Who Is the Standard-Bearer of the Samiris of the Prophet's Ummah?
Author: Hamed Sarem
The Noble Prophet of Islam said: "Everything that happened among the previous communities will happen in this community, point by point" (1). Many verses of the Noble Qur'an speak about the events of past communities and describe their actions and conduct for us.
Beyond the valuable points these Qur'anic stories contain for those who reflect on the Qur'an, the very important point is that these events are repeated in this ummah. God narrates the stories of previous communities, shows the reader the fate of the wrongdoers, and makes the destiny of the righteous clear.
Qur'anic Stories Are Repeated in Every Age
Since all the stories of the Qur'an are real, and none of them is born of illusion or imagination, all these accounts are events that actually occurred. According to the Prophetic traditions, these events will be repeated exactly in this ummah.
This point is very important, because whenever we study the stories of the Qur'an, the noble verses are current and flowing in that very time. In reality, we are not merely reading biographies of the past; we are reviewing events in which we ourselves are situated.
Calf-Worship After Seeing God's Signs
One of the important events the Qur'an narrates for us is the calf-worship of the Children of Israel. Almighty God strongly condemns this people's calf-worship and has prescribed a severe punishment for the calf-worshippers if they do not repent.
It is clear that calf-worship is denial and rejection of God, and for that reason it incurs God's wrath. There is no dispute about the ugliness and repulsiveness of this act; the question is how people move toward calf-worship after seeing God's signs openly.
Beside Every Worshipped Calf There Is a Samiri
As long as there is no one to adorn the calf, clothe it in the garment of truth, and display it in a way that deceives people, no one becomes a calf-worshipper. In reality, beside every calf that is worshipped there is a Samiri who deceives people with cleverness and sharpness and pushes them toward calf-worship.
If, among the Children of Israel, the Samiri had not worked to make the calf and had not fanned this sedition, no one would have become a calf-worshipper. Through the Samiri's sedition, the people abandoned God's proof, Aaron the brother of Moses, and placed themselves under the authority of the calf.
The Samiris Who Appeared in the Prophet's Ummah After His Martyrdom
Among the Children of Israel, when Moses was absent and went to Mount Sinai, the people abandoned the caliph appointed by Moses and became calf-worshippers. The same event occurred in the Islamic ummah after the Prophet's martyrdom.
Whenever a Pharaoh rules in a position and the people accept the authority of that Pharaoh, just as they accepted the authority of the calf, one must look for the Samiri and see who the Samiri of that Pharaoh is, the one who through deception forces people to accept the authority of the calf of their age.
In the narrations, several people have been named as the Samiri of this ummah. When we look at these people, we see that they always paved the way for the formation, continuation, or consolidation of unjust governments. The Samiris of this ummah are vile people with a deceptive appearance.
Who Is the Standard-Bearer of the Samiris of the Prophet's Ummah?
One of the people introduced as the Samiri of this ummah is Amr ibn al-As. But the narration that introduces him as the Samiri differs from the other narrations in that, in the hereafter, the banner of the Samiris will be in his hand, and the Samiris will enter the plain of resurrection under his banner (2).
Some people during the time of the Messenger of God believed in him but fell into sedition after his martyrdom. Amr ibn al-As, however, never truly believed. When he was an unbeliever he was a fierce enemy of the Messenger of God, and when he accepted Islam he continued his enmity toward him under the mask of hypocrisy. After the Prophet's martyrdom, he continued this enmity against the Prophet's executor with all the power he possessed.
The Bribe Amr ibn al-As Offered to Distort Surat al-Kawthar
It was Amr ibn al-As who, after the death of Ibrahim, the Prophet's son, insulted the Prophet and called him abtar, cut off. The noble verse, "Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off" (3), was revealed about him, and the mark of disgrace remained on his forehead forever. In Egypt, he went up on the pulpit and said: I paid two hundred thousand dirhams so that this noble verse of Surat al-Kawthar would be removed from the Qur'an, but they said it could not be done (4).
