Nasb And The Nawasib

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by  Al IMKAN WAL IMTINA

Naṣb and the Nawāṣib
A doctrinal study in light of the position of the Ahl al-Sunnah
By:
Badr ibn Nāṣir ibn Muḥammad al-ʿAwwād
WWW.MAHAJJAH.COM
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Transliteration key
- ’ - ḍ
إ أ ض
- ā - ṭ
آ ط
- b - ẓ
ب ظ
- t - ʿ
ت ع
- th - gh
ث غ
- j - f
ج ف
- ḥ - q
ح ق
- kh - k
خ ك
- d - l
د ل
- dh - m
ذ م
- r - n
ر ن
- z - w, ū
ز و
- s - h
س ه
- sh - y, ī
ش ي
- ṣ
ص
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Contents
Introduction 7
The Reason for Choosing the Topic 9
The Objectives of the Study 10
The Structure of the Study 10
The procedure of the study 12
The Ṣaḥābah and their Status according to the Ahl al-Sunnah 16
The literal meaning of a Ṣaḥābī: 16
The Technical Definition of a Ṣaḥābī: 16
The First Position 17
The Second Position 20
The Third Position 22
The Fourth Position 24
The Fifth Position 25
The Status of the Ṣaḥābah M, their Integrity and their Rights 28
The integrity of the Ṣaḥābah M 34
Their Rights 36
The Ahl al-Bayt and their Status according to the Ahl al-Sunnah 49
The Root Letters of the word Āl: 49
The first view 49
The second view 49
The Technical Meaning of Āl 50
The First View 51
The Second View 54
The Third View 60
The Fourth View 63
The Fifth View 66
Conclusion 69
The Status of the Ahl al-Bayt according to the Ahl al-Sunnah 69
The First Chapter - The Concept of Naṣb, its History and the Stances of the Umayyad
and the Abbasid Rulers regarding it 81
The First sub-chapter 81
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The concept of Naṣb between the Ahl al-Sunnah and the Twelver Shīʿah 81
The First Discussion 83
The Concept of Naṣb according to the Ahl al-Sunnah 83
The Two phases of Naṣb 90
The First Phase 90
The Second Discussion 103
The Concept of Naṣb according to the Twelver Shīʿah 103
The First Position 105
The Second Position 111
Khawārij 121
The Ahl al-Sunnah 121
The first view 122
The second view 122
The Shīʿah besides the Twelvers 124
The First view 124
The second view 124
The Second Sub-Chapter 126
The History of Naṣb and the Efforts of the Ahl al-Sunnah in Combatting it 126
The First Discussion - The Inception of Naṣb 127
The Issues Raised against ʿUthmān 133
Nepotism: Appointing his Relatives 133
His Absence in the Battle of Badr 137
His Fleeing on the Day of Uḥud from the Battle field 137
His Absence in the Pledge of Riḍwān 138
Demarcating a Sanctuary 138
Compiling the Qurʾān 138
The Second Discussion - The Causes of its Inception 167
The first category: Plausible causes, which are the following: 167
The First Cause: The martyrdom of ʿUthmān I 167
The Second Cause: The Battles: 168
The Third Cause: The Belief that ʿAlī I was a Kāfir 172
The Fourth Cause: Fanaticism Regarding ʿAlī I 173
The Fifth Cause: The Influence of the Rulers: 175
The Sixth Cause: The Influence of Society 175
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The Seventh Cause: The Effects of the Quṣāṣ (story tellers) 178
The Eighth Cause: Love for the World 180
The Ninth Cause: The Revolts of the ʿAlawīs 182
The Second category: Implausible causes 183
The First Cause: Competition between the Banū Hāshim and the
Banū Umayyah which existed in the days of Jāhiliyyah (ignorance). 183
The Second Cause: Killing of fathers and relatives 190
The Third Discussion - The Loci of Naṣb 195
The first category: Areas where the excommunicating Nawāṣib existed,
i.e. the Khawārij 199
The Khawārij in the East 199
The Khawārij in the West 206
The Second Category: Areas where Nawāṣib other than the Khawārij
existed. 218
The Nawāṣib in the East 218
Nawāṣib in the West 229
The Fourth Discussion - The Efforts of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah
in Refuting them 227
The First Category: 236
1. Narrating the merits of ʿAlī I and his household: 236
2. Authoring books regarding the merits of ʿAlī I and the
Ahl al-Bayt and their rights 240
The Second Category: Their Efforts in Countering the Detractors of
