Continuity (Tawaatur)

of the Hadith regardingthe Martrydom of Ammar (r.a.)

The narrations regarding the martyrdom of Ammar has reached the extent of continuity and a few Sunni clerics have authorized this subject. And individuals like Abu Bakr, Umar, Othman, Ayesha, Mu’awiyah, Amr e Aas, Hajjaj and many other renowned personalities and heads of Sunni sect have narrated these narrations. And the likes of Bukhari and Muslim have mentioned it in their books as well. Now, we will present before you an example of the abovementioned topic:

          It is written in the book ‘Mu’awiyah dar Tareekh’ that:

          ‘Bukhari has narrated from Akrama in his ‘Sahih’ that he said: Ibn e Abbas said to me and his son Ali: Go towards Abu Saeed and listen to his narrations.

          Akrama says: We went to Abu Saeed while he was busy gardening his orchard. When Abu Saeed saw us, he lifted his cloak and sat on a corner.

          Amidst the conversation, the topic of the construction of Prophet’s mosque arose, Abu Saeed said: We used to lift one brick every time but Ammar bin Yasir used to lift two bricks at a time; meanwhile, the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) attended him, cleaned the dust from his dress and said:

          ‘Ammar will be killed by a tyrant group; Ammar will invite them towards heaven but that group will call him towards hell’.

          This narration is mentioned by Muslim, Tabrani, Tirmizi, Hakim, Ahmad bin Hambal and others, while Jalal ud Deen Suyooti has mentioned this narration as one of the continual narrations (Ahadith e Mutawatira).

          Suyooti said: The two Sheikhs (Abu Bakr and Umar) have narrated this narration from Abu Saeed; Muslim has narrated it from Abu Qatada, Umme Salma and Abu Ya’la; Ahmad has narrated from Ammar and his son, Amr bin Hazam and Hazima (Zu Shahadatain); Tabrani has narrated from Othman, Anas and Abu Huraira; Hakim has narrated from Huzaifa and Ibn e Mas’ood; Rafaee narrated from Abu Rafe’; Ibn e Asakar narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah and Jabir bin Samarah; Ibn e Abbas, Mu’awiyah, Zayd bin Awfa, Abul Yasr Ka’ab bin Amr, Ziyad, Ka’ab bin Malik, Abu Amama, Ayesha and Ibn e Abi Shaiba have narrated from Amr bin Aas and his son, Abdullah.

          Shafei says: There are twenty seven individuals from the companions of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) who narrated this prophecy, and among them is Khazema who will be counted as two companions.

          Hafiz bin Abul Birr says: It has arrived in the continual narrations that the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) is reported to have said:

          ‘A group of oppressors will kill Ammar’.

And this narration is among those prophesies which prove the prophet-hood of his holiness and it is one of the most authentic narrations.

             Ibn e Dahiya says: Not one person has objected on this narration, and if this Hadith was not authentic, Mu’awiyah would have rejected it and denied its existence.

          Ibn e Hajar says: This narration is narrated by a group of companions, and after stating their names, he says: In this narration, which is counted as a prophecy, the signs of prophet-hood are absolutely evident and it is also a sign of Ammar’s greatness.

          We all know that Ammar was killed in the Battle of Siffeen. In this battle, he was in the army of Imam Ali (a.s.) and the supporters of Mu’awiyah killed him. With this narration, it is proved that Mu’awiyah is the ‘Baghi’ or tyrant who invited people towards Hell, and those who invite people towards Hell deserve to be cursed and damned, and will face great repercussion on the day of Judgement where they will arrive with dark faces.

          It is mentioned in the Holy Quran:

(وَجَعَلْنَاہُمْ أَئِمَّةً یَدْعُونَ اِلَی النَّارِ وَیَوْمَ الْقِیَامَةِ لَا یُنصَرُونَ ،، وَأَتْبَعْنَاہُمْ فِیْ ہَذِہِ الدُّنْیَا لَعْنَةً وَیَوْمَ الْقِیَامَةِ ہُم مِّنَ الْمَقْبُوحِیْنَ)

          ‘And We made them patterns that invite unto the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped. And We made a curse to follow them in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be among the hateful.’[1]

          The word ‘Maqbooh’ in this verse implies on someone who is far from good.

