Abdul Hamid Siddiqi states:
“Shi’ite authors refer to this and similar traditions in support of their claim that by those words the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) had made a pointed reference to Hadrat Ali as his successor. The Sunni scholars assert, and rightly, that the above words of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) have a reference to a family relationship between him and Ali and not to the question of Caliphate. Aaron was the cousin of Moses and so was the case with Ali and the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him). The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) ordered Ali to remain in Medina in charge of the city and the Prophet’s family while he was proceeding on the campaign of Tabuk. Ali expressed his anxiety to participate in the campaign and not to stay behind in Medina. The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) referred to the example of Moses who had left his brother Aaron in charge of the community when he himself ascended mount Sinai”
Sahih Muslim, English translation by A.H.Siddiqi, Vol 4 p 1284, footnote 2695
So, Siddiqi is trying to convince his readers that the Mutawatir tradition ‘Your position to me is like the position of Harun to Musa, except that there shall be no prophet after me.’ means little and it only refers to the fact that Aaron and Moses were cousins as were Muhammad (s) and Ali (as). If anything, this highlights the self-contradictory nature of the arguments advanced by the scholars of the Ahle Sunnah exemplified by Siddiqi. He shoots his own logic in the foot on two occasions in just these few lines, since first the Quran does not state that Harun (as) and Musa (as) were cousins, they were brothers (7:142 & 20:29) unlike the first statement made by Siddiqi. What is even stranger is that in the same paragraph Siddiqi seems to forget what he wrote earlier and informs us that Aaron and Moses were indeed brothers.
Secondly, by referring to the relationship between Aaron and Moses, Siddiqi explains that the Prophet was referring only “…to the example of Moses who had left his brother Aaron in charge of the community when he himself ascended mount Sinai” and that no further significance should be given to this narration, it being of only minor historical significance. We agree with Siddiqi’s statement concerning Sinai, but not with his amnesia concerning his own statement that Musa (as) did indeed leave Harun (as) as his brother, ‘in charge of the community’. Since Siddiqi also writes Harun (as) was left ‘in charge of the community’ we naturally assume this relationship also applies to that of Muhammad (s) and Ali (as); we also believe that by referring to this hadith Prophet Muhammad (s) was making it clear that when he left his people, he would likewise leave Ali (as), his vizier, as his deputy in charge of the community.
Ibn al Hashimi quotes and comments:
Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari, a Shia scholar, says
“He (Allah) appointed Harun the helper, assistant, deputy and successor of Musa among his people, and even made him a prophet…Since Harun was the leader of all the Bani Isra’il, the situation of Ali, peace be upon him, was analogous.
source: Imamate And Leadership,http://www.home.swipnet.se/islam/books/imamate/lesson5.htm”
This is simply incorrect: Prophet Harun died before Prophet Musa, so it is impossible to claim that Harun was the successor of Musa. The successor of Prophet Musa was Prophet Yusha (Joshua) and therefore if the Prophet had wanted to imply successorship, then surely he would have likened Ali to Prophet Yusha.
When the Prophet Musa (as) went to Mount Tur, he appointed Harun (as) as the leader of all the Bani Isra’il, that is a fact proven from the Quran. The Sunni scholars have also accepted this fact. The renowned Deobandi scholar from the Indian Subcontinent Ashraf Ali Thanvi in his tafsir of the above verse curiously translates ‘ukhulfni’ as ‘management of affairs’. What is however very interesting is in his commentary of the above verse he writes:
“Harun was only a Prophet, he was not a leader which is why it was important to make him a khalifa in his absence”.
Tafsir Bayan ul Qur’an, by Ashraf Ali Thanvi under the commentary of verse 7:142
In the History of Tabari Volume 3 page 72 we read:
“Then Moses set out, making Aaron his vice-regent over the children of Israel”.
This is precisely what Mujataba Musavi Lari was alluding to.
Ibn al Hashimi states:
The Shia propagandists oftentimes abuse the following Hadith in order to claim that the Prophet appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor:
Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 700:Allah’s Apostle set out for (the Battle of) Tabuk, appointing Ali as his deputy (in Medina). Ali said, “Do you want to leave me with the children and women?” The Prophet said, “Will you not be pleased that you will be to me like Harun to Musa? But there will be no prophet after me.”
However, this Hadith is not evidence for the Caliphate of Ali after the death of the Prophet because the comparison made was between Ali and Prophet Harun. It is well-known that Prophet Harun died before Prophet Musa, and thus was never his successor after him.
The following is an explanation by Imam al-Qurtubi in his Tafseer:
There is no disagreement that Harun died before Musa…and (Harun) was not a successor after him (Musa), for the successor (to Musa) was Yusha bin Noon (i.e. Joshua), so if he (the Prophet) wanted by his saying (to grant Ali) the Caliphate, he would have said “you will be to me like Yusha was to Musa”, so when he didn’t say this it proved that he didn’t want that meaning, but he (simply) wanted that “you are my deputy over my family in my life and my absence from my family, like Harun was deputy of Musa over his people when he left to speak to his Lord.”
One should look to the Quran before making such a submisison. Whilst there is no disputing that Harun (as) died before Musa (as), does not the Quran say, as mentioned in the previous chapter, that Musa (as) told Harun (as) to ukhulfni (take my place) in Musa (as)’s very absence when Musa (as) went to Mount Tur? Mu’awiya’s spiritual sons might claim argue that this was merely a temporary measure, since Musa (as) returned from Mount Sinai to which we will pose one question:
‘What would have happened in the event of Musa (as) dying on Mount Sinai? Harun was his khalifa, would his role have been nullified upon Musa (as)’s death? Would he have been deposed or would he continue to lead the people?’
