Kenan Camurcu

Unless accounted for, Islam will not be able to continue its historical journey with a respected and reputable profile. In this religious culture, the axis of understanding revolves around individuals, not events and behaviors, despite religion issuing judgments based on good and bad actions. This religious culture, which considers the Prophet as a guarantor for individuals and makes individuals legitimized by this guarantee a criterion, imitating their behavior, is malignant.

In this system of guarantee, individuals are first purified and honored, made into references, and then all available information is adapted to fit this system. For example, a distorted type of religiosity that finds nothing problematic in the Sultan, titled "Conqueror," slaughtering innocents, including his infant brother, based on a fabricated narration praising the commander who would conquer Istanbul – and even deems it necessary for the sake of order – is a highly marginal and extreme example.

In the Ottoman state, the killing of brothers for power was formalized into an official rule by a document: the Fatih Kanunname (Kanunname-i Âli Osman). The idea that a prince ascending to the throne could execute his brothers, on the assumption that they might claim the throne and thus disrupt unity, was legislated with the fatwa (legal opinion) of the ulema (religious scholars) (Halaçoğlu, p. 6). The relevant article of the Kanunname, in which Sultan Mehmet constantly refers to himself with the honorific "my esteemed self," states: "Whosoever among my offspring should be granted sovereignty, it is fitting for them to kill their brothers for the order of the world (nizâm-ı âlem). The majority of the ulema have also sanctioned this. Let them act accordingly." (For the full text of the Kanunname: Özcan, pp. 29-51).

The defense of this horrific murder is one of the dogmas of political piety.

Let's briefly open a parenthesis here for the story that attributes the conquest of Istanbul to the Prophet as a sacred prophecy.

The Fragile Foundation of the Prophecy of Istanbul's Conquest

According to a narration, Abdullah b. Bishr al-Khas'ami (al-Ghanawi) reports from his father that the Prophet said: "Constantinople will certainly be conquered. What a wonderful commander its commander is, and what a wonderful army that army is." Following this, (Abdullah) says: "Maslamah b. Abd al-Malik called me and asked me (about this hadith). I narrated the hadith. Upon that, he set out for Constantinople that same year" (Ahmed b. Hanbal, hadith 18957).

The Companion narrating the tradition, Bishr al-Ghanawi, is the same person as Bishr b. Rabi'ah b. Amr al-Khas'ami mentioned in biographical sources (rijal). According to Ibn Hajar, he died in Damascus after witnessing the Battle of Qadisiyyah (Ibn Hajar, 1995: 1/439, entry 682 and 1/467, entry 769).

In an article published in the journal of the Presidency of Religious Affairs, while criticizing the hadith, the author touches upon its characteristic as a khabar al-ahad (wahid, single-person narration) and states that it nevertheless carries informational value (Kulat, pp. 5-7). However, the problem with the narration is not that it is narrated by a single person. There is a much greater problem, and it seems to have escaped the attention of the rijal scholars who evaluated the hadith, i.e., the biographers (and also the article's author). Or they ignored it. The major problem is the identity of Abdullah, the son of Bishr al-Khas'ami, who is the second narrator of the tradition.

The Diyanet's article states that Abdullah belonged to the second generation (Tabi'in) and died in 125 AH (742 CE). However, there is no death date in al-Dhahabi's Mizan al-I'tidal or Ibn Hajar's Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, which are cited as sources. The information about Abdullah b. Bishr al-Khas'ami (al-Ghanawi / al-Kufi / al-Katib) is contradictory. According to Ibn Hajar, he was from Kufa. His kunya (honorific by lineage) was Abu Umayr (Ibn Hajar, 2000: p. 494, entry 3249). Ibn Hajar disagrees with Tirmidhi and Nasa'i's view that there is no dispute regarding Abdullah's name, his father's name, and his lineage. This is because his name appears as both Abdullah and Ubaydullah. His ancestral origin could be either al-Khas'ami or al-Ghanawi. Likewise, whether his father's name was Bishr or Bashir is also disputed (Ibn Hajar, 1996: 1/721).

