The Fourth Gleam

 

The highway of the Sunna

 

The title “The Highway of the Sunna” is appropriate for this treatise. Although the matter of the Imamate and Caliphate is of secondary

importance, it has been given excessive importance and discussed among the matters of belief in theology and the essentials of the Religion. So, since it has a relevance to our basic duty towards the Qur’an and belief, it is worth discussing in part here.

 

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.

There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; extremely grievous to him is your suffering, full of concern for you is he, and for the believers full of pity and compassion. Still, if they turn away from you (O Messenger), say: “God is sufficient for me; there is no deity but He. In Him have I put my trust, and He is the Lord of the Supreme Throne.” (9:128–129)

Say: “I ask of you no wage for it (conveying God’s Religion to you), but (I ask of you) love for my near relatives.” (42:23)

 

We will point out in two Stations two of the many mighty truths that are contained in these powerful verses.

 

First station

This Station consists of four Points.

 

First point

 

This highlights God’s noblest Messenger’s, upon him be peace and blessings, perfect mercy and compassion towards his Community.

As reported through reliable channels of narration in authenticated sources, while everyone else, including even the other Prophets, will feel that they have enough trouble of their own on the Day of Resurrection, God’s noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, will be completely concerned with his people and will call out, “My Community! My Community!” Also, as reliably narrated and affirmed by the saints who have penetration into time and certain secret truths and events, when he was newly born, his mother heard him supplicating for his Community, saying, “My Community! My Community!” In addition, as his whole life history and the laudable, high standards of conduct which he personally exhibited and promulgated demonstrate his perfect compassion and affection, by asking his whole Community to pray for him (so that he could get more strength and be more successful in conveying his Message and dealing with the affairs of his Community), he showed that he was concerned with the happiness of all of them and thus displayed his boundless compassion. So, you can understand what great ingratitude and injustice it would be not to follow the way of such an affectionate and merciful leader.

 

Second point

Among his universal and all-embracing duties of Prophethood, the noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, displayed great compassion for certain particular, minor elements. Considered superficially, his great compassion for such elements could appear to be irreconcilable with the supreme importance of the mission of Prophethood. But in reality, since such minor elements were exemplary links in a chain that would become the means of the fulfillment of a universal duty of Prophethood, exceptional importance was attached to such links for the sake of the chain.

For example, the extraordinary compassion the noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, showed towards Hasan and Husayn4 in their childhood and the great importance he attached to them did not arise only from his love because of a family relationship; his affection for them was rather because they would act as the origin, example, and index of an exceptionally important community that would carry on the religious duties which had been established through the Prophethood.

Indeed, while the noblest Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, took Hasan, may God be pleased with him, into his arms out of his exceptional compassion and kissed him on the head, he did so not only out of his love and affection for him personally but also for the sake of the certain Mahdi-like5 heirs to the mission of Prophethood and bearers of the sacred Shari‘a of Muhammad such as Ghawth al-A’zam Shah Jilani,6 who would appear among his blessed, light-diffusing descendants. He saw with the eye of Prophethood the sacred service they would render in the future, and approved and applauded them, and as a sign of his approval and encouragement kissed Hasan on the head.

Also, he kissed Husayn, may God be pleased with him, on the neck and thus showed his extraordinary compassion for him and the extraordinary importance he attached to him. This was not only for the sake of Husayn himself but also for the sake of many Mahdi-like light-diffusing persons such as Zayn al-‘Abidin and Ja‘far as-Sadiq who would appear among his radiant progeny as illustrious Imams, and on account of the religion of Islam and the mission of Messengership.

The Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, had a heart that could get certain knowledge from the Unseen, and illumined eyes with which he would observe the Place of the Supreme Gathering on the side of eternity from the Age of Happiness in this world, see Paradise and watch angels in the heavens from the earth, monitor events that remained concealed in the dark veils of the past from the time of Adam, and penetrate the future.7 He was also favored with some sort of vision of the All-Majestic One.8 That illustrious Prophet certainly saw the spiritual poles (spiritual leaders), and the Imams who would be heirs to the duties of Prophethood, and Mahdi-like persons, who would descend from Hasan and Husayn, and kissed them on the head on their behalf. So, Shah Jilani has a share of the kiss that Hasan received.

 

Third point

According to one interpretation, the meaning of the verse, I ask of you no wage for it (conveying God’s Religion to you), but (I ask of you) love for my near relatives (42:23) is that the noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, asked for no wage to carry out the duty of Messengership, but he asked for love to be shown to the members of his Family.

