Hadith of position
Encyclopedia
Hadith al-Manzilah is a Hadith
in Islam
.
It is one of the primary hadiths used by the Shia to justify Ali
's right in the Succession of Muhammad. The Sunnis however, interpret it otherwise.
In 9 A.H. (630
), Muhammad
prepared to lead an expedition against Syria
, and to fight the Battle of Tabuk. He did not want to leave Madinah unguarded, since there were suspicions regarding the safety of the city, and decided to leave Ali behind as his deputy. Ali asked if he was going to be left behind with the women and children http://al-islam.org/restatement/34.htm. Muhammad is reported to have said:
after Moses. Sunnis consider Ali one of the best Muslims after the death of Muhammad.
They do not see this hadith as assigning to Ali any greater merit than the many other hadiths have assigned to the other companions of Muhammad such as Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah of whom Muhammad said "You are the Secretary of this nation."
It should be taken into consideration that the above hadith is duly accepted in the context of the position of Ali as to Aaron and Moses by Muhammad by scholars such as Muhammad al-Bukhari
, Hakim, Ahmad ibn Hanbal
, and others.
Sunnis also have a similar hadiths for the second Sunni Caliph Umar
, the Hadith of Umar and prophecy.
The Shia point out that the Qur'an mentions (7:142) Moses having assigned Aaron as his successor during his retreat unto the Mount; additionally, they assert, the Qur'an has shed light onto Aaron's status with respect to Moses through the latter's well-known prayer:
20:25-32 (Moses) said:: "O my Lord! expand me my breast; Ease my task for me; And remove the impediment from my speech; So they may understand what I say; And give me a vizier (Minister) from my family; Aaron my brother; Add to my strength through him; And make him share my task..."
The Shia also point out that this hadith, which makes use of a figurative reference, has exactly the same implication of the more direct Hadith of Invitation in which Muhammad is reported to have explicitly referred to Ali as his brother, inheritor and vicegerent (Arabic: Khalif).
Shia
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
It is one of the primary hadiths used by the Shia to justify Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
's right in the Succession of Muhammad. The Sunnis however, interpret it otherwise.
In 9 A.H. (630
630
Year 630 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 630 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Croats and Serbs settle in the...
), Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
prepared to lead an expedition against Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, and to fight the Battle of Tabuk. He did not want to leave Madinah unguarded, since there were suspicions regarding the safety of the city, and decided to leave Ali behind as his deputy. Ali asked if he was going to be left behind with the women and children http://al-islam.org/restatement/34.htm. Muhammad is reported to have said:
- "Are you not pleased to have the position (manzilah) in relation to me as that AaronAaronIn the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
had in relation to MosesMosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, except that after me there will be no other prophet?" (Ibn Majah, Sunan)(Bukhari)
Sunni view
Sunnis do not consider this hadith as a proclamation from Muhammad for Ali to succeed him after his death. Aaron and his lineage were prohibited by the Law of Moses to take executive roles, but only religious ceremonial duties. Joshua, not the descendants of Aaron, led IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
after Moses. Sunnis consider Ali one of the best Muslims after the death of Muhammad.
They do not see this hadith as assigning to Ali any greater merit than the many other hadiths have assigned to the other companions of Muhammad such as Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah of whom Muhammad said "You are the Secretary of this nation."
It should be taken into consideration that the above hadith is duly accepted in the context of the position of Ali as to Aaron and Moses by Muhammad by scholars such as Muhammad al-Bukhari
Muhammad al-Bukhari
Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari , popularly known as Bukhari or Imam Bukhari, , was a Sunni Islamic scholar of Persia...
, Hakim, Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh...
, and others.
Sunnis also have a similar hadiths for the second Sunni Caliph Umar
Umar
`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....
, the Hadith of Umar and prophecy.
Shia view
Shias, in addition to holding that this hadith was repeatedly mentioned by Muhammad in a number of different occasions (e.g. brotherhood contract between Muhammad and Ali), point out that the hadith is very general in its statement, particularly due to the word showing exception, indicating, to the word, a status for Ali with respect to Muhammad exactly similar to that of Aaron with respect to Moses (with the exception of prophethood).The Shia point out that the Qur'an mentions (7:142) Moses having assigned Aaron as his successor during his retreat unto the Mount; additionally, they assert, the Qur'an has shed light onto Aaron's status with respect to Moses through the latter's well-known prayer:
20:25-32 (Moses) said:: "O my Lord! expand me my breast; Ease my task for me; And remove the impediment from my speech; So they may understand what I say; And give me a vizier (Minister) from my family; Aaron my brother; Add to my strength through him; And make him share my task..."
The Shia also point out that this hadith, which makes use of a figurative reference, has exactly the same implication of the more direct Hadith of Invitation in which Muhammad is reported to have explicitly referred to Ali as his brother, inheritor and vicegerent (Arabic: Khalif).
See also
- Hadith of the pond of KhummHadith of the pond of KhummThe Hadith of the pond of Khumm refers to the saying about a historical event crucial to Islamic history. This event took place on 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah of 10 AH in the Islamic calendar at a place called Ghadir Khumm, which is located near the city of al-Juhfah, Saudi Arabia and was a place...
- Hadith of the two weighty thingsHadith of the two weighty thingsThe Hadith al-Thaqalayn refers to a saying about al-Thaqalayn, which translates to "the two weighty things." In this hadith Muhammad referred to the Qur'an and Ahl al-Bayt as the two weighty things...
- Hadith of the Twelve SuccessorsHadith of the Twelve SuccessorsThe Hadith of the Twelve Successors is a famous hadith in Islam, in which the Islamic prophet Muhammad speaks about twelve Muslim rulers succeeding him...
- Hadith of MubahelaHadith of MubahelaThe Hadith of Mubahela is Muslim tradition about a debate of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Najran and summoned the members of his household, the Ahl al-Bayt....
- Hadith of the Cloak
External links
Sunni- Sahih BukhariSahih BukhariṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī , as it is commonly referred to, is one of the six canonical hadith collections of Islam. These prophetic traditions, or hadith, were collected by the Persian Muslim scholar Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, after being transmitted orally for generations. Muslims view this as one of...
59.700 - Sahih MuslimSahih MuslimSahih Muslim is one of the Six major collections of the hadith in Sunni Islam, oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. It is the second most authentic hadith collection after Sahih Al-Bukhari, and is highly acclaimed by Sunni Muslims...
31.5914 - Ibn KathirIbn KathirIsmail ibn Kathir was a Muslim muhaddith, Faqih, historian, and commentator.-Biography:His full name was Abu Al-Fida, 'Imad Ad-Din, Isma'il bin 'Umar bin Kathir, Al-Qurashi, Al-Busrawi...
in his Al Bidayah wa-Nihayah, vol. VII. p. 339 - http://www.ahlelbayt.com/articles/hadith/manzilah [A Sunni Perspective on Hadith al-Manzilah]
Shia
- al-Bahrani's Ghâyat al-marâm wa-hujjat al-hisâm, p. 109,: one hundred versions of this hadith have allegedly been recounted from Sunni sources and seventy from Shi'a sources.
- http://www.al-islam.org/peshawar/5.1.html; analysis of the generality of the hadith from the shia perspective