"Al-Ghadir" and its Relevance to Islamic Unity
Ayatullah Mortaza Motahhari
Translated by Mojgan Jalali
Message of Thaqalayn
Vol. 3, No. 1 and 2 (1417 AH/1996 CE)
The distinguished book entitled "al-Ghadir" has raised a huge wave
in the world of Islam. Islamic thinkers shed light on the book in different
perspectives; in literature, history, theology, tradition, tafsir, and
sociology. From the social perspective we can deal with the Islamic unity.
In this review the Islamic unity has been dealt with from a social point of
view. Contemporary Muslim thinkers and reformists are of the view that unity
and solidarity of Muslims are the most imperative Islamic exigencies at the
present juncture when the enemies have made extensive inroads upon the Islamic
community and have tried to resort to different ways and means to spread the
old differences and create new ones. We are aware that Islamic unity and
fraternity is the focus of attention of the Holy Legislator of Islam and is
actually the major objective pursued by this Divine religion as firmed by the
Qur'an, the "Sunnah", and the history of Islam.
For this reason, some people have been faced with this question: Wouldn't
the compilation and publication of a book such as "al-Ghadir" which
deals with the oldest issue of differences among the Muslims- create a barrier
in the way of the sublime and lofty objective of the Islamic unity?
To answer this question, it is necessary first to elucidate the essence of
this issue, that is, the Islamic unity, and then proceed to examine the role
of the magnum opus entitled "al-Ghadir" and its eminent compiler 'Allamah
Amini in bringing about Islamic unity.
Islamic Unity
What is meant by the Islamic unity? Does it mean that one Islamic school of
thought should be unanimously followed and others be set aside? Or does it
mean that the commonalties of all Islamic schools of thought should be taken
up and their differences be put away to make up a new denomination which is
not completely the same as the previous ones? Or does it mean that Islamic
unity is in no way related to the unity of the different schools of Fiqh
(jurisprudence) but signifies the unity of the Muslims and the unity of
the followers of different schools of Fiqh, with their different
religious ideas and views, vis-a-vis the aliens?
To give an illogical and impractical meaning to the issue of the Islamic
unity, the opponents of the issue have called it to be the formation of a
single Madhhab, so as to defeat it in the very first step. Without doubt, by
the term Islamic unity, the intellectual Islamic 'Ulama' (scholars) do
not mean that all denominations should give in to one denomination or that the
commonalties should be taken up and the different views and ideas be set
aside, as these are neither rational and logical nor favorable and practical.
By the Islamic unity these scholars mean that all Muslims should unite in one
line against their common enemies.
These scholars slate that Muslims have many things in common, which can
serve as the foundations of a firm unity. All Muslims worship the One Almighty
and believe in the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet (s). The Qur'an is the Book
of all Muslims and Ka'abah is their "qiblah" (direction of prayer).
They go to "hajj" pilgrimage with each other and perform the "hajj"
rites and rituals like one another. They say the daily prayers and fast
like each other. They establish families and engage in transactions like one
another. They have similar ways of bringing up their children and burying
their dead. Apart from minor affairs, they share similarities in all the
aforementioned cases. Muslims also share one kind of world view, one common
culture, and one grand, glorious, and long-standing civilization. Unity in the
world view, in culture, in the civilization, in insight and disposition, in
religious beliefs, in acts of worship and prayers, in social rites and customs
can well turn the Muslim into a unified nation to serve as a massive and
dominant power before which the big global powers would have to bow down. This
is especially true in view of the stress laid by Islam on this principle.
According to the explicit wording of the Qur'an, the Muslims are brothers,
and special rights and duties link them together. So, why shouldn't the
Muslims use all these extensive facilities accorded to them as the blessing of
Islam?
This group of 'Ulama' are of the view that there is no need for the
Muslims to make any compromise on the primary or secondary principles of their
religion for the sake of Islamic unity. Also it is not necessary for the
Muslims to avoid engaging in discussions and reasons and writing books on
primary and secondary principles about which they have differences. The only
consideration for Islamic unity in this case is that the Muslims- in order to
avoid the emergence or accentuation of vengeance - preserve their possession,
avoid insulting and accusing each other and uttering fabrications, abandon
ridiculing the logic of one another, and finally abstain from hurting one
another and going beyond the borders of logic and reasoning. In fact, they
should, at least, observe the limits which Islam has set forth for inviting
non-Muslims to embrace it: "Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and
good exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner... "(16:
125).
