The Merits of Ayesha from the Pen of her Advocates - 2

The Merits of Ayesha from the Pen of her Advocates - 2

Second Claim – Were Abu Bakr and Ayesha the most beloved of Rasulullah (s)?

Abu Sulaiman sought to conclude his passionate exoneration of Ayesha by citing the following tradition:

Ansar.org states:

Omro bin Al-A’as said, ‘Once the prophet peace be upon him used me as a leader for an army. I went to him and said, “O’ Messenger of Allah, who is the most beloved to you?” He answered, “Ayesha.” I said, “What about men?” He replied, “Her father.”‘

Reply One – Ayesha’s testimony as to who the most beloved were

This alleged hadith does not tally up to stronger explicit traditions that prove that there existed individuals who Rasulullah (s) had clearly indicated as superior on account of his love for them. If the Ansar.org will continue to insist on their position that Ayesha and Abu Bakr were the most beloved in the eyes of Rasulullah (s), then why do they not accept the testimony of Ayesha herself recorded and declared Sahih by Imam Hakim in Mustadrak, Volume 4 page 261 Tradition 4744:

Jami bin Umair narrates: ‘I accompanied my aunt and approached Ayesha [ra] and asked her: ‘Who was the dearest among the people to Rasulullah?’ She replied ‘Fatima’. I then asked ‘And amongst men? She replied ‘Her husband’

Imam Nasai records in Khasais Imam Ali, page 89:

Amro bin Ali narrated from Abdulaziz bin al-Khatab from Muhammad bin Ismail bin Raja al-Zubaidi from Abi Ishaq al-Shaybani from Jami bin Umair who narrated: ‘I along with my father went to Ayesha and asked her (behind the veil) about Ali. She replied: ‘You are asking me about a man whom I know NONE among the men that the Holy Prophet loved most except him and NONE among the women except his wife’.

Jami bin Umair: Ibn Hajar said: ‘Seduq’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v1 p156). Abu Ishaq al-Shaybani: Ibn Hajar said: ‘Thiqah’(Taqrib al-Tahdib, v1 p386). Muhammad bin Ismail bin Raja: Ibn Hajar said: ‘Seduq’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v2 p55). Abdulaziz bin al-Khatab: Ibn Hajar said: ‘Seduq’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v1 p603). Amro bin Ali: Ibn Hajar said: ‘Thiqah’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v1 p741). Moreover the margin writer of the book namely Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni who has been one of the beloved students of Imam Nasiruddin Albaani al-Salafi has also declared the chain of this tradition to be ‘Sahih’.

In another tradition recorded by Imam Haythami in Majma al Zawaid, Volume 9 page 24 Tradition 14730, Ayesha has herself testified that Ali (as) was more dearest to Holy Prophet (s) than Abu Bakr:

Al-Numan bin Bashir said: ‘Abu Bakr asked for permission to enter on the prophet (s), then he heard Ayesha saying (to the prophet): ‘I knew that Ali is dearest to you than my father’. She said that twice or thrice’

Imam Abi Bakar al-Haythami said:

‘al-Bazar recorded it and the narrators the narrator of Sahih’

Same episode has also been narrated in this manner in Majma al Zawaid, Volume 9 page 136 Tradition 15194:

Al-Numan bin Bashir said: ‘Abu Bakr asked for permission to enter on the prophet (s), whereupon he heard Ayesha’s loudly raised voice, saying (to the prophet): ‘I knew that Ali and Fatima are more dearer to you than me and my father’. She said that twice or thrice – Abu Bakr then asked for permission and entered he approached her and said: ‘O daughter, you should not raise your voice before Allah’s messenger (s)’.

Imam Abi Bakar al-Haythami said:

‘Ahmad recorded it and the narrators are the narrators of the Sahih’.

