Did the Sahaba become Kafir?

Islamic Salvation

Entry posted by Islamic Salvation Monday at 09:26 AM

353 views

sahaba
wilaya

: : :
All the people were destroyed. I said: whomever was in the east and the west? he said: it (the
whole earth) was opened up to misguidance

All were destroyed except three - then they were joined by Abu Sasan, Ammar, Shatira and Abu
Amra, so they became seven [Ja`far al-Sadiq]

Did the Sahaba Apostatize?

There are narrations which indicate that all the companions were destroyed except three, these
were then joined by four others, so they became seven who were saved. However, most of the
scholars have understood this Halak [destruction] to be that of Dhalal [misguidance] i.e. perished
in Salvific terms, not Kufr [disbelief] - which is the opposite of Islam.

Who are the three?

They are the pillars of the Madhhab. They are explicitly named in some of the narrations below:

: : :: :
::

[al-Kashshi] Abi Basir said: I said to Abi Abdillah : : all the people turned back except for
three - Abu Dhar, Salman and Miqdad? Abu Abdillah : said: so where is Abu Sasan and
Abu Amra al-Ansari?!

: : . :: :
... ::
:

[al-Kashshi] Abi Bakr al-Hadhrami said: Abu Ja`far : said: the people turned back except
three individuals - Salman, Abu Dhar and Miqdad, I said: what about Ammar? He : said:
he wobbled a bit then he returned [to the truth] then the people repented after that, so the first
ones to return [to the truth] were Abu Sasan al-Ansari, Abu Amra, Shatira, and they became
seven, none recognized the right of the commander of the faithful : except these seven.
 'then the people repented after that, so the first ones ...' This shows that it was not just these
seven, rather, these were the foremost of them.

: :
: : .

[al-Ikhtisas] Ali b. Abi Talib : said: the earth was created for seven, because of them you
are given sustenance, and because of them you are assisted, and because of them is rain made
to fall on you, among them are Salman al-Farsi and al-Miqdad and Abu Dhar and Ammar and
Hudhayfa - may Allah have mercy on them. Ali : used to say: and I am their Imam, and
they are the ones who prayed [Salat al-Mayyit] upon Fatima

The Three had a higher status than the Four

: : :: :
) ( : : :

[al-Kashshi] Humran said: I said to Abi Jafar : - how few we (the Shias) are! if we gather
to eat a sheep we will not be able to finish it, he (Humran) said: so he : said: should I not
inform you of something even more bewildering? he (Humran) said: I said: yes (do so), he said:
the Muhajirun and the Ansar all diverted (i.e. went astray) except for - and he gestured with his
hand - three.

In al-Kulaynis variant the narration continues:

: : : :
:
Humran said: may I be made your ransom - what is the status of Ammar? He said: may Allah
have mercy on Ammar Aba al-Yaqdhan, he pledged allegiance and died a martyr, I said in my
heart: what thing is better than martyrdom, so he [the Imam] looked at me and said: perhaps you
think that he [Ammar] is like the three [in status], how far! how far! [from truth that opinion is].

Does this mean all others became apostates?

The crux is the meaning of Ridda ( )in these narrations. Whether it is to be understood in a
linguistic sense or the technical sense of apostasy. If the latter is taken then it means all the
Sahaba became Kafir [out of Islam] for not sticking to Ali.

Irtidad in the linguistic sense refers to turning back from something. It has been used with this
meaning in a number of verses such as:

(i) So when the caravan herald [fore-runner] came he threw it on his face so he returned to
seeing, he said: did I not say to you that I know from Allah what ye do not (12:96)

(ii) The one who had knowledge of a part of the Book said: I will bring it to you before your glance
returns back to you [i.e. you blink and open your eyes again] (27:40)

(iii) Racing ahead, their heads bowed down, their glances not returning back to them [i.e.
unblinking] and their hearts void (14:43)

Whenever Irtidad from the Diin - turning back from the Diin i.e. apostasy in the technical sense is
meant, the Qur`an qualifies it by explicitly mentioning Diin.

:
(i) O you who believe, whoever turns back from his Diin from among you then Allah will bring
about a people whom He loves and they love Him (5:54)

(ii) And whoever among you turns back on his Diin and dies whilst being a Kafir then those are
they whose deeds have been nullified in the world and the hereafter (2:217)

It is clear that the narrations about the Irtidad of the Sahaba are not qualified by Diin. To
understand that meaning from it would require further proof.