The answer is clear; Harun would have continued to rule as Khalifa. His role would have changed from a temporary to permanent post. There would have been no need to debate about the succession in the event of Musa (as)’s death.
The Quran stipulates that Harun was the brother, vizier and Khalifa of Musa (as) which evidences his superiority in the Ummah of Musa (as). We can gauge from Hadith Manzila, wherein Maula Ali (as) was compared to Harun (as) that he was likewise the most superior person in the Ummah of Muhammad (s). When Imamate is based on excellence, wherein the Head of State is superior to all below him then it is logical that Imam Ali (as) on account of his superiority was likewise the immediate Khalifa following the death of the Prophet (s).
It is common sense from Musa (as)’s words that Harun’s role was that as leader and successor, and should be acknowledged as such even if he were to die before Musa (as). Therefore the fact that he died and did not become khalifa does not in anyway alter this fact. Whilst we acknowledge that Yusha bin Nun became khalifa after Musa (as), this was only because Harun (as) passed away during his brother’s lifetime, had this not been the case Harun would have been khalifa. Once it is proven that Harun (as) had been appointed as the Khalifa of Musa (as) during his lifetime, then the same applies to Imam Ali (as), in Hadith Manzila the Prophet (s) made it clear that just like the appointment of Harun (as) by Musa (as), he (s) was likewise appointing Ali (as) as the Khalifa in his absence. The intention to appoint Harun (as) remained the same, had Harun outlived his brother he would have been the Khalifa. Applying this to the Hadith under discussion we see that Maula Ali (as) outlived the Prophet (s), meaning that he would succeed him as the Khalifa. Exactly the same applies in the case of Maula Ali (as), and this can be evidenced from the wording of the Hadith:
“You are to me as Harun was to Musa, except there is no Prophet after me” – thus making it clear that the remaining stations bestowed on Harun (as) were possessed by Ali (as) both during and after the death of the Prophet (s)
The Prophet made it clear that this status given to Imam Ali (as) was continuous after his death. Therefore it doesn’t matter when Harun (as) died. What matters is that Harun was Musa (as)’s Caliph during his life and Imam Ali was given this status by being compared to Harun, and possessed the legitimate right to this status after the Prophet’s death.
Ibn Hajar al Asqalani in his in Fatah al Bari has relied on the following explanation of Sunni scholar Sheikh Ahmad bin Ishaq al-Taeibi:
al-Taeibi has said: ‘The meaning of this hadith is that he (Ali) is linked to me having the same position from me as the position Harun had with respect to Musa, and there is a vague comparison here which was made clear by his words: “except there is no Prophet after me”. This made it clear that the link that was mentioned between them was not in Prophethood, but rather what was below that and that is the Caliphate. And when it was Harun that was being compared who was the Caliphate was during the life of Musa, this proves that the Caliphate of Ali was limited to the life of the Prophet (s)’
A similar interpretation is offered by Al-Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi in Tauhfa Ithna Ashari, page 210, chapter 7, Hadeeth Manzila:
“The reality of this hadeeth itself provides grounds for the ahlul sunnat to prove the virtues of Hazrat Ameer in (terms of the) correctness of his Imamate during his own time, and that this hadith merits thee (him) for the Imamate.”
Notice how both Sunni scholars acknowledge that the similarity is the Caliphate / Imamate, but then limits it to the life of Prophet Muhammad [sawa]. This is answered very simply by saying that if it was limited to the Prophet’s lifetime then he wouldn’t have talked about what was after him: “after me”! It is hence clear that Imam Ali is not only the Caliph during the Prophet’s life, but that Caliph afterwards as well. Moreover, this version of the tradition also makes elaborates matters yet further:
Ibn Abbas reports that the Messenger of Allah (s) said to Ali: ‘Your status to me as Aaron status to Moses except you are not a prophet, I shall not leave without you being my successor over of every believer after me’
Dhilal al-Janah by Albaani, Volume 2 page 337 Tradition 1188
Ibn al Hashimi states:
The Hadith al-Manzilah does not at all help the Shia cause, but rather it is a strong proof against the Shia claims. Had the Prophet wished to imply that Ali was his successor, then he would have likened Ali to Prophet Yusha rather than Prophet Harun. Instead, the Prophet likened Ali to Prophet Harun whose role was not that of a temporal ruler but that of a spiritual guide.
If any doubt remains allow us to cite Al-Burhan al-Jali by Abdullah al-Ghermari, page 54:
“The hadith (( your status to me like the status of Aaron to Moses)) shows that the status of Ali to the prophet (pbuh) is like the status of Aaron to Mosses in brotherhood and caliphate”
Sadly for shameless Ibn al Hashimi rather than weaken the Shia stance it strengthens it after all what was the relationship between Musa (as) and Harun (as)? Who possessed a closer relationship with Prophet Musa (as) was it Harun (as) or Yusha bin Nun (as)? Had the comparison merely been to that of Yusha that would have been just one rank that of Leadership, nothing more than that, whereas the relationship between Musa (as) and Harun (as) was far greater. Rasulullah (s) by citing Hadith Manzila made it clear that the believers need to look no further than the Quran to recognize that station of Harun (as). Yusha may have indeed succeeded Harun as the Head of State, but he is not talked of in the Quran. We are not denying the excellence and honor bestowed upon Yusha bin Nun, but remember that excellence was one that linked him to Musa (as), he was his Khalifa. Harun (as)’s being the Khalifa of his brother only partially reflected the relationship between the two Prophets. The relationship between Harun (as) and Musa (as) was multi faceted as can be evidenced from the Quran. Rasulullah (s)’ citing the relationship between Harun (as) and Musa (as) sought to highlight the best possible relationship that best described his relationship with Ali (as) that was more than the fact he was his Khalifa as was Yusha bin Nun. The Prophet (s) therefore cited that relationship that a simile that could be gauged by looking at the Quran after all both Israelite Prophets are extolled on many occasions and we are informed that Harun (as) was brother, Vizier and Khalifa of Musa (as) – a relationship that likewise applied to Maula Ali (as).