He was shamelessly willing to spend public treasury money to distort the Qur'an. During the time of the Messenger of God he insulted the Prophet, and after the Messenger of God he wanted to remove verses from the Qur'an.
Amr ibn al-As's Attempt to Bring Back the Muslims Who Had Migrated to Abyssinia
After a group migrated to Abyssinia because of Quraysh's oppression, so that they could live more safely from Quraysh's harm, Quraysh learned of the migrants' comfort and security in Abyssinia. This was hard for them to bear, so they decided to send two clever men to Abyssinia to bring them back to the Hijaz, where they would be free to harm and harass the migrants.
For this purpose they sent Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi'ah and Amr ibn al-As ibn Wa'il to Abyssinia with gifts for the Negus and his ministers. When Abu Talib learned of Quraysh's plot, he sent poetry to the Negus and encouraged him to shelter, receive, and support the migrants (5).
Amr ibn al-As Composed Seventy Verses Satirizing the Prophet
During his unbelief, Amr ibn al-As accompanied Quraysh and joined them in harming and troubling the Prophet. He was among those who wounded the Prophet's heart with the sting of his tongue. He composed seventy verses satirizing the Messenger of God. The Prophet was deeply grieved by hearing those verses and said: "O God, I do not know poetry well, and it is not fitting for me to compose poetry; therefore send a thousand curses upon Amr ibn al-As for every verse" (6).
Amr ibn al-As's Attempt to Assassinate the Prophet
Killing prophets is the greatest sin human beings commit on earth. Perhaps no sin is as ugly and vile as this act: that God's proof, the one whom Almighty God sent to guide humanity and save human beings from darkness, should be killed on earth.
Amr ibn al-As did not refrain even from this sin. He planned the Prophet's assassination and, together with his accomplices, attacked the Prophet at Aqabah. Of course, this assassination failed through a divine miracle (7).
The Envy That Placed Amr ibn al-As Face to Face with Ali
Amr ibn al-As's personality was filled with devilry, envy, and malice toward Ali (peace be upon him). Because of this intense envy, he was willing for the army of Islam to be defeated before unbelievers and polytheists and for a number of Muslims to be martyred, just so that a little of the fire of envy within him might be calmed.
In the battle of Dhat al-Salasil, the banner was first in the hand of Abu Bakr, then in the hand of Umar, and then in the hand of Amr ibn al-As. In all three cases the army of Islam was routed and suffered a severe defeat. The Prophet was deeply upset by these defeats and the flight of the commanders, so he gave the banner to Haydar al-Karrar, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).
Using a special tactic, the Imam secretly brought the army of Islam close to the enemy camp and hid them behind a mountain. Amr ibn al-As became certain that with this tactic the Muslims under Ali's command would certainly be victorious. Therefore, because of his envy toward Ali (peace be upon him), he tried to change the outcome of the battle in favor of the unbelievers.
Amr ibn al-As's Attempt to Obstruct the Commander of the Faithful's Plan
When Amr ibn al-As saw the Imam's action and strategy, he became certain that victory in the battle would be at Ali's hand. So he turned to Abu Bakr and said: I know these deserts better than Ali. In this desert there are beasts more dangerous to us than the tribe of Banu Sulaym; they are hyenas and wolves, and if they come out, I fear they will tear us apart. Go speak with Ali about this so he may permit us to climb above the valley.
Abu Bakr went to the Imam and spoke with him at length about this matter, but the Commander of the Faithful did not answer him a single word. Abu Bakr returned and said: No, by God, he did not answer me even one word.
Amr ibn al-As said to Umar ibn al-Khattab: Your speech has more force with Ali than Abu Bakr's; you go. Umar went and spoke to the Imam about this matter. The Imam treated Umar as he had treated Abu Bakr and did not answer him. Umar too returned and informed them that the Imam had not answered him either.
Amr ibn al-As obtained no result from those two. On the other hand, he saw that Ali's plan would certainly defeat the enemy, and this was unbearable for him, because he himself had previously come to this battle, been defeated, and returned disgraced. Now he wanted, by any trick possible, to disrupt the Commander of the Faithful's plan, move the army above the valley, and by this envious act alert the enemy, who did not know that the army of Islam had come behind the valley.
