Mu'awiyah: an Obstacle to the Flow of Knowledge in Islamic Society

After the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, the Ahl al-Bayt are the only way for the community to remain upon guidance. At all times, they are the ark of salvation for the community. In times of tribulation, the only path of safe passage is their ark of salvation.

Only the ark of the Prophet's progeny can break the waves of tribulation: 'Split the waves of tribulations with the ships of salvation.' As long as the ark of salvation remains among the community, those who seek sedition will not covet sedition and will not be able to captivate society with themselves, because the Ahl al-Bayt are the source of divine knowledge. By boarding this ark of guidance, people become connected to the pillar of luminous knowledge that stretches from heaven to the house of the Ahl al-Bayt. For this reason, the progeny of the Messenger of God has always been attacked and wronged by seekers of sedition so that they could prepare the ground for their own sedition in society.

The wrongs committed against the Ahl al-Bayt have varied and continue to vary. Although the greatest wrong against the Ahl al-Bayt is martyring them, the wrong that the Samiris of this community committed against the household of the noble Prophet of Islam was diverting the community away from the door of the Ahl al-Bayt. More precisely, it was distancing people from the source of knowledge that God placed on earth for humanity. Mu'awiyah, through his policies, played the most important role in this matter.

Although his actions and policies were in line with the aims of the people of Saqifah, he is the head of a current in history that continues until today: a current whose most important features are hostility toward Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, and hatred and rancor toward him.

Different historical currents have caused people to be kept away from access to the knowledge that God taught Adam, peace be upon him. This was inherited knowledge that was transmitted to the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet. The Ahl al-Bayt were not only heirs to various sciences; they also possessed sources that were inaccessible to others.

One of the most important scholarly features of the Ahl al-Bayt is inherited knowledge transmitted from generation to generation. This knowledge first reached Amir al-Mu'minin Ali, peace be upon him, the one for whom the Prophet of Islam opened the doors of knowledge during his lifetime. According to the narrations, what the Prophet taught Ali, peace be upon him, was so vast and expansive that from every door, through him, a thousand doors of knowledge would open. This shows the depth and breadth of the knowledge that Ali, peace be upon him, possessed.

But the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, is not limited to these matters. They were also heirs to other sciences, among them the science of Jafr and the Mushaf of Fatimah, peace be upon her. Jafr, as one of the inherited sciences, belonged specifically to the Ahl al-Bayt, and the Mushaf of Fatimah, peace be upon her, was also a collection of words and spiritual teachings left especially for the Ahl al-Bayt.

In addition to these sources of knowledge, the Ahl al-Bayt benefited from a pillar of light that was always available to them. This divine light helped them understand various sciences and established their connection with the unseen world. In addition, the angels inspired the Ahl al-Bayt, and some hadiths speak of angels conversing with them. These features show the special station of the Ahl al-Bayt in the world of knowledge and gnosis, nourished by divine and revelatory springs.

The diversity and breadth of the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, is very difficult for us to comprehend in this age. If we look at the various sciences and disciplines taught and researched today in universities and scholarly centers, we realize that even counting and classifying them is difficult. But we must note that this diversity and breadth concerns only the sciences obtained in the material world and within the limits of experience and experiment available to humanity today.

The knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, is beyond the limitations of the material world. For them, there is no obstacle such as lack of experimental tools or the scientific limits faced by human beings. Their knowledge is not of the kind produced by material experiences and is even beyond the knowledge of the angels. The knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, is knowledge taught directly to them by God. The Noble Qur'an says, 'And He taught Adam all the names...' God taught Adam all the names, indicating direct divine teaching.

This divine knowledge includes knowledge of the sensible world and its details, as well as knowledge of the unseen and the secrets of the world beyond nature. In addition, the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, possess knowledge of divine wisdom in the material world. This kind of knowledge lies beyond the capacity of ordinary human beings and cannot be compared with limited human empirical knowledge.

In reality, the breadth and diversity of the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, is so deep and vast that understanding it is very difficult for us, and comparing it with the sum of the sciences available to humanity today would be wrong and mistaken. The knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, is not only comprehensive and complete; in every respect, it goes beyond material boundaries.

Through his particular policies, mentioned in previous writings, Mu'awiyah caused the Islamic community to be distanced from the immense scholarly source of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them. He and the Umayyad current that he led used every means to distance people from this treasure of knowledge. The effects of these policies were such that later generations, influenced by Umayyad culture, pursued the same methods, and from that time until today these policies have continued even in scholarly communities.