Hadith Manzila hence brings together all of the excellences between Musa (as) and Harun (as). Yusha bin Nun may have been the Khalifa after Musa (as) but he didn’t possess the other attributes that Allah (swt) gave Harun (as) in the Quran. Allah (swt) describes Harun (as) as the Vizier, brother, helper and Khalifa of Musa (as). Hadith Manzila by drawing this simile seeks to show the excellence rank of Ali (as) by citing those of Harun (as) that far excelled those Yusha bin Nun. When an employer is developing a job specification for a post he will seek to set out various attributes that need to be evidenced in the person specification, what is commonly termed the job criteria. Having one single attribute shall not suffice; an applicant shall need to evidence that he meets all the essential criteria that thus entitle him to be selected for an interview. Thereafter if successful he will need to get a job reference from a referee typically a previous employer, who will be asked to endorse the successful applicant against the person specification set. The referee will seek to endorse the applicants right by citing those attributes that he conforms he has, thus entitling him to the job. Simply citing one might not be good enough he shall apply all of the criteria to reaffirm that this is the right person for the job. Now coming to this example Yusha bin Nun was a Prophet and the Khalifa of Musa (as). These were attributes of Yusha evidencing his excellence, but the Quran extols the excellence of Harun (as) in a far greater manner. In the eyes of Allah (swt) Harun (as) is superior on account of the esteemed ranks that he possesses.
Ibn al Hashimi states:
In Hadith al-Manzilah it is narrated that the Prophet left to go for war and he deputized Ali as the caretaker of his family in his absence. It was very routine at that time for a father to deputize his son as caretaker of the family in his absence; because the Prophet did not have a son, Ali was the most appropriate choice for this very noble task.
Hakikat Kitabevi states:
“Rasulullah (s), when he started for the Ghaza of Tabuk, appointed him (Ali) as his deputy in Medina to protect his Ahlulbait, and said ‘You are related to me as Harun was to Musa, with the only difference that there will not be any Prophet after me” .
Advice for the Muslim, by Waqf Ikhlas, p 130 (Waqf Ikhlas Publications, seventh edition, Istanbul, Turkey)
Safi ur Rahman Al Mubarukpur states:
In ‘Ar Raheeq al Makhtum’ (The Sealed Nectar) a modern day biography of the Prophet (s) the Wahabie scholar sets out Hadith Manzila in the following way:
“To ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib he entrusted his family’s safety and affairs and ordered him to stay with them. This move made the hypocrites undervalue ‘Ali, so he followed the Messenger of Allah (s) and caught up with him. But the Prophet made ‘Ali turn back to Medina after saying: “Would it not suffice you to be my successor in the way that Aaron (Harun) was to Moses”.
Ar Raheeq al Makhtum, by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarukpuri, English translation by Dar-us-Salam Publication, p 427
The irony is if we accept this absurd argument then it means that Rasulullah (s) recognized the importance of appointing a caretaker for his family as he went away temporarily but didn’t bother appointing a caretaker to tend to the needs of the entire Ummah after him! So the Prophet (s) leaves Ali (as) in Madina so that he can fulfill his role as caretaker over his family. All responsibilities associated with the running of a city are to be ignored, all that caretaker Ali (as) must do is to remain situate within close proximity of the the wives of the Prophet (s) to ensure that their needs are met. Was this the sole duty of caretaker Ali (as) providing for the welfare needs of the Prophets family? If for example a delegation was to come from another land, was Ali (as) to tell them:
“Come back when the Prophet (s) returns, my duties are to look after his (s) family!”
If for example the Kuffar attacked the city were Ali (as’) orders to remain indoors and protect the Ahlulbait and no one else? Was the Holy Prophet that selfish, that his only concern was for the safety his family? May Allah protect us from such a viewpoint, which simply casts a blot on the character of our immaculate Prophet (s)! Besides, Hakikat Kitabevi then add that after deputizing Ali (as) in Medina, the Prophet (s) then narrated the hadith “You are related to me as Harun was to Musa”, so could these learned brothers kindly answer the following question: when Musa (as) went to Sinai and left Harun (as) in charge, to ‘Take my place’ as the Quran states, was Harun left in charge of only his immediate family and that of his brother Musa (as), or rather, all of Bani Israel? The answer is of course Harun (as) was in charge of all those left behind, not just the relatives! Hakikat Kitabevi is simply seeking to water down the event, so that its readers are not forced to stop and think about the significance of the hadith.
