We hope that, here, we have proven beyond a doubt that the Prophet’s wives are indeed part of Ahlel Bayt.
The Quran specifically refers to the wives of the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) as Ahlel Bayt in the following verse:
“O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other of the women; If you will be on your guard, then be not soft in your speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease yearn; and speak a good word. And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance; and establish regular Prayer, and give regular Charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, you Ahlel Bayt (People of the House), and to make you pure and spotless.” (Quran, 33:32-33)
The transliteration reads: “Ya nisa al-nabiyi lastuna kahadin mina alnisa-i ini itaqaytuna fala takhdaAAna bialqawli fayatmaAAa allathee fee qalbihi maradun waqulna qawlan maAAroofan Waqarna fee buyootikunna wala tabarrajna tabarruja aljahiliyyati al-oola waaqimna alssalata waateena alzzakata waatiAAna Allaha warasoolahu innama yureedu Allahu liyuthhiba AAankumu alrrijsa Ahlul Bayt-i wayutahhirakum tatheeran” (Quran, 33:32-33)
Thus we hope that it has become clear that whoever slanders the Prophet’s wives and talks ill of them can be considered a Nasibi (hater of the Ahlel Bayt). The most beloved of the Prophet’s wives was Aisha (رضّى الله عنها). However, it, unfortunately, appears that a very important premise of Shi’ism is based upon slander against her, the Mother of the Believers and rightful member of the Ahlel Bayt.
Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) narrated a Hadith in which the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) specifically appointed Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) to lead the prayers as Imam during the Prophet’s sickness at the end of his life. The Sahabah (رضّى الله عنهم) and the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah rightfully interpreted this appointment to mean that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) appointed Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) as his successor, not Ali (رضّى الله عنه). The majority of the Shia admit that Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) was the Imam of the prayers during the Prophet’s last few days of life; however, they argue that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) had really appointed Ali (رضّى الله عنه) to lead the prayers, but that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) lied to the people by claiming that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) had appointed Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) to lead the prayers. Recently, there have been some Shia who have even gone to the extreme of denying known historical events by saying that Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) never led the prayers as Imam; they again accuse Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) of being a liar, and say that the Hadith about Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) leading the prayers were fabricated by Aisha (رضّى الله عنها).
Al-Tijani is a very popular Shia scholar and writer who recently published his best-selling book “Then I was Guided.” In this book, he says: “…either by his [Abu Bakr’s] daughter Aisha, whose position vis-a-vis Ali is well documented, and she tried hard to support her father, even by fabricating sayings [Hadith].” (Then I was Guided, p.141) Al-Tijani futher says: “…she [Aisha] played an important role in the denial of the Prophet’s will for Ali…” (Then I was Guided, p.119-120) This book can be found referenced on the popular Shia website Al-Islam.org, and it is at the forefront of the Shia dialogue with the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah; this viewpoint that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) fabricated Hadith to prove her father’s claim to Caliphate is accepted by Ijma (consensus) of all the Shia Ayatollahs and Maraje’ (high scholars).
Based on this, it is our understanding that the Shia opposition to Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) cannot be understated. It is the foundation block of Shi’ism that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) is a liar and a fabricator of Hadith. Without believing in this, the Shia would be forced to accept Abu Bakr’s (رضّى الله عنه) appointment as successor Imam and the entire belief of Ali (رضّى الله عنه) being the first Infallible Imam becomes implausible. Thus, the Shia are faced with two options: either they slander Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) and call her a liar, or they accept Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) and then rescind their claims that it was Ali (رضّى الله عنه) who was appointed as successor Imam by the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم).
The Shia claim to be the “followers of the Ahlel Bayt,” but the reality is apparently otherwise; had they followed the Ahlel Bayt (i.e. the Prophet’s wives), then they would have accepted Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) as the successor Imam to the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) and the Muslim Ummah would have remained united. The truth of the matter is that it is the Shia who are the Nasibis, because they hate the Prophet’s wives. The Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah loves the entire Ahlel Bayt, including the Prophet’s wives, all his children, Ali (رضّى الله عنه) and his family, etc., whereas the Shia only love one segment of the Ahlel Bayt and despise other parts of it.
Article Written By: Ibn al-Hashimi