Examining some books and ideas of the shaykhs who oppose the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, shows that Umayyad thought still rules within them. Centuries have passed since Mu'awiyah's era, and although he departed this perishing world, the traces and ideas of the Umayyads continue in many existing writings and thoughts. This current has penetrated ideas and books in such a way that, even after the passage of time, its effects are still observed at different scholarly and religious levels.

Sahih al-Bukhari is known as one of the most important hadith sources relied upon by Sunnis, and many people consider this book completely authentic and reliable. But on closer examination, one can see that the book's approach toward figures such as Ali, peace be upon him, is influenced by Umayyad thought. Although this book does not directly and explicitly insult Ali, peace be upon him, its general approach is such that it deliberately ignores and even conceals the merits and virtues of this infallible Imam.

This outlook of Bukhari is fully consistent with the thinking of the Uthmanis. As mentioned earlier, the Uthmanis were influenced by Mu'awiyah's ideas. Mu'awiyah, as a fierce enemy of the caliphate of Ali, peace be upon him, tried to question the legitimacy of his government. In this context, currents such as the Uthmanis, which were in a sense constructed and formed by Mu'awiyah's policies, not only refused to accept the caliphate of Ali, peace be upon him, but also played the main role in creating the tragedy of Karbala and waging war against Sayyid al-Shuhada.

Therefore, one can say that Bukhari not only paid less attention to the virtues of Ali, peace be upon him, in his narrations, but indirectly acted in line with the intellectual currents founded by Mu'awiyah. This approach remains influential in Sunni hadith books, especially in the discussion of the merits of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, both then and even in the present age.

Although Bukhari has a book on the merits of the Ahl al-Bayt and chapters titled the merits of Ali, peace be upon him, and the merits of Hasan, peace be upon him, it is as though he did not wish to include the merits of the Ahl al-Bayt. He mentions 17 narrations in the merits of Abu Bakr, 21 narrations in the merits of Umar, and only 7 narrations in the merits of Ali, peace be upon him.

He ends the chapter on the merits of Uthman with this hadith from Abdullah ibn Umar: in the time of the Messenger of God, we did not regard anyone as equal to Abu Bakr; after Abu Bakr, we did not regard anyone as equal to Umar; after Umar, we did not regard anyone as equal to Uthman; and after Uthman, 'la nufadil baynahum,' we did not prefer one over another (1). That is, we did not even mention Ali, peace be upon him, in the fourth rank.

Given that Bukhari considers his entire book authentic, and contemporary Sunnis also consider this book completely authentic and do not tolerate any criticism or objection to it, this narration becomes especially important. Bukhari's purpose in citing this narration is that after these three people there is no merit; we do not know who is superior. This is the Uthmani basis among the Sunnis. In previous articles, it was stated that the Uthmanis were the result of Mu'awiyah's efforts and schemes. Thus in this section we see Mu'awiyah's dark shadow and the result of his policies in Bukhari's book.

Of course, at first glance the reader may imagine that including this narration was accidental and not intended in this way. But when we look at the end of the book on the merits of Ali, peace be upon him, it becomes clear that 'Bukhari' was compiled according to the Umayyad outlook. At the end of the chapter on the merits of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, he narrates that everything from Ali, peace be upon him, is false: 'Fa-kana Ibn Sirin yara anna ammata ma yurwa ala Ali al-kadhib' (2).

This statement has two meanings:

If the first meaning is intended, then although we have brought narrations concerning Ali, peace be upon him, this should not lead anyone to seek narrations transmitted from Ali, peace be upon him, because most of these narrations are false.

But if the second meaning is intended, then most narrations spoken about the virtues of Ali, peace be upon him, are false.

Al-'Ayni, the commentator of Bukhari, also relies on this report and says that what most Kufans, especially the Rafidah, narrate from Ali, peace be upon him, is false and fabricated (3).

By adding this small sentence, he unconsciously conveys his Uthmani belief to the reader. With this sentence, he confirms Ibn Umar's report that after Uthman no one has superiority over another, and that the spread of narrations or virtues concerning Ali, peace be upon him, is false and untrue.

He narrates the noble Prophetic hadith concerning the daughter of the Messenger of God. The Prophet said: 'Fatimah is a part of me...' Fatimah is a part of me, and whoever angers her has angered me (4).

In another part of Bukhari, he narrates the fabricated story of Ali's proposal, peace be upon him, to the daughter of Abu Jahl, which was forged by the Umayyads. By this narration, he presents Ali, peace be upon him, as an instance of 'one who harms Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet' (5).

