(May Allah soon end the disagreement and conflict among the Muslims. Amin!)
We shall indicate briefly a matter that has been disputed by the Shi‘ites and the Sunnis and has been magnified to such an extent that it has been included in the books on doctrine, among the fundamentals of belief. (1)
The Sunnis say: “‘Ali (May God be pleased with him) was the fourth of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. Abu Bakr the Veracious (May God be pleased with him) was superior to him and was more deserving of the Caliphate, therefore it passed to him first.” (2) While the Shi‘ites say: “It was ‘Ali’s right. An injustice was done to him. ‘Ali was the most worthy of them all.” A summary of the arguments for their claims is this. They say: “The Hadiths of the Prophet (UWBP) about ‘Ali, (3) and with his title of King of Sainthood his being the recognized authority of the vast majority of the saints and spiritual paths, and his extraordinary knowledge, courage, and worship, and the Prophet’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) intense concern for him and towards his descendants all show that he was the most worthy. The Caliphate was always his right; it was seized from him.”
The Answer: The fact that ‘Ali (May God be pleased with him) followed the first three Caliphs, whom he repeatedly acknowledged, (4) and held the position of their Shaikh al-Islam, refutes these claims of the Shi‘ites. Furthermore, the victories of Islam and the struggles against its enemies in the time of the first three Caliphs and the events in ‘Ali’s time, refute the Shi‘ites’ claims, again from the point of view of the Islamic Caliphate. That is to say the Sunnis’ claim is rightful.
If it is said, there are two sorts of Shi‘ites, the Sainthood Shi‘a and the Caliphate Shi‘a. Because they mixed hatred and politics the second group may have been unjust, but the first group were not concerned with partisan politics. However, the Sainthood Shi‘a joined the Caliphate Shi‘a. That is, some of the saints of the Sufi orders looked on ‘Ali as superior and they endorsed the claims of the Caliphate Shi‘a.
The Answer: ‘Ali (May God be pleased with him) has to be considered in two respects. One is from the point of view of his personal perfections and rank, and the other is from the point of view of his representing the collective personality of the Prophet’s (UWBP) family. As for this collective personality, it displays an aspect of the Most Noble Messenger’s (UWBP) essential nature.
Thus, in regard to the first point, foremost ‘Ali himself and all the people of truth gave precedence to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. (5) They saw their ranks as higher in the service of Islam and closeness to God. As for the second point, as the representative of the collective personality of the Prophet’s (UWBP) family, which represents an aspect of the Muhammadan Truth, ‘Ali has no equal. The highly laudatory Hadiths about ‘Ali (6) look to this second point. There is a sound narration that corroborates this: the Noble Messenger (UWBP) decreed: “The descendants of each prophet are from himself. My descendants are those of ‘Ali.” (7)
The reason the Hadiths praising ‘Ali more than the other three Caliphs have become so widespread is that the people of truth, that is, the Sunnis, spread many narrations about him in response to the Umayyads and Kharijites attacking and disparaging him unjustly. The other Rightly-Guided Caliphs were not subject to such criticism and detraction, so no need was felt to spread Hadiths about them.
Furthermore, the Prophet (UWBP) saw with the eye of prophethood the grievous events and internal strife to which ‘Ali would be exposed in the future, and in order to save him from despair and his community from thinking unfavourably of him, he consoled him and guided his community with significant Hadiths like “Whosever master I am, ‘Ali too is his master.” (8)
The excessive love of the Sainthood Shi‘a towards ‘Ali (May God be pleased with him) and – influenced by the Sufi Orders – their deeming him superior, does not make them answerable to the degree of the Caliphate Shi‘a. For those who follow the path of sainthood look towards their spiritual guides with love, and the mark of love is excess; (9) it wants to see the beloved as greater than his rank. And that is how it sees him. Ecstatics may be forgiven excesses of love. So their deeming ‘Ali more worthy because of their love may be excused on condition it does not turn into disparagement of the other Rightly-Guided Caliphs and enmity towards them, and does not go beyond the fundamental teachings of Islam.
As for the Caliphate Shi‘a, since political prejudice took a hold of them they could not rid themselves of hatred and aggression, so forfeited their right to be excused. Even, confirming the saying, “Not for love of ‘Ali, but out of hatred of ‘Umar,” since Persian national pride was wounded at ‘Umar’s hand, (10) they showed their revenge in the form of love of ‘Ali. So also ‘Amr ibn al-‘As’s rebellion against ‘Ali and ‘Umar ibn al-Sa‘d’s tragic war against Husayn (11) aroused in the Shi‘a an intense anger and enmity towards the name of ‘Umar.
