trip from the pilgrimage, in a place called Ghadir Khum , he announced that Ali b. Abi Talib (a) was to become the guardian of the Muslims after he passed away. [71] .

"Two units of prayer in the middle of night is more pleasing to me than the whole world and whatever is in it."

'Allama Tabataba'i , Sunan al-nabi , p. 288

"The worst of sins is to play with the honor of a Muslim brother."

Payam-i Payambar , p. 717

"The most significant virtue on the scale of a believer's actions is good manners; God does not like the foul-mouthed and the wrongdoers."

Payam-i Payambar , p. 701

Last Hajj of the Prophet (s) and Event of Ghadir Khum

The Prophet (s) went for his last pilgrimage in Dhu l-Qa'da , 10 /February 632. He taught the rulings of the Hajj during this Hajj journey.

The Quraysh had saved some privileges for themselves, the same privileges that they had before the advent of Islam. In addition to key-holding, managing, and giving water to the Hajj pilgrims, they regarded themselves as separate from and superior to the other tribes in doing rituals. In this last Hajj journey, the Prophet (s) negated the privileges that the Quraysh had held for themselves and had deprived others of.

Among the things abolished was the purchase of clean clothing for the pilgrimage permitted only through the Quraysh. There was a custom that the clean clothes required for the pilgrimage could only be bought from the Quraysh, and if they were not, they had to circumambulate the Ka'ba naked. Another practice abolished was that the Quraysh moved out from Muzdalifa , as opposed to 'Arafat as all other Hajj pilgrims did. They believed this to be an honor for themselves, but the Qur'an nullified this privilege:

Then stream out from where the people stream out… Quran, 2:199

The Muslims saw that Muhammad (s) was from Quraysh, but that he was moving out from 'Arafat like all of the others. It was in this journey that the Prophet (s) told the people,

In a region called Juhfa where the peoples of Egypt , Hijaz and Iraq split up to travel to their own regions, is a place called Ghadir Khum . Here, on the Prophet's (s) return to Medina , before everyone split in different directions, he received an order from God to appoint Ali (a) as his successor and who would direct the Muslim community towards a specific goal. In the massive crowd of Muslims, approximated at 90-100,000, the Prophet (s) said,

After returning from the Hajj, when the glory and power of Islam had grown, the Prophet (s) became sick. Nevertheless, he had prepared an army under the leadership of Osama b. Zayd in order to respond to the Muslims' defeat in the Battle of Muta . However, before this army left for the battle, the Prophet (s) passed away and left this world to meet his Lord. He passed away at a time when he had established unity throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula and had brought Islam to the gates of the two great empires of Rome and Iran .

In the beginning of 11 / 632 , the Prophet (s) became sick and passed away. Before he passed away, when he was very ill, he gave a farewell speech to the Muslims and advised them to be kind to one another. He also said "If I owe anything to anyone, they should come to me to ask for it or else, they should disregard it. If I have annoyed anyone, I am ready to be punished in retaliation for it" [72]

The Prophet (s) passed away on Safar 28 / May 25 or on Rabi' I 12 / June 7 of 11 / 632 at the age of 63. It is mentioned in Nahj al-balagha that at the time of his demise, the Prophet's (s) head lay on the chest of Ali (a) . [73]

At the time of his demise, none of his children were alive except for Fatima (a) . All of his other children had passed away, including Ibrahim , who was born one or two years before the Prophet's (s) demise. Ali (a), with the help of some others, as per the Islamic tradition, washed the Prophet's (s) body and shrouded and buried him in his house, where it is now located in Masjid al-Nabi .

Successor of the Prophet (s)

While Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and the Banu Hashim were washing the corpse of the Prophet (s) as per Islamic tradition, a few influential Muslims decided to choose the next leader for the Umma -- disregarding what the Prophet (s) had said just two months prior to his demise (see: Event of Ghadir Khum ). A number of people from Mecca (the Muhajirun ) and Medina (the Ansar ) gathered in a place called Saqifa Banu Sa'ida . They wanted a ruler to be chosen for the Muslims as soon as possible. However, an argument erupted over who should be chosen for such a position and finally, they pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr .

Position in Shi'a Beliefs

According to the Shi'a school of thought , Muhammad (s) was a prophet and messenger , and he was the seal of the Prophets , with no prophet after him. The Prophet (s) was one of the five Prophets of Great Stature and brought a noble religion to humanity from God . The Prophet (s) is the first of 14 Infallibles (a) . He was infallible not only in receiving and delivering the revelation , but in all aspects of his life. Many miracles have been reported from the Prophet (s), the greatest among which was the Qur'an . (see: Miracles of the Prophet (s) )

Personality

The Prophet (s) lived for forty years amongst the people before he began his mission. During this time, his character showed no signs of any bad qualities. He was known as an honest and trustworthy individual. Afterward, when the Prophet (s) delivered the message of God , the infidels could not deny the Prophet's (s) virtues, but rather they denied the Qur'anic verses. This matter has been mentioned in the Qur'an as well,

…Yet it is not you that they deny, but it is Allah's signs that the wrongdoers impugn. Quran, 6:33

Also, it has been quoted that Abu Jahl once said: "we do not deny you, but rather we deny these verses". [74] When the Prophet (s) began to deliver the message of God to the Quraysh , he asked them, "Would you believe me if I told you that [enemy] troops are positioned behind this mountain?" The audience replied in the affirmative and said: "Yes, you have never lied to us". The Prophet (s) then said that he was sent by God to warn them. [75]

In addition to his glorious past, being Arab, and his distinguished tribe and family played a crucial role in the Prophet's (s) status and success. The Quraysh was an important and famous tribe amongst the Arabs. This eminence caused many of the other tribes to acknowledge the Quraysh's superiority over them and would obey them in some cases. On the other hand, the ancestors of the Prophet (s) ( Qusayy b. Kilab , Hashim , and 'Abd al-Muttalib ) were known as honorable and distinguished men amongst the Arabs. At the time, the Arab community had a limited cultural relationship with other regions. This caused them to have pride in their Arabism and they were prejudiced against others and would deny their words on the basis that they were not Arabs, ordering them to acknowledge only what was "theirs'". This Qur'anic verse probably indicates this fact:

Had We sent it down upon some non-Arab, and had he recited it to them, they would not have believed in it. Quran, 26:198-199

Since Islam was first presented to the Arabs, being one of them was an advantage for the Prophet (s). This issue has also been mentioned in the Qur'an.

The greatest quality of the Prophet (s) was his impeccable character and behavior (Akhlaq). The Qur'an says of him:

and indeed you possess a great character. Quran, 68:4

It is said that he was quiet and did not speak unless it was necessary. He always opened his mouth slightly and never more than half of it was open. He would smile and never laughed out loud. When he wanted to face someone, he turned his entire body. He loved the cleanliness and the smell of perfume. When he would pass somewhere, people would realize that it was him who had passed because of his fragrant smell. He was never arrogant. He lived a simple life and would sit on the ground to eat food. He never ate his fill and remained hungry on many occasions, especially when he first arrived in Medina. However, he never led a completely ascetic life in the way that many monks did. In fact, he has said that he benefited from the good of this world. His conduct towards Muslims and those of another faith was graceful and chivalrous. His conduct was so pleasant in the eyes of Muslims that they would speak of its details throughout generations. Today, it is the model of their lives and religion. [76]

Imam 'Ali (a) describes the conduct of the Prophet (s) as follows, "Everyone who met him for the first time was in awe of him. Everyone who was in his company began to love him" [77] . "The Prophet (s) would look at his companions equally and never looked at one of them longer than the other" [78] . "When he shook hands with someone, he would never withdraw his hand first" [79] .

The Prophet (s) spoke with everyone according to their level of intellect and understanding. [80] He was famous for his forgiveness of those who had wronged him; [81] to the extent that he even forgave Wahshi who was the murderer of his uncle, and Abu Sufyan who had been the archenemy of Islam. He was amicable with everybody and had the valuable quality of making everyone feel as though they were special to him.

The Prophet (s) lived with self-discipline. Throughout his entire life, he did not designate a spot for himself (in a place of superiority whilst sitting with others). In fact, the simple clay rooms that were beside the mosque belonged to his wives. Their roofs were made of palm wood and the screens that hung at their doors were made of goat or camel hair. He would use a pillow and a leather bed that was filled with palm leaves, over which he slept his entire life. His undershirt was made from a coarse fabric that itched the body and he wore a robe made of camel hair. This was despite the fact that after the Battle of Hunayn , he gifted 4000 camels, more than 4000 sheep, and a great amount of gold and silver to various people.

His food was simpler than his house, clothes, and property. Months would pass by where no fire was lit in his house to cook food. His staple diet consisted of dates and barley bread. He never ate to his fill for two consecutive days, nor would he eat to his fill two times per day. There were many nights where he and his family slept while they were hungry. Once, Fatima (a) brought her father barley bread and said, "I baked bread and thought that I must bring you some." He ate that and said to her, "This is the only thing that your father has been eating for the past three days." Once, he wanted to eat dates in the date garden of one of the Ansar and said, "This is the fourth day that I haven't eaten anything." Sometimes, he would tie a stone to his stomach due to the extremity of his hunger (so that his hunger would be temporarily relieved). Upon his demise, his armor was pledged with a Jew as security for 30 cups of barley. [82]

Organization and Tidiness

The Prophet (s) was very organized in his life. After the construction of the mosque , he named every column in the mosque and marked each of them for specific activities; e.g. [83] the column of Wufud , which was the place for delegations and meetings, the column of Tahajjud which was the place for night prayers, and so on. He arranged the lines of the congregational prayer so straight that it was as if he was arranging wooden poles, and once he said, "O Servants of God! Arrange your lines, otherwise, dissent will grow amongst you" [84] . He was very organized with regard to scheduling his time. He had divided his time into three parts: one for worshipping God , one for personal activities, and one for activities with the people. [85]

He would always look in the mirror to arrange and comb his hair. In fact, he was always well-groomed, not only in front of his family but also in front of his companions. He would take care of his appearance even while traveling and would always carry five things: a mirror, kohl, a comb, a brush, and a pair of scissors. [86]

The Qur'an describes the Prophet (s) as Ummi which was an attribute given to someone who did not know how to read or write. The Prophet (s) could not read or write. The Qur'an says:

You did not use to recite any scripture before it, nor did you write it with your right hand… Quran, 29:48

which seems to imply that the Prophet (s) could neither read nor write before revelation . The verse continues:

…for then the impugners would have been skeptical (that you have learned Quran from someone other than Allah). Quran, 29:48

Some Hadiths from Him

The faithful should not be [full from] eating if they are not unaccompanied by their neighbors [who have nothing to eat] [87] .
The faithful should not ambush anyone to kill them [88] .
Faith is not accepted without action, nor is action accepted without faith [89] .
One will not succeed in their work without three things: God-wariness to keep him from committing sins, and morals in order to treat people leniently and with patience (with) which they can avoid ill-mannered people [90] .
Be patient with people so that you too are treated with forbearance [91] .
There are three kinds of people who harm the religion: knowledgeable sinners, tyrant leaders and ignorant religious authorities [92] .
The most hated, but permissible action in the eye of God is divorce [93] .
Be friends with the poor since they have eminence on the Day of Judgment [94] .
The best in the eyes of God are those who have better manners [95] .
The most beloved servants before God are those who are the most beneficial to the servants of God [96] .
The best of you are the best to your wives [97] .

Collections of the Prophet's (s) Hadiths

According to the Shi'a school of thought , hadiths (narrations) from the Imams (a) are binding sources for Islamic law and theology in the same way that hadiths from the Prophet (s) are sources of Islamic law. As such, they both need to be followed and observed. In this respect, there is no difference whether the narration comes from the Prophet or the Imams (as the Imams are following the Prophet's tradition and there is no conflict). The four primary sources of hadith for the Shi'as are al-Kafi , al-Tahdhib , Man la yahduruh al-faqih and al-Istibsar . They do not separate the hadiths of the Prophet (s) and Imams (a) from each other, but rather they are grouped together by subject.

However, there are certain books that have collected the hadith of the Prophet (s) only or have dedicated chapters for hadiths of the Prophet (s). Some of these sources include:

Tuhaf al-'uqul 'an al al-Rasul (s): This book was written by Ibn Shu'ba al-Harrani , who was a great Shi'a scholar and jurist of the 4th/10th century. This book is an invaluable collection of narrations and pieces of advice from the Prophet (s) and Imams (a) and even has a dedicated chapter for sayings of the Prophet (s).

Al-Majazat al-Nabawiyya : This book was written by al-Sayyid al-Radi . This collection of the Prophet's (s) hadiths focuses on certain aspects of the Prophet's narrations and groups them into categories like subtle advice, admonitions, implications, and allegories.

Makatib al-Rasul (s) : This book was written by Ayatullah Ahmadi Miyaniji , and it contains the letters of the Prophet (s) to kings, officials and agents. It also includes pieces of writing on treaties, contracts, and some other miscellaneous issues.

Sunan al-nabi : This book was written by 'Allama Tabataba'i . It aims to give a brief overview of the morals and manners of the Prophet and what is known as the "conduct of the Prophet (s)".

Nahj al-fasaha : This book was compiled by Abu l-Qasim Payanda . It is organized into two sections: hadiths and sermons and includes the narrations and sayings of the Prophet (s).

Imam 'Ali (a)
Lady Fatima (a)
Ahl al-Bayt (a)
Ghadir Khum
Companions of the Prophet (s)

The Life of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W)

In the 6th century CE Arabia, the majority of people were pagans. They lived in tribes, each with its own leader. Some were agriculture and cattle farmers, others were merchants and traders, while others raided other tribes for booty as a means of survival.

It was into this society, in 570 CE, that Prophet Muhammad was born into the tribe of the Quraysh, [1] in the city of Mecca. His father [2] died before he was born and his mother [3] died when he was still a young child, and thus, it was his grandfather [4] who brought him up and looked after him. When his grandfather died, his paternal uncle, Abu Talib [5] cared for him.

While growing up, Prophet Muhammad became known as “Muhammad the Truthful and the Trustworthy One” (As-Sadiq, al-Amin).

Early into his adulthood, Prophet Muhammad worked for a successful widow, Khadijah, [6] who was so impressed with his honesty that she asked him to marry her. At that time, the Prophet was twenty-five years old, and remained in this monogamous marriage until Khadijah’s death twenty-five years later.

Often, Prophet Muhammad would take a respite from the bustle of Mecca by traveling to a cave for periods of reflection. During one such time, when Muhammad was forty years old, he heard the voice of an angel named Gabriel [7] giving him a command,

“Recite in the Name of your Lord who creates, creates man from a clot. Recite! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful, who taught the use of the pen, taught mankind that which they knew not.” (96: 1-5)

Prophet Muhammad repeated the words until he had memorized them. He then rushed home and told his experience to his wife, Khadijah who comforted and reassured him. Khadijah and the Prophet’s young cousin, Ali, were the first people to understand and accept that God had chosen “the Truthful and the Trustworthy” to deliver God’s final guidance. Prophet Muhammad continued to receive revelations for over twenty years. [8]

As time passed, it became clear to the ever-increasing number of people that Prophet Muhammad was indeed the Messenger of God. The least receptive people were the powerful Meccan leaders whom dealt in idols and slaves. They benefited mostly from idol worshiping and the pilgrim trade. The Meccans treated Prophet Muhammad with derision, but despite this, he continued to deliver the revelations of God’s mercy and justice which were welcomed by the poor and oppressed.

The Meccans were becoming more and more intolerant of Prophet Muhammad and felt threatened by the messages he was advocating, such as the oneness of God, and with the increasing number of converts to Islam within the region, the Prophet was becoming a serious threat. In an attempt to dissuade the expansion of Islam, the Quraysh exiled the Prophet, his family, and followers from Mecca. The Quraysh then sanctioned an economic blockade on trade and association with the Muslims. [9]

For three years, the Muslims were sheltered in the valley of Abu Talib, near Mecca. In conditions of hardship and hunger, the Muslims often faced the allotment of one date a day; and at times, two people shared one date. Yet, because of the Muslims’ tenacious faith, the siege ended unsuccessfully.

Shortly after the siege ended, the Prophet was once again faced with tribulation. Two of the most influential and dearest people to him died – his uncle, Abu Talib and his beloved wife, Khadijah. Overwhelmed by grief, the Prophet declared that year as “The Year of Sadness.”

No longer being protected and supported by his uncle, the Prophet became more vulnerable to the escalating pressure by the Quraysh.