Abdullah is stated to have narrated from Jabala b. Humama, who narrated from Ali b. Abi Talib (Ibn Hibban, 2/150, entry 2256). However, there's a problem here too. If Jabala lived during the same period as Ali, who was martyred in 40 AH (661 CE), how old was Abdullah when he saw him, given that Abdullah died in 125 AH (742 CE)? Furthermore, Sufyan b. 'Uyaynah is said to have narrated from Abdullah (Abu al-Hajjaj al-Mizzi, 14/339, entry 3183). But since Sufyan, born in 107 AH (725 CE), moved to Mecca with his family at the age of 18 in 120 AH (737 CE) (Hatiboğlu, DİA, 38/28-29), he must have heard hadith from Abdullah, who died in 125 AH, at a young age. Moreover, despite so many names who narrated from Abdullah (Umayr b. Abdullah b. Bishr, Bishr b. Umayr b. Abdullah b. Bishr, Sufyan al-Thawri, Sufyan b. 'Uyaynah, Shu'bah b. Hajjaj) and those whom Abdullah narrated from (Jabala b. Humama, Urwa al-Bariqi, Abu Zurarah b. Amr b. Jarir), why can't we find the hadiths containing these narrators in the sources?

The situation is exceedingly enigmatic, and the biographical information in rijal sources further complicates matters.

In contrast, according to alternative historical information, Abdullah b. Bishr al-Khas'ami was among the companions of Imam Husayn and was martyred in Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE) (Tustari, 6/267, entry 4220). In this case, the question of why the narrations attributed to Abdullah, those he narrated, and those who narrated from him cannot be shown is answered, and the historical inconsistencies with the narrators are also explained.

Furthermore, the information at the end of the Constantinople narration in Ahmad's Musnad, stating that the governor of Medina, Maslamah b. Abd al-Malik, set out for Constantinople after asking Abdullah about the hadith, cannot be correct. This is because if Abdullah was martyred in 61 AH (680 CE), then Maslamah, who was born in 63 AH (683 CE), would not have seen him.

In short, the grand literature built upon the claim of the prophecy of Istanbul's conquest has no basis in reality. It is merely an interesting example of the madness that allows an imaginary story to lead to legal conclusions that legitimize infanticide.

The Theory of Companions Guaranteed by the Prophet

Similar examples of purification and guarantee are found in the era of the Companions. There are Companions who are believed to have gained exemption from the obligation of Islamic conduct because they were promised Paradise. In this conceptual world, it should not be surprising that the wrong and bad behaviors of these Companions transformed into religious rulings. However, what receives the Prophet's approval should only be good (salih) behavior. This approval is valid as long as the behavior continues, and it loses its confirmation when a mistake is made.

The Companions of the Prophet narrated many situations related to their own time. Sirah, Hadith, Rijal, and History books recorded all these narrations, and this rich material, with its errors and virtues, authentic and fabricated accounts, has reached us. So much so that we are aware of the fact that the Second Caliph Umar b. al-Khattab, during his caliphate, while reciting Surah Al Imran in his Friday sermon, upon reaching the verse "Those of you who turned back on the day when the two armies met" (Al Imran 155), reminded the congregation from the mosque pulpit that he had "fled to the top of the mountain like a goat" at the Battle of Uhud, and sources transmit this without seeing any problem. The narration goes: Umar b. al-Khattab was giving a sermon on Friday. When he reached the verse "The day when the two armies met" from Surah Al Imran, he said: "On the Day of Uhud, I fled to the top of the mountain. I looked like a goat. People were saying 'Muhammad has been killed.' I said: 'I will not see anyone who says Muhammad has been killed. Otherwise, I will kill him.' When we gathered on the mountain, the verse 'Those of you who turned back on the day when the two armies met' (Al Imran 155) was revealed" (Tabari, 2001: 6/172; Suyuti (4/81)).

