Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali

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There was an Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali, that is said to have started with Muawiyah I, a practice put to end by Umar II. This tradition is described in sources such as Sahih Muslim and is prominently mentioned by Shi'a when retelling the history of Islam.

People who chose death over cursing Ali include:

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

1 History
2 Hadith
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The cursing of 'Ali ibn Ali Talib features prominently in Shi'ite accounts of history. It started during the reign of Muawiyah I.

Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, or Umar II, was successful in eradicating the pockets of dissidents and Umayyads who did curse 'Ali, and was all the more endeared to the Sunni masses for it.

[edit] Hadith

A narration attributed to Sahl ibn Sa'd reports:

“

A person from the offspring of Marwan was appointed as the governor of Medina. He called Sahl ibn Sa'd and ordered him to abuse Ali. Sahl refused to do that. He (the governor) said to him: If you do not agree to it (at least) say: May Allah curse Abu Turab. Sahl said: There was no name dearer to Ali than Abu Turab (for it was given to him by the Holy Prophet himself) and he felt delighted when he was called by this name. He (the governor) said to him: Narrate to us the story of his being named as Abu Turab. He said: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to the house of Fatima and he did not find 'Ali in the house; whereupon he said: Where is your uncle's son? She said: (There cropped up something) between me and him which had annoyed him with me. He went out and did not rest here. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to a person to find out where he was. He came and said: Allah's Messenger, he is sleeping in the mosque. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to him and found him lying in the mosque and saw that his mantle had slipped from his back and his back was covered with dust and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) began to wipe it away from him (from the body of Hadrat 'Ali) saying: Get up, covered with dust (Arabic:Abu Turab); get up, covered with dust.

”

Sunnis tend to view this as Sahih and have included it in Sahih Muslim^[1]

Another hadith from SAHIH MUSLIM is

This hadith has been narrated. on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters. Amir b. Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas reported on the authority of his father that Muawiya b. Abi Sufyin appointed Sa'd as the Governor and said: What prevents you from abusing Abu Turab (Hadrat 'Ali), whereupon be said: It is because of three things which I remember Allah's Messenger having said about him that I would not abuse him and even if I find one of those three things for me, it would be more dear to me than the red camel. I heard Allah's Messenger say to Ali as he left him behind in one of his campaigns (that was Tabuk). Ali said to Allah's Messenger, you leave me behind along with women and children. Thereupon Allah's Messenger said to him: Aren't you satisfied with being unto me what Aaron was unto Moses but with the exception that there is no prophethood after me. And I (also) heard him say on the Day of Khaibar: I would certainly give this standard to a person who loves Allah and his Messenger and Allah and his Messenger love him too. He (the narrator) said: We have been anxiously waiting for it, when he (the Holy Prophet) said: Call 'Ali. He was called and his eyes were inflamed. He applied saliva to his eyes and handed over the standard to him, and Allah gave him victory. (The third occasion is this) when the (following) verse was revealed:" Let us summon our children and your children." Allah's Messenger called 'Ali, Fitima, Hasan and Husain and said: O Allah, they are my family.|Sunni= as Sahih|SunniS=Sahih Muslim^[2]}}

Imam al-Nawawi said: "The ulamas said: Any hadith that appear to refer to intra-Sahaba enmity is interpreted figuratively. In this hadith there is nothing that states that Mu`awiya actually ordered Sa`d to curse `Ali, but he only asked him for the reason why he refrained from cursing him: was it Godwariness? in which case, well done; or fear? etc. It may be that Sa`d was observed among a group that cursed `Ali, but he himself abstained from it although unable to reprimand them, then they were subsequently reprimanded, and Mu`awiya asked him this question. Another possible interpretation is: What prevented you from proving `Ali wrong in his opinion and ijtihad, and tell people the rightness and correctness of our position and ijtihad?"

Ali ibn al-Athir, a 13th century Sunni Islamic scholar writes:

“

Marwan the architect of Umayyad dynastic rule, clearly recognized the importance of cursing as a tool of the government. He told 'Ali's grandson Ali ibn al-Husayn privately: 'No one [among the Islamic nobility] was more temperate (akaff) towards our master than your master'. The harmless son of al Husayn asked him: 'Why do you curse him then from the pulpits? 'He answered: 'Our reign would not be sound without that (la yastaqimu l-amru illa bi-dhalik) ^[3].

”