Companions who should be respected

  بسم الله الواحد القهار

The testament of Amirul-Muminin Ali(عليه السلام) is a famous event that he(عليه السلام) let some people to witness, so it has been narrated through many chains in both Shia and Non-Shia sources. The oldest record of it goes back to the book of Sulaym Ibn Qays directly from Amirul-Muminin(عليه السلام). It has been narrated through the Imams of Ahlulbayt(عليهم السلام) as well. It has been narrated in our famous books like Al-Kafi of Sheikh Al-Kulayni, Man Laa Yadhur Al-Faqih of Sheikh As-Saduq, Tahdhib Al-Ahkaam of Sheikh At-Tusi and many more. I want to present it here to you from the book Al-Kafi through Imam Al-Kadhim(عليه السلام) who wrote it to one of his companions. The testament is a bit long, so I just cut out a small part of it where Amirul-Muminin(عليه السلام) talks about the companions of the Prophet(صلی الله وعليه وآله).

Sheikh Al-Kulayni:

Abu Ali al-Ash‘ari has narrated from Mohammad Ibn Abdul-Jabbar and Mohammad Ibn Isma‘il they have narrated from al-Fadhl Ibn Shadhaan from Safwan Ibn Yahya from Abdur-Rahman Ibn Al-Hajjaj who has narrated the following:
“Abu al-Hassan(عليه السلام) sent to me the will of ’Amir al-Mu’minin(عليه السلام) which reads as follows: 
" In The Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful
...
 
(I remind you of) Allah, (I remind you of) Allah, about the companions of your Prophet, the companions who did not invent heresy or give protection to heretics, for the Messenger of Allah(صلی الله وعليه وآله) has urged to be good to them, he has condemned the heretics among them and others and also those who protect the heretics."


Al-Kafi, Vol. 7 Pg. 52

Grading: the Chain is Sahih(Authentic).

Check the narrators in the Rijaal section:

70: Ahmad Ibn Idrees, Abu Ali Al-Ash'ari
1684: Mohammad Ibn Abdul-Jabbar (and Mohammad Ibn Isma'il)
1416: Al-Fadhl Ibn Shadhaan Al-Nayshabouri
926: Safwan Ibn Yahya
999: Abdur-Rahman Ibn Al-Hajjaj Al-Bajali

Imamah is the Covenant of Allah

بسم الله الواحد القهار

وَإِذِ ابْتَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا ۖ قَالَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي ۖ قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ

And when his Lord tried Ibraheem with certain words, he fulfilled them. He said: Surely I will make you an Imam of men. Ibrahim said: And of my offspring? My covenant does not include the unjust, said He.

[2:124] 

Sheikh Al-Kulayni: 

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from Sama‘a from abu ‘Abd Allah(عليه السلام) who has said the following:
“About the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Gracious, ‘. . . fulfill your covenant with Me. . . .,’ the Imam said that it is {the covenant to acknowledge Wilayah of Amirul-Muminin(عليه السلام)} . . . and I shall fulfill Mine . . .[2:40]’ {Admit you in paradise.}”


Source: Al-Kafi, Vol. 1 Pg. 272

Grading: Sahih(authentic)

The status of the narrators can be seen in Rijaal section:

1193: Ali Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Hashim Al-Qummi
53: Ibrahim Ibn Hashim Al-Qummi
1538: Mohammad Ibn Abi Umayr Al-Azdi
854: Sama'a Ibn Mehran

Without recognizing your Imam no deed is accepted

بسم الله الواحد القهار

يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ ۖ فَمَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ يَقْرَءُونَ كِتَابَهُمْ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا

The day when We will call every people with their Imam; then whoever is given his book in his right hand, these shall read their book; and they shall not be dealt with a whit unjustly.

[17:71]

Sheikh Hadi An-Najafi:

Al-Kulayni: From Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Safwan ibn Yahya from al-‘Ala’ ibn Razin from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following:
“I heard abu Ja'far(عليه السلام) saying, ‘Whoever worships Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, with the expectation for reward, and works hard but without having an Imam for himself, his efforts will not find acceptance.
Such person is lost and is straying and Allah dislikes his deeds. The example of such person is like that of a lost sheep who strays away from the herd. She wanders around during the day and at nightfall she finds a different flock of sheep with a shepherd and she gladly and affectionately joins it thinking it to be like her own flock. She passes the night in their barn but does not recognize her flock and the shepherd, and begins to wander in search for her own flock and shepherd. She finds a flock and a shepherd rushes to the flock with great interest but the shepherd shouts, ‘Go to your own flock and shepherd; you are lost and wandering.’ She then runs back and forth, lost and wandering without a shepherd to show her the grazing areas and the barn. At such time a wolf seizes the opportunity and kills her for food. Just the same is the case, by Allah, O Muhammad, of those people of this ‘Ummah (nation) who have no Imam from Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, who is in public and possesses the noble quality of justice. Such people are lost and straying. If such people, in such a condition, die their death will be like that of an unbeliever and hypocrite. O Muhammad, take notice that all unjust Imams and their followers are far away from the religion of Allah. They have lost the right path and have misled the others. Their deeds are like dust blown away by the winds in a stormy day. They will remain helpless and unable to benefit from their deeds. Such is straying far away from the right path.’”