It should be considered strange that the Second Caliph Umar b. al-Khattab threatened to kill those who, like him, fled to the mountain abandoning the Prophet to death, simply because they said "Muhammad has been killed." Those who try to censor information and circulate imaginary history and reality may even feel entitled to filter words attributed to Umar to protect his charisma.

Let us recall, when the Prophet on his deathbed said, "Let me write down something [a will] for you so that you will not go astray after me" (Muslim, hadith 1637), even while the Prophet was still alive, Umar b. al-Khattab said, "His pain has overcome him (he is not in his right mind). You have the Qur'an, Allah's book is sufficient for us" (Nasai, hadith 5821). Yet, after the Prophet's death, he could exclaim, "Whoever says Muhammad is dead, I will kill him with this sword of mine. He has been taken up to heaven like Jesus" (Shahristani, 2/11).

Institutionalized Islam attributes Umar's statement "The Qur'an is enough" to the Prophet, who was still alive and receiving revelation, to his piety, finding it justified. His strange exclamation after the death is attributed to his deep sorrow. This is done without comparing this behavior, which did not emanate from any other Companion, senior or junior, and without measuring it against principles.

Conservatism, which has fled from loyalty to principle and truth, found its existence in this very riverbed.

The Famous Fugitives Who Abandoned the Prophet to Death in the Battle of Uhud

According to historical accounts, the First Caliph Abdullah b. Abi Quhafah (Abu Bakr) also fled the battlefield when the polytheists surrounded the Prophet. He returned only after he was sure the Messenger of Allah was alive when the Prophet called back those who were fleeing. According to al-Waqidi's account, "They were fleeing towards the mountain in defeat. The Prophet called out to them: 'O Muslims, I am the Messenger of Allah. Come to me, come to me.' None of them even looked back at him" (Waqidi, 1979: 1/323).

The Qur'anic depiction of this scene is: "When you were fleeing uphill and did not look back at anyone, and the Messenger was calling out to you from behind" (Al Imran 153).

Abu Bakr, to obscure his flight from the battlefield, emphasized that everyone fled, but he himself returned: "I was the first to return to the Messenger of Allah when people fled from him on the Day of Uhud" (Nisaburi, 3/31, hadith, 4374).

Al-Bazzar, with his own chain of narration, transmits from Aisha that her father (Abu Bakr) said: "I was the first to return when people fled from the Messenger of Allah" (Ma'afiri, 1100; Ibn Hajar, 1959: 7/361). In this narration, it is claimed that just as Abu Bakr saved the Prophet's life by blocking the hole with his foot in the cave during the migration, he also returned after fleeing at Uhud and sacrificed himself for the Prophet. It is asserted that what Abu Bakr did in the cave is the same as Talha's sacrifice of his body while protecting the Prophet, without fleeing the battle. In other words, the grave behavior of fleeing and abandoning the Prophet under the polytheists' attack is transformed into heroism with a very peculiar interpretation. Furthermore, Abu Bakr's mentioning only Talha's name among the eight people around the Prophet and his saying "That day was Talha's day" while comparing his own flaw with the flawless one, is a blatant strategy in historical writing to distinguish his cousin Talha from others.

The Third Caliph Uthman b. Affan is known to have fled a three-day distance with two Ansar (helpers from Medina). For this reason, when he returned to Medina, the Prophet said with a bitter smile, "You have gone quite far" (Tabari, 7/329, hadith 8103).

In Bukhari's Sahih, in the Book of Maghazi (hadith 4066), it is narrated concerning the verse "Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day when the two armies met – it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some [evil] they had done" (Al Imran 155), that Abdullah b. Umar was asked about Uthman b. Affan's flight on the Day of Uhud and his absence from the Battle of Badr and the Pledge of Ridwan. Ibn Umar said: "Let me explain what you asked me. I bear witness that Allah has forgiven him for fleeing from Uhud..." (The rest of the hadith) (Abu Ali al-Saquni al-Maliki, 2/53).

