Our Duty Toward the Sirah
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Your Eminence! You recently mentioned the story of the spider and the story of the dove, stating that they are not authentic regarding the protection of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companion Abu Bakr. However, books of the Sirah record this and other fabricated and false stories, whether concerning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) or the conflict that occurred between Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan. The enemies of Islam tried to enter upon us and upon Islam through the Qur'an, but Allah preserved it, and through the Sunnah. Allah has appointed those who distinguish the authentic from the weak. However, some books of the Sirah have spoken about the Companions,And the question, O Shaykh: What is our duty regarding the Sirah?
The Sirah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and that of the other Caliphs undoubtedly requires purification; because history is influenced by personal bias. Whoever prevails is exalted, and whoever is defeated is disparaged. We give you an example with the leaders who succeeded one another in the Arab states: when one of them dies, his record is erased and buried, but while he is alive, he is made the supreme leader above whom there is no one. This is written and remains until he dies. So you find, for example, those who have a bias toward the Umayyad Caliphs praising these Caliphs greatly, and those who are opposed to them disparaging them greatly. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Sirah requires verification and editing to distinguish the weak from the strong. And up to now, I have not found anyone who has done this, except for something that has been hidden from me and I do not know. But in the Sirah, what is established in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is what is relied upon.
The questioner: There are some books that speak about some of the Companions, such as Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, who was described as foolish in his story with 'Amr ibn al-'As in the story of the arbitration. Is this story of the arbitration not authentic, as I heard in the university during my studies?The Shaykh: The same thing applies; they also speak about others besides Abu Musa who are better than Abu Musa al-Ash'ari in these matters.
Therefore, the issue of politics is problematic now. If you go to some of the history books written by historians who lean toward the Ahl al-Bayt, you will find something astonishing. And if you read in the history books that lean toward the Umayyads, you will find something astonishing.But as I told you: The chain of narration must be authentic.
The Sirah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and that of the other Caliphs undoubtedly requires purification; because history is influenced by personal bias. Whoever prevails is exalted, and whoever is defeated is disparaged. We give you an example with the leaders who succeeded one another in the Arab states: when one of them dies, his record is erased and buried, but while he is alive, he is made the supreme leader above whom there is no one. This is written and remains until he dies. So you find, for example, those who have a bias toward the Umayyad Caliphs praising these Caliphs greatly, and those who are opposed to them disparaging them greatly. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Sirah requires verification and editing to distinguish the weak from the strong. And up to now, I have not found anyone who has done this, except for something that has been hidden from me and I do not know. But in the Sirah, what is established in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is what is relied upon.
The questioner: There are some books that speak about some of the Companions, such as Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, who was described as foolish in his story with 'Amr ibn al-'As in the story of the arbitration. Is this story of the arbitration not authentic, as I heard in the university during my studies?The Shaykh: The same thing applies; they also speak about others besides Abu Musa who are better than Abu Musa al-Ash'ari in these matters.
Therefore, the issue of politics is problematic now. If you go to some of the history books written by historians who lean toward the Ahl al-Bayt, you will find something astonishing. And if you read in the history books that lean toward the Umayyads, you will find something astonishing.But as I told you: The chain of narration must be authentic.