كشف الظلمة عن ضرورة السجود على التربة Removing darkness regarding obligation of prostration on Turba (clay)

Transcription

1 كشف الظلمة عن ضرورة السجود على التربة Removing darkness regarding obligation of prostration on Turba (clay) Shia Reformist shiareformist.wordpress.com

2 Contents Introduction..2 The main characters involved in the dialogue.3 Setting the Scene..4 Hadith 1 6 Analysis of Hadith 1 7 Ali bin Ahmad bin Musa 8 Abul Husain al Koofi. 8 Muhammad Bin Ismael al Barmaki.. 9 Ali bin Abbas Umar bin Abdil aziz Ali bin al Hakam Hadith Analysis of Hadith Ya qoob bin Yazeed...14 Analysis of Hadith Mohammad bin Sinaan.15 Narrations saying the opposite...17 Hadith Hadith Hadith Conclusion.22 1 P a g e

3 INTRODUCTION: All praise belongs to Allah (swt) and may the peace and blessings of Allah (swt) be on our Prophet (saww), his pure family and the righteous among his companions. Shias generally prostrate on a piece of clay (generally from Karbala) called by different names like Turba, Mohr, Sajdagah etc. This practice is based on a principle which the scholars have derived that says Sajdah is not permissible on anything other than the earth and what grows from it provided it is not eaten or worn. Due to this it is difficult for shias to offer salat (prayer/namaz) in prayer rooms in public places and mosques belonging to other sects. Our motive in writing this document is not to prove that it is impermissible to use turba, rather our motive is just to show that it is not compulsory either. We want unity among the Muslims, and we want to remove the Taharruj (Haraj sense of sin/guilt/discomfort) the Shias feel when praying in Jamaa ah (congregation) in the Masaajid of the mainstream Muslims without the Turbah. Many Shias feel great discomfort in praying in mainstream Masaajid due to the fact that Turbah is usually not available there. We will present the research in the form of a dialogue between a motivated Shia youth and some scholar from the Hawza (Shia Islamic Seminary). We would advise the readers to read another research with the same format on the topic of Taraweeh. It can be downloaded from the following link 2 P a g e

4 THE MAIN CHARACTERS INVOLVED IN THE DIALOGUE: Maulana Sayyid Aftab Abbas al-qummi a Shia Alim from Lucknow, who has been living and studying in Qum for the last seven years of his life. Hujjatul Islam wal Muslimeen Allama Sayyid Mohammad Kadhim al- Najafi a senior Shia scholar who has been affiliated with the Hawza of Najaf for the last thirty one years. As such, he has had the opportunity to study under the likes of Ayatullah Sayyid Abul Qasim al-khui, Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Seestani, Ayatullah Mohammad Seeed al-hakim, among a host of other teachers. His main field of interest and specialization is Ilme Rijaal the science that deals with judging the reliability of Hadith narrators as well as the authenticity of their narrations. Hujjatul Islam Agha Sheikh Reza Mahdavi He is an Iranian scholar who has spent 18 years in Qum, and has also studied Ilme Rijaal under the likes of Ayatullah Zanjaani and Ayatullah Sheikh Jafar Subhani among others. Jafar Raza Jafari A 25 year old Shia youth who is very active in interfaith and intra-faith dialogue as well as the head of the local Shia youth community. Mahdiyya Jafari A 23 year old Shia girl. She is the sister of Jafar Raza Jafari, and is pursuing her studies in pharmacy. Bushra Mahjabeen A student of Islamic studies who is inspired by the works and thoughts of a reformist scholars Ayatullah Abul Fadhl ibn Ridha al Borqei (Ayatullah Borqei). 3 P a g e

5 SETTING THE SCENCE: It was the last day of Shabaan, and everyone was preparing for the blessed month of Ramadan to begin. People had gathered at the place of a wealthy businessman, Al-Hajj Ibrahim Nouri, in Abu Dhabi for lunch. A few scholars who had arrived in the UAE to deliver lectures for Shahr Ramadhaan had been invited to the lunch, and so had a number of religiously inclined youth. Al-Hajj Nouri wanted these youth to have the opportunity to interact freely with the scholars to benefit from their knowledge and get their questions answered. After the lunch they pray in Jamaa aah at the residence of Al Hajj Nouri, and Jafar is seen praying without a Turbah, which stirs the debate. Agha Reza Mahdavi: I noticed you praying without Turbah today. Was that out of Taqiyyah, or is it because you have dug up something else through your mischievous researches? Jafar: Yes, I have done research of my own on this topic, and I don t consider Turbah a necessary precondition for the validity of Sujood. Mehdiyyah Jafri (Jafar s sister): Molana, this is another issue (the first issue was Taraweeh, please refer to the Taraweeh dialogue) I and my brother always have arguments about, but unfortunately because my own knowledge is not too deep, I am unable to convince him. Can you please help me out here and convince him to use Turbah. Agha Mahdavi: There is nothing to argue or debate here. All our Shia Fuqahaa are agreed that Sajdah is not permissible on anything other than the earth and what grows from it provided it is not eaten or worn. In fact, some of our past Fuqahaa have even claimed Ijmaa (consensus) on this matter. 1 Jafar: That Ijmaa is not free from Ishkaal. Sayyid Murthadhaa Alamul Hudaa (the brother of Sayyid Radhi) and Allama Hilli were among the great Fuqahaa of the Imaamiyyah Shia, and they considered Sujood on fabrics like cotton and linen (which are worn by people) to be permissible. 1. Agha Mehdavi is most probably referring to Saahibul Jawaahir Allama Mohammad Hasan al-najafi; see his: Jawaahirul Kalaam, vol. 8, pg P a g e

