Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Reason Behind the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) being Named Ummi

The Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) has been called by Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) in the Qur’aan as الأمي “Ummi”, which can be translated as “unlettered, illiterate, uneducated”. Now, amongst the Muslims in today’s society it seems as if they are trying their very hardest to make it seem as if the Prophet could read and write before or after revelation, in an attempt to make him an academic scholar so to say.

This is very wrong, alHamdulillaah, we have our Imaaams to tell us what it is if we are confused on any matters. This word “Ummi” was seen as very confusing even during the times of the Imaams. There is a whole chapter dedicated in Al-Sadooq’s book Ilal Al-Sharaa’i`, that is titled “Chapter on the reason that the Prophet was named Ummi”.

In this chapter, Al-Sadooq has incorporated 8 aHaadeeth from our Imaams. A lot of aHaadeeth contradict each other, some of them say that he could “read and write in 72 or 73 languages”, or he could do it “in every language”, all of those aHaadeeth are Da`eef (weak). In fact, all of the aHaadeeth are weak for various reasons, except for one hadeeth that has an impeccable chain.

These aHaadeeth refer to the Prophet 
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) after he received revelation, that he used to (or, would) read/recite but not write, these do not refer to him before the revelation.

In this blog post, I will show you the view of the Imaams on the word “Ummi” through a SaHeeH narration.

(Taken from my personal copy of Al-Sadooq’s Ilal Al-Sharaa’i`, vol. 1, pg. 127)
(Click to enlarge)


باب العلة التي من أجلها سمي النبي ص الأمي
“Chapter on the reason for the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) being named Al-Ummi”


حدثنا محمد بن الحسن رضي الله عنه قال حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله قال حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن الحسين بن سعيد و محمد بن خالد البرقي عن محمد بن أبي عمير عن هشام بن سالم عن أبي عبد الله ع قال كان النبي ص يقرأ الكتاب و لا يكتب
From Hishaam bin Saalim from Abee `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) said: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) used to (or, would) read/recite the book, but not write.”

Source:
1.       Al-Sadooq, Ilal Al-Sharaa’i`, vol. 1, ch. 105, pg. 126, hadeeth # 6


Here is another hadeeth that is Da`eef  ALMOST Muwaththaq (Reliable), but it is not Muwaththaq because it turns mursal (disconnected) at the end of the chain of narrators. Also, the narrator Mu`aawiyah bin Hukaym is thiqah (trustworth), but he is said to be of the faTHee faith (another sect within Shee`ah islaam). This hadeeth also attests to the SaHeeH narration that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) could read but not write.


أبي رحمه الله قال حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله قال حدثني معاوية بن حكيم عن أحمد بن محمد بن أبي نصر عن بعض أصحابه عن أبي عبد الله ع قال كان مما من الله عز و جل على رسول الله ص أنه كان يقرأ و لا يكتب فلما توجه أبو سفيان إلى أحد كتب العباس إلى النبي ص فجاءه الكتاب و هو في بعض حيطان  المدينة فقرأه و لم يخبر أصحابه و أمرهم أن يدخلوا المدينة فلما دخلوا المدينة أخبرهم

“It was from Allaah (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) onto the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) that he used to (or, would) read/recite, but not write. The time when Aboo Sufyaan headed for Uhud, Al-`Abbaas (the Prophet’s uncle), wrote to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). And he received the letter when he was within one of the walls of Madeenah. He read it, but did not tell his companions. He ordered them to enter the city, (then) he informed them (the contents of the letter).”

Source:
1.       Al-Sadooq, Ilal Al-Sharaa’i`, vol. 1, ch. 105, pg. 125 - 126

45 comments:

  1. Salam, what do the ahadith say about the calamity of thursday? why would rasulullah(S) ask for a pen and paper if e couldn't write? ws

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  2. True, good questions on the Calamity of Thursday, why ask for pen & paper? Then again, it's kinda weird. If you can read it, it's almost certain that you can write it

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. I'd disagree with your translation of this being "could" as that is inserting something the hadith does not explicitly state (like as though it had say kaana yastati`u or something like that). A more literal rendering would be "The Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم used to (or, would) read/recite the book (or, Book) but/and not write."

    Thus, the hadith is not explicitly stating that he _couldn't_ write, all that is being explicitly stated is that he did not.

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  5. @Anonymous and Rotten Coconut:

    The thing that one has to take under consideration is that at the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) many were not literate fully (meaning read and write). Only a few who were very wealthy had the ability to read AND write.

