Biography of Imam `alĪ Ibn AbĪ-tĀlib

Denying the Prophet’s Death

There was a pall of gloom over al-Madinah after the death of the Prophet (a.s). Muslims were gathered inside and around the al-Masjid al-Nabawi (the Holy Prophet’s Mosque). Their eyes were turning again and again towards the room where the mortal remains of their beloved mentor were lying. Every person was in deep sorrow and grief. The initial rites of the funeral were being performed in the midst of tears and mourning. Suddenly in this sad environment rose a shrill voice:

“Some hypocrites think that the Prophet (a.s) has passed away! By Allah! He is not dead and is visiting Allah as did Mūsa ibn `Imran and returned after remaining away from his people after forty days. At that time too it was said that Mūsa was dead. By Allah! The Prophet (a.s) will return and cut the hands and feet of the persons who say that the Prophet (a.s) has died.”[1]

Again, the voice rose in a warning tone:

“One who says that the Prophet (a.s) is dead, I shall strike him with my sword. The Prophet (a.s) has been carried away to the Firmament!”[2]

These sounds were coming from the mouth of `Umar who was adamant in saying that the Prophet (a.s) was alive and the rumor of his death has been spread by the hypocrites and thus he had put guard over the tongues of the people swinging around his sword. Ibn Kathir writes:

“`Umar stood up and started sermonizing and threatened the people who talked about the death of the Prophet (a.s) that he would cut them to pieces! He said that the Prophet (a.s) was lying unconscious and when he rose, he will kill people and cut their limbs. At this time `Amr ibn Za’idah was reciting the

[1] Tārīkh al-Tabarī, Vol 2, Page 442
[2] Tārīkh Abul-Fidā’, Vol 1, Page 156

following Verse at the rear of the Mosque: ‘Muhammad (a.s) is a Prophet and many prophets have gone by afore him’!”[1]

The effect of this outrageous talk of `Umar was to affect the thinking of the people and to change their topic of discussion. Therefore, the saddened masses started looking at one another in surprise and whispering to one another whether the Prophet (a.s) had really died or was alive! Although the people who heard him were not willing to believe his words, they had no courage to ask him to go inside and see for himself whether the Prophet (a.s) was really dead or not. Everyone was dumbfounded and was looking at `Umar fencing around with his sword! He was sometimes saying that the Prophet (a.s) was lying unconscious, again he said that he has been raised to the Firmament and he said that like Mūsa ibn Harūn he had gone into hiding! Now, which version of his to accept and which to reject? There was total confusion among those who were standing around watching his fencing skills! What was the need of frightening the people with his martial skills with the sword? If the spirit had gone to the Firmament, as he said, then that was death! If according to `Umar the Prophet (a.s) had gone the way Mūsa went, then Mūsa had gone bodily and had returned with the Torah. The Prophet’s body was very much there and there was no purpose his going the way Mūsa (a.s) went. When Mūsa (a.s) went for forty days he left behind his brother and Vicegerent, Harūn (a.s). `Umar in his outrage was silent about this very important aspect of the comparison that he was making! The Holy Qur’an says:

وَقَالَ مُوسَى لِأَخِيهِ هَارُونَ اخْلُفْنِي فِي قَوْمِي وَأَصْلِحْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ .

“Mūsa said to his brother Harūn: Take my place among my people, and act well and do not follow the way of the mischief-makers. (7:142)”

`Umar should have hinted at this aspect when he was drawing a comparison with what happened to Mūsa (a.s). But, perhaps, discreetly, he was avoiding hinting at this point in his talk!

Besides, he should have also clarified about who those hypocrites were who, according to him, spread rumors about the death of the Prophet (a.s). He knew that, naturally, the sad news emanated from the household of the Prophet (a.s) where the consorts of the Prophet (a.s), Fatimah al-Zahra’ (a.s), `Ali (a.s), Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Husayn (a.s), `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, al-Fadl ibn

[1] Al-Bidāyah wan-Nihāyah, Vol 5, Page 242

`Abbas, `Abdullah ibn Ja`far and others from Banū-Hashim were there. Were these the hypocrites whose limbs, according to `Umar, the Prophet (a.s) would return to cut away!

Certainly, there was confusion in the people about the demise of their beloved Prophet (a.s). This confusion would have persisted, but Abū-Bakr arrived from the place of Sakh in the environs of al-Madinah hearing about the demise of the Prophet (a.s) and heard `Umar ferociously denying to accept that the Prophet (a.s) was dead. He went inside, removed the cloth from the face of the Prophet (a.s), went out, and talked with `Umar for a while, and then addressed the people thus:

“One who worships Allah must know that Allah is immortal and those who worshipped Muhammad (a.s) should know that Muhammad (a.s) has expired. Then he recited this Verse, ‘Muhammad (a.s) is only a prophet of Allah. Before him, there were prophets who have gone. If he dies, or is assassinated, you will turn to infidelity. And those who turn back they cannot harm Allah in any way. And Allah will soon Reward the grateful.’”[1]

When `Umar heard this Verse from the mouth of Abū-Bakr, he expressed surprise and said:

“Is it a Verse from the Holy Qur’an? I did not know that it is a Verse from the Qur’an. Then he added, ‘O people! This is Abū-Bakr who has ascendance over the Muslims! Owe allegiance to him! Owe allegiance to him!”[2]

`Umar who was insisting that the Prophet (a.s) was not dead a while ago accepts the fact hearing the Verse from the mouth of Abū-Bakr. Seeing this sudden change in his attitude, a doubt rises in the mind that whether `Umar really believed that the Prophet (a.s) was alive and not dead. If so, did he get the idea only after hearing that the Prophet (a.s) was no more? If his belief was such, while obstructing the Prophet’s call for pen and paper for writing his will, he could have said that wills are made only by mortal human beings and the Prophet (a.s) was immortal and he did not need to make a will! Instead of this, he said that the Prophet (a.s) was in a state of delirium and he might utter insensible words as his will! A while ago, he was an adamantly

[1] Tārīkh al-Tabarī, Vol 2, Page 443
[2] Al-Bidāyah wan-Nihāyah, Vol 5, Page 242

denying the Prophet’s death and now changed his stance and said:

“By Allah! I decided to say what I said because of this Verse:’ in the same way We have made you the Middle Ummah that you bear witness to the people and the Prophet (a.s) a witness over you!’ By Allah! I had the feeling that the prophet (a.s) will remain with his Ummah until the end to bear witness over them!”[1]

Then he had seen the Prophet (a.s) struggling between life and death, and now he had seen that the Prophet (a.s) had no signs of life in his body. There were wails rising from the house and the people were expressing sadness over the demise.

This vehement denial of the death of the Prophet (a.s) and sudden face suggests to every right thinking person that there must have been some strategy behind his behavior. His sudden advocacy of people’s allegiance to Abū-Bakr instead of thinking of the last rites of their beloved Prophet (a.s) suggests that he was not so much concerned about the Prophet (a.s) than the matters of power and Caliphate. The truth is that `Umar was not so ignorant that he was not recognizing the fact of the demise of the Prophet (a.s). This was his well thought out political move.

To understand this political move we shall have to recapitulate on certain events. The history is witness that `Ali (a.s) was closely associated with the invitation to the faith of Islam from the very time of the annunciation of the Prophet (a.s) and was always ready to serve the cause. The Prophet (a.s) wished to propagate and protect Islam through him. This fact is evident from the events of Da`wat al-`Ashirah and the Ghadir Khumm. Most of the Companions, both the Muhajirūn and Ansar, were aware of the choice of the prophet (a.s) for his Vicegerent and Successor. Ibn Abil-Hadid writes:

“The majority of Muhajirūn and Ansar had no doubt that after the Prophet (a.s) `Ali (a.s) will be wali `Amr (the Vicegerent)”[2]

It cannot also be denied that the Prophethood and caliphate in the same family was not acceptable to a particular group, and the reason was that they wanted to establish their own hegemony. Therefore, they started preparing their strategy from the living days of the Prophet (a.s) itself. They put impediments against any move that they found was going against their interests. The

[1] Tārīkh al-Tabarī, Vol 2, Page 450
[2] Sharh Nahj al-Balāghah by Ibn Abil-Hadīd, Vol 3, Page 8

Prophet (a.s) asks for paper and pen from his deathbed, and they talk impertinently to avoid writing of the will by the Prophet (a.s). The Prophet (a.s) orders these persons to proceed on a Campaign under the command of Usamah ibn Zayd and they disobey the Prophet’s orders. One of the main perpetrators of this disobedience was the same `Umar who enacted the drama that the Prophet (a.s) had not demised when the ostensible reason for disobeying his command was that they were sure that he was going to demise and they wanted to be around to manipulate the Caliphate in their favor! Al-Buladhari writes:

“When the Prophet of Allah died, `Abbas said, ‘O `Ali! Come out! I shall owe allegiance to you in front of the people to ensure that none differs about you.’ But `Ali (a.s) refused and said, ‘who can differ (or deny) our Rights and who can overwhelm us?’ `Abbas said, ‘then you will see this will happen!’”[1]

`Umar was one of the persons who did not want the Prophethood and caliphate remaining with one family and feared that the initiative for the bay`ah might assume a practical shape. Therefore, he wanted to crush the movement before it raised its head. At that juncture, he could not think of any strategy and hence, to gain time by diverting the attention of the crowds, he played the ruse of the Prophet’s immortality and that the story of his death was a rumor spread by the hypocrites! As soon as Abū-Bakr arrived the entire drama was over and `Umar started seeking the people’s allegiance for his Caliphate! What was the need for asking for the people’s allegiance at that somber moment? Anyway, after his appeal for votes, it became evident that all his fencing with the sword and the words was merely to play to the galleries until his candidate for the Caliphate arrived on the scene and none else was proclaimed as the successor and Caliph to the Prophet (a.s). Therefore, the events of the Saqifah Banū-Sa`idah are witness to the fact that the group considered installation of their candidate as Caliph more urgent than attending to the last sickness of their beloved Prophet (a.s) and his last rites! They gave a political defeat to the Ansar and established their own hegemony!

[1] Ansāb al-Ashrāf, Vol 1, Page 583