The Will of Prophet Muhammad (P)
The Last Testament of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was conveyed on the night of his passing, and it stands as the sole testament within the extensive body of Islamic literature
References:
- Sheikh Al-Toosi, Al-Ghayba p.150
- Sheikh Hor Al-Amili, Ithbat Al-Hodat Vol. 1 p.549
- Sheikh Hor Al-Amili, Al-Iqath Min Al-Haj’a p.393-3
- Sheikh Hassan bin Soulayman Al Hilli, Mokhtasar Al Bassair p.159
- Al-Allama Al-Majlisii, Bihar Al-Anwar Vol. 53 p.147
- Al-Allama Al-Majlisii, Bihar Al-Anwar Vol. 36 p.260
- Sheikh Abd Allah Al-Bahrani, Al’awalim Vol. 3 p.236
- Al-Sayyed Hashim Al-Bahrani, Ghayat Al-Maram Vol. 1 p.370
- Al-Sayyed Hashim Al-Bahrani, Al-Insaf p.222
- Al-Fayth Al-Kachani, Nawadir Al-Akhbar p.294-9
- Sheikh Mirza Annouri, Annajm Al-Thaqib Vol. 2 p.71
- Al-Sayyed Muhammad Muhammad Sadiq Al-Sadir , Tarikh Ma Ba’d Al-Thohoor p.641-11
- Sheikh Al Mayanji, Makatib Arrassoul Vol. 2 p.96
- Sheikh Al-Korani, Mokhtasar Mo’jam Ahadith Al-Imam Al-Mahdi p.301-13
An obligation upon Muslims
It is an obligation upon every Muslim to leave a will before death, as commanded by God, the Exalted in the Holy Quran. The Almighty says:
“It is prescribed for you when death approaches [any] one of you if he leaves anything valuable [is that he should leave] a Will for the parents and near relatives according to what is acceptable – a duty upon the righteous.”
— Quran 2:180
Leaving a will is an obligation upon every Muslim, then do Muslims accept that the best of the Prophets didn’t do an obligatory duty?
Calamity of Thursday
Prophet Muhammad PBUHAHP completed the command of God Almighty to leave the Will when he gathered Muslims on the last Thursday before his martyrdom. He asked for a pen and paper so that he could dictate his will, a statement of paramount importance for the guidance of Muslims until the day of Judgement. He also emphasized that whoever holds on to it will never be misguided and that no two Muslims will ever disagree. However, he was prevented from doing so by a group of people, who doubted his mental health and accused him of talking nonsense. Hence, when they refused this statement that secures their guidance until the Day of Judgement, he only commanded them verbally of that which had their guidance for the period shortly after him and sent them all away.
This tragic event has been narrated from the most authentic of the reports from both Sunni and Shia traditions.
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas:
When Allah’s Apostle was on his death-bed and in the house there were some people among whom was ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, the Prophet said, “Come, let me write for you a statement after which you will not go astray.” ‘Umar said, “The Prophet is delirious and you have the Qur’an; so the Book of Allah is enough for us.” The people present in the house differed and quarreled. Some said “Go near so that the Prophet may write for you a statement after which you will not go astray,” while the others said as Umar said. When they caused a hue and cry before the Prophet, Allah’s Apostle said, “Go away!” Narrated ‘Ubaidullah: Ibn ‘Abbas used to say, “It was very unfortunate that Allah’s Apostle was prevented from writing that statement for them because of their disagreement and noise.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari, 7:70:573
Sa’id b. Jubair reported from Ibn Abbas that he said: Thursday, and what about Thursday? Then tears began to flow until I saw them on his cheeks as if they were the strings of pearls. He (the narrator) said that Allah’s Messenger said: Bring me a shoulder blade and ink-pot (or tablet and inkpot) so that I write for you a document (by following which) you would never go astray. They said: Allah’s Messenger is in the state of unconsciousness [yahjur, literal translation: “talking nonsense”].
— Sahih Muslim, 013:4015
From the reports of the Shias:
From Sulaym ibn Qays Al-Hilali:
He said I heard Salman saying: I heard Ali PBUH saying, after that man (Umar) said what he said and made The Messenger of Allah PBUHAHP angry and pushed the paper : Do we not ask the Messenger of Allah (pbuh & his Family) about that which he wanted to write in the paper, which if he wrote no one would go astray and no two would disagree!?..”
— Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays 398
Sulaym ibn Qays said that Ali PBUH said to Talha when the Muhajiroun (Immigrants) and Ansar (Supporters) were boasting about their favors and preference: O Talha! were you not present when the Messenger of Allah PBUHAHP asked for a paper so that he could write that with which the nation would never go astray nor differ? At that time your companion said what he said that the Messenger of Allah was hallucinating, so the Messenger of Allah PBUHAHP became very angry and left it. So Talha said: Yes I was present at that time.
— Al-Ghaybah by Al-Noa’mani page 81
The Messenger of God then dictated his Will to those who accepted it on the night of his martyrdom. If we search all the books of the Muslims from various sects, we will find that there is only one will of the Prophet Muhammad pbuhahp that was written during the night of his death. It is mentioned in the book “Al-Ghaybah by Al-Toosi”. Prophet Muhammad has mentioned his successors in it until the day of Judgement- the twelve Imams and the twelve Mahdis. The ones who inherited the will from Prophet Muhammad PBUHAHP are the Vicegerents of God from the progeny of Muhammad PBUT.
Why can’t the falsifiers claim the Will?
e divine text about the upcoming Vicegerent of God is prevented from being claimed falsely until its companion claims it and its purpose is fulfilled. The fact that the Messenger of God describes it to be a protection from misguidance forever makes it impossible for liars to claim it. If someone says that it is possible for liars to claim it then he would end up accusing God, the Glorious, of being incapable of safeguarding the book which He described as being a protection from misguidance for the ones who hold tight to it, or he would be accusing God of lying, because the Almighty described the book as being a protection from misguidance forever and then it turned out to not be so, or he would be accusing God of ignorance because He described a book by a description that does not apply to it because of His ignorance of its condition. And far away is God, the Glorious from all such descriptions.
Thus the Knowledgeable, the Capable, the Wise, the Absolute One SWT must protect the text, which He described to be prevention from misguidance for whoever holds on to it. He SWT must protect it from being claimed by the people of falsehood until its rightful owner claims it and its purpose is fulfilled.
For example, if a human being, who knows the unseen and the consequences of matters, tells you, “If you want to drink water then drink from here, and I assure you that you will never drink poison from this place”. Then one day you drink poison from that place. Then what is that person who assured you? He is either ignorant, or a liar in the first place, or he was incapable to assure, or he broke his promise. Thus, could the one who believes in God accept that God is described as being ignorant or a liar or incapable or that He broke His promise? God is far more Exalted than that.
The fact that the divine text that personifies the Vicegerent of God is prevented from being claimed falsely until God’s appointed one claims it is mentioned in the Holy Quran. The Almighty said:
And if he had made up about Us some [false] sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand, Then We would have cut from him the aorta.
-Quran 69:44-46
This verse is not about claiming the divine position in general, for Musaylama claimed to be a prophet of God in the time of Prophet Muhammad PBUHAHP, yet he was not destroyed, rather he lived longer than Prophet Muhammad PBUHAHP. It is specifically about claiming by the divine text that personifies the prophesied Vicegerent of God, just like how the Prophet PBUHAHP proved his right through the divine text about him from the previous scriptures.
Imam Ali Al-Rida (p) argued by this reality against a catholic in one of the debates, after he (pbuh) clarified the text from the previous prophets in the Torah and the Gospels about the Messenger Muhammad (p). The catholic argued that the text could apply to more than one character. Imam Al-Rida (pbuh) responded by saying that it never happened that liars had ever claimed the wills. Following is the context from the hadith:
“…..But it has not been proven with us that it is correct that it is this Muhammad, rather that his name is Muhammad, so it is not correct that we admit his prophet-hood while we doubt that he is your Muhammad…..So Imam Al-Rida (pbuh) said: “You have argued with doubt! Has Allah, since the time of Adam until this day of ours, ever sent a prophet whose name is Muhammad? and one whom you find in the books which He has sent down upon all of the prophets except Muhammad?” So they abstained from replying to him.” [Ithbat Al-Hudah volume 1, page 194-195]
So the claim of the previous vicegerents by this text is a proof upon those who believe in the books that mention such text. Jesus and Muhammad (pbut) argued by it, for Jesus (pbuh) argued by the mentioning of the previous prophets of him, despite their indirectness in regards to him. Also, Muhammad (p) argued by the mentioning of Jesus (p) and the previous prophets (p) about him.