Grading: the chain of the hadith is Sahih(authentic).

Source: Mawsu'atu Ahadith Ahlulbayt(عليهم السلام), Vol. 6 Pg. 7

ِDenial of the Wilayah of Ahlulbayt(علیهم السلام)

بسم الله الواحد القهار

Sheikh Hadi An-Najafi:

Al-Kulayni: Mohammad in Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Mohammad from ibn Mahbub from al-Husayn ibn Nu‘im al-Sahhaf who has said the following: 
“Once I asked abu ‘Abd Allah, (عليه السلام), about the words of Allah: ‘. . . certain persons of you have believed and others of you have not . . .’ [64:2]
“The Imam said, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Gracious, has defined their belief by means of their love for us. He has defined their disbelief, in the same way, by the same fact.
This took place on the day He asked all the offspring of Adam (in the form of minute beings) to make a covenant.’
“I then asked him about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Gracious: ‘Obey Allah and the Messenger, but if you turn away, you must know that the only duty of Our Messenger is to clearly preach.’ [64:12]
“The Imam said, ‘By Allah, no one of those who were destroyed before or those who will be destroyed up to the time of the rise of al-Mahdi with Divine Authority were or will be destroyed except because of their disregarding our Wilayah (Leadership with Divine Authority) and the denial of our rights. 
The Messenger of Allah did not leave this world before establishing the great responsibility on this ’Umma to observe our rights. Allah guides to the right path whomever he wants.’”

The chain of the narration is Sahih(authentic).

Source: Mawsu'atu Ahadith Ahlulbayt(علیهم السلام), Vol. 12 Pg. 52

The Sunnah of Head-Bloodletting

بسم الله الواحد القهار

Allamah Al-Majlisi:

Ma'ani Al-Akhbar: (Saduq) from his father from Sa'd Ibn Abdullah from Ahmad Ibn Abi Abdullah in Marfu' manner from Abi Abdullah Ja'far Ibn Mohammad(عليه السلام) from his father(عليه السلام) who said: "the Prophet(صلی الله وعليه وآله) performed bloodletting on three places of his body: on his head, between his shoulders and on his back, he named the first one 'Al-Nafi'a', the other one 'Al-Mughitha' and the third one 'Al-Munqidha'".

And in the same book with the same chain from Ahmad Ibn Abi Abdullah from Al-Hasan Ibn Ali from Ahmad Ibn Aahiz from Abi Salama and he is Abu Khadija and his name is Salim Ibn Mukrim from Abi Abdullah(عليه السلام) who said: "bloodletting on the head is one span above the nose and with the distance like between the two eyebrows and the Messenger of Allah(صلی الله وعليه وآله) used to call it Al-Munqidha." and in another narration he said: "the Messenger of Allah(صلی الله وعليه وآله) performed bloodletting on his head and called it Al-Mughitha or Al-Munqidha."

Explanation: the merits and benefits of bloodletting on the head have been narrated both in the narrations of the Shia and their opponents and some of the physicians say that bloodletting in the middle of the head is extremely beneficial and it has been narrated that the Prophet(صلی الله وعليه وآله) did it.

Source: Bihaar Al-Anwaar, Vol. 62 Pg. 113

Grading: Its chain is Sahih(authentic).

Check the narrators in the Rijaal section: 

1231: Ali Ibn Al-Husain Ibn Musa Ibn Babawaih(father of Sheikh As-Saduq)
809: Sa'd Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abi Khalaf
121: Ahmad Ibn Mohammad Ibn Khalid Al-Barqi
501: Al-Hasan Ibn Ali Ibn Ziyaad, Al-Wash'sha, Al-Khazzaz, he is also called Ibn Bint Ilyaas
95: Ahmad Ibn Aahiz Al-Hamsi

796: Salim Ibn Mukrim Al-Jammaal, Abu Khadija

Abu Sufiyan, Muawiya and Yazid(لعنة الله عليهم) vs Rasulallah, Amirul-Muminin and Imam Al-Husain(صلوات الله عليهم)

بسم الله الواحد القهار

Sheikh Hadi An-Najafi:

Al-Kulayni has narrated from Ali from his father from Ibn Mahboub, from Abdullah Ibn Sinan who said:
I heard Abu Abdullah(عليه السلام) saying; "Three things are a matter of pride for the Believer and an adornment for him in this World and in the Hereafter – The Prayer during the last part of the night, and his dejection from what is in the hands of the people, and his Wilayah of the Imam from the Progeny of Mohammad(عليهم السلام). And the three who are of the most evil of the creatures through whom the best of creatures suffered, are Abu Sufyan who fought against the Rasool Allah(صلی الله وعليه وآله) during his era and used to antagonize him, and Muawiya fought against Ali(عليه السلام) and used to antagonize him, and Yazid Ibn Muawiya, may Allah Curse him, fought against Al-Husain Ibn Ali(عليه السلام), and used to antagonize him until he killed him."