We ask those with open minds, would Rasulullah (s) have been so selfish! Moreover what about all the other women and children of the Sahaba should we deduce that the women and children outside the family unit were left to fend for themselves!? Were they to be left to their own devices whilst the men were on the front line? Don’t forget Rasulullah (s) had ordered all men of fighting age to participate in Tabuk, he didn’t allow any caretaker to remain at home, and the only caretaker fortunate enough to have been appointed was the appointed by the Prophet (s) to look after his immediate family! To suggest that Rasulullah (s) cared only about appointing a caretaker for his family and gave no credence to all the other women and children in the city is in effect portraying him as an unjust selfish man, whose only interest was meeting the needs of his immediate family! The irony is (according to the world of Ibn al Hashimi) the same Prophet (s) that even for a temporary basis deemed it incumbent to appoint a caretaker to meet his families needs, sought no credence to ensuring they were cared for following his death; on the contrary he stipulated that every possession he (s) owned, (from land down to a food bowl) was to be given away as charity to the poor and needy.
Unlike Ibn al-Hashimi al-Nasibi’s assertion that Maula Ali (as) was merely a caretaker to the family of Prophet (s), some of the esteemed Sunni scholars confirm that Ali (as) had responsibility over everything and everyone in Madina. Remember, this is not the Shia stance as we believe that Hadith Manzila provides a solid evidence for Ali’s being the successor of Holy Prophet (s) generally, we are only bringing up this point here just in order to counter the foolish claim of Ibn al-Hashimi al-Nasibi. We will prove this from the following esteemed Sunni works:
Imam Ibn Abdul Barr stated in his authority work Al-Istiab:
During the battle of Tabuk, the Prophet (s) appointed him [Ali] as his Khalifa in Madina and over his relatives and said to him: ‘Your status to me is like the status of Aaron to Moses except there is no prophet after me’
Similarly, Imam Nawawi, whilst towing the typical Nasibi line regarding Hadith Manzila rejected the notion of Ali bin Abi Talib (as) being appointed as Caliph of the Prophet (s) generally, but unlike Ibn al-Hashimi al-Nasibi, Nawawi accepted that Ali (as) was appointed caliph over the entire people of Madina at the time of Tabuk:
“And this hadith is not a proof for any one of them (Shia), rather it proves a merit for Ali, not that he is better than other than him, and there isn’t any proof in it that he is the Caliph after the Prophet, as the Prophet (s) only said this to Ali when he made him a Caliph in Madina in Ghazwa Tabuk”
Imam Ibn Hazm stated:
“Allah’s messenger (pbuh) said this statement when he appointed him as Caliph over Madina at the Tabuk battle”.
Abu Saeed Abdulrahman al-Mutwali al-Shafiyee (d. 478 H) records:
“It has been said that during the Tabuk battle when Allah’s messenger appointed him as Caliph in Madina…”
Ibn Maghazali records this tradition in Manaqib Ali, page 33, Hadith number 49:
“As the Prophet (s) left for Tabuk he told Ali to remain in Madina. Ali said: ‘O messenger of Allah (swt) you never left me behind in any other battle’. The Prophet (s) then said: ‘The situation in Madina cannot be resolved without the presence of me or you’.
From the modern day Sunni historians we have the testimony of Ata Mohyuddin, who states:
“Before leaving for Tabuk, Muhummud (may peace be upon him) appointed Ali as his representative there. Besides commanding the Medina garrison Ali was to officiate at Prayers and to perform all those duties that had hitherto devolved on the Holy Prophet. In addition to maintaining law and order in the country he was also required to look after the Prophet’s household, a duty which more than all others epitomized the love and trust in which he was held by his master”.
Ali the Superman, by Ata Mohyuddin, page 81 [Sh Muhammad Ashraf Publishers, Lahore]
Mohyuddin needs to study the Quran in more detail (we assume he has some knowledge of it) and reflect on the already quoted verses covering all 3 relationships that Harun (as) had to Musa (as). At least he does not believe Ali (as) was simply left behind in Madinah during the expedition to Tabuk to protect the family of the Prophet (s), and acknowledges his deputation by the Prophet to “…perform all those duties that had hitherto devolved on the Holy Prophet.”, a responsibility expected of the vizier, or second in command. If we look at these references in their totality, they prove that Maula Ali (as) had complete control over Madina, and was not just left to cater for the needs of the immediate family of the Prophet (s).
The Nawasib are trying to suggest that Prophet (s) whilst designating Ali bin Abi Talib (as) drew an analogy to the relationship between Musa (as) and Harun (as) thus making him [Ali] caliph over his family just like Musa (as) made Harun (as) as his caliph over their family, perhaps Ibn al Hashimi could answer this question:
‘When did Musa (as) appoint Harun (as) as the Caliph over their family and no one else?’
Musa (as) had clearly appointed Harun (as) as his Caliph over the entire Bani Israel, we read in Tarikh Kamil, Volume 1 page 62:
“He (Musa) appointed his brother Harun as the Khalifa over the Bani Israel”
Ibn al Hashimi quotes and comments:
In order to respond to this, we must first understand the context in which this Hadith was said. Before the Battle of Tabuk, a band of the Munafiqoon (Hypocrites) began to spread anti-Islamic propaganda in order to dishearten the Muslims. One of the lies they spread was directed towards Ali ibn Abi Talib and it was because of this that the Prophet said what he said in the Hadith. We read:
Expedition to Tabuk
…The Munafiqoon were constantly in league with the Jews of al-Medinah and were holding regular consultations against the Muslims. A band of twelve Munafiqoon built their own separate mosque as a center for carrying out their hostile activities and anti-Islamic propaganda, and for creating a rift among the Muslims. When they saw the Muslims engaged in preparing for the impending battle, they started passing discouraging remarks…Islamic Army’s Departure
The Messenger of Allah set out for Tabuk with an army of 30,000 men from al-Medinah…and he put Muhammad bin Maslamah Ansari in charge of al-Medinah…The Prophet had left behind Ali to look after his family. The Munafiqoon used this as an opportunity to spread false rumors about Ali. They implied that the Prophet gave little importance to Ali and therefore left him alone in al-Medinah. When his patience ran out, he (Ali) hurried from al-Medinah and–joining the Prophet at al-Jurf–asked: “The Munafiqoon are saying such-and-such about me and so I have come to you.” The Prophet of Allah said: “They are liars. I have left you behind to look after my household, so go back.” In order to soothe his feelings, the Prophet further added: “You are to me as Harun was to Musa, except that there will be no Prophet after me.” Ali returned to al-Medinah pacified and satisfied.
