The impure Nawasib of Sipah-e-Sahaba have been using a scanned image from a Shia book ‘Jila Al-Ayun’ by Shaykh Baqar Majlisi which can actually be found in Majlisi’s other book Biharal-Anwar, Volume 43 page 144 wherein we read:
عن أبي عبدالله عليه السلام قال : لا غيرة في الحلال بعد قول رسول الله صلى الله عليه واله : لا تحدثا شيئا حتى أرجع إليكما ، فلما أتاهما أدخل رجليه بينهما في الفراش .
Abu Abdullah said: One should not feel hesitant in mentioning Halal (matters), in light of the statement of Allah’s Messenger (s): ‘Don’t do anything until I return and when he (s) returned he (s) placed his foot between them (Ali & Fatima) in the bed’.
Whilst we are somewhat bemused over the actual intention behind using this tradition against the Shias, can only assume that their purpose is evidence that an absurd and vulgar act has been attributed to Ahlulbayt (as) in their books. On the basis of this assumption, we will deflate their efforts with the below replies:
If the mere presence of the above narration renders one a Kafir or an immoral degenerate, then the ignorant Nawasib should know that the aforesaid episode is not exclusive to Shia books but can also be read in Sunni books. For example Zamakhshari records in his book Al-Fayq fee Gharib al-Hadith, Volume 2 page 215:
حديثه صلى الله عليه وسلم : انه لما أدخل فاطمة على علي عليهما السلام قال لهما ﻻ تحدثا شيئا حتى آتيكما فآتاهما فدعا لهما وشمت عليهما ثم خرج
The Hadith of the Holy Prophet (s): When he entered upon Fatima and Ali (as) he said to them: ‘Don’t do anything until I return’ and when he returned he (s) prayed for them and blessed them and he (s) thereafter left.
Imam Nasai records in Sunan Nasai, Vol 5 page 144 Tradition 8510 and also in Al-Khasais:
عن ابن عباس قال : لما زوج رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فاطمة رضي الله عنها من علي رضي الله عنه كان فيما اهدى معها سرير مشروط ووسادة من أديم حشوها ليف وقربة ، قال : وجاء ببطحاء من الرمل فبسطوة في البيت ، وقال لعلي : إذا اتيت بها فلا تقربها حتى آتيك.
Ibn Abbas narrated that when the Prophet (s) married Fatima (ra) to Ali (ra), the gifts that he gave included a Modal bed, a pillow from the canopy of palm fibers and a water bladder. Ibn Abbas said that companions brought the sand from batha; and spread that in the house. The Prophet (s) called Ali and said: ‘If you come by her, do not get close to her until I return’.
We read in Musnad al-Humaydi, Volume 1 page 23:
قال فجئت بها فأعطيته إياها فزوجنيها فلما أدخلها علي قال لا تحدثا شيئا حتى آتيكما فجاءنا وعلينا كساء أو قطيفة فلما رأيناه تخشخشنا فقال مكانكما فدعا بإناء فيه ماء فدعا فيه ثم رشه علينا فقلت يا رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم أهي أحب إليك أم
He (Ali) said: ‘I brought it (dowry) and gave it to him (s) thus he (s) married me to her, then when he brought her to me, he (s) said to us: ‘Don’t do anything until I return’. After that he (s) came back and we were under the cloak, when we saw him (s) coming back, we moved further inside the cloak, but he (s) said: ‘Stay where you are. He (s) thereafter brought a bowl of water and splashed it over us’
We read in Tarikh Dimashq, Volume 42 page 125:
فَلَمَّا كَانَ لَيْلَةً دَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهَا قَالَ لَا تُحَدِّثَا شَيْئًا حَتَّى آتِيَكُمَا، قال: فأتانا وعلينا قطيفة أو كساء فتحثثنا
“When she entered upon me, he (the prophet) said: ‘Don’t do anything until I come back’. Upon his return, we were under the cloak”.
Ibn Kathir records in Al-Bidaya wal Nihaya Volume 7 page 378:
فَلَمَّا كَانَ لَيْلَةً دَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهَا قَالَ لَا تُحَدِّثَا شَيْئًا حَتَّى آتِيَكُمَا، قال: فأتانا وعلينا قطيفة أو كساء فتحثثنا فَقَالَ مَكَانَكُمَا، ثمَّ دَعَا بِقَدَحٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ فَدَعَا فِيهِ ثُمَّ رَشَّهُ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَيْهَا،
“When I entered upon her, he (the prophet) said: “Don’t do anything until I return”. When he returned we were under a cloak, we moved, and he said: ‘Stay where you are’. He thereafter brought a bowl of water and splashed it on me and her’.