The Maliki scholar Ibn al-Sabbagh describes the Prophet's loneliness with the following excerpt narrated from Waqidi: "On the Day of Uhud, when people fled, the Prophet in a narrow area was shooting arrows, swinging his sword, and throwing stones. (...) On that day, there were eight people around the Prophet who had pledged allegiance to death. Three from the Muhajirun (emigrants from Mecca) and five from the Ansar. From the Muhajirun: Ali, Talha, and Zubayr. From the Ansar: Abu Dujanah, Harith b. al-Simmah, Hubab b. al-Munzir, Asim b. Thabit, and Sahl b. Hunayf" (Ibn al-Sabbagh, 1/329; Waqidi, 1856: 238).

Although the names change in different narrations, the only name that remains constant is Ali b. Abi Talib. In fact, the absence of Ali's name in some narrations is attributed to a consensus/unanimity of opinion about him alone (Amuli, 7/174). For instance, Tabari narrates from al-Suddi: The Messenger of Allah called out to the people: "Come to me, O servants of Allah, come to me, O servants of Allah." Thirty people gathered, but then they passed him by. No one stayed except Talha and Sahl b. Hunayf (Tabari, 1995: 2/71).

The poem describing Ali, "There is no sword but Dhul-Fiqar / No youth but Ali," is said to have been recited at this time (Ibn al-Sabbagh, 1/327). In the verification of the work, Ibn Hisham's Sirah (3/52) and Shaykh Mufid's al-Irshad (p. 47) are also cited as references for the poem.

The fact that none of Ali's Shi'ah (supporters) among the Companions are found in the detailed list of fugitives in the Sirah books is because they fought to the very end in various parts of the battlefield.

New Medina: The Disparagement of Non-Fugitives by Fugitives

The founders of "New Medina" experienced difficult moments when confronted with the objections and criticisms of the heroes of Badr, Uhud, and Khandaq (Ahzab), who opposed them during the caliph election and pledge of allegiance crisis after the Prophet's death. However, instead of hanging their heads in shame when their own records were compared to those of these prominent figures, they did not hesitate to disparage, ridicule, and persecute these peak personalities of Islam to gain power.

Let's give an example: Hubab b. al-Munzir al-Ansari, one of the eight people who pledged allegiance unto death to the Prophet at Uhud, was the respected Companion who proposed the formula "One emir from you, one emir from us" when the balance of power shifted against the Ansar due to the crowd of the faction trying to elect Abu Bakr in the hastily organized caliph election at Saqifah Bani Sa'idah (Ibn Sa'd, 3/526). Hubab's speech during the allegiance crisis put Abu Bakr and Umar in a difficult position: "O Ansar, do not listen to this (Abu Bakr) and his companions. Deal with your share in this matter. If they turn their backs on you, give them time to leave your lands. I am the root of the tree where the camel rubs itself and finds healing, and the magnificent cluster of dates [i.e., I have a magnificent record superior to all of you, heed my words]. You are more entitled to this matter than they are. If you wish, we can take it back in an instant." Thereupon, Umar said, "Then may Allah destroy you." Hubab replied, "May Allah destroy you instead" (Mawardi al-Basri, 14/99).

Al-Isbahani, seemingly resentful of Hubab's objection to Abu Bakr and his scolding of Umar, insists that his proposal of two emirs was unheard of among Arabs, non-Arabs, or any other people, and that there could not be two emirs and caliphs at the same time. Forgetting Hubab's place and awareness in Islam, specifically his title as "the Companion who pledged allegiance unto death to the Prophet at Uhud," and blinded by partisanship, he accuses Hubab's objection and proposal of being "words uttered out of heedlessness." He claims that despite reports about his virtues and his record, his words do not constitute evidence. According to him, for this reason, they abandoned Hubab b. al-Munzir's words and turned their backs on him, pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr (al-Isbahani, p. 257).