It might be interpreted that this means the Messenger was pursuing advantage for his Family, yet, according to Divine declaration, Surely the noblest, most honorable of you in God’s sight is the one best in piety, righteousness, and reverence for God (49:13), the mission of Messengership considered not family relationships, but nearness to God.

THE ANSWER: With his future-penetrating power of sight, the noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, saw that his Family would become like a light-diffusing tree in the world of Islam. The overwhelming majority of those who would guide and instruct peoples at every level and stratum in the attainment of human perfections would appear among his descendants. He discerned that his Community’s prayer for his Family in the final section of the Prayers, “O God, bestow Your blessings upon our master Muhammad and on the Family of our master Muhammad,  as You bestowed Your blessings on Abraham and on the family of Abraham. Indeed, You are the All-Praiseworthy, the All-Sublime,” would be accepted. In other words, just as the overwhelming majority of the light-diffusing guides among the people of Abraham were Prophets who emerged from his offspring, he saw amongst his family the greatest of the guides and scholars who would perform the most important Islamic duties and lead along the spiritual paths, teaching Islam and its practice—people who would perform in Islam the function which the Prophets of Israel carried out in the history of the Children of Israel. It is because of this that having been ordered to declare, I ask of you no wage for it (conveying God’s Religion to you), but (I ask of you) love for my near relatives, he asked his Community to love his Family. In one of several other declarations which corroborate this, he decreed, “I leave you two precious things. If you hold fast to them, you will find salvation. They are God’s Book and my Family.”9 For the source and guardians of the Sunna of the Prophet were his Family and they were first of all responsible for adhering to it in every respect.

This truth, declared by the noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, has been transmitted through later generations under the heading of following the Book and the Sunna—the Prophet’s Way. This means that by bringing his Family to the attention of his Community he stressed the importance of his Sunna in respect of his mission of Messengership. So, one who abandons following the Sunna can neither be regarded as belonging to the Prophet’s Family nor become a true friend to them.

Also, the reason he desired to gather his Community around his Family was that, with God’s leave, he knew his Family would grow over the course of time, and that Islam was going to become weak. Therefore, an extremely strong group of people in solidarity was necessary so that it could be the means of and center for the spiritual and moral progress of the world of Islam. With Divine leave, he thought of this, and desired to gather his Community around his Family.

Even though the members of the Prophet’s Family were not always leading others in belief and conviction, they were greatly ahead of them in respect of submission and support for Islam. For they were predisposed to Islam because, first of all, they were of the same family as God’s Messenger. The support or partisanship coming from family ties cannot easily be abandoned no matter how weak it is and even though that support or partisanship may cause injustice. So, especially when considered that the truth to which the Prophet’s Family adhered and in adherence to which (the truth) their glory lay is the most powerful, fundamental and glorious truth in the world, and for the sake of which many of its members sacrificed their lives, could it ever be possible for them to give up support for it? It was because of their predisposed, unshakeable adherence to Islam that the Family of the Prophet accepted the smallest sign in favor of the Religion of Islam as though it was a powerful proof. For their willful adherence to Islam was supported through family ties. Others become convinced of its truth and gave support only after seeing some powerful proof.

 

Fourth point

In connection with the Third Point, we will briefly examine a matter which has become a point of dispute between the Shi‘a and the Ahl al-Sunna wa’lJama‘a and which has been exaggerated to such an extent that it is found in the books concerned with principles of faith and among the essentials of belief.

The Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama‘a say that ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him, was the fourth in merit among the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. Abu Bakr as Siddiq, may God be pleased with him, became the first caliph because he was more qualified and therefore better suited to be caliph. The Shi‘a claim that the caliphate was Ali’s right, and that an injustice was done to him. He was superior to all the others. A summary of their arguments is as follows: There are many Prophetic Traditions about ‘Ali’s merits; ‘Ali was the ancestor of the overwhelming majority of the saints and the source of the spiritual paths—he is known as the “King of Sainthood”; the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, showed great interest in him and in the members of the Prophet’s Family who were to be descended from ‘Ali; as the husband of the Prophet’s daughter Fatima, he was the father of the Prophet’s descendants. All these, according to the Shi’a view demonstrate that ‘Ali was superior to the others and that the caliphate was his right; they hold that it was usurped from him.