Therefore he said to the Muslims: It is not proper for us to destroy ourselves because of Ali's command and make ourselves food for the wolves of this desert. Come, let us go above this valley so we may be safe from the beasts of this desert.
The Muslims' Alertness Against Amr ibn al-As's Trick
The Muslims said: No, by God, we will not do this, because the Messenger of God has commanded us to listen to Ali and obey his orders. Shall we abandon his command, listen to you, and follow you?
So they remained there until near dawn. Then the Imam and his companions attacked that group from four sides. The enemy, unaware of everything, could not defend themselves; they were defeated and the Muslims were victorious (8).
Amr ibn al-As's Knowledge That Muawiyah Was False and Ali Was Right
Amr ibn al-As entered politics with full knowledge that Muawiyah was false and that the Commander of the Faithful was right. Knowing that he would certainly enter Hell, he helped Muawiyah, the Pharaoh of this ummah, reach the caliphate, saved his government from destruction, and neglected nothing in striking the just Alawi government.
It is narrated that Amr ibn al-As said to Aishah: I wished you had died in the Battle of Jamal. Aishah said: O fatherless one, why? He said: Well, you would have been killed for your aim and gone to Paradise, while I would have made your death the greatest disgrace and reproach against Ali (9). This historical report shows the blazing fire of his envy and hatred toward Ali (peace be upon him).
The Consolidation of Muawiyah's Rule by the Samiri of the Ummah
Amr ibn al-As was the Samiri through whose efforts Muawiyah's pharaonic government was consolidated. At different moments, including at the Battle of Siffin on Laylat al-Harir, when Muawiyah's killing was becoming certain, it was his disgraceful plot that forced Malik al-Ashtar, the great commander of Ali ibn Abi Talib's army, to retreat and saved Muawiyah from certain death and destruction.
This event is one of the bitterest and darkest pages of history, because this trick caused the formation of the Kharijites and led Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) to struggle with that group as well. In the end, Amr ibn al-As's deceit and later plots seated Yazid in power, and the bitterest event in existence, the tragedy of Karbala, occurred.
Historical books narrate the Battle of Siffin in this way: "In this battle there was a night called Laylat al-Harir, on which a severe battle took place and thirty-six thousand people from both sides were killed. On that night, Ali alone killed five hundred and twenty-three soldiers."
Ali's Takbir After Killing Each Soldier of Muawiyah's Army
That was because whenever the Imam killed a soldier, he said takbir. His takbirs that night were counted as five hundred and twenty-three. The next day, the slain who had been killed by Ali were recognized by the blows of the Imam: whoever had been struck from the head had been split lengthwise, and whoever had been struck from the side had been split in two from the waist.
It is narrated that on that night Ali stopped fighting and removed his armor because it had become heavy with blood. By the morning of that night, Ali's soldiers' situation was organized, victory shone for them, and the signs of conquest appeared.
Qur'an-Reciters Who Threatened to Kill Ali
Malik al-Ashtar pursued the enemy soldiers until he drove them back to their camp. No soldier remained except that they seized him. Muawiyah quickly began to flee. When Amr ibn al-As saw the situation, he said to Muawiyah: Raise the Qur'ans on spears and call them to the Book of God. Muawiyah approved his idea.
They raised the Qur'ans on the spears, and the Qur'an-reciters who were in Ali's army stopped fighting and returned. Their number was four thousand horsemen, as though they were a mountain of iron. They said to the Commander of the Faithful: Send for Malik al-Ashtar so that he returns from fighting this group.
The Imam said to them: This is the trick of Amr ibn al-As and his devilry. These people are not men of the Qur'an and do not accept the Qur'an. They said: You must bring Malik al-Ashtar back, otherwise we will kill you or hand you over to the enemy.
Muawiyah's Call to the Book of God Is the Most Astonishing of Wonders
The Imam sent for Malik. Malik sent word: I am near victory; now is not the time for me to return. Then Malik understood the disagreement among Ali's companions and returned. He spoke harshly to the reciters and cursed them.