6 Agha Mahdavi: Only as a matter of Karaaha (i.e they considered it Makrooh). Mehdiyyah: Okay..wait wait wait..what do you mean matter of Karaaha, like what does that even mean? Agha Mahdavi: It is mentioned in our books that Sayyid Murtadha and Allama Hilli are reported to have considered this a matter of Karaaha, which means they believed doing Sajdah on items such as cotton and linen which grow from the earth but are worn by people to be permissible but Makrooh, and not outright impermissible as other Ulama do. 2 Jafar: There goes the alleged Ijmaa, because this proves that it was not exactly an Ijmaa, at least not a proper one. I mean if two great Shia giants of the caliber of Sayyid Murtadha and Allama Hilli didn t consider Sajdah on items that are worn by people such as cotton and linen to be anything other than Makrooh, then that really means that there is no real Ijmaa on this issue. And bear in mind, the fact that they considered it Makrooh means that they didn t prefer it, but still considered it Mubaah (permissible) despite their dislike for it. So how can you forbid us from doing something which is permissible? Agha Mahdavi: Fine. We respect the opinion of Sayyid Murtadha and Allama Hilli, but we don t accept it because we have a long list of narrations from the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt prohibiting Sujood on items that are eaten or worn or that don t grow from the earth. In fact, one could argue there are Mutawaatir ( numerous enough to be certain) narrations on this subject. Jafar: As our respected Allama Mohammad Kadhim Najafi always reminds us, a narration cannot be Mutawaatir unless all the individual chains on the basis of which Tawaatur is being claimed are authentic and free from defects. I doubt if that is the case with the Riwaayaat on this issue. Agha Mahdavi: Well, I think we have numerous Saheeh (authentic) narrations on this subject. 2. See: Al Hadaaiq al-naadhirah by Allama Yusuf al-bahrani, vol 7, pg. 249 (Najaf Edition), and Jawaahirul Kalaam by Sheikh Mohammad Hasan al-najafi (Seventh Edition), vol. 8, pg P a g e

7 Jafar: Why don t you present them? Luckily Allama Najafi is with us, and he ll let us know what the scholars of Ilme Rijaal have to say about the reliability of those narrations. Agha Mahdavi: I d be happy to. Let me bring out my copy of volume three of Wasaailu Shia. This volume has a whole Baab (Section) containing narrations from the Imams regarding what Sajdah can be done on and what it cannot be done on. There are many narrations but I will present only those which I regard the most authentic and clear narrations on this issue. HADITH 1: Agha Mehdavi (continues): The first narration I would like to cite to prove my point is this one from Volume 3 of Wasaailu Shia: هشام بن الحكم أن ه قال ألبي عبد هللا عليه السالم : أخبرني عما يجوز السجود عليه وعما ال يجوز قال: السجود ال يجوز إال على األرض أو على ما أنبتت األرض إال ما أكل أو لبس فقال له: جعلت فداك ما العلة في ذلك قال :ألن السجود خضوع هلل عزوجل فال ينبغي أن يكون على ما يؤكل ويلبس ألن أبناء الدنيا عبيد ما يأكلون ويلبسون والساجد في سجوده في عبادة هللا عزوجل فال ينبغي أن يضع جبهته في سجوده على معبود أبناء الدنيا الذين اغتروا بغرورها الحديث 6 P a g e وسائل الشيعة ج ٣ باب ١ من أبواب ما يسجد عليه الحديث ١ Agha Mehdavi: As you can see Imam Sadiq (As) clearly says Sujood cannot be performed on anything except the earth and what grows from it except that which is eaten or warn, and he also explains the reason behind this law, stating that this is so because Sujood must be performed with Khusoo (humility), and that is why Sujood should not be done on things which are eaten or worn, because the people of the Dunya worship things which are eaten and worn, and hence it is not proper to do Sajdah on them. This is Saheeh narration according to our teachers in Qum, and its message is very clear. It also presents us with the rationale behind the prohibition. What more evidence do you want? Jafar: I want to know if it can be proven that Imam Sadiq (as) actually said this )from the Rijaali point of view(. If it can be proved, this discussion is over, and I will start using Turbah from now on, because I consider myself to be a follower of Imam Sadiq (As).