Some people are of the view that those schools of fiqh, such as,
Shafi'i and Hanafi which have no differences in principle
should establish brotherhood and
stand in one line. They believe that denominations which have differences in
the principles can in no way be brothers. This group view the religious
principles as an interconnected set as termed by scholars of Usul, as
an interrelated and
interdependent set; any damage to
one principle harms all principles. As a result, those who believe in this
principle are of the view that when, for instance, the principle of "imamah"
is damaged and victimized, unity and fraternity will bear no meaning and
for this reason the Shi'ah and the Sunnis cannot shake hands as two Muslim
brothers and be in the same rank, no matter who their enemy is.
The first group answers this group by saying: "There is no reason for us to
consider the principles as an interrelated set and follow the principle of
"all or none". Imam 'Ali ('a) chose a very logical and reasonable approach. He
left no stone unturned to retrieve his right. He used everything within his
power to restore the principle of "imamah", but he never adhered to the
motto of "all or none".
Ali ('a) did not rise up for his right, and that was not compulsory. On the
contrary, it was a calculated and chosen approach. He did not fear death. Why
didn't he rise up? There could have been nothing above martyrdom. Being killed
for the cause of the Almighty was his ultimate desire. He was more intimate
with martyrdom than a child is with his mother's breast. But in his sound
calculations, Imam 'All ('a) had reached the conclusion that under the
existing conditions it was to the interest of Islam to foster collaboration
and cooperation among the Muslims and give up revolt. He repeatedly stressed
this point.
In one of his letters (No.62 "Nahj al Balaghah") to Malik al-Ashtar,
he wrote the following: "First I pulled back my hand until I realized that a
group of people converted from Islam and invited the people toward
annihilating the religion of Mohammad(s). So I feared that if I did not rush
to help Islam and the Muslims, I would see gaps or destruction which calamity
would be far worse than the several-day-long demise of caliphate."
In the six-man council, after appointment of 'Uthman by 'Abdul-Rahman ibn 'Awf,
'Ali ('a) set forth his objection as well as his readiness for collaboration
as follows:" You well know that I am more deserving than others for caliphate.
But now by Allah, so long as the affairs of the Muslims are in order and my
rivals suffice with setting me aside and only I am alone subjected to
oppression, I will not oppose (the move) and will give in (to it)." (From
Sermon 72, "Nahj al- Balaghah").
These indicate that in this issue 'Ali ('a) condemned the principle of "all
or none". There is no need to further elaborate the approach taken by 'Ali
('a) toward this issue. There are ample historical proofs and reasons in this
regard.
'Allamah Amini
Now it is time to see to which group the eminent 'Allamah, Ayatullah Amini
- the distinguished compiler of the "al-Ghadir" - belonged and how he
thought. Did he approve of the unity of the Muslims only within the light of
Shi'ism? Or did he consider Islamic fraternity to be broader? Did he believe
that Islam which is embraced by uttering the "shahadatayn" (the Muslim
creed) would willy-nilly create some rights for the Muslims and that the
brotherhood and fraternity set forth in the Qur'an exists among all Muslims?.
'Allamah Amini personally considered this point - i.e. the need to
elucidate his viewpoint on this subject and elaborate whether "al-Ghadir"
has a positive or a negative role in (the establishment of) Islamic unity.
In order not to be subject to abuse by his opponent - be they among the pros
and cons - he has repeatedly explained and elucidated his views.