The Earliest Grouping within Islam

Although the issue is not related to sectarian affiliation, we are aware that in the competition between sects, almost every issue is made to relate to Sunnism or Shiism. Those who define and distort the topic with Sunni-Shi'i debate and escape from facts can only be spoken of in terms of their ignorance. The astonishment of those who see a Sunni-Shi'i debate in the information transmitted by Sunni historians, hadith scholars, and ulema is disheartening. On the contrary, grouping among the Companions had begun even while the Prophet was alive. The first "covenant of brotherhood" before the Migration (Hijrah) provides a snapshot of the early factionalization:

• The Prophet and Ali. In the "covenant of brotherhood," the Prophet made Ali his brother. In the 9th year of Hijrah, during the Tabuk expedition, he declared Ali as Musa's Harun (Aaron) (Nawawi, 5/154). During the Farewell Pilgrimage, he declared Ali as one of the "two weighty things" (thaqalayn: the Qur'an and the Ahl al-Bayt) (Muslim, Hadith 36-2408). On the return from the Farewell Pilgrimage at Ghadir Khumm, he declared Ali as his successor (Ibn Hajar, 1873: 4/146).

• Hamza b. Abd al-Muttalib and Zayd b. Harithah. Hamza, the Prophet's uncle, was the hero of Mecca, a legendary figure. Zayd, the Prophet's adopted son, was the second man to accept Islam after Ali. He was made a member of the family like Ali, by the choice of the Prophet's wife Khadijah (Ibn Hisham, 1/163). Although Zayd was twenty years older than Ali, they were like brothers.

• Ubaydah b. al-Harith and Bilal (b. Rabah al-Habashi). Ubaydah, the son of Harith b. Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's and Ali's uncle, was from the family. Bilal b. Hamamah (Ibn Rabah al-Habashi) remained a supporter of the Ahl al-Bayt until his death, and was the first Companion to recite the adhan (call to prayer). The romanticization that tries to overlook his refusal to recite the adhan after the Prophet's death, despite all insistence, by linking it to his grief over the Prophet's demise, is probably trying to conceal Bilal's reaction (al-Qummi, p. 149) of not pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr. This is because when the Prophet's daughter Fatima asked him to recite the adhan, he did so, but then cut it short, unable to bear her tears (Shaykh Saduq, 1/298).

While Sunni biographies narrate very little about Bilal, similar to Ammar, Miqdad, Salman, and Abu Dharr, it is revealing that Shi'i sources contain considerable detail about these famous Companions who were Ali's Shi'ah.

Bilal al-Habashi's level of interest and affection for the Ahl al-Bayt is understood from his narration of the hadith that explains that "Allah's willing the marriage of Fatima and Ali was good tidings for the Messenger of Allah." In the hadith, the Prophet says: "Thereupon, Allah commanded an angel to shake the branches of the Tuba tree. Its fruits scattered gently. Then He created angels to gather them. (...) We will see the lovers of the Ahl al-Bayt with a writing of 'immunity from fire' in their hands. My brother and cousin, and my daughter, will save men and women from my Ummah from the Fire" (Rayshahri, p. 426, citing: Tarikh Baghdad, 4/210; Usd al-Ghabah, 1/415 and 492; Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, 2/460 and 478; al-Kharizmi's al-Manaqib, 341 and 361; Shahrasub's al-Manaqib, 3/346; Mi'at Manqibah, 145; al-Khara'ij wa'l-Jara'ih, 2/536).

• Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafah and Umar b. al-Khattab. The political reflexes and behaviors of the first and second caliphs immediately after the Prophet's death conveyed the meaning and message of the Prophet's pairing of them years earlier, even in Mecca.

• Ubaydah b. al-Jarrah and Salim (freedman of Abu Hudhayfah). Ubaydah and Salim were part of the group, led by Umar, that raided Fatima's house to secure Abu Bakr's allegiance (Ibn Abi al-Hadid, 6/51; Ya'qubi, 2/124).