The Chosen Interpretation

The Irtidad in the narrations should be understood [in light of other narrations] as people turning
away, after the messenger of Allah , from what they had made incumbent on
themselves in his lifetime, when they gave the Bay`a to Ali b. Abi Talib as the
leader of the believers i.e. Irtidad from Wilaya not apostasy from Islam.

Instead, they decided to give the Bay`a to someone else because of expediency and other
reasons. This was a betrayal of epic proportions that opened up the door of misguidance and
innovation in the Diin, however, they had not exited the apparent Islam, nor were all on the same
level of liability for this.

This interpretation is aided by the following texts:

: : . : :
: .
:

(i) [al-Kafi] Abi Ja`far : said: the people were the people of Ridda after the prophet
except three. I said: who are the three? He said: al-Miqdad b. al-Aswad, Abu Dhar al-
Ghiffari and Salman al-Farsi, may Allahs mercy and blessings be upon them, then the people
came to know after a while [the truth], these [three] are those around whom the banner revolved
and they refused to give Bay`a [to Abu Bakr], until when they brought the commander of the
faithful : by coercion and he gave the pledge of allegiance, and that is His words the
Elevated - Muhammad is not but a messenger, messengers have come and gone before him, if
he dies or is killed, will you turn back on your heels, and whoever turns back on his heels then he
will not harm Allah a thing and Allah will recompense those who are grateful (3:144).

The narration indicates that the uniqueness of the three was that they did not give the Bay`a to
the usurper because of knowing the true status of Ali, it was only when Ali was forced to give the
Bay`a, and he did [for the Masliha which Allah willed], that the three also agreed to do it.
The meaning of 'then the people came to know after a while ...' is that some people recognized
their fault, and acknowledged that the commander of the faithful was the most rightful person to
assume leadership.

That all the others apart from the three were paralyzed by fear is shown in the narration below:

: : : :
! :
: ::

: : :
: : : : :

(ii) [al-Kashshi] Abi Ja`far : said: the Muhajirun and Ansar and others came after that [the
coup at Saqifa] to Ali : and said to him: you are by Allah the commander of the faithful,
and you are by Allah the most rightful person and closest to the prophet, put forth your hand so
that we can pledge allegiance to you, for by Allah we are going to die in front of you [in your
defense], Ali said: if you are truthful then come to me tomorrow having shaved your head [which
would visually identify the rebels to the authorities], so Ali shaved, so did Salman, Miqdad and
Abu Dhar, and no one else did, then they came a second time after the first and said: you are by
Allah the most rightful person and closest to the prophet, put forth your hand so that we can
pledge allegiance to you, and they swore an oath, he said: come to me tomorrow having shaved
your head if you are truthful, so no one shaved except three. I said: Ammar was not among them?
He said: No, I said: Ammar is from the people of Ridda? He said: Ammar fought together with Ali
after that.

This reaffirms that the uniqueness of the three is related to them not giving in and remaining
with Ali to the end as far as his right is concerned. Note also how Ammar is not included among
the Ahl al-Ridda, even in a historical sense, because of his later support for Ali.

In fact, one of the reasons behind Ali accepting to give Bay`a after his show of dissent was so that
the masses do not renounce the faith totally. Recall that the Islamic polity was still unstable and
there were a lot of Arab tribes whose allegiance had been personally to the prophet and not the
Diin per se, the Jahiliyya was not far from their psyche.

: : :
:

:
: : :

(iii) [al-Kafi] Abu Ja'far : said: When the people did what they did - when they gave
allegiance to Abu Bakr, nothing prevented the commander of the faithful : from calling to
himself (i.e. gather support to rival them publicly) except his fear for the people - that they would
apostate from Islam, and begin worshiping the idols anew, and reject witnessing that there is no
God but Allah, and that Muhammad is his messenger; and it was more beloved to him to
acquiesce to what they had done rather than them apostatizing from the whole of Islam. Verily,
those who clambered upon this (opposing Ali for rulership) have been destroyed. As for the one
who did not contribute anything to that (opposing Ali for rulership) and entered into what the
people entered into without knowledge (about his status) nor enmity towards him then this act of
his does not make him a disbeliever, and it does not remove him from Islam, and this is why Ali
kept quiet about his matter (status), and gave allegiance while displeased, when he could not find
any supporters.

