Question 301: What is correct academic views from Ahlulbait AS about sending lanah upon their enemies? Is Cursing the enemies of Ahlul Bayt bring heavenly reward for us?
Answer 301: Literally, the word “Laanat” means ‘to curse’, ‘make far’, or ‘to separate’. It is an offensive word or phrase used to express anger or annoyance. Also, Lanat means to angrily make somebody far from himself or make him far from good.[1] Read More
Question 587: As per the Shia history, did the prophet himself fight any battle?
Answer 587: All of the battles of the holy Prophet (pbuh) had been taken place after His Hegira to Medina during ten years. The battles are divided into three divisions. Ghazwah (battle), Sariyyah (battalion) and Ba’th.
It is noteworthy to firstly explain the difference between Ghazwah (battle) and Sariyyah (battalion). Ghazwah is the name of the battle in which the holy Prophet (pbuh) participated as the leader whether the battle is fought or not.
Sariyyah is the name of the battalion which the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent without participating in. [1]
If the Holy Prophet (pbuh) sends only one person to battle it is called Ba’th.[2] Read More
Question 059: What does ‘hadith’ mean? What are the different categories of Hadith and their Meanings?
Answer 059: The Arabic word ‘hadith’ means, statement or talk. In the Shari’ah, the word hadith means, those things or actions, which the Holy Prophet (saws) said or did.
A collection of traditions containing sayings of the Holy Prophet (saws) which, with accounts of his daily practices (I.e. the Sunnah), constitute the major sources of guidance for Muslims apart from the holy Qur’an.
Hadith is the collections of the teachings, deeds and sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saws) and the infallible Imams (a.s). The term comes from the Arabic: حديث, plural: أحاديث, meaning “report,” “account” or “narrative”.
The hadith literature is based on oral reports. Hadith also refers to the speech of a person.
Hadith is known as the second religious source after the Holy Quran. It is widely known among Muslims all over the world that any specific wording of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) on a given topic or theme of subject is known as a “Hadith”. It is obligatory upon every disciple of Islam to know, act upon and spread the Proverbs of Rasulullah (pbuh) as these are the words full of wisdom which result in one`s success both in this world and in the hereafter.
Hadith, according to the late Shia scholars, divided into two categories: Sahih and non-Sahih. This means that they whether accept a hadith which is known as Sahih or reject it as it is considered as non-Sahih.[1] But, now, Hadith in general is composed of three basic components which are given below:
These are the necessary three constituents which need to be present in any text for naming it as a Hadith.
Categorization of Hadith
The taxonomy of the Prophetic (PBUH) axioms has been very carefully devised according to different sets of classifications along with their further kinds. Following are the five basic arrangements of Ahadiths on the basis of particular grounds:
Now let us briefly discuss these classes of Hadith one by one:
According to careful research, Hadith is divided into four additional kinds under this category:
Hadith is further divided into six groups under this category:
The Hadith Musnad is, according to the existence of the name of Infallible (as) based on its Sanad, divided into two kinds: Mudmar and Musarrah. Mudmar is when the narrator of a Hadith has not specifically mentioned the name of Imam by mentioning only pronoun. Like “Sa’altahu’, ‘Qa’la’ or ‘An’hu’.[3]
iii) According to a number of reporters
It is divided into two more sub-groups:
It has been further categorized into these followings sub-types:
It is split into two major kinds:
It has the following three categories:
[1] . Seifi Mazandarani, Ali Akbar, Miqyas al-Rivayah fee Elm al-Dirayah, Pg. 44, Islamic Publication Institution, Qom, 1421 A.H.
[2] . Usul al-Hadith, Pg. 175.
[3] . Usul al-Hadith, Pg. 100.
[4] . Farhang Istilahat Hadith, Pg. 121.
[5] . Al-Fadli, Abdul Hadi, Usul al-Hadith, Pg. 72, Ummul Qura Institution, Beirut, 1420 A.H; Ibid, Pg. 82.
[6] . Farhang Istilahat Hadith, Pg. 123.
[7] . Jabal A’meli, Jamal al-Din Hassan (son of Shahid Thani), Muntaqi al-Jaman, Vol. 1, Pg. 4, Nash Islami Institution, Qom.
[8] . Ibid, Pg. 4.
[9] . Usul al-Hadith, Pg. 108.
[10] . For further information in this regards, please refer to: Al-Fadli, Abdul Hadi, Usul al-Hadith; Farhang Istilahat Hadith.
