ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Life of Muhammad The Immortal Disaster After appointing Imam Ali (a.s.) in Ghadeer Khum as the caliph over the nation after him, the Prophet (a.s.) set out back to Medina. But, a day after another, his health got worse and illnesses began attacking him. He suffered a bad fever for many days that whoever of his wives or visitors put her\his hand on his (the Prophet) body, felt its heat.

[1] A vessel of cold water was put beside him in which he put his hand and put it on his holy face in order to lessen the heat of the fever. Some sources of history mention that the Prophet’s illness was because of a poisonous food offered to him by a Jewish woman. He often said, “I am still feeling the pain of the food that I had eaten in Khaybar.

This is the time that I found my aorta is cut because of that poison.” [2] When the news of the Prophet’s illness spread among Muslims, they hurried to visit him while being so distressed and sad. What made them more distressed was that the Prophet (a.s.) himself confirmed to them his soon death saying, “O people, I am about to be made die soon and taken away.

I speak to you to be excused before you; I leave among you the Book of Allah and my progeny, my family.” Then, he took the hand of Imam Ali, who was sitting beside him, and said, “This is Ali; he is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with Ali. They shall not separate until they shall come to me at the pond (in the Paradise).” [3] In this recommendation, the Prophet (a.s.) invited Muslims to keep to the Holy Qur'an and to his progeny in order not to go astray or fall into seditions.

[1] Al-Bidayeh wen-Nihayeh, vol. 5 p. 226. [2] Encyclopedia of Imam Ameerul Mo'minin Ali bin Abi Talib, vol. 2 p. 62. [3] As-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, vol. 2 p. 361. The army of Usamah The Prophet (a.s.) saw factionalism among his companions and he became certain that they would fulfill their plans to take the caliphate away from his family, who were the center of knowledge and wisdom, and especially from his guardian and successor Imam Ali (a.s.).

Hence, he thought to rescue the situation by sending all his companions in an army to fight the Romans so that his capital would be empty of them and thus Imam Ali (a.s.) would assume the caliphate after his (the Prophet) death easily and with no obstacles.