Leaders from the distant town of Yathrib [10] secretly invited the Prophet and his followers to settle in their hometown and to preach the word of Islam. Before migrating to Madina in 622 CE, the Prophet narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Mecca. [11]

The migration from Mecca to Madina became known as the Hijrah, which marks the starting point of the Muslim calendar. [12]

Prophet Muhammad was received with excitement and jubilation [13] in Madina, where he became head of what was to become the first Islamic state. Throughout the first ten years in Madina, Muslims witnessed several occasions that were to become milestones in the history of Islam.

The primary task was to build a mosque in Madina. The Prophet himself participated in building the mosque which also incorporated his home. In addition, the companions of the Prophet built their homes in close proximity to the mosque to be near the Prophet.

It was necessary for the Prophet to create a center where its members could assemble; and thus the mosque was not only a place of worship, but also a center of social, political, and educational services.

It was in Madina that the unity of brotherhood amongst the Muslims was introduced. There were two major tribes in Madina: the Muhajireen (immigrants) and the Ansar (indigenous). [14] The Ansar were divided into two groups: Aws and Khazraj [15] – tribes who had been fighting each other for over 100 years. Under a common purpose [Islam], the Prophet appeased the animosity that existed among the two tribes by establishing a form of brotherhood between them. “Now you have become brothers in faith, by pairs,” the Prophet said to his followers. [16] By this method, the Prophet insured the political and spiritual nature of his nation.

Today, the unity of brotherhood continues to remain a tremendous act of equality among Muslims. Islam is a foundation upon which all races, nationalities, cultures, socio-economic levels, and genders can be united by religious kinship.

The Prophet made the institution of matrimony easier as well. The gift of marriage (mahr), which the man is to give to his bride was made moderate, and inter-marriages with other tribes became more accessible as socio-economic or ancestral descent was no longer a major factor in marriage. The establishment of marriage became a form of uniting, securing, and promoting Islam within various tribes and nations. Marriage not only symbolized the religious union of a man and a woman, but also, indirectly influenced and affected social and political ties. The Prophet said, “He who wishes to appear before God with a pure soul, should get married.” [17]

The Prophet set the example of marriage with his own daughter, Lady Fatima. Although many friends and companions of the Prophet had proposed marriage to Fatima, they were made aware that her marriage was not going to be based on affluence, rank, or descent. The men knew that the person that resembled the Prophet in matters of truthfulness, spiritual merit, and moral excellence would be none other than Ali.

The Prophet (by God’s direction) told the suitors that the marriage of Fatima would only occur by Divine order. When Ali approached the Prophet to seek his blessings in marrying his daughter, he was overcome with shyness. The Prophet encouraged him to speak at which point Ali proposed. However the Prophet did not answer him immediately. The Prophet then consulted Fatima and sought her reply, which she accepted. The marriage of Ali and Fatima was then solemnized by God Himself and declared as such by the Prophet .

After the migration to Madina, the Prophet faced continual threats from the Quraysh and the polytheists of Mecca, and the non-Muslims who lived in and around Madina. Peace and security were paramount, yet the Prophet’s attempts to keep peace within the region were proving to be futile. The opposition in Mecca mobilized its troops to demolish the newly established Islamic state in Madina.

Standing firm in the face of military aggression, the Prophet was compelled to defend Islam in what became known as the “Battle of Badr.” The battle erupted only two years after the hijrah (migration), and although the Prophet’s army was far outnumbered – historians report that they were out powered and outnumbered three to one – they triumphed. A story about this battle in the Quran reveals that God sent an army of angels to assist the Muslims against the Meccans. [18]

The Muslim success in the battle gave immense prestige to the infant Islamic community in Madina and struck a major blow to the pride of the Meccans.

The following year, the Meccans wanted to avenge their defeat. On a small mountain called Uhud, west of Madina, the second major battle was fought which became known as the “Battle of Uhud.”

In the beginning of the battle, the Muslims showed signs of victory. However, the insubordination [19] of some Muslim men caused the final setback in the battle in which many Muslims were injured and lost their lives. The Prophet himself was injured and he lost his beloved uncle, Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib, who was one of his greatest supporters.

Although the Battle of Uhud was a setback for the Muslim community, they were able to remain in Madina.

Afterwards, many other victorious defensive battles consolidated the Muslims; [20] hence, Islam became an ever-increasing spiritual and political force in Arabia, which eventually paved the way to the conquest of Mecca.

In the ninth year of the hijrah (630 CE), Prophet Muhammad and his followers entered Mecca after a peaceful surrender by the Meccans. The Prophet went directly to the Kabah [21] to perform the tawaf (circumambulation). As he entered the station of the Kabah, there sat the three main idols that the pagans had worshipped above the Kabah’s door entrance. With his spear, Prophet Muhammad destroyed them while reciting,

“And say, truth has arrived and falsehood has perished, for falsehood is bound to perish.” [22]

Subsequently, more than three-hundred idols were destroyed inside and around the Kabah. The destruction of the idols symbolized the arrival and the proclamation of truth and the end to falsehood. Islam was now home. The Prophet then granted general amnesty to all the Meccans who had fought against him for twenty-two years. Afterwards he addressed them with these words, “You have been unreasonable countrymen. You refuted my prophethood and turned me out of my home, and when I took refuge in a far-off place, you rose to fight against me. You killed my uncle and my best companions. However, in spite of all these crimes of yours, I forgive all of you and make you free, and declare that you may go after the pursuits of your life.” [23]

During the tenth year of the hijrah, the Prophet performed the “Farewell Hajj,” [24] which was also his only and final Hajj pilgrimage. On the day of Arafat, [25] over 100,000 pilgrims were present when the Prophet commenced his sermon by saying, “O people! Hear my words, for it possible that I may not meet you at this place in the future. O people! Your blood and property (honor and reputation) are forbidden toward one another until the day you meet Allah. O people! Your women have rights upon you and you also have rights upon them. You should treat them with kindness and love, and you should provide them with a comfortable means in life…” [26]

After the farewell pilgrimage and three months before the Prophet’s death, the final verse of the Quran was revealed,

“Today I [Allah] have perfected for you your religion, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (5:3)

On the 28th of Safar (the second month of the lunar-based, Islamic calendar) 11 AH (632 CE), at the age of sixty-three, the Noble Prophet died. At the time of his death, the majority of the people in Arabia had accepted Islam as their religion and way of life.

[1] The Quraysh were a major tribe in Mecca, of which the clan of Hashim was a part of and to which Prophet Muhammad belonged. [2] His father was Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib. [3] His mother was Amina, daughter of Wahab. [4] Paternal grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim. [5] His paternal uncle was the father of Imam Ali, and he was one of the chiefs of Mecca and noblemen of Quraysh. He was famous for his generosity, bravery, and dedication in protecting his nephew, Prophet Muhammad. He accepted Islam and supported the Prophet until the end of his life. [6] Lady Khadijah, the first and most revered wife of the Prophet. She was the first female to embrace Islam. Khadijah bore the Prophet children; two sons, Qasim and Abdullah; four daughters: Ruqayah, Zaineb, Um-Kalthum, and Fatima. The male children died while the Prophet was in Mecca, while the daughters survived beyond the advent of their father’s prophethood. Khadijah was known for her noble traits and sincere dedication to the Prophet. Prophet Muhammad once described Khadijah in the following statement: “I have not acquired a better wife after her, she believed in my prophethood at a time when people rejected it. She placed her wealth at my disposal when people deprived me of attaining it, and Allah gave me, only through her, children, and not from any other woman.” Jafar Subhani, The Message, p.190. [7] Angel Gabriel is one of the four Archangels and is considered one of the greatest of all angels since he was the channel through which the Divine books and the scriptures were revealed from God to the prophets. The other three angels are: Izrail, the angel of death; Israfil, the angel assigned to sound the trumpet on the Day of Resurrection; and Mikail (Michael), who watches over the places of worship. [8] See Seerat ibn Hisham, v.1, p.236. [9] Seerat ibn Hisham, v.1, p.350. An economic treaty was initiated by the grand counsel of Quraysh which entailed an endorsement and a pledge, until their deaths, by the community not to end the economic ban on the Muslims with the following criteria: 1. Every type of trade or business with the supporters of Muhammad shall be banned. 2. Association with Muhammad and his followers was strictly prohibited. 3. No one was entitled to establish matrimonial ties with the Muslims. 4. Opponents of Muhammad should be supported in all circumstances. [10] Yathrib was a town approximately 350 miles north of Mecca. Yathrib was later renamed Madinatun Nabi, meaning The City of the Prophet. [11] See Quran 8:30. [12] The Islamic calendar began at the migration of the Prophet from Mecca to Madina, and it is based on the lunar cycles. Two important incidents occurred before the migration to Madina: the birth of the Prophet, during the Year of the Elephant 570 CE, which symbolizes the year that King Abraha came to destroy the Kabah with a herd of elephants (See Quran c.105) and the ordination of Muhammad to prophethood. Islam, in its first thirteen years in Mecca, was constantly suppressed and its followers were tormented. The migration (hijrah) marked the turning point in liberating Islam and its followers. In addition, Madina also provided a safe haven and an opportunity to establish the birth of the Islamic state. Quranic verses regarding rules of social, economic, political, and formal rituals were mostly introduced in Madina. Muslims consider the migration to Madina as an Islamic victory for freedom of religion. [13] The Prophet proceeded to Madina. When his camel descended at a location known as the Valley of Wada and set its foot on the land of Yathrib, the people warmly welcomed and greeted the Prophet with jubilation. The mood surrounding this event is marked by a well-known poem: The white moon rose over us, from the valley of Wada and we owe it to show gratefulness when the call is to Allah. O you who were raised amongst us coming with a word to be obeyed; you have brought to this city nobleness; welcome best caller to God’s way! [14] Muhajireen (Muslim immigrants from Mecca) and Ansar (the Helpers who received the Prophet in Madina) were the two major groups of Muslims in Madina. [15] Aws and Khazraj were major tribes within Ansar that lived and supported the Prophet in Madina. [16] Seerat ibn Hisham, v.1 p.123. [17] Jafar Subhani, The Message, p.358. [18] See Quran 3:124-126. [19] See Quran 3:152; Seerat ibn Hisham, v.2 p.400. [20] Battles such as: Ahzab, which took place in 5 AH (626 CE), Khaybar, which took place in 7 AH (628 CE), Mutah, which took place in 8 AH (629 CE), and Thatusalasil, which took place in 8 AH (629 CE). [21] The Kabah is a cube made of stone. It was first built by Prophet Adam. Later, Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael rebuilt the Kabah’s foundation. The Kabah is the center and direction of Muslim prayers. [22] Quran 17:31. [23] Seerat ibn Hisham, v.4 p.55. [24] See Quran chapter Hajj (22). [25] The Day of Arafat is a holy day for the Muslims and is the 9th day of the 12th lunar Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah. This happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan and marks the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage. The day following Arafat is the major Islamic Holiday of Eid al-Adha. At dawn of this day, Muslim pilgrims will make their way from Mecca to a nearby hillside and plain called Mount Arafat and the Plain of Arafat. [26] Seerat ibn Hisham v.2 p.605.

Discovering Islam by Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini

It is one stop shop for Shias that encompasses a variety of topics from biographies, prayers, supplications, ziyaraats, tafsir of Quran, Marjas, Islamic laws, poetry, Online Book resources, Online bookstores, Apparel stores, charities and even Apps. The aim is to resolve the misconceptions about Shia school of thought by references from the Quran and Sunni literature. The idea is to create a complete source of knowledge in order to dispel misconceptions about Shias and help strengthen the faith.

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The Prophet Muhammad from the Shia Perspective

Muslim writers often divide their discussions of prophethood into general discussions of what it means to be a prophet and specific discussions of the prophethood of Muhammad, or, as Faidh Kashani puts it, between absolute and restricted prophethood. As Faidh writes, “The restricted is based on the absolute, and the absolute is manifest in the restricted.” In Muhammad, however, the instance and the universal paradigm are united in one, in a manner analogous to Plato’s early theory of the forms as perfect paradigms, except that for Plato, the paradigm could never exist as concrete embodied reality, for material existence was itself seen as contrary to the ideality of the forms. In Shia thought, on the other hand, there is a single reality that is at once material and immaterial, corporeal and non-corporeal, but at different levels of its existence.

The prophets come as guides to show the path toward God. This also occurs on several levels, the way of the outward law, Shari’ah , the inward way of the Tariqah , and the fully realized way of the truth, Haqiqah . All three of these levels are brought to completion by the Prophet Muhammad, although in different ways. With respect to the law, he is the final prophet to bring a divine law and book. With him, the succession of prophets comes to an end, but divine guidance continues through the succession of the Imams. God completes His religion through Muhammad when the Qur’an has been revealed and Muhammad has announced the divine appointment of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). These two “weighty things” ( Thaqalayn ) – the Qur’an and the Household of the Prophet (peace be upon them) – are like two points that determine a line that extends toward the realization or Haqiqah , indicated by “the Pond” ( Kawthar ), in accordance with the famous narration in which the Prophet is reported to have said:

“Verily, I am leaving behind two precious things (Thaqalayn) among you: the Book of God and my kindred ( ‘Itrah ), my household (Ahlul Bayt), for indeed, the two will never separate until they come back to me by the Pond (of al-Kawthar on Judgment Day).”

The series of divine prophets is one of those who brought divine law, which is the exoteric aspect of Deen (religion in the sense of divine guidance). With the passing away of the Prophet, not only does the individual pass away, but the entire series of prophets also comes to an end. Universal or absolute prophethood is in this way, too, united with the individual prophethood of Muhammad. The esoteric aspect of his mission and the mission of prophethood in general, however, continues through the series that constitutes the Imamate, for the Prophet is not only prophet, but Wali too; and it is his Walayah that continues through the sequence of Imamate. According to some Shia narrations, the Pond is also a symbol for the Prophet’s daughter, Lady Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her), the wife of Imam Ali. Her position as daughter and wife makes her the link that joins prophethood and Imamate, the exoteric and esoteric. The ultimate realization is the offspring of the manifest and the spouse of the hidden. These relations between the external, interior and realization, however, are not merely abstract speculations, for they speak directly to the establishment and spiritual direction of the religious community. Hence, the Narration of Thaqalayn is not merely descriptive; rather, it is guidance to the believers, that they should cling to the divine Book of revelation and the leadership of the Imams in order to approach the Kingdom of God on Judgment Day.

Hajj Muhammad Legenhausen teaches at the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute in Qom, Iran. His blog can be accessed at http://peacethroughunderstanding.blogspot.com .

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The biography of the Prophet Muhammad is a timeless and profound story that has influenced millions. In these chapters, we'll journey through his life, from humble beginnings to his pivotal role in Islam's development. His legacy continues to inspire and guide people worldwide.

Biography Chapters of the Prophet Muhammad

Arab Lands Before Islam

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 5, 2023

Mecca, the Kaaba, and the Quraysh

Muhammad From His Birth to His Marriage

From Marriage to the Prophetic Mission

From the Resurrection to the Islam of Omar

The Story of the Cranes

Quraish and Attempts to Limit the Spread of Islam

From Refutation of the Scroll to Isra and Mi'raj

The Pledge of Al-Aqabah

The Migration of the Prophet

The Beginning of the Covenant in Yathrib

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 7, 2023

The Raids and Early Skirmishes

Muslims Victory in the Battle of Badr

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 8, 2023

Between Badr and Uhud

Why Were the Muslims Defeated at Uhud?

The Consequences of the Battle of Uhud

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 10, 2023

The Lives of the Prophet's Wives

The Battle of the Trench and the Tribe of Qurayza Story

From the Two Campaigns to Al-Hudaybiyyah

Negotiations at Hudaybiyyah and the Call to Hajj

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 11, 2023

Khaybar and the Messengers to the Kings

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 14, 2023

Umrah of Obligation

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 19, 2023

The Period After Hudaybiyyah Leading t Mu'ta

The Violation of the Treaty & Conquest of Mecca

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 26, 2023

Hunayn and Al-Taif

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 28, 2023

Ibrahim and the Prophet's Women

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 30, 2023

Tabuk and the Death of Ibrahim

The Year of Delegations and the Hajj of Abu Bakr with the People

By Who Muhammad Is. on October 1, 2023

The Farewell Pilgrimage

The Prophet's Illness and His Death

By Who Muhammad Is. on October 3, 2023

Burial of the Prophet

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Life of Prophet Muhammad

The raiment of prophet yusuf (a.s.).