Question 275: salam and jum’ah mubarak to all i have a question about imam ali and fatima zahra a.s. imam is a cousin of prophet muhammad s.a.w and he was also the uncle of fatima, right? so my question how prophet s.a.w agree to marry her daughter to imam ali? and what is a sign that allah agree to marry his daughter? and what hadith in sunni narrated about the aproval of allah s.w.t to marry imam ali and fatima?
Answer 275: Imam Ali (sa) was the cousin of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). His father was Abū Ṭālib ibn ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib and His mother was Fatima bint Asad.
The Holy Prophet’s (pbuh) father was Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abdu’l-Muttalib and His mother was Āmina.
Fatima Zahra (sa) was the daughter of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Her mother was Khadīja bint Khuwaylid (sa).
There has not directly mentioned in any verse of the Holy Quran an issue related to the marriage of Imam Ali (as) and Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa), however there are verses of the holy Quran that somehow related to this issue, as follows:
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) had two sons were born of the Lady Khadijah namely; Ghasem and Taher (also called ‘Abdullah) who died in Mecca and so, there was no live male issue from the holy Prophet (pbuh), so, the Arabs used to call the one who had no son (abtar). Hence after, the holy Quran applied this name to the enemies of the Prophet.
Note: The Messenger of Allah (S) had another son by the name of Ibraheem, was born of Mariyah Qibtiyyah in 8 AH. He also died before he was 2 years old.
Therefore, as the abundance of goodness and blessing the Kawthar has granted to the Holy Prophet by Allah, the Almighty. This verse refers to the marriage of Imam Ali (as) and Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa).
The Arabic version of this Hadith:
قال له علي بن أبي طالب (عليه السلام): «ما هو الكوثر يا رسول الله؟». قال: «نهر أكرمني الله به»… ثم ضرب رسول الله (صلى الله عليه و آله) يده على جنب أمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام) و قال: «يا علي، إن هذا النهر لي، و لك، …».
Imam Sadiq (as) has said: the word “Marajalbaḥrayni yaltaqiyān” refers to Imam Ali (as) and Fatimah Zahra (sa) and “Yakhruju minhumalluluu walmarjān” refer to Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain (pbuth).[3]
The Arabic version of this Hadith is as follows:
علي بن إبراهيم، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن القاسم بن محمد، عن سليمان بن داود المنقري، عن يحيى بن سعيد القطان، قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله (عليه السلام) يقول في قول الله عز و جل: مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيانِ بَيْنَهُما بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيانِ قال: «علي و فاطمة (عليهما السلام)، [بحران عميقان لا يبغي أحدهما على صاحبه] يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمَا اللُّؤْلُؤُ وَ الْمَرْجانُ، الحسن و الحسين (عليهما السلام)».
For further information in this regards, please refer to the following answer:
Index: The exact date on birth or Martyrdom of Lady Fatima and Infallibles, answer 254.
Index: Who were behind the Martyrdom of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (sa), answer 486.
Index: Hijab of Sayeda Fatima al-Zahra (sa), answer 492.
Index: Birthplace of Ali ibn Abi Talib / He was born in Kaaba, answer 069.
[1] . Al-Burhan fee Tafsir al-Quran, Vol. 5, Pg. 772, H 11936.
[2] . Tafsir Nemooneh, Vol. 6, Pg. 599; Anwar Derakhshan, Vol. 18, Pg. 310.
[3] . Al-Burhan fee Tafsir al-Quran, Vol. 5, Pg. 233.
Question 029: How were the great constructions of the holy shrine built around the dead Imams (as) during the time of the caliphs when the Shia were oppressed? Did the caliphs who opposed the building of the shrines not destroy them? The Sunni Caliphs opposed Shia Muslims building Shrine over the Imams’ (a.s) graves and destroyed any shrine they built, but the followers of Ahlul Bayt (a.s) didn’t retreated and then they tried all their best and despite the dangerous situation obtained there, they have been built shrines for the Imams’ (a.s) graves.
Answer 029: Constructing a Mosque, dome or even putting a few stones over graves was a Sunna among people of the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and the Infallible Imams (pbuth).