8 Mehdiyyah (Turning to Allama Najafi): Are you familiar with this narration? Allama Najafi: More than I am familiar with my son. Jafar: So what do you have to say about its Sanad? ANALYSIS OF HADITH 1: Allama Najafi (Turning to Agha Mehdavi): Do you have the Sanad of this narration in front of you? Agha Mehdavi (looking into his ipad): I don t see the full Sanad in Wasaailu Shia over here. It just says Sadooq has narrated it with his Isnaad from Hishaam bin Hakam. Allama Najafi: Yes, you won t find the full Sanad in Wasaail. Instead you will have to search for it in Ilalu Sharai, which I happen to have with me here. (Brings out Ilalu Sharaai by Sheikh Sadooq) Okay, here is the narration with its full sanad as provided by Sheikh Sadooq in his book 3 and by Allamah Majlisi in Bihaarul Anwaar 4 : العلل : عن علي بن أحمد عن محمد بن جعفر االسدي عن محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي عن علي بن عباس عن عمر بن عبدالعزيز عن هشام بن الحكم قال : قلت ألبي عبدهللا عليه السالم : أخبرني عما يجوز السجود عليه وعما اليجوز قال : السجود ال يجوز إال على االرض أو ما أنبتت االرض إال ما اكل أو لبس فقلت له : جعلت فداك ما العلة في ذلك قال : الن السجود هو الخضوع هلل عزوجل فال ينبغي أن يكون على ما يؤكل ويلبس الن أبناء الدنيا عبيد مايأكلون ويلبسون والساجد في سجوده في عبادة هللا عزوجل فال ينبغي أن يضع جبهته في سجوده على معبود أبناء الدنيا الذين اغتروا 3. See: Ilalu al Sharaa I by Sheikh Sadooq, vol. 2. pg See: 7 P a g e

9 والسجود على االرض أفضل النه أبلغ في التواضع والخضوع هلل بغرورها عزوجل. Ali bin Ahmad bin Musa Allama Najafi: Here is the Sanad of the narration as provided by Sheikh Sadooq in his book Ilaalu Sharaa i: عن عن علي بن أحمد عن محمد بن جعفر االسدي عن عباس عن عمر بن عبد العزيز عن هشام بن الحكم. محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي علي بن The first narrator from whom Sadooq receives this narration is Ali bin Ahmad bin Musa, who is Majhool (unknown) as per the testimony of our teacher Sayyid Khui in volume 16 of his Mujam Rijal al Hadith: وطريق الصدوق إليه: علي بن أحمد بن موسى ومحمد بن أحمد السنانى والحسين بن إبراهيم بن أحمد بن هشام المكتب رضي هللا عنهم عن محمد بن أبي عبدهللا الكوفي عن محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكى والطريق غير صحيح الن مشايخ الصدوق المذكورين لم يرد فيهم توثيق. 5 This alone is sufficient to render this narration dhaeef (weak and unacceptable), but because I want to show you that this narration is not simply dhaeef, but actually dhaeef jiddan (i.e. extremely weak), I will share with you some info about other narrators in it as well. Abul Husain Muhammad bin Jafar Abi Abdillah Aun Al Asadi al Koofi After Ali bin Ahmad who is Majhool, the next narrator in the chain is:»أبو الحسين م ح م د ب ن جعفر أ ب ي ع ب د هللا عون األسدي الكوفي«Agha Mehdavi: What problem could you possibly have with Mohammad bin Jafar? After all, even al-najaashi has declared him to be trustworthy! P a g e

10 Allama Najafi: Well, you have to read what Najaashi says in full. Here s what he says: "]قال النجاشي عنه )ص 289([: "...روى عن الضعفاء وكان يقول بالجبر والتشبيه". كتب حمزة بن القاسم بن علي بن حمزة العلوي أبو يعلى كتابا في الرد على م ح م د ب ن جعفر األسدي 1 ". As you can see, Al-Najaashi states that although Mohammad bin Ja far al- Asadi was himself a trustworthy narrator, yet he used to take narrations from discredited and weak narrators, and was a believer in Jabr and Tashbeeh (meaning that he was deviant in his Aqeedah). This means we must be careful of his narrations and examine the links from which he gets his narrations. Muhammad Bin Ismael al Barmaki So let us see if he has received this narration from trustworthy narrators or not. The next narrator in the chain is: محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي Agha Mehdavi: This narrator is Thiqah (truthworthy) according to al- Najaashi, if I am not mistaken. Allama Najafi: Yes, this narrator has been authenticated by Al-Najaashi, however, Ibn al-ghadhaairi has discredited him and declared him to be Dhaeef (weak). Agha Mehdavi: Yes but both Allamah Hilli and your teacher Sayyid Khui were inclined towards accepting the view of Al-Najaashi in this matter. Allama Najafi: But according to our teacher Sayyid Seestani s Manhaj, this narrator would have to be considered as weak due to the fact that he (i.e. Sayyid Seestani) considers Ibn al-ghadhaairi s testimony to be weightier than that of Al-Najaashi. Furthermore, this chain will still be dhaeef, even according to the Manhaj of our teacher Sayyid Khui, because the Tareeq of Sheikh Sadooq to this narrator is dhaeef due to the presence of Majaheel (Unknown narrators) in it. 9 P a g e

