The Role of Holy Imams in Revival of Religion

The Prophet Is Unfamiliar With Worldly Affairs

What we have seen until now was one group of narratives designed to make the Prophets Hadiths worthless. Also on these lines there exists another group of narratives with the same plan in mind. We will now look into them.

They have narrated from A'ishah and Anas that: "One day the Holy Prophet was passing by a Palm-Grove. A group of men were busy pollinating the Female trees. We know that all trees have males and females including date-palms and the female is the one which bears fruit. The male date-palm has a cluster called (Tala') in Arabic. The palm-grove's owners cut off the male palms clusters and shake them on the female trees new clusters so that the male palms pollen will fall on the female palms clusters, dates being produced as a result. If this is not done the dates will not grow and sweeten, and there will be no dates. This is known by all of the people who live in regions that grow palms and is not something that is hidden or kept secret.

After this necessary remark we now return to the main event. When passing a group of men who were busy pollenating their palm trees, the Prophet sees what they were doing and tells them that if they didn't do that, the dates would turn out better. The Muslims obeyed his order and as a result the dates of Medina were ruined that year. Another day as the Prophet was passing by the Palm-grove and seeing the dates that were all ruined by his order said; Why are your dates spoiled? They replied: You told us that if we didn't pollenate the palms our dates would be better and when we followed your advice our dates were spoiled! The Prophet said: [You are more informed of your worldly duties than I, and know better how to go about them!!!] 212

What is the result of these types of Hadiths which exist in the most creditable Sunnite books? Doesn't it bear the consequence of saying that the prophets statements regarding worldly affairs have little value? For example if the Prophet has appointed a leader or guardian for the people after himself it would have little weight because the people can find a better leader themselves and appoint him; since he had said himself, and proved with his own actions that the people are more informed and intelligent with regards to the worldly duties!

The next result was that the people would get the idea that religion had come to teach them how to pray, fast, supplicate and finally how to worship but has no hand in worldly affairs, having left these matters to them since they were more knowledged of such things. These types of Hadiths want to say that if the Prophet teaches prayer, fasting and worship there is no problem but he makes mistakes in worldly affairs since he has spoken his own opinion, having received no divine instruction in these matters. Doesn't this go on to say that religion and politics are separate and that religion has nothing to do with social life and matters related to the human world, having nothing to say and no message on these lines. Doesn't this resemble the Christian saying: [leave Caesar, and God's work to God]

Until this day I haven't seen anyone find fault with these Hadiths. No scholar has questioned them. In all of the books on Hadiths and research into weak Hadiths the narratives above mentioned are not included. Why? Because these narratives appear in "Sahih" by Muslim, and this book and their life have no room for fault or question in the Caliphate school and are held as completely creditable.

How do you think someone who believes in the factuality of these Hadiths thinks about the Holy prophet, and in what level of humanity, intelligence and common sense do they recognize him to be? Do they in principle see him on the level of an average human being in possessing reasoning and thought? A Prophet that the Holy Quran in all truth has said about him:

By the grace of your Lord you are not mad.

The Quraishite infidels only ascribed the Prophet with madness but these types of Hadiths prove it in practice. If you were to travel to a region where palm groves are abundant and ask any youth how palms are made fertile you will see that they know all about the matter of artificial pollenation, and also know that without it the palms will bear no fruit.

However, these narratives say that even though the Prophet was over fifty years old he didn't know about this simple matter. It is also interesting to know that orientalists have also payed close attention to these Hadiths and have written books having them in mind. In reality the real reason that orientalists have based all of their studies on the Caliphate schools books and records is the existence of these weak points, thus introducing Islam and its Prophet according to the view points found in them; because this way they can better make Islam the target of their hostile attacks and criticisms.

The original instigators however strived to bring the Prophets personality even lower than that of an average person with these narratives. This was so first of all they could remove all credibility from his words which represent Islam, and second of all so that Caliphs after him would be comparable with him and even better than him. This would as a result give the Caliphate its necessary credibility and value. The Prophet Forgets Quranic Verses.