We would urge Ayesha’s advocates to take a good look at this tradition. Nawasib can huff and puff as much as they like and seek to impress upon their readers that the Prophet (s) deemed Ayesha and Abu Bakr to be the dearest to the Prophet (s), but when we have Ayesha’s own testimony telling us otherwise then such claims become baseless. Not only did Ayesha testify to the Prophet (s) loving Maula Ali (as) and Fatima (sa) more than her and her father, her raised voice evidences how jealous and resentful she was at this fact, so much so that it caused her behaviour to fall foul of the standards of conduct imposed by Allah (swt) on those speaking to the Prophet (s). It took Abu Bakr to intervene and remind his daughter of her religious obligation: ‘O daughter, you should not raise your voice before Allah’s messenger (s)’. Abu Bakr may well have been alluding to Surah Hujurat verse 2:

O ye who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not.

The verse sets out the serious consequences for those that raise their voice in the presence of the Prophet (s), Abu Bakr had practical experience of this, since this verse descended to reprimand his conduct (Sahih Bukhari, Book of Tafseer).

Mulla Mutaqi Hindi records in Kanz ul Ummal, Volume 11 page 334 Tradition 31670:

Arwa said: ‘I asked Ayesha: ‘Who was the dearest man to Holy Prophet (s)?’ She replied: ‘Ali bin Abi Talib’. I said: ‘Then what was the reason for rebelling against him?’ She replied: ‘What was the reason for your father marring your mother?’ I said: ‘It was the fate’. She replied: ‘And also this was a fate’.

The unequivocal testimony of Ayesha about Ali bin Abi Talib (as) being dearest to the Holy Prophet (s) should suffice to silence her advocates. If we examine the excuse she advanced for fighting the dearest person to the Holy Prophet (s) we see it is both feeble and unIslamic since in Islam, one cannot commit heinous crimes and blame fate she will after all have to pay the price for those offences in the hereafter!

Reply Two – The Sahabi Buraida’s testimony as to who the most beloved were

Imam Hakim records a Sahih tradition in Mustadrak, Volume 4 page 2581 Tradition 4735:

Buraida said: ‘The dearest woman to Allah’s messenger was Fatima and the dearest man was Ali’.

Reply Three – The most beloved individuals are those that are loved by Allah (swt) and his Rasul (s)

To locate the most beloved in they eyes of Rasulullah (s) it would need to be that individual who is also loved by Allah (swt). Such an individual attains a rank that cannot be attained by any other person. Following the successive failures of the Shaykhain in leading the Muslim army to conquer the fort of Khaiber, Rasulullah (s) made this declaration that we have cited from Sahih Muslim Book 031, Number 5918 Chapter “The merits of Ali ibne Abi Talib”:

Sahl b. Sa’d reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said on the Day of Khaibar: I would certainly give this standard to a person at whose hand Allah would grant victory and who loves Allah and His Messenger and Allah and His Messenger love him also. The people spent the night thinking as to whom it would be given. When it was morning the people hastened to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) all of them hoping that that would be given to him. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Where is ‘Ali b. Abu Talib? They said: Allah’s Messenger, his eyes are sore. He then sent for him and he was brought and Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) applied saliva to his eyes and invoked blessings and he was all right, as if he had no ailment at all, and conferred upon him the standard. ‘Ali said: Allah’s Messenger, I will fight them until they are like us. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Advance cautiously until you reach their open places, thereafter invite them to Islam and inform them what is obligatory for them from the rights of Allah, for, by Allah, if Allah guides aright even one person through you that is better for you than to possess the most valuable of the camels.

So here Rasulullah (s) gave a clear guarantee that the individual who would be given the standard was a man loved by Allah (swt) and him. The fact that all the Sahaba were hoping for the Standard being given to them, vouches for the fact that they were fully aware of the esteemed rank the next person grasping the standard would have in the eyes of Allah (swt) and his Apostle (s). The fact that it was ‘Ali (as) and no one else evidences that he was the most beloved to Rasulullah (s), one loved by Rasul (s) and his Creator.