    Also, there wasn't a pressing need for writers. Most things were done orally i.e. such as poetry. Also, if the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) needed to write something, he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) would tell his scribes to write. It's not like you can say 100% for sure that since he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) asked for pen and paper that he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was 100% going to write it. It could be a figure of speech as well. When he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) says, "I am going to write for you something", then he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) can easily give the pen and paper to a scribe to write it and it is as if it is coming from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), with his seal of approval and oversight.

    Remember that at the time of the advent of Islaam, around 17 people were truly 100% learned in reading and writing. (According to al-MuTahharee)

    Also, I don't want to get into any 'Illah (reasoning) or anything, but there is a possibility that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) didn't write because he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) didn't want people to think that the Qur'aan is from himself and that's why there were scribes there to write it down (to gain more tawaatur).

    Wa Allaahu 'Aalim

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  6. @ D'arcy,

    Thank you brother. I, myself, was hesitant on putting "could", but after I did some research I was reading a book in which it quoted this narration and they put the "could". I have fixed up the translations a bit.

    Thank you again brother.

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  7. to the stupid anonymous who asked about tragedy of thursday: the prophet was ummi but not all his life. he then learned how how to write and wrote many times, this is also the view of sunnis as they believe exactly the same about him being ummi at one stage of his life. go study and come back ya jahil.

    from book itiqad by bayhaqi page 258:

    ومن دلائل نبوته صلى الله عليه و سلم أنه كان أميا لا يخط كتابا بيمينه ولا يقرأه ولد في قوم أميين

    from the proofs of his prophethood is that he was illiterate not able to write or read and he was born amongst illiterate people.
    Also in verse 48 from an'kaboot:

    وَمَا كُنْتَ تَتْلُو مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُ بِيَمِينِكَ ۖ إِذًا لَارْتَابَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ {48}
    [Yusufali 29:48] And thou wast not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand: In that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted.

    so the prophet was Ummi without a doubt and he learned how to write later on and this is the view of sheikh tusi (ts) :

    والنبي عليه وآله السلام عندنا كان يحسن الكتابة بعد النبوة، وإنما لم يحسنها قبل البعثة
    According to us the prophet(saww) was well capable of writing after his prophethood but incapable before the revelation.
    ref: al-mabsoot 8 -120

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  8. Also to this anonymous from bukhari :


    http://www.islamweb.net/newlibrary/display_book.php?bk_no=0&ID=1701&idfrom=2547&idto=2565&bookid=0&startno=8

    this part is relevant :

    فأخذ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الكتاب فكتب...

    " so rasool allah(saww) took the book(or letter) and WROTE...."

    Go learn your religion first

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  9. @ Wasil,

    Please show better akhlaaq when discussing. Maybe the brother/sister didn't know about these sources, no need to call them "jaahil", they were just pondering on the calamity of thursday. Please refrain from calling names to other members on this blog, as we are all here to learn and share knowledge, inshaa'Allaah.

    Wa `Alaykum Assalaam

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  10. You are maybe here to learn not me. I am a school by myself and don't need to learn from your likes. as for akhlaq then this is the last on my list of priorities for the moment and believe it or not i have improved my akhlaq a lot and didn't call people any names but when a nasibi (your friends whom you love and prefer to shia) come like cowards and try to cast doubt upon tashayu and then i interfere for the sake of shia.

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  11. You can still d bothered delete my comments anyway. that won't bother me. I only take part to entertain myself while teaching others. If i agreed with you then it's because i am honest : when something is right then i say it's right, I also disagree with you when i see you are wrong. i am fair even to people i don't like (includes you) and i don't like you because you are a muqassir as far as i 'm concerned but still better than ghulat. I post here and also in many forums even though i am not wanted because i simply do what i want! i always did

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  12. Assalaamu `Alaykum Brother Wasil,

    I do not delete peoples comments, no matter how bad I dislike them. I am all for "freedom of speech".

    I also, do not know why you call me a "muqassir", as I have never denied any of the true attributes of the Imaams.

    Wa `Alaykum Assalaam

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  13. I am still doubtful that he (saww) was even able to read in the beginning but with sahih chains that are also accepted by shuyukh al-taifah then i keep silent about this even though apparently this contradicts the verse of the quran i showed.
    wallahu ajallu wa alam

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  14. Wasil,
    You seem to have some serious issues.
    Your aggressive attitude is repulsive.
    Stop calling people names and learn some akhlaaq.
    Learn to be humble and get off your high horse.

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  15. @Wasil:

    It is funny how hypocritical you really are... You sit there denying a hadeeth on bid'ah because "it isn't the Akhlaaq of the Ahl al-Bayt (عليه السلام)", but when it comes to your Akhlaaq, you still have to learn a thing or two from the Ahl al-Bayt (عليه السلام).