THE ANSWER TO THE CLAIMS OF THE SHI‘A: ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him, repeatedly acknowledged that the first three caliphs were entitled to caliphate. He obeyed and followed them during their caliphate for a term of more than twenty years, and held the position of Shaykh al-Islam10 in their caliphate. These realities contradict the claims of the Shi‘a. In addition, the victories of Islam and the struggles against its enemies in the time of the first three caliphs and the internal conflicts in Ali’s time also contradict the Shi‘as claims concerning the Islamic caliphate. All these support the Sunni claims.

QUESTION: The Shi’a consist of two groups: one are the Shi‘a of sainthood, while the other are the Shi‘a of caliphate. Even if we admit that the second group are wrong in their stance, one which originates from their political, purposeful partisanship, the first group do not have any deliberate political attitude. However, they support the others. That is, some of the saints of the Sufi orders consider ‘Ali to be superior and more entitled to the caliphate, and have confirmed the Shi‘a of caliphate in their claims.

THE ANSWER: We should consider ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him, from two perspectives. One concerns his personal perfections and rank, and the other concerns his representing the collective personality of the Prophet’s Family. This collective personality manifests, in one way, the essential nature of the noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings.

In regard to the first perspective, all verifying scholars, including first and foremost ‘Ali himself, give precedence to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and see their ranks as higher in the service of Islam and nearness to God. As for the second perspective, as the representative of the collective personality of the Prophet’s Family, which represents an aspect of the Muhammadan Truth,11 ‘Ali has no equals. Thus, when we examine the highly laudatory Prophetic Traditions about ‘Ali, we can see that they concern this second point. An accurately narrated Tradition which confirms this fact reads, “The descendants of every other Prophet are from himself. My descendants are those of ‘Ali.”12

The reason why the laudatory Traditions about ‘Ali are more than those about the other three caliphs and why they have become so widespread is that in the face of the wrongful attack on and denigration of ‘Ali by the Umayyads13 and Kharijites,14 the Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama‘a, who stand for the truth, publicized far and wide the Traditions about him. Since the other Rightly-Guided Caliphs were not made targets of such criticism or denigration, no need was felt to spread the Traditions about them.

In addition, God’s noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, saw with the eye of Prophethood that ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him, would experience grievous events and internal dissidence in the future, and in order to save him from despair and his Community from forming an ill opinion of him, he consoled him and guided his Community with significant Traditions like “Whosever’s master I am, ‘Ali, too, is their master.”15

The excessive love for ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him, by the Shi‘a of sainthood and their deeming him superior to the first three Caliphs, which occurred under the influence of following a Sufi path, do not make them as accountable as the Shi‘a of caliphate. For by reason of their way, those who follow the path of sainthood consider their spiritual guides with love. Love by nature tends to be excessive, and desires to see, in fact sees, the beloved as greater than the rank that beloved actually possesses. Ecstatics may be excused for excesses of love, provided that their deeming ‘Ali superior, an emotion that arises from their love, does not lead to the denigration of or enmity towards the other Rightly-Guided Caliphs and does not go beyond the essential teachings of Islam.

As for the Shi‘a of caliphate, since their view is under the influence of political prejudice, they are unable to be saved from resentment or aggression, and they lose their right to be excused in this matter. Since Persian national pride was wounded at the hand of ‘Umar, they act in a way that seems to confirm the saying, “Not for love of ‘Ali but out of hatred for

‘Umar”; they display their feelings of revenge in the form of love of ‘Ali. In addition to this, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As’ rebellion against ‘Ali and ‘Umar ibn Sa‘d’s tragic war against Husayn,16 may God be pleased with him, caused the Shi‘a to feel an intense revulsion and enmity towards the name ‘Umar.

The Shi‘a of sainthood have no right to criticize the Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama‘a, for the Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama‘a do not denigrate ‘Ali; instead, they love him sincerely. But they avoid going to extremes in their love, as this is described as dangerous in the Traditions.17 The Prophet’s praise of the followers of ‘Ali in the Traditions18 refers to the Ahl al-Sunna wa’lJama‘a. Those of ‘Ali’s followers who love him in the way he should be loved are the Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama‘a, who are the people of truth. Just as the excessive love of Jesus, upon whom be peace, is dangerous for the Christians who deify him, so it has been clearly stated in authentic Traditions that excessive love for ‘Ali is dangerous.

QUESTION: If the Shi‘a of sainthood make the objection that once ‘Ali’s exceptional excellences have been accepted, then it is not possible to place Abu Bakr as-Siddiq above him, the answer is as follows:

THE ANSWER: When the personal excellences of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq al-Akbar and ‘Umar al-Faruq al-A‘zam, may God be pleased with them, and their accomplishments during their caliphates in carrying out the Islamic duties inherited from the Prophet are weighed on the scales against the extraordinary personal excellences of ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him, and his struggles for the caliphate, which he was forced to undergo because of tragic events that were the result of certain distrust, the Ahl al-Sunna perceive that Abu Bakr’s, or Umar’s, or ‘Uthman Dhu’n-Nurayn’s weighed heavier, and so they perceive them as having a higher ranking.