11 See for yourself the testimony our teacher Sayyid Khui in his Mujam Vol 16: وطريق الصدوق إليه: علي بن أحمد بن موسى ومحمد بن أحمد السنانى والحسين بن إبراهيم بن أحمد بن هشام المكتب رضي ه للا عنهم عن محمد بن أبي عبد ه للا الكوفي عن محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكى والطريق غير صحيح ال هن مشايخ الصدوق المذكورين لم يرد فيهم توثيق 6 Ali bin Abbas The next narrator in the chain is: علي بن عباس الر از ي «الذي قال عنه الغضائري: "علي بن العباس )7(»ع ل ي ب ن ع ب اس ال خ ر اذ ين ي الجراذيني أبو الحسن الرازي مشهور له تصنيف في الممدوحين والمذمومين يدل على خبثه وتهالك مذهبه ال ي ل ت ف ت إليه وال ي ع ب أ بما رواه" )8(. وقال عنه النجاشي في رجاله: "ر م ي بالغلو و غ م ز عليه ضعيف جدا " )9(. وعد ه العالمة الحلي وابن داود في عداد الضعفاء. As you can see, this narrator has been discredited by Ibn al-ghadhaairi who indicates that this man was wicked and of a corrupt belief. Ibn al- Ghadhaairi further warns that none of his narrations should be given any attention and no value should be attached with them, rather they should be disregarded. Al-Najaashi further testifies that this narrator was accused of Ghuluww and discredited for it, and also says that he is very weak. Allamah Hilli and Ibn Dawood also count him among the weak narrators of Hadith. Sayyid Khui also recapitulates these testimonies in his entry on this narrator in his Mu jam Vol 13: 6. هكذا جاء في نسخة الكافي لكنه ذ ك ر في كتب الرجال باسم: "ال ج ر اذ ين ي " بالجيم بدال من الخاء. )الم ت ر ج م ( رجال ابن الغضائري ج 4 ص 202. )الم ت ر ج م ( رجال النجاشي ص 255. )الم ت ر ج م ( 10 P a g e ) 7 ( ) 8 ( ) 9 (

12 علي بن العباس الخراذيني )الجراذيني): قال النجاشي: " علي بن العباس الخراذيني الرازي: رمي بالغلو وغمز عليه ضعيف جدا له كتاب اآلداب و )المروات( وكتاب الرد على السلمانية طائفة من الغالة. أخبرنا الحسين بن عبيد هللا عن ابن أبي رافع عن محمد بن يعقوب عن محمد بن الحسن الطائي الرازي قال: حدثنا علي بن العباس بكتبه كلها." وقال ابن الغضائري: " علي بن العباس الجراذيني أبو الحسن الرازي: مشهور له تصنيف في الممدوحين والمذمومين يدل على خبثه وتهالك في مذهبه ال يلتفت إليه وال يعبأ بما رواه." روى عن الحسن بن راشد وروى عنه محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي. الكافي: الجزء 1 كتاب التوحيد 3 باب الحركة واالنتقال 19 الحديث 1. Umar bin Abdil aziz The next narrator in the chain is:»ع م ر ب ن ع ب د ال ع زيز «قال عنه النجاشي والك ش ي إنه م خل ط ]أو مختلط[ وكذ اب يروي المناكير. As you can see, Najaashi and Kasshi both discredited this narrator, and others have also discredited him on grounds of being a Mukhallit (i.e. one who mixes up) and a Kazzab (serial, inveterate liar). Therefore, this narration is dhaeef jiddan (very severely weak) on grounds of the weaknesses which have been highlighted above. In fact it is a classic example of narrations that are so weak, they must be immediately discarded. Agha Mehdavi: Then how come despite all these weaknesses, our learned teacher Ayatullah Sheikh Muslim al-dawuri has declared this narration to be Saheeh? Allama Najafi: This just goes to show you how weak some of these modern manaahij are, and how lenient some of these Rijaalists are. They are so obsessed with authenticating narrations by any means even if they have severe defects in their chains. 11 P a g e