The chain of the narration is Sahih(authentic).

Source: Mawsu'atu Ahadith Ahlulbayt(عليهم السلام), Vol. 4 Pg. 445

Allegiance at Ghadir

بسم الله الواحد القهار

يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ وَاللّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ

O Messenger! deliver what bas been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message, and Allah will protect you from the people; surely Allah will not guide the unbelieving people.[5:67]

Allamah Al-Majlisi:

[Qurb Al-Isnaad] As-Sindi Ibn Mohammad from Safwan Al-Jammaal who said:‘Abu Abdullah(عليه السلام) said: ‘When this Verse was Revealed with the Wilayah[5:67], Rasool-Allah(صلى الله عليه وآله) ordered for a Pulpit at Ghadir Khumm, then called for the congregational Prayer, then said: ‘O you people! whoever I am a Master of, so Ali is his Master. Don't have I more authority on you than you on your own selves?’ They said, ‘Yes’. He then said: 'whoever I am a Master of, so Ali is his Master. So Lord! Befriend the one who befriends him and be Inimical to the one who is inimical to him’.

Then he ordered the people to pledge their allegiances to Ali, and the people did pledge their allegiances. And there did not come anyone except that he pledged his allegiance, and did not speak (argue), until there came Zufar(i.e. Abu Bakr) and Habtar(i.e. Umar). So he said: ‘O Zufar! Pledge allegiance to Ali(عليه السلام) with the Wilayah’. So he said, ‘(Is this order) from Allah and from His Rasool?’ So he said: ‘(Yes, it is) from Allah and His Rasool’.

Then Habtar came up, so he said: ‘Pledge allegiance to Ali with the Wilayah’. So he said, ‘(Is this order) from Allah and His Rasool?’ So he said: ‘(Yes, it is) from Allah and from His Rasool’. Then he turned away and met up with Zufar and said to him, ‘How intensely he has raised his cousin with two arms’.

Grading: Sahih(authentic).

Check narrators in Rijaal Section:

12: Aban Ibn Mohammad, known as As-Sindi

925: Safwan Ibn Mehran Al-Jammaal

Source: Bihaar Al-Anwaar, Vol. 37 Pg. 119 

Allamah Al-Majlisi:

[Tafsir Al-Ayyashi] from Safwan Al-Jammaal who said:‘Abu Abdullah(عليه السلام) said: ‘When this Verse was Revealed with the Wilayah[5:67], Rasool-Allah(صلى الله عليه وآله) ordered for a Pulpit at Ghadir Khumm – So he arose, then called for the congregational Prayer, then said: ‘O you people! Don't have I more authority on believers than them on their own selves?’ They said, ‘Yes’. He said: ‘So whoever I was a Master of, so Ali is his Master. Lord! Befriend the one who befriends him and be Inimical to the one who is inimical to him’.

Then he ordered the people to pledge their allegiances to him, and the people did pledge their allegiances. And there did not come anyone except that he pledged his allegiance, and did not speak (argue), until there came Abu Bakr. So he said: ‘O Abu Bakr! Pledge allegiance to Ali(عليه السلام) with the Wilayah’. So he said, ‘(Is this order) from Allah and from His Rasool?’ So he said: ‘(Yes, it is) from Allah and His Rasool’.

Then Umar came up, so he said: ‘Pledge allegiance to Ali with the Wilayah’. So he said, ‘(Is this order) from Allah and His Rasool?’ So he said: ‘(Yes, it is) from Allah and from His Rasool’. Then he turned away and met up with Abu Bakr and said to him, ‘How intensely he has raised his cousin with two arms’.

Then he went out fleeing from the army, and it was not long before he came to the Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله), so he said, ‘O Rasool-Allah! I went out from the army for a need, so I saw a man in a white robe which I have not seen better than it before, and the man had the best looking face from the people, and most fragrant aroma, so he said, ‘Rasool-Allah has contracted for Ali a contract, none shall absolve it except for an unbeliever’. So he said: O Umar! Do you know who that was?’ He said, ‘No’. He said: ‘That was Jibraeel(عليه السلام), so be cautioned lest you become the first one to absolve it, so you will be an unbeliever’.

Then Abu Abdullah(عليه السلام) said: ‘Twelve thousand men were present at Al-Ghadir, testifying to Ali Bin Abu Talib. So what is the justification for taking away his right, and if one of you has wealth with him, and there are two witnesses for it, he can take back his right. [5:56] then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant – regarding Ali’.

Source: Bihaar Al-Anwaar, Vol. 37 Pg. 139