Chapter 10 : The Canonical Meaning of Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)

Ibn Hanbal says:

A. Ahmad has related from Muhammad bin Mas‘ab from Awzā‘ī from Shaddād Abī ‘Ammār who narrates:

I approached Wāthilah bin Asqa‘ while a group of people was with him and were speaking about (Imam) ‘Alī [(‘a)]. When they got up and left, Wāthilah said:

Do you want me to inform you what I had  seen of the Messenger of Allah (S).

I replied in the affirmative. Wathilah said:

I went to Fātimah [(‘a)] to enquire about (Imam) ‘Alī [(‘a)] and she said that he had gone to the Messenger of Allah (S). I waited for him to come and saw the Messenger of Allah (S) approaching with ‘Alī, Hasan and Husayn. The Prophet entered with Hasan and Husayn holding either of his hands, and he went near to ‘Alī and Fātimah and made them sit on their knees in front of him and Hasan and Husayn. Then he covered them with his cloak and recited this ayah:

“Indeed, Allah desires to remove uncleanness from you O Ahl al-Bayt and keep you pure as pure can be.” (Holy Qur’ān 33:33)

Then he said:

“Allāhumma hāulā’i Ahlu Bayti wa Ahlu Bayti ahaqq (O Allah these the people of my house and the people of my house are [certainly] most meritorious).”[44]

B. Aswad bin ‘Amir has related to us from Hammād bin Salamah from ‘Alī bin Zayd from Anas bin Mālik who narrates that for six months every morning when the Prophet came out (of his house), he would pass by the doorstop of Fātimah’s house and say:

“To prayer O Ahl al-Bayt, Indeed, Allah desires to remove uncleanness from you O Ahl al-Bayt and keep you pure as pure can be.”[45]

The above description reveals that the word Ahl al-Bayt in the context of this ayah is a canonical term established by the Holy Qur’ān and elucidated by the Prophet who determined the identity of this group. The Prophet by gathering his daughter Fātimah (‘a), her husband Imam ‘Alī (‘a) and the couple’s two sons Imam Hasan (‘a) and Imam Husayn (‘a) under his cloak and reciting this ayah which was revealed in praise of this group, made it clear that who actually are the Ahl al-Bayt and who are not included in the concept of this ayah.[46]

An interesting point to note here is that although Ibn Hanbal’s narrations of the above ahādīth have made clear the concept of the Ahl al-Bayt in Ayah al-Tathīr (Verse of Purity), he has recorded under the section Musnad Ahl al-Bayt several hadith not only from Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (‘a) but from their uncles ‘Aqīl bin Abī Tālib and Ja‘far bin Abī Tālib as well as from their cousin ‘Abdullāh bin Ja‘far.[47] It is worth noting that the last three persons, despite being the meritorious scions of the Prophet’s clan, the Banī Hashim, are not members of the Ahl al-Bayt in view of the canonical term of the Qur’ānic ayah. This slip on the part of Ibn Hanbal can be explained by the ahādīth concerning Imam ‘Alī (‘a) which he has included in the so-called group ‘Asharah al-Mubashshirah and also mixed up ahādīth on the merits of Hazrat Fātimah al-Zahrā’ (‘a) in the section titled Musnad al-Nisā’.[48]

Chapter 11 : Friendship with the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)

Ibn Hanbal says:

A. Ahmad has related from Ibn Numayr from A‘mash from ‘Adiyy bin Thābit from Zirr bin Husbaish from (Imam) ‘Alī [(‘a)] who narrates:

By Allah! One of the covenants which the Messenger of Allah (S) bound me with is this:

“None will bear enmity towards me but the hypocrite and none will love me but the faithful believer.”[49]

Ahmad Shākir regards the isnād of this hadith as sahīh and says about ‘Adiyy bin Thābit al-Ansārī al-Kufī:

He was one of the trustworthy persons of the first generation of Muslims after the Prophet and his being a Shī‘ah does not affect his narrations since he was trustworthy and truthful.

B. ‘Abdullāh bin Ahmad has recorded: Nasr bin ‘Alī Azdī narrates from ‘Alī bin Ja‘far from his brother (Imam) Musā bin Ja‘far [(‘a)] from his father (Imam) Ja‘far bin Muhammad (al-Sadiq) from his father (Muhammad bin ‘Alī al-Bāqir), and he from (his father Imam) ‘Alī bin al-Husayn [(‘a)], who from his father (Imam Husayn), and grandfather (Imam ‘Alī), who narrates the hadith that the Messenger of Allah (S) holding the hands of Hasan and Husayn said:

“Man ahabbanī wa ahabba hadhayn wa abāhumā wa ummahumā kāna ma‘ī fī darajatī yawm al-qiyāmah” (Anyone who loves me and these two and their father and mother will be with me and on my station on the Day of Resurrection).[50]