The Sainthood Shi‘a have no right to criticize the Sunnis, for the Sunnis have not decried ‘Ali, indeed, they love him sincerely. But they avoid the excessive love which is described as dangerous in Hadiths. (12) The Prophet’s (UWBP) praise of ‘Ali’s followers in the Hadiths (13) refers to the Sunnis. For it is the Sunnis among ‘Ali’s followers who love him in a moderate fashion and are the people of truth. Just as excessive love of Jesus (Upon whom be peace) is dangerous for Christians, so it has been made clear in sound Hadiths that that sort of excessive love for ‘Ali is dangerous. (14)
If the Sainthood Shi‘a say: “Once ‘Ali’s consummate spiritual attainments are accepted, it is impossible to give precedence to Abu Bakr the Truthful.”
The reply: It was as though the personal perfections of Abu Bakr, the Supremely Veracious, and ‘Umar, the Supreme Distinguisher between True and False (May God be pleased with them), had been placed in the pan of some scales together with their achievements during their Caliphates, realized through their performance of the duties inherited from the Prophet (UWBP), and in the other pan had been placed ‘Ali’s (May God be pleased with him) extraordinary personal perfections together with the internal Caliphate struggles, which resulted from the tragic events he was compelled to enter upon and were the object of suspicion and distrust, and the Sunnis saw that Abu Bakr’s or ‘Umar’s or ‘Uthman’s (Dhi’l-Nurayn) pan weighed heavier, and so they gave them precedence.
Moreover, as is proved in the Twelth and Twenty-Fourth Words, prophethood is so elevated in comparison to sainthood that a tiny manifestation of it is superior to a large manifestation of sainthood. In regard to this, the successes of the Supremely Veracious and the Supreme Distinguisher between True and False during their Caliphates was an indication for the Sunnis that their share in the legacy of prophethood (15) and the establishment of its laws had been divinely bestowed. Since ‘Ali’s personal perfections did not dismiss that greater share, which had been inherited from the Prophet (UWBP), he acted as Shaikh al-Islam for Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, the two Illustrious Elders, in the time of their Caliphates, and esteemed them. How should the Sunnis, who love and revere ‘Ali, not love and revere the two Elders, whom ‘Ali loved and revered sincerely? Let us make this truth clear be means of an example:
One of the sons of a very rich man is given twenty batmans (16) of silver and fourbatmans of gold from his father’s legacy, and another is given five of silver and five of gold. So if the third is given three of silver and five of gold, of course the last two will receive less in quantity, but more in quality. Like this example, the lesser amount of the two elders’ share of the gold of the truth of divine immediacy, which was manifested in the legacy of prophethood and the establishment of its laws, would weigh heavier than the great amount of divine proximity and the perfections of sainthood which sprang from the jewel of sainthood. These points should also be taken into account when weighing them up. (17) But if they are compared with one another from the point of view of personal courage, knowledge, and sainthood, the matter takes on a different complexion.
Also, there can be no comparison in respect of the collective personality of the Prophet’s (UWBP) family, which was represented in the person of ‘Ali (May God be pleased with him), and of the Muhammadan Truth, which was manifested as a total inheritance in that collective personality. For contained in it was the mighty mystery of the Prophet Muhammad himself (Upon whom be blessings and peace).
As for the Caliphate Shi‘a, they can claim no rights before the Sunnis other than shame. For although they say they have tremendous love for ‘Ali (May God be pleased with him), they disparage him, and their creed necessitates accusing him of immorality. For they say that although Abu Bakr the Veracious and ‘Umar were acting unjustly, ‘Ali feigned approval for them; according to Shi’i terminology, he dissimulated (taqiyya). That is, he was frightened of them and behaved hypocritically. (18) But it is not love to hold that someone who was such a hero of Islam, won the title Lion of Allah, (19) and was the commander and guide of the faithful, was simulating love for people he did not love out of fear and deception, and was feigning approval for them in fear for more than twenty years, and was following wrongdoers. ‘Ali (May God be pleased with him) would disclaim love that sort.