We read in Tabaqat Ibn Saad, Volume 8 page 23:
وكان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لعلي إذا أتيت بها فلا تقربنها حتى آتيك
And the Holy Prophet (s) said to Ali: ‘If you come by her do not get close to her until I return’.
Also see Musnaf Abdurazaq.
We shall point out that one of the narrators of the chain of theBiharal-Anwar tradition is Ibn Abi Umair whose level authenticity is very low, therefore the actual context of the last part of the episode seems incorrect particularly when we gauge the content with another Shia book that contains the episode in the following manner:
Asma bin Umais narrated that when the Holy Prophet (s) married Ali to Fatima and she entered his pressence, he said to them: ‘Don’t do anything until I return’. Upon his return, Allah’s Messenger poured water into a cup and recited over it and thereafter offered them that water to drink.
Manaqib Amir al-Mominin by Kufi, Volume 1 page 274
What have the children of Muawiya bin Hind found that is absurd or immoral here? It seems to us that the presence of things like the Prophet (s) discussing his sex life to the Sahaba whilst lying in bed with Ayesha (Sahih Muslim); Ayesha performing Ghusl in the presence of two men (Sahih Muslim); Ayesha’s teaching that a woman can suckle a man with beard (Sahih Muslim and Muwatta Imam Malik), Umar asking his daughter how long a woman can live without sex (Tarikh Khulfa) in the books of our opponents have made them so desperate that they are trying to find absurdities in any episode in Shia literature that might enable them to accuse the Shia of having shameful / immoral narrations!
As a special gift to those Nawasib who strove to produce something from the above cited episode, we would like to cite an account recorded by an ardent supporter of Muawiya and famed opponent of Shias Ibn Kathir who in his authority work Al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, Volume 8 page 155 stated:
۔۔۔ ثم خرج معاوية من عندها ، وقال لزوجها : ادخل فقد مهدت لك خلقها ووطأته ، فدخل ابن عامر ، فوجدها قد طابت أخلاقها ، فقضى حاجته منها ۔۔۔
Hind bint Utbah was married to Abdullah bin Aamir, when she was brought to him next to the Jami’ Masjid in Al-Khizra. When he sought to overcome her, she created various hurdles that caused him to beat her, she therefore started crying, when the slave girls heard her voice, they also began to cry, when their voices became raised, Muawiya heard them and approached them so as to ascertain what was happening. They replied that they cried on account of their hearing the voice of their mistress. Muawiya went inside and saw that she was weeping as she had been beaten by Abdullah, to which he said to Ibn Aamir: ‘May you die, you beat this type of girl on this type of night!” and he asked him to leave, Ibn Aamir according went outside. Then Muawiya whilst in seclusion said to her: ‘O my daughter, he is your husband who has been made Halal for you, haven’t you heard the verses of a poet:
“Who are those shy and beautiful women whose being Haram is difficult but their being Halal is easier”
Muawiya thereafter came to her husband and said to him: ‘Go inside, I have brought her nature in harmony with yours and prepared her for intercourse’ thus he went inside and by that time her mood had settled and he fulfilled his desire via her۔
We would urge Nawasib to take a good long look at this narration. In the Shia-Sunni tradition discussed earlier in this article, they make a huge song and dance over the words to Maula Ali (as) “do not do anything until I return” – that is at best, as per Nawasib, be an inference to intercourse. Compare this to the efforts of Muawiya, who sought to allay the fears of his daughter discussing her husband’s right to penetrate her, and rather than cite the Quran or Hadith to convince her, opts for citing sexual poetry, to prepare her for the night ahead! Having successfully calmed the nerves of his daughter he notifies his son in law that he has “prepared her for intercourse”. Now let us compare the two comments, in the Shia-Sunni narrations the Prophet (s) says to his son in law “do not do anything until I return” whilst in the Sunni narration Muawiya tells his son in law that he has “prepared her for intercourse” – so which one is more shameful and obscene?