For the complete list: Abu Ja'far al-Hashimi, pp. 70-71.

The Steel Core of Islam: Ali's Shi'ah Companions

The bond of brotherhood was repeated after the Hijrah, with different individuals being declared brothers based on the unique circumstances of Medina (Ibn Sa'd, 1/204-205). The only unchanging brotherhood was that between the Prophet and Ali. It is clear that the Prophet, who called Ali and his surrounding group "Ali's Shi'ah" (Suyuti, 8/589; Tabari, 2001: 24/556), introduced this group to the Companions as the nucleus, guardian, steel core, and reference of Islam.

The leading Companions of Ali's Shi'ah (group, supporters) are:

i) Salman the Persian. The Prophet declared him a member of the Ahl al-Bayt: "The Ansar said: 'Salman is from us.' The Muhajirun said: 'Salman is from us.' Thereupon the Prophet said: 'Salman is from us, from the Ahl al-Bayt'" (Bayhaqi, p. 47).

ii) Ammar b. Yasir. The Prophet mentioned him as a reference name by which truth and falsehood would be distinguished: "Ammar is with the truth, and the truth is with Ammar, wherever Ammar is. My heart aches for him, a rebellious group will kill him." (Shaykh Tusi, 1/127). When Ammar b. Yasir was killed at Siffin, Abdullah, son of Amr b. al-As, reminded his father that the Prophet had said to Ammar, "A rebellious group will kill you" (Suyuti, Jami' al-Ahadith, 1994: 9/59, hadith 18345-46-47) (Haythami, 7/485).

iii) Abu Dharr. Although the Prophet advised him to conceal his Islam and return to his homeland to avoid harm, he was the first person to openly proclaim monotheism to the polytheists in Mecca and the fourth Muslim. He describes the encounter and its aftermath: "I went to the Prophet. I said, 'Explain Islam to me.' He explained it. I became Muslim. He said to me: 'O Abu Dharr, keep this matter secret and return to your homeland. When you hear that we have come out into the open, then you too proclaim it.' I said: 'By Him who sent you as a prophet with the truth, I will proclaim it right in their midst.' He came to the Mosque (Masjid al-Haram). The leaders of Quraysh were there. He said: 'O Quraysh, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger.' They said: 'Seize this boy!' They seized me and beat me to death. (...) This is how Islam first appeared. Bukhari also transmitted the narration in his book with his own wording" (Tabari, 1937: p. 201).

iv) Hudhayfah b. Hasan (Yaman). He carried the list of hypocrites in Medina. He was known by the nickname "Bearer of the Prophet's Secret" (Maqrizi, 9/322).

v) Bilal b. Rabah al-Habashi. He was the Prophet's muezzin, diplomat, bodyguard, and part of his personal life. He was with the Prophet at Badr, Uhud, and Khandaq (Nawawi, 1847: 176).

Ali and his Shi'ah consist of senior Companions with brilliant records who acted together under Ali's leadership in all fate-determining moments of early Islamic history. In addition to the Companions from Ali's Hashimite lineage, some other Companions from different ethnic backgrounds who were Ali's Shi'ah include: Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Miqdad b. Aswad al-Kindi, Khuzaymah b. Thabit, Abu Haytham Malik b. Tayyihan, Ubayy b. Ka'b, Sa'd b. Ubadah, Qays b. Sa'd b. Ubadah, Adiyy b. Hatim, Ubadah b. Samit, Jabir b. Abdullah al-Ansari, Muhammad b. Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafah, Abu Rafi', Hashim b. Utbah, Uthman b. Hunayf, Khalid b. Sa'id b. al-As, Ibn Hasib al-Aslami, Hujr b. Adiyy al-Kindi, Amr b. Hamiq al-Khuzai, Aban b. Sa'id b. al-As, and others (Kashif al-Ghita, p. 143).

This group, in the words of Ibn Khaldun, were "the Shi'i Companions who believed that Ali should have assumed the caliphate after the Messenger of Allah" (Ibn Khaldun, 3/215).

