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An Embarrassing Conclusion
Thus it becomes clear that al-Zahra’ (A.S.) never recognized the authority nor the imamate of Abu Bakr since she passed away angry with him and with his friend, dissociating herself from both of them, prohibiting them from attending her funeral or even knowing where her grave was. It is not possible at all to say that such an Infallible lady, who is purified by token of the Verse of Purification (Qur’an, 33:33), the one for whose anger Allah becomes angry, died the death of the days of ignorance according to the sacred hadith saying, “Whoever dies without knowing who the Imam of his time is, or who has not sworn the oath of allegiance to such an Imam, dies the death of the days of ignorance.”[1] The `allama researcher, al-Khawajoo’i al-Mazandarani, has said, “Be informed that those who follow their creed from among the Muslims, regardless of their sects, have all endorsed the authenticity of the statement made by the Prophet (A.S.) wherein he said, `Anyone who dies without knowing who the Imam of his time is dies the death of the days of ignorance.”[2] There is no premise for the claim which some people make that this tradition is above the level of criticism, and that what she was expected to do was either acting contrarily to what the Prophet (A.S.) had brought, or that she had an Imam other than Abu Bakr; so, who could that Imam be? Can anybody imagine him being anyone other than Ali (A.S.)? And can anyone imagine that al-Zahra’ (A.S.), who passed away without swearing the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, died the death of the days of ignorance?!
[1]Refer to the wordings of this tradition on p. 390, Vol. 1, of Al-Ghadir where al-Taftazani is quoted on p. 275, Vol. 2, of his book titled Sharh al-Maqasid. Al-Karakchi, Kanz al-Fawa’id, p. 151. Ibn Shahr ashab, Al-Manaqib, Vol. 3, p. 304. Mujma` al-Zawa’id, Vol. 5, pp. 219-18, 224-25. Ahmed, Musnad, Vol. 4, p. 96 and Vol. 3, p. 446. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 23, pp. 80, 88, 89, 92. Some of his footnotes cite p. 269 of Al-Ikhtisas, pp. 230-31 of Ikmal ad-Dan and p. 15 of Muntakhab al-Athar from Al-Jam` Baynal Sihahain. Ibn Abul-Hadid, Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, Vol. 13, p. 242 from al-Iskafi in Naqd al-`Uthmaniyya and pp. 82-83 of Manar al-Huda by Shaikh Ali al-Bahrani. Al-Muhalla, Vol. 1, p. 46. Al-Bukhari, Sihah (“Kitab al-Fitan,” in a chapter titled “You shall see after me things which you shall abhor.”) Muslim, Sihah (“Kitab al-Imara,” in a chapter about the obligation to be with the majority), Vol. 4, p. 517 (Dar al-Sha`ab edition). [2]Al-Rasa’il al-I`tiqadiyya, p. 403. |