    The person was merely asking a question regarding the "Calamity of Thursday". And you went off on this person by saying "Jaahil"? Yes, this is the akhlaaq of the Ahl al-Bayt (عليه السلام)! *Sarcasm*

    May Allaah (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) better our Akhlaaq to be closer to the Ahl al-Bayt (عليه السلام)! Aameen.

    Wassalaamu 'Alaykum,
    Aboo 'Abd Allaah

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  16. mr aboo abd allah
    on what basis you are accusing me of hypocrisy ? i might not have have patience or superb akhlaq but i am never hypocritical.
    i will show you that you are the hypocrite without a doubt : is hadith of cursing and insulting the ahl-bid'a is such a sahih one according to you then you should be happy i am just doing that. on one hand you are defending a hadith that calls for akhlaq of abu sufyan and abu jahl and on the other hand you are angry when i called someone a jaahil! and how's jahil an insult and it's used in the quran by allah.

    for me the hadith about bid'a is weak and i still reject it and i don't use it to back my attack on some people. i am not perfect but i am honest alhamdulilleh.

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  17. @Aboo 'Abd Allaah: Bro, I still have difficulties in understanding how someone could read Arabic, but couldn't write it. I thought that if you can read something, you can write it. Could you elaborate more on this?

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  18. @Wasil:

    What are you talking about?! Akhlaaq of Aboo Sufyaan and Aboo Jahl!? WTH? Back up your proof before you speak.

    The guy asked a question about "Calamity of Thursday" and you went off on him?! That isn't bid'ah. You are mistaking questions with ahl al bid'ah.

    [25.63] And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humbleness, and when the ignorant address them, they say: Salaam.

    Salaam.

    @Rotten_Coconut:

    That is a good question, and frankly, I can't give you an answer on such a thing. Wa Allaahu 'Alam

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  19. Strange mr aboo! you were defending a false ghareeb hadith that would never come out the mouth of a massom(as) and now you are whining because i used the word jahil!
    the hadith said : "subbu" meaning insulting and also "bahitoo" meaning fabricate lies against opponents etc and you applaud it!

    the verse you gave yourself refutes this false hadith.
    this anonymous was trying to cast doubt about shia beliefs and i suspected he is one of the nawasib and his style is similar to some people i know so i had to expose his game.
    if the person is not one of the nawasib then i apologize to him. but if he is one of the scum i know then he is a pathetic jahil and i insist on this . so to clear the matters then let him tell us who he is!
    Now my theory based on quran is that he (rasool allah(saww) was unable to read and write and then he learned both later.
    how can someone read but not write, to read you need to know the letters and if you did then writing wouldn't be an issue for you.
    i am not disputing this hadith just because shyukh taifah believed in it so i 'd rather keep silent even though my opinion is different.

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  20. Wasil,
    The only thing your posts exposed was your anger issues.
    You need to open your eyes and see you have an anger problem.

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  21. That i do have and i don't deny it.

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  22. @Aboo 'Abd Allaah: Thanks for the reply bro. IMHO, Nader's revised translation is more likely, i.e. instead of ability ("could"), it's more to preference or lack of need due to the Prophet had scribes ("would")

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  23. Wasil you have REALLY pissed me off now by saying that brother Nader is a muqqasir. Wallah whenever I see people like you I say subhanAllah! As he has said in his Holy Book:

    And those who, when they are reminded of the Ayat of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat.
    ( سورة الفرقان , Al-Furqan, Chapter #25, Verse #73)

    Brother Nader asked you why you called him a muqqasir and you failed to answer. If only you knew how much he has helped me and the Shia community as a whole, as most of this community fails to read arabic and they are forced to go to the views of the Maraji', which are confusing themselves. It is better not to critisize him because you will NEVER be like him because your heart is blinded with unfounded hate for random people. Now let me expose you to all the readers of Naders blog so next time you don't have the audacity to come here and belittle him.

    "salam alaykom brother :

    well fisrt of alla shaikhain abu bakr and umar(radhiallahu anhuma) are not kaffir ,they did ijtihad they thought was right and i dont believe they changed a hokm because they deliberately wanted to break allah's orders

    they have made many mistakes and allah is the judge"

    So you curse our scholars but you say (ra) after the KUFFAR?!!! Oh wait, they aren't even kuffar in your opinion! Since you believe in the early scholars more, let's see what they say about them (LA) :