The third group in this type of narrative which attacks the Holy Prophets identity are those which try to prove that the Prophet was forgetful. They say that he even forgot the Quranic verses revealed to himself, taught to the people himself, and was commanded by God to explain and interpret, as if he wasn't familiar with it at all. We see these statements in the narratives to follow:

1. According to a narrative reported by Bukhari, Muslim and other creditable experts of Hadiths, Aishah and Abu Huraireh have related: One day while the Prophet was sitting in the Mosque he heard a Muslim reciting the Quran, then saying: May God have mercy on him. This reciter and reader of the Quran has reminded me of verses that I had completely forgotten and had been dropping from a certain surah in the Quran. 213 In this narrative such has been related form A'ishah. Now lets see what God says in the Quran:

We will make you recite so you shall not forget". 214

Quranic commentators have said: Before this verse was revealed, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) would repeat the Quranic verses as they were revealed so he wouldn't forget them. Even before the verse was completed he began reciting it. But after this verse was revealed the Prophet was no longer afraid of forgetting them and he became content with God's support. As such we see that in other verses the Prophet is commanded:

"Do not move you tongue with it to make haste with it, surely on Us (devolves) the collection of it and the reciting of it. Therefore when We have recited it, follow it's recitation. Again on us (devolves) the explaining of it". 215

And again we find in the Quran itself this command:

....and do not make haste with the Quran before its revelation is made complete to you......216

In creditable narratives there exists information which strongly condemns these Hadiths. In Bukharis book "Sahih", Ibn Majeh's "Sunan" and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal's "Musnad" we read that The Holy Prophet read the Quran to the angel Gabriel once a year but in the year of his death this was done twice. 217 This means that the Prophet read the entire Quran from beginning to end and Gabriel listened.

In another place it is discussed and proved historically that the Prophet had a special method for teaching the Quran to the Muslims. When the verses were revealed which all concerned one topic he would recite them for the people so they could memorize them, and so those who knew how to write could record them on stone, bone, wood or leather. In this way all of the Muslims recited the Quran, wrote it down and memorized it. Afterwards the Prophet would begin to teach the practical and theoretical interpretation of these verses and until they had not learned it he would not move on to others. 218

We must judge fairly; with this orderly method of teaching and training and the great amount of importance the Prophet placed on the teaching of the Quran to the people and with attention to the fact that all of the knowledge in that age was limited to the Quran, can we accept that the Prophet refrained from protecting the Quran (his religions principle book), or was careless with regard to it, forgetting or omitting several of its verses.

2. They have narrated another narration of Abu Huraireh in Bukhari and Muslim, relating that he said:

In one prayer-the narrator forgets whether it was evening or night prayer-The Prophet performed two Rakats of the prayer with us, and before the prayer was finished, after two rakats he gave the greetings and stood and moved away towards the place he always stood when making a speech. He stood there and clapped his hands together just as an angry person would. He hit his right hand with his left. Pay attention that this fabricator so precisely relates this narrative that you won't think its a lie. Those who were in a hurry left the mosque first. Abu Huraireh continues: Abu Bakr and Umar were there but their awe and reverence of the Prophet prevented them from speaking. I thought that perhaps there had been a new revelation and the prayer had been shortened to two rakats. Zolyadain got up, 219 - he was one of the companions who was called this because his hands were unusually long- and he said:

"O Prophet of God, did you forget or has the prayer been shortened to two Rakats? The Prophet replied: I neither forgot nor has the prayer been shortened. Then he asked the others; Is what Zolyadain said true? Have I prayed less than I should have? The companion replied; Yes, Prophet of God you recited less than required!!

The Prophet returned to his place and performed the amount of the prayer he had forgotten, gave the greetings and Takbeer and after performing a prostration returned to the place for delivering sermons. Abu Huraireh says: The Holy prophet returned to his place of prayer after hearing the companions words and performed the amount of prayer he had forgotten with the congregation. If the prayer had three rakats he performed one more and if it had four rakats two more were performed with the people. Everyone followed him in the prayer, afterwards performing extra prostrations. Notice that Abu Hurairah depicts himself as completely circumspect in this narrative saying that he doesn't know exactly which prayer it was so the listener will believe his veracity.

To study this narrative we must look at history. History tells us: Zolyadain was martyred in the second year of the Hejrat in the battle of Badr, and Abu Huraireh came to Medina from Yemen in the eighth year of the Hejrat, then accepting Islam. Abu Huraireh came to Medina almost five years after Zolyadains death and had never even see Medina during the time Zolyadain was living there. Abu Huraireh told this story as a narrative at a time when Zolyadain was not around nor most of the other companions, and no-one dared to complain about it or refute it. Maybe this story was made up when he was the governor of Medina in place of Marwan Ibn Hakam during Muawiehs' rule and slandering and creating lies related to the Prophet had buyers, while an enormous amount of the money in the public treasury went to creating such Hadiths!!

Afterwards, caliphate Scholars inferred various religious laws from this narrative for example turning you back on the Qibleh during the prayer is alright and because of that you don't have to re-recite the prayer, speaking during prayer is allowed and etc.

