MUSLIMS & THE STRAIGHT PATH: Part - 3-E - Mubahila (malediction, imprecation)

Muslims & The Straight Path  [Published 2010]

Part - 2-A

MUBAHILA (malediction, imprecation)

You have already seen Verse 3:61 from Quran, in our earlier reference to ‘Mubahila’ or the Spiritual Contest with the Christians of Najran when the Holy Prophet declared the personnel of his Ahlul-bayt. It is worth noticing whom the Prophet carried as his ‘selfs’ to reveal who were the nearest and the dearest to him as the very soul itself.

This famous event of ‘Mubahila’ took place in 10 A.H. A deputation of sixty Christians of Najran headed by Abdul Masih their chief monk priest came and discussed with the Holy Prophet about the personality of Jesus. The Holy Prophet told them not to deify Jesus for he was only a mortal created by God, and not God Himself. Then they asked as to who the father of Jesus was. By this, they thought that since Jesus was born without a father the Holy Prophet would helplessly accept Jesus’ father being God Himself. In reply to this question was revealed the preceding verse i.e. 3:60 of Quran in which the instance of Jesus has been compared to that of Adam who was created without a father and also a mother. When the Christians did not agree to any amount of reasoning, then this verse was revealed enjoining upon the prophet to call the Christians to ‘Mubahila’ (a spiritual contest invoking the curse of God upon the liar). To this, the Christians agreed but they wanted to return to their place and would have the Mubahila the next day.

Early next morning, the Holy Prophet sent Salman to the open place, fixed outside the city, for the historic event, to erect a small shelter for himself and those he intended to take along with him for the contest. A number of the companions of the Holy Prophet also assembled in the Mosque for the Holy Prophet to take them along with him to the contest. On the opposite side appeared the Christians with their selected Holy men, women and children. Though the challenge contained the plural for women also but the Holy Prophet took only one woman although there were nine wives of his at the time. Besides the word ‘Nisa’ could mean wives as well as women in general, but the Holy Prophet leaving his wives at home took along with him only his daughter. The Holy Prophet reaching the appointed spot stationed himself with his daughter, her two sons and her husband, raising his hands to heavens said:

Alla humma haa’oolaae Ahlul-bayt

Lord! These are the people of my house.

At the appearance of these godly souls with the hallow of the divine light radiating from their holy faces, the chief Monk who had brought the selected group of Christians, began to gaze at the faces and exclaimed: “By God! I see the faces which if they pray to God for mountains to move from their places, the mountains will immediately move.” The Leader Monk asked as to who were those whom the Holy Prophet had brought along with him. He was informed that the baby in the lap of the Holy Prophet was his young grandson, Husain, the child walking holding the Holy Prophet’s finger in his tiny hand was his first grandson, Hasan, the Lady coming behind him was his daughter (his only surviving issue was Fatima, who was the mother of the two children) and the one who followed the lady was his son-in-law, the husband of Fatima. The Chief Monk, the leader of the selected holy group of the Christians turned to the huge crowd of his people who had gathered on the spot, and addressed them saying:

“O’ believers in Jesus of Nazareth, I will tell you the truth that should ye fail to enter into some agreement with Mohammad and if these godly souls whom Mohammad hath brought with him, curse you, ye will be wiped out of existence to the last day of the life of the earth.”

Every one of the crowd of the Christians had also witnessed the halo of the divine light around the holy faces of the godly ones whom the Holy Prophet had brought with him. The people readily agreed to the advice counseled by their leader. They beseeched the Holy Prophet to give up the idea of the agreed ‘Mubahila’ and requested for themselves to be allowed to continue in their faith – offering to pay ‘Jizya’ the ‘Protection Tax’, the payment of which entitles the payers full freedom in their religious practice, with full protection for themselves, their religious places and their life, property and personal integrity.

This historic event of a unique triumph of Islam took place on 23-12-10 A.H. and thus some Muslims celebrate it as religious thanksgiving festival of the triumph of the truth against falsehood.