          On the day of Siffeen, Mu’awiyah tried to free himself from being the target of this narration by deceiving and misleading the people so that he does not become a victim of his supporter’s objections and oppositions. He therefore said: I haven’t killed him but his killers are those who brought him out of his home to this battlefield. And with this deceit and strategy, he delivered himself from the revolt of his supporters.

          Imam Ali (a.s.) contradicted him saying: ‘If it is such, then as per his view, the killer of Hamza – the leader of martyrs, is the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), who brought him out of his home and made him take part in the Battle of Uhad where he was killed eventually.’

          After this reply, Mu’awiyah was bounded and he couldn’t answer.

Mu’awiyah, who was well versed with deceits and schemes, tried to interpret the Hadith again but in another manner. He said: Yes, we are the ‘Baghiya’ group who stood up to avenge the blood of Othman; he derived ‘Baghiya’ from the root ‘Baghaa’ which means ‘to demand’, and was successful in satisfying his companions again. But he did a mistake in deriving both the meanings; the first meaning is evident and does not require a proper rejection, and there is no connection between the Hadith and the second meaning wherein ‘Baghiya’ means ‘someone who demands’; because the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: ‘Ammar will invite them towards heaven and they will invite Ammar towards Hell’. It is evident that the word ‘Baghiya’ in this narration holds the meaning of denunciation and something that has been prohibited by the Divine Law. As it has come in the Holy Quran: وَیَنْہَی عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء  وَالْمُنکَرِ وَالْبَغْیِ  ‘and forbids lewdness and abomination and wickedness’[2], the word ‘Baghi’ used in this verse has no relation with ‘demand’.

          Then he says: It is certain for me that Mu’awiyah, with all his sensibility and cleverness, knew that all these interpretations are irrelevant and have no connection with the Hadith; because this interpretation is so corrupt that even a lay man can understand its falseness and irrelevance. It was an opportunity for Mu’awiyah to withdraw himself from oppressions and atrocities after the martyrdom of Ammar and end his opposition, but his internal impurity and personal brutality compelled him to deceive his supporters by cheating them, and in order to attain this world and power, he committed false interpretations.

          For the satisfaction of his companions and for hiding the realities from them, Mu’awiyah faked these interpretations, and kept the people content by making false allegations and accusations, invited them towards Hell and fought against God.

          After the death of Ammar, there remains no doubt in anyone’s mind that Mu’awiyah was the head of the ‘oppressive group’. Abdullah bin Umar expressed extreme grief for not fighting against Mu’awiyah. Abu Hanifa narrates from Ataa bin Abi Riyah that Abdullah bin Umar said: I am extremely remorseful for not fighting against the ‘group of aggressors’ or ‘Fe’atun Baghiya’.

          Ibn e Abdul Birr narrates from a group of people that Abdullah bin Umar said at the time of his demise: I am extremely remorseful for not fighting along with Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.) against the ‘group of aggressors’.

          This narration is mentioned by Hakim with the right authentication.

          Behaqi narrates from Abdullah bin Umar that he used to say: I regret not fighting against the ‘group of aggressors’. As the Almighty said:

(فَاِن بَغَتْ اِحْدَاہُمَا عَلَی الْأُخْرَی فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِیْ تَبْغِیْ حَتَّی تَفِیْء َ اِلَی أَمْرِ اللَّہِ)

          ‘And if one party of them does wrong to the other, fight that which does wrong till it return unto the ordinance of Allah’.[3]

          Hakim says: Many narrations are available in this context and a group of the dignified ‘Tabe’een’ narrated this from Abdullah bin Umar.[4]     

          In the book ‘E’laam e Nasr e Mubeen dar Dawari Miyaan e Ahl e Siffeen’, the authenticity of this narration, that Ammar will be killed by an oppressive group, is mentioned in a different manner:

          Muslim has narrated from Mohammed bin Muthanna and he narrated from Bashar, these two men said: Mohammad bin Jafar narrated from Taba’ah and he narrated from Abu Musalma that he said: I heard from Abu Nadra that he narrated from Abu Saeed Khadri that he said: A person who is better than me reported for me that while Ammar was digging a trench, the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) moved his hand on Ammar’s head and said: ‘Woe upon the son of Sumayya; he will be killed by an oppressive group’.[5]

          This narration has similarly been narrated by the medium of Is’haq bin Ibrahim, Is’haq bin Mansoor, Mahmood bin Ghilan and Mohammed bin Qidama, and all of them said: Nadar bin Shumayyil narrated from Abu Musalma with this same authentication, except that it has arrived in the Hadith of Nasr that he said: Informed me someone who is better than; Abu Qatada said: Khalid bin Hartih also said that he has seen Abu Qatada.