The Almighty says: “Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet of the common folk, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him, and followed the light which was sent down with him – it is those who will be successful” [Surat Al’araf 7:157].
Therefore, God clarifies in the Qur’an that if the claim of Muhammad (p) was false – and far he is from that – He would not have let him claim it, because God promises to safeguard the text and protect it from being claimed by liars. The Almighty says: “But nay! I swear by all that you see. And all that you do not see. [That] indeed, it is the word of a noble Messenger. And it is not the word of a poet, little do you believe. Nor the word of a soothsayer, little do you remember. It is sent down from the Lord of the worlds. And if he had made up concerning Us some [false] sayings. We would have seized him by the right hand. Then We would have cut from him the aorta. None of you would be able to prevent Us from doing this to him. And indeed it is a reminder for the God-fearing. And indeed We know that among you are deniers, And indeed, it will be [a cause of] regret upon the disbelievers. And verily it is Truth of assured certainty (beyond any doubt). So glorify your Lord, the great} [Surat Al-Haqqah 69:38-52]
Imam Al-Sadiq (p) said: “This is a matter that can not be claimed except by its companion, otherwise Allah would destroy the age of the one who falsely claims it.” [Al Kafi by Al-Kuleini volume 1 page 372]
Hence, the liar is dismissed away from [being able to] claim the Divine Will or the text that personifies the prophesied Vicegerent. The claim without the testimony of God, or divine text, or without a will is invaluable and is a foolish claim. There is no excuse for the ones who follow such people due to their ignorance or misconceptions about the divine system.
Statement from Ahmed Al-Hasan:
“Here is the statement which the Messenger of God dictated on the night of his death. It has been present for thousands of years in the books, and every human being has the ability to look at it and read it. However, not a single liar was ever able to claim it, although liars have been many. Many people have claimed Imamate (being an Imam) or being the Mahdi, but never will you find anyone who was able to penetrate the veil of God which is stricken upon this book in order to claim it.
This reality clarifies what I have presented earlier, and that is that the description of this statement to be a protection from misguidance means that no one can ever claim it until its companion whom the Messenger of God has mentioned. Whoever claims it is saying the truth and he is its companion and that is complete evidence and established proof of the truth of this call.
So whoever wants the truth and knowing the truth of this call then the will and my claim that I am the one mentioned in it are enough for him. And there are many other proofs than that, like my knowledge of the religion of God and the realities of the creation and being the only who carries the banner of Supremacy is for God, and also the direct mentioning of me by God to His servants, just as the Angels testified to the Caliphate of Adam PBUH by revelation, God has also testified for a large number of people—who are separated [from one another across the world] and could not have possibly plotted with one another to lie—that Ahmad Alhasan is the truth and that he is a Vicegerent from the Vicegerents of God. Verily, He, The Exalted, has said: {And We have sent you to the people as a messenger, and God is sufficient as witness} [Surat Al-Nisaa’ 4:79].
Also concerning the Sunni Muslims, The Messenger of God has urged them to give victory to the Mahdi and he named him “The Caliph of God Al-Mahdi” as is present in the most authentic narrations in the books of the Sunnis. Verily I have come to them, and my name is like the name of the Messenger of God, Ahmed, and the name of my father is like the name of the father of the Messenger of God- Ishmael, just as the narrations have mentioned, as the Prophet said: ‘I am the son of the two slaughtered ones, Abdullah and Ishmael (v.4 p.24 AlTasheel Li’uloom AlTanzeel AlGarnaati AlKalbi v.3 p.174 and Tafseer AlRaazi v.26 p.153). I have come to you by the text that defines the character which is described as being a protection from misguidance for the ones who hold tight to it, and I have come with the Knowledge and I am the only one who carries the banner of Allegiance is to God. So fear God, O nation of Muhammad, and call to the Truth and follow the Vicegerent of God, the Mahdi whom the Messenger of God has called you to give victory to even if you had to crawl on ice, and have faith in the only will of your Prophet in order that you may be rescued in this world and the hereafter.“