(Tareekh al-Islam, Vol.1, p.232)This context is understood by the Shia as well:
Al-Islam.org says
“The Expedition of Tabuk
…The hypocrites in Medina seized this opportunity to plant disaffection in the minds of the neophytes in Islam. ..
The Prophet appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib his viceroy in Medina during his own absence…For the hypocrites, there was nothing more disagreeable than to see Ali in authority over them. When the army left Medina, they began to whisper that the Apostle had left Ali in Medina because he wanted to get rid of him. Ali was mortified to hear that his master had found him a “burden.” He, therefore, immediately went after the army and overtook it at Jorf. The Apostle was surprised to see him but when he (Ali) explained why he came, he (the Apostle) said:
“These people are liars. I left you in Medina to represent me in my absence. Are you not content to be to me what Aaron was to Moses except that there will not be any prophet after me.”
source: Restatement of History of Islam, http://al-islam.org/restatement/34.htm”Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari, a Shia scholar, says
“ …they (the Munafiqoon) began spreading idle rumors in the hope of weakening Ali’s position. They hinted that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, was angry with Ali, peace be upon him, and that it was for this reason that he had not been permitted to accompany him on a major military expedition.
Ali, peace be upon him, was greatly troubled and saddened by the circulation of these rumors, and he hastened to the presence of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, who had already left Madinah. He told him what had happened, and with a single historic sentence he clarified the special position of Ali, peace be upon him, once and for all:
“Are you not content that your relation to me shall be like the relation of Harun to Musa, excepting only that there shall be no prophet after me?”
source: Imamate And Leadership, http://home.swipnet.se/islam/books/imamate/lesson5.htm ”Hadith al-Manzilah was said to Ali because of the circumstances, which were that Ali objected to staying behind with children and women as opposed to embarking on Jihad with the Prophet. By saying those words, the Prophet was explaining to Ali how he would be to him, by staying behind watching over women and children, like Harun was to Musa when the latter left the former behind as a deputy over his people. The Prophet’s purpose in saying this was to reassure Ali that this deputyship was an honor and that he would not be any less than the ones who went to fight in battle….
This hadith makes it clear that all the relationships that existed between these two Israelite Prophets, likewise applied to the relationship between Muhammad (s) and Ali (as), but with the exception that Ali would not be a Prophet, while Harun (as) was. The Holy Prophet (s) makes no other exemption, so why do Sunnis? To suggest that Hadith Manzila has to be restricted and understood in accordance with the time and place it wherein was is utter bigotry, after all what more qualification does a Muslim need other than the Prophet (s)’ clarification of his (s) statement, that places no restriction about the limits of the analogy of Harun (as) and Musa (as) barring one, which, as we have said, is “except there will be no prophet after me.”
Now let us return to this absurd argument that Rasulullah makes this crucial simile merely to allay the concerns of Ali (as) and to counter the comments of the Munafiqoon. This clearly exposes Ibn al Hashimi for the hypocrite he is, after all these shameless people’s sole objective in life is to play down the excellences of Maula Ali (as). According to the world of Ibn al Hashimi no credence should be given to this Hadith, Rasulullah (s) just uttered this irrelevant statement to console a distraught Ali! We guess it would have been common place for the Prophet (s) to compare his rank with his subject to that of Prophets – nothing should be read into that, it is merely the Prophet (s) making statements without any forethought, rather such utterances are just to make people feel happy! Allaying concerns via comforting words is one thing but allaying them in a manner wherein you compare the relationship between Master and subject to that of two Prophets is a completely different matter. Rasulullah (s) could have merely said, “You are very important to me, I have complete faith in you, now return to Medina’ – why extol his excellence in such a manner? Rasulullah (s) could have said these words of comfort in a non descriptive manner, and merely stressed how valuable Maula Ali (as) was to him, without mentioning examples, why did he see the need to do so? And even then he (s) could have said that he valued him as crucial person like a father does a son (as Ibn al Hashimi alludes to) but he does not, rather he compares his importance and rank by comparing him to Prophet Harun (as)! Why explicitly set out the similarities that he and Ali (as) have with Musa (as) and Harun (s). This goes beyond the realm of mere consolatory words, and in fact becomes a significant statement. The Prophet (s) would not make such a statement, unless the intention was to draw something important from it!
If the similarity that is mentioned is indeed specific to that one incident, why does that Prophet (s) talk about what was after him? He says “except there is no Prophet after me” . If we were to accept the explanation given in Imam Nawawi’s Sharh, then it would have been more appropriate for the Prophet to say the following:
“You are to me as Harun was to Musa, except that you are not a Prophet”
Instead he [sawa] says:
“You are to me as Harun was to Musa, except there is no Prophet after me”
If we take the Sunni interpretation, the Prophets words “except there is no Prophet after me” make no sense whatsoever. The only way to understand these words is to say that the similarity mentioned in the hadith was not specific to that one incident; that Imam Ali (as) continually held this position, and he held it both during and after the life of our Prophet (s), because otherwise the Prophet would not have talked about what was after him.