The narration makes it clear that had the Imam fought for his leadership i.e. a civil war it would
cause irreparable damage, this is because of the tenuous position that Islam had, even the
outward Islam (the Islam of the Shahadatyn) would have been wiped out. There were a lot of
external and internal enemies waiting for this infighting to make sure that the whole foundation of
Islam crumbles.

Conclusion

The Umma became, for the most part, misguided after their prophet. This is something that had
also happened to the communities of past prophets. But this misguidance should not be
understood to have taken all of them out of Islam as a whole, rather, by ignoring a central
commandment of the prophet they have done a great sin which struck a blow to the pristine
Islam.

Furthermore, the protagonists differ relative to their role in the fiasco. Some were quite unaware
of the whole thing and lacked full knowledge of the Haqq of Ali and his Ma`rifa, this could be
because they were blind to the order of the prophet (total ignorance); had some doubts; did not
have the ability to influence the outcome because of some constraints [swept away by the wave
of events]; or because they showed cowardice and faltered in coming to Alis aid. Others later
acknowledged their mistake and made up for it in the following years. All these in their different
categories can be said to be the majority. Their fate in the next world of realities is left to Allah

On the other hand, there were those who administered the whole thing. They had full knowledge
of what the prophet had ordered them and what the divine commandment required them to do.
They also knew the position of Ali. Despite this, they fought against this explicitly. These are those
who should be treated as apparent Muslims in the daily life in this world [according to most
scholars]. This is, after all, how Ali himself treated them, praying in their mosques, visiting them in
sickness, helping them out when they faced challenges, eating with them etc. part of which is
Taqiyya and safeguarding the greater principles of Islam, but they are undoubtedly people of the
fire in the next world.

Note that this interpretation is dependent on the position of differentiating between the Dharuriyat
of the Diin and that of the Madhhab and considering the Shahdatayn alone to be enough in
making someone a Muslim [unless taken out for some other reason]. Whilst this is a popular
position among scholars today, it has had its detractors among the scholars of the past, one of
them being someone like Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani, who considered the rejectors of the Wilaya as
Kafirs with the fullest implication this has [even in this world].
Ali_Hussain, E.L King, baradar_jackson and 10 others like this
Report Entry
Previous entry Possessionist Imamology

11 Comments
E.L King

E.L King 3,429

Posted Monday at 11:37 AM Report

So basically it was kufr which opposes iman and not kufr which opposes Islam?

Quote

Islamic Salvation

Islamic Salvation 2,751

Posted Monday at 12:46 PM (edited) Report

On 4/17/2017 at 11:37 AM, E.L King said:

So basically it was kufr which opposes iman and not kufr which opposes Islam?

One way of putting it is that Iman is Naqis [deficient]. The other is that one is Kafir in Akhera. Both
have been used by scholars who adopt this position. We are to treat them as Muslims on the
apparent in our dealings with them.

Other scholars did not see this nuance, someone like Yusuf al-Bahrani says:

:
You have known that the Mukhalif is a Kafir, he has nothing to do with Islam [he has no portion in
Islam], in any way whatsoever.

See his: Shihab al-Thaqib fi Ma`na al-Nasib.

This is an extreme position that we reject for many reasons.

Edited Monday at 12:48 PM by Islamic Salvation
Ayuoobi likes this

Quote

Ayuoobi

Ayuoobi 71

Posted Monday at 03:45 PM Report

Brother are there any ahaadith specifying the position of Malik ibn al-Nuwayrah? He died
(according to my understanding, I may be mistaken) for not only refusing to give the zakaat, but
for his loyalty to Imam Ali (as). Is his status like the three, or the seven, or below that?

It seems odd to me that he would not be considered among the elite considering he gave blood;
during the very early period where confusion was widespread among the people he had
baseerah.

Quote
Ayuoobi

Ayuoobi 71

Posted Monday at 06:11 PM Report

Also brother what about the womenfolk? Like Um Salamah.

Or the Banu Hashim in general.

