OMAR MURSALIN
Before I start this Article, I would like to clarify to all readers that I don’t intend on offending anyone’s views or their beliefs. This article is not about whether the film 'The Lady of Heaven' should be shown around the country, or even about freedom of speech, but simply both sides of the debate within the Islamic community surrounding the film’s content. However, it is difficult to be perfectly balanced and so some narrations included may be disputed and not accepted by both sides.
According to the Office for National Statistics, there are roughly 3,380,000 Muslims living in the UK [1]. Many of these Muslims living in the UK will come from different backgrounds and cultures, but nearly all of them will identify themselves as either Sunni or Shia. The Sunni / Shia divide is mostly around the Succession of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), and the different interpretations on certain events after the death of the Prophet (ﷺ). The majority of Shiites denounce the first three caliphs as usurpers of the office of the caliphate, which they believe Ali عليه السلام should have been the first to fill.
‘The Lady of Heaven’ was written by Yasser Al-Habib who is part of a minority group within the Shia community. The film attempts to show the history following the Prophet Muhammad’s (ﷺ) death. It generally goes against the Sunni view on this part of history, and likens the companions (رضي الله عنهما) of the Prophet (ﷺ) to terrorists and deviants, while within Sunni Islam, they are revered and admired for their bravery and love for the religion. The writer of the film, Yasser al-Habib has made books that attack figures of Sunni Islam such as “Obscenity: the other face of Aisha”(the Prophet’s wife) and “The Trial of the Second Tyrant: Conducted by Yasser Al-Habib Against the Tyrant Omar Bin Al-Khattab,” which attack the Ṣaḥāba (ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb & Abū Bakr) and the Wife of the Prophet (ﷺ), Aisha. While the majority of Shiites do agree with and support the film, The Grand Ayatollah, Iranian Shia marja' and religious leader Naser Makarem Shirazi has described the Author as: “an illiterate fool, non-clergy U.K citizen in the name of Shia (who) has insulted sacred matters of Sunni Muslim brothers” [2].
The Succession of the Prophet (ﷺ)
So the Shia hold the belief that the Umayyad caliphs were usurpers of the caliphate, which they call the imamate. They believe that this imamate is restricted to Ahl al-Bayt, or the family of the Prophet (ﷺ), his daughter Fatima, her husband Ali, and their two sons, al-Hasan and al-Husayn. This means that only Ali and his descendants, the Imams, were legitimate heirs and successors of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in leading the community of Islam.
The Prophet (ﷺ) says in a Hadith:
“The caliphate of Prophecy will last thirty years (the length of the al-Khilāfah ar-Rāshidah); then Allah will give the Kingdom to whom he wishes; or his kingdom to whom he wishes.”
After the Prophet’s (ﷺ) death, the new Caliph was Abū Bakr, who passed away on Monday 22nd Jumadal Ukhra 13AH at the age of 63, having ruled for a little over two years (or 27 months). This was followed by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, who was severely wounded on Wednesday, 26 Dhul Hijjah, and was laid to rest in the sacred Prophetic Chamber next to the Prophet (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr on Sunday, 1 Muharram-ul-Haram, 24 AH. His reign spanned approximately 10 years, 5 months, and 21 days. Then the caliphate of Uthmän occurred, which lasted for 12 years. He was martyred in the state of fasting, after the Asr prayer on Friday, 18 Dhul Hijjah, 35 AH. He was laid to rest in the prestigious Al-Baqi’ Cemetery in Madinah. After his death, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib became Caliph and ruled for roughly 6 years. It was the Friday night of 17th (оr 19th) Ramaḍān 40 AH, and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib woke up (at dawn) and was heading to the Mosque to pray. While he was on his way, calling the people for the Fajr Prayer, all of a sudden he was attacked by a man named Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljim, and a fatal strike of the sword washed his forehead until the temple and the sharp edge penetrated into his brain. After two days of this awful tragedy, Amīr al-Muʾminīn, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib passed away as a martyr.
Before his death, Sayyidunā ‘Ali and a few Companions are reported to have accompanied the Prophet (ﷺ) on a journey when He (ﷺ) asked, "Shall I not inform you of two of the most wretched people?"