We will shout the mouth of shameless Ibn al Hashimi by citing the other occasions when the Prophet (s) cited Hadith Manzila thus suffocating the Nasibi’s efforts to suggest the hadith be understood in the context of Tabuk and nothing else.
We read in Zakhair al-Uqba, page 120:
“Asma bint Umays said: ‘When Fatima gave birth to Hassan, the Prophet (pbuh) said to me: ‘O Asma, bring my grandson to me’. Then I wrapped him in a yellow cloth and gave him to the Prophet. The Prophet put him on his shoulder and said: ‘I never saw you wrapping a child with a yellow cloth’. Then he (the Prophet) replaced the cloth with a white one and then recited Adhan in (Haasan’s) right ear, and thene recited Iqama in (Haasan’s) left ear. The Prophet (s) then asked: ‘Ali, What have you named the child?’ He replied: ‘How can I keep it before you?’. The Prophet (s) then said: ‘I can also not give a name until Allah (swt) decides’. Gibrael then descended saying: ‘O Muhammad your Creator conveys Peace on you and says Ali is to you as Harun was to Musa except there is no prophet after you, give the child the same name that Harun gave his child…’
Another incident occurred when Abu Bakr, Umar, and Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah were in the company of the Prophet (s) who was leaning on Ali. We read in Tarikh Damishq, Volume 42 page 167:
“Ibn Abbas narrated that he heard Umar bin al-Khattab discussing with some people about the first Muslims, thus Umar said: ‘I heard Allah’s messenger (pbuh) saying three virtues about Ali, if I had one of these (virtues) it would be more lovable to me than anything else.
I was with Abu Ubayda, Abu Bakr and a group of companions, then the Prophet (s) patted Ali’s shoulder and said: ‘O Ali, you are the strongest amongst the believers in faith, the first Muslim who embraced Islam and your status to me is like the status of Harun to Musa”.
Another version of same episode is found in Kanz al-Umal, Volume 13 page 123 Tradition 36392:
“Ibn Abbas narrated that Umar bin al-Khattab said: ‘Stop mentioning Ali, I heard Allah’s messenger (s) saying three virtues about Ali, if I had one of these (virtues) it would be more lovable to me than anything else.
I was with Abu Bakr, Abu Ubayda Ibn al-Jarah and a group of companions of Allah’s messenger, then the prophet (a) patted Ali’s shoulder and said: ‘O Ali, you are the strongest amongst the believers in faith, the first Muslim who embraced Islam, and your status to me is like the status of harun to Musa, surely whoever claimed that he loves me and hates you is a liar’’.
Similar words were cited by the Prophet (s) in the case of Hamzah’s daughter in whose regard Ali, Jafar and Zayd had a discussion. We read in Tarikh Dasmishq, Volume 42 page 170:
“Jaffar bin Abi Talib said: ‘When Hamza’s daughter arrived at Madina, Ali, Jafar and Zaid disputed about her, thus Allah’s messenger (a) said: ‘Tell me what is wrong?’ Zaid said: ‘She is my niece and I’m worthier to take of her’. Ali said: ‘She is my cousin and I have brought her here’. Jafar said: ‘She is my cousin, and her aunt is my wife’. (The prophet) said: ‘O Jaffar, take her, you are worthier (to take care of her)’. Then Allah’s messenger said: ‘I will judge between you, as for you Zaid, you are my friend, and I’m your friend. As for you Jafar, you look like me physically and ethically. As for you Ali, your status to me is like the status of Aaron to Moses, except the prophethood’..”’.
The ahadith narrated during the first fraternity also includes this text. This bond was made in Mecca prior to the migration, when the Messenger of Allah (s) consummated brotherhood among the emigrants in particular. We read in Fadhail al-Sahaba, Volume 2 page 638 Tradition 1085:
“Zayd bin Abi Awfa said: ‘I went to Allah’s messenger in his mosque, then he (Zaid) mentioned the story of brotherhood amongst the companions of Allah’s messenger. Then Ali said to the Prophet (s): ‘I lost my patience and felt sorrow when I saw you doing that to your companions but not to me, if I have incurred your displeasure I wish to apologise’.
Allah’s messenger said: ‘I swear by He who sent me with the truth, I only left you for myself, your status to me is like the status of Harun to Musa except there is no Prophet after me, you are my brother and my inheritor’. (Ali) said: ‘O Allah’s messenger, what shall I inherit from you?’ (The Prophet) said: ‘You shall inherit from me what the prophets used to inherit’. (Ali) said: ‘What did the Prophets inherit?’ (The Prophet) said: ‘The book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet, you are with me in my palace in paradise along with my daughter Fatima, you are my brother and my friend’. Then Allah’s messenger recited the verse { (they shall be) as brethren, on raised couches, face to face.} 015.047”
On the occasion of the Second Fraternity, whilst in Medina, five months after the migration, the Prophet (a) made fraternity between the emigrants and the supporters. We read in Al-Mujam al-Kabir, Volume 9 page 287 Hadith 10929:
“Ibn Abbas said: ‘The prophet made brotherhood among his companions, between the Muhajreen and the Ansar, but he left Ali without making his brotherhood with anyone, thus Ali left in anger and went to a pool. The Prophet (s) then went after him and when he found him, he (s) patted him by his feet and said: ‘Stand up, you should be called Abu Turab, are you angry because I made brotherhood between the Muhajreen and Ansar whilst I left you without making brotherhood? Aren’t you pleased that your status to me is like the status of Harun to Musa except there is no prophet after me? Whoever loved you is faithful and who ever hated you, God will make him die a pre-Islamic death and will be judged about his deeds in Islam’.
