The Madhab of `Ali (ra) in Salat al-Janazah

In this short article we will show the Madhab of al-Khalifah `Ali ibn abi Talib (ra) in the books of Ahlul-Sunnah when it comes to the Janazah prayer and how he honors the companions of the Prophet (SAWS). Then we will compare this to the Shia and their Madhab in Janazah and see the difference between `Ali (ra) and those who claim to follow him.

حدثني زيد بن علي عن أبيه عن جده عن علي عليهم السلام انه كان إذا صلى على جنازة رجل قام عند سرته وإن كانت امرأة قام حيال ثديها.

In Musnad Zayd ibn `Ali, from his fathers, that `Ali (ra) when he would pray the Janazah on a man he would stand near the belly and in the case of a woman he would be facing her chest.

And `Ali (ra) would pray the Salat of al-Janazah with four Takbeerat, but he would honor the companions of the Prophet (SAWS) by adding more Takbeerat.

أن إبراهيم بن محمد الصيرفي حدثنا قال ثنا عبد الله بن رجاء قال ثنا زائدة قال ثنا يزيد بن أبى زياد عن عبد الله بن معقل قال : صليت مع علي على جنازة فكبر عليها خمسا ثم التفت فقال إنه من أهل بدر ثم صليت مع علي على جنائز كل ذلك كان يكبر عليها أربعا

It is stated in Sharh Ma`ani al-Athar and Musannaf ibn abi Shaybah that `Abdullah ibn Mu`qal said: “I prayed with `Ali (ra) on a Janazah and he did five Takbeerat on it, then he turned and said: “He is from the people of Badr.” then I prayed with him on other Jana’iz and he would make four Takbeerat.”

عن عبد الله بن معقل : أن علي بن أبي طالب – رضي الله عنه – صلى على سهل بن حنيف فكبر عليه ستا ، ثم التفت إلينا فقال : إنه بدري

It is stated in Musannaf `Abdul-Razzaq and Sharh Ma`ani al-Athar and al-Muhalla and al-Mughni and al-I`tibar and Sunan al-Bayhaqi and Musnnaf ibn abi Shaybah that `Abdullah ibn Mu`qal said: `Ali ibn abi Talib (ra) prayed on Sahl bin Hunayf so he made six Takbeerat, then he turned towards us and said: “He is from the people of Badr.”

ثبت عند الطحاوي بإسناد صحيح أن عليا :صلى على أبي قتادة فكبر سبعا وكان بدريا

It is stated in Musannaf ibn abi Shaybah and Sharh Ma`ani al-Athaar and al-Mughni and Sunan al-Bayhaqi from the narration of Musa bin `Abdullah bin Yazid that `Ali (ra) prayed on abu Qatadah (ra) and made seven Takbeerat and he was from the people of Badr.

حدثنا فهد قال ثنا محمد بن سعيد قال أنا حفص بن غياث عن عبد الملك بن سلع الهمداني عن عبد خير قال : كان علي رضي الله عنه يكبر على أهل بدر ستا وعلى أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم خمسا وعلى سائر الناس أربعا

It is stated in Sharh al-Ma`ani and al-Mughni and Musnad Zayd bi-Sharh al-Rawd al-Nadeer and Sunan al-Bayhaqi and al-Awsat by ibn al-Munthir, from the narration of `Abd Khayr: “`Ali (ra) used to make six Takbeerat on the people of Badr, and the companions of the Prophet (SAWS) five, and on the rest of the people four.”

حدثنا حفص عن حجاج عن عمير بن سعيد قال صليت خلف علي على يزيد بن المكفف فكبر عليه أربعا .

حدثنا عباد بن العوام عن حجاج عن عمير عن علي مثله .

This is why he prayed only four on Yazid bin al-Mukaffaf al-Nakh`ee, it is stated in `Abdul-Razzaq and al-Sharh and al-Bayhaqi and al-Muhalla, from `Umayr bin Sa`eed that he said: “I prayed behind `Ali (ra) on Yazid bin al-Mukaffaf so he made four Takbeerat for him.”

So may Allah grant them peace and raise their ranks and the ranks of those who acknowledged their ranks.

عن أبيه ، عن جده ، عن علي رضي الله عنهم في الصلاة على الميت ، قال :  تبدأ في التكبيرة الأولى بالحمد ، والثناء على الله تبارك وتعالى ، وفي الثانية الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وفي الثالثة الدعاء لنفسك وللمؤمنين ، والمؤمنات ، وفي الرابعة الدعاء للميت والاستغفار له ، وفي الخامسة تكبر ، ثم تسلم

`Ali ibn abi Talib (ra) would then say while teaching the people the prayer of al-Janazah in Musnad Zayd: He said about the prayer on the dead: “You begin in the first Takbeerah by thanking and praising Allah the blessed and high, in the second you send your Salat on the Prophet (SAWS), in the third you make Du`a for yourself and the believing men and women, in the fourth you make Du`a for the dead and ask Allah to forgive him, and in the fifth you make Takbeer then you make Tasleem.”

قَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللّهِ أَتَعْرِفُ عَنْ أَحَدٍ كَانَ يُسَلّمُ عَلَى الْجِنَازَةِ تَسْلِيمَتَيْنِ ؟ قَالَ لَا وَلَكِنْ عَنْ سِتّةٍ مِنْ الصّحَابَةِ أَنّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَلّمُونَ تَسْلِيمَةً وَاحِدَةً خَفِيفَةً عَنْ يَمِينِهِ فَذَكَرَ ابْنَ عُمَرَ وَابْنَ عَبّاسٍ وَأَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ وَوَاثِلَةَ بْنَ الْأَسْقَعِ وَابْنَ أَبِي أَوْفَى وَزَيْدَ بْنَ ثَابِتٍ . وَزَادَ الْبَيْهَقِيّ : عَلِيّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَجَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللّهِ وَأَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ وَأَبَا أُمَامَةَ بْنَ سَهْلِ بْنِ حُنَيْفٍ فَهَؤُلَاءِ عَشَرَةٌ مِنْ الصّحَابَةِ .

Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zad-ul-Mee`ad that `Ali (ra) used to make one Tasleem to his right at the end:

Ahmad bin al-Qassim said: it was said to abi `Abdillah, did you know that anyone used to make two Tasleem on the Janazah? he said: “No, but it reached us from six of the companions that they used to make a subtle single Tasleemah to the right.” he mentioned from them ibn `Umar and ibn `Abbas and abu Hurayrah and Wathilah ibn al-Asqa` and ibn abi Awfa and Zayd bin Thabit. al-Bayhaqi added: `Ali ibn abi Talib and Jabir bin `Abdullah and Anas ibn Malik and abu Amamah bin Sahl bin Hunayf, so these are ten from the companions.

حدثنا أبو الأحوص عن منصور عن عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن بن أبزى قال كان علي يقول في الصلاة على الميت اللهم اغفر لأحيائنا وأمواتنا وألف بين قلوبنا وأصلح ذات بيننا واجعل قلوبنا على قلوب خيارنا اللهم اغفر له اللهم ارحمه اللهم ارجعه إلى خير مما كان فيه اللهم عفوك .

And from Du`a of `Ali (ra) that ibn abi Shaybah and `Abdul-Razzaq narrated with their Isnad to him, that he used to say: “O Allah, grant forgiveness to our living and our dead,and bring our hearts together, and reconcile between us, and make our hearts follow the hearts of the best among us. O Allah, forgive him. O Allah, have mercy on him. O Allah, give him something better than what he had. O Allah, your pardon.”

 

Now by Allah I want you to compare this `Ali (ra) with that fictional Madhab of the Shia Rafidha who curse the companions and the pious predecessors while praying on their dead bodies:

 

First we quote al-Tusi who quotes al-Mufid, the biggest of the Shia scholars.

Quote:

al-Tusi in “Tahtheeb al-Ahkam” vol.1 pg.335:

[Our sheikh (Mufid) may Allah strengthen him says: “It is not permissible for any of the believers(Twelvers) to wash anyone from those who differ with us in the Truth of the Wilayah (of ‘Ali) nor should he pray on him, unless there is a necessity in the case of Taqiyyah, so he  gives him the washing of those who oppose us, and if he prays on him he curses him and does not make Du`a for him.”

So this shows that the one who opposes us is a Kafir and his ruling is that of a Kafir unless in special cases where there is proof, and if washing the Kafir is not permissible then washing the one who opposes us is also not permissible, as for praying on him it should be like the prayer of the Prophet SAWS and Ahlul-Bayt (as) on the Mounafiqoun(Hypocrites), and we will show insha-Allah the method of how that prayer in conducted.]

al-Majlisi says in “Zadul-Mi`ad” pg.345 after mentioning the impermissibility of praying on the Kouffar and the Khawarij and the Nawasib and the Ghulat, now comes the turn of Ahlul-Sunnah, he says regarding them:

Quote:

[As for those who oppose us there is a difference, between not praying on them or praying on them with only four Takbeerat and on the fourth one you curse them…]

al-Bahrani in “al-Hadaeq al-Nadirah” 5/176:

Quote:

[And it is clear and is supported by the Quran which is the saying of Allah “And pray thou never over any one of them when he is dead” meaning the Kouffar, and he who differs with the people of Truth(Twelvers) is a Kafir and there is no disagreement on this among us.]

al-Qummi al-Saduq says what Du`a should be made upon the Mukhalif(Sunni) when he dies during Salat al-Janaza, we read in “Fiqh al-Rida” pg178:

و إذا كان الميت مخالفا فقل في تكبيرك الرابعة- اللهم أخز عبدك و ابن عبدك هذا- اللهم أصله نارك- اللهم أذقه أليم عقابك و شديد عقوبتك- و أورده نارا و املأ جوفه نارا- و ضيق عليه لحده- فإنه كان معاديا لأوليائك و مواليا لأعدائك- اللهم لا تخفف عنه العذاب و اصبب عليه العذاب صبا- فإذا رفع جنازته فقل اللهم لا ترفعه و لا تزكه

[And if the dead person is a Mukhalif(Sunni) then say in your fourth Takbeera – O Allah, disappoint your slave and the son of your slave – O Allah let him into your fire – O Allah make him taste your most painful punishment – O Allah surround him with fire and fill his insides with fire – O Allah tighten his grave – for he was an enemy of your friends and a friend of your enemies – O Allah do not reduce his torture and pour your torment on him – So when his Janazah is lifted say: “O Allah do not raise him nor give him virtue”]

Dear reader, all of this is being said while they supposedly pray on you, SubhanAllah! Taqiyyah and hatred have seriously taken away the mercy from their hearts!
And our final example is their scholar abu Salah al-Halabi (died 447 AH) says in his book also called “al-Kafi lil-Halabi” pg157:

وإن كان مخالفا للحق بجبر أو تشبيه أو اعتزال أو خارجية أو إنكار إمامة لعنه بعد الرابعة وانصرف. ولا يجوز الصلاة على من هذه حاله إلا لتقية.

[And if he was from those who oppose the truth, like a Mujabbir or a Mushabbih or a Mu`tazili or a Khariji or a denier of Imamah, then he curses him after the fourth and leaves. Prayer on them is not allowed except in Taqiyyah.]

 

Truly the way of Ahlul-Bayt is that of Ahlul-Sunnah.