'Allamah Amini supported Islamic unity and viewed an open mind and clear
insight. On different occasions, he set forth this matter in various volumes
of the "al-Ghadir'. Reference will be made to some of them below:
In the preface to volume I, he briefly mentions the role of "al-Ghadir"
in the world of Islam. He states: "And we consider all this as service to
religion, sublimation of the word of the truth, and restoration of the Islamic
'ummah' (community)." In volume 3 (page 77), after quoting the
fabrications of Ibn Taymiyah, Alusi, and Qasimi to the effect that Shi 'ism is
hostile to some of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Household of the Prophet) such
as Zayd bin 'Ali bin al-Huseyn, he notes the following under the title of
"Criticism and Correction": "These fabrications and accusations sow the seeds
of corruption, stir hostilities among the 'ummah', create discord among
the Islamic community, divide the 'ummah', and clash with the public
interests of the Muslims.
Again in volume 3 (page 268), he quotes the accusation leveled on the
Shi'ahs by Sayyid Mohammad Rashid Rida to the effect that "Shi'ahs are pleased
with any defeat incurred by Muslims, so much as they celebrated the victory of
the Russians over the Muslims." Then he says: "These falsehoods are fabricated
by persons like Sayyid Mohammad Rashid Rida. The Shi'ahs of Iran and Iraq
against whom this accusation is
leveled, as well as the orientalists, tourists, envoys of Islamic countries,
and those who traveled and still travel to Iran and Iraq, have no information
about this trend. Shi'ahs, without exception, respect the lives, blood,
reputation, and property of the Muslims be they Shi'ahs or Sunnis. Whenever a
calamity has befallen the Islamic community anywhere, in any region, and for
any sects, the Shi'ahs have shared their sorrow. The Shi'ahs have never been
confined to the Shi'ah world, the (concept of) Islamic brotherhood which has
been set forth in the Qur'an and the 'sunnah' (the Prophet's sayings
and actions), and in this respect, no discrimination has been made between the
Shi'ahs and the Sunnis."
Also at the close of volume 3, he criticizes several books penned by the
ancients such as "Iqd al-Farid" by Ibn Abd al-Rabbih, "al-Intisar"
by Abu al-Husayn Khayyat al-Mu'tazili, "al Farq bayn al-Firaq" by
Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi, "al-Fasl" by Ibn Hazm al-Andulusi, "al-Milal
wa al-Nihal" by Mohammad ibn Abdul-Karim al-Shahristani "Minhaj al-Sunnah"
by Ibn Taymiah and "al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah" by Ibn Kathir and
several by the later writers such as "Tarikh al-Umam al-Islamiyyah" by
Shaykh Mohammad Khizri, "Fajr al Islam" by Ahmad Amin, "al-Jawlat fi
Rubu al-Sharq al-Adna" by Mohammad Thabit al-Mesri, "al-Sira Bayn
al-Islam wa al-Wathaniyah" by Qasimi, and "al- Washi'ah" by
Musa Jarallah. Then he states the following:
"By quoting and criticizing these books, we aim at warning and awakening
the Islamic 'ummah' (to the fact) that these books create the greatest
danger for the Islamic community, they destabilize the Islamic unity and
scatter the Muslim lines. In fact nothing can disrupt the ranks of the
Muslims, destroy their unity, and tear their Islamic fraternity more severely
than these books."
'Allamah Amini, in the preface to volume 5, under title of "Nazariyah
Karimah" on the occasion of a plaque of honor forwarded from Egypt for
"al-Ghadir", clearly sets forth his view on this issue and leaves no room
for any doubt. He remarks:
"People are free to express views and ideas on religion. These (views and
ideas) will never tear apart the bond of Islamic brotherhood to which the holy
Qur'an has referred by stating that 'surely the believers are brethren'; even
though academic discussion and theological and religious debates reach a peak.
This has been the style of the predecessors, and of the 'sahaba' and
the 'tabi'un', at the head of them.