13 Agha Mehdavi: But can t we apply the Manhaj of Ta weedh to authenticate this narration? Allama Najafi: I don t think so. Look at the alternate Isnaad for this as given by our teacher Sayyid Khui: وكيف كان فطريق الصدوق إليه: أبوه ومحمد بن الحسن : رضي هللا عنهما عن سعد بن عبد هللا والحميرى جميعا عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن علي بن الحكم ومحمد بن أبي عمير جميعا عن هشام بن الحكم. 10 For this narration, even the Manhaj of Ta weedh cannot be applied to rescue it, because Sadooq s main Tareeq to Hisham bin al-hakam is also not free from Ishkaal, although it has been authenticated by some scholars of Rijaal. Agha Mehdavi: What s wrong with the alternative chain? At this point, Bushra Mehjabeen, who is a student of Ayatullah Borqei, enters the discussion. Ali bin al Hakam Bushra Mehjabeen: Our teacher Ayatullah Borqei was of the opinion that Ali bin al-hakam is not a reliable transmitter of Hadith as can be seen from the fact that a number of Khuraafaat have reached us on his authority, such as the narration which says that the Quran which was brought down by Jibreel on the Prophet (SAWW) had 17, 000 verses in it! 11 Mehdiyyah: What the heck! You ve got to be kidding me Bushra. The Quran we have today has only around 6000 odd verses. So that means 11,000 verses are missing?! Naaah Al Kaafi is one of our most important books. It can t have a narration claiming Tahreef (Change in Quran) See Al Kaafi by Sheikh Kulyani, vol. 2, pg. 634, Hadith no. 28 (Kitaab Fadhl al Quran). 12 P a g e

14 Mubasshira: Unfortunately, that s what the narration in Al Kaafi implied, and I can show it to you. (Brings out her ipad and hands it to Mehdiyya). Agha Mahdavi (whispers to Allama Najaf): Imagine how much more shocked she will be when she finds out that a Shia scholar like Allama Majlisi has graded this Hadith as Muwatthaq (Reliable) and has based his Aqeedah on it! Allama Najafi: (whispers back) That is why I have been saying for such a long time that we need to publish gradings of Hadith along with the books of Hadith, otherwise our youth will be led astray by the plethora of false narrations that are to be found in our books. But your Iranian scholars don t allow such books to be circulated. 12 Agha Mahdavi: We trust our leadership. They probably know what s best for the public. If researches like those by Allama Bahboodi s get published and receive wide circulation, a lot of our long-standing beliefs and practices will come into question, and that will open a Pandora s box of questions from the public. We have fear of the consequences, and that constrains us. Allama Najafi: So what is your solution? Suppress and ban such research? Well, in that case, so many youths who read our books of Hadith will get led astray, and you will be answerable for that on the day of Judgement. Mehdiyyah (recovering from her shock after seeing the verse Hadith in Al Kaafi): Okay, can we come back to our discussion. Mubasshira: In any case, this narration which says the Quran has verses in it is clearly a false Hadith because it contradicts the Quran 13, and it has Ali bin Hakam in its chain, and for this reason, Ayatullah Sayyid Abul 12. Allama Najafi is referring to the case of Allama Mohammad Baqir al-bahboodi s book Saheeh al-kaafi in which he had attempted to filter out all the false and weak narrations from Al Kaafi, but unfortunately, instead of welcoming his research work, the Iranian authorities placed a ban on it and forcefully took it off the market. Perhaps they feared that that this work would make the public aware of the falsity of many Ahadith on which their Aqeedah and practices are based. 13. See: The Quran: 15: P a g e

15 Fadhl Ibn al-ridhaa al Bur qai al-qummi discredited him and rejected his narrations in his book on Al-Kaafi. 14 HADITH 2: Agha Mehdavi: Okay, so this first narration is clearly dhaeef, at least in light of the evidence Allama Najafi has presented. But let me read out some more narrations from Wasaail: صحيحة حماد بن عثمان عن أبي عبد هللا أن ه قال: السجود على ما أنبتت األرض إال ما أكل أو لبس. And by his isnad from Hammad b. `Uthman from Abu `Abdillah that he said: Sujud is upon what grows from the earth except for what is eaten or worn. ANALYSIS OF HADITH 2: Allama Najafi: I am sorry to say this narration is not reliable either. Ya qoob bin Yazeed Here is the Isnaad of Sheikh Sadooq to Hammad bin Uthmaan (the narrator of the narration you just presented): فطريق الصدوق إلى حماد بن عثمان: أبوه - رضى هللا عنه - عن سعد بن عبد هللا والحميري جميعا عن يعقوب بن يزيد عن محمد بن أبي عمير عن حماد بن عثمان. وطريقه وطريق الشيخ إلى حماد بن عثمان الناب صحيح. Bushra: I can see why Allama Najafi has a problem with this narration. Ya qoob bin Yazeed was an agent of the Banu Abbas. He has also been discredited by our teacher Ayatullah Sayyid Abul Fadhl Ibn al-ridha al- Bur qai al-qummi due to the fact that he narrates Khuraafaat, and even 14. See: Ardh Akhbaril Usool alal Qur aani wal Uqool by Ayatullah Burqai, vol. 1, pg P a g e

