Examining the content of a book printed in Iran
Examining the content of a book printed in Iran
The book is titled al La’ali’ al ‘Abqariyyah fi Sharh al ‘Ayniyyah al Himyariyyah which is a poem composed by the poet, al Himyari, who follows the Imami doctrine. It was commentated on by the scholar and researcher, al Asfahani al Hindi.
I quickly perused the book and came across some verses that criticise prominent Companions of our Prophet Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The commentator confirmed the intended meaning of these verses by stating that they are indeed the targets of criticism, expressing animosity and reproach towards them. I will quote some of the verses that criticise them, so that the reader can grasp the general content of the poem. These verses are as follows:
واللهُ فيهمْ شاهد يسْمَعُ
یقولُ والأملاك من حَوْله
مَوْلى فَلَم يَرضوا وَلم يقْنعُوا
مَنْ كُنْتُ مَولاهُ فهذا لَهُ
على خلاف الصادق الضلُعُ
فاتهمُوه وخَبَتْ فيهمُ
کأنما آنافُهُم تجدع
وظل قوم غاظَهُمْ فعله
وانْصرفُوا عَنْ دَفْنه ضيعوا
حتى إذا واروه في قبره
واشتَرَوا الضر بما ينفعُ
ما قالَ بالأمس وأوصى به
فسوفُ يُجزَون بَما قَطعوا
وقطعوا أرحامَهُ بَعدَه
تَبا لما كان به أزمَعُوا
وأزمَعُوا غدرا بمولاهُمُ
*غدا ولا هُو فيهم يشفعُ
لاهُمْ عَلَيْه يَردُوا حَوضهُ
قيل لهَمْ تَبا لَكُمْ فَارْجعُوا
أذا دَنَوا منه لكَيْ يَشْرَبُوا
یرويكُم أو مَطْعَما يُشبعُ
دُونَكُمْ فالْتَمسُوا مَنْهلا
وَلم يَكُنْ غَيْرَهُم يتبعُ
ھذا لمنْ والى بني أحمد
والويل والذلُّ لمَنْ يُمْنَعُ
فالفوزُ للشارب من حوضه
خمس فمنها هالك أربَعُ
والناس يومَ الحشر راياتهم
وسامريُّ الُامة المشنع
فرايَةُ العجل وفرعَونهاُ
عَبد لئيم لُكَع أكوَع
وراية يَقدمها أدلم
للزُّور والبُهتان قدْ أبدعُوا
وراية يقدمُها حبتَر
لا بَردَ اللهُ لَهُ مَضْجعُ
وراية يقَدمُها نعَثَل
ليسَ لهَمْ منْ قعرها مَطْلَعُ
أربعة في سَقَر أُودعُوا
وَوَجْهُهُ كالشمس إذ تَطْلَعُ
وراية يقَدمُها حَيدَر
Then he says, while the kings surrounded him,
And Allah witnessed and heard.
To whomever I am a mawla then this is for him,
A mawla; but they were neither happy nor content.
They accused him and hostility grew amongst them,
Against the most honest, their hearts went astray.
While a group among – his actions angered them.
As if their noses were cut off.
Until they buried him in his grave,
And they turned away from his burial and neglected,
What he said yesterday and what he bequeathed.
They purchased harm in lieu of benefit.
They severed ties with his kinship after him.
So, they will be repaid for their severance.
They schemed treacherously against their master,
Woe to what they schemed against!
They will be turned away from his pond,
Tomorrow, nor will he intercede for them.
When they approach him so to seek drink,
It will be said to them woe to you, so return.
Get away and seek some other fount!
To quench your thirst or satiate your hunger.
This is for those who associate with the sons of Ahmed,
And for those who followed none beside them.
So, success is for those who drink from his pond,
But woe and disgrace await those who are were prevented.
And on the Day of Resurrection, people will have their banners,
Five of them, with four leading to destruction.
The banner of the calf and its Firoun,
And the ugly Samiri of this Ummah.
Then there’s the banner presented by the blackest,
Servant of lowly lineage, steeped in treachery.
And a banner presented by a fox,
Calumny and lies he concocted.
And a banner presented by an old senile man,
May Allah not grant him peace in his resting place.
These four are destined for the depths of Hellfire,
With no hope of ever emerging.
And there’s a banner presented by Haydar,
His face shining like the rising sun.
Contemplate on how the dark hatred that filled his heart towards the Companions of our Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam—those who built the foundation of Islam with their blood and sacrifices—enticed him until they were targeted by a group driven by worldly desires, following a path of deception and treachery against our Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Then, he seals his animosity towards them by condemning them to Hell—the dwelling of the wretched disbelievers and criminal riffraff, like Firoun, Haman, and Abu Jahl.
أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ
Unquestionably, evil is that which they bear.[1]
Then comes its commentator, declaring through actions and words that hatred towards the Prophet’s Companions and their excommunication is not a belief confined to the early scholars of the Shia. Rather, it continues to be passed down from generation to generation until the Day of Judgement. This is evident when, with audacity, animosity, and a lack of courtesy, he stated outright that the intended targets of those denunciations are the Companions of our Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, foremost among them, the three Khulafa’ Rashidin: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Here are some of his statements:
He said:
ودعاهم الي اتباع العجل أي أبو بكر
He invited them to follow the calf, i.e. Abu Bakr.[2]
He repeated the same accusation when he stated that the intended meaning of the calf is the first Khalifah. He said:
والمراد بالعجل الأول لأنه كما وصى موسى صلوات الله على نبينا وآله وعليه قومه باتباع أخيه هارون واستخلفه على قومه فلم يقبلوا وصيته ورفضوا اتباع وصيه وخليفته وعبدوا العجل كذلك أمة نبينا صلوات الله عليه و آله رفضوا اتباع أخيه ووصيه وخليفته عليهم واتبعوا أبا بكر وقد مضى الدلالة عليه في خبر غدير خم فتذكر
The intended meaning of the calf is the first [Khalifah], because just as Musa—may Allah’s blessings be upon our Prophet, his family, and him—instructed his people to follow his brother Harun and appointed him their leader but they did not accept his instruction, refused to follow his successor and Khalifah, and worshipped the calf; similarly, the Ummah of our Prophet—may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family—rejected following his brother and successor and followed Abu Bakr. The evidence for this has been mentioned in the report of Ghadir Khumm, so remember it.[3]
He confessed that the intended meaning of Firoun is Abu Bakr al Siddiq radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He said:
والمراد بالفرعون هنا كما هو الظاهر أبو بكر أيضا لعتوه وتغلبه على الوصي وادعائه منصبه لنفسه كما ادعى فرعون موسى لنفسه الإلهية
And the intended meaning of Firoun here, as is apparent, is also Abu Bakr, due to his tyranny, overpowering the rightful successor, and claiming the position for himself, just as Musa’s Firoun claimed divinity for himself.[4]
He described Faruq al Islam, ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as the al Samiri who misled the Ummah of Musa ‘alayh al Salam to worship the calf. He said:
السامري رجل منافق كان في بني إسرائيل أغواهم بعبادة العجل كما حكيت قصته في التنزيل والأخبار والآثار … والمراد به هنا عمر بن الخطاب على ما نطق به الخبر الماضي لأنه أغوى أمة نبينا صلوات الله عليه وآله ودعاهم إلى اتباع العجل أي أبو بكر
Al Samiri: A hypocrite who misled the Banu Isra’il to worship the calf, as his story is narrated in the Qur’an, the Hadith, and the sayings of the Companions… Here, it refers to ‘Umar ibn al Khattab based on what was mentioned in the previous narration, as he misled the Ummah of our Prophet—may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family—and called them to follow the calf, meaning Abu Bakr.[5]
He said:
ويجوز أن يكون أبو موسى سامري الذين كانوا في عهد أمير المؤمنين صلوات الله عليه وأبو بكر أو عمر سامريا لجميع الأمة
It is possible that Abu Musa is the Samiri who existed during the time of the Commander of the Faithful—may Allah’s blessings be upon him—and Abu Bakr or ‘Umar is the Samiri for the entire Ummah.[6]
He said:
النعثل الذكَر من الضباع والشيخ الأحمق… والمراد به في البيت عثمان بن عفان لأنه كان يقال له ذلك… والمشهور في سببه أنه كان يشبه بالرجل المصري أو الأصبهاني لطول لحيته وأما الناظم وأضرابه رحمهم الله فيجوز أن يريدوا بذلك كونه أحمق وأن يريدوا تشبيهه بالضبعان لحمقه أو لعظم بطنه لأنه كان يشبع من حُطام الدنيا وأسحاتها
Al Na’thal: The male hyena and the foolish elder… The intended meaning in the passage is ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan because he was called by that name… The prevalent reason for this is that he resembled an Egyptian or an inhabitant of Asbahan due to the length of his beard. As for the poet and his companions, may Allah have mercy on them, it is possible they meant he was foolish or they intended to liken him to hyenas due to his foolishness or the enormity of his gluttony, because he used to satiate himself with the debris and leftovers of the world.[7]
He said:
وراية منها أو أصحاب راية يتقدمها أو يتقدمهم عثمان الذي هو كالنعثل أو كنعثل لا بردَ الله ضجعا أو له ضجعة
And a flag from among them or the companions of a flag, led by ‘Uthman, who is like al Na’thal or a Na’thal—may Allah not grant him comfort or rest.[8]
He said:
فقال أبو ذر رحمة الله عليه … ألستم تشهدون أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم حدثنا أن شر الأولين والآخرين اثنا عشر ستة من الأولين وستة من الآخرين ثم سمى من الأولين ابن آدم النبي الذي قتل أخاه وفرعون وهامان وقارون والسامري والدجال اسمه في الأولين ويخرج في الآخرين وسمى من الآخرين ستة العجل وهو عثمان وفرعون وهو معاوية وهامان وهو زياد بن أبي سفيان وقارون وهو سعد بن أبي وقاص والسامري وهو عبد الله بن قيس أبو موسى
Abu Dharr radiya Llahu ‘anhu said: “Do you not bear witness that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, informed us that the worst of the early and later generations are twelve: six from the early and six from the later?”
Then he named from the early: the son of Adam the Prophet—who killed his brother, Firoun, Haman, Qarun, al Samiri, and Dajjal whose name is known among the early and who will emerge among the later. He named from the later six: the calf—i.e. ‘Uthman, Firoun—i.e. Muawiyah, Haman—i.e. Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan, Qarun—i.e. Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, and al Samiri—i.e. ‘Abdullah ibn Qais Abu Musa.[9]
These are brief excerpts I hastily gathered from that book, indicative of the overflowing hatred and curses of an Imami Shia towards the prominent Companions of our Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
[1] Surah al An’am: 31
[2] Al La’ali’ al ‘Abqariyyah, pg. 497.
[3] Al La’ali’ al ‘Abqariyyah, pg. 495.
[4] Al La’ali’ al ‘Abqariyyah, pg. 497.
[5] Al La’ali’ al ‘Abqariyyah, pg. 497.
[6] Al La’ali’ al ‘Abqariyyah, pg. 498.
[7] Al La’ali’ al ‘Abqariyyah, pg. 502-503.
[8] Al La’ali’ al ‘Abqariyyah, pg. 512.
[9] Al La’ali’ al ‘Abqariyyah, pg. 525-526.