They also cursed Malik and turned the heads of their horses back. They did not return to battle, and the fire of war subsided. The Commander of the Faithful sent someone to the enemy and asked them: Why have you raised the Qur'ans on spears?
They said: To call the people to act according to what is in this Qur'an, so that we and you may act according to the judgment of the Qur'an and rise until the truth returns to its place.
A smile appeared on the lips of the Commander of the Faithful, and in amazement he said: Son of Abu Sufyan, do you call me to act according to the Book of God, while I am the speaking Book of God? This is the most astonishing of wonders and a strange affair. Then he said to those foolish reciters: This is the trick of Amr ibn al-As (10).
People's Ignorance Is the Ground for the Samiris' Activity
Amr ibn al-As always rode upon the people's ignorance and played the role of Samiri for Muawiyah. With this trick, he was able to stop the ignorant Qur'an-reciters of Ali's army by making them imagine that fighting Muawiyah was fighting the Qur'an. In reality, the Samiri of Siffin painted the enemy of the Qur'an with the color of the Qur'an.
Although he saved his low life by exposing his private parts, he hid Muawiyah behind the Word of God. In this way he placed the speaking Qur'an of this ummah behind them and established calf-worship in this ummah until the Day of Resurrection.
The ignorance of the ummah is always the ground for the activity, growth, and spread of the Samiris. Ignorance is always the main cause of people's calamities. It was this same ignorance that forced the Commander of the Faithful to accept arbitration, caused them to reject the arbitrator whom the Imam accepted, and made them appoint, against the Samiri of the ummah, a simple-minded man who in the attempted assassination of the Prophet had been Amr ibn al-As's accomplice, and whom the Commander of the Faithful called the Catholicos (11) of this ummah: Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (12).
In the matter of arbitration, he too placed the Samiri's calf as caliph instead of the Prophet's executor and the caliph whom God had appointed for the people.
Amr ibn al-As's Countless Insults Against the Ahl al-Bayt
Amr ibn al-As always had a tongue of insult toward the household of purity and infallibility. He missed no opportunity to insult this great household whom God made pure and purified.
Among his vile deeds was that, during Muawiyah's caliphate, in the presence of Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (peace be upon them), he insulted and cursed the Commander of the Faithful, as though he was already burning in the fire of hatred for Ali in this very world.
In Whose Hearts Are Love and Hatred of Ali?
How beautifully the Noble Prophet spoke about the Commander of the Faithful: "Your love, O Ali, is rooted in the hearts of the believers, and my hatred and your hatred are rooted in the hearts of the hypocrites. Therefore, none loves you except a pious believer, and none hates you except an unbelieving hypocrite" (13).
"O Ali, love for you has become rooted in the hearts of the believers, and hatred for me and hatred for you has become rooted in the hearts of the hypocrites. Therefore, none loves you except a pious believer, and none hates you except an unbelieving hypocrite."
Imam Hasan's Answer to Amr ibn al-As's Insults
Amr ibn al-As insulted Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) and his noble father. The Generous One of the Ahl al-Bayt gave him a crushing answer, and in these replies Imam Hasan beautifully described his vile and filthy character.
Amr ibn al-As said to Muawiyah: "Why do you not send for Hasan ibn Ali? He has revived his father's way, and many people have gathered around him. He commands and is obeyed; he speaks and is accepted; these two matters will raise him to higher positions. If you send for him, we will weaken him and his father, insult him and his father, and reduce his and his father's status until he accepts what we say" (14).
After the Imam came and he and his companions made many insults against him, Imam Hasan answered him in this way and exposed his filthy and worthless inner reality: "As for you, O Amr ibn al-As, because of your foolishness you are not worthy of an answer.
Your pursuit of these matters is like a fly saying to a tree: stand still, for I want to sit on your branches. The tree says to it: I did not even notice your sitting; how could your sitting upon me be difficult for me?