    Sheikh al Suduq (ra):
    :”فيمن جحد إمامة أمير المؤمنين والائمة من بعده عليهم السلام بمنزلة ( 6 ) من جحد نبوة الانبياء عليهم السلام . واعتقادنا ”
    “فيمن أقر بأمير المؤمنين وأنكر واحدا من بعده من الائمة عليهم السلام أنه بمنزلة من آمن بجميع الانبياء ثم أنكر بنبوة محمد صلى الله عليه وآله “

    Our belief is that the one who rejects the Imaamat of Ameer ul Mu’mineen [Ali] and the Aimmah after him, has the same position like the one who rejects the Prophethood of the Prophets.”
    .
    Sheikh Al Mufeed (ra):
    “اتفقت الامامية على أن من أنكر إمامة أحد من الائمة وجحد ما أوجبه الله تعالى له من فرض الطاعة فهو كافر ضال مستحق للخلود في النار”

    The Imamiyya is in agreement that the one who rejects the Imaamat of one Imaam and rejects the obedience to them which Allah (swt) ordered is a misguided KAFFIR deserving to remain in Hell-Fire forever.”

    But then he says:
    "first of all i never claimed that omar was innocent , on the contrary he was guilty as charged with usurping the right of ahlbait and being cruel to them and especially zahra(as) and he angered allah without a doubt but to say we can curse him must be looked at in the light of hadith rasool allah : rasool allah said in the sahih: i was not sent down an insulter or a curser

    also imam ali prevented hazrat hajar ibn udai and many of his companions from cursing and insulting the people of shaam even though they were trespassors and nawasib , these are the akhlaq of ameer-al-momineen (as) , he wasent a curser or an insulter

    he didnt even curse muawya but he invoked allah's wrath upon him in his prayers "

    Is it me, or did he just contradict himself? So you're admitting that he was cruel to Ahlul Bayt but you still say may allah be pleased him him!!! Brother I sincerely hope you read the Quran because Allah (swt) tells us clearly who to curse:

    Verily, those who conceal the clear proofs, evidence and the guidance, which We have sent down, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, they are the ones cursed by Allah and cursed by the cursers.
    ( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #159)

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  24. Part 2:

    Verily, those who disbelieve, and die while they are disbelievers, it is they on whom is the curse of Allah and of the angels and of mankind, combined.
    ( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #161)

    They are those whose recompense is that on them (rests) the curse of Allah, of the angels, and of all mankind.
    ( سورة آل عمران , Aal-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #87)

    Allah has promised the hypocrites - men and women - and the disbelievers, the Fire of Hell; therein shall they abide. It will suffice them. Allah has cursed them and for them is the lasting torment.

    ( سورة التوبة , At-Taubah, Chapter #9, Verse #68)

    But I see you like Saheeh hadiths also so I'll put one in to get it through your thick head and tell you what the ruling is on people like this (LA) :

    محمد بن يعقوب، عن محمد بن يحيى، عن محمد بن الحسين، عن صفوان بن يحيى، عن العلاء بن رزين، عن محمد بن مسلم قال: سمعت أبا جعفر ( عليه السلام ) يقول: كل من دان الله عز وجل بعبادة يجهد فيها نفسه ولا إمام له من الله فسعيه غير مقبول، وهو ضال متحير، والله شانئ لأعماله ـ إلى أن قال ـ وإن مات على هذه الحال مات ميتة كفر ونفاق، واعلم يا محمد، أن أئمة الجور وأتباعهم لمعزولون عن دين الله، قد ضلوا وأضلوا، فأعمالهم التي يعملونها كرماد اشتدت به الريح في يوم عاصف، لا يقدرون مما كسبوا على شيء، ذلك هو الضلال البعيد.

    Abu Ja`far عليه السلام said:
    "Everyone who professes (belief in) Allah `azza wa jalla with worship in which he himself strives, but he has no Imam from Allah, then his effort is not accepted, and he is astray and confused, and Allah hates his acts and if he died upon this state, he died a death of kufr and hypocrisy. And know, O Muhammad, that the imams of tyranny and their followers are expelled from the religion of Allah. They have gone astray and have led astray, so their acts which they performed are as ash that the wind disperses in a stormy day. They do not possess anything of what they earned. That is the far straying."

    Source:
    1. Al Kafi Volume 1 Page 375
    2. Wasail Al Shia Hadith 297

    Grading: Saheeh
    Prove this hadith weak if you can!
    Look at what else he says:
    "lanatollah upon you and your ignorance : how dare you say we change our RELIGION???? i was sunni-muslim and now i'm a imami twelver-muslim and no i havent changed my religion which was islam and is still islam , i changed my madhab not my religion so think before you open your gob "
    Wasil is that really the akhlaq that the Imams (as) taught us on? You love cursing people that are you fellow Shias when it comes to cursing the 2 (LA) you start shaking. Tell me, why is this? Are you not afraid of Allah and the barzakh?
    In conclusion, all praise be to Allah who gave us Imams (as) who taught us the proper religion of Allah and al Hamdulillah for giving us searchers of truth like Brothers Nader and Aboo Abdullaah, and may he damn the ignorants from us and His curse on the oppressors and their supporters.

