1706 — Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dāwūd also narrated to us, saying: My paternal uncle Muhammad ibn al-Ashath narrated to me, saying: Zayd ibn Awf narrated to us, saying: Abū Awāna narrated to us, from al-Amash, who said: Habīb ibn Abī Thābit narrated to us, from Amr ibn Wāthila, from Zayd ibn Arqam, who said:
When the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—returned from the Farewell Pilgrimage and stopped at Ghadīr Khumm, he ordered that the ground beneath some large trees be swept clean. He then stood and said:
“It is as though I have already been summoned and have answered the summons. I have left among you two weighty trusts: one is the Book of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—and the other is my kindred, my household. Take care how you treat them after I am gone. They will never part until they come to me at the Pond.”
He then said:
“Allah—Mighty and Majestic—is my guardian, and I am the guardian of every believer.”
He then took Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—by the hand ⦗2222⦘ and said:
“Whoever has me as his guardian, this man is his guardian. O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him.”
He said: I asked Zayd ibn Arqam, “Did you yourself hear this from the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him?” He replied, “There was no one beneath those trees who did not see him with his own eyes and hear him with his own ears.”
Al-Amash said: Atiyya also narrated to us, from Abū Saīd al-Khudrī, something similar.
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn said: The Prophet’s sermon during the Farewell Pilgrimage at Minā—in which he commanded his nation to hold fast to the Book of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—and to his sunnah—peace and blessings be upon him—together with his command at Ghadīr Khumm, on his return from that pilgrimage, that his nation adhere to the Book of Allah, love his household, remain loyal to Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—and recognize Ali’s honor and merit in his sight, demonstrates to discerning believers that every Muslim must hold fast to the Book of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—the sunnah of His Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—and the sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs who followed true guidance. Every Muslim must also love them and the Prophet’s pure household, adhere to the noble character they embodied, and follow their example—may Allah be pleased with them all. Whoever does so is upon a straight path.
Do you not see that al-Irbād ibn Sāriya al-Sulamī said:
“One day the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—delivered to us a powerful exhortation that caused eyes to shed tears and hearts to tremble. We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, this is surely the exhortation of one bidding farewell. What final counsel do you give us?’ He said, ‘I counsel you to fear Allah and to hear and obey, even if the one commanding you is an Abyssinian slave. Whoever among you lives after me will see much discord. You must therefore adhere to my sunnah and the sunnah of the rightly guided ⦗2223⦘ caliphs who followed true guidance. Cling to it with your molar teeth. Beware of newly introduced matters, for every newly introduced matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance.’”
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: The Rightly Guided Caliphs are Abū Bakr, Umar, Uthmān, and Ali—may Allah be pleased with them all. Whoever loves them, accepts their caliphates, and follows them is following the Book of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—and the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him. Whoever loves the pure household of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—remains loyal to them, adheres to their character, and conducts himself according to their manners is upon the clear highway, the straight path, and the sound course; salvation may be hoped for him. The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said:
“The likeness of my household is that of Noah’s Ark—peace be upon him: whoever boards it is saved, and whoever remains behind perishes.”
If someone asks, “What do you say of a person who claims to love Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān, yet fails to love Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with them all—or Hasan and Husayn—may Allah be pleased with them both—and does not accept the caliphate of Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah honor his countenance? Will his love for Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with them—benefit him?”
He is told: Allah forbid! This is the description of a hypocrite, not a believer. The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said to Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him:
“None loves you but a believer, and none hates you but a hypocrite.”
He—peace and blessings be upon him—also said:
“Whoever harms Ali has harmed me.”
The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—attested to Ali’s caliphate, to his place in Paradise, and to his being a martyr. He testified that Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—loved Allah—Mighty and Majestic—and His Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—and that Allah—Mighty and Majestic—and His Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—loved Ali—may Allah be pleased with him. Consider also all the virtues to which the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—attested on his behalf, as discussed above, ⦗2224⦘ and what the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—related concerning his love for Hasan and Husayn—may Allah be pleased with them both—as discussed above. Whoever does not love them and remain loyal to them is under Allah’s curse in this world and the Hereafter, and Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with them—have nothing to do with him.
Likewise, whoever claims loyalty to Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—and love for his household, yet claims that he does not accept the caliphates of Abū Bakr, Umar, or Uthmān, does not love them, disavows them, and maligns them—we testify by Allah with certainty that Ali ibn Abī Tālib, Hasan, and Husayn—may Allah be pleased with them all—have nothing to do with him. His love for them will not benefit him until he also loves Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with them—in accordance with what Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—said when describing them, recounting their merits, and disavowing those who did not love them. May Allah be pleased with him and his pure descendants.
This is the path followed by discerning Muslims. We seek refuge in Allah from anyone who slanders the household of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—by accusing them of maligning Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with them. Such a person has fabricated lies against the Prophet’s household and accused them of something from which Allah—Mighty and Majestic—protected them. Indeed, did I learn most of the virtues of Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān from anyone other than Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with them all?