ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Saqifa 4- No Text On the Canon of Choice Ignoring our own words preceded pertaining to the corruption of the canon of choice we would like to inquire them into the practice or a proof that could establish its having had originated from the Prophet as it is their claim. Not a day he said nor did he enjoin to choose one as their Imam or leader when he would be no more among them. There exists no such statement of his either clear or clandestine.

Had there been any it could have never concealed in such a rife of motives under such a pressure since the beginning of Islam wherein a rich crop of opinions cultivated to be harvested later in an opportune season. But among the gleaners in the field there is none to have traced a furrow that the Prophet might have tilled. Did it remain hidden from all of us and the narrators too?

Well, to revert to God the Almighty; He says in His Book: "...And your Lord creates what He desires and Chooses -- at which to them there is choice." Then, this Quranic verse clearly denies; and, therefore, the Prophet could never say or act otherwise.

To depend upon the choice of people is antipode to this verse; "...To them there is no choice." If we circumduct and say that the Prophet was aware of the issue, but he remained silent leaving the matter to the choice of people after giving a definition of one of his companions and that his silence shows his consent. This seems to be cogent if we could convince ourselves to believe his silence after having had given the definition of his successor.

But the cogency loses ground in the absence of definition. We shall see into it in our discussion in (7) and (8) as to what the Shias and the Sunnis say pertaining to definition on Abu Baker or Ali Bin Abi Taleb. A little thought will convince us that to adopt a way, occult and obscure, not plain to the understanding, in such a matter of importance that rifted the nation into such a wide division for such a man of wisdom besides his being a prophet was far from being congenial.

There appears no reason to support his silence in spite of his knowledge of the events that were to betide. If he had not defined any, it would have been better had he made known that the matter was left to their own choice. Then he should have confined it to those who settle the dispute and again with further definition as to whether they should be from the Madinians or from the capital.