          Muslim says that Mohammad bin Amr e Jabala narrates from Mohammad bin Jafar [6], who narrates from Uqba bin Mukram al-Ummi, and he narrates from Abu Bakr bin Nafe’ and Abu Bakr said: Ghandar[7] informed is and he said: Sha’ba informed us, and he heard from Khalid al-Khadaa (Hazaa), and he heard from Saeed bin Abil Hasan, and he narrated from his mother, and she heard from Umme Salma that the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said to Ammar:

          ‘You will be killed by an oppressive group’[8].

          This narration has another chain in Sahih Muslim that he narrates from Saeed and his brother Hasan Basri, who narrate from their mother Khairah, who heard from Umm e Salma, the wife of Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.).

          This narration is continual. Tabrani has mentioned this Hadith in ‘Mo’jam e Kabir’[9] whose original print is with me and it comprises of two hundred and thirty sections and it is the biggest ‘Musnad’ of the Islamic nation. I have read it completely in Isfahan, and have mentioned this discussion in my book named ‘Ilm ul Mash’hoor’.

          Tabrani narrates from the sayings of Mu’awiyah, Amr bin Aas, his son Abdullah and other group of the Holy Prophet’s companions.

          Aalim, Abu Abdul Malik, Marwan bin Abdul Aziz said: the jurisprudent and reporter, Aalim Abu Imran, Musa bin Abdur Rahman bin Ibn e Taleed narrates from Abu Umar bin Abdul Birr who has read from the book ‘Istee’aab’ about the biography of Ammar that: continual narrations have been narrated from the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) that his holiness said: Ammar will be killed by an oppressive group. And this narrative is one of the most authentic narrations.[10]

          Zul Nasabayn, may God approve of him, says: How can there be a dispute in this Hadith? As we saw that when Mu’awiyah himself could not deny it, said: Whoever brought him (Ammar) to the battlefield killed him! If there was any scope of objection in this Hadith, Mu’awiyah would have denied it and would have falsified the narrator or bribed him.

          When Imam Ali (a.s.) heard this remark of Mu’awiyah, he replied: ‘Hence the Holy Prophet killed Hamza as he brought him to the battlefield’. The answer given by Imam Ali (a.s.) could not be objected and emerged as a logical remark that could not be opposed. This very remark of Imam Ali (a.s.) has been considered by the jurisprudents of different cities…

          Majdud Deen Mufti ul Firaq Abu Saeed Abdullah bin Umar bin Saffaar read this narrative for me from a book found in Madrasa e Shad’yakh. He said: A group of reporters from Abul Ma’aala narrated this for me.

          In the past Hadith of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), the words ‘Bo’s ibn e Sumayya’ has arrived. The words Bo’s and Ba’s are used for describing the misery of a man’s condition or life. The word Bo’s is the origin; as we have also narrated it in the form of ‘Ya Bo’s bin Sumayya’, which means: woe upon Bo’s or extreme miseries that have reached him’, which was said to Ammar sympathetically as it was related to his future; because the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) was aware, with the help of the divine revelation, about what will happen to the people in the future. He (by using the word ‘Ibn e Sumayya’) recollected the great difficulties and miseries faced by him and his father and mother due to the acceptance of faith.

          This narration is a miracle of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and is a prophecy about the events that will occur in the future, and as he said ‘al Fe’atul Baghiya’, it means a group or sect. Just like when it is said: ‘Fa’aytu ra’sahu wa fa’autuhu’, which means the time when I divided his head into two halves.

          The Almighty Allah says:

‘(فَمٰا لَکُمْ  فِی الْمُنٰافِقِیْنَ فِئَتَیْنِ)[11 –

which means two sects. This means you will be divided into two groups because of this issue, and ‘Al Baghiya’ means oppressors or offenders; because ‘Baghi’ is taken in the meaning of oppressor and its origin is jealousy.