Abstract
In order to advance their argument that Imām ‘Alī was the divinely and prophetically designated spiritual and political successor of the Prophet Muḥammad, Shī‘ite Muslim scholars have primarily drawn evidence from the Qur’ān and Ḥadīth which was supplemented by reason and rational arguments. Oddly enough, in their quest to legitimize the Caliphate and Imāmate of Ahl al-Bayt, the People of the House of the Prophet, Shī‘ite scholars have generally ignored one of the most important bodies of literature, namely, the letters, treaties and covenants of the Prophet Muḥammad. The following study examines the Messenger of Allāh’s Covenants with Christians and Jews in search of previously overlooked material on the subject of succession, shedding light on the state of Islām prior to the definitive rupture of the early Muslim community into Sunnīs and Shī‘ites.
Highlights
The succession of the Prophet Muh.ammad is one of the most contentious and divisive subjects in the history of Islām
Twelver Shı‘ites assert that the Messenger of Allāh explicitly appointed ‘Alıas his political and spiritual successor and reject the legitimacy of Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthmān. The Zaydı Shı‘ites adopt an intermediate stance between Sunnism and Twelver Shı‘ism, namely, between complete acceptance of the first three Caliphs and their complete repudiation
Covenants of Protection to Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians, he did so in the name of the as.fiyyā’ and awliyyā’, namely, in the name of the chosen ones and the righteous friends of Allāh who were vested with guardianship over the community
Summary
The succession of the Prophet Muh.ammad is one of the most contentious and divisive subjects in the history of Islām. Version G of the Covenant of the Prophet Muh.ammad with the Jews states that its words were revealed to the Messenger of Allāh The Covenant of the Prophet Muh.ammad with the Jews (Version H and A) describes the legitimate successor of the Messenger of Allāh as being an Imām. Version A of the Covenant of the Prophet Muh.ammad with the Jews, which was published by (Ahroni 1998), is the most elaborate of all when it comes to describing the position of the Imām as head of the Muslim Ummah It reads: “And they should pay it [the poll-tax] to the Imām who is entrusted by God, the one who guides [to the true path], the just, the one who dispenses justice”
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