"Notwithstanding all the differences that we have in the primary and
secondary principles, we, the compilers and writers in nooks and corners of
the world of Islam, share a common point and that is belief in the Almighty
and His Prophet. A single spirit and one (form of) sentiment exists in all our
bodies, and that is the spirit of Islam and the term 'ikhlas,"
"We, the Muslim compilers, all live under the banner of truth and carry out
our duties under the guidance of the Qur'an and the Prophetic Mission of the
Holy Prophet (s). The message of all of us is 'Surely the (true) religion with
Allah is Islam ... (3:18)' and the slogan of all of us is 'There is no god but
Allah and Mohammad is His Messenger.' Indeed, we are (the members of) the
party of Allah and the supporters of his religion. In the preface to volume 8,
under the title of "al-Ghadir Yowahhad al-Sufuf fil-Mila al-Islami", 'Allamah
Amini directly makes researches into the role of "Al- Ghadir" in (the
establishment of) Islamic unity. In this discussion, this great scholar
categorically rejects the accusations leveled by those who said: 'Al-Ghadir'
causes greater discord among the Muslims. He proves that, on the contrary,
"Al-Ghadir" removes many misunderstandings and brings the Muslims
closer to one another. Then he brings evidence by mentioning the confessions
of the non-Shi'i Islamic scholars. At the close, he quotes the letter of
Shaykh Mohammad Saeed Dahduh written in this connection.
To avoid prolongation of this article, we will not quote and translate the
entire statements of 'Allamah Amini in explaining the positive role of "al-Ghadir"
in (establishing) Islamic unity, since what has already been mentioned
sufficiently proves this fact.
The positive role of "al-Ghadir" is established by the facts that it
firstly clarifies the proven logic of the Shi'ahs and proves that the
inclination of Muslims to Shi'ism - notwithstanding the poisonous publicity of
some people - is not due to political, ethnic, or other trends and
considerations. It also verifies that a powerful logic based on the Qur'an and
the "sunnah" has given rise to this tendency. Secondly, it reflects
that some accusations leveled on Shi'ism - which have made other Muslims
distanced from the Shi'ah- are totally baseless and false. Examples of these
accusations are the notion that the Shi'ites prefer the non-Muslims to the
non- Shi'i Muslims, rejoice at the defeat of non-Shi'ite Muslims at the hands
of non-Muslims, and other accusations such as the idea that instead of going
to hajj pilgrimage, the Shi'ahs go on pilgrimage to shrines of the
Imams, or have particular rites in prayers and in temporary marriage. Thirdly,
it introduces to the world of Islam the eminent Commander of the faithful 'Ali
('a) who is the most oppressed and the least praised grand Islamic personality
and who could be the leader of all Muslims, as well as his pure offspring.
Other Comments on "al-Ghadir"
Many unbiased non-Shia Muslims interpret the "al-Ghadir" in
the same way that has already been mentioned. Mohammad Abdul-Ghani Hasan al-Mesri,
in his foreword on "al-Ghadir", which has been published in the
preface to volume I, second edition, states:
"I call on the Almighty to make your limpid brook (in Arabic, 'Ghadir'
means brook) the cause of peace and cordiality between the Shia and Sunni
brothers to cooperate with one another in building the Islamic "ummah."
'Adil Ghadban, the managing editor of the Egyptian magazine entitled
"al-Kitab", said the following in the preface to volume 3: "This book
clarifies the Shi'ite logic. The Sunnis can correctly learn about the Shi'i
through this book. Correct recognition of the Shi'ahs brings the views of the
Shi'ahs and the Sunnis closer, and they can make a unified rank". In his
foreword to the
"al-Ghadir" which was
published in the preface to volume 4,.
Dr. Mohammad Ghallab, professor of philosophy at the Faculty of Religious
Studies al-Azhar University said:
"I got hold of your book at a very opportune time, because right now I am
busy collecting and compiling a book on the lives of the Muslims from various
perspectives. Therefore, I am highly avid for obtaining sound
information about 'Imamiyah' Shi'ism. Your book will help me. And I will not
make mistakes about the Shi'ahs as others have"
. In this foreword published in the preface to volume 4 of the
"al-Ghadir", Dr. 'Abdul-Rahman Kiali Halabi says the following after
referring to the decline of the Muslims in the present age and the factors
which can lead to the Muslims' salvation, one of which is the sound
recognition of the successor of the Holy Prophet (s):
"The book entitled "al-Ghadir" and its rich content deserves to be
known by every Muslim to learn how historians have been negligent and see
where the truth lies. Through this means, we should compensate for the past,
and by striving to foster the unity of the Muslims, we should try to gain the
due rewards".
These were the views of 'Allamah Amini about the important social issues of
our age and such were his sound reflections in the world of Islam.
Peace be upon him.