Quote

haidermpr

haidermpr 13

Posted Monday at 09:03 PM Report

Umme Salma was steadfast on her Imaan. And as such these traditions talk about men folk and
not women. Bani Hashim are also not included in these narratives. Read these narratives with
special reference to Last Wish/Will of Prophet saww where he asked Hazrat Ali as to fight for his
rights of caliphate if ansaar support him.

Ref. Sulaym bin Qais Hilali

Quote

Islamic Salvation

Islamic Salvation 2,751

Posted Tuesday at 08:54 AM Report

On 4/17/2017 at 3:45 PM, Ayuoobi said:

Brother are there any ahaadith specifying the position of Malik ibn al-Nuwayrah? He died
(according to my understanding, I may be mistaken) for not only refusing to give the zakaat, but
for his loyalty to Imam Ali (as). Is his status like the three, or the seven, or below that?

I have not found a Hadith on Malik. Will post if come across something on him.

On 4/17/2017 at 6:11 PM, Ayuoobi said:

Also brother what about the womenfolk? Like Um Salamah.

It is enough honour for Umm Salama that al-Husayn left the relics of Imama with her when he left
for Iraq, and ordered her to hand them over to his eldest son i.e. Ali when the time comes. This
shows that she was trustworthy. She is considered the best wife after Khadija.
Shaykh Patience101, Dhulfikar, Ali_Hussain and 1 other like this

Quote

QuranandAhlulbayt
QuranandAhlulbayt 174

Posted Tuesday at 02:38 PM (edited) Report

What about the following:

1. Bilal [ra]

2. Jabir ibn Abdillah al Ansari [ra]

3. Ibn Abbas [ra]

We even find in narrations Az Zubayr was one of the ones to stand by Ali a.s, but then later
diverge.

4.Ubay ibn K'ab [ra]

5. Abdullah ibn Masu'd [ra] [i know this is a little bit of a khilaf issue]

6. Umar ibn abi salama [ra]

7. What of Abu Dujana [ra] , a man who even when death faced him stood by the Prophet [saw] ?

This is what the Prophet called out: "I am Muhammed and i am the Messenger of Allah, i am not
killed, and i have not died" [words of the prophet from Al Kafi Volume 8] [Reliable hadith]

When the Prophet looked to Abu Dujanah [who was among the few who stayed with the Prophet
he said: "O Abu Dujanah,you can also go; you have my permission to suspend your pledge of
allegiance" [words of the prophet from Al Kafi Volume 8] [Reliable hadith same as above]

Now, have a look at the faith and Eman of Abu Dujanah [Radiyallahu Anhu! These words might
make you shed a tear, and if not, evoke some reaction in your heart:]

"He[Abu Dujanah] turned around and sat before the Holy Prophet [saw] wept, and said: "No by
Allah!", he raised his head to the sky and said: "No by Allah, i will not suspend my pledge of
allegiance with you. I have pledged allegiance with you, then to whom can i return? Must i return
to my wife who will die or the children who will also die or to the house that will be destroyed, or
the asset that will vanish and the time of death that is approaching?' He kept fighting until his
wounds made him to feel heavy when he and Ali were shielding him [The Holy Prophet.] [ from Al
Kafi Volume 8] [Reliable hadith same as above]

If i understood this correctly, seven are the foremost, three are above the later four, but there are
many others too?

Could it be possible that many feared not giving Bayah? After all, violence was used against
those who rejected Abu Bakr. Perhaps some were bewildered and did not know what to do and
gave Bayah out of taqqiyah but in their hearts wished they could give it to Ali a.s but know it was
just not practical ?
Edited Tuesday at 02:49 PM by QuranandAhlulbayt

Quote

E.L King
E.L King 3,429

Posted Tuesday at 04:18 PM Report

Do we have any hadiths/scholarly positions on Bilal's status in the madhab?

Shaykh Patience101 likes this

Quote

Islamic Salvation

Islamic Salvation 2,751

Posted 20 hours ago Report

On 4/18/2017 at 2:38 PM, QuranandAhlulbayt said:

What about the following:

Jabir ibn Abdillah al Ansari [ra]

[1/135] :
: : ...
[1/135] al-Kafi: Ali b. Ibrahim from his father from Ibn Abi Najran from A`sim b. Humayd from
Muhammad b. Muslim from Abi Ja`far : who said: Jabir [b. Abdallah] narrated to me from
the messenger of Allah - and Jabir did not lie -

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/jabir-b-abdallah-al-ansari-
and-jabir-b-yazid-al-jufi

These are some of the narrations about Jabir in our books.

https://sites.google.com/site/rijalalkashi/vol1/jabir-b-abdallah-al-ansari

I will post more about the others as their entries come up in Mu`jam or al-Kashshi.

