55. Al-Mas`adi Twists the Words in His Book

Al-Mas`adi has stated the following: “`Urwah ibn al-Zubayr used to excuse his brother, `Abdullah, for confining Bani Hashim to the valley and his gathering firewood to burn them and say, `He intended by doing so to put an end to dissension and so that the Muslims would be unified, to be obedient [to Abu Bakr] so their word would be one, just as `Omer ibn al-Khattab did to Bani Hashim when they lagged behind and refused to swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, for he gathered firewood in order to burn their house.’” Such is the text on p. 86, Vol. 3, of Muraj al-Thahab by al-Mas`adi as printed by Al-Maymaniyya Press. But all other printings of this same book1 have deleted the sentence saying “... just as `Omer ibn al-Khattab did to Bani Hashim when they lagged behind and refused to swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, for he gathered firewood in order to burn their house.”

The Mu`tazilite scholar2 has cited al-Mas`adi’s text in its correct form as stated above in the edition printed by the Maymaniyya Press. This proves that the hands of betrayal and forgery played havoc with all the editions of this book just as they have done in many others, and those who oppressed the family of Muhammed (A.S.) “... shall come to know to what final place of turning they shall turn back” (Holy Qur’an, 26:227).

1Refer, for example, to p. 77, Vol. 3, of the same book, namely Muraj al-Thahab, which was printed in 1965 at Dar al-Ma`rifa.

2Ibn Abul-Hadid, Sharh Nahjul Balagha, Vol. 20, pp. 146-47. Al-Mas`adi, too, has quoted the same as you read in the footnote to p. 373, Vol. 2, of Ihqaq al-Haqq.