219. In five narratives in Bukharis "Sahih" and in Muslims book this name has been mentioned and in other places Zol Shemalain which are two nick-names for Abd-o-Amr Ibn Hanzlah from the tribe of Khaza'eh. This man was martyred in the battle of Badr, 5 years before Abu Huraireh became a Muslim and moved to Medina.

220. Once again in Bukharis "Sahih" and Ahmads "Musnad" it is narrated from Abu Huraireh that:

Everyone had gathered for communal prayer, everyone was formed in rows behind the Prophet ready to perform the prayer. The Prophets was in his place ready to lead them in the prayer. Everything and everyone was ready for the Prophets takbeer when suddenly the Prophet remembered he was in a state of impurity! Abu Huraireh adds: The prophet said to us: Stay in your places just as you are now. He then went home performed his "ghusl" and then returned to the Mosque. He went to his place of prayer while there was water dripping from his head, recited the takbeer, and led the prayer while we performed it with him. 220

If such events occured in the Prophets lifetime, or if they are related truthfully or falsely by persons who appear to be of his supporters, what esteem will remain for him? He is so forgetful and careless that he performs a three or four rakat prayer in two rakats, or on another day he forgets his own Quran and when a Muslim recites it says: I had omitted this verse from the Quran, this man reminded me of it, may God have mercy on him. You will see that as a result of the narration of this collection of Hadiths, what will be left of the prophet and what worth and esteem will he find in the views of those who believe these Hadiths!

We will end this lecture with one more narrative by Abu Huraireh. This narrative shows the real identity of Abu Huraireh the great narrator of these types of narratives, which unfortunately exist in the most creditable Sunnite books of Hadiths. One day Abu Huraireh said amongst a group of Muslims:

"The best alms is the property a rich person leaves for his children! A listener who afterwards also related this narrative said: I said to him: "Did you hear that from the Prophet himself?" This proves that a group of Abu Huraireh contemporaries also recognized him for what he was or at least they had come to doubt his words or him because of the numerous Hadiths Abu Huraireh, seeing the doubt in the listener of his words or realizing his disbelief, admits an enormous fact saying:

"No I didn't hear it from the Prophet, in truth its from Abu Hurairehs' sack!! 221

This narrative from Bukharis book "Sahih" is narrated in Ahmads "Musnad" using different expressions which is even more interesting. According to the narrative in Ahmad Ibn Hanbals "Musnad" the people say to him:

"Did you hear that remark from the Prophet, did the Prophet say that, or did you take it from your own sack? Abu Huraireh said: This narrative is from my own sack. 222

Can it be known how many of these manufactured Hadiths came from his own sack? Can it be known to what extent these types of Hadiths changed the visage of our revered Islam? It can be considered probable that of the collection of more than five thousand Hadiths by Abu Huraireh many are his own creations or according to his contemporaries interpretation, came out of his own sack!

Our lecture and study revolved around the second means by which Islam was altered. These narratives with their efforts to discredit the prophets words and lower his esteem removed the reliability from an enormous part of true Islam. Therefore if the Prophet scolded or cursed, and if the Prophet praised, commended or payed tribute it has no credibility or true basis because he is human and life every other human becomes angered or happy. Also if he speaks of this worlds matters and gives advice, whatever he says has no basis or credit, being worthless. Later of course they studied these types of Hadiths and with great effort tried to create religious foundations and basis for them. They said: The Prophets words were based on his own personal vote and opinion. He gave an opinion and exegisis and others who opposed him on these matters, like the Caliphs, all gave their exegesis and expressed their opinions and vote. These types of oppositions are seen as the opposition of two jurisprudents with one another and there is no objection to it. As such, if the Prophet made a remark, or if he gave a command or exegesis regarding some matter and the caliphs in opposition to his exegesis said something and went against him they have also given their exegesis. The Prophet gave his opinion and they gave theirs, it is one exegesis against another. It's evident that its true when we said that these narrative make up the foundation of religious belief, and even worse, that these types of narratives also alter Islam, this is because the basis of exegesis is personal vote and opinion, and this personal vote and opinion is also a great source for upturning Islamic religious law.

These type of narrative, which discredited the Prophets words, was an arrow with two targets. Of course, as we will see in the future - God Willing there are also arrows with three targets which will be studied next week. But when we said that these narratives were arrows with two targets it was because first of all they discredited the Prophet and his identity. We know that when the Prophet has fallen from esteem, practical credibility and superior identity, injury and harm also befalls the people's religion and beliefs because he is a part of Islams' text, his identity and actions being a section of Islam. In this way both the Prophet and his religion were attacked. It is here that the second large factor in the alteration of Islam is formed; because they spoke in opposition to the Quranic verses which state clearly:

"The Prophet does not speak of his own and his words are based alone on Divine revelation"

Insisting on the opposite and apparently they proving that the Prophet spoke out of his own will and carnal desire. For this very reason the Prophets Hadiths value was broken and brought down to the level of other persons words. Therefore if in one corner of the Islamic world the Prophets Hadiths reached the people secretly it did not still retain its necessary value and credibility since some companions or the Caliphs could oppose it and put themselves forward as compared with them.