16 Allamah Majlisi admitted in Mir aatul Uqool that the narrations of this narrator are closer to fairytales. See for yourself: ولكننا نرى أن سنده ساقط من االعتبار لوجود «أ ح م د ب ن م ح م د ب ن خ ال د البرقي «فيه. وراويه اآلخر»ي ع ق وب ب ن ي ز يد «حاله ليس جيدا أيضا وفيما يلي نعرف بحاله: 2»ي ع ق وب ب ن ي ز يد الكاتب«أحد العاملين في بالط بني العباس ي عرف باسم»أبو دلف«. أحاديثه خرافية. من جملة ذلك الحديث 5 من الباب 172 من كتاب الكافي الذي روى فيه أن اإلمام الصادق ق ال : "إ ن ال ح س ن ق ال إ ن ل ل ه م د ين ت ي ن إ ح د اه م ا ب ال م ش ر ق و األ خ ر ى ب ال م غ ر ب ع ل ي ه م ا س ور م ن ح د يد و ع ل ى ك ل و اح د م ن ه م ا أ ل ف أ ل ف م ص ر اع و ف يه ا س ب ع ون أ ل ف أ ل ف ل غ ة ي ت ك ل م ك ل ل غ ة ب خ ال ف ل غ ة ص اح ب ه ا و أ ن ا أ ع ر ف ج م يع الل غ ات و م ا ف يه م ا و م ا ب ي ن ه م ا و م ا ع ل ي ه م ا ح ج ة غ ي ر ي و غ ي ر ال ح س ي ن أ خ ي!!" )15(. ال يخفى أن الم ج ل س ي بعد أن ذكر توجيهات م ت ك ل ف ة لهذه الرواية واضحة البطالن اضطر في النهاية إلى االعتراف قائال : "وهذه الكلمات شبيهة بالخرافات وتصحيح النصوص واآليات ال يحتاج إلى ارتكاب هذه التكل فات وهللا يعلم حقائق العوالم والموجودات" )16(. HADITH 3: Agha Mehdavi: Okay what about this narration: ومنها: صحيحة الحلبي قال: قال أبو عبد هللا عليه السالم : عليه فأخذ كفا من حصى فجعله على البساط ثم سجد. دعا أبي بالخمرة فأبطأت ANALYSIS OF HAIDH 3 Mohammad bin Sinaan Allama Najafi: This narration is manifestly dhaeef due to the presence of Mohammad bin Sinaan, who is Dha`eef (Weak) according to Al-Toosi 17 as well as Al-Najaashee 18, and of course, our teacher Ayatullah Seestani s favourite Rijalist, Ibn Al-Ghadhaa iree Usul al Kaafi, Vol 1, Pg Miraat al Uqool (daar al kutub edition) Vol 5 pg See his Fihrist, pg. 407, person # 620, and his Rijaal, pg. 364, person # See his Rijaal, pg. 328, person # See his Kitaab al-dhu aafaa pg. 92, person # P a g e

17 Jafar: Agha Mahdavi, if you don t have any more narrations, then I would like to say a few words. Agha Mahdavi: Well, there are many more narrations like this, but what I have presented so far are the ones I thought were the strongest. If these are weak, as Allama Najafi s analysis has shown, then the rest are probably even weaker, so there is really no point in presenting them, I guess. Jafar: I think Allama Najafi s analysis has conclusively proven that these narrations which were presented are manifestly dhaeef and therefore cannot be relied upon. We can go on for the whole evening like this analyzing narrations. But here is what I know: the narrations that say Sujood is not permissible on anything other than the earth and what grows from it except that which is eaten and worn can t be true not just because they are dhanniyul wurood (i.e. their chains are weak and it cannot be proven 100 per cent that they have come from the Imams themselves and not some fabricator/inventor of Hadith) as Allama Najafi has shown, BUT also for a second reason: namely, because we have equally dhanni narrations saying the opposite, i.e. that it is okay and permissible to perform Sujood on things that grow from the earth even if they are eaten or worn, and even when one is not under Taqiyyah and is under no compulsion to do so! Mehdiyyah: Wow..I never knew such narrations existed. I would be very curious to hear about them. How come you never shared them with me before? Jafar: You don t ever hear me out in full. You just argue with me, and when I start presenting my evidences, you run away saying this is all too complicated for me. Mahdiyya: Well, I don t listen to you because I know I am not qualified to judge the evidences you present. But since scholars are present here, I would very much love to hear your evidences and see what the scholars have to say about them. 16 P a g e

18 Jafar: Okay, here are a couple that I found during the course of my research. Interestingly, they are from the same book of Hadith Agha Mahdavi was quoting from, i.e. Wasaailu Shia. NARRATIONS SAYING THE OPPOSITE (I.E. THAT SAJDAH IS PERMISSIBLE ON OTHER SUBSTANCES): There is a narration is Wasaailu Shia itself (vol 3) which indicates that the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt (As) considered Sujood permissible on fabrics which were worn and used in carpets: HADITH 1 See for yourself: رواية ياسر الخادم قال: مر بي أبو الحسن عليه السالم وأنا أصلي على الطبري وقد ألقيت عليه شيئا أسجد عليه فقال لي: مالك ال تسجد عليه أليس هو من نبات األرض Yasir al Khadim narrates that Imam Ridha (as) passed by him while he was praying on a Tabari mat, and he (i.e. Yasir) had put something on it for Sujood (because it seems he was also under the impression that it is not okay to do Sajdah on the Tabari mat directly since it is made of materials worn by people). So Imam asked him: why don t you perform Sujood on it (i.e. on the Tabari mat directly)? Does it not grow from the earth? Mehdiyyah: Okay..hold on a second. What is a Tabari mat? Allama Najafi: Scholars have differed on the actual meaning of the Tabari mat. Some say it was a mat that was specially made in Tabristan. Others have maintained that it was a mat made out of linen which came from Tabristan. There are some others who have said that the Tabari mat was a type of carpet that was made with a mixture of cotton and other fabrics. Mehdiyya: So hold on a second. We know that cotton and linen are not suitable for Sajdah because they are worn by people, so how come Imam Ridha (as) told his servant to pray on it? 17 P a g e