Furthermore, as demonstrated  in the Twelfth and Twenty-Fourth Words, Prophethood is such an elevated rank that when compared to sainthood, a minuscule manifestation of Prophethood is superior to a great manifestation of sainthood. From this perspective, the Ahl al-Sunna have arrived at the conclusion that the success of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar during their caliphates indicates that God gave them a greater share in the succession to the duties of Prophethood and the establishment of the laws brought by God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. Since the personal excellences of ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him, did not transcend that greater share that came from succession to the duties of Prophethood, he acted as a Shaykh al-Islam (the greatest scholar and chief mufti of Islam) for Abu Bakr and ‘Umar—the Shaykhayn al-Mukarramayn  (the Two Noble Chiefs or Chief Leaders)—in the time of their caliphates, and he esteemed them. How should the Ahl al-Sunna, the people of truth, not love and revere those sheikhs, whom ‘Ali loved and revered sincerely? Let us make this truth clear through an example:

One of the three sons of a very rich man is given twenty coins of silver and four coins of gold from his father’s inheritance, while another one is given five of silver and five of gold, and the third, three of silver and five of gold. Clearly, the last two receive less in quantity, but more in quality. (That is, the extra one coin of gold given to the last two is more in value than the extra fifteen coins of silver the first one receives.) As in this example, the little extra amount of the share of the Shaykhayn in the gold of nearness to God which arises from succession to the duties of Prophethood and the establishment of the laws brought by God’s Messenger weighs heavier than the far greater amount of ‘Ali’s share in the silver of nearness to God that comes from his perfections of sainthood and personal excellences. We should consider this point in comparison. But if they are compared with one another from the viewpoint of courage, knowledge, and sainthood, the results change.

Also, ‘Ali is beyond comparison in respect of representing the collective personality of the Prophet’s Family, and of the Muhammadan Truth, which was manifested in that collective personality in the form of absolute succession to the Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. For this point concerns the incomparable greatness and universal mission of the Prophet himself, upon him be peace and blessings.

As for the Shi‘a of caliphate, they can have no substantial claim in the face of the Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama‘a. For although the Shi‘a of caliphate claim to have exceptional love for ‘Ali, in fact they disparage him, and their doctrines come to mean that ‘Ali behaved unethically. For they say that although Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, may God be pleased with them, acted unjustly and wronged him, ‘Ali pretended that he approved of them. In the terminology of the Shi‘a, he dissimulated. That is, he was afraid of them and acted hypocritically. How can love perceive a person who was a hero of Islam, who won the title “Lion of God,” and was the commander and guide of the truthful and trustworthy as a hypocritical coward who pretended to love and approve of those whom he did not love out of fear for more than twenty years and who agreed to follow wrongdoers? ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him, would disclaim that sort of love.

The creed of the Ahl al-Sunna, the people of truth, in no way disparages ‘Ali, nor accuses him of acting unethically. Without attributing any cowardice to such an exceptional person, they say, “If ‘Ali had not seen the first three Rightly-Guided Caliphs as rightful, he would not have recognized them even for a moment, nor obeyed them. Since he saw them as rightful and preferable, he submitted the heroism and energy he devoted to Islam to the way of truth.”

In short, going into extremes in any matter is not good. The truth lies in the middle way, and this is what the Ahl al-Sunna have chosen. But, unfortunately, even though to a small degree, certain Kharijite and Wahhabi ideas have infiltrated the Sunni thought and creed under the guise of the Ahl al-Sunna, and some adherents of politics and heretics criticize ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him. They say—God forbid—since ‘Ali did not understand politics, he was not able to display the capacity or competence required for caliphate and therefore did not govern well. Because of their unjustified accusations, the Shi‘a or the ‘Alawis feel resentment towards the Ahl al-Sunna. Yet the creed or basic beliefs of the Ahl al-Sunna do not give rise to such ideas; indeed, they defend the opposite stance. The Ahl al-Sunna cannot be condemned because of the ideas that belong to the Kharijites or some heretics. Rather, the Ahl al-Sunna are more consistent than the ‘Alawis in following ‘Ali. In their sermons and prayer they mention ‘Ali with the words of praise he deserves. Particularly the saints and the purified scholars, the overwhelming majority of whom have belonged to the Ahl al-Sunna, have recognized ‘Ali as a guide and the king of sainthood. The ‘Alawis or the Shi‘a should not set themselves against the Ahl al-Sunna; they should ignore the Kharijites and heretics who have deservedly earned the enmity of both the ‘Alawis and the Ahl al-Sunna.