When Lady Fatimah bint Asad (a.s) passed away, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) buried her in a mosque where it is known as the grave of Fatimah.[1] During the time of Treaty of Hudaibiya, a mosque were built over the grave of Abu Basir by Abu Jandal and when the Holy Prophet (saws) realized He didn’t prohibit this action.[2]
The Holy Prophet’s (saws) shrine was built by the companions and it has been expanded and rebuilt by the caliphs and Muslims. E.g. Umar ibn Al-Khattab built a wall around the grave of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik destroyed the Holy Prophet’s (saws) house in order to rebuild it and expand His holy shrine.[3] None of Muslims and Caliphs on that time protest against these constructions over the graves of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and others like Safiya bint Abdul Motallib, Umm Salam, Umm Habibah, Aqil, Abraham.[4]
During the second and even third century of the Hegira, none of Shia and Sunni great scholars on that time have protested against these construction over the graves. This means, it was not consider as Shirk among them. Many constructions and mosques have been built over the graves of Talha, Zubair, Salamn Farsi, Sa’dat bin Ebada, Ma’az bin Jabal, Aqaba bin Amer, Muhammad bin Abi Bakr and his sister Asma, Ibn Zubair, Abi al-Hasan Deenwari the great Egyptian scholar, Anas bin Malik, Sahl bin Abdullah Tostari and etc. There had been built domes over the graves of many of Sunni Leaders, Abu Hanifah, Muhammad bin Idris, Ahmad bin Hanbal and etc. during the Late Third Century, Early Fourth Century.[5]
The Holy Shrine of Imam Ali (as) had been built by Harun al-Rashid during the Second Century of Hegira. (Mufid, al-Irshad, Pg. 19.)
The first Holy Shrine of Imam Hussain (as) had been built by Mukhtar al-Thaqafi.[6]
The graves of those Imams (pbuh) buried in Baqī’ were rebuilt by Majdul Malik’s order during the Fifth Century of Hegira. It was rebuilt again and again by the Caliphs.[7]
But, during the Seventh Century of Hegira, Wahhabis have been destroying the Holy Shrines of our Infallible Imams (pbuth), according to the Fatwa of Ibn Teimiya and His student Muhammad bin Abi Bakr Ibn Qayyim.[8]
We can come to the conclusion that building any edifices around their graves is like building a mosque over the graves of the Companions of the Cave and a place deemed to be for worshippers. The facilities existing around or near the shrines are meant for the convenience of the pilgrims or they are symbols of Islamic art and they are manifestations of negative things in connection with graves. Therefore, they cannot be considered as invalid and unacceptable from legal or religious perspective. It is prudent to mention that a similar situation which is the demand of the moment can be seen with some holy sites in the Two Holy Sanctuaries with structures and edifices being made. For instance:
Now our question is that is it not possible to create, under these justifications, accommodations and build a roofed facility for pilgrims who face a lot of difficulties while performing pilgrimage? If building a tomb over Safa and Marwa mountains is not a sign of shirk (act of worshipping something other than the One God), how can the same tomb on top of the graves of the noble servants of God be a sign of shirk?
In closing, the reader is advised to take notice of narration cited from Sahih Bukhari. The narrator quotes Sufyan Tammar as saying, “I saw the grave of the Prophet (S) like a hump of camel (something like a small tomb).”[12]
When the population of Muslims was small and the graves had been built in such a way that they looked like small tombs, what would be the problem, if a bigger tomb is built in the present time when Muslim population has grown manifold?
For further information in this regards, please refer to the following references:
– Vafa al-Vafa, Vol. 3, Pg. 3.
– al-Maghazi; adopted from A’alam –al-Rake al-Sajed, Vol. Pg. 17.
– Kashf ul-Ertiyab, Pg. 314, Vafa al-Vafa, VBol. 2, Pg. 109.
Ibid, Pgs. 316-317.
– Siyanat al-A’thar, Pgs. 79-80.
[1] . Ali bin Ahmad al-Samhudi, Vol. 3, Pg. 3
[2] . Al-Maghazi, Vol. 1, Pg. 17
[3] . Amin, Pgs. 313-316&317; Ali bin Ahmad al-Samhudi, Vol. Vol. 2, Pg. 109.
[4] . Sobhani, Siyanatul A’thar, Pgs. 79&80.
[5] . Ibn Jawzi, Vol. 16, Pg. 100; Ibn Batuta, Vol. 1, Pg. 172; Ibn Batuta, Vol. 1, Pgs. 65-26-173.
[6] . Khalili, Vol. 8, Pg. 182.
[7] . Ibn Athir, Vol. 8, Pg. 214.
[8] . Ibn Taemiya, Eqtidha al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem, Pgs. 184-187; Ibn Qayyim, Pg. 504.
[9] . Amin, Pgs. 287-288.
[10]. Hurr Amili, Muhammad bin Al-Hasan, Wasail al-Shi’ah, vol.13, p. 235, chap. 17, Aalulbayt Institution, Qom, 1409 A.H.
[11] .Ibid.
[12]. Sahih Bukhari, vol.2, p. 106, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut, 1401 A.H.