Ahmad Shākir considers the isnād of this hadith as sahīh. It is also worth noting that when Nasr bin ‘Alī Azdī narrated this hadith he was subjected to 1000 whiplashes on the orders of the ‘Abbāsid caliph al-Mutawakkil.[51]

C. Abu Ahmad (Muhammad bin ‘Abdullāh bin Zubayr Asadī) has related to us from Sufyān (Thawrī) from Abī Jihāf from Abi Hāzim from Abī Hurayrah who quotes a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (S), saying:

“Man ahabbahumā faqad ahabbanī wa man abghazahumā faqad abghazanī, ya‘nī Hasanan wa Husaynan” (Anyone who loves them, I mean Hasan and Husayn, indeed loves me, and anyone who hates them, surely hates me).[52]

Ahmad Shākir considers the isnād of this hadith as sahīh.

Chapter 12 : Imam ‘Alī’s (‘a) Comparison with Prophet Jesus (‘a)

Ibn Hanbal says:

‘Abdullāh bin Ahmad has related to us from Abu al-Harth Surayj bin Yunus from Abu Hafs Abbār from Hakam bin ‘Abd al-Malik from Harth bin Hasīrah from Abī Sādiq from Rabī‘ah bin Nājidh from (Imam) ‘Alī (‘a), who narrates:

The Messenger of Allah (S) told me:

“Fīka mathalun min ‘Isā, abghazathu al-Yahud hattā bahatu ummahu, wa ahabbathu al-Nasārā hattā anzaluhu bi al-manzilati allatī laysa bih (You are like Jesus. The Jews hated him so much that they slandered his mother, and the Christians because of their extreme devotion to him placed him in a position which was not his.”

Then (Imam) ‘Alī (‘a) said:

“Yuhliku fiyya rajulān, muhibbun mufritun yuqarrizunī bi ma laysa fiyya, wa mubghizun yahmiluhu shan’ānī ‘alā an yabhatanī (Two persons [groups] are doomed concerning me; the devoted extremist exalting me to what I am not, and the spiteful hater bearing malice towards me and slandering me).[53]

The annotator of the Musnad considers the isnād of this hadith as hasan (fair).

Chapter 13 : Sadaqah Forbidden to the Prophet’s Progeny

Ibn Hanbal says:

Muhammad bin Ja‘far has related from Shu‘bah from Burayd bin Abī Maryam from Abi Hawrā’ who narrates the hadith that he told (Imam) Hasan bin ‘Alī (‘a):

“What memories do you have of (your grandfather) the Messenger of Allah (S).”

He replied:

“I remember that once when I picked up a date from the dates that were part of zakāt and placed it in my mouth, the Messenger of Allah (S) pulled it out of my mouth together with the saliva around it and threw it among the rest of the dates. He was asked (by his companions):

O Messenger of Allah (S)! What would have happened if you had not taken from the child this one date?

He replied:

Inna Al-a Muhammad la tahillu lanā al-sadaqah...(For us the progeny of Muhammad, sadaqah [alms] is not permissible).”[54]

According to Ahmad Shākir the isnād of this hadith are sahīh. This hadith with slight variation in its text or chain of authority has been repeated over fifteen times in the Musnad.[55]

Chapter 14 : Imam ‘Alī (‘a) will Fight for Interpretation of the Qur’ān

Ibn Hanbal says:

Wakī‘ has related to us from Fitr from Ismā‘īl bin Rajā’ from his father from Abi Sa‘īd who narrates that the Messenger of Allah (S) said (addressing his companions):

“Inna minkum man yuqātilu ‘alā ta’wīlih kamā qātaltu ‘ala tanzīlih” (Who among you will fight for the interpretation [of the Qur’ān] as I fought on its revelation)?

Abi Sa‘īd says:

At this Abū Bakr and ‘Umar got up but the Messenger of Allah (S) said:

“lā, wa lākin khāsif al-na‘l (No [not you] but the one who is busy mending the shoe).”

(Abī Sa‘īd adds):

Wa ‘Alīyun yakhsifu na‘lahu (And [Imam] ‘Alī [(‘a)] was mending his shoes.[56]

It is recorded that during the Battle of Siffīn the Prophet’s loyal companion ‘Ammar bin Yāsir who was on the side of Imam ‘Alī (‘a), referred to this famous hadith of the Prophet in favour of Imam ‘Alī (‘a) while facing the Syrian army of the rebel Mu‘āwiyah bin Abī Sufyān, and recited the following epic verses (rajaz):

Nahnu darabnākum ‘alā tanzīlih

Wa al-yawm nadribukum ‘alā ta’wīlih

(We had fought you on the revelation [of the Qur’ān] and today we are fighting you on its correct interpretation).[57]