Why companions chose Amir
Mu' meneen Brothers
and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
8. Allah (swt) sent
124,000 Prophet's to guide mankind. Is there any proof that on the deaths of any one of these Prophet's his
companions failed to attend his funeral
preferring to participate in the selection of his successor? If no such
precedent exists then why did the
Prophet (saaws)'s companions follow this approach? "the Sahaba viewed the
appointment of the Imam as so important that
they preferred it to attending the Prophet's funeral"
(There may be some
grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not
change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our
readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
Why companions chose
Amir
In the name of Allah, We praise
Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can
misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We
bear witness that there is no one (no idol,
no person, no grave, no
prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
It has indeed been reported in
an authentic narration that Allah sent in excess of 124,000 Prophets to guide
mankind, but only about 24 of them are mentioned in the Holy Quran. In light of the Holy Quran, it is evident
that most of the habitations on whom the Prophets were sent by Allah did not
believe, and subsequently Allah destroyed those habitations. And most of the Prophets of Bani Israel were
appointed by Allah during the life of the existing Prophets, so the question of
choosing a successor did not even arise!
The truth is that all the
companions who were in Medina at the time of the Prophet’s death, attended his
‘janaaza’ (funeral). It is absolutely
inconceivable to think that the noble companions, who loved their leader and
their Prophet all their lives would all become renegades immediately at his
death! The noble companions loved
Allah and His Messenger (saws) to such an extent, that on one command, they
were willing to sacrifice their lives and their possessions.
At the time of the Prophet’s
(saws) death, Islam had spread far and wide in Arabia; and to control such a
big empire, it became imperative that
the muslims should have a leader at the center to control this vast
empire. This was the training that the
Messenger of Allah (saws) had himself implanted in the believers. This training of choosing an ‘Ameer’ was so
well entrenched in the believers, that if two of them traveled anywhere, the
Messenger of Allah (saws) advised them to choose an Ameer amongst them! Even today, when a leader or king dies, you
will see that a successor or new leader will be immediately appointed,
otherwise there is a good chance of a revolt or chaos in the empire. Thus, it became imperative for the
believers to name a leader as soon as possible to control the vast empire that
had embraced Islam by the time of the death of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
To think that any of the
companions did not attend the Prophet’s funeral is absurd! Each and every companion and believer who
was present in Medina at the time, attended the Prophet’s funeral! To allude that companions like Hadrat Abu
Bakr, Hadrat Umar, Hadrat Uthman, etc. did not attend the funeral is not only
absurd, it is a lie! Hadrat Abu Bakr and Hadrat Umar were the
father-in-laws of the Prophet, and Hadrat Uthman was the former son-in-law (two
of the Prophet’s daughters were married to Hadrat Umar, and both of them died
during the life of the Prophet (saws)); thus they were part of the family. And Prophet Mohamed, incidentally died in
the house of Hadrat Aisha bint Abu Bakr, and was subsequently buried in her
house. Thus it is nothing but a lie to
allude that the noble companions did not attend the funeral of the Prophet
(saws).
The deen of Islam was completed,
the Quran revealed, and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was
established at the time of the death of the Prophet (saws). Whatever happened after the death of the
Prophet (saws) is the History of the Muslims, and this is in the knowledge of
Allah Alone. Allah will not hold us
accountable for the deeds of these people, nor ask us about them on the Day of
Judgment. We will be asked about our
deeds and what did we do for the cause of Islam.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 134: They were a people who passed away.
They shall receive the reward of what they earned, and you shall have the
reward of what you will earn. And you will not be questioned as to what they
did.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother in Islam,