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Ahl Sunnah Wal Jammahs Concept of Imamah
By Sayed Ali (2011)
It amazes me how people have the audacity to claim Shias have no concept of Imamah from the holy Quran, yet on the other hand if the followers of Ahl Sunnah where to look at what constitutes as their idea of leadership one would rather be a Jew or Christian then to adhere to their concept ofleadershp. Generally speaking Ahl Sunnah wal Jammh condemn the actions of Yazid and his supporters but in reality are they in a position to do so?
Much has been hidden from the Sunni public from their scholars as to the circumstances that surrounded what took place in Karbala.
The concept of Leadership in Ahl Sunnah Wal Jammah can be summed up in the following hadith:-
Sahih Muslim "Kitab al Imara" Book 020, Number 4557:
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that Prophet said:
Who defected from obedience (to the Amir) and separated from the main body of the Muslims, then he died in that state the death of the days of Jahilliyya. And he who is killed under the banner of a man who is astray (blind), who gets flared up with family pride and fights for his tribe, he is not from my Umma, and whoso from my followers attacks (indiscriminately) my followers, killing the righteous and the wicked of them, sparing not (even) those staunch in faith and fulfilling not his obligation towards them who have been given a pledge (of security), is not from me.
Now from this Hadith we can establish that those who opposed the Amir of their time and separate themself from the main body "Jammah" (hence why Sunnies call themself Ahl Sunnah Wal Jammah) will die a death of a apostate according to the sunni standards of Imamah.
Interesting enough, if this same hadith was to be depended upon it would send many of the companions into hell fire as many of them did not give bayah to Imam Ali. And on a contradictory side, it would automatically raise doubts on the 72 Martyrs of Karabla. History is rather clear that the Jammah was not with Imam Hussain, which proves that the truth was with the minority. Now the question a present day Sunnies needs to ask themself is during the the battle of Karbala, where would they have been?
For centuries the Sunnies have claimed the companions are a star of Guidence and they must be followed. Having said this it is interesting looking at the role of some of these stars during the even of Karabala, and one particular companion by the name of Abdullah ibn Umar, who was the son of Umar Ibn Khataab.
Ibn Umar is regarded as a prominent authority of hadih so much so that present day Sunnies take most of their present day Islam from him. Now let us take a look at his role during the leadership of Yazid.
Sahih Bukhari, Book 88 H 227:
Narrated Nafi: When the people of Medina dethroned Yazid, Ibn Umar gathered his special friends and children and said, "I heard the Prophet saying, 'A flag will be fixed for every betrayer on the Day of Resurrection', and we have given the oath of allegiance to this person (Yazid) in accordance with the conditions enjoined by Allah and His Messenger, and I do not know of anything more faithless than fighting a person who has been given the oath of allegiance in accordance with the conditions enjoined by Allah and His Messenger, and if ever I learn that any person among you has agreed to dethrone Yazid, by giving the oath of allegiance (to somebody else) then there will be separation between him and me."
Subanallah! The battle of Harrah was a disastrous and painful event that took place during the reign of Yazid in which women were raped, people where killed inlcuding innocent children and notable companions of the prophet not to mention the house of Allah the 'Kaabah' was attacked. Despite all this Abdullah Ibn Umar believed still despite all this that Yazid was a was a legitimate leader. In order to break a bayah one would need to have given it in the first place and Ibn Umar found all those who did no give their oath of allegiance to Yazid as been a enemy of Islam. The belief of Ibn Umar was that the 72 marty’s of karbala where enemy’s of Allah according to him, Allah and the Prophet (mazallah!). Not to mention if any follower of Ahl Sunnah were to have been alive during the time of Karbala and fought in the army with Imam Hussain, Ibn Umar would have found separation between him and them. Some defenders of Ibn Umar claim this bayah was under duress even so this defence would be rather baseless as we will now see how Ibn Umar even went as far as visiting people homes to prevent people from breaking Yazid's bayah.
Sahih Muslim Book 20 H 4562:
It has been reported on the authority of Nafi, that Abdullah b. Umar paid a visit to Abdullah b. Muti in the days of Harra (when atrocities were perpetrated on the People Of Medina) in the time of Yazid. Ibn Muti said: Place a pillow for Abdullah b. Umar. But the latter said: I have not come to sit with you. I have come to you to tell you a tradition I heard from the Prophet. I heard him say: One who withdraws his band from obedience (to the Amir) will find no argument (in his defence) when he stands before Allah on the Day of Judgment, and one who dies without having bound himself by an oath of allegiance (to an Amir) will die the death of one belonging to the days of Jahillyya.
Abdullah Ibn Umar was a staunch follower of Yazid even after Harra, the same Ibn Umar who refused to act upon this hadith himself when Imam Ali was Khalifah in which he refused to give bayah and fled to medina to mecca. I would like to conclude on this note from Fatah al Bari Sharah Sahih Bukhari in which it states that he accepted Yazid as a Khalifah and did not accept to give bayah to Imam Ali.
"Abdullah Ibn Umar did not mention the caliphate of Imam Ali because he did not give bayah to him…. But he gave bayah to Yazeed son of Muayyiah"
Fatah al Bari Sharh Sahih Bukhari book 18 p.145
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