ʿAlī I and the Ahl al-Bayt 243
1. Narrating Aḥādīth which condemn the Khawārij and exhort
fighting them 244
2. Debating the Khawārij and Proving them Wrong In their Stances 246
3. Fighting the Khawārij 248
4. Condemning the Detractors of ʿAlī I and Rebutting their Claims: 249
5. Not Narrating from the Nawāṣib 263
The Third Sub-Chapter 271
The First Discussion - The Stance of the Umayyad Khulafāʾ 272
The first perspective: The Umayyads and the non-excommunicating
Nawāṣib. 273
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The First Aspect: The Religious Aspect: 284
The Second Aspect: The familial aspect: 286
The Third Aspect: The Political Aspect 292
The first reason: Their passion to rule exclusively. 292
The Second Reason: The Alawids coveting the Khilāfah 312
The Third Reason: The Shīʿah of the Alawids 315
1. The Role of the Khulafāʿ 317
2. The Role of the Governors 337
Form 1: Reviling him and granting permission for his revilement 338
Form 2: Ordering people to Revile him and Disassociate from him: 343
The Second Perspective: The Umayyads and the excommunicating
Nawāṣib 348
The Second DiscussionThe Stance of the Abbasid Rulers 352
1. The stance of the Abbasids regarding ʿAlī I 356
2. The stance of the Abbasids regarding the Alawids 358
Manner in which the Abbasids countered Alawid rebellions 372
1. Military confrontation 372
2. Ideological clashes 379
•••
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Introduction
All praise is for Allah. We praise Him, seek help from Him, and beseech Him for
His forgiveness. We seek His refuge from the evils of ourselves and from our bad
deeds. No one can misguide the one whom Allah has guided and no can guide the
one whom Allah has misguided.
I testify that there is no deity besides Allah; He is alone and has no partner. I
testify that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger.
نَ وْمُلِسْ مُّ مْ تُنْأَوَ لَّاِإ نَّا تُوْمُتَ لَوَ ٖهِتاقَتُ قَّا حَ هَلّٰلا اوقُتَّاا اوْنُمَأٰ نَ يْذِ لَّاا اهَيُّأَ ايَ
O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as
Muslims [in submission to Him].1
لًااجَ رِ امَهُنْمِ ثَّا بَوَ اهَجَ وْزَ اهَنْمِ قَ لَخَ وَّا ةٍدَحِ اوَّا سٍ فْنَّا نْ مِّ مْ كُ قَلَخَ يْ ذِ لَّاا مُكُ بَّارَ اوْقُتَّاا سُ انَّالا اهَيُّأَ ايَ
ابًايْقِرَ مْ كُ يْلَعَ نَ اكَ هَلّٰلا نَّاِإ مَاحَ رْلَْاوَ ٖهِب نَ وْلُءَٓاسَ تَ يْ ذِ لَّاا هَلّٰلا اوقُتَّااوَ ءًآاسَ ِنوَّا ارًايِْثكَ
O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it
its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah,
through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you,
an Observer.2
نْ مَوَ مْ كُ بَوْنُذُ مْ كُ لَ رْفِغْيَوَ مْ كُ لَامَعْ أَ مْ كُ لَ حْ لِصْ يُ ادًايْدِ سَ لًاوْقَ اوْلُوْقُوَ هَلّٰلا اوْقُتَّاا اوْنُمَأٰ نَ يْذِ لَّاا اهَيُّأَ ايَ
امًايْظِ عَ ازًاوْفَ زَافَ دْقَفَ هلَوْسُ رَوَ هَلّٰلا عِ طِ يُّ
O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice.3 He
will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys
1  Sūrah Āl ʿImrān: 102.
2  Sūrah al-Nisāʾ: 1.
3  Sūrah Aḥzāb: 70.
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Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.1,2
Now to our topic:
After Allah E favoured me by making me a student of higher studies, on the
master’s level, of ʿAqīdah, belief, and contemporary schools therein; I preferred
that the topic of my thesis for this level be Naṣb and the Nawāṣib, a doctrinal
study in light of the position of the Ahl al-Sunnah. This was after I had sought
goodness from Allah E.
This is because studying any innovative denomination which has surfaced in the
early stages of the history of this Ummah, knowing the causes of its inception,
studying its doctrinal views, identifying its link with other Islamic denominations,
and thereafter ascertaining the position of the Ahl al-Sunnah regarding it is of
utmost importance. In order to identify the areas of deviance and their causes,
and answer and refute the misconceptions of the deviants, which is pivotal.