We read in Tarikh Dasmishq, Volume 42 page 140:
Jabir said: Allah’s messenger (pbuh) came as we slept in the mosque, thus he hit us with a stick and said: ‘Are you sleeping in the mosque, it is not allowed to sleep in it’. Thus we woke up and Ali woke up, then Allah’s messenger (s) said: ‘O Ali, come here, it you are permitted to remain in the mosque whatever is allowed for me, don’t you like the fact that your status to me is like the status of Harun to Musa except there is no Prophet after me’..”.
Umm Salim (mother of Salim) is a renowned female companion of our Holy Prophet (s). Prophet (s), he (s) frequently visited her, one day he said to her:
“O Umm Salim! Ali’s flesh is of mine, and his blood is of my own; he is to me as Harun is to Musa.”
Kanz ul Ummal, Volume 11 page 607 Tradition 32936
We read in Tarikh Dasmishq, Volume 41 page 18:
“Aqeel bin Abi Talib said: ‘I disputed with Ali and Jafar bin Abi Talib about something, thus I said: ‘By Allah you are not more loveable to Allah’s messenger (ah) than me, our relation is one and our father is one and our mother is one.’ Allah’s messenger (s) said: ‘I love Usama bin Zayd’.
I said: ‘I’m not asking you about Usama bin Zayd rather I’m asking you about myself’. He (s) said: ‘O Aqeel, by Allah I love you because of two qualities, for your relationship and for Abu Talib’s love to you. The most loveable to me is Abu Talib, while you Jaffar are the most similar person to me in morality whilst you Ali, your status to me is like the status of Harun to Musa except there is no prophet after me’..”.
We read in Tarikh Dasmishq, Volume 42 page 169:
“Ibn Abbas said: ‘I saw Ali approach the prophet (s) and hug him, he [Ali] then said: ‘I have been informed that you named Abu Bakr, Umar and others, whilst you didn’t mention me’. The prophet (s) said: ‘Your status to me is like the status of Harun to Musa”.
We read in Tarikh Dasmishq, Volume 42 page 179:
Zayd bin Abi Awufa said: ‘Allah’s messenger (s) entered the mosque, thus Ali stood up, then he (s) said: ‘Your status to me is like the status of Harun to Musa except there is no Prophet after me’.
We read in:
Shaykh Suleman al-Hanafi al-Qanduzi records:
Ali said: ‘Allah’s messenger (s) said to me on the day of Khaybar: ‘If I wasn’t afraid that some people of my nation would say about you what the Christians said about Isa son of Maryam, I would have said about you some things today that whenever you passed by a group of Muslims they would take the sand under which you trod and they would take the remaining water of your ablution for healing purposes, but it shall suffice to have your status to me like the status of Harun to Musa except there is no Prophet after me’.
Imam Ali (as) had been left in Madina to oversee all its affairs in the absence of the Prophet (s). The comparison of Imam Ali (as) to Harun (as) demonstrates that Imam Ali (as) was the caliph of the Prophet, in the same way that Harun was the caliph of Musa according to the Quran. This is made even more apparent in the version of the hadith narrated by the famous Sunni scholar Al Hakim al Nisaburi in his Mustadrak, volume 3 page 141. He narrates it with a small addition not found in many of the other narrations.
Ibn Abbas said: ‘Allah’s messenger marched to the Tabuk battle alongside thepeople, then Ali said to him: ‘Shall I march with you?’ The prophet replied: ‘No’. Then Ali cried, thus he (prophet) said to him: ‘Arent you pleased that your status to me is similar to that of Harun to Musa except there shall be no prophet after me, I shall not leave without you being my caliph’.
Al Hakim decalred it ‘Sahih’ while Dhahabi found no objection to it.
We should point out that this hadith in no way contradicts the other narrations found in the likes of Bukhari, it merely narrates further details that the other narrations did not have.
Ibn al Hashimi states:
Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari, a Shia scholar, says
“ To this we answer that whenever the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, left the Islamic capital, he would always appoint someone to act as his deputy. If by comparing Ali, peace be upon him, to Harun, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, had intended nothing more than the usual appointment of a deputy, restricted in his authority to Madinah for the period of the Prophet’s absence, why did he not use a similar expression for those other favored Companions he would appoint as deputy? Why did he not use the same or similar words to describe the services they rendered?
source: Imamate And Leadership, http://home.swipnet.se/islam/books/imamate/lesson5.htm… Now we come back to the question of the Shia propagandist which was: “Why did he (the Prophet) not use the same or similar words to describe the services they (the other Sahabah) rendered (i.e. for similar tasks)?” The answer is obvious: the Munafiqoon did not spread this particular rumor except against Ali. It was this degrading rumor and Ali’s concern that caused the Prophet to say what he said in order to placate Ali. Had other Companions been similarly slandered, then perhaps they too would have refused to stay back in Medinah.