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  25. First of all all these quotes you posted from me were in taqyyah and a game i played with the HCY lunatics and soon after these posts i turned against them and refuted them as i always did. i am always harsh with ahl-albid'a from nawasib and also ghulat.

    but one thing is for sure and it is that i don't believe sheikhain were kaffir and there's nothing to suggest they were kaffir. If you mean kor ni'ma that doesn't throw you outside islam then yes but to say they were disbelievers then it's wrong. i am aware of view of sheikh sadooq and mufeed and i disagree with them (ts) and so did many. if sheikhain were kaffir then imam ali(as) wouldn't have given advices to them and helped them when they needed his knowledge and if omar was kaffir then ali(as) wouldn't have advised him and guided him in matters like wars and peace and fiqh etc.

    as for the hadith you gave then it's sahih but it 's about nawasib and those who reject the imam of their times knowingly and deliberately because otherwise all sunnis are in hell according to you and not just sunnis but every single non-imami person and this contradicts the quran and sahih hadiths and i can show you many.

    as for them being nasibis then this is also wrong as they were not nasibis and this is the view of sayed al-khoei also as he said :

    ومن هنا يحكم باسلام الأولين الغاصبين لحق أمير المومنين عليه السلام إسلاما ظاهرياً لعدم نصبهم – ظاهراً – عداوة لأهل البيت وإنما نازعوهم في تحصيل المقام والرياسة العامة

    translation:" from this we conclude the islam of the first two who usurped the right of ameer al-momineen (as) an apparent islam because of them NOT being nasibis apparently and not dispplaying enmity towards ahlbait(as) but they disputed them for the sake of status and general leaderhsip/

    So this is not just my view or even just the view of sayed al-khoei but the view of many scholars.

    As for Nader Zaveri then he is muqassir because he doesn't believe in wasila of ahlbait(as) (ask him if he does!) and he hates the shia and prefers salafis to them and this is unacceptable ! yes hating ghulat is something but for him to put all shia in the same bag then this is wrong.

    As for akhlaq i never claimed i had good akhlaq and i don't think you can claim this either because you used words that are not used by people with good akhlaq and i am being patient with you so don't abuse my kindness till now.

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  26. Brother Wasil,

    Please provide me with a SaHeeH Hadeeth and explicit evidence from our Imaams that they have said "when I am dead, ask me your wishes to me so I can ask Allaah on your behalf". If there isn't a SaHeeH hadeeth that explicitly states waseelah, then I will continue to deny it.

    Oh and by the way, 1 saheeh hadeeth will not matter, since this is a matter of `aqeedah, this must be a mutawaatir hadeeth, with many saheeh chains.

    If you cannot find those, then I will continue to deny waseelah. Oh, and not sunni hadeeth please, those aHaadeeth mean nothing to me.

    Wa `Alaykum Assalaam

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  27. Salaam..!

    unfortunatly my english is very bad..& i am new in this field..but i want to share my views here..
    Plz shed light on this point that RASOUL(SAWW) had also done trading activities{of BIBI KHADIJA(S.A)}..so how could be it possible that he could not write? cuz in quran ALLAH says that when there is a give and take (Trading) so write this..this was for all people.!
    & also RASOUL(SAWW) lived with IMAM ALI(a.s) and his brothers who were able to wrote and write...and katib e wahi wrote ayaat infront of RASOUL(SAWW) so if whole quran was writen infront of RASOUL(SAWW)..so how he himself could not write...?

    as far as IMAM ALI(A.S) gave advises to HAZRAT ABU BAKR....& UMAR...so IMAM ALI(A.S) followed the sunnah of RASOUL(SAWW) here...and many prophets used to give advises to their Kafir kings..it is not a big issue and its a man IKHLAAQ & QUALITY...and that was the indeed decent Charater of IMAM ALI(A.S) that he used to give valuable advises to HAZRAT A.BAKR & UMAR.and definetly that was 4 the sake of ALLAHS Fvourite religion...!

    ReplyDelete
  28. and this points pained my a lot that ... our many SHIA brothers don't have UNITY..as here..!

    all people here know ahadiths regarding anything but they don't know any HADITH saying to be united..??it is very strange

    if SHIAS are not united so how we will grow..and defintely this disuntiy will benefit our oponents...