According to this same fabricated hadith, he narrates that the Prophet said: 'Abu al-'As, the husband of Zaynab, was more faithful than Ali, peace be upon him' (6). This is despite the fact that Abu al-'As had previously been a polytheist and had been captured in the Battle of Badr, while Ali, peace be upon him, never associated anything with God and was the Prophet's only helper and supporter until the final moment of the Prophet's noble life. Ali is the one who, in the Battle of Uhud when everyone fled, gave so much of himself defending the Messenger of God that the cry 'La fata illa Ali...' rose from the angels.

Among Bukhari's astonishing biases is his attempt to cast doubt on the mutawatir hadith of Ghadir, a hadith narrated by more than one hundred Companions, a hadith that has reached many times the level of tawatur. Trusted hadith scholars among the Sunnis have also explicitly stated that this hadith is mutawatir, such that by consulting books by Sunni scholars, the tawatur of the hadith of Ghadir becomes clear (7).

One sign of Bukhari's hostility toward the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and his deviation from their path, is his lack of attention to the narrations of Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, in his book. Bukhari not only did not include the narrations of Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, widely in his collection, but also cast doubt on some of his hadiths. This approach itself shows Bukhari's opposing position toward the Ahl al-Bayt, especially Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, who is known as the greatest scholar of the Ahl al-Bayt in his time.

Ibn Taymiyyah, one of the well-known Sunni figures, speaks insolently about Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, saying: 'None of the four imams derived the principles of jurisprudence from Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, but they cited his narrations alongside the narrations of others.' This statement clearly shows an effort to devalue the knowledge and jurisprudence of Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, and weaken his scholarly position in comparison with other Sunni imams. Ibn Taymiyyah also adds in this statement that the hadiths of Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, are not as reliable as the hadiths of other narrators and that his narrations are fewer than others.

In the same vein, when Bukhari received some hadiths of Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, through Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Qattan, he refrained from transmitting these narrations and treated them with doubt. In practice, Bukhari does not consider Imam al-Sadiq's ability to preserve hadith to be on the level of other narrators, while Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, was among the greatest scholarly and juristic authorities in Islamic history.

This approach of Bukhari is noteworthy in a time when belief in the justice of all Companions had become widespread among Sunnis. In the time of Mu'awiyah, when he could easily order the cursing and abuse of Ali, peace be upon him, Bukhari lived in a period when belief in the justice of all Companions was one of the main doctrinal principles of Sunnism. Nevertheless, in a subtle and hidden form, he ignored the merits and virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt, especially Imam Ali, peace be upon him, and in many cases sought to devalue them.

In reality, Sahih al-Bukhari should be seen not only as an independent scholarly work, but also as a product of Mu'awiyah's hypocritical and anti-Ahl al-Bayt policies. Bukhari may outwardly have mentioned the virtues of Ali, peace be upon him, or Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her, in his book, but inwardly, the policies of the Umayyads and hostility toward the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, are still visible in his approach and his book. This book, in a sense, expresses the spirit and thoughts of Mu'awiyah; despite its accepted outward appearance, it in reality expresses a hidden and biased policy against the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family.

1. Narrated from Abdul Aziz ibn Abi Salamah al-Majishun, from Ubayd Allah, from Nafi', from Ibn Umar: 'In the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, we did not regard anyone as equal to Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman; then we left the Companions of the Prophet and did not prefer one over another'; Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 4, p. 203.
2. Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 4, p. 209.
3. 'Umdat al-Qari, al-'Ayni, vol. 16, p. 218.
4. Bukhari, vol. 4, p. 210.
5. Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Virtues of the Companions, chapter on mentioning the in-laws of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, no. 3729; related reports: Book of Khums, no. 3110; Book of Marriage, no. 5230; and Book of Divorce, no. 5278.
6. Ibid.
7. For examples, one may refer to al-Azhar al-Mutanathirah fi al-Akhbar al-Mutawatirah and al-Fawa'id al-Mutakathirah fi al-Akhbar al-Mutawatirah by Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti; Sharh al-Jami' al-Saghir by Nur al-Din 'Azizi; Sharh al-Jami' al-Saghir by al-Munawi; al-Mirqat by Ali al-Qari; al-Arba'in fi Manaqib Amir al-Mu'minin by Jamal al-Din Muhaddith Shirazi; al-Sayf al-Maslul by Thana' Allah, the student of Wali Allah al-Dihlawi, father of the author of Tuhfah Ithna 'Ashariyyah; Asna al-Matalib by Ibn al-Jazari; and other books.
8. Minhaj al-Sunnah, vol. 7, p. 533.