Thus, the people of truth’s creed in no way disparages ‘Ali, nor levels accusations of immorality at him. It does not attribute cowardice where there was such remarkable courage, but says that if ‘Ali had not considered the Rightly-Guided Caliphs to be right, he would not have recognized them for a minute, nor obeyed them. It means that since he thought them right and preferable, he made over his courage and striving to the way of justice. (20)
I n S h o r t : Too much or too little of anything is not good. Moderation is the middle way (21) and has been chosen by the Sunnis. But, alas, Kharijite ideas have infiltrated the Sunnis to an extent; so too addicts of politics and some atheists criticize ‘Ali. They say, God forbid, that he did not understand politics so was not entirely worthy of the Caliphate and could not govern, and because of these unjust accusations, ‘Alawis feel affronted at the Sunnis. Whereas Sunnis hold no principles or basic beliefs that necessitate such ideas. Indeed, they prove the opposite. The Sunnis cannot be condemned because of ideas that come from Kharijites and atheists. Indeed, the Sunnis are firmer followers of ‘Ali than the ‘Alawis. They mention ‘Ali in the laudatory fashion he deserves in all their khutbas and prayers. And the saints and purified scholars, the vast majority of whom belonged to the Sunni school, recognized him as a spiritual guide and the king of sainthood. (22) The ‘Alawis should ignore the Kharijites and atheists who have deservedly earned the enmity of both the ‘Alawis and the Sunnis, and not take sides against the people of truth. Some ‘Alawis even abandon the Prophet’s (UWBP) Sunna out of spite for the Sunnis. Anyway, we have said too much on this matter, for it has been discussed inordinately by the religious scholars.
O Sunnis, who are the people of truth, and ‘Alawis, whose way is love of the Prophet’s (UWBP) family! Quickly put an end to this meaningless, disloyal, unjust, and harmful dispute between you. Otherwise the atheistic current which is now so influential will make one of you a tool against the other, and use the one to crush the other. And after defeating the one it will destroy the tool. As believers in divine unity, it is essential that you leave aside unimportant matters that cause division, for there are a hundred fundamental sacred bonds between you that enjoin brotherhood and unity.
Dipnot-1 See, al-Taftazani, Sharh al-’Aqa’id (Turk. tr. Süleyman Uludağ), 321.
Dipnot-2 See, Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-‘Aqida, i, 123; Ibn Abi ‘Izz, Sharh ‘Aqida al-Tahawiyya, i, 545, 548.
Dipnot-3 Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 19; Ibn Maja, Muqaddima, 11; Musnad, i, 84, 118; iv, 281.
Dipnot-4 See, Bukhari, Fada’il Ashab, 5; Abu Da’ud, Sunna, 7; Musnad, i, 106. Dipnot-5 See, al-Ghazali, Qawa’id al-‘Aqa’id, i, 228; al-Kalabazi, al-Ta‘arruf li-Madhhab Ahl Tasawwuf, i, 57.
Dipnot-6 Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 19; Ibn Maja, Muqaddima, 11; Musnad, i, 84, 118; iv, 281.
Dipnot-14 Bukhari, Ta’rikh al-Kabir, ii, 257; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Fada’il al-Sahaba: 1087, 1221, 1222; al-Haythami, Majma‘ al-Zawa’id, ix, 133; Ibn al-Jawzi, al-‘Ilal il-Mutanahiya, i, 223. Dipnot-15 See, Bukhari, Fada’il Ashab, 6; Muslim, Fada’il al-Sahaba, 15-16; Tirmidhi, Ruya, 9.
Dipnot-16 Batman: a weight varying from 5-30 lbs. [Tr.]
Dipnot-17 See, Tirmidhi, Ruya, 10; Abu Da’ud, Sunna, 8; Musnad, v, 44, 50. Dipnot-18 See, al-Razi, I’tiqad Firaq al-Muslimin wa’l-Mushrikin, i, 60, 61; Ibn Taymiyya, Minhaj al-Sunna, vi, 320.
Dipnot-19 See, Ahmad b. ‘Abdullah al-Tabari, al-Riyad al-Nadira, i, 245; Zaha’ir al-’Uqba, i, 92.
Dipnot-20 Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, i, 130-2.
Dipnot-21 See, al-Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman, iii, 402; v, 261; al-‘Ajluni, Kashf al-Khafa’, i, 470. Dipnot-22 See, Imam Rabbani, al-Maktubat, i, 134 (No: 251).
We shall indicate briefly a matter that has been disputed by the Shi‘ites and the Sunnis and has been magnified to such an extent that it has been included in the books on doctrine, among the fundamentals of belief.
Here the word 'briefly' is relative. It is brief when considering the importance and deep historical roots of the matter.
I am not sure how you can put an end to conflict with beliefs like these..
As for the Caliphate Shi‘a, they can claim no rights before the Sunnis other than shame.
O Sunnis, who are the people of truth,
Unity to fight against atheism might not be the greatest way to bring people together.
Quickly put an end to this meaningless, disloyal, unjust, and harmful dispute between you. Otherwise the atheistic current which is now so influential will make one of you a tool against the other, and use the one to crush the other. And after defeating the one it will destroy the tool.
Justice for all people would be the real cause that brings people together, a billion people live on less than a dollar a day, people of all religions and no religion. The eradication of poverty would be a just cause for unity.
In the spirit of praying for justice for all people
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It is brief when considering the importance and deep historical roots of the matter.
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