Mahmood Abu Maryam

The Sunni tradition fully confirms the event of Ghadir Khumm and no Sunni scholar to my knowledge has ever entirely denied it. 

The Sunni masses, on the other hand, are largely unaware of this hugely important event. When known, it is considered one of many Prophetic merit narrations in favour of 'Ali and the other Companions and not anything specific to succession of 'Ali after the Prophet (a).

The differences come down to the details of what happened in that event and its context and, therefore, implication for the succession to the Prophet Muhammad (s).

SHI'A UNDERSTANDING

You should first read the entire event here - https://www.al-islam.org/ghadir/incident.htm

The Shi'a believe that on the day of Ghadir Khumm, the Prophet Muhammad (s) was commanded to announce the system of his succession and introduce to his followers the first person who will immediately succeed him in that system.

So the system was declared through a segment of his speech that is famously referred to as the Hadith al-Thaqalayn. In that narration he stated that he was leaving behind the Qur'an and his Ahl al-Bayt, and if the people were to adhere to them both they would never go astray after him.

The person as well as the true nature of succession was introduced through the words man kuntu mawlahu fa 'Aliyyun mawlahu. It translates to:

• For whomsover I am master, 'Ali is his master.

UNAMBIGUOUS DESIGNATION

The word used mawla was the perfect term to use for the comprehensive authority, walaya, that was possessed by the Prophet (s) and that was being vested in 'Ali as the first member of the chosen Ahl al-Bayt.

'Ali was not simply being made a Caliph nor just an Imam. Each of these labels are open to many interpretations of scope, geography, and timeframe. If designated a khalifa at Ghadir Khumm instead of mawla people could have accepted him as the first one but only for the years he ruled, and only for the area he ruled. If just called an imam, he could have been considered simply a prayer leader in a mosque!

People can get very creative when they want to derail a system, or if they have to explain away a derailed system from history.

So with Divine inspiration the Prophet (s) made clear the scope of the authority that was being vested in 'Ali in multiple ways. He repeated the portion of Qur'anic verse 33:6 as a question and got the public to acknowledge that he was closer to them and had more authority over them than their own souls. The man kuntu mawlahu designation itself tightly coupled his own walaya to that of 'Ali. And the Qur'anic verse 5:3 of ikmal that was revealed immediately thereafter announced the completion and perfection of religion as a result of that declaration.

SOURCES

Every single fact mentioned above is attested by Sunni sources of tafsir, hadith, and history. In all, 110 Companions of the Prophet (s) are documented to have narrated this event in varying levels of detail. And that makes Ghadir Khumm the most widely narrated hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (s) on any topic whatsoever in Sunni sources!

This is quite remarkable given that it was about an issue that divided the Muslim community. Its level of attestation despite that fact is certainly something to think about.

SUNNI MISUNDERSTANDING

This raises the question of how the Sunni scholars understand the Ghadir Khumm event.  Clearly, and by the very definition of being Sunni, they acknowledge the legitimacy of the caliphate of Abu Bakr. And so, for them, Ghadir Khumm was not about authority but about love and friendship towards 'Ali. This was based on taking an alternative meaning for mawla in the context of the event.

And for that context, it was considered to be unhappy soldiers from Yemen who had complained about 'Ali to the Prophet (s). But this theory is full of holes and cannot be reconciled with the full details of the event as documented on the link given earlier in this response.

As just one example, consider the fact that out of 110 Companions who narrated Ghadir Khumm, only 1 Companion - Burayda b. al-Husayb - mentions Yemen as the context. None of the other Companions mention Yemen or the unhappy soldiers as the context for the event.

And he was a Companion who was himself upset at 'Ali and was complaining to the Prophet (s) about him and thereby angered him (s) - all according to his own report!

There are many other holes in this Yemeni red herring narrative, feel free to ask another question about them and I can elaborate further, God-willing.

One may say that the best du'a for forgiveness is the one preserved in the immutable text of the Qur'an 7:23 in the following words:

 قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ 

They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers."