They replied, "Please, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)”
He (ﷺ) said, "The first of them is the wretched man of red complexion from the tribe of Thamud, who hamstrung the she-camel of Salih (عليه السلام) . The second of them is the wretched man who shall strike you, O ‘Ali, with a sword, here and here - indicating towards his temple - until blood soaks this - indicating towards his beard. [3]
The Controversy of the Film
God Says: “And leading everyone, the first are the Muhajirs (The immigrants) and the Ansar (Those who helped the immigrants), and those who followed them with virtue - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has kept ready for them Gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide in it for ever and ever; this is the greatest success. ”
[5] (Muhajirs & Ansar are the two types of companions)
According to the film, the death of the Prophet (ﷺ) was due to the scheming of his wife (Aisha) and the “murder” of his beloved daughter Fatimah, was because of ‘Umar & Abū Bakr, and this is the foundation of all Shia theology. According to the Sunnis, The Prophet (ﷺ) died as a result of illness. Historians disagree when the Prophet (ﷺ) fell ill and how long the illness lasted. However, most agree that on the 20th or 22nd night of Safar 11 AH, the Prophet (ﷺ) went to Jannat al-Baqi during the middle of the night and upon returning, he felt slightly unwell. The the very last words spoken by the Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ) was “إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ” (Indeed, we belong to Allah and indeed to Him we shall return). Many of the Companions’ reactions are documented in history : an example is Sayyidunā Uthmän, who ran back and forth, here and there, saying nothing to anyone he met, nor listening to anything people said. Sayyidunā ‘Ali's grief rendered him physically unable to move, as though he had lost the strength to stand and walk. Sayyidunā 'Abd-Allah ibn Unays could not endure the sorrowful news and suffered a heart attack as a result. There is a difference of opinion amongst the historians regarding the ехасt date of demise. However, the Ulamāʾ of Sirah (Scholars of Prophetic Biography) unanimously agreed that it was a Monday in the month of Rabi al-Awwal. Nevertheless, it is most commonly held that the Prophet's (ﷺ) date of demise was Monday 12 Rabi' al-Awwal 11 AH, in the afternoon - and absolute knowledge is with God.
His daughter Fatimah was reported in Sunni sources to be deeply saddened after the death of her father (ﷺ) and was never seen to have smiled after his (ﷺ) demise. She passed away on a Tuesday night, 3 Ramadan 11 AH. Sayyidunā Abbas or Sayyidunā ‘Ali led her Janazah Prayer, and according to the soundest opinion of scholars, she was laid to rest in Jannah al-Baqi.
For the Sunnis, uprightness of the Sahaba entails that a Sahabi is the human being who was blessed with being present in the court of the Prophet (ﷺ) in the state of faith and who passed away in the state of faith. According to the Shia, the group of companions, such as Abu Bakr (who spent lengthy amounts of their lives with the Prophet (ﷺ)), all deviated, left the fold of Islam by rejecting tenets of faith, as well as abusing the Family of the Prophet (ﷺ) alongside tens of thousands of companions. However an argument can be made by Sunnis to explain why ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, who is described as ‘Karrār’ (i.e. the one striking back repeatedly), ‘Shayr-e-Khudā’ (i.e. the lion of Allah), did not fight back. There is an incident in the battle of Khyber, when someone made a strike at 'Ali. During this, his shield fell down. Nonetheless, he managed to reach the entrance of the fort. He unhitched the fortress door off the wall with his bare hands and used it as a shield for defence. He held the door firmly and continued to fight until he conquered the fort of Khyber. The door was said to be so heavy that even 40 people attempted to lift it after the battle but could not succeed [5] . We are told about his strength and courage throughout the Sunni & Shia works in these various battles, yet he didn’t stand up to ‘Umar & Abū Bakr (who allegedly killed his Father-in-law (ﷺ) and his Wife).
Within Sunni Islam, there is no documentation of hate between Ali and the Companions. Sayyidunā 'Umar has stated, “Sayyidunā 'Ali just holds three distinctions and even if one of them were awarded to me, it would be more beloved to me than red camels.” The companions then asked about these three distinctions. He said:
- “The Prophet (ﷺ) married his daughter Fāṭima-tuz-Zaĥrā to him.
- His residency was adjacent to that of the Most Beloved Prophet (ﷺ) inside Masjid-Nabawi and whatever was permissible for him inside the Masjid was his exclusivity.
