Discussion of the Narrations

1) The Community of Prophet Muhammad

From Abū ʿAmr al-Zubayrī, from Abū ʿAbdallāh (a.s.), who said: I asked him, “Tell me about the community (umma) of Muhammad (s.a.w.), who are they?” He said: “The community of Muhammad refers specifically to the Hashemites.” I asked: “What is the evidence that the community of Muhammad is his household (ahl baytihi) that you mentioned, and not others?” He said: “The words of God: ‘And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], “Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.”’ When God answered Abraham and Ishmael and made from their descendants a Muslim community and sent among them a messenger from themselves, meaning from that community, to recite to them His verses and purify them and teach them the Book and wisdom, Abraham followed his first supplication with another, asking for purification from polytheism and idol worship for them so that His command would be valid among them and they would not follow others. So he said: ‘And keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols. My Lord, indeed they have led astray many among the people. So whoever follows me_—then he is of me; and whoever disobeys me—_indeed, You are [yet] Forgiving and Merciful.’”(93) This is evidence that the Imams and the Muslim community to which Muhammad (s.a.w.) was sent can only be from the descendants of Abraham, because of his words “keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols”(94).

Note: The message of the Seal of Prophethood is universal, meaning it is for all people and for all times. Such a message, of which Salmān al-Fārsī, Ṣuhayb al-Rūmī, Bilāl al-Ḥabashī, and others are prominent followers and members of the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) community, is never confined to a specific group called Arabs, let alone being limited to the small tribe of Banū Hāