1. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims
  2. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

155 Questions

Did Prophet Muhammad (saw) die a natural death or was he poisoned? If the latter, who gave him the poison?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

The authentic evidence proves that Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his Holy Progeny) did not die a natural death but he was killed by poison. The evidence is in Sunni and Shia books. In the Sunni books there is an authentic narration from Abdullah ibn Mas'ood.

This narration is mentioned in the Musnad of Ahmad bin Hanbal in which Abdullah ibn Mas'ood said that I don't mind or in fact I am ready to take oath and repeat it nine times that the prophet was killed rather than taking oath one time that he was not killed.

Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal volume 1 page 408

Our prominent Ulamah have mentioned many authentic hadith that the Prophet was poisoned. Among them is:

·        Sheikh Al Mufid in his book Al-Muqni'ah page 456

·        Sheikh Al Toosi in his book Al Tahdhib vol 2 page 6

·        Al Fattal Al Nisaburi in his book Al Rawdat page 71 

·        Al Allamah Al Hilli in his book Al Tahrir vol 2 page 118

·        Al Shahid Al Awal in his book Al-Durus vol 2 page 6

·        Allamah Al Majlisi in his book Mir'at Al Uqol  vol 5 page 174

Ibne-Abil Hadeed Al Moathazalee a well known non-Shia scholar mentioned in his book Sharh Nahj Al-Balagha that the Prophet was poisoned and that he passed away as a Shahid (martyr) vol 10 page 221.

There is a narration from Imam Jaffer as Sadiq (as) that Imam Hassan (as) told his family members "I will die by poison as the Prophet Mohammad (saw) was poisoned."

Al-Khara'ij wal-Jara'ih vol 1 page 241

Among the Sunni scholars Al Hakim Al Nishapuri is very well known who compiled the famous book Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain he narrated from Al Sha'bi "by Allah the Prophet was poisoned."

It is not the death but it is the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his Holy Progeny).

Wassalam.
Was every single battle fought by Prophet Muhammad of a defensive nature?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Yes, every battle fought  by the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) was defensive. Islam does not believe in enforcing religion on any one as Allah says in Sura Al-Baqarah in Quran (There is no compulsion in religion).

Wassalam.
Is it true that the 12 Imams are all considered just like Prophet Muhammad (s)? If so, what is the rational reason for it?
Amina Inloes

The 12 Imams are not exactly like the Prophet Muhammad in that each of them were separate individuals and had his own life, experiences, personality, features, etc. (That is, they did not share the same soul.)

However, they all shared the same teachings of the Prophet (S). This is the job of the Imams (A) is to correctly explain the teachings of the Prophet (S). According to dominant Twelver Shi'i belief, knowledge of the correct Prophetic teachings is a divine gift transferred to one Imam after the death of the previous Imam; therefore, they do not make mistakes in the teachings or disagree about what the Prophet (S) taught. 

Also, the Prophet and 12 Imams are all considered sinless. They all obviously also shared a strong commitment to Islam.

Maybe this is one reason that they tend to appear the same - it is our flaws and faults that oftentimes distinguish us the most from each other!

The rational reason for this is that Allah appointed them to preserve and expand upon the message as was necessary. If you think about it, most Muslims came to Islam in the latter part of the Prophet's life. Many of them really didn't have enough time to learn much about the religion at all, especially because the Muslims were busy fending off attackers and dealing with a lot of practical things. And after the Prophet, not all the Companions agreed on everything. So it makes sense that if Allah is going to appoint a prophet with the final message that Allah would be sure that message is protected; this is done through the imamate. 
Is it true that Shi’a believe that Imam Ali (as) and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) are equal?
Seyed Ali Shobayri

Bismillah, 

Asalamu Alaykom, 

No this is not the case. The Shia Muslims believe that the prophet Mohammad (sawa) who possesses prophethood, messengership and imamah, is the highest of all creation. Anyone saying otherwise is a deviant and ignorant. 
 

In a narration from Al-Kafi, Imam Ali (as) when asked by a Jew if he's a prophet, replied the following: 

إنما أنا عبد من عبيد محمد صلى الله عليه وآله

I am only an 'abd (slave) from the slaves of Mohammad (sawa). 
 

'Abd in this context means a servant or slave in the sense of complete obedience and not worship. The Quran also uses the word 'Abd for the non-worship sense too. Check 24:32. 
 

Therefore, despite the unfathomable status of Imam Ali (as), he shows that he is in a lower position as compared to Rasullah (sawa) by expressing his obedience and veneration to him. 
 

So then imagine the status of rasullah when someone such as Ali expresses such a statement! 
 

May Allah grant you success