This event has a great significance with regard to what it discloses about those who accompanied the Holy Prophet on that memorable and unique occasion of highest sanctity and great import. Many great Sunni scholars, commentators and traditionists have given the details of the event with the various aspects of its significance, saying:

1) The event unquestionably establishes the truth about the spiritual purity and the holiness of the Holy Ahlul-bayt.

2) It proves beyond all doubt as to who are the members of the family of the Holy Prophet, i.e., the Holy Prophet’s Ahlul-bayt, whose purity has been authenticated by God in the Quran.

3) The seriousness and the solemnity of the occasion demands absolute purity, spiritual as well as physical in the individuals, to serve in the fateful occasion for the Holy Prophet to present them to God as the best ones of His creation to be heard in their prayers for the Truth. [Remember, it was Quranic verse, quoted above, which had asked for Mubahila and not the Prophet. If it was God’s command for Mubahila, it will only be right to conclude that the Prophet carried out the God’s wish by taking those who were dearest to God after him, as his sons, women and selfs. Eventually God wanted to show that there is also a special place for Ahlul-bayt in God’s plan for the future of mankind.]

Thus it was unquestionably and firmly established and openly proved beyond all doubts, before the huge crowds of the Muslims as well as the non-Muslims to bear witness that the Holy Prophet, his daughter the Lady Fatima, her sons, Hasan and Husain and her husband Ali, are the divinely purified “Ahlul-bayt” addressed to, in verse 33:33 and none else, for God’s command in this verse contains plurals as regards each kind of the relations to be summoned for the event, i.e., to call sons, women, and the selfs to invoke the heaven’s curse on the liars, but the Holy Prophet took only two children whereas there were innumerable other children of his followers, only one lady was taken whereas there were nine other ladies in his own household who were his wives among whom were the daughter of Abu Bakr and also of Omar, and only one soul Ali, in place of his Self was taken whereas there were those who claimed to be his companions and very close companions too. This act of the godly selection on the part of the Holy Prophet, loudly declares that there were no others either among the children, or the women or the other adults to be compared to these godly souls in their personal purity and holiness (Baidavi Tafseer-Mohammad Nasiruddin Abdullah Al-Baidavi, Managib-e-Murtazavi, Tafsir-e-Husaini).

The one most significant and the most important point is that the word about the Selfs or Souls ‘Anfus’ is the plural, the singular of which is ‘Nafs’ (i.e., Self or Soul). Self or Soul when used in relation to any individual only means as another being of the same identity of the person implying perfect unity in equality, each one of the two being the true replica of the other, be that in thought, in action, in status or position to the extent that the one to be fully qualified to be identified and substituted for the other whenever any occasion demands it. Unfortunately, the term ‘Nafs’ (meaning the Self or the Soul of the Holy Prophet) was misinterpreted as ‘the people’. Even so since Ali alone was taken on the occasion, Ali alone will be the ‘People’ of the Holy Prophet and none else.

The points to be noted her are:

1) That the Mobahila or resorting to prayer to curse the liar, is after forwarding all sound arguments to convince the opponent and if he still insists on his wrong belief or doctrine, was the test of the truthfulness of the persons commissioned with the apostolic mission.

2) Each side has to stake all that is nearest and the dearest to him.

3) For a prophet who has devoted himself and whatever belongs to him, to God, and has been purified from all egoistic liking and disliking and the limited carnal desires and passions, the dearest and the nearest to him, will naturally be those the closest or the identical with him in his devotional excellence.

4) The Prophet has been ordered to call certain categories of the people and to ask the opponents also to bring the similar categories, and the call is not of his own choice but of the order and the will of God. (see 33:46)

5) Right from the very commencement of his mission to the last moment of his departure, on all important occasions, the Holy Prophet called only Ali or one of the same categories as the occasion demanded:

a) The Holy Prophet called Ali, when he started his apostolic mission, when Ali was only ten years of age.

b) When he was ordered by God to call his closest kith and kin. Ali who was then of only thirteen years of age, was the first, the foremost to be called, and he was the only person who responded to it.

c) When leaving Makkah on his historic immigration to Medina. Ali was called by the Holy Prophet, to lie down occupying his place in the bed, facing the dangers of the situation, when death for the one in the situation was a sure return.

