Salafi Research Institute SRI
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Ibn ʿAbbās said: When ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb was placed on his stretcher, the people gathered around him, supplicating and praising (him) and supplicating for him before he was lifted (for burial). And I was among them. Nothing startled me except for a man who took hold of my shoulder from behind. I turned to him, and it was ʿAlī (ibn Abī Ṭālib). He asked for mercy upon ʿUmar and said: ‘You have not left behind anyone whose deeds I would love to meet Allāh with more than your deeds. And by Allāh! Indeed, I was certain that Allāh would place you with your two companions (the Prophet ﷺ and Abū Bakr). And that is because I used to frequently hear the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ say: “I came, along with Abū Bakr and ʿUmar; and I entered, along with Abū Bakr and ʿUmar; and I went out, along with Abū Bakr and ʿUmar.” So indeed, I was hoping, or I was certain, that Allāh would place you with both of them.’ [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb Faḍāʾil al-Ṣaḥābah, Bāb min Faḍāʾil ʿUmar: 2389]
“And this ḥadīth is a refutation by ʿAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him, against the Shīʿah regarding what they fabricate against him of his hatred for the two Shaykhs (Abu Bakr and ‘Umar), and his attributing to them injustice in the leadership, and that they snatched it from him. This is all a lie and a fabrication; ʿAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him, is innocent of it. Rather, what is known of his state with them is his respect and love for them, and his acknowledgement of their virtue over himself and over others. And this ḥadīth of his explicitly states this meaning.” [Al-Mufhim limā Ashkala min Talkhīṣ Kitāb Muslim (6/ 252)]
From this ḥadīth, the following points become known:
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A refutation of the Shīʿah and their evil beliefs.
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Sayyidunā ʿAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him, loved Sayyidunā ʿUmar, may Allāh be pleased with him, very much.
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Sayyidunā ʿAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him, considered the deeds and piety of Sayyidunā ʿUmar, may Allāh be pleased with him, to be loftier than his own.
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Sayyidunā ʿAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him, would feel rashk (a sense of admirable emulation) for the deeds of Sayyidunā ʿUmar, may Allāh be pleased with him.
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This ḥadīth also indicates that it was also the wish of Sayyidunā ʿAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him, that he be buried alongside the noble Prophet ﷺ and Sayyidunā Abū Bakr, may Allāh be pleased with him. See: Ikmāl al-Muʿlim li-Fawāʾid Muslim 7/498 under ḥadīth 2389
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Upon the passing of a scholar, it is a good assumption (ḥusn al-ẓann) to have about him that he will be with his teachers or with pious and righteous people.
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The love of Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ for Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, may Allāh be pleased with them both, from the tongue of Sayyidunā ʿAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him.
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One should have certainty of a good reward in return for a person’s good deeds.
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To remember the excellent deeds of the deceased and to inform other people.
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To mention the good effects or legacy of the deceased.
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It is permissible to view the deceased before burial.
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It is permissible to view the deceased before the Janāzah (funeral prayer).
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To keep the deceased on a stretcher.
[Shaykh Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān Hazārvī حفظه الله taken from al-Ḥadīth magazine 115, p. 26-27]
عن محمد بن الحنفية قال: «قلت لأبي: أي الناس خير بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم؟ قال: أبو بكر، قلت: ثم من؟ قال: ثم عمر، وخشيت أن يقول عثمان، قلت: ثم أنت؟ قال: ما أنا إلا رجل من المسلمين [البخاري (٣٦٧١)]
Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah said: “I said to my father (ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib): ‘Who are the best of people after Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ?’ He said: ‘Abū Bakr.’ I said: ‘Then who?’ He said: ‘Then ʿUmar.’ And I feared he would say ʿUthmān, (so) I said: ‘Then you?’ He said: ‘I am but a man from among the Muslims.’” [Al-Bukhārī (3671)]
