By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz

 

“The Almighty has informed me that I am about to depart. I am leaving behind among you the Thaqalayn (Two Invaluables), the Book of God (Holy Qur’an) and my progeny the Ahl al-Bayt. Hold fast to them and you will never go astray, for you will be questioned about your behaviour towards them after me. The two never part with each other, even when they return to me at the Fountain (on the Day of Judgment).”

We are on the threshold of the anniversary of the departure from the mortal world of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger to all mankind with the universal mission of Islam.

The All-Wise Creator Who made Adam and Eve the progenitors of the human race and in every generation and geographical area of Planet Earth raised guides from their progeny, will entrust no one with prophethood following the end of the 23-year mission of the “Seal of Messengers” and will not reveal any heavenly scripture after having bestowed upon him the Eternal Miracle (the Holy Qur’an).

The reason is obvious. There is no further need for a prophet after the “Most Excellent Exemplar” has successfully accomplished his mission in the full limelight of history through transforming into Muslims most of the polytheist Arabs as well as many Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and atheists through practical promulgation of the Divine Commandments; hence the need does not arise for further revelation since the timeless wisdom of the Holy Qur’an and its flawless eloquence, which none will ever be able to match, are sufficient for the guidance of the human race in every age and part of the world.

The question might arise: True, the contents of the Holy Qur’an have been fully memorized and thus there is no question of interpolation in its recitation like the fate suffered by the heavenly scriptures revealed to the prophets of the past, such as the Torah of Moses and the Evangel of Jesus, but how could the Ayahs of the Holy Qur’an be properly expounded in the subsequent generations as the human mind explores new vistas of knowledge, and moreover, who would preserve the Prophet of Islam’s pristine Sunnah & Seerah (practice & behaviour)?

The answer was provided by the “Mercy unto the creation” himself during the last days of his mission. This is evident by the Hadith Thaqalayn mentioned at the beginning of this column. It is indeed a dynamic statement which he repeated on several occasions, beginning with his memorable sermon on the Plain of Arafa as part of his Farewell Hajj Pilgrimage and stressed with more vigour later on, particularly at the famous gathering of Ghadeer-Khom where on the 18th of Zil-Hijjah 10 AH, after taking pledge from the 120,000 pilgrims of his God-bestowed superiority over all others, he lifted the hand of his dearest cousin (whom he had raised as ward long before he acquired any companions on the public declaration of prophethood) to proclaim that immortal phrase on God’s express commandment through revelation of Ayah 67 of Surah Mai’dah:

“For whomever I am Master (Mowla), this Ali is his Master (Mowla).” 

The faithful amongst his companions (Sahaba), such as Salman al-Farsi, Abu Dhar Gheffari, and Meqdad bin Aswad (to mention a few), did follow the path of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), regarding whose unrivalled merits the Words of God Almighty bear testimony in the Holy Qur’an (3:61, 5:55, etc.) and who was hailed by Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) as criterion to discern truth from falsehood.

Muslim history (not Islamic) is sad reading, as is evident by the tragic events that followed the passing away of the Prophet of Peace on the 28th of Safar. 

A group of his rebellious companions, who had denied him paper and quill in his last days by blasphemously saying he was delirious and who had refused to obey his orders to leave Medina under command of Osama bin Zayd for defence of the frontier against Roman incursions, usurped the political power of the realm while Imam Ali (AS) and the Hashemites were busy with the Prophet’s last rites.

No sooner was the Prophet laid to rest by his grieving household, the first act of terrorism occurred in Medina, when a roguish group of his companions stormed the house of his Immaculate Daughter, and flung the burning door upon her, thereby fracturing her ribs.

As a result, Fatema az-Zahra (SA) – the Noblest Lady of all times – had a miscarriage (Mohsin, the first martyr of the Ahl al-Bayt) and eventually attained martyrdom, but not before delivering her famous sermon to the coup leaders to expound the egalitarianism of Islam and expose the regime in its Jahiliyya colours.

Time and space do not allow me to dwell in detail on the 25-year silence of the victor of many a decisive battle, Imam Ali (AS), for the sake of Islamic unity, since if he had asserted his right of political leadership, the majority of the neo Muslims would have openly turned away from Islam back to the sinful ways of Jahiliiya. 

I also have to leave the four-and-a-half year temporal rule and establishment of the only instance of social justice in history by Imam Ali (AS) who was martyred in the prayer niche of the Mosque of Kufa in 40 AH after defeating the plots of the enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt, including the rogue Mu’awiyya ibn Abu Sufyan, the rebellious governor of Syria. 

Since the 28th of Safar also happens to be the martyrdom anniversary of the Prophet’s elder grandson and the 2nd Divinely-designated Heir, Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS), whose masterful stroke of a peace treaty unmasked the hypocrisy of terrorists disguised as Muslims, it will suffice to say: How did a hardcore heathen like Mu’awiyyah usurped power of the Islamic realm, and why did the Muslims – except for the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt and their loyal companions – obeyed the Godless rule of the Omayyads?

Only proper answers to these questions, through reflection on the Prophet’s sayings in praise of Imam Hasan (AS) and of Imam Husain (AS) – the Leaders of the Youths of Paradise – will help materialize the perpetual peace that the message of Islam preaches for all humanity, in contrast to the violence and terrorism of those who call themselves Salafis or followers of the fratricidal heathens of Arabia that had paid lip service to Islam without faith entering their hearts.

In 50 AH on the 39th anniversary of the Prophet’s departure from the mortal world when volleys of arrows, shot at the instigation of a seditious woman by a future self-styled caliph (the infidel Marwan) and his forces, riddled the coffin and corpse of his elder grandson in Medina, it became clear to many Muslims that the Holy Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt are indeed inseparable, while it is their enemies who are against the letter and spirit of the Book of God, which they shamelessly hoist on spear points and distort its contents even while claiming to be its reciters and memorizers – just as the ever-rebellious Israelites used to do.

For the sake of Islamic unity these doleful days offer an opportunity to clear the mist of the past, especially since the last day of Safar, which we mark as the end of the two-month mourning period for the heartrending martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) at Karbala in 61 AH, happens to be the martyrdom in 203 AH in Khorasan, of another of the Prophet’s Infallible Heirs (Imam Reza – AS), who was a victim through a fatal dose of poison of another imposter masquerading as caliph (Mamoun the Abbasid tyrant).

Today, when we see a record 23 million Muslims assembling in Karbala on the Day of Arba’een and millions of others converging on Mashhad in Iran to pay homage to the 8th Infallible Imam of the Ahl al-Bayt, we realize that it is the Divinely-designated Heirs of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) who have kept alive his morals and memory for the guidance of mankind.