On 4/18/2017 at 2:38 PM, QuranandAhlulbayt said:

If i understood this correctly, seven are the foremost, three are above the later four, but there
are many others too?

Correct.

On 4/18/2017 at 2:38 PM, QuranandAhlulbayt said:

Could it be possible that many feared not giving Bayah? After all, violence was used against
those who rejected Abu Bakr. Perhaps some were bewildered and did not know what to do and
gave Bayah out of taqqiyah but in their hearts wished they could give it to Ali a.s but know it was
just not practical ?
Furthermore, the protagonists differ relative to their role in the fiasco. Some were quite unaware
of the whole thing and lacked full knowledge of the Haqq of Ali and his Ma`rifa, this could be
because they were blind to the order of the prophet (total ignorance); had some doubts; did not
have the ability to influence the outcome because of some constraints [swept away by the wave
of events]; or because they showed cowardice and faltered in coming to Alis aid. Others later
acknowledged their mistake and made up for it in the following years. All these in their different
categories can be said to be the majority. Their fate in the next world of realities is left to Allah.

Quote

Islamic Salvation

Islamic Salvation 2,751

Posted 20 hours ago Report

On 4/18/2017 at 4:18 PM, E.L King said:

Do we have any hadiths/scholarly positions on Bilal's status in the madhab?

[79]
: ( : ) :

[79] Abu Abdallah Muhammad b. Ibrahim said: narrated to me Ali b. Muhammad b. Yazid al-
Qummi saying: narrated to me Abdallah b. Muhammad b. Isa from Ibn Abi Umayr from Hisham b.
Salim from Abi Abdillah : who said: Bilal was a righteous slave while Suhayb was an evil
slave - crying over Umar (i.e. after the latter was assassinated).

https://sites.google.com/site/rijalalkashi/vol1/bilal-and-suhayb

: :
::

al-Ikhtisas: Bilal was the Mua`dhin of the messenger of Allah , so when the
messenger of Allah died, he [Bilal] remained in his house, and he did not give the
Adhan for any one of the Khulafa, Abu Abdillah Ja`far b. Muhammad : said about him:
may Allah have mercy on Bilal, for he used to love us the Ahl al-Bayt, may Allah curse Suhayb for
he used to have enmity with us.

: : : :

al-Faqih: From Abi Basir from one of them : that he said: Bilal was a righteous slave,
he said: I will not give the Adhan for anyone after the messenger of Allah so
'Hayya ala Khayril Amal' was abandoned from that day.

: :
: : : : :
Tahdhib al-Ahkam: Muhammad b. Ali b. Mahbub from Mu`awiya b. Hukaym from Sulayman b.
Ja`far from his father who said: a man from the people of Sham entered to meet Abi Abdillah
: so he said to him: the first one to proceed to Janna will be Bilal, he said: why is that? he
said: because he was the first to give the Adhan.

NOTE: al-Majlisi says that it could be the Imam who says this about Bilal, as is more likely, but
there is an option that it is the Shami who said this, and the Imam responded - 'why do you say
that?' [as a form of objecting to it] and the Shami answered, and the Imam remained silent
because of Taqiyya.

Also, Bilal being the first to proceed to Janna is not absolute, but could be relative to other
Mu`adhins, or his class of the Sahaba who are not Ahl al-Bayt.
E.L King, Shaykh Patience101 and Ali_Hussain like this

Quote

Shaykh Patience101

Shaykh Patience101 1,324

Posted 9 hours ago Report

@Islamic Salvation

Hate to keep pestering you brother, but what about Abu Ayyub al-Ansari? If I recall correctly, he
initially refused to give bayah to Abu Bakr, but there is the issue of him fighting under a Muslim
army commanded by Yazid at Constantinople.

I noticed the section under his name on https://sites.google.com/site/rijalalkashi/vol1/abu-ayyub-

al-ansari is empty.