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The Prophetic Mission in Makkah

Prophet Muhammad
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Salman Farsi, the loyal Iranian Sahabi of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

salman farsi

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Mohammed(P.B.U.H)

Ibn-Kiniyah assaulted Mohammed, and aiming a blow at his shoulder, shouted that he had killed him. The prophet's glance now fell on a cowardly fellow of the Muhâjerees, who was running away with his shield hung on his back. Throw down your shield and go to hell! cried Mohammed. The fellow actually dropped his shield, which was taken by Neseebah and borne in defence of the prophet, who declared her reward for the day greater than that of Abubekr, Omar and

Love For Poor People

The books of traditions reported that once he chanced upon some poor men who put a few crumbs of bread on the ground in front of them and were eating them. They invited him to eat with them. He accepted the invitation and said: "Certainly Allah does not like the proud. Having finished eating them, he invited them to his house. He showered them with money, fed and clothed them. Once, he was asked: "We do you not disappoint a beggar. why?" He (a.s.) replied: "I am asking Allah for His favours, and I

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The more science and technology advances, the greater is the need for the observance and practice of the teachings and instructions of divine prophets in human societies. This is because science and technology provide only machines and instruments and by no means prevent their misuse by human beings. The terrible rise in murder, other felonies, corruption, suicide and so forth clearly points to this very fact. If morality, which is a

The Prophet an "Ummi"

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One of the specific challenges in the Qur’an to prove its miraculous nature is the position of the recipient of the revelation, prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In one of the verses, Allah commands the prophet to say to his people that before the revelation, he lived a lifetime among them. During this time, he had not received any formal education; nor did he write even a single line of poetry or read anything. Muhammad was an orphan and a poor shepherd behind those mountains where he

The Character Of The Holy Prophet Before The Actualization Of The Prophetic Mission

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The Principle Of Harmony

Psychologists believe that the environment lays the foundations of people's character and their way of thinking and that the principle of harmony causes the people to follow the society's dominant patterns of thought and behaviour. [59] Although some of these psychologists have gone to extremes in this matter and have regarded this theory as a general and all-embracing principle

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The Scribes of the Prophet Muhammad

It follows from the texts of authentic ancient Islamic history that the Prophet (SA) had a number of scribes in Medina. The scribes wrote the wahy , the Prophet’s words, public contracts and transactions, the Prophet’s agreements signed with pagans and with Ahl al-Kitab (the followers of the religions recognized by Islam to have existed earlier as true divine religions), the ledgers for sadaqat (charities) and taxes, the ledgers for war-spoils and for akhmos (plural of khums, an Islamic levy at the rate of one-fifth of one’s savings and other items), and the numerous letters from the Prophet (SA) to various places.

In addition to the divine revelations and the Prophet’s speeches, recorded, and remaining to this day, the agreements signed by the Prophet (SA) and most of the letters from the Prophet (SA) have been recorded in history. In his book: “ Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra “, Muhammad Ibn Sa’d quotes about one hundred letters, most of which he quotes in texts, from the Prophet (SA). Some of these letters, addressed to the sultans and rulers throughout the world, to the chiefs of tribes, to the puppet Roman or Iranian rulers of the Persian Gulf, and to other persons, are invitations to accept the faith of Islam. Some other letters consist of circulars and procedures, which comprise fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). Other letters serve different purposes. A good many of such letters expose their writers, as the scribes indicated their names at the bottom of the letters. It is said that the one who initiated the traditional practice of having the scribe’s name entered at the bottom of a letter was Ubay ibn Ka’b, a known companion of the Prophet (SA).

None of these letters, agreements or books has ever been written in the Prophet’s handwriting; that is to say, nowhere has it been reported that the Prophet wrote by his own hand. More important still, is the fact that there is no observed instance to indicate that the Prophet had written down a single verse of the Qur’an. At a time when each and every scribe of the wahy, wrote in the very Qur’anic style, would it be possible that the Prophet (SA) should write, but not in the Qur’anic style, or that he would not write a surah (chapter), or at least a verse, of the Qur’an? In the books of history, the names of the Prophet’s scribes have been recorded. Al-Ya’qubi, in volume 2 of his historical work, reports: “The Prophet’s scribes, who wrote the wahy, letters, and agreements are `Ali ibn Abi Talib, `Uthman ibn `Affan, `Amr ibn Al-`As, Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, Shurahbil ibn Hasanah, `Abdullah ibn Sa’d ibn Abi Sarh, Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah, Ma’adh ibn Jabal, Zayd ibn Thabit, Hanzalah ibn Al-Rabi`, Ubay ibn Ka’b, Juhaym ibn Al-Salt, Husayn Al-Numayri.”(1)

In ` Al-Tanbih wal-Ishraf “, Al-Mas’udi describes in some detail, the nature of the task undertaken by the scribes, and indicates that they had a more developed sort of activity coupled with a kind of order, organization and work allocation among themselves. He reports: “Khalid ibn Said ibn Al-`As was at the Prophet’s service. He recorded the various needs which came up, and so did Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah and Husayn ibn Al-Numayr. `Abdullah ibn Arqam and Al-`Ala’ ibn `Uqbah recorded documents, contracts and transactions for the public. Al-Zubayr ibn Al-`Awwam and Juhaym ibn al-Salt wrote down taxes and sadaqat. Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman was in-charge of entering the receipts (hirazah) of Hijaz, Mu’ayib ibn Abi Fatimah Dusi recorded war spoils.

Zayd ibn Thabit al-Ansari wrote letters to rulers and kings whilst serving as a translator to the Prophet. He translated Persian, Roman, Coptic and Ethiopian languages, all of which he had learned from those who knew these languages, in Medina. (2) Hanzalah ibn Al-Rabi` was a relief recorder who would take over the function of any one of the above-mentioned people who failed to attend. He had come to be known as: “Hanzalah al-Katib (the writer)”. During `Umar’s Khilafah when Muslims had earned victories, Hanzalah went to “Raha”, where he died. `Abdullah ibn Sa’d ibn Abi Sarh served as a scribe for a time, but later he lost faith and joined the pagans. Shurahbil ibn Hasanah Tabikhi also wrote for the Prophet and Aban ibn Sa’id and Al-`Ala’ ibn Al-Hadrami also occasionally wrote for the Prophet. Mu’awiyah too wrote for the Prophet but only for a few months until the Prophet’s death. These were the people who served as official scribes to the Prophet. However, we will not mention the names of those who have written a letter or two and who are not named among the Prophet’s scribes.”(3)

In this connection, Al-Mas’udi has made no mention of the “Book of Revelations” nor of the scribes of official documents; among them `Ali (AS), `Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and Ubay ibn Ka’b, etc. He seems to have meant naming those who held a title other than that of recording the wahy. In the histories and ahadith of Islam, we come across a good many stories of visiting enthusiasts from far and wide who sought, the Prophet’s advice and to hear his preaching, the Prophet (SA) would respond with wise and meaningful words, recorded either concurrently or subsequently. Here too, we find no instance of the Prophet (SA) himself writing a single word in response to the visiting enthusiasts. Obviously enough, if only one line written by the Prophet (SA) could have been found, it would have been preserved by the Muslims as a blessing and great honour for themselves and their families.

Yet, in the case of Hadrat Amir al-Mu’minin, ‘Ali (AS) and the other Imams (AS), we see many instances, where part of their manuscripts have been preserved in their own, or in their Shi`ah (friends’) families. Nowadays, there are copies of the Qur’an, which had been written by these great personalities. The story widely known of Zayd ibn `Ali ibn Al-Husayn (AS), and how they preserved “Al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah”, is proof of this proposition. Relating an interesting story in the first part of the second chapter, of his book: “Al-Fihrist” Ibn al-Nadim relates: “I became acquainted with a Shi’ah of Kufah whose name was Muhammad ibn Al-Husayn nicknamed Ibn Abi Ba’rah.

He owned a library the like of which I had not seen. He had taken over a library from a Shi’ah of Kufah. The strange thing was the fact that each book or each sheet of the book indicated the name of its scribe. A host of scholars had verified in writing the scribe’s name. At that library were kept manuscripts of the two Imams, viz, Imam Al-Hasan ibn `Ali (AS) and Al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (AS). Also kept in the same place were documents and agreements written by `Ali (AS) and by other scribes of the Prophet (SA).”‘(4)

It is true, that they have thus taken care of the blessed works. How could it be true, therefore, that the Prophet (SA) should have written one line and that that very line should fail to remain, keeping in view the unbelievable regard which Muslims had for the protection of works, sacred ones in particular? By analyzing, the available evidence the question of the Prophet (SA) having written; (even during the period of his prophethood) is out of the question, even if there is little evidence to indicate that he could read at this time. Rather, the greater portion of the available evidence testifies to his having not read, even in this period.

___________________________________________

1. Al-Ya’qubi, Tarikh al-Ya’qubi vol 2, p 69.

2. In the book: Jami’ al-Tirmidhi Al-Tirmidhi narrates from Zayd ibn Thabit that he said: “The Holy Prophet (SA) of Islam commanded me to learn the Syriac language. Also, Al-Tirmidhi narrates in Jami’ al-Tirmidhi from Zayd ibn Thabit that he said: “The Holy Prophet (SA) of Islam commanded me to learn the language of the Jews and said: “I swear by Allah that I cannot trust the Jews for my letters.” I learned for about one-half of a month. After that whenever he (the Holy Prophet (SA) of Islam) wanted to write a letter to the Jews, I wrote it and whenever he received a letter from the Jews, I read it for him.” In Futuhal-Buldan Al-Baladhuri, says on p. 460: “Zayd ibn Thabit said: ‘The Holy Prophet (SA) of Islam commanded me to learn the Book of the Jews (in the Syriac language). Zayd ibn Thabit also said that the Prophet (SA) told me ‘I am worried about my Book because of the Jews.’ Scarcely had one-half of a month or a year passed since I learned it. From then on, I wrote his letters to the Jews and also read to him (to the Holy Prophet (SA) of Islam) the letters the Jews wrote to him.”

3. Al-Mas’udi, Al-Tanbih wal-Ishraf, p 245-246.

4. Ibn al-Nadim, Al-Fihrist, Al-‘Istiqamah Press, Cairo, p 67.

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Muhammad was a prophet and founder of Islam.

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The life of muhammad, the prophet muhammad, the death of muhammad, who was muhammad.

Muhammad was the prophet and founder of Islam. Most of his early life was spent as a merchant. At age 40, he began to have revelations from Allah that became the basis for the Koran and the foundation of Islam. By 630 he had unified most of Arabia under a single religion. As of 2015, there are over 1.8 billion Muslims in the world who profess, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”

FULL NAME: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim BORN: c. 570 BIRTHPLACE: Makkah, Saudi Arabia DEATH: June 8, 623

Muhammad was born around 570, AD in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia). His father died before he was born and he was raised first by his grandfather and then his uncle. He belonged to a poor but respectable family of the Quraysh tribe. The family was active in Meccan politics and trade.

Many of the tribes living in the Arabian Peninsula at the time were nomadic, trading goods as they crisscrossed the desert. Most tribes were polytheistic, worshipping their own set of gods. The town of Mecca was an important trading and religious center, home to many temples and worship sites where the devoted prayed to the idols of these gods. The most famous site was the Kaaba (meaning cube in Arabic). It is believed to have been built by Abraham (Ibrahim to Muslims) and his son Ismail. Gradually the people of Mecca turned to polytheism and idolatry. Of all the gods worshipped, it is believed that Allah was considered the greatest and the only one without an idol.

In his early teens, Muhammad worked in a camel caravan, following in the footsteps of many people his age, born of meager wealth. Working for his uncle, he gained experience in commercial trade traveling to Syria and eventually from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean. In time, Muhammad earned a reputation as honest and sincere, acquiring the nickname “al-Amin” meaning faithful or trustworthy.

In his early 20s, Muhammad began working for a wealthy merchant woman named Khadijah, 15 years his senior. She soon became attracted to this young, accomplished man and proposed marriage. He accepted and over the years the happy union brought several children. Not all lived to adulthood, but one, Fatima, would marry Muhammad’s cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib, whom Shi’ite Muslims regard as Muhammad’s successor.

Muhammad was also very religious, occasionally taking journeys of devotion to sacred sites near Mecca. On one of his pilgrimages in 610, he was meditating in a cave on Mount Jabal aI-Nour. The Angel Gabriel appeared and relayed the word of God: “Recite in the name of your Lord who creates, creates man from a clot! Recite for your lord is most generous….” These words became the opening verses of sūrah (chapter) 96 of the Qur'an. Most Islamic historians believe Muhammad was initially disturbed by the revelations and that he didn’t reveal them publicly for several years. However, Shi’a tradition states he welcomed the message from the Angel Gabriel and was deeply inspired to share his experience with other potential believers.

Islamic tradition holds that the first persons to believe were his wife, Khadija and his close friend Abu Bakr (regarded as the successor to Muhammad by Sunni Muslims). Soon, Muhammad began to gather a small following, initially encountering no opposition. Most people in Mecca either ignored him or mocked him as just another prophet. However, when his message condemned idol worship and polytheism, many of Mecca’s tribal leaders began to see Muhammad and his message as a threat. Besides going against long standing beliefs, the condemnation of idol worship had economic consequences for merchants who catered to the thousands of pilgrims who came to Mecca every year. This was especially true for members of Muhammad’s own tribe, the Quraysh, who were the guardians of the Kaaba. Sensing a threat, Mecca’s merchants and leaders offered Muhammad incentives to abandon his preaching, but he refused.

Increasingly, the resistance to Muhammed and his followers grew and they were eventually forced to emigrate from Mecca to Medina, a city 260 miles to the north in 622. This event marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. There Muhammad was instrumental in bringing an end to a civil war raging amongst several of the city’s tribes. Muhammad settled in Medina, building his Muslim community and gradually gathering acceptance and more followers.

Between 624 and 628, the Muslims were involved in a series of battles for their survival. In the final major confrontation, The Battle of the Trench and Siege of Medina, Muhammad and his followers prevailed and a treaty was signed. The treaty was broken by the Meccan allies a year later. By now, Muhammad had plenty of forces and the balance of power had shifted away from the Meccan leaders to him. In 630, the Muslim army marched into Mecca, taking the city with minimum casualties. Muhammad gave amnesty to many of the Meccan leaders who had opposed him and pardoned many others. Most of the Meccan population converted to Islam. Muhammad and his followers then proceeded to destroy all of the statues of pagan gods in and around the Kaaba.

After the conflict with Mecca was finally settled, Muhammad took his first true Islamic pilgrimage to that city and in March, 632, he delivered his last sermon at Mount Arafat. Upon his return to Medina to his wife’s home, he fell ill for several days. He died on June 8, 632, at the age of 62, and was buried at al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Mosque of the Prophet) one of the first mosques built by Muhammad in Medina.

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General Islamic Discussion

Detailed Biography of Prophet Muhammad(p.b.u.h) from Shia Perspective

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By Abu Hadi June 9, 2022 in General Islamic Discussion

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Uni Student

I learned so much from this series. May Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) continue to bless Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Qazwini for doing this series. Im sure it required many months or maybe even years of research and preparation.

علوي and Muslim2010

I love this series, Sayed Qazwini has discussed very interesting topics. Some controversial ones as well. May Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) bless him and his family. May Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) bless all those who learn from him as well.

Veteran Member

There’s so many Biography series, I do not know which one to choose from.

Guest Fahad

Thank you for sharing. I imagine the Shiekh is drawing from Arabic and Farsi sources, and thus not accessible to English speaking audiences?

He is drawing from these sources, but he is good at translating, so it it very understandable.

8 hours ago, 313_Waiter said: There’s so many Biography series, I do not know which one to choose from.

There are many, but I like this one for four reasons.

1) It is very detailed and organized. Each individual topic is it's own video. So if you are only interested in one aspect, and you already know about another one, it's easy to skip ones and focus more on others

2) He uses original sources (such as Al Kafi, Serat of Ibn Hisham, etc) which are in the original language (mostly Arabic) and translates into English from those sources. I know enough Arabic to know that he is doing very accurate translations, as accurate as possible when going from one language to another.

3) His style of speaking is very casual and very relatable, especially for the younger people. Since he grew up in the US, he is speaking without an accent. Personally, accents don't bother me, as long as I can understand what is being said but for most people they would rather hear these lectures in their own accent (if they are American of course).

4) He gives the viewpoint of Jaafari School (Shia) but he is also very familiar with the Sunni viewpoints on these topics. There are very few detailed biographies of Rasoulallah(p.b.u.h) given from the Jaafari view, in English. Almost all of them that are out there in English are from the Sunni perspective, so they take ridiculous hadith like those from Abu Huraira and leave the listener confused. This one doesn't do that.