Some from among the Shi‘a have even abandoned the Sunna Prayers only for the sake of opposing the Ahl al-Sunna. What has been said here is more than enough, as this matter has been sufficiently discussed by the scholars.

And so, Ahl al-Sunna, the people of truth, and ‘Alawis, who have adopted the love of the Prophet’s Family as a way to follow! Put an end to this meaningless, unjust, and harmful dispute and quarrel between you without any delay. Otherwise, the heretical movements which are now so strong and influential will make you a weapon to be used against one another, and both of you will be crushed, one after the other. Since you are believers in God’s Oneness and as there are therefore numerous sacred bonds between you which order brotherhood and unity, it is essential that you should leave aside insignificant matters that generate division.

 

Second station

This is about another truth contained by the verse, There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; extremely grievous to him is your suffering, full of concern for you is he, and for the believers full of pity and compassion. Still, if they turn away from you (O Messenger), say: “God is sufficient for me; there is no deity but He. In Him have I put my trust, and He is the Lord of the Supreme Throne.” (9:128–129).19

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

4 Hasan and Husayn, may God be pleased with them, are the grandsons of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, through his beloved daughter Fatima and his cousin ‘Ali, may God be pleased with them. (Tr.)

5 Mahdi is the title of the person promised to come towards the end of time in order to revive the Islamic creed and life and establish justice in the world. (Tr.)

6 ‘Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani (d. 1166): One of the most celebrated Sufi masters. A student of jurisprudence and Hadith, he became known as the Qutb (spiritual pole) of his age and the Ghawth al-‘A’zam (the greatest succor). He wrote Kitab al-Ghunyah, Futuh al-Ghayb and al-Fath ar-Rabbani.

7 al-Bukhari, al-Jami‘ as-Sahih, “Riqaq” 44, “Mawaqit as-Salah” 11, Manaqib, 1; Muslim, al-Jami‘ as-Sahih, “Munafiqun” 28, “Fadail” 136; at-Tirmidhi, Sunan, “Zuhd” 9, “Tafsir Sura” 42. (Tr.)

8 at-Tirmidhi, “Tafsir Sura” 53; at-Tabarani, al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir, 11:332; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 2:629. (Tr.)

9 Muslim, “Fadail” 37; at-Tirmidhi, “Manaqib” 77; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Musnad, 3:14. (Tr.)

10 The position of Shaykh al-Islam signifies the highest religious authority. (Tr.)

11 Muhammadan Truth is the universal ontological, moral, and spiritual truth or meaning that the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, represents. (Tr.)

12 at-Tabarani, al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir, 3:43; ad-Daylami, al-Musnad, 1:172.

13 The Umayyads were a powerful clan belonging to the Quraysh (native people of Mecca) during the early history of Islam. Many members of it opposed Islam and the Messenger, but later they generally accepted Islam. Mu‘awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, the son of their leader Abu Sufyan, opposed ‘Ali during his caliphate and became the caliph after him. Thus, the reign of the Umayyad Dynasty, which would last almost ninety years, began with Mu‘awiya’s caliphate. (Tr.)

14 The Kharijites were those who supported ‘Ali at the beginning of his caliphate but later opposed him and fought with him because he accepted that it might be referred to the decision of the arbiters from his and Mu‘awiya’s sides who was more entitled to the caliphate. They formed a powerful seditionist group and rebelled against the government many times. (Tr.)

15 at-Tirmidhi, “Manaqib” 19; Ibn Maja, Sunan, “Muqaddima” 11; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Musnad, 1:84, 118; . (Tr.)

16 Husayn, ‘Ali’s younger son and the Prophet’s younger grandson did not accept the caliphate of Yazid after Mu‘awiya and opposed him. He was tragically martyred together with the majority of his family members at Karbala in Iraq in 681. ‘Umar ibn Sa‘d was the commander of Yazid’s army who killed them. (Tr.)

17 an-Nasa’i, Sunan, 5:137; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Musnad, 1:160. (Tr.)

18 at-Tabarani, al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, 6:354–355. (Tr.)

19 It was written and included in The Gleams as The Eleventh Gleam.