Qays, the son of Sa'd b. Ubadah, the leader of the Ansar who always supported Ali b. Abi Talib and the Ahl al-Bayt, remained with Ali's son Hasan even after his father was assassinated during Umar b. al-Khattab's caliphate. Indeed, Hasan was not ready to give up the struggle even when he abdicated the caliphate in favor of Mu'awiyah to prevent civil war. The group led by Hasan went to Damascus to pledge allegiance to Mu'awiyah as per the agreement. Mu'awiyah said, "O Hasan, stand up and pledge allegiance." Hasan stood up and did so. Then he said, "O Husayn, stand up and pledge allegiance." He also stood up and did so. Then he said, "O Qays, you too stand up and do so." He stood up and turned to Husayn to see what instructions he would give. Husayn said: "O Qays, he (Imam Hasan) is my Imam" (Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi, 44/61).

Jabir b. Abdullah narrates: We were with the Prophet. Ali came. When the Messenger of Allah saw him, he said: "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, this [person] and his Shi'ah will be saved on the Day of Resurrection." Concerning him, the verse "Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds - those are the best of creatures" (Al-Bayyina 7) was revealed. Whenever Ali came, the Companions of the Prophet would say, because of this verse, "The best of creatures has come (khayr al-bariyyah)."

In the narrations transmitted by Ibn Adiyy and Ibn Asakir, Ibn Abbas is reported to have said: When the verse "Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds - those are the best of creatures" (Al-Bayyina 7) was revealed, the Prophet said to Ali: "They are you and your Shi'ah. On the Day of Resurrection, you will be pleased with Allah, and Allah will be pleased with you" (Suyuti, 8/589; Tabari, 2001: Yusuf al-Ganji al-Shafi'i, pp. 264-265).

Therefore, Ethem Ruhi Fığlalı's assertion (Fığlalı, p. 33) that the word Shi'ah first appears in sources in 774 CE in Abu Mikhnaf's narration, in Hasan's address to the Kufans, "You are our supporters," meaning "those who follow Ali and his Ahl al-Bayt and support and help them," is incorrect.

Although the Shi'ah referred to in the Prophet's statement "You and your Shi'ah" were the senior Companions of that period, it is true that some scholars from the Twelver Shi'ah expanded these and similar narrations to encompass Shi'is of all times, leading to a shift in meaning. This is similar to how, in the "Mubahalah (mutual cursing) incident" (9/631) mentioned in the verse "And whoever argues with you concerning him after what has come to you of knowledge, say: 'Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves; then let us invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars'" (Al Imran 61), the Prophet introduced only Fatima, Ali, Hasan, and Husayn with the Qur'anic concept of "Ahl al-Bayt" (Zamakhshari, 1/124; Haythami, p. 128), yet they included twelve individuals from Ali's descendants by following a dynastic system and giving them the title of "Imam." The "firqa-i najiyah" (saved sect) doctrine in Sunnism is no different. Such semantic distortions are regrettable and unfounded consequences caused by meaningless sectarian rivalry.

It is possible to demonstrate, with numerous examples from Qur'anic verses and Hadith, the serious error in both Shiism and Sunnism regarding the belief that sociological identity guarantees salvation in the afterlife.

Those who imagine that by censoring the social life of the Prophet's Companions, they are protecting their respectability and honor, are not only enemies of knowledge and truth but are also meticulously intent on preserving the political, economic, social, and cultural power they have established using religion. While claiming that knowing the early period of Islam in all its aspects and its true form would harm religion, they are in fact concerned about the loss of the established order and fabricated religious culture based on falsehood or misinformation.

Long before political despotism, we are faced with a harsh religious despotism that must be defeated. As long as we cannot cope with this despotism, it is a futile dream to derive revival, codification, new and fresh beginnings, freedom of thought and belief, human rights, pluralism, shura, consultation, political participation, and democracy from Muslim culture.

Translated by Gemini

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