Question from the Tradition number 53 of the book Al-Qatrah

 

From Mr Hasan

To the Head office of Al-Munji

In the context with the Tradition number 53, which you have mentioned in the translation of the book Al-Qatrah, some says that this tradition have problem in the prospective with the narrators and the content of the tradition, what is your answer according to you research. Please reply me with your answer if you have one and even otherwise.

Sincerely

The content of tradition number 53/770

In his book, Kafi writes that Jafar bin Musanna Khateeb says:
I was in Medina, it was the time when the roof of the Masjid, which was above the grave of Prophet (SAWW) has fallen down, workers used to go up and down. I was with a group of people and I said to my friends “Who wants to visit Imam Sadiq (A.S.)?

Mehran bin Abi Nasr said “I”

Ismail bin Ammar Sairfi said “Me too” (want to visit Imam A.S.)

We said to those two people “Ask Imam Sadiq (A.S): Is it permissible for us to go above the grave of the holy Prophet (SAWW).”

When it was tomorrow, they visited Imam (A.S.) and came back to us.

Ismail said “Whatever you have said to ask Imam we have asked him and he said:

 ما اُحبّ لأحد منهم أن يعلو فوقه ولا آمنه أن يرى شيئاً يذهب منه بصره، أو يراه قائماً يصلّي، أو يراه مع بعض أزواجه صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم.

I do not like that any one of them to go above the grave of the holy Prophet, I will not safeguard him if he sees something and becomes visionless or if he sees that Prophet (SAWW) is praying or if he sees that the Prophet is with one of his wives” (80)

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Answer:

Late Ayatollah Mustanbit has mentioned this tradition, same as our renowned researchers and scholars such as Late Kulaini and Late Majlisi have mentioned in their books, and they have written it considering its authenticity in the line of narrators and the content of the tradition.

It is evident that mentioning such a tradition, which is unauthentic according to the line of narrators or in the context of the content of the tradition or in both. It is inadequate to mention such traditions just because our elders have mentioned in their books.

Explanation to the content:

One of the most important reason why scholars and our elder have mentioned traditions like this in their collection of tradition is that though if a tradition which is weak according to the line of narrators they cannot put up an argument with it and they consider it as incompetent. However, they mention this kind of tradition in their books so that if in case it becomes a tradition, which is widely mentioned so that if it reaches until the extent of tawatur it can be used to put up an argument.

The other reason is that, a tradition, which is weak according to a scholar, might not be the same for other.

The important thing, which has to be mentioned, is that the enemies of Islam from the beginning of the first century has prohibited writing tradition  and even quoting them. Moreover, they tried their best to replace it with fictional tales and stories. In addition to it, not only they started fabricating the tradition  in their favour but also started omitting or replacing a part of a tradition  like omitting the starting part or the mid part or the last part, so that people like… should fall into doubt about the tradition . In some of the tradition in spite of omitting any part of the tradition they added something either in its starting or in the mid or in the end of the tradition

It is a reality, which even Sunnis have also mentioned, for example, you can refer to the book «الأضواء على السنّة المحمّديّة».

He not only have provided evidence for it but also quotes “Nowi” in Sharh Muslim that some people have played their role in adding or omitting the content of a tradition.

Considering these things in our mind we should not reject a tradition merely on the basis of being weak according to its narrator or according to its content, it is very much possible that the content or the narrator have been altered by the enemies. So that by collecting these kind of traditions it can reach until the extent of tawatur, or a content of a tradition, which is incomplete, shall be completed with the help of other tradition. It should not be, as we should consider the tradition as fabricated and shall not mention it in our books.

In the end, we can explain the tradition like this:

(After the death of Holy Prophet (SAWW)) Imam Sadiq (A.S.) does not allow that a person shall go on the terrace of the holy shrine of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) so that he consider himself better than the Holy Prophet (SAWW). Same as going on the terrace of Holy Prophet’s house so that he can be seen irrespective of his conditions it is not allowed and in some cases, it is possible that, that person becomes blind.