Documents of the Right Word

too. These malefactions of theirs nullified their promises. For
instance, although the Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam’
commanded plainly that Alî ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ should be the
(first) Khalîfa, they disobeyed this command and forced their way
into the office of caliphate. As it is narrated in Bukhârî, they
offended Fâtima ‘radiy-Allâhu anhâ’. It is declared as follows in a
hadîth-i-sherîf, which the book Mishkât quotes in its chapter about
Fâtimât-uz-Zehrâ: ‘He who hurts her will have hurt me. And he
who hurts me will have hurt Allâhu ta’âlâ.’ The fifty-seventh âyat
of Ahzâb sûra purports, ‘May those who torment Allâhu ta’âlâ and
His Messenger be accursed both in this world and in the
Hereafter!’ On account of these malefactions, plus their
disobeying the Prophet’s commands, such as when he asked for
paper and when he ordered to prepare an army for Usâma, all
three of them must be cursed and reproved. Taking the last breath
in îmân (dying as a Believer) depends on doing good deeds, and
first of all, obeying the Messenger of Allah, at the end of one’s
life.”
Here’s our answer: When Allâhu ta’âlâ was pleased with the
people who made a promise under the tree, He knew (what was
in) their hearts, their intentions. He infused firmness and serenity
into their hearts. The final part of the âyat-i-kerîma points out this
fact. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam’ gave the good news
that the three Khalîfas would go to Paradise. He declared plainly
that they would pass away in îmân (die as Believers). He informed
that they would abide by their promises, that they would not
renege on their promises. If we admit that Allâhu ta’âlâ stated
that He liked their promises and not their persons, (we will have
to admit also the fact that), when Allâhu ta’âlâ likes their
promises they must pass away in îmân. For Allâhu ta’âlâ will not
like any deeds of disbelievers. Supposing a group of people were
doomed to die as unbelievers, Allâhu ta’âlâ would not be pleased
with any of their good deed, however pleasing, charitable and
pious their deeds might seem to be. Their good deeds are depicted
as follows in the thirty-ninth âyat of Nûr sûra, which purports,
“The deeds performed by disbelievers are like a mirage perceived
in a desert. Thirsty people will fancy it to be water when they see
it from the distance. When they go near it, they will not find
anything. They will realise their disillusionment.” Also, the fiftyseventh
âyat of Mâida sûra purports, “If one of you parts with
îmân and dies as a disbeliever, all the good deeds he has
performed shall perish. They will do him no good, neither in the
– 76 –