علوي , rkgbskas and 313_Waiter

16 minutes ago, Abu Hadi said: There are many, but I like this one for four reasons. 1) It is very detailed and organized. Each individual topic is it's own video. So if you are only interested in one aspect, and you already know about another one, it's easy to skip ones and focus more on others 2) He uses original sources (such as Al Kafi, Serat of Ibn Hisham, etc) which are in the original language (mostly Arabic) and translates into English from those sources. I know enough Arabic to know that he is doing very accurate translations, as accurate as possible when going from one language to another. 3) His style of speaking is very casual and very relatable, especially for the younger people. Since he grew up in the US, he is speaking without an accent. Personally, accents don't bother me, as long as I can understand what is being said but for most people they would rather hear these lectures in their own accent (if they are American of course). 4) He gives the viewpoint of Jaafari School (Shia) but he is also very familiar with the Sunni viewpoints on these topics. There are very few detailed biographies of Rasoulallah(p.b.u.h) given from the Jaafari view, in English. Almost all of them that are out there in English are from the Sunni perspective, so they take ridiculous hadith like those from Abu Huraira and leave the listener confused. This one doesn't do that.

Alright I’m sold.

I listened to the first few lectures and I plan to listen to all of them.

A couple of questions arose. 1 - In one of the earlier lectures, the Shiekh dismisses oral tradition as untrustworthy. This is a curious thing to say as oral tradition is the foundation of all of Islamic knowledge. I’m not sure why he said that.

2 - The Shiekh places the blame heavily on the Umayyad establishment as fabricating Hadith that made the Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) appear inferior to his actual stature. I’m just honesty curious if there are any scholarly works that have discussed this in length. It’s easy to simply say this to fit the Shia narrative, but I’m curious how it holds up to scholarly scrutiny.

I am on lecture 4 at the moment, and the Shiekh is covering the origins of seerah though Ibn Hisham and Ibn Ishaq.

He gives the reason why oral traditions are untrustworthy. It is because human memory is not 100% accurate when it comes to language. So if you heard something from someone else, this person you heard it from might not have heard it 100% accurately and then you heard it, then you told someone else this inaccurate quote, etc. Oral traditions are fine when it comes to transmitting cultural things like stories, etc, but when it comes to religion, there are very specific points that if they are told inaccurately might destroy someone's life or their faith if they act on them or use them as a basis of their beliefs. That is why Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) in the Quran always talks about kitab, book, in terms of religion. Because a book that is written down and which everyone can refer to is the only proper way to transmit religious knowledge and teachings.

The Umayyeds and the Abbasids did fabricate thousands of hadith. This is a fact. They wanted to make the Prophet seem inferior in order to justify their own actions. They wanted to bring the Prophet Muhammad(p.b.u.h) down to their level of sometimes acting based on conjecture and making mistakes because they had big egos and didn't believe there were any human beings in the past or the present who were superior to them. Both Shia and Sunni say this. The only difference is that Sunnis believe that these fabricated traditions didn't make it into their Sahih books. We disagree with them on that and we have evidence that is indisputable for that. This is what the Sheik is saying.

Ashvazdanghe

Thanks for the recommendation, I will watch it inshaAllah once I am finished with another seerah series by Sayyid Ali Imran:

I highly recommend this series because in addition to describing the seerah in an interesting and understandable manner the speaker also incorporates some extremely important lessons which we as Muslims need to think about and look into implementing today (notion of ummah vs nationalism, the role of the masjid and salaah in our communities, our role in welcoming Muslim refugees in the way that the ansar welcomed the muhajireen, etc)

It shocks me that these videos only have 100 odd views while unislamic nonsense such as The Shia Voice gathered 100s of thousands of views during the Holy month of Ramadhan. Truly embarrassing.

Abu Hadi , Abu Nur and Ashvazdanghe

9 hours ago, Mahdavist said: Thanks for the recommendation, I will watch it inshaAllah once I am finished with another seerah series by Sayyid Ali Imran: I highly recommend this series because in addition to describing the seerah in an interesting and understandable manner the speaker also incorporates some extremely important lessons which we as Muslims need to think about and look into implementing today (notion of ummah vs nationalism, the role of the masjid and salaah in our communities, our role in welcoming Muslim refugees in the way that the ansar welcomed the muhajireen, etc) It shocks me that these videos only have 100 odd views while unislamic nonsense such as The Shia Voice gathered 100s of thousands of views during the Holy month of Ramadhan. Truly embarrassing.

I will watch that once I am finished with this one InShahAllah

On 6/10/2022 at 11:44 AM, 313_Waiter said: There’s so many Biography series, I do not know which one to choose from.

I would also recommend Sayed Ammar Nakshawani's series about the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). Here's the link to the whole playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNrKzQzpLk8AKAa6dxDoGw5OpQCrEC-v3

15 hours ago, Abu Hadi said: He gives the reason why oral traditions are untrustworthy. It is because human memory is not 100% accurate when it comes to language. So if you heard something from someone else, this person you heard it from might not have heard it 100% accurately and then you heard it, then you told someone else this inaccurate quote, etc. Oral traditions are fine when it comes to transmitting cultural things like stories, etc, but when it comes to religion, there are very specific points that if they are told inaccurately might destroy someone's life or their faith if they act on them or use them as a basis of their beliefs. That is why Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) in the Quran always talks about kitab, book, in terms of religion. Because a book that is written down and which everyone can refer to is the only proper way to transmit religious knowledge and teachings. The Umayyeds and the Abbasids did fabricate thousands of hadith. This is a fact. They wanted to make the Prophet seem inferior in order to justify their own actions. They wanted to bring the Prophet Muhammad(p.b.u.h) down to their level of sometimes acting based on conjecture and making mistakes because they had big egos and didn't believe there were any human beings in the past or the present who were superior to them. Both Shia and Sunni say this. The only difference is that Sunnis believe that these fabricated traditions didn't make it into their Sahih books. We disagree with them on that and we have evidence that is indisputable for that. This is what the Sheik is saying.

Brother, oral tradition is how Quran was primarily recited during the lifetime of our Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and subsequent generations until it was finally written in book form under Uthman. I understand within the Shia tradition, Imam Ali(عليه السلام) concurrently wrote down the Quran during his lifetime, but historically I don’t think there’s any use of said Quran as a cross reference tool when it was finally written during the Khalifa of Uthman. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong here.

Anyway, my point is the oral tradition was the bedrock of how the Quran was passed through a couple of generations so I’m finding it difficult to reconcile how it be unreliable and problematic when it was very means through which the Holy Book was transmitted.

With respect to the second point. I don’t doubt for a second that the Ummayads and Abbasids forged Hadith sympathetic to their claims of Khalifat. However I have two questions on this. 1. Neither Umar or Abu Bakr were Ummayad, so what motive would there be to forge Hadith in their favor 2. I’m strictly interested in reading scholarly material on this which is why I asked. I enjoy listening to sacred history as shared by our scholars, yet it’s always a nice boost of iman and satisfaction of curiosity if it can be confirmed through a scholarly work. So if you happen to have any written resources, i appreciate it if you would share.

That aside, I am on lecture 15 at the moment. It seems this is aimed as a very high level biography, with a heavy dose of polemics built in. It’s cool, but so far it is difficult to connect on a spiritual level as the Shiekh spends a lot of time dismissing and dunking on the Sunni narrative.

8 hours ago, Guest Fahad said: Salaamw Brother, oral tradition is how Quran was primarily recited during the lifetime of our Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and subsequent generations until it was finally written in book form under Uthman. I understand within the Shia tradition, Imam Ali(عليه السلام) concurrently wrote down the Quran during his lifetime, but historically I don’t think there’s any use of said Quran as a cross reference tool when it was finally written during the Khalifa of Uthman. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong here. Anyway, my point is the oral tradition was the bedrock of how the Quran was passed through a couple of generations so I’m finding it difficult to reconcile how it be unreliable and problematic when it was very means through which the Holy Book was transmitted. With respect to the second point. I don’t doubt for a second that the Ummayads and Abbasids forged Hadith sympathetic to their claims of Khalifat. However I have two questions on this. 1. Neither Umar or Abu Bakr were Ummayad, so what motive would there be to forge Hadith in their favor 2. I’m strictly interested in reading scholarly material on this which is why I asked. I enjoy listening to sacred history as shared by our scholars, yet it’s always a nice boost of iman and satisfaction of curiosity if it can be confirmed through a scholarly work. So if you happen to have any written resources, i appreciate it if you would share. That aside, I am on lecture 15 at the moment. It seems this is aimed as a very high level biography, with a heavy dose of polemics built in. It’s cool, but so far it is difficult to connect on a spiritual level as the Shiekh spends a lot of time dismissing and dunking on the Sunni narrative.

1. The Quran was written down completely during the lifetime of the Prophet(p.b.u.h). All these writings were compiled into a single book, the Quran we have today, immediately following the death of the Holy Prophet by Imam Ali((عليه السلام)) himself. The Quran was a written book which was known by everyone from the beginning, not generations afterward. Yes, you are wrong on that point. There are written ayats from Quran that exist today that were dated (by Carbon 14 dating, which is extremely accurate) to the lifetime of the Holy Prophet and none of these texts contradict the text of the Quran we have today. That in itself is a miracle which people should ponder on.

During the time of Uthman, the accent marks on the tops of the letters (the spoken vowels) were standardized so that when the Quran was recited, it was recited in the same way. That is because different parts of the Arabic world had slightly different ways of pronouncing words. If you look at the earliest written texts of the Quran, they didn't contain the accent marks because the Arabs of Mecca, Medina and surrounding areas pronounced in the same way, so they didn't need the accent marks to tell them how to pronounce words. It was only when the Quran began to spread outside this area to places like the Khalij, Egypt, Iraq, etc, where they pronounced the words differently that it needed to be standardized. That is the only thing that happened during the time of Uthman. In addition, there were more written Qurans that were published during that time because Uthman employed more scribes to copy the text because the wealth of the muslims was increasing during that time, but the text of the Quran existed from the beginning. The statement that Uthman was the first to write down the Quran and publish it is wrong.

2. Abu Bakr forbid hadiths to be written down, and Umar followed the same policy, so there are very few hadith texts that actually date from that time. They also destroyed many hadith that were written down that were in favor of Imam Ali((عليه السلام)) and Ahl Al Bayt((عليه السلام)). It was during the time of Muawiya that hadiths started to be forged on a large scale and he (Muawiya(la)) attributed the transmission of these hadith posthumously to various sahaba and wives of the prophet.

We get our hadith from Ahl Al Bayt((عليه السلام)), and most from Imam Jaafar Sadiq((عليه السلام)). That is why we are called Jaafari, because it was during his time (when the power of the Ummayads was on the decline and eventually collapsed and the Abbasids did not yet have a firm grip on power) that the Imam((عليه السلام)) had some amount of freedom to confirm the truth of certain hadith, announce others as forged, and for books of authentic hadith to be written down and disseminated.

Abu_Zahra and Ashvazdanghe

14 hours ago, -Rejector- said: I would also recommend Sayed Ammar Nakshawani's series about the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). Here's the link to the whole playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNrKzQzpLk8AKAa6dxDoGw5OpQCrEC-v3

Yes this was the other one that I was thinking of watching, other than the one that br. mahdavist mentioned

Salaam Abu Hadi,

I appreciate your long and detailed responses. I won't push back further on the Qur'an point. And I'd have to dig in deeper on the oral tradition conversation to be able to contribute substantively.

With respect to the your point about Abu Bakr & Umar forbidding hadith, I imagine the Shia argument is that this was done with ill intentions, whereas the Sunnis would argue that it was done with the potential for confusion and overlap with Quranic verses?

Lastly, I imagine that your explanations are primarily derived from lectures such as this, correct? I only ask because if you happen to have any resources that would elaborate further on any of your points, it would appreciated if you can share.

7 hours ago, Guest Fahad said: With respect to the your point about Abu Bakr & Umar forbidding hadith, I imagine the Shia argument is that this was done with ill intentions, whereas the Sunnis would argue that it was done with the potential for confusion and overlap with Quranic verses?

Alekum Salam was RahmantuLah,

I try not to guess what is in someone's mind because there is no way to know that. We can only look at actions and results of those actions. The action of Abu Bakr and Umar may have lessened confusion around the issue of hadith, but we know for sure that it stopped many authentic hadith from being written down at an early period, when these hadith were still fresh in the mind of many of the Sahaba, and there was agreement as to what these hadith were, as Rasoulallah(p.b.u.h) was alive just a few years before. If hadith were written down during this period, they would have served as an agreed upon basis for studying hadith and I think there would be much more agreement amoung Muslims about what Rasoulallah(p.b.u.h) actually said and did. The fact that there is so much fitna and disagreement today is a direct result of hadith not being written down early, immediately following the passing of Rasoulallah(p.b.u.h), Al Mustafa, the Pinnacle of Allah(s.w.a)'s creation. So whatever their motivation was, this was the result.

A simple proof of that is that there is no disagreement amoung Muslims about the text of the Holy Quran. As our Imams((عليه السلام)) have taught over and over, the Quran is the one 'between the covers' in other words the Quran that is in every masjid from Qum to Halab, from Mecca to Sana', from Quetta to Paris. Noone disagrees about that. If we had the same agreement, or at least a portion of that agreement about what hadith are authentic and which are not, most of the fitna we have today wouldn't exist.

As for where I get this from, it is from the lecture series I posted as well as others which have been mentioned here, and some which haven't been mentioned. Also, there are many books on the subject written by Ulema, which are the primary sources used in the lectures and lecture series.

8 hours ago, Guest Fahad said: With respect to the your point about Abu Bakr & Umar forbidding hadith, I imagine the Shia argument is that this was done with ill intentions, whereas the Sunnis would argue that it was done with the potential for confusion and overlap with Quranic verses?

Indeed, watch the following video where the syed gives the both viewpoints with their both arguments. The more important is that this ban actually gave bad effect to all Muslim with disputes, qiyas and fabrication of hadiths.

Abu_Zahra and Abu Hadi

13 hours ago, Guest Fahad said: I appreciate your long and detailed responses. I won't push back further on the Qur'an point. And I'd have to dig in deeper on the oral tradition conversation to be able to contribute substantively. With respect to the your point about Abu Bakr & Umar forbidding hadith, I imagine the Shia argument is that this was done with ill intentions, whereas the Sunnis would argue that it was done with the potential for confusion and overlap with Quranic verses? Lastly, I imagine that your explanations are primarily derived from lectures such as this, correct? I only ask because if you happen to have any resources that would elaborate further on any of your points, it would appreciated if you can share. Thank you.

Chapter 7: Prohibition of Transcribing the Hadith

Quote When Islam came, its teachings prioritized writing and the advancement of knowledge and imagery of books and writing permeate the verses of the Qur’an. One of the first verses which Allah revealed was, “[He] Who taught by the use of the pen,”2 thus making the pen as an instrument used for a binding oath, such as in Surah al-Qalam, “By the pen and by what they write.”3 Therefore, despite the difficulties of writing at that time, gradually the jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic) society slowly became literate. After establishing the mosque in Madinah, one of the priorities of the Prophet had was to appoint a teacher, Abdullah Ibn Sa’d al-Aas to teach reading and writing. This skill was so important that the Prophet even allowed some of the captives taken during the Battle of Badr to earn their freedom in exchange for teaching ten Muslims how to read and write.4

Most significant, the Prophet commanded that his hadith (sayings and actions) be written down.

Quote He instructed the Muslims, “Write everything that comes out of my mouth, for by the One whose Hands my soul is in, nothing comes from it except the truth.”8 Abu Bakr narrates from the Holy Prophet that, “Whoever writes down a piece of knowledge from me or a hadith will receive ajr (reward) as long as it (the writing) exists.”9

https://www.al-islam.org/when-power-and-piety-collide-sayyid-moustafa-al-qazwini/chapter-7-prohibition-transcribing-hadith

Stages of the prohibition of recording the hadith, (1) the hadith circulated increasingly.

Quote Accordingly, it is probable that Abu-Bakr’s famous saying (“You are reporting from the Messenger of Allah matters about which you are discrepant. People who will come after you will be more discrepant that you are.”) carried an indication to the multiplicity of trends during his reign and the Sahabah’s having adopted private views, which were different from the others’. This was the very reason behind the extension of the discrepancies among the Muslims that occurred later on. The reporting of Hadith was thus a very strong trend whose influence can be clearly understood from `Umar ibn al-Khattab’s famous saying, “You have reported very much Hadith from the Messenger of Allah,” and from the statement of Ibn Sa`d, in al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, that reads, “During the reign of `Umar ibn al-Khattab, the Hadiths were noticeably big in number,” and from the statement of al-Khatib al-Baghdadiy, in Taqyid al-`Ilm, that reads, “When `Umar knew that people had kept books of Hadith...” as well as many other historical texts.