d) To return the deposits entrusted to him. The Holy Prophet handed over the deposits to restore them to the owners on his behalf.

e) In Badr. Ali was called to fight and repulse the enemy when many of his companions were quietly witnessing the critical event.

f) In Ohad. Ali was called to fight and repulse the enemy who had gained the upper hand against the Muslims on account of the desertion of the companions of the Holy Prophet, who had even run away from the field and had disappeared for days together.

g) In Ahzab. Ali was called to fight the enemy, whom none in the Muslim army was ready to face, to protect the disheartened army of the Muslims and save them from annihilation and lead them to victory.

h) In Khaibar. Ali was called to fight the enemy who was not conquered by any one of the Holy Prophet’s companions, and win the decisive victory.

i) While proceeding to Tabuk. Ali was called to succeed the Holy Prophet in his place in Medina, as his vicegerent to assume the place as Haroon (Aaron) was for Moses with the exception of ‘Nubowwat’ (apostleship).

j) To preach the first verses of the ‘Sura-e-Bar’at’ which contain the declaration of complete disassociation from idolatry and paganism. Ali was called and deputed to rush and take away the matter of the ‘Sura’ from Abu Bakr who was leading the pilgrims to Makkah, as the only one identical with the Holy Prophet competent to convey what the Holy Prophet had himself to do to the people.

And here Ali is called as one of the ‘Selfs’ of the Holy Prophet. ‘Anfosona’; not alone but with his two sons Hasan and Husain in the term ‘Abnaa’ana’ (sons) and with his wife Fatima in the term ‘Nisaa’ana’ (women), while there were the other souls, sons and women of the Hashimites, the Quraishites, the Ansars and also the wives of the Holy Prophet, but the early Muslim historians, traditionists, commentators and even a man like ‘Ibne Hazm’ who was of a staunch Omayyad tendency, all have unanimously stated that on this important occasion of the Holy Prophet facing the enemy with the spiritual forces, none was brought to participate save Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain. And Sahih Muslim tells us that on this occasion the Holy Prophet praying to God said:

Allahomme Ha’oola’ee Ahlobaiti

O’ my Lord! These are my Ahlul-bayt (the people of my house).

The irony of fate presents quite a surprising scene of the events which followed immediately as the Holy Prophet departed from this world. Far from recognizing the Ahlul-bayt in consideration of their position par excellence, what happened to them was:

The same Fatima: The Lady of Light about whom the Holy Prophet had openly declared: “Fatima is my part and parcel; whosoever hurts her, hurts me; and whosoever hurts me, hurts God; and whosoever hurts God turns an infidel,” was martyred with a fall of the door on her side caused by the kick by one in an insurgent crowd which surrounded her holy house to arrest her husband Ali.

The same Ali about whom the Holy Prophet had declared: “I and Ali are of one and the same light (Noor).” “He who displeaseth Ali displeaseth me” was martyred while in prayer in the Mosque at Kufa. Much prior to that, a rope was tied to his neck and Ali was dragged on the streets of Medina by the crowd.

The same Hasan who accompanied his grand-father to the fateful scene of ‘Mubahila’ while a child, walking besides him holding the finger of his holy grand-father, was poisoned through a woman who was hired for the purpose.

The same Husain who appeared for the ‘Mubahila’ to defend the Truth from the lap of his grand-father, was put to the sufferings unequalled in any tragedy and was heartlessly butchered at Karbala with all his comrades and male relations, and his ladies and children were taken prisoners and put to the most miserable and the tortuous plight of indignity, suffering, captivity and imprisonment. The body of Husain was left unburied for days together.

Anyone who professed friendship with these holy souls was chastised, persecuted bullied and condemned and called as a ‘Rafazi’ or a dissenter.

But those blessed with independent minds, able to distinguish the right from the wrong, the truth from the falsehood, did not care and had always been with these divines, even if it was to cost them to suffer the worst miseries or to face death or even destruction in this life. In short those who are after the pleasures and the prosperity of this world can never be their followers.