- The flag of Islam was given to him in the battle of Khyber.” [6]
‘Ali is reported to have said: “The best of this Ummah after the Beloved Prophet (ﷺ) are Sayyidunā Abū Bakr and Sayyidunā ‘Umar” (Tareekh Ibn-e-‘Asakir, vol. 30, p. 346, selected). Imam Zahabi states that this statement has been reported via mass-transmission (Tawatur) (Tareekh-ul-Khulafa, p. 34). 'Ali is also believed to be from amongst the ‘Asharaĥ Mubashsharaĥ. The ‘Asharaĥ Mubashsharaĥ refers to the ten companions who were especially awarded with the glad tidings of Paradise by the Beloved Prophet (ﷺ). Sayyidunā ‘Abdur Raḥmān Bin ‘Awf reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, '‘Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Ušmān, ‘Alī, Ṭalḥaĥ, Zubayr, ‘Abdur Raḥmān Bin ‘Awf, Sa’d Bin Abī Waqqāṣ, Sa’īd Bin Zayd and Abū ‘Ubaydaĥ Bin Jarrāḥ are Jannati (destined for Paradise). [7]
There are also many interpretations of Ṣaḥāba (companions) mentioned in the Quran such as ‘Ali mentioned in [Dahr 76:8], ‘Umar mentioned in [Ahzab 33:22] and Abu Bakr in Surah Layl:
God says: “And very soon he will be kept far away from it (i.e. Hell) the one who is most pious. Who gives his wealth in order to become pure. And no one has done a (worldly) favour to him, for which recompense may be given in return. He desires only the pleasure of his Lord Who is Most High. And indeed, soon he will be very pleased [8] ”. Imam Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (A Sunni Polymath and Islamic Scholar) writes in Tafseer-e-Kabeer: “Khuda ikraam farmata hay atqaa keh kay Quran mayn Karayn phir kyun nah ikram atqiya Siddeeq Akbar ka” (‘the Quranic commentators are unanimous that this verse was revealed about the leader of the believers, Sayyidunā Abu Bakr Siddeeq’). [9]
Unity between the Groups
At the Al-Mahdi Institute (AMI) in Birmingham, a meeting was arranged between both Sunni & Shia Imams, because Yasser al-Habib (author of The Lady of Heaven) claimed that he and his film stood for Shia Islam during some of the demonstrations after the film's release. A declaration of unity was signed in an attempt to reduce sectarian tensions. Shaykh Arif Abdul Hussain (A Shia Scholar at the Al-Mahdi Institute) states: “Muslims need to stand as one body. They cannot be divided. In fact, when we study early history from the Shia perspective, even those who believe in the popular narrative will say that Imam Ali did not want to claim his right for the sake of the unity of the Ummah (Muslim Community). So the people who claim to follow the conduct of the Prophet, Imam Ali, and see Lady Fatima as that figure bringing about peace, have done the very contrary by releasing such a movie.” [10]
Imam Musharraf Hussain (A Sunni Imam) also states: “I think what this film has done - I hope - is given our Shia friends and Sunni friends [a chance] to actually work together to show that we are united against anything that threatens the unity of the Muslims … and the person who has the intention of sowing the seeds of hatred - and that is what this film is about really. Were it a critical, academic documentary to share the differences in a critical manner, I don’t think we would be sitting here and condemning it. The condemnation comes from the evil intention behind it, the motive which is really to hurt people and to incite people to hatred and to conflict.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is no surprise that the film has received backlash as well as support. Regardless of mine or anyone’s opinions towards the viewing of the film in the UK, we can definitely see that the film will cause more sectarian division between both groups, which is not what the Muslim community needs.
Notes & References
[1] Source: Annual Population Survey April 2017 to March 2018, weighted Person Weight APS 2017
[2] "The drop, Office of Sheikh Al-Habib in London - Sheikh al-Habib remarks on Naser Makarem Shirazi's statement". Alqatrah.net. Archived from the original on 25 October 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
[3] [al-Mustadrak - vol. 3, pgs. 140-1]
[4] [Taubah 9:100] - Kanz-ul Iman
[5] (Dalāil-un-Nubūwwaĥ lil-Bayĥaqī, vol. 4, pp. 212)
[6] (Al-Mustadrak, vol. 4, pp. 94, Ḥadīš 4689)
[7] This Hadith may be rejected by Shia Scholars
[8] [Layl 92:17-21] - Kanz-ul Iman
[9] (Tafseer-e-Kabeer, vol. 11, p. 187)
[10] Lady of Heaven: Sunni and Shia imams sign unity declaration → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UouM04nWvMY
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