ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books On The Khilafah Of ‘Ali Over Abu Bakr Hadith Al-Siyadah, Examining The Background Arguments ========================================================= Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d.

728 H) states: ففي هذا الخبر إخبار عمر بين المهاجرين والأنصار أن أبا بكر سيد المسلمين وخيرهم وأحبهم إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم ذلك علة مبايعته فقال بل نبايعك أنت فأنت سيدنا وخيرنا وأحبنا إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم ليبين بذلك أن المأمور به تولية الأفضل وأنت أفضلنا فنبايعك In this report is the declaration of ‘Umar among the Muhajirun and the Ansar that Abu Bakr was the sayyid of the Muslims and the best of them, and the most beloved of them to the Messenger of Allah.

This is the reason for following him. So, he (‘Umar) said, “Rather, we will follow you because you are our sayyid , and the best of us, and the most beloved of us to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him”. He wanted to make clear through it that: What is ordained is to give authority to the best , and you are the best of us. So, we will follow you.[^1] ‘Umar apparently referred to Abu Bakr as “our sayyid ”[^2].

Our Shaykh interprets that “our” as referring to all Muslims of that time, who were only the Sahabah. In other words, ‘Umar was speaking on behalf of his colleagues as a whole. Therefore, on the basis of ‘Umar’s testimony, Abu Bakr was the sayyid of the Sahabah. So, what does this mean? First and foremost, it is important to note that the word sayyid has different meanings and can be used in various contexts. Dr.

Baalbaki, a contemporary lexicographer, defines sayyid in this manner: master, lord, chief, head, leader; Mr.; gentleman; a descendant of Prophet Mohammad; sovereign; independent.[^3] As such, in a cultural context, the word sayyid means “descendant of the Prophet”. In a political context, it refers to the ruler. In a tribal context, the title belongs to their chief. In the family setting, the husband – being its head - is the sayyid . The examples go on and on.

What matters to our research, however, is solely the spiritual context. Therefore, all references to “sayyid” or “siyadah” henceforth in this and other chapters on Hadith al-Siyadah relate to spirituality only. Abu Bakr was not the political leader of Muslims, nor was he their tribal or other chief, when ‘Umar addressed him as “our sayyid ”. This reveals that he too was referring to Abu Bakr’s alleged spiritual siyadah over the Ummah .