For example if the Prophet taught Divine rules regarding "Mat'atul Haj" and "Mat'atun Nesa" and the Caliph dares to say and the people accept that:

'---Arabic text---'

Since the Prophet has spoken of one matter in worldly affairs and the Caliph spoke words on that same matter opposing the Prophets not only is it alright, but its also completely creditable. Because of this the people practiced the Caliphs command and refrained from the prophets: This is a particularity of the Caliphate School.

Ali Ibn Abi Talib and his sons up until Hojat Ibn Al Hassan (a.s) did not add to or detract even one word from the Prophets sayings and never spoke of their own. Imam Mohammad Baqir (a.s) and or Imam Ja'far Al-Sadeq (a.s) didn't say: "I say!" or "I prohibit" and other things such as these, and their students such as Zarareh, Mohammad Ibn Muslim and Hesham until this day have not spoken of their own vote or opinion. They said: "The Prophet said such or God said this". 223

This is a particular of the school of Ahlul Bait.

We were discussing which instruments were used to change some of the aspects and laws of Islam after the Prophet. Just as we saw in detail, the first factor was that they didn't allow the Hadith of the commentator and expositor of the Quran and missionary of Islamic law, spoken in completion of this mission. The prohibition of relating Hadiths stayed in effect for many long years and that of their written recording up until the end of the first century A.H, meaning it lasted approximately 100 years.

During that time if anyone wrote down Hadiths they were collected and burned. In addition to this, a group of the famous companions of the Prophet such as Abu Dharr and Ibn Massoud, who lived outside of Medina and far from the watchful eyes of the Caliphate narrated Hadiths, were summoned to Medina and were kept under surveillance.

The first factor in the alteration and changing of Islamic law and world perspective was this, the power which didn't allow the Prophets Hadiths to be promulgated amongst the people and become available to the Muslims. We include this prohibition in the series of factors in alteration since we know that the new Muslims wanted to know about Islam, wanted to know what their Prophet did and said in various situations and events, they wanted an interpretation of the Quran, wanted to know about their religious duties in social and personal matters. If as such the ruling power prevents the narration and recording of the Prophets words, the people will have no choice but to turn to other places and sources and thus become possible that they will come to rely on incompetent persons. Those in power and the rulers of that time took the necessary steps to take care of this necessity and natural course. Kaab al-Ahbaar the Jew was charged with the interpretation of the Quran and to answer questions regarding God and resurrection. Kaab al-Ahbaar is not a name but a title and shows the persons position and post. Habr means scholar and Kaab al- Ahbaar means the leader of Jewish religious scholars. He, Tamim Dary and Wahab Ibn No'beh are those from whom the people learned the interpretation of the Quran and the learnings of Islamic resurrection and God. Kaab sat in the mosque and people asked him of matters concerning interpretation. He appeared with the Caliph Uthman and gave answers to questions regarding practical Islamic laws.

By regarding this we can clearly understand the truth of how in this way, altered Judaism and Christianity and the many years of ridiculous beliefs that have been crammed into it, affected the realm of Islam, and found their way into the center of God's religion. Because of all this the prohibition of the promulgation of Hadith is one of the biggest factors of alteration in the various aspects of Islam. In the future - God willing - we will return to this matter and we will research and study new matters related to it.

The Secret Propagation Of Hadiths.

We also pointed out in the past that man will always think of a way or a solution for fighting a governments despotism and severity and the prohibitions of powerful rulers. Secretly and under ground they will strive to obtain their sought after desire. On the matter at hand, meaning the prohibition of promulgating the Prophets hadiths, whose very secret struggles and sometimes open ones of the people against the Government came to be. As such, far from the eyes of the governments officers and secretly, these Hadiths were to some extent narrated and spread about. Such as we have seen, a group of them were hung and narrated Hadiths, and or sat under the sword of an executioner and repeated the prophets words. In this way, contrary to the ruling powers wishes, some of the prophets hadiths were promulgated., This event caused the principle agents for the Caliphates government, anxiety and fear. It was because of this that a special program became necessary for the execution of the Caliphates principle political plan.