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  29. Nader i hope you realize that i don't believe in istighatha but i do believe in tawassol without a doubt and there's clear proofs for this from the quran like the following verse :

    وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمْ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَحِيمًا

    translation:

    [Yusufali 4:64] We sent not a messenger, but to be obeyed, in accordance with the will of Allah. If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful.

    now before we carry on i want to ask: do u reject tawassol by rasool allah and imams completely? do you believe it's wrong to say : ya allah bihaq mohammed and aal-mohemed so and so ..
    ?

    ReplyDelete
  30. @ Assalaamu `Alaykum Brother Adeel,

    Welcome to the blog, I hope you enjoy it here, please feel free to ask any questions, and give us your input.

    Regarding your inquiry on how can the prophet (SAWAS) be a trader not know how to write, that is because reading and writing wasn't needed, everything was done through verbal communication.

    The hadeeth is not clear if the prophet (SAWAS) could write, but chose not to, or that he could not write at all. So I don't want to indulge in dhann (speculation/guess work).

    Brother wasil,

    No one here denies "biHaqq muhammad wa aali muhammad" this is a known fact. This does not mean you are asking Muhammad (SAWAS) and Aali Muhammad (AS). In fact, you are attesting before Allaah to the right of Muhammmad and Aali Muhammad, in essence renewing your faith. You cannot use that as tawassul.

    Like I said I would like to see EXPLICIT SaHeeH aHaadeeth from our Imaams saying "when we die, ask us your wishes so we can ask Allaah on your behalf". This is tawassul.

    Isighaatha is shirk, plain and simple. No need to indulge in that frivolous discussion.

    And Allaah (SWT) knowns best!

    ReplyDelete
  31. first of all saying(ya allah bihaq mohammed and al mohamed ) is the heart of tawassol ! on what basis you are exluding this from tawassol is beyond me !!

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  32. Heart of Tawassul? Brother The definition of Tawassul is "asking the imaams to ask Allaah on your behalf". How does saying "biHaqqi muHammad wa aali muHammad" even come close to that definition.

    This isn't the best place to discuss this. How about this brother, you have my email. Make an article proving tawassul FROM authentic (saheeh) hadeeth of our Imaams, and I, myself, will stand corrected, and put it up on this blog.

    ReplyDelete
  33. yes i will write an article but you have to admit that saying "ya allah bihaq mohamed " is tawassol> come on you are saying things that nobody ever said . what's teh difference between saying "ya allah bihaq mohamed and aali mohamed " or saying" ya allah atawassal ilaika biqaq mohamed and "aal mohamed "? you won't find a single person who said that this is not tawassol.

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  34. Salam

    Nader :Here's the article i promised about tawassol so post it as you promised and i allow you do correct any mistranslations or errors :
    Part 1:

    Tawassol through Rasool Allah(saww):

    وعنه ، عن أبيه ، عن الحسين بن سعيد ، عن فضالة ، عن أبان ، ومعاوية بن وهب قالا : قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام : إذا قمت الى الصلاة فقل :
    اللهم إني أقدم اليك محمداً صلى الله عليه وآله بين يدي حاجتي وأتوجه به اليك ، فاجعلني به وجيها عندك في الدنيا والآخرة ومن المقربين. إجعل صلاتي به مقبولة ، وذنبي به مغفوراً ، ودعائي به مستجاباً. إنك أنت الغفور الرحيم

    From him(Ali ibn Ibrahim) from his father from Hussein ibn Saeed from Fadhala from Aban And Muawya ibn Wahb they said : Abu abdilleh (as) said : when you stand up to pray then say : I put foreward Mohamed (saww) before my need and i direct myself towards you through him , so make me by him honorable in this life and the Hereafter and from the closest ones(to you). Accept my prayer By him and make my supplication heard , you are the forgiving and merciful.

    ref: Al-kafi Volume 3 page 309

    -Verdict: Hadith Sahih all narrators are thiqat.

    *Allamah Al-majlissi said Hasan(good Sanad)

    Next Hadith:

    علي بن ابراهيم ، عن أبيه ، عن ابن أبي عمير ، عن معاوية بن عمار قال : قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام ابتداءً منه : يا معاوية أما علمت أن رجلاً أتى أمير المؤمنين صلوات الله عليه فشكى الابطاء عليه في الجواب في دعائه فقال له : أين أنت عن الدعاء السريع الاجابة ؟ فقال له الرجل : ما هو ؟ قال قل : اللهم إني أسألك باسمك العظيم الأعظم الأجل الاكرم ، المخزون المكن ون ، النور الحق البرهان المبين ، الذي هو نورٌ مع نور ، ونورٌ من نور ، ونورٌ في نور ، ونورٌ على نور ، ونورٌ فوق كل نور ، ونورٌ يضيىَ به كل ظلمة ، ويكسر به كل شدة وكل شيطان مريد ، وكل جبار عنيد.
    لا تقرُّ به أرض ، ولا تقوم به سماء ، ويأمن به كل خائف ، ويبطل به سحر كل ساحر ، وبغي كل باغ ، وحسد كل حاسد ، ويتصدع لعظمته البر والبحر ، ويستقل به الفلك حين يتكلم به الملك ، فلا يكون للموج عليه سبيل.
    وهو اسمك الأعظم الأعظم الأجل الأجل ، النور الأكبر ، الذي سميت به نفسك ، واستويت به على عرشك.
    وأتوجه اليك بمحمد وأهل بيته ، أسألك بك وبهم ، أن تصلي على محمد وآل محمد ، وأن تفعل بي كذا وكذا.

    From Ali ibn Ibrahim from his father from Ibn Abi Umair from Muawya Ibn Ammar he said: Abu abdilleh(as) started by saying: Oh Ammar! Din't you know that a man came to Ammer Al-Momineen (as) complaining about slowness in acceptance of his Du'a so he(as) answered: how far are you from the Du'a that is quickly accepted! So the man asked : And what's that ? so ameer al-momineen said: you say: Oh Allah i ask you by your great name the greatest and the most honorable and most cherished that is treasured and hidden, the true light and the great proof, that is light with light and light inside light and light upon light and light above light and light that lights up every darkness and breaks every tribulation and every rebellious devil and every stubborn powerful being. no earth can support it and no sky can elevate it. Every anxious feels safe with it and every bad Magic becomes void by it and the tyranny of every tyrant also and the envy of every envious. sees and earths shake from its greatness and the ship can be boarded by it when the angel pronounces it so waves cannot have power over it.
    It's your greatest name the greatest and most lofty.the biggest light that you named yourself with it and used it to encompass your throne.
    I direct myself to you through mohamed(saww) and aal-mohamed(as).I ask you through you and them to pray upon mohamed and aal mohamed and do so and so for me.

    ref: Al-kafi volume 2 page 582

    -verdict : Hadith Sahih
    *Allamah al-majlissi said : Hasan(Good chain)

    ReplyDelete
  35. ok Nader! Here's the article about Tawassol is ready so post it and do whatever corrections you think it might need in translation :

    http://shiachat.forumotion.com/t1029-tawassol-clear-hadiths-about-it#6038

    ReplyDelete
  36. Salam.

    Brother Nader,
    As per the comment from D'Arcy, you rightfully corrected the translation of the Hadees and removed the work 'Could'. But the text above the Hadees still has the word 'Could'.. shouldn't this also be corrected?

    Wassalam

    ReplyDelete
  37. Wa `Alaykum Assalaam,

    Thank you brother/sister. I have corrected this.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Quran 29:48:

    وَمَا كُنْتَ تَتْلُو مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُ بِيَمِينِكَ إِذًا لَارْتَابَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ

    "And you did not recite before it any book, nor did you transcribe one with your right hand, for then could those who say untrue things have doubted."

    This verse clearly indicates that the Holy Prophet never read / wrote any thing. The words in this verse are of a defensive nature so as to nullify the claim of the un-believers that the Holy Quran is the work of Holy Prophet (saww). The fact that a defensive approach has been used clearly indicates that Prophet Muhammad (saww) was infact capable of reading and writing which in turn required the revelation of this verse. In case the Holy Prophet (saww) was unable to write

    This is also confirmed by the following Hadees of Imam Jafar As Sadiq (as):

    Al-Sadooq, Ilal Al-Sharaa’i`, vol. 1, ch. 105, pg. 126, hadeeth # 6
    باب العلة التي من أجلها سمي النبي ص الأمي
    “Chapter on the reason for the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) being named Al-Ummi”

    حدثنا محمد بن الحسن رضي الله عنه قال حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله قال حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن الحسين بن سعيد و محمد بن خالد البرقي عن محمد بن أبي عمير عن هشام بن سالم عن أبي عبد الله ع قال كان النبي ص يقرأ الكتاب و لا يكتب

    From Hishaam bin Saalim from Abee `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) said: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) used to (or, would) read/recite the book, but not write.”

    Again the wording in the above Hadees proves the fact that the Holy Prophet (saww) could read and write but choose not to.

    The following is what A.Pooya Yazdi says about this verse in his commentary of the Holy Quran:
    [Pooya/Ali Commentary 29:48]
    This passage shows that the Holy Prophet did not acquire knowledge of reading or writing as other scholars do after taking lessons from tutors and teachers.