In addition, many of the other leanings, like Irjāʾ, Iʿtizāl, and Tashayyuʿ have been
thoroughly studied and analysed. Naṣb, however, remains neglected since the
bygone eras without any light being shed on it; it has always remained distant
from academic research which could reveal its unknown aspects.
1  Sūrah Aḥzāb: 72.
2  This is the Khuṭbah al-Ḥājah, the sermon of need, which Nabī H would teach his companions,
as is reported by Ibn Masʿūd I. It appears in the following books: Abū Dāwūd: Sunan Abī Dāwūd:
chapter of Nikāḥ: sub-chapter regarding Khuṭbah al-Ḥājah: ḥadīth no. 2118; al-Tirmidhī: Sunan al-
Tirmidhī: chapter of Nikāḥ: subchapter regarding Khuṭbah of Nikāḥ: ḥadīth no. 1105; al-Nasāʾī: Sunan
al-Nasāʾī: chapter of Nikāḥ: sub-chapter regarding the speech which is recommended in Nikāḥ: ḥadīth
no. 3277; Ibn Mājah: Sunan Ibn Mājah: chapter of Nikāḥ: subchapter regarding the Khuṭbah of Nikāḥ:
ḥadīth no. 1893. The ḥadīth is considered Ḥasan by al-Tirmidhī, in his Sunan, and Ibn al-Mulaqqan in
al-Badr al-Munīr 7/531). Albānī has considered it to be Ṣaḥīḥ in his book Ṣaḥīḥ wa Ḍaʿīf Sunan Abī Dāwūd.
He has also dedicated a booklet to it with the title: Khuṭbah al-Ḥājah al-latī kān Rasūl Allah Yuʿallimuhā
Aṣḥābahū (the sermon of need which Nabī H would teach his companions).
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The Reason for Choosing the Topic
1. According to my knowledge, there is no dedicated study on this topic. Thus
it is important that the veils be raised from a leaning regarding which very
little is known.
2. The concept of Naṣb is a convoluted one; The Ahl al-Sunnah use it for
a specific meaning and their opponents use it for another completely
different meaning. Hence this calls upon the researchers to clarify and
elucidate its true implications.
3. It falls part of defending the integrity of some of the Ṣaḥābah M and
plays a significant role in debunking the attacks which tarnish their
reputation, (together with stating the position of the Ahl al-Sunnah
regarding them).
4. It has a very strong link with stating the rights of the Ahl al-Bayt and the
refutation of those who fall short of fulfilling them by clearly elucidating
the position of the Ahl al-Sunnah regarding them.
5. Some denominations have always accused the Ahl al-Sunnah of Naṣb. It thus
makes it compulsory upon the researchers to debunk these accusations
and render them baseless.
6. Understanding this concept will help in protecting the probity of some
scholars who have been accused of it falsely, like al-Aṣmaʾī and Ibn
Taymiyah amongst others.
7. It will set the parameters of the speech which is permissible regarding the
Ahl al-Bayt, in terms of the Sharʿī viewpoint, and of that which falls under
the ambit of Naṣb.
There is no doubt that the unclarity of these aspects on the one hand, and the lack
of understanding regarding the various methods of debate and argumentation on
the other, have led to some people accusing Ibn Taymiyah of Naṣb due to some
things which appear in his monumental work Minhāj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah.
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The Objectives of the Study
1. Dedicating an in-depth study to the topic of Naṣb and Nawāṣib. This will
enrich the Islamic library with an academic study which will shed light
upon one of the innovative leanings.
2. Defending the position of the Ahl al-Sunnah and exonerating them from
what is attributed to them.
3. Bringing to the fore the efforts the Ahl al-Sunnah have made in refuting
the Nawāṣib.
4. Combatting the opponents by debunking their arguments and falsifying
their claims.
The Structure of the Study
The Introduction: This entails the reasons for choosing the topic, the objectives
of the study, its structure, and the method of preparation.
Prologue: A brief discussion regarding the Ṣaḥābah and the Ahl al-Bayt and their
status according to the Ahl al-Sunnah.
Chapter 1: The concept of Naṣb, its history and the position of the Umayyad and
the Abbasids rulers in its regard; therein there are three sub-headings:
1. The concept of Naṣb between the Ahl al-Sunnah and the Twelver Shīʿah.
This will include two discussions:
a. The concept of Naṣb according to the Ahl al-Sunnah.
b. The concept of Naṣb according to the Twelver Shīʿah.
2. The history of Naṣb and the contributions of the Ahl al-Sunnah in
combatting them. This will include four discussions:
a. Its inception.
b. The causes of its inception.
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