19 Jafar: That s exactly my point. If it was not permissible to perform Sujood on fabrics like cotton and linen or carpets, how come Imam Ridha (as) encouraged his servant to Sajdah on it, and discouraged him from putting something else on it with the aim of doing Sajdah on it? Unless you argue the narration is not authentic? Allama Najafi: My opinion on this narration is that Agha Mahdavi (interrupts him): I won t challenge this narration on grounds of Sanad because it is Mu tabar (authentic), at least according to our teachers in Qum. But my problem is that it is not Qatiyyu Dalaalah, i.e. we cannot be certain about what the Tabari mat was made of, because as Allama Najafi pointed out scholars have differed over its meaning. May be it was made of fabrics that are not generally worn by people. Jafar: If we go into the realm of maybe, it would not be wrong, and perhaps quite likely that the problem of not doing Sajdah on items worn or eaten is preceisely that i.e. you don t do sajdah on a shirt or fruit, but can on the material that it is made from, because ultimately everything comes from the earth. Even we humans, ourselves, are made of clay. And reed mats and cotton mats both come from the earth ultimately, and in fact in the olden days, people wore clothes made from bark and reed. So the whole idea of not doing sajdah on a material worn or eaten can only be guaranteed in exclusivity to specifically a final clothing item or food item, not its source. HADITH 2 Jafar: In any case, I have another narration to support my argument which doesn t leave any room for confusion. This is also from Wasaailu Shia. In fact, it is the Hadith just after the Hadith we were discussing right now. Here it is: رواية داود الصرمي قال: سألت أبا الحسن الثالث عليه السالم هل يجوز السجود على القطن والكتان من غير تقية فقال: جائز Dawood al-sarmi says: I asked Abul Hasan (as), the third, is it permissible to perform Sajdah on cotton and linen even if one is not under Taqiyyah (i.e. fear for one s life)? The Imam (as) replied: it is Jaaiz (permissible). 18 P a g e

20 As you can see, this narration is Qatiyyu Dalaalah, i.e. it is clear and explicit. The narrator doesn t ask him about the permissibility of Sujood on a Tabari mat which may or may not have cotton or linen in it, but rather the narrator directly and explicitly asks him about the permissibility of Sujood on cotton and linen. The Imam clearly says: It is Jaaiz (permissible)! Agha Mehdavi: Okay I accept this narration is much more clear than the previous one. I am aware that we have multiple narrations from the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt (as) permitting us to perform Sujood on cotton, linen, and carpets, but we believe the Imams permitted that for situations in which you are in Taqiyyah. Jafar: I think we need to reconsider the whole scheme of Taqiyyah. One could easily claim that whenever a hadith ruling is to the dislike of a scholar, he deems that to be Taqiyyah. What is the basis for deeming Taqiyyah? It almost is as if the Imams lied sometimes infront of others and told truth in front of others, and this tarnishes the reputation of our Imams. The purpose of Imams is to guide and make things clear, not to sow confusion. It appears to me as if the Imams in fact always guided, but the scholars were not willing to abandon certain suspect narrators, so instead they put the burden on the Imam by declaring Taqiyyah (as a guestimate without any concrete evidence) and by doing so did a great injustice on the Imams by inadvertently tarnishing their reputation. In any case Molana, you can t argue Taqiyyah here. Look at the text of this narration carefully. The narrator is careful to ask the Imam using the term غير تقية,من which means: is it permissible for one to perform Sajdah on cotton or linen EVEN IF ONE IS NOT UNDER TAQIYYAH. So the narrator makes it clear to the Imam that the question is meant for a situation when no Taqiyyah is required, and the Imam s answer is: yes, even if you are safe and there is no need for Taqiyyah even then in normal peaceful circumstances, you can also perform Sujood on cotton, linen and similar fabrics which are worn by people. Agha Mahdavi: Pardon me. I had failed to notice the term من غير تقية in the narration. I guess this narration is very clear and does not leave any room for ambiguity. 19 P a g e