    This view is supported by the first four verses of ar Rahman which declare that Allah Himself taught "Quran" and "Bayan" (expression) to the Holy Prophet. It is therefore incorrect to hold that he was incapable of reading or writing, otherwise he who was deprived of the capacity of reading or writing would not be commissioned by Allah as a prophet to teach the book and wisdom to the people (see Jumu-ah: 2 and Alaq: 4 and 5).

    The Holy Prophet was divinely gifted with all knowledge, and so were the Ahl ul Bayt who were the heavenly depositories of knowledge of the word of Allah revealed through the Quran and previous scriptures. To ordinary men their knowledge and wisdom is a miracle.
    [Pooya/Ali Commentary 29:48]

    http://trueshia.blogspot.com/2011/02/prophet-muhammad-saww-ummi.html

    ReplyDelete
  39. @wasil said...
    "You can still d bothered delete my comments anyway. that won't bother me. I only take part to entertain myself while teaching others. If i agreed with you then it's because i am honest : when something is right then i say it's right, I also disagree with you when i see you are wrong. i am fair even to people i don't like (includes you) and i don't like you because you are a muqassir as far as i 'm concerned but still better than ghulat. I post here and also in many forums even though i am not wanted because i simply do what i want! i always did"
    This is called self praising....No one should laugh!!!Except me....It seems Wasil you are the 12th Imam?Are you?

    ReplyDelete
  40. @Nader Zaveri..very good post.May Allah reward you.In some Shia Hadeeth it is mentioned that Imam Ali knew Quran,Bible,Old Testament even before Prophet Mohammad(pbuh.Is it true?correct me If I am wrong.Thanks

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  41. Those hadeeth do not have authentic asaaneed (pl. isnaad). Therefore, those hold little no weight.

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  42. Brother wasil, good comment. No doubt, tawassul is a CORRECT Islamic aqeedah. But of course, Allahu Aalim,

    ReplyDelete
  43. Adding on to wasil's post, there is an additional hadith from kamil al-ziyarat with a 'sahih' sanad.

    Narrated my father and mohamed ibn Al-hasan ibn Al-waleed(ra) narrated hussein ibn Al-hasan ibn Aban from hussein ibn saeed from fadhala ibn ayoob and safwan and ibn abi umair (all of them) from Muawya ibn Ammar he said abu abdilleh said : when you come to the Madinah do ablution when you enter it or before you enter it then you come to the grave of rasool Allah (saww) and you greet him then you stand up before the disc on the right side of the grave at the head of the grave and you are facing "Qiblah" and your left elbow near the grave and the right elbow kept just after the "minbar" as this is the place for the head of Rasool Allah(saww) then you say : I bear witness that there's no god but Allah ..he has no partners and i bear witness that mohamed (saww) is his slave and messenger.I bear witness that you are the messenger of Allah and that you are Mohamed ibn ABdilleh and i bear winess that you conveyed the messageS of your Lord and advised your "Ummah" and did "jihad" in the way of Allah and you worshipped Allah till the truth(death) came to you with kindness and good advice and you performed your duties perfectly and you were gentle with believers and severe with polytheists so Allah made you reach the highest ranks of the chosen people. All praise to Allah who saved us through your from "shirk" and misguidance. Oh Allah make your prayers and the prayers of your closest Angels and your good slaves and messengers you sent and all inhabitants of skies and earths and all those who did "tasbeeh" from the early creatures and the late ones Upon Mohamed your slave and messenger and your trustee and your beloved and your special Ally and your chosen one from your creation and grant him the high degree and waseela in paradise and resurrect him in the blessed status that makes all people envy him . Oh Allah you said : If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful.(Nisa 64)and i came to your prophet doing Istighfar from my sins I put forward before you your prophet the prophet of mercy (saww). Oh Mohamed i put you foreward before my lord and your lord for him to forgive my sins.

    ref: Kamil al-ziarat page 11

    verdict : hadith sahih and hussein ibn al-hasan ibn aban is thiqat :
    -1 Allamah considers his hadith authentic and considered the way of sadooq to hussein ibn saeed sahih and it has hussein ibn hasan ibn aban in it .
    -2 Ibn Al-waleed narrated from him extensively and he was the expert in rijel and was allergic to ghulu and gulat
    -ibn dawood said : thiqat.

    And Allah knows best.

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  44. hussein ibn Al-hasan ibn Aban = majhool. Just because Ibn Waleed narrates from him, that doesn't make him thiqah. Ibn Waleed believe in asl al-`adaalah.

    ReplyDelete
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