Response to Chapter 1 of Answering-Ansar’s Article on Saqifah
Answering-Ansar saysโWe shall seek to present the true facts, very different from that presented by the Sunni Ulema and writers who would seem to suggest that upon the death of the Prophet (ุตููู ุงููู ุนููู ูุขูู ูุณููู ) the Ummah rushed to elect Abu Bakr as the Khalifa of the Prophet, all the Sahaba participated, all were happy and no difference of opinion.โ
No Sunni scholar has ever claimed such a thing. Every Sunni work confirms that the vast majority of Muhajir Sahabah were not present at Saqifah. No Sunni scholar has claimed otherwise. However, the day after Saqifah, the General Baya’ah was held inside the Prophet’s Mosque, and it was then that 33,000 Sahabah took Baya’ah at the hand of Abu Bakr (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) . We read:
After the meeting at Saqifah Banu Saโidahโฆ(and) the burial of the Prophet, Abu Bakr took the oath of allegiance from the general population and then rose to deliver his (inauguration) addressโฆthat was the day when 33,000 Companions pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr.
(Tareekh al-Islam, Vol.1, p.276)
So whereas a handful of Muslims may have abstained from pledging Baya’ah to Abu Bakr (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) , an overwhelming number (approximately 33,000) supported Abu Bakr (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) . As for the idea that there was no difference of opinion, no Sunni scholar has ever claimed this either. In fact, the differences of opinion were so great that the Ummah was close to civil war. This is what Abu Bakr (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) saved the Muslims from.
Answering-Ansar saysโThe romantic Sunni imageโ
It is actually the Shia version that revolves around fantasy, conspiracy, and exaggeration. It is the Shia who claim that Aisha (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนููุง) poisioned the Prophet (ุตููู ุงููู ุนููู ูุขูู ูุณููู ), how thousands of Sahabah conspired to steal the right of Ali (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) , how the Caliph supposedly killed the Prophet’s daughter and her unborn child, and other such far-fetched theories. The Shia conspiracy theory is that Abu Bakr (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) and Umar (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) somehow rigged the meeting at Saqifah, an allegation that they have a very difficult time proving from authentic sources. The Shia is a great conspiracy thinker. Indeed, their entire faith is based on an unbelievable conspiracy theory.
Answering-Ansar saysโThe episode actually begins from the point that Rasulullah (ุตููู ุงููู ุนููู ูุขูู ูุณููู ) died, upon receiving news of the Prophet (saws)’s death the companions who were ordered by the Prophet (ุตููู ุงููู ุนููู ูุขูู ูุณููู ) to join the expedition led by Usamah returned to Madinah. Three key figures Abu Bakr, Umar and Abu Ubaydah were participants in this aborted expedition,โ
The expedition of Usamah (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) was not at all aborted, and in fact, Abu Bakr (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) ordered Usamah’s army to proceed without delay. After the Prophet’s death, the entire Arabian peninsula erupted in rebellion (i.e. the Wars of Apostasy) and Medinah was under threat of invasion. Because of this, many of the Sahabah asked Abu Bakr (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) to delay the departure of Usamah’s army, but Abu Bakr (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) rejected these calls and said:
“By Him in Whose Hands is Abu Bakr’s soul, even if I thought that beasts of prey would snatch me away (i.e. eat me), I would carry out the sending of Usamah just as the Apostle of Allah ordered. Even if there remained in the villages no one but myself, I would carry it out.”
(The History of al-Tabari, Vol.10, p.14)
Under the rule of Abu Bakr (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) , the army of Usamah (ุฑุถูู ุงููู ุนูู) was dispatched posthaste and successfully vanquished the Roman army. The reader is advised to refer to “Tareekh al-Islam” (Vol.1, p.277) for further details.
Written By: Ibn al-Hashimi, www.ahlelbayt.com
Next: Response to Chapter 2 Entitled โThe Historical Factsโ