Because these other Sahabah did not feel dismayed with their deputyship and did not ask to go along with the Prophet instead of staying behind, there was thus no need for the Prophet to reassure them with such words as he used for Ali. On the other hand, when Ali was deputized by the Prophet to take care of his family, the Munafiqoon implied that this task was menial as it left Ali behind with women and children. This is the reason that Ali asked to go along with the Prophet instead. It was based on this specific concern of Ali’s (i.e. that the task was menial) that the Prophet spoke the words he did, in order to convey to Ali the extreme importance of taking care of his family in his absence.
At least we can see one thing, that there lived in Medina at the time of Tabuk those who claimed to be Muslims and were in fact Munafiqoon. Were they some separate species identifiable with a large M on their foreheads? Clearly not, they sat in the midst of the Prophet (s) benefiting from his company, in other words they were his Sahaba. It is also interesting to note that Ibn al Hashimi acknowledges that no other deputy was criticized by these Munafiqoon other than Maula Ali (as)! This shows that right from the start the only gripe the Munafiqoon had was with Imam Ali (as) no one else!
Ibn al Hashimi states:
Al-Islam.org says
“The Prophet appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib his viceroy in Medina during his own absence. He selected Ali to be his viceroy for the following reasons: He wanted to show to the rest of the world that he considered Ali to be more qualified than anyone else to be the ruler of all Muslims, and to be the head of the Islamic State. He, therefore, appointed him as his representative in his capital.
source: Restatement of History of Islam, http://al-islam.org/restatement/34.htm”This is a very odd argument. This was the singular instance in which the Prophet left Ali as his deputy in Medinah, yet we know that there were many other battles in which the Prophet left other Sahabah behind as his deputy in Medinah. For example, the Prophet left behind Muhammad bin Maslamah Ansari as his deputy in Medinah; what if we told the Shia that this is a proof that the Prophet “wanted to show to the rest of the world that he considered Muhammad bin Maslamah Ansari to be more qualified than anyone else, to be the ruler of all Muslims, and to be the head of the Islamic state and the Prophet therefore appointed him as his representative in his capitol?”
To this, the Shia would say that this is a preposterous argument, yet suddenly they force this argument upon us in the one single instance in which the Prophet appointed Ali as his deputy. Therefore, we say to the Shia that their interpretation is just as preposterous as saying that the other Sahabah were appointed as Caliphs by the Prophet simply because he deputized them.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah wrote in Minhaj as-Sunnah:
As for the Messenger placing Ali in charge over Medinah, then that is not an honor specific to him alone. He (the Prophet) had left Ibn Makhtoom, Uthman bin Affan, and Abu Mundhir (in charge of Medinah, i.e. on other occasions). This (being appointed over Medinah) is not an unrestricted succession, which is why none of these people ever said they were the Caliph of Allah’s Messenger…Ali left Medinah along with the Prophet to Badr, Hunayn and other places, and (the Messenger) left others in Medinah as deputies.
(Minhaj as-Sunnah)
Is it not funny that Ibn al Hashimi is prepared to accept that all of the above named individuals were appointed as deputies over Madina, but when it comes to Imam Ali (as) he is not even prepared to accept this role for him! The others may have been deputies over Madina but according to Ibn al Hashimi he was a family caretaker. The amusing thing is when it came to this most menial basic job role, Ali (as)’s rank was compared to that of Prophet Harun (as)! Tell us Ibn al Hashimi:
Ibn al Hashimi states:
In any case, to end the discussion altogether, Prophet Harun and his lineage were prohibited by the Law of Musa to take executive roles, but they were instead limited to religious, spiritual, and ceremonial roles. It was Prophet Yusha (Joshua) who became the Caliph (successor) of Musa, not Prophet Harun nor his descendants. Throughout the Caliphate of the Shaykhayn and Uthman, Ali remained a spiritual guide for the people. Similar is the case with many of the Imams of the Shia, who secluded themselves from any temporal role and instead remained as spiritual guides.
Whilst of no relevance to this discussion, we find it very amusing when Ibn al Hashimi makes statements without any corroborative evidence to substantiate his claim. Where did he get information stipulating that the descendants of Harun were barred from executive Office? This shameless Nasibi should know that for the Israelites the rank of Imamate and Prophethood passed through Harun (as) and his lineage. This fact is confirmed by Shah Abdul Qadir Dehalvi (1162 AH to 1230 AH) in his famed ‘Tafseer Moazeh ul Quran’ page 204 who in the course of one of the verses of Surah al-A’raaf whilst advancing his own belief in the Imamate stated:
“Harun and his progeny were the Imams of Musa’s Ummah, but when he became his Caliph, the Ummah did not remain obedient.
Caliphate was in the destiny of someone else. Caliph means the one who hold the ummah in worldly and religious businesses like the way messenger had ameliorated it so that the support of the truth remains with them. And Imam means the one who reminds of Prophet, destined and approved with service and benevolence of the Prophet, and the masses approach them in the same manner in order to receive bounties.”
Moreover the fact that Ali bin Abi Talib (as) and Imam Hasan (as) were Caliphs nullify the absurd logic of Ibn al-Hashimi according to which Imams from Ahlulbayt (as) were only there to give their spiritual guidance and did not have any role in the affairs of the state as such. As for the suggestion that out Imams secluded themselves from the world like some mediaeval Sufi that is a lie. They didn’t seclude themselves from temporal role through choice, they knew that the evil usurpers would slaughter them and their followers who were in minority if they claimed their legitimite. They therefore remained as true guides in the midst of the people cascading the true teachings of the Quran and Sunnah to their adherents.