With regards to Imams Hasan (as) and Husayn (as), we read in Sunan Tirmidhi Volume 2 page 24 that Rasulullah stated:

“Hasan and Husayn are both my sons, O Allah I love them so love them and those that love them”.

In this supplication Rasulullah (s) has declared that his love for his beloved grandsons, was such that he has declared his love for those that loved them.

Along the same line, consider this tradition:

Rasulullah (s) said:

“God commanded me to love four, and He informed me that he loves them. People asked him: Messenger of God who are they? He said: Ali is from them (repeating that three times ). And Abu Tharr and Salman and al-Miqdad.” 

1. Sunan ibn Majah, v1 p53 Hadith 149;

2. The Khalifas who took the right way page 177 (A part translation of Suyuti’s Tarikh ul Khulafa”)

3. Mishkat al Masabih, Volume 4 page 131 Chapter “Companions in General” – English translation by Maulana Fazlul Karim.

Such is the rank of the four individuals in this hadith that Allah (swt) has declared his love for them, so they have a rank of superiority that far outstrips that of the other Sahaba.

It is clear that the individuals in these traditions rank as the most beloved from amongst the faithful so much so that not only the Prophet (s) but Allah (swt) declared his love for them. We challenge Ansar.org to present any traditions in which Rasulullah (s) had declared that Allah (swt) loved Ayesha and ‘Abu Bakr. No such hadith exists.

Reply Four – The most beloved are those individuals whose love has been made compulsory upon the believers in the Quran

When seeking to identify the most beloved in the eyes of Rasulullah (s) one needs to look no further than the Qur’an. Allah (swt) states the duty that has been placed on the Muslims:

Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin.” (42:23).

Jalaladin Suyuti in Tafsir Durre Manthur under the commentary of this verse records the following:

Abdullah ibne Abbas narrates ‘When this verse descended the people asked who are these close relatives whose love had been made compulsory?’ Rasulullah said they are ‘Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn’.

Other leading lights of Ahl’ul Sunnah have also confirmed that this verse came down in respect of these four individuals:

1. Hilayat al Awliya page 201 Volume 3

2. Mustadrak al Hakim Volume 3 page 172

3. Sawaiq al Muhriqa page 101

4. Usdul Ghaba page 367 Volume 5

5. Kanz al-Ummal page 217 Volume 1

Clearly these four individuals are the most beloved to Rasulullah (s) to the extent that Allah (swt) has declared love towards them as the only wage required by Rasulullah (s), for providing the ummah with Allah’s message – Islam. Therefore, their love is a part of the Deen. If Ayesha and Abu Bakr were indeed the ‘most’ beloved then why has Allah (swt) not stipulated love towards them as a duty upon the Muslims in the same way He (swt) has for Imams Ali (as), Hasan (as), Husayn (as) and Sayyida Fatima (as)?

Reply Five – Prophet (s) selected his most beloved on the Day of Brotherhood

We read in Seerah Ibn Hisham, Volume 1 page 55 that:

“The Prophet after the Hijrah said to the Muslims: Be brothers in God. Every two should be brothers. Then he took the hand of Ali Ibn Abi Talib and said this is my brother. Thus, the Messenger of God, the Leader of the Messengers, the Imam of the righteous, the one who has no equal among the servants of God and Ali Ibn Abi Talib became brothers. Al Hamzah, Lion of Allah and of his Messenger and Zaid Ibn Harith became brothers, and Abu Bakr and Kharijah Ibn Zuhair became brothers. Omar Ibn Khattab and Atban Ibn Malik became brothers”

Our question to Abu Sulaiman and his fellow advocates is ‘If Abu Bakr was indeed the most beloved then why did the Holy Prophet (s) not select him to be his brother when he (s) divided the Sahaba in to pairs on the Day of Brotherhood?’ This occasion was a clear declaration of the closeness between Imam ‘Ali (as) and Rasulullah (s). If Abu Bakr was the most beloved then why did he prefer Imam Ali (as) over him?