By God, I do not think you have the power to be hostile to me in a way that would trouble me, but I will answer your words. Does your insulting Ali diminish his rank, or distance him from the Prophet, or make his conduct in Islam blameworthy, or accuse him of injustice in judgment, or of desire for the world? If you claim any one of these, you have lied..." (15).
Amr ibn al-As Was Someone Whom Several Men Claimed as Their Son
And he continued: "... As for you, O Amr ibn al-As, mocking one, accursed, cut off in lineage: you were aggressive from the beginning; your mother was a fornicator, and you were born on a bed claimed by several men. The men of Quraysh differed about you.
Among them were Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Walid ibn Mughirah, Uthman ibn Harith, Nadr ibn Harith ibn Kaldah, and As ibn Wa'il; all of them considered you their child. The one who prevailed among them was the lowest in lineage, lowest in position, and greatest in fornication.
Then you rose and said: I will mock Muhammad. As ibn Wa'il said: Muhammad is a man without a son and his lineage is cut off; if he dies, he will vanish. God revealed the verse that the one who mocks you is the one cut off.
Your mother used to go to the tribe of Abd Qays to fornicate; in their houses, gatherings, and deserts she sought fornication. Then, wherever the Prophet confronted enemies, you were present, while you were counted the most hostile and the greatest denier toward him. Then you were among those present on the ship who went to the Negus to shed the blood of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and his companions. But your ugly deception returned against you, your wish was scattered, your hope was disappointed, your effort vanished, your striving produced no result, God's word became superior, and the word of the unbelievers became low.
As for your words about Uthman, O shameless and irreligious one: you lit a fire against him, then fled to Palestine and waited for calamities to befall him. When the news of his killing reached you, you placed yourself at Muawiyah's disposal.
The Enemy of the Prophet in Jahiliyyah and Islam
O vile one! You sold your religion for another person's world. We do not blame you for your enmity toward us, nor do we reproach you for your love for them. In Jahiliyyah and Islam you were the enemy of Banu Hashim, and you satirized the Prophet in seventy verses. The Prophet said: O God, I do not know poetry well and it is not fitting for me to compose poetry, so send a thousand curses upon Amr ibn al-As for every verse.
Then you, O Amr, prefer your world over your religion. You gave gifts to the Negus and migrated to him a second time, and the events of the first time did not prevent you from going to him again. In every case you returned disappointed and defeated. Your aim was to destroy Ja'far and his companions, but when your hope and wish vanished, you left the matter to your companion Umarah ibn Walid..." (16).
Amr ibn al-As's Threatening Poem Addressed to Muawiyah
The Ghadiriyyah of Amr ibn al-As is known as the Jaljaliyya ode. Amr ibn al-As had been appointed by Muawiyah as governor of Egypt. He refused to send Egypt's tax revenue to Syria, the center of Muawiyah's government. Muawiyah wrote him a letter, reproached him, and threatened him.
In answer to Muawiyah, Amr ibn al-As wrote a letter in verse that became known as the Jaljaliyya ode. Jaljal means a small bell. Amr ibn al-As's meaning is: O Muawiyah, I was the one who brought you to this point, and if you provoke me I will ring the bell in this way and disgrace you.
The Bell Around Amr ibn al-As's Neck
Perhaps Amr ibn al-As also meant: O Muawiyah, in the matter of consolidating your government, the bell was around my neck; I was the one who arranged everything. Be alert: this bell is still around my neck, and if I wish, I will bring upon you the same disaster that I brought upon your opponents.
The Jaljaliyya ode has sixty-six verses and points to truths that affect every free and honorable Muslim who reads it. The translation of some of its verses is as follows:
The Events Amr ibn al-As Reminded Muawiyah Of
Amr ibn al-As says: "O Muawiyah, do not forget these events. I was the one who told the people that their prayer is not accepted without you... I was the one who incited them to fight the master of the executors, Ali, under the pretext of avenging that foolish man [Uthman].
I was the one who taught your soldiers that whenever they saw Ali coming toward them like a lion to kill them, they should pull down their trousers and turn their backs to him so that, out of modesty, he would refrain from killing them.