21 Agha Mahdavi (to Allama Najafi): However, don t you have reservations about Dawood al-sarami, who is the principal narrator of this narration, given that we don t have any special Tawtheeq for him? Allama Najafi: Yes, but he has appeared in the Asaneed of Nawaadirul Hikmah, so as far as I and my teachers at Najaf are concerned, this narration is Mu tabar (reliable). Even your teachers at Qum consider Dawud al-sarami to be reliable. So there is no issue here with the Sanad. Mehdiyyah: Agha Mahdavi, do you still have any reservations about the authenticity of this narration? Agha Mahdavi: Well, as Allama Najafi mentioned, both our teachers consider Dawud al-sarami reliable. According to Ayatullah Sheikh Muslim al-dawuri, the Asaaneed of these narrations are Mu tabar since both Yasir al-khaadim and Dawood al-sarmi have been authenticated by their inclusion in the Asaaneed of Tafseerul Qummi and Nawaadirul Hikmah respectively. So according to the Manhaj we follow in Ilme Rijaal, we cannot dismiss these narrations as unreliable. HADITH 3 Jafar: So this was one reliable narration according to the method of your teachers regarding the permissibility of performing Sujood on fabrics which are worn by people. I also have another one which is also from Wasaailu Shia: رواية الحسين بن علي بن كيسان قال: كتبت إلى أبي الحسن الثالث: أسأله عن السجود على القطن والكتان من غير تقية وال ضرورة فكتب: ذلك جائز Husayn bin Ali bin Kaysaan says: I wrote to Imam Abil Hasan the third asking if Sujood is permissible on cotton and linen, even when one is not in Taqiyyah, and has no need for it. The Imam (as) wrote back replying: That is permissible. 20 P a g e

22 This narration is very clear and explicit in terms of its meaning (i.e. it is Qat iyyu Dalaalah). Agha Mahdavi: Yes, but its Sanad is not free from Ishkaal because of the presence of Al-San aani, who is Majhool. Allama Najafi: But hasn t he also appeared in the Asaaneed of Nawaadirul Hikmah? Agha Mahdavi: You are right, he has, so I guess we have to accept him as authentic, because he was not excluded by Sheikh Mohammad bin al-hasan in Nawaadirul Hikmah. (Note: Personally we feel this Qummi/Najafi authentication is questionable, because the narrator who appears in the Isnaad of Nawaadirul Hikmah is al-hasan bin Ali bin Kaysaan, not al-husayn, but the Qummis needed to rescue him, so they argued that it might be an error in writing, and so assuming that is the case, then the narration is authentic, at least, by their Qummi standards, so it is Hujjah against them at the very least. ) 21 P a g e

23 CONCLUSION Jafar: Okay, so I am going to sum up this discussion. We have no Qatiyy (concrete/conclusive) proof that the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt (as) ever banned Sajdaah on things that can be eaten or worn except for narrations that are dhaeef and dhanniyyul wurood. In any case, there is nothing for the claim of the Shia Fuqahaa against it except for Dhanni evidence, therefore, we conclude that it is Mubaah at the very least, and this is the most moderate and balanced position. No one has the right to say that it is Haraam or that it invalidates the prayer, because we don t have any solid Daleel for that. Agha Mahdavi: But what do you say about the fact that almost all the a Maraaje today uphold the ban on performing Sujood on materials which can be eaten or worn? Jafar: If their opinion was based on the authentic teachings of our Imams (As), then of course we would follow it. But if this discussion has done anything, it has conclusively proven that people lied against our Imams, and then took those lies and attributed them to the Imams to make it look like the Imams were against what the rest of the Ummah is doing. The Ghulaat wanted make the Shia separate from the rest of the Ummah so they tried their best to attribute things to the Imams which were different from what the rest of the Ummah was doing so that the followers of the Imams would be deceived by those false narrations and start doing those things differently from the rest of the Ummah, and that way the separation between them and the rest of the Ummah would be sealed and it would become irreversible. Agha Mahdavi: But Jafar, you are forgetting something very important. If we remove restrictions such as the praying upon the Turbah, then the laity will become accustomed to visiting the mainstream Muslim masajid. They might get misguided by what they hear there, and might even digress from some of our core tachings due the constant interaction with the other side. Jafar: On the contrary, with all due respect, I believe that truth and justice trumps any narrow interest to ensure domination of beliefs by trying to prevent our people from joining the mainstream Muslims in worship. After all, is that not what Unity is all about? And the Prophet and the Imams did urge all Muslims to be united together. And furthermore, only those who are not confident in what they have, should be fearful of interaction. If we are Truth-seekers, then there are only two options: examine critically and if it 22 P a g e

24 turns out we are true, stick to it, and if we are wrong, then adopt the Truth. The Truth must not be chosen based on sect or social community, but alone the merits alone. I know some Salafi brothers who constantly spread fear in their communities against listening to others for fear of misguidance. We need to be strong and not like them. If we are open to Truth on merit alone, we will have the higher ground, and more importantly protect our Akhirah. Mehdiyya: Wow, these discussions are so eye-opening. One final question.. So is there not even one of our scholars who is ready to break the taboo and come out clean on this? Jafar: In general, many fear to make public claims. But one of the recent reformist scholars, by the name of Ayatullah Sadeqi Tehrani, allowed prostration on carpet arguing that carpet is made of material that grows from earth, and no one wears the carpet, so there is no harm in prostrating on it. 23 P a g e