There are also many other supplications (ad'iya) available to any Muslim seeking forgiveness from Allah (swt) for one's sins and shortcomings. Many beautiful and eloquent expressions have been taught by the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his family the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

For instance, check out this Du'a of Repentance taught by Imam 'Ali Zayn al-'Abidin (a) who was the son of Imam al-Husayn b. 'Ali (a) and the fourth Imam.

The term al-khilafa al-rashida (the rightly guided caliphate) was coined around or soon after the time of the civil wars that took place between Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib and his opponents.

It was designed to contrast the period of the first 3 caliphs, who were promoted as rightly guided, against the rule of 'Ali who was being denigrated by this comparison.

This will probably come as a surprise to our Sunni friends who clearly believe that ‘Ali is very much a part of the rashidun caliphs.

Yes it’s true today, but it wasn’t the case when this term was coined and the fictitious hadith was invented, amongst so many others, in order to give power to this anti-’Ali propaganda.

Here’s that work of fiction referred to in the question:

“Adhere to my sunnah and the sunnah of the rightly-guided successors after me. Hold on to it and cling on to it stubbornly.”

This narration is recorded by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

A study of the various chains of narration shows multiple weak and unreliable characters. But notice these ones in particular and see if you can find a pattern.

• Khalid b. Ma’dan b. Abi Karib al-Kitabi - Belonged to Hims, a Syrian town under the rule of Mu’awiya that was notorious for its people's enmity towards ‘Ali, and he was the chief of police of Yazid b. Mu’awiyah!
• Thawr b. Yazid - Belonged to Hims as mentioned by al-Dhahabi (Mizan al-I’tidal, vol. 1, p. 374). As mentioned by Ibn Hajar ‘al-’Asqalani (Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 2, p. 34) he hated ‘Ali who had killed his father in a battle. ‘Abd Allah b. Mubarak refrained from narrating from him and considered him a heretic (fasid al­-madhhab).
• Hajar b. Hajar al-Kila'i - Belonged to Hims and was considered of unknown standing as mentioned by Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 3, p. 118.

So this fake hadith was put in circulation to undermine the legitimacy of ‘Ali. Later, after the fall of the Umayyads and the rise of the ‘Abbasid’s, Sunni theology and creed started to take shape. And the chapter of the hatred of ‘Ali was officially closed.

‘Ali was now considered the fourth of these rashidun caliphs.

Boasting is generally a blameworthy attribute that a God-fearing person should not exhibit in his character or speech.

Imam 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) has several short sayings addressing this behaviour of pride and boastfulness.

1. What reason has a human being to be proud when his beginning is a drop of semen and his end is a carcass; neither can he sustain himself nor can he repel his [own] death!

2. Never become proud of a state that you attained without [any] device [and hard work], and never be arrogant of a rank that you attained without merit, for indeed that which is built by circumstance is destroyed by entitlement.

3. There is no foolishness greater than arrogance.

4. Boasting ought to be about the greatest effort, keeping promises and being overly generous, not about the worn out bones [of one’s ancestors] and evil traits.

5. Boastfulness stems from the smallness of [one’s] status [and worth].

6. Beware of contesting with Allah, the Glorified, in His greatness, for Allah, the Most High, abases every tyrant and belittles every boaster.

Source - Ghurar al-hikam wa durar al-kalim

You can find these sayings with their original arabic here - https://www.al-islam.org/ghurar-al-hikam-wa-durar-al-kalim-exalted-aphorisms-and-pearls-speech/pride-and-boasting

Sadl al-yadayn - leaving the hands open by the side during prayer - is for sure the more authentic practice and was clearly the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and the people of Madina. It was also the practice of Imam ‘Ali (a) and those who followed him, his Shi’a, and also the later Imams such as Ja’far al-Sadiq (a). It was even the practice of the Khawarij who seceded from the side of ‘Ali!

Basically sadl al-yadayn was the only practice for the Islamic prayer until Mu’awiya commanded people to pray with qabd (folding the hands).

I haven’t read a reason for it but my own understanding is that he may have wanted to test the level of religious control he had over his subjects. Abu Hurayra is said to have been in the camp of Mu’awiya during the civil war but he sometimes used to pray behind ‘Ali. It also created a very immediate and visual indicator of which political side a praying man belonged.

As happened with many other matters of this nature in that time period of the Fitna, the hadith fabricators created fake hadith to retrospectively create support from the Prophet (s) for qabd al-yadayn.

As such, the Sunni schools of fiqh accepted both positions of sadl and qabd. It is interesting to note that all four Sunni Imams of fiqh accept prayer as valid with sadl, and that remains the valid lowest common denominator. And of course, as we know, the Maliki school advocates sadl as the correct approach.

Based on the information that I have come across, the wives of the Prophet (s) did not receive an inheritance from his estate, but rather were given a 'provision' or stipend. This was either left for them in the lifetime of the Prophet (s) or was given by Abu Bakr as the first defacto caliph.

So were the wives not entitled to any inheritance? There is an interesting narration in the Mu'jam al-Buldan of Yaqut al-Hamawi that after the demise of the Prophet (s) the wives considered sending 'Uthman (presumably bin 'Affan) to Abu Bakr as their representative to demand their eighth share. But 'Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr and one of the wives of the Prophet (s), opposed it and all the wives withdrew from such a demand. 

This is important because had the wives been entertained in their claim for inheritance, then Lady Fatima's (a) claim to Fadak could not have been refuted on the grounds that the Prophets do not leave heirs as was claimed by the first caliph Abu Bakr.

Fadak, in any case, was a lifetime gift that the Prophet (s) had made to Fatima (a).  That estate was not handed over to her by Abu Bakr despite her claims to it. This is widely documented in the hadith and historical sources.

For more details on the estate of Fadak and the politics that was at play behind it being withheld from Fatima (a) please refer to:

https://www.al-islam.org/fadak-allamah-sayyid-saeed-akhtar-rizvi/fadak

There were certainly Jewish communities present in Medina at the time the muhajirun migrated there from Makkah. 

At the beginning of the seventh century A.D., there were three Jewish tribes living in Medina (Yathrib). They were Banu Qainuka'a, Banu Nadhir and Banu Qurayza. All three tribes were rich and powerful, and also, they were more civilized than the Arabs. Whereas the Arabs were all farmers, the Jews were the entrepreneurs of industry, business and commerce in Arabia, and they controlled the economic life of Medina (Yathrib). The two Arab tribes – Aus and Khazraj – were debt-ridden to the Jews perennially.

Besides Medina, the strong centers of the Jews in Hijaz were Khyber, Fadak and Wadi-ul-Qura. The lands in these valleys were the most fertile in all Arabia, and their Jewish cultivators were the best farmers in the country.

The migration of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, from Makkah to Medina (then Yathrib), brought him into contact with the Jews for the first time. At the beginning they were friendly to him. He granted them the famous Charter of Medina, and they acknowledged him the ruler of their city, and agreed to abide by his decisions in all disputes. They also agreed to defend the city in the event of an invasion by an enemy.

But, unfortunately, this friendship did not last long.

Read more - https://www.al-islam.org/restatement-history-islam-and-muslims-sayyid-ali-ashgar-razwy/muslims-and-jews

The Battle of the Camel (Jamal) was the first civil war within the Islamic community. It took place after Imam 'Ali b. Abi Talib was given bay'a - the oath of allegiance - to be the caliph of the Muslims after the murder of 'Uthman b. 'Affan.

'Aisha, one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (s), joined two of his prominent Companions Talha b. 'Ubaydullah and Zubayr b. al-'Awwam, who all together came into battle with their supporters against 'Ali and his supporters. One of 'Ali's supporters was Muhammad b. Abi Bakr, who was none other than the brother of 'Aisha and a son of Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa who had taken the position of caliphate after the demise of the Prophet (s) in a maneuver that can only be described as a coup against 'Ali.

A large number of Muslims were killed but finally 'Ali and his supporters prevailed. They showed exemplary courtesy towards 'Aisha, and 'Ali asked her own brother to escort her back to Medina.

That was a defining moment for the Islamic community and its reverberations are felt to this day in how early Islamic history is narrated and interpreted.

You can read more about it here - https://www.al-islam.org/caliphate-imamate-ahmad-namaee/rebellion-agains...

The use of the colon ":" character is simply a presentation style to make it easy to differentiate between the chapter's sequential number in the Qur'an and the specific verse within it. So when speaking it you can simply say, for instance, 'five, sixty-seven' when referring to 5:67.

The Prophets of God were divinely appointed and tasked with bringing people to the path of righteousness, honesty and integrity.  They were not known to be manipualtive or believe that the end justifies the means as is common in politics.

A good example is that of Prophet Yusuf (a) who suffered from the consequences of the cunning conduct of some women of Egypt.

So when he saw that his shirt was torn from behind, he said, ‘This is [a case] of you women’s guile! Your guile is indeed great! (Surah Yusuf, Verse 28)

The way he dealt with that trial is exemplary. Later, when he acquired political power, he continued to exhibit the just and righteous conduct that was suitable for a Divinely appointed leader.

There is a really well-made multi-episode TV serial on the life of Prophet Yusuf (a) that I would recommend you watch.

One of the best practices that you may perform at the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad (s) in Medina is tawassul. Here is a narration from a famous Sunni commentary of the Qur'an by Ibn Kathir:

"Many have stated this tradition. One of them is Abū Mansūr Sabbagh who writes in his book al-Hikayat-ul-mashhurah that, according to ‘Utbi, once he was sitting beside the Prophet’s grave when a bedouin came and he said,

“Peace be on you, O Allah’s Messenger. I have heard that Allah says: ‘(O beloved!) And if they had come to you, when they had wronged their souls, and asked forgiveness of Allah, and the Messenger also had asked forgiveness for them, they (on the basis of this means and intercession) would have surely found Allah the Granter of repentance, extremely Merciful. I have come to you, asking forgiveness for my sins and I make you as my intermediary before my Lord and I have come to you for this purpose.”

Then he recited these poetic verses:

“O, the most exalted among the buried people
who improved the worth of the plains and the hillocks!
May I sacrifice my life for this grave which is made radiant by you, (the Prophet)
the one who is (an embodiment) of mercy and forgiveness.”

Then the bedouin went away and I fell asleep. In my dream I saw the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). He said to me: O ‘Utbi, the bedouin is right, go and give him the good news that Allah has forgiven his sins."

Source - Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-azim, volume 4, page 140, under the Verse 4:64.

Here is a nice recitation of Du'a Tawassul, that addresses the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt. It also includes the English translation.

Both Sunni and Shi'a muslims are the ahl al-qibla and belong to the ummah of Prophet Muhammad (s). Their main difference is considered to be in the matter of succession to the Prophet (s) where the Shi'a believe that Imam 'Ali b. Abi Talib was appointed by the Prophet (s) to be his successor, whereas the Sunni's believe the matter was not determined by him (s) and the caliphate of Abu Bakr was legitimate.

Both groups refer to the same Qur'an as their primary source of Divine instruction and guidance.

The Shi'a adhere to the family - ahl al-bayt - of the Prophet (s) in matters of understanding the creed and law of Islam and the sunnah of the Prophet (s), whereas the Sunni's refer to the Companions of the Prophet (s) to understand religion.

Many early Sunni scholars of jurisprudence directly and indirectly benefited from the teachings of the Shi'a Imams, in particular Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, and that resulted in significant consistency between the rulings found in the Sunni schools of law and the Ja'fari Shi'a school of law. Of course, there remain areas of difference as well.

Here is a great book to check out the similarities and differences from the jurisprudential angle:

The Five Schools of Islamic Law
https://www.al-islam.org/five-schools-islamic-law-allamah-muhammad-jawad...