O Muawiyah, have you forgotten my conversation with Abu Musa al-Ash'ari? Have you forgotten how, on that day, I removed the garment of caliphate from Ali's body? I did it so easily that it was as though I were removing sandals from the feet. Have you forgotten that I clothed you in the garment of caliphate as one places a ring on a finger?
O Muawiyah, I was the one who seated you on the pulpit without war or fighting, although by God you were not worthy of it and are not worthy of it. I was the one who made you famous in the east and west. If it were not for me, you would have sat in the house like women and not come out.
Amr ibn al-As's Confession That Ali Was Right
O son of Hind, out of ignorance we aided you against Ali, while Ali was the one whom God mentioned as the Great News. When we raised you over the Muslims, we fell into the lowest of the low. O Muawiyah, do you remember how much the Chosen Prophet used to enjoin concerning Ali?
Do you remember that on Ghadir Khumm the Prophet climbed the pulpit, and while Ali's hand was in his hand, by God's command he said: "O people, do I not have more authority over you than yourselves?" They all said: You have authority over us. Then the Prophet said: "Whoever has me as his master and guardian, Ali is also his guardian."
Do you remember that on that day the Prophet prayed: "O God, Ali is the brother of Your Prophet and Messenger, so love whoever loves him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him." On that day, when your teacher [Abu Bakr] saw that Ali's necklace of caliphate could no longer be broken, he came and congratulated Ali.
Amr ibn al-As's Admission That He and Muawiyah Are Hellbound
O Muawiyah, our place will be in the Fire, in the lowest pit of Hell. Tomorrow, on the Day of Resurrection, the day of our disgrace, Uthman's blood will not save us. Tomorrow our opponent will be Ali, and he is dear to God and His Messenger. On that day when the veil is lifted from our deeds, what excuse will we have?
So woe to you and woe to me, O Muawiyah! What relation can there be between you and Ali? Ali is like a sharp sword, and you are like a blunt sickle. Where is Ali, who is like the star of the sky, and where are you, who are no more than a pebble? O Muawiyah, know that there is a bell around my neck; if I shake my neck, the bell will ring" (17).
Yes, the Samiri of this ummah knowingly chose Hell for himself and led a great number of humanity from that day until now toward Hell.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about the Samiri of this ummah: "On the Day of Resurrection, a banner will come to me together with the Samiri of this ummah. I will say: What did you do after me with the two weighty things, the Qur'an and the progeny? They will say: As for the Qur'an, we disobeyed and abandoned it; as for the progeny, we abandoned them and wasted their right. Then I will say: Go toward Hell thirsty and with blackened faces" (18).
Notes
1. Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, 1/203, chapter on the obligation of prayer, p. 195.
2. Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, Shaykh al-Huwayzi, vol. 5, pp. 241-242.
3. Surat al-Kawthar, verse 3.
4. Ta'wil al-Ayat al-Zahirah, p. 550, Surat al-Zukhruf.
5. Chahardah Nur-e Pak (Persian), Dr. Aqiqi Bakhshayeshi, vol. 1, pp. 72-73.
6. Sahifat al-Hasan (peace be upon him) (Persian), collected by Shaykh Jawad Qayyumi, p. 263.
7. Irshad al-Qulub, Reza'i translation, vol. 2, p. 242.
8. Al-Irshad, Rasuli Mahallati translation, vol. 1, p. 153.
9. Al-Ihtijaj, Jafari translation, vol. 1, p. 353.
10. Irshad al-Qulub, Reza'i translation, vol. 2, p. 83.
11. Catholicos is a rank among Christian clergy.
12. Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, Shaykh al-Huwayzi, vol. 5, pp. 241-242.
13. Bihar al-Anwar, 31, chapter on the argument of the Commander of the Faithful.
14. Sahifat al-Hasan (peace be upon him) (Persian), collected by Shaykh Jawad Qayyumi, pp. 229-231.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Sayri dar al-Ghadir (Persian), Muhammad Amini Najafi, pp. 44-47.
18. Bihar al-Anwar, 37, chapter 55: report of the banners, p. 341.