(2) Abu-Bakr Prohibited The Reporting And Set Fire To His Book Of Hadith

(3) `umar ordered the sahabah to reduce reporting the hadith, (4) `umar collected and set fire to the sahabah’s records of hadith, (5) `umar detained some of the sahabah and ordered the all to stop reporting and recording the hadith, (6) the two caliphs restricted the religious affairs to the holy qur’an, (7) `umar allowed the sahabah to practice ijtihad and act upon analogy, (8) `umar attempted to restrict the ijtihad.

https://www.al-islam.org/prohibition-recording-hadith-causes-and-effects-sayyid-ali-al-shahristani/stages-prohibition

Quote Sunni scholars justify the policy in terms of precluding any possible confusions between hadiths and the Qur'an , preventing disputes among Muslims , preventing people from being engaged in anything other than the Qur'an, and illiteracy of transmitters of hadiths . Shiite scholars, however, believe that the ban was enforced out of a motivation for preventing the propagation of Imam 'Ali 's virtues and as an attempt at the establishment of the religious rule of the caliphs . According to Shi'as , the hadith ban led to fabrication of hadiths , destruction of many early hadiths, formation of Islamic denominations, and distortions of the tradition of the Prophet (s) .

Quote In his book, Man' tadwin al-hadith (the ban on the collection of hadiths), however, Shahristani claims that the majority of Shiite authors take the main motivation for the hadith ban to be the prevention of propagating the virtues of Imam 'Ali (a) . One piece of evidence they appeal to is what Al-Nasa'i, an author of al-Sihah al-Sitta , quoted from Ibn 'Abbas : they left the tradition of the Prophet (s) out of their animus towards Imam 'Ali (a). Other motivations of the ban are said to be the caliphs' insufficient knowledge of religious rulings and their attempts at establishment of their religious rule, in addition to their political rule.

Quote Consequences According to Shiite scholars, the ban on hadith writing had significant negative repercussions, including the destruction of early texts of hadiths, fabrication of hadiths , changes in the Prophet's tradition , and the formation of Islamic denominations. Destruction of early texts of hadiths: the Prophet's words scribed by his close companions were destroyed and made unavailable in this period. According to 'A'isha , Abu Bakr burned down five hundred hadiths from the Prophet (s) . Moreover, hadiths memorized by some companions were never written down because of the hadith ban, and thus they became unavailable after their deaths. Fabrication of hadiths: when the policy of the hadith ban was enforced and the Prophet's hadiths were destroyed, citation of fabricated hadiths and their attribution to the Prophet (s) became rampant. For instance, hadiths were fabricated and attributed to the Prophet (s) in order to conjure up virtues for some political and religious figures, some of whom were born after the Prophet's demise . Fabricated hadiths were so prolific that Sahih al-Bukhari includes 2761 non-repetitive hadiths selected from among nearly 600,000 hadiths, and Sahih Muslim includes 4000 non-repetitive hadiths selected from among 300,000 hadiths, as claimed by their authors. Changes in the Prophet's tradition: some people suggest that the ban on the collection of hadiths led to changes in the Prophet's tradition. To show this, appeals are made to some historical reports, including what al-Shafi'i , the leader of Shafi'is, quoted from Wahab b. Kaysan: all traditions of the Prophet (s), including the Prayer , were distorted. Formation of Islamic denominations: when the tradition was destroyed and fabricated hadiths were rampant, different denominations as well as theological and jurisprudential schools began to appear. For each personal dispute was accompanied by a fabricated hadith, leading to the separation of a group of people from the Islamic community and the establishment of a new denomination.

https://en.wikishia.net/view/Hadith_Ban

The Reasons Given for the Prohibition of compiling Hadith

By: Rasul Ja'fariyan

The Reasons Given for the Prohibition 1. One reason offered is the fear for the people’s failure to distinguish between the holy Quran and Hadith of the holy Prophet (S) which would result in the corruption (Tahrif) of the Quranic text, an unforgivable offence.1 Ustadh Abu Riyyah has rejected this weak argument in the following words : Such a reason may appear convincing to ordinary people, but a researcher cannot accepted it, because it would suggest that the eloquence of the Quran stands on the same level as that of Hadith.2 In his proposition if the miracle of Quranic eloquence is understandable for the people, how they would have mixed Hadith of the holy Prophet (S), which stand on a lower level of eloquence than the holy Quran, with the verses of the Holy Book . Such a viewpoint, in fact, amounts to a denial of the miraculous character of the holy Quran. In fact, to believe in the possibility of a mix between the holy Quran and Hadith is to believe in the possibility of textual corruption finding way into the holy Quran. Such a belief is unfounded; God Almighty has personally guaranteed the incorruptibility of the holy Quran : Verily, We have sent down al-Dhikr, the holy Quran, and verily We are its protector. (15:9)

Quote 2. According to abu-Riyyah , let it be accepted that the prohibition came from the holy Prophet (S) to keep the laws of the Shari’ah within restricted limits and was opposed to the proliferation of Ahadith. This argument is very weak. It is not possible to accept that the Prophet (S) opposed the increase in Hadith as the basis of the legal system of the Shari’ah. How can it be accepted when the holy Quran and the Sunnah are to answer the variegated needs for law to the Day of Judgement and to offer constant guidance to man? Moreover, there is no evidence that the holy Prophet (S) ever issued such a prohibition on the writing down of Hadith.

Quote 3. Al-‘Awza’i, offering another explanation, writes, “The science of Hadith is a noble one when it is transmitted orally. Such method always keeps the people engaged in reminding one another of Hadith. But, when written, their light would fade and they may fall into unworthy hands.”4 In fact, al-‘Awza’i himself has invented this explanation and it is doubtful whether those who prohibited the writing of Hadith had considered it or not.

Quote 4. Ibn ‘Abd al-Birr, offering an explanation similar to the above one, writes, “The writing of Ahadith was prohibited so that individuals should not rely solely on what they have written and would abstain from memorizing them . In that case, the task of memorizing Hadith would diminish altogether.5 This rationale is also unacceptable , because the losses resulting from the failure to write Hadith were incomparably serious and far greater than such benefits . Human civilization and values have been guarded through the written word and not by means of memory, although the memorization of Hadith is in itself a very valuable practice.

Quote 5. Another explanation that is given in this regard is that had Hadith been written down the people would have abandoned the holy Quran to give all their attention to Hadith6 This argument is also not defendable, because the same thing could be said of oral Hadith and the holy Quran. It is true that exclusive attention to Hadith is a deviation. People vulnerable to such matters can be warned and asked to take an equal interest in the holy Quran. T

Quote 6. The author of Abjad al-‘ulum writes, “The Sahabah and the Tabi’un did not need to write Hadith and the laws for the following reasons: Their faith was pure and they had the blessing of proximity to the times of the holy Prophet (S). The spread of Islam occurred in the first twenty, or at the most fifty, years after the demise of the holy Prophet (S), whereas the writing and compilation of Hadith was delayed until the latter part of the first half of the 2nd/8th century . Aside from these two points it is well known that fabrication of Hadith in the name of the Prophet (S) began in his (S) own lifetime, and it naturally increased in the absence of recorded in written form of Hadith.

Quote 7. The actual reason behind the prohibition on the writing of Hadith, was what has been advanced by a contemporary scholar, Sayyid Ja’far Murtada, and is confirmed by the evidence available. He says, “There existed two sects among the Jews, of which one believed in a written literature. The other believed that nothing except the Torah should be committed to writing. The second group was called Qurra’ (Readers).

Ka’b al-‘Ahbar, a Jewish convert to Islam, belonged to this second sect. Once asked a question by ‘Umar about poetry, of the things he says about Arabs is that a group of the descendants of Isma’il carried the Gospel only in their hearts and spoke with wisdom…. It is probable that the Caliph had taken the idea (of not writing anything except the holy Quran) from Ka’b al-‘Ahbar. ‘U mar had very intimate terms with Ka’b al-‘Ahbar and respected his opinions.

behind the prohibition on writing Hadith. The most important was the influence of the views of Ahl al-Kitab over the Second Caliph, who, it seems, liked to read their books since the time of his conversion.

Quote The Riwayah of ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr confirms this influence. According to this Riwayahthe Caliph had first intended to have the ‘Sunan’ compiled and he even consulted the Companions about his plan. They approved it, but he changed his mind with the argument that the Ahl al-Kitab had abandoned their scripture for other books that they had written and that he would not allow something similar to happen with the holy Quran.9

Quote ‘Umar’s argument against the writing of Hadith came to be echoed by others. Abu Burdah reports from his father that he said : “Banu Isma’il wrote books and abandoned the Divine Scripture”.10 Hakam ibn ‘Atiyyah narrated from Muhammad (probably, Muhammad ibn Sirin) that he used to say, “It has been narrated that Banu Israel were led into error on account of the books that they inherited from their ancestors besides the Torah.”11

Another scholar writes, “One of the major influences that the Jews incorporated among the Muslims was the latter’s practice of refraining from writing Hadith . It is written in the Talmud, “You have no right to write things, which you narrate orally.” It is not improbable that the Muslims were motivated by Ka’b al-‘Ahbar in this matter, although they set it forth in the fond of a Prophetic Hadith.

Quote An evidence of such influence is the declaration of the Caliph after burning the Ahadith that had collected saying, “Not a Mishnat like the Mishnat of the People of the Book.”12 These words show a form of influence from the practice of the Jews. Abu ‘Ubayd, in his Gharib al-Hadith, writes, “I asked a scholar learned in the Torah and Gospel about the word ‘Mishnat’ He said, “The rabbis and doctors of Banu Israel wrote certain books after Moses, aside from the Scripture and called it ‘Mishna’.”

Obviously the Caliph had liked the practice of the group of Jews of the opposite camp to the writers of ‘Mishna’.

https://www.imamreza.net/old/eng/imamreza.php?id=12770

Debate follower

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: The Quran was written down completely during the lifetime of the Prophet(p.b.u.h).

In the Blessed Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) time the Qur’an was not preserved in book form rather it was written on parchments of hides, scapula, leaf-stalks of date palms. Also, the Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged many Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) memorise the Qur’an. Memorizers of Quran also recited the verses of Quran in presence of the Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in order to make sure of their accuracy. Through this method, a large number of companions learnt the correct recitation of Quran and among them seven persons became famed in this regard. Suyuti writes: Among those who recited the Quran in the presence of the Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) , seven became more famed; they were: Uthman bin Affan, Ali ibn Abu Talib, Ubayy ibn Ka'b , Zaid ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn Masud, Abu Darda' al-Ansari and Abu Musa Ashari.

In the Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also arranged the sequences of the verses and Surahs. Ayaat (verses) and Surahs (chapters) were decided by the Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) directly. He decided where an Ayah should be placed. He also determined which compilation of Ayah completes a particular Surah.

The following hadith gives the full details.

Narrated By Zaid bin Thabit Al-Ansari: Who was one of those who used to write the Divine Revelation: Abu Bakr sent for me after the (heavy) casualties among the warriors (of the battle) of Yamama (where a great number of Qurra’ (those who know the Qur’an by heart) were killed). ‘Umar was present with Abu Bakr who said, ‘Umar has come to me and said, the people have suffered heavy casualties on the day of (the battle of) Yamama, and I am afraid that there will be more casualties among the Qurra’ (those who know the Qur’an by heart) at other battle-fields, whereby a large part of the Qur’an may be lost, unless you collect it. And I am of the opinion that you should collect the Qur’an. ” Abu Bakr added, “ I said to ‘Umar, ‘How can I do something which Allah’s Apostle has not done?’ ‘Umar said (to me), ‘By Allah, it is (really) a good thing.’ So ‘Umar kept on pressing, trying to persuade me to accept his proposal, till Allah opened my bosom for it and I had the same opinion as ‘Umar.” (Zaid bin Thabit added:) Umar was sitting with him (Abu Bakr) and was not speaking.

“You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you (of telling lies or of forgetfulness): and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah’s Apostle. Therefore, look for the Qur’an and collect it (in one manuscript).” By Allah, if he (Abu Bakr) had ordered me to shift one of the mountains (from its place) it would not have been harder for me than what he had ordered me concerning the collection of the Qur’an. I said to both of them, “How dare you do a thing which the Prophet has not done? ” Abu Bakr said, “ By Allah, it is (really) a good thing.” So, I kept on arguing with him about it till Allah opened my bosom for that which He had opened the bosoms of Abu Bakr and Umar. So, I started locating Quranic material and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leaf-stalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who knew it by heart). I found with Khuzaima two Verses of Surat-at-Tauba which I had not found with anybody else, (and they were):

“ Verily there has come to you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty He (Muhammad) is ardently anxious over you (to be rightly guided)” (9.128) The manuscript on which the Quran was collected, remained with Abu Bakr till Allah took him unto Him, and then with ‘Umar till Allah took him unto Him, and finally it remained with Hafsa, Umar’s daughter . Bukhari: Book 6: Volume 60: Hadith 201

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: All these writings were compiled into a single book, the Quran we have today, immediately following the death of the Holy Prophet by Imam Ali((عليه السلام)) himself.

This is not true.

Quote Among Shia Ulama, there are 2 opinions which we explained: 1. People like Ayatollah Khoei, Allama Jafar Murtada al-Amili and others believe that indeed, the Holy Quran was compiled in book form during the time of Rasulullah (SAWA). 2. Allama Tabataba’I and a number of other scholars believe the opposite i.e., the compilation of the Holy Quran in book form did not occur during the time of Rasulullah (SAWA). They believe that this compilation of the Holy Quran in book form took a long period of time and occurred much later. In my very humble understanding, this opinion appears to be more heavily consistent with historical records. It is recorded that Hz. Ali ibn Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) compiled the Qur’an in chronological order of revelation. So, what happened with his compilation? Unfortunately, this compilation of the Holy Quran which Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)) presented was not entertained, and quite frankly ignored. So, he went back home with his compilation. “According to the history of Islam from a Shia perspective, this compilation of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)) became one of the special trusts which is connected with the Imams of Ahlul Bait ((عليه السلام)). This particular compilation got transferred from Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)) down the chain of Imamate, and is currently in the custody of our living Imam Mahdi (عجّل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف).” THE QURAN COMPILED BY IMAM ALI & STANDARDIZATION

https://afosa.org/the-quran-compiled-by-imam-ali-a-s-its-later-standardization/

The above link gives very information about compilation of the Blessed Qur’an from Shia perspective.

Ashvazdanghe and Muslim2010

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: The Quran was a written book which was known by everyone from the beginning, not generations afterward.

The Blessed Qur’an was compiled in book form in the time of Hz. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: Yes, you are wrong on that point. There are written ayats from Quran that exist today that were dated (by Carbon 14 dating, which is extremely accurate) to the lifetime of the Holy Prophet and none of these texts contradict the text of the Quran we have today. That in itself is a miracle which people should ponder on.

“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.” Verse 9 Surah al-Hijr

Useful reading:

Sunni Source:

https://www.islamicity.org/17075/the-quran-history-of-its-compilation/

Sunni Sources:

http://shiastudies.com/en/3753/the-quran-compiled-by-imam-ali-a-s/

Revelation and Preservation of Quran Al-Islam.org

https://www.al-islam.org/prophethood-and-prophet-islam-ibrahim-amini/revelation-and-preservation-quran

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: During the time of Uthman, the accent marks on the tops of the letters (the spoken vowels) were standardized so that when the Quran was recited, it was recited in the same way. That is because different parts of the Arabic world had slightly different ways of pronouncing words. If you look at the earliest written texts of the Quran, they didn't contain the accent marks because the Arabs of Mecca, Medina and surrounding areas pronounced in the same way, so they didn't need the accent marks to tell them how to pronounce words. It was only when the Quran began to spread outside this area to places like the Khalij, Egypt, Iraq, etc, where they pronounced the words differently that it needed to be standardized. That is the only thing that happened during the time of Uthman. In addition, there were more written Qurans that were published during that time because Uthman employed more scribes to copy the text because the wealth of the muslims was increasing during that time, but the text of the Quran existed from the beginning. The statement that Uthman was the first to write down the Quran and publish it is wrong.

Following hadith confirms what you have written

Narrated Anas bin Malik: Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to `Uthman at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were Waging war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur'an, so he said to `Uthman, "O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Qur'an) as Jews and the Christians did before." So `Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, "Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so that we may compile the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you." Hafsa sent it to `Uthman. `Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, `Abdullah bin AzZubair, Sa`id bin Al-As and `AbdurRahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. `Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, "In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue." They did so, and when they had written many copies, `Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa. `Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt. Sahih al-Bukhari 4987

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: 2. Abu Bakr forbid hadiths to be written down, and Umar followed the same policy, so there are very few hadith texts that actually date from that time.

As these were early days, there is narration from Hz. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Do not write down anything from me except the Qur’aan .’ (Narrated by Muslim).

This prohibition could be applied to the time when the Qur’an was being revealed, lest it be confused with something else.

It is well known fact that Arabs of Hejaz, Tihama, Nejd and other surrounding areas were well known for having well established Oral Culture. They were NOT known to write things down but were excellent at memorising their culture, be it poetry, tribal history, folklore.

Quote Understanding the orality of Arabic culture Orality doesn’t necessarily imply illiteracy. Instead, orality refers to a different way of thinking about things, and even a different way of relating to the world. For example, while literate people tend to embrace analytical knowledge in problem-solving and decision-making, oral people use relational knowledge to navigate their lives and make everyday decisions and choices. According to orality experts, more than 60% of the world’s populations are described as oral communicators. Historically, oral modalities shape Arab language and culture. For Muslims, Arabic is a sacred language. It embodies religious practices for Arab and non-Arab Muslims. This includes five daily prayers, Quran recitation and memorization, and weekly Friday prayer. The oral traditions of Arabic culture are also deeply rooted in pre-Islamic times. Oral tradition was quite important in the Middle East, going back farther than the Arabic language and then continuing for thousands of years. In fact, pre-Islamic poetry is seen by historians as a register of Arabs, meaning that it contains information on their history, genealogy, world view, cultural values and entire way of life. At that time, Arabic poetry was an original ethnography of the pre-Islamic period. This orality heritage in the Arab world continues to shape attitudes, preferences, decisions and choices. For various reasons, Arabic people may not read books as often as their Western counterparts.

https://multilingual.com/articles/understanding-the-orality-of-arabic-culture/

What Writing Can Tell Us About the Arabs before Islam

https://15minutehistory.org/podcast/episode-82-what-writing-can-tell-us-about-the-arabs-before-islam/

https://brewminate.com/the-history-of-pre-islamic-arabia/

So, ‘Do not write down anything from me except the Qur’an.’ was NOT taken to mean that anything apart from the Blessed Qur’an was meant to forgotten.

The scholars regarded it as recommended action to learn it from them by heart, as they had learned it. But when people were no longer able to strive so hard (in memorizing) and many other ‘non-Arab’ nations had entered Islamic Ummah the scholars feared that knowledge might be lost, they compiled it in books.”

It is interesting to note that apart from Imam Malik ibn Anas (rahimahullah) all other hadith collectors were non-Arabs and were Farsi-speaking by heritage!!!!!

Sahih al-Bukhari - Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari (rahimahullah) Sahih Muslim - Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Naysaburi (rahimahullah) Sunan Abi Dawud - Imam Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn al-Ash'ath as-Sijistani (rahimahullah) Sunan Ibn Majah - Imam Muhammad bin Yazid Ibn Majah al-Qazvini (rahimahullah) Muwatta Imam Malik - Imam Malik ibn Anas (rahimahullah) Jami` at-Tirmidhi - Imam Abu `Isa Muhammad at-Tirmidhi (rahimahullah)

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: They also destroyed many hadith that were written down that were in favor of Imam Ali((عليه السلام)) and Ahl Al Bayt((عليه السلام)).

This is a well-known, oft-repeating sectarian slogan from the pulpits that common Shia folk hear so much that they tend to believe it as ‘the Gospel truth’. So, was it NOT the task of the Imam of that time to WRITE DOWN such hadith and save them for the posterity? Was this part of their duty to preserve Islam in its pristine form?

This is just Ghulaat Shias belief, just as they believe that suras al-Nurain and al-Wilaya in favour of Ahlul Bayt were removed from the Qur’an.

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: It was during the time of Muawiya that hadiths started to be forged on a large scale and he (Muawiya(la)) attributed the transmission of these hadith posthumously to various sahaba and wives of the prophet.

Imam Bukhari 13 Shawwal 194 AH (July 21, 810 CE) 194AH 1 Shawwal 256 AH (870 CE), Imam Muslim 202/821 CE died in AH 261/875 CE and many others became into action and vetted out all the false hadith.

I am surprised at your selected amnesia – Were not Shias Ghulaat or no were manufacturing ‘hadith’ in their favour? Most ‘authentic’ Shia hadith book, Al-Kafi contains only 41% ‘Sahih’ hadith!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now one can judge the state of affairs of other Shia books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: We get our hadith from Ahl Al Bayt((عليه السلام)), and most from Imam Jaafar Sadiq((عليه السلام)). That is why we are called Jaafari, because it was during his time (when the power of the Ummayads was on the decline and eventually collapsed and the Abbasids did not yet have a firm grip on power) that the Imam((عليه السلام)) had some amount of freedom to confirm the truth of certain hadith, announce others as forged, and for books of authentic hadith to be written down and disseminated.

We, Sunnis, get our hadith directly from the Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or those who directly from him!!!!

Note the following:

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with him) Born c. 702 CE (c. 83 AH) 765 (aged 63–64) 148 AH

Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni Born, 250 AH /864 CE; Died, 329 AH /941 CE 629692

There is around 160 years between them!!!!!! Too many fallible individuals in-between!!!!

On 6/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, Abu Hadi said: the Imam((عليه السلام)) had some amount of freedom to confirm the truth of certain hadith, announce others as forged, and for books of authentic hadith to be written down and disseminated.

Had no effect as most ‘authentic’ Shia hadith book, Al-Kafi contains only 41% ‘Sahih’ hadith!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now one can judge the state of affairs of other Shia books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15 hours ago, Debate follower said: This is a well-known, oft-repeating sectarian slogan from the pulpits that common Shia folk hear so much that they tend to believe it as ‘the Gospel truth’. So, was it NOT the task of the Imam of that time to WRITE DOWN such hadith and save them for the posterity? Was this part of their duty to preserve Islam in its pristine form? This is just Ghulaat Shias belief, just as they believe that suras al-Nurain and al-Wilaya in favour of Ahlul Bayt were removed from the Qur’an.

Salam this is just pure wahabi/Salafi propaganda which wahabists/Salafists besides of creating false suras of al-Nurain and al-Wilaya also believe to fooling of prophet Muhammad (pbu) by cursed Shaitan & receiving verses of Qaraniq from cursed Shaitan

Quote The myth of Qaraniq is an event in which it is claimed that the Prophet of Islam ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) recited two non-Qur'anic phrases under influence of Shaitan between the verses of this surah while reciting Surah An-Najm, and it is thought that these two are also verses of revelation, But Gabriel informed the Prophet of this event. According to the above-mentioned narrations, this incident took place about two months after the emigration of Muslims to Abyssinia. A number of Sunni historical and commentary books, including the biography of Ibn Ishaq, al-Tabqat al-Kubra, and the commentary of Tabari , have mentioned narrations related to the story of Qaraniq; On the contrary, many Sunni and Shiite scholars have questioned the occurrence of the Qaraniq incident with arguments. Mohammad Hadi Maarefat, one of the Shiite commentators, considers the document of Qaraniq narrations to be flawed; Because, according to him, none of the main narrators understood the Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) and were not companions.

https://fa.wikishia.net/view/افسانه_غرانیق

15 hours ago, Debate follower said: Most ‘authentic’ Shia hadith book, Al-Kafi contains only 41% ‘Sahih’ hadith!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now one can judge the state of affairs of other Shia books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fabricated hadiths were so prolific that Sahih al-Bukhari includes 2761 non-repetitive hadiths selected from among nearly 600,000 hadiths , and Sahih Muslim includes 4000 non-repetitive hadiths selected from among 300,000 hadiths, as claimed by their authors.

Accuraracy of Sahih al-Bukhari is 0.004601666667=0.46% lesser than 0.5% which is 39.73 % lesser accurate than is Al Kafi – the most prominent Shia book authored by Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni

Accuracy of Sahih Muslim is 0.01333333333 =1.3% which is 39.9% or 40% lesser accurate than Al Kafi – the most prominent Shia book authored by Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni

15 hours ago, Debate follower said: We, Sunnis, get our hadith directly from the Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or those who directly from him!!!! Note the following: Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with him) Born c. 702 CE (c. 83 AH) 765 (aged 63–64) 148 AH Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni Born, 250 AH /864 CE; Died, 329 AH /941 CE 629692 There is around 160 years between them!!!!!! Too many fallible individuals in-between!!!!

Prove that you recieve narration directly from prophet although you have recieved your narration just from fallibles & frauds likewise Abu Hurairah while in opposition to you we have recived our narrations from trustworthy & infallible members of progeny of prophet Muhammad (pbu) which Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (عليه السلام) has received narrations from Imam Baqir (عليه السلام) which he received it from Imam Zaynal Abidin Sajjad (عليه السلام) which previously you have confirmed their vast knowledge as masters & teachers of Abu Hanifa & Malik which Imam Zaynal Abidin Sajjad (عليه السلام) has recieved narrations & knowledge from Imam Hussain (عليه السلام) which him & Imam Hasan(عليه السلام) received it from Amir al Muminin Imam Ali(عليه السلام) which he received divine knowledge from prophet Muhammad (pbu) which prophet has received it from Allah which hadith of golden chain is a proof of it which fair & knowledgeabl sunni scholars have verified it.

Quote Hadith al-Silsilah al-Dhahab (Arabic: حدیث سلسلة الذهب) (Hadith of the Golden Chain) is a hadith narrated from Ali al-Ridha, the eighth Imam of the Shia. The "chain" is a reference to the continuity of spiritual authority which is passed down from Muhammad to Ali ibn Abi Talib, through each of the Imams, to Imam Ridha. Hadith of Golden Chain - Wikipedia

Quote In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful Imam Rida (عليه السلام) and the Golden Chain Hadith (for teens) Once when our 8th Imam, Imam Rida (عليه السلام) was travelling from Medina to Tous, reached a town called Nishapur. People of Nishapur came out to welcome and greet the son of Rasulullah [(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)]. They all wanted to see Imam Rida (عليه السلام) and learn from him. Cries of Allahu Akbar; Allahu Akbar; went up. Scholars and reciters of the Quran waited to hear the Imam. They asked him to narrate a hadith from the Holy Prophet Muhammad [(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)]. Imam Rida (عليه السلام) told them the following hadith: "My father Musa al-Kadhim (عليه السلام) told me, from his father Ja’far al-Sadiq (عليه السلام), from his father Muhammad al-Baqir (عليه السلام), from his father Ali Zain al-Abideen (عليه السلام), from his father the martyr of Karbala (Hussain) (عليه السلام), from his father Ali ibn Abitalib (عليه السلام), from the Holy Prophet Muhammad [(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)]. from Angel Jibrail (عليه السلام), from Almighty Allah: The declaration, La ilaha illalallah (there is no Allah except Allah) is My Fortress; whoever enters My fortress is safe from My punishment. More than 20000 person began reciting the hadith and thought that His Holiness talk was over, but to their amazement the Holy Imam Rida (عليه السلام) added the following words to what he had previously stated: “But all this depends on some conditions, and I am (accepting my Imamah and obeying my wilayah is) one of those conditions.” This historical and the most famous hadith Qudsi is called "Silsilat al-Dhahab" (the Golden Chain) because each member of the chain was a Ma’soom (infallible). In this hadith, Imam Rida (عليه السلام) confirms that worshipping Allah will be counted as a perfect procedure when it is based on the obedience of the immaculate Holy Imams (عليه السلام). He showed that there was a vital and clear link between Tawhid, Nubuwah and Imamah.

https://mohammadfnd.org/en/kids-and-teens/prophets-and-ahlul-bayt/let-s-learn-about-ahlul-bayt/imam-rida-as/714-imam-rida-as-and-the-golden-chain-hadith-for-teens

https://en.wikishia.net/view/Hadith_Silsilat_al-Dhahab

https://www.imamreza.net/old/eng/imamreza.php?id=6185

Quote By this Divine Hadith , 4 the holy Imam (عليه السلام) intended to state three points: Firstly , by naming his ancestors who had each quoted the hadith from the previous ones back to the Holy Prophet (S) who had himself heard it through the trusted Gabriel from the Exalted Lord, he could remind people of his honorable ancestors who were all Shi‘ite Imams and rightful Caliphs of the true path. Secondly, to remind people of monotheism and theology, which are the cornerstones of all beliefs and contentions to avert them from getting duped by illegitimate rulers, taghut s, and the tyrannical bullies. Thirdly , real and non-idolatrous monotheism and theology free from hypocrisy requires and accompanies the Wilayat of Ahl al-Bayt (عليه السلام) , and that unless a just leadership is not set up in the Muslims' community, the idols and pseudo-idols and the illegitimate rulers will not allow Divine Unity turn in the right path. Historically, it is recorded that when writing down this hadith , the eager people were so prepared that they had in their disposal 24 thousand pen-holders to be used in writing the precious words of the Holy Prophet (S)'s descendent. 5

https://www.al-islam.org/fourteen-luminaries-islam-ahmad-ahmadi-birjandi/tenth-infallible-hadhrat-imam-ali-b-musa-al-ridha

16 hours ago, Debate follower said: Had no effect as most ‘authentic’ Shia hadith book, Al-Kafi contains only 41% ‘Sahih’ hadith!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now one can judge the state of affairs of other Shia books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunni narrations

Many sunni scholars have narrated this event. Only fifty narrations have survived since third century out of ten thousands or twenty thousands or thirty thousands narrations. Besides, there are many other hadiths titled "al-Silsilah al-Dhahab hadith" varying from the one in question. Two of the important narrations are the " Fortress narration " and the " Faith narration ".

The Fortress narration

There exists two different viewpoints among Sunni scholars regarding the Fortress Narration. Some of them mention Abu al-Salt Abd al-Salam ibn Heravi as the only narrator of this hadith and have disqualified him as a narrator, and consequently disregard the hadith. On the other hand, some of the sunni scholars regard Abu al-Salt as highly credible and therefore confirm the hadith, and some others even suggested healing powers for the hadith.

Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, peace be upon him, said: "My father Musa al-Kazim told me from his father Jafar al-Sadigh, from his father mohammad al-Baghir, from his father Ali Zayn al-Abidin, from his father Husayn, the martyr of Karbala, from his father Ali ibn abi Talib, peace be upon him, who said: I heard from, the apple of my eye, Allah's apostle peace be upon him and his household, who heard from Gabriel saying that Allah said:" There is no god but Allah is my fortress whoever chants this, enters my fortress and whoever enters my fortress shall be safe from my punishment." "

The part specifying 'condition'

Although the last part of the hadith ("There are few conditions and I am one of its conditions") is omitted in most sunni hadith books, some of the s unni scholars such as Khaje Parsa Hanafi and Qazi Bahjat Affandi Shafi'i have mentioned this part in their narration.

Al-Silsilah al-Dhahab in Hadith terminology

Hadith terminology categorize Hadith into several sections. According to authenticity or weakness of Hadith, Each hadith can be placed in different categories. The following are some important topics that are discussed about Al-Silsilah al-Dhahab.

Al-Silsilah al-Dhahab is a Hadith Qudsi, i.e., the word of God, but differs from Quran. The Gabriel transmitted hadith from God to prophet. Al-Silsilah al-Dhahab is Mutawatir. Shia and sunni scholars have narrated the hadith by Different expressions with authenticity. This hadith is Musalsal meaning that it's a word of God and is conveyed from Prophet of Islam through Ahl al-Bayt to Ali al-Ridha. In other word, narrators of the hadith are Prophet and Ahl al-Bayt . According to shia view they are infallible and immune from error in practical matters, in inviting people to the religion and in perceiving the realm of cognition. because of that the hadith is called golden chain. Because of that, this hadith was named Al-Silsilah al-Dhahab. Al-Silsilah al-Dhahab is Musnad. Twenty (or ten or thirty) thousands have narrated this event, but only fifty narrations are available. The chain of the narrators of the hadith reaches the Prophet of Islam through Ahl al-Bayt, hence called Hadith of Golden Chain.

http://www.owlapps.net/owlapps_apps/articles?id=43196205&lang=en

16 hours ago, Debate follower said: It is interesting to note that apart from Imam Malik ibn Anas (rahimahullah) all other hadith collectors were non-Arabs and were Farsi-speaking by heritage!!!!! Sahih al-Bukhari - Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari (rahimahullah) Sahih Muslim - Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Naysaburi (rahimahullah) Sunan Abi Dawud - Imam Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn al-Ash'ath as-Sijistani (rahimahullah) Sunan Ibn Majah - Imam Muhammad bin Yazid Ibn Majah al-Qazvini (rahimahullah) Muwatta Imam Malik - Imam Malik ibn Anas (rahimahullah) Jami` at-Tirmidhi - Imam Abu `Isa Muhammad at-Tirmidhi (rahimahullah)

Prophet Muhammad said that people from Persians will reach to knowledge which is said about great companion Salman Muhammadi[Farsi] (رضي الله عنه) who he has been from first Shias & supporters of Amir al Muminin Imam Ali(عليه السلام) in opposition to his objecting of Abubakr & Umar which also Persians/Fars/Iranians have choosen Shia Islam as true path so therefore you must follow great companion Salman Muhammadi[Farsi] (رضي الله عنه) & his people in choosing Shia Islam & leaving ignorance & propaganda of wahabists /Salafis .

So Allah's Apostle put his hand on Salman, saying, "Even if Faith were at (the place of) Ath-Thuraiya (pleiades, the highest star), then some men or man from these people (i.e. Salman's folk) would attain it." (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Quote Narrated Abu Huraira: While we were sitting with the Prophet Surat al-Jumu'a was revealed to him, and when the Verse, "And He (Allah) has sent him (Muhammad) also to other (Muslims).....' (62:3) was recited by the Prophet, I said, "Who are they, O Allah's Apostle?"The Prophet did not reply till I repeated my question thrice. At that time, Salman al-Farsi was with us. So Allah's Apostle put his hand on Salman, saying, "Even if Faith were at (the place of) Ath-Thuraiya (pleiades, the highest star), then some men or man from these people (i.e. Salman's folk) would attain it." (Sahih al-Bukhari) Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: If the din were at the Pleiades, even then a person from Persia would have taken hold of it, or one amongst the Persian descent would have surely found it. (Sahih al Muslim) Does the above hadeeth refers to Imam Bukhari (the author of Sahih al-Bukhari), who is also of Persian descent?

Quote Al-Qurtubi said: “ The best of what was said about them is that they are from Persia and this Hadeeth is evidence for it, and men from among them attained this blessing as the religion was salient among them and there were many scholars among them. The fact that they are like this is also further evidence of the veracity of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. ” Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: “ The Quran and the Sunnah praised some non-Arabs; Allaah says (what means): { It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom - although they were before in clear error – And [to] others of them who have not yet joined them. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. } [Quran 62:2-3]. " https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/266854/the-hadeeth-if-faith-were-at-pleiades-refers-to-the-persians

In the Words of the Prophet (s) and Imams (a)

The Prophet Muhammad (s) : "Allah commanded me to love four men, for He loves them, too. They are Ali (a) , Miqdad , Abu Dhar , and Salman."

According to most of Shi'i sources, the first day that Salman entered the mosque, people respected and praised him, while some other people disapproved of it, because he was an 'Ajam (non-Arab). After this event, Prophet Muhammad (s) gave a speech to people:

Quote Disagreement with the Event of Saqifa See also: Event of Saqifa In the Event of Saqifa, Salman said: "If they had pledged allegiance with Ali (a), they would have been granted with bounties pouring from every direction ." Ansab al-ashraf , Vol. 1, P. 591 Salman disagreed with the Event of Saqifa . Miqdad , Salman, Abu Dhar , Ubada b. Samit , Abu l-Haytham b. al-Tayyihan , Hudhayfa , and Ammar b. Yasir gathered around at the night after the Event of Saqifa to decide on Caliphate in the community of Muhajirun . [18] Salman and Ubayy b. Ka'b had numerous reasons to disagree with the Event of Saqifa. [19] The famous sentence of Salman on those sahaba of Prophet (s) who took an oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr was: "You did and you did not" [20] Which means you chose a Caliph, but refused to accept the Prophet Muhammad's order. He said in the day, you chose an elder man, but you left the family of Prophet Muhammad (s) alone; if you had chosen a member of Ahl al-Bayt , there would not be any conflict. And also you would have enjoyed its blessings. [21]

Governor of al-Madain

Salman al-Farsi became the governor of al-Madain in the time of Umar b. al-Khattab . Salman had asked for permission of Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and then he accepted it. He was the governor of al-Madain until he passed away. [22] Salman dedicated the money he received as the governor to charity. [23] He covered his expenses by means of knitting baskets.

Quote Salman eventually married Buqayra from the tribe of Banu Kinda. Abd Allah and Muhammad were the names of their sons. Abd Allah had narrated the hadith of the Heavenly Gift for the Lady Fatima (s) . Salman also had a daughter in Isfahan and two other daughters in Egypt. According to Muhaddith Nuri , the descendants of Salman were living in Rey for about five hundred years. Badr al-Din al-Hasan b. Ali b. Salman was a prominent figure in the narration of hadith and his lineage goes back to Salman al-Farsi through nine generations. Dia' al-Din al-Farsi (d. 622/1225-6), a descendant of Salman, was a grand scholar and a poet in Khujand. He was a religious leader in Bukhara . He also penned a commentary on al-Mahsul by al-Razi . Muhaddith Nuri also mentioned Shams al-Din Suzani (d. 562/1166-7 or 569/1173-4) as a descendant of Salman, he was titled as Taj al-Shu'ara (the Crown of Poets). The other mentioned descendants of Salman are Abd al-Fattah, custodian of the mausoleum of Salman for some time; Abu Kathir b. Abd al-Rahman, grandchild of Salman who narrated the letter of Prophet Muhammad (s) to Abd al-Ashhal, a Jewish member of Banu Qurayza , on freedom of Salman; Ibrahim b. Shahriyar (d. 624.1226-7), known as Abu Ishaq Kaziruni, who was a religious figure in the fifth/eleventh century and al-Hasan b. al-Hasan whose lineage goes back to Muhammad b. Salman. [24]

https://en.wikishia.net/view/Salman_al-Farsi

As a scholar, Salman ((رضي الله عنه).) was noted for his vast knowledge and wisdom. Ali ibn Talib ((رضي الله عنه).) said of him that he was like Luqman the Wise. And Kaab Al-Ahbar said: "Salman is stuffed with knowledge and wisdom - an ocean that does not dry up." Salman ((رضي الله عنه).) had a knowledge of both the Christian scriptures and the Quran in addition to his earlier knowledge of the Zoroastrian religion. Salman in fact translated parts of the Quran into Persian during the life-time of the Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).). He was thus the first person to translate the Quran into a foreign language.

https://www.islamicfinder.org/knowledge/biography/story-of-salman-alfarsi/

Quote Salman: Islam’s child Salman al-Farsi labelled entering Islam as the best stage of his life. Even though he was an Iranian and was proud of his Iranian heritage, he labelled himself a child of Islam and placed Islam above everything else. One day there was a debate between him and Saad Bin Abi Vaqaaz. Saad told some of those present there, “Talk about your ancestors’ nobility” and they did so. When it was Salman’s turn, he said, “I do not know a father for myself in Islam. Salman is the child of Islam.”

Quote Salman’s anger is God’s anger Salman al-Farsi’s virtue, sincerity and faith were to the extent that his anger was the criteria for the God’s anger. One day, Abu Sufyan passed by a group of Muslims, including Salman, Soheib, and Bilal and heard them say “The swords quenched their thirst from God’s enemy’s throat.” Abu Sufyan heard what they said. A companion angrily told them, “You are saying this about the sheikh and great man of the Quraysh.” The Prophet was told about what was said, and he addressed that companion, saying, “You were angry with them; if you make them angry, God would be angry with you

https://www.al-islam.org/message-thaqalayn/vol-17-no-4-winter-2017/salman-al-farsi-great-companion-prophet-muhammad/salman

Quote It was before noon. Some Muslims sat in Prophet's Mosque waiting for Azan (call to prayer) to say noon prayer. Salman entered mosque and greeted his believing brothers. The Muslims wanted to know the Persian man's tribe. They mentioned their tribes loudly to let Salman hear them . One of them said: I belong to Tamim's tribe. Another said: I belong to the Quraish. A third said: I belong to al-Aus tribe. And so on. But Salman was silent. They wanted to know his tribe. So they asked him: Salman, where are you from? To teach them the meaning of Islam, Salman answered: I'm the son on Islam! I was lost! So, Allah's guided me with Muhammad. I was poor! So, Allah's made me rich with Muhammad. I was a slave! So, Allah's released me with Muhammad. This is my tribe! The Muslims in mosque kept silent because Salman taught them a lesson of Islam.

https://www.sibtayn.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5931:salman-farsi,-the-son-of-islam&catid=589&Itemid=674

Quote In the Prophet's Mosque The Muslims came together in the Prophet's Mosque. They were thanking Allah, the Glorified. They were looking at Salman, the great companion, with love and respect because he saved Madina and Islam from the invaders with his plan. For this reason, the Ansar from Madina said: Salman is one of us! And the Muhajireen shouted: Salman is one of us! And the Muslims listened to the Prophet [s] to hear his view about Salman: Salman is a member of my family! Then the Prophet [s] said: Don't say Salman al-Farsi, but say Salman al-Muhammadi! Since that day, the Muslims had looked gratefully and respectfully at Salman.

16 hours ago, Debate follower said: The Blessed Qur’an was compiled in book form in the time of Hz. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)

Imam al-Baqir (a) said: "there's no one who can say that 'I have collected Qur'an as Allah revealed it' unless he is lying. No one preserved and collected Qur'an with the order of revelation except Ali b. Abi Talib. " [9]

16 hours ago, Debate follower said: Verily there has come to you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty He (Muhammad) is ardently anxious over you (to be rightly guided)” (9.128) The manuscript on which the Quran was collected, remained with Abu Bakr till Allah took him unto Him, and then with ‘Umar till Allah took him unto Him, and finally it remained with Hafsa, Umar’s daughter. Bukhari: Book 6: Volume 60: Hadith 201 On 6/13/2022 at 2:36 PM, Abu Hadi said: All these writings were compiled into a single book, the Quran we have today, immediately following the death of the Holy Prophet by Imam Ali((عليه السلام)) himself.

Mushaf of Imam Ali (a)

Muṣḥaf of Imām ʿAlī (a) (Arabic: مصحف امام علي (ع)) is the first Qur'an collected after the demise of the Prophet (s) . Imam Ali (a) presented the Mushaf to the Companions . Still, they did not accept it, so Imam Ali (a) hid it, so the Mushaf is not available, and apparently the order of its suras is not as the order of the existing Qur'an.

The narrators who clearly mentioned the Mushaf of Imam Ali (a) or the collection of Qur'an by Imam Ali (a) are:

Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilali (d. 76/695) in his book mentions the Mushaf of Imam Ali (a) and its features. He narrates it from the close companions of the Prophet (s) and Imam Ali (a): Abu Dhar , Salman al-Farsi , 'Abd Allah b. al-'Abbas .
' Abd Allah b. al-'Abbas, has independently remarked about the Mushaf . [2]

Could Zayd b. Thabit write better? Or was Sa'id b. al-'As more literate and more familiar with the Arabic grammar than Ali? They were more close to the Prophet (s) or Ali (a) was? They ignored the work of Ali (a) and forgot it

Most of the reports and narrations indicate that the Mushaf of Imam Ali (a) was ordered according to the order of revelation ; but about whether it only contained the text of the Qur'an or it has some extras like the context of revelation, the exegesis of the verses, nasikh and mansukh ; there are different reports . [8]

Quote Opinion of al-Shahristani In the exegetic book of al-Shahristani (d. 548/1153) it is mentioned: after the collection of Qur'an, Ali (a) and his slave, Qanbar , brought it to the Companions, they were carrying it with difficulty and it is said that it was equal to a load of a camel. Imam Ali (a) told them: this is the book of Allah as is revealed to Muhammad (s), I collected it in a volume. They said: 'take away your Mushaf as we do not need it.' Imam Ali (a) said: 'by Allah, you will never see it again, I had the responsibility to inform you when I collected it.' Then he returned while he was reciting this verse: "O my Lord! Indeed my people consigned this Qur'an to oblivion." (Quran 25:30) [3] Al-Shahristani then criticizes the response of who rejected the Mushaf of Imam Ali (a): How they did not want the Qur'an collected by Ali (a)? Could Zayd b. Thabit write better? Or was Sa'id b. al-'As more literate and more familiar with the Arabic grammar than Ali? They were more close to the Prophet (s) or Ali (a) was? They ignored the work of Ali (a) and forgot it . But when Ali (a) completed the burial of the Prophet (s), made a vow that he will never come out of his house except for the Friday prayer till he collects all of the Qur'an. Certainly, he was responsible for this duty. He collected Qur'an as it was revealed; the Prophet (s) had instructed him about the verses and suras and their meaning and order. [4]

Quote Opinion of Ibn al-Nadim Ibn al-Nadim in his book al-Fihrist says: after the demise of the Prophet (s) , Imam Ali (a) stayed in his home for 3 days and collected Qur'an and this was the first collected Qur'an. This Mushaf was among the progeny of Ja'far, and I saw the Mushaf with the handwriting of Ali b. Abi Talib (a) , in possession of Abu Ya'li Hamza al-Hasani, which some of its pages was decayed. The progeny of al-Hasan (a) had inherited it and this is the order of suras in Mushaf of Imam Ali (a): … [5] In the existing manuscripts of al-Fihrist the part of the order of suras is totally wiped; the reason for this change is not known. [6

https://en.wikishia.net/view/Mushaf_of_Imam_Ali_(a)

Unfortunately, certain persons, while acknowledging the authenticity of these accounts have tried to cast doubts on the Imam's compilation being in book-form , by stating, rather unconvincingly, that the phrase jama'a al-Qur'an means that he memorized the Holy Scripture after the passing away of the crude attempt to credit others with the first compilation of the Qur'an but the fallacy of such biased claims are exposed when we diligently scrutinize the text of the above-quoted accounts where the word mushaf is clearly mentioned.

Quote The Imam replied that he had pledged to Allah not to put a cloak on his shoulders except for the prayer until he complied the Qur'an between two covers (mushaf). Ibn Sirin regretted that this transcript has not passed into the hands of the Muslims (for reasons which will be mentioned later) and said: "If that transcript were in our hands, we would have found great knowledge in it."(3) A similar report has been given by Ibn Munadi, who says that after the passing away of the Prophet, the Imam confined himself to his house for three days and compiled the whole Qur'an. The famous bibliographer, Ibn Nadim, has called it the first ever mushaf and said the Imam compiled it with the help of his heart and memory.(4) Ibn Jawzi al-Kalbi reports that during the lifetime of the Prophet, the Qur'an was in fragmented form, confined to parchments and the memory of reciters, until compiled as mushaf in the order of revelation by Imam 'Ali ((عليه السلام)) immediately after the passing away of the Noble Messenger. He says that if this mushaf were to be traced it would unravel bezels of wisdom.(5)

https://www.sibtayn.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2142:imam-ali-a-s-the-first-compiler-of-holy-quran&catid=265&Itemid=336

Quote Unfortunately, the clear and lucid words of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام).), which he expressed in an era of ignorance - and at times he vented his feelings by speaking down the mouth of a well because of lack of deserving persons who could lend him their ears - were to be ignored by two groups: A. Those who claimed to be his devotees but who only devotedly recalled and r epeated his words without ever making much effort in theory and in practice to make this these ideals and beliefs manifest in social life. B. The so-called modernists who because of their narrow-mindedness wrongly dismissed the intellectual legacy of the past with out giving themselves the opportunity to ponder on words and thoughts of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام).) regarding Divine Revelations, religion, the Quran and achievements of Islam.

https://www.pasokh.org/en/Article/View/2000386/Imam-Ali-(AS),-the-Source-of-Authentic-Quranic-Knowledge?CID=2321

Quote The Quran Compiled by Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)) There is no dispute among Muslim scholars, whether they are Sunni or Shia, concerning the fact that the Commander of Believers, Ali (عليه السلام), possessed a special transcript of the text of Quran which he had collected himself, and he was THE FIRST who compiled Quran. There are a great number of traditions from Sunni and Shia which states that after the death of the Holy Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).), Imam Ali sat down in his house and said that he had sworn an oath that he would not put on his outdoor clothes or leave his house until he collects together the Quran. Sunni references: – Fat’hul Bari fi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v10, p386 – al-fihrist, by (Ibn) an-Nadim, p30 – al-Itqan, by al-Suyuti, v1, p165 – al-Masahif, by Ibn Abi Dawud, p10 – Hilyatul awliya’, by Abu Nu’aym, v1, p67 – al-Sahibi, by Ibn Faris, p79 – ‘Umdatul Qari, by al-Ayni, v20, p16 – Kanzul Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v15, pp 112-113 – al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 9, Section 4, p197 – Ma’rifat al-Qurra’ al-kibar, by al-Dhahabi, v1, p31

17 hours ago, Debate follower said: The Blessed Qur’an was compiled in book form in the time of Hz. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)

18 hours ago, Debate follower said: Note the following: Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with him) Born c. 702 CE (c. 83 AH) 765 (aged 63–64) 148 AH Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni Born, 250 AH /864 CE; Died, 329 AH /941 CE 629692 There is around 160 years between them!!!!!! Too many fallible individuals in-between!!!!

Quote The Well-Known Debate Mirza Muhammad Ali Mudarris Tabrizi quotes al-Allama al-Majlisi in his Rayhanat al-adab as writing in his Sharh man la yahduruh al-faqih : One day, King Oljaitu Muhammad the Mogul held a meeting. He gathered Sunni scholars and invited al-Allama al-Hilli to the meeting. When al-Allama entered the meeting, he put his shoes under his arms, said hello to the king, and sat beside him. When he was asked why he did not prostrate for the king, he replied: "the Prophet (s) was the king of kings, and people said hello to him, as the Quranic verse says: "So when you enter houses, greet your people with a salutation from Allah, blessed (and) good". [10] Moreover, all of us agree that prostration should specifically be done for God. He was then asked why he sat beside the king. He replied: "It was the only empty place I saw. There is a hadith from the Prophet (s) according to which when one enters a meeting, one should sit wherever he finds empty". They asked him: "what was the value of the shoes that made you bring it with yourself inside the king's meeting?" He replied: "I feared that Hanafis steal them, as their head stole the shoes of the Prophet (s)". The Hanafis objected that Abu Hanifa did not live at the time of the Prophet (s). Al-Allama said: "Oh, I forgot! I think the one who stole the Prophet's (s) shoes was al-Shafi'i . Thus, the same dialogue recurred about the Shafi'is, Malikis, and Hanbalis. Al-Allama said to the king: "now it turns out that none of the heads of the Four Schools (al-Madhahib al-Arba'a) lived in the period of the Prophet (s) and thus, they made up their views. But the Shi'as follow Amir al-Mu'minin (a) who was the Prophet's (s) wasi and brother as well as his soul." Al-Allama went on to deliver an eloquent lecture. At the end of the debate, the king converted to Shiism. [11] Al-Allama al-Hilli stayed in Iran until the death of Sultan Muhammad Khudabandi and propagated Shiite doctrines and culture. He accompanied the king during all of his travels. At his suggestion, a portable school was made of tents so that al-'Allama could teach during travels. [12]

https://en.wikishia.net/view/Al-'Allama_al-Hilli

18 hours ago, Debate follower said: Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with him) Born c. 702 CE (c. 83 AH) 765 (aged 63–64) 148 AH Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni Born, 250 AH /864 CE; Died, 329 AH /941 CE 629692 There is around 160 years between them!!!!!! Too many fallible individuals in-between!!!!

Al-Kafi; one of the most reliable books of Shiite Hadith

Some Characteristics of the book ‘Kafi’: 1. The author of this book perceived the period of the four representatives and a part of the time of Imam Hassan Askari (a);

http://shiastudies.com/en/5811/al-kafi-one-of-the-most-reliable-books-of-shiite-hadith/

An important feature of al-Kafi is its order and comprehensiveness. [11] Al-Kafi is also known for its large number of hadiths, clear classification of hadith, completeness in chains of transmitters, and coverage of various topics in theology , jurisprudence , ethics, etc.

Al-Kulayni has tried to bring the most detailed, authentic and clear hadith at the beginning of each section, and the more concise and ambiguous ones later. [12]

https://en.wikishia.net/view/Al-Kafi_(book)

18 hours ago, Debate follower said: am surprised at your selected amnesia – Were not Shias Ghulaat or no were manufacturing ‘hadith’ in their favour? Most ‘authentic’ Shia hadith book, Al-Kafi contains only 41% ‘Sahih’ hadith!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now one can judge the state of affairs of other Shia books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, the reasons behind many beliefs are intellectual arguments and reasoning; hadiths are only mentioned as corroboration of what has been understood through argument , and secondly , because many of these beliefs have been given to us by series of hadiths with different content that somewhat verify each other.

Quote C) The main problem with what has been said is the false conclusion that has been come to based on it. What we mean is that both what was said about most of the hadiths in Kafi being inauthentic isn't correct, and also the claim that the imams didn’t possess superhuman powers is also incorrect, because first of all, the reasons behind many beliefs are intellectual arguments and reasoning; hadiths are only mentioned as corroboration of what has been understood through argument, and secondly, because many of these beliefs have been given to us by series of hadiths with different content that somewhat verify each other. For example, there are many hadiths that share the same content of hadiths that have been mentioned in the two books of Bidayah al-Ma’arif al-Ilahiyyah and Rahnama Shenasi , such as: hadiths that tell us the imams are muhaddethun (hearers of words from the unseen) [6] or that their knowledge is from the divine. [7]

18 hours ago, Debate follower said: Had no effect as most ‘authentic’ Shia hadith book, Al-Kafi contains only 41% ‘Sahih’ hadith!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now one can judge the state of affairs of other Shia books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Objections against Kafi The eminent scholars in the field f Hadith, despite praising the book Kafi, have also made objections to it; amongst them:

Allam Feiz Wafi Kashani, in the introduction of the book ‘Wafi’, has made the following objections against the book ‘Kafi’:

1. He has not mentioned a great deal of jurisprudential issues; 2. In some instances he has not hinted at the Hadiths of opposing views; 3. He has not explained difficult and obscure terms; 4. In some topics, chapters and Hadiths, he has not observed the order under consideration and sometimes he has placed a Hadith in other than its proper place, or has cancelled out a topic and/ or listed a topic which is not necessary .

Quote B) The presence of conflicting Hadiths or Hadiths opposed to the indisputable principles of the Shiite school of thought is another objection which has been made against Kafi. For instance, they have said that Hadiths asserting that the Qur’an has been distorted, a belief incompatible with the Shiite school of thought, are found in the book Kafi.

C) Some names such as Muhammad, Ahmad, Hussein or even Muhammad bin Yahya and Ahmad bin Muhammad and the likes of them who are among the common narrators, have been mentioned in this book and the author has not given much details in regard to the narrators.

Quote D) The other objection is that without the least doubt Kulayni did not hear all the Hadiths from his teachers , but only heard some of them and narrated the rest from their books on their permission and of course both of them

E) Some people have found fault with Kulayni as to why he has narrated Hadiths from indisputably weak narrators in the book Kafi and they have listed a number of those weak narrators, amongst them: Wahab bin Wahab (Abul Bakhtari), Ahmad bin Hilaal, Muhammad bin Walid Sairafi, and /or Abdullah bin Qasim Harithi . The whole set of these objections has been discussed in the books al-Kulayni wal Kafi and al-Kulayni wal Kitaba al-Kafi and all in all

Quote , overlooking the judgments and verdicts of this book, it is clear that assuming all of them to be correct, yet still nothing of Kulayni and confidence in his book is reduced and of course and of course no book save the Glorious Qur’an which is from Allah the High has remained immune and preserved from mistakes and no person save the infallibles (a), who have been protected by Allah, is immune from error.

Research Work done in regard to Kafi

Quote Sheikh Aqa Buzurg Tehrani , in the book al-Thariah, has mentioned twenty seven expositions with the whole book about Kafi; (al-Thariah ila Tasanif as-Shiah vol 13 Pages 94,100; vol 14 pages 26- 228; al-Mu’jam al-Mafharis lilalfafi Bahar al Anwar vol. 1 Pages 66-67) in the same way that he has counted ten marginal [notes] about this book (al-Thariah ila Tasanif Shiah vol. 6 Page 181; al-Mu’jam al Mafharis lilalfaz Bahar al Anwar vol. 1 Page 66). Likewise some other authors have mentioned a great deal of writings in regard to Kafi, a lot of which has either not yet been printed up to now or are out of reach. ( Thamin Hashim Habib, as-Sheikh al-Kulayni al-Baghdadi wa Kitab al-Kafi Pages 157- 177).

2 weeks later...

On 6/14/2022 at 7:47 PM, Debate follower said: This is just Ghulaat Shias belief, just as they believe that suras al-Nurain and al-Wilaya in favour of Ahlul Bayt were removed from the Qur’an.

It has been claimed by Christian missionaries at their website that some Shi'ite's have two more chapters in their Qur'an called Surah al-Nurayn and Surah al-Walayah. Regarding the Surah al-Walayah, they used to say [obviously deleted now!]:

Source: The Sura was taken from the book "ALThWRh AL'YARANYh FY MYzAN AL'sLAM" ( The Iranian revolution in the balance of Islam ), published in Egyp t. This is a Sunni book attacking the Shia. The author claims he has taken it from the Shia Qur'an. Only problem is that the Sunni author didn't realize that he was digging his own grave with publishing this sura.

3. Surah al-Walayah & al-Nurayn: Their History & Studies On Them Between 1055 / 1645 and 1068 /1658, there appeared in India, during the time of Mughal rule, an anonymous book written in Persian called Dabistan-i Madhahib or "Schools of Religious Doctrines". In this book, two additional surahs and verses are mentioned that are not to be found in the official text of the Qur'an. The two surahs bearing the names " Surah al-Walayah " and " Surah al-Nurayn ".

AUTHOR OF THE TWO FORGED SURAHS The discovery of the Dabistan had been ascribed to a Shi'ite, however, without any specification of name of denomination as suggested by Tisdall and others. [15] However, this view has been criticized by Joseph Eliash. Concerning the text from Bankipore and Dabistan-i-Madhahib , he says: Quote Hence Dabistan cannot be referred to as an Imami Shi'a source and nor can its author be called Imami-Shi'i. [16]

This is in line with the recent research that has shown that the author of Dabistan was, in fact, not a Shi'ite at all , but rather a Parsi .

[17] " Dabestan-E-Madaheb ", Encyclopaedia Iranica , 1993, op. cit. , pp. 533-534; Also see M. M. Marcinkowski, " Some Reflections On Alleged Twelver Shi`ite Attitude Towards The Integrity Of The Qur'an ", The Muslim World , 2001, Volume 91, p. 142. [17]

Quote Concerning the Bankipore text, its only connection with the Imami Shi'a is the claim that the manuscript was brought from the Nawwab in Lucknow which was a centre of Imami learning in India . This alone does not constitute it into an authoritative Qur'an for the Imami Shi'a... As to the Dabistan-i-Madhahib , it is significant to note that the author does not identify himself with the Shi'a. He discusses twelve different religions practised in his time in India and devotes just a few pages to the Shi'a which he entitles "Statements about the second sect of Muslims who are known as Shi'a" and prefaces his remarks by phrases such as "the author of this book relates what he learned from Mulla Mu h ammad Ma'sum, Mu h ammad Mu'min and Mulla Ibrahim, who in the year of 1053 (AD 1643) were in Lahore and from others" and the like. He precedes the 'Surah al-Nurayn" by the following statement: "Some of them (the Shi'a) say the `Uthman burnt the copies of the Qur'an and excluded (rejected) some of the surahs which were on the dignity of `Ali and his excellence, on of the surahs is this . " The Dabistan-i-Madahib was critically edited and translated into english in the year 1843, the editors are not certain of the identity of the author. The give the date of the death of the supposed author, Muhsin Fani, as probably 1081/1670, and state that he was "of the philosophic sect of Sufis", "a native of Kachmir, a learned man and respectable poet, a scholar of Mulla Yakub, Sufi of Kachmir", but make no mention whatsoever that he was Shi'a authority. Hence Dabistan cannot be referred to as an Imami Shi'a source and nor can its author be called Imami-Shi'i. [16]

https://www.islamic-awareness.org/quran/text/forgery.html

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It was in this land, that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace, was born in the city of Mecca, which is about fifty miles from the Red Sea.(1) It was in the latter half of the sixth century when the world was plunged into utter darkness that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, was born.
Shia Islam/The Life of the Prophet: Development of Islam under Mohammed
The prophetic messages that the Prophet Muhammad sent to kings, princes, and leaders of nations and peoples, and tribes and groups in his time, were a prominent page from the pages of the Prophet's biography and Islamic history, because these messages reveal one aspect of the tangible practical application of the universality of the Islamic call.
Shi'i
The origins of the split between the Sunnis and the Shiʿah lie in the events which followed the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was understood to be the messenger of God who, in the early 7th century ce, commenced to proclaim the Qurʾān, the sacred scripture of Islam, to the Arabs. In the 620s Muhammad and his followers were driven ...
Full Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (Seerah)
Biography. ›. The biography of the Prophet Muhammad is a timeless and profound story that has influenced millions. In these chapters, we'll journey through his life, from humble beginnings to his pivotal role in Islam's development. His legacy continues to inspire and guide people worldwide.
Life of Prophet Muhammad
سعید ماهانی پور life of Prophet Muhammad 24 July 2021. salman. salman farsi. (Reading time: 1 minute) On 8th of the Islamic month of Safar in 35 AH, the loyal Iranian disciple of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Salman Farsi, or the Persian, passed away in Mada'en in Iraq, where his mausoleum still stands today, with the Prophet's ...
Shia Islam
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (khalīfa) and the Imam after him, most notably at the event of Ghadir Khumm, but was prevented from succeeding Muhammad as the leader of the Muslims as a result of the choice made by some of Muhammad's other companions (ṣaḥāba) at Saqifah.
History of Shia Islam
History of Shia Islam. Shi'a Islam, also known as Shi'ite Islam or Shia, is the second largest branch of Islam after Sunni Islam. Shias adhere to the teachings of Muhammad and the religious guidance of his family (who are referred to as the Ahl al-Bayt) or his descendants known as Shia Imams. Muhammad's bloodline continues only through his ...
The Scribes of the Prophet Muhammad
In the books of history, the names of the Prophet's scribes have been recorded. Al-Ya'qubi, in volume 2 of his historical work, reports: "The Prophet's scribes, who wrote the wahy, letters, and agreements are `Ali ibn Abi Talib, `Uthman ibn `Affan, `Amr ibn Al-`As, Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, Shurahbil ibn Hasanah, `Abdullah ibn Sa'd ...
Muhammad: Biography, Prophet, Founder of Islam
The Life of Muhammad. Muhammad was born around 570, AD in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia). His father died before he was born and he was raised first by his grandfather and then his uncle. He belonged ...
Ep 3: Why There Is No Shia Biography Of The Prophet?
Things you'll learn in this episode of Our Prophet:00:00 - The longest sermon of the Prophet01:39 - Why Shia scholars could not write Prophet's biography?03:...
Detailed Biography of Prophet Muhammad(p.b.u.h) from Shia Perspective
Prophet Muhammad said that people from Persians will reach to knowledge which is said about great companion Salman Muhammadi[Farsi] (رضي الله عنه) who he has been from first Shias & supporters of Amir al Muminin Imam Ali(عليه السلام) in opposition to his objecting of Abubakr & Umar which also Persians/Fars/Iranians have ...
Shia view of Ali
As the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Ali ibn Abi Talib was likely the first male to profess Islam. He significantly contributed to Muhammad's cause inside and outside the battlefield. After he died in 632 CE, Muhammad was succeeded by Abu Bakr (r. 632-634), Umar (r. 634-644), and Uthman (r. 644-656) in the capacity of caliphs.
Companions of the Prophet
A caravan led by Abd Allah ibn Jahsh returns from a raid by companions of Muhammad (image circa 1594-1595) The Companions of the Prophet ( Arabic: اَلصَّحَابَةُ, romanized : aṣ-ṣaḥāba, lit. 'the companions') were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime, while being a Muslim and were ...
Khadija bint Khuwaylid
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (Arabic: خَدِيجَة بِنْت خُوَيْلِد, romanized: Khadīja bint Khuwaylid, c. 554 - November 619 CE) was the first wife and the first follower of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.Khadija was the daughter of Khuwaylid ibn Asad, a noble of the Quraysh tribe in Makkah and a successful merchant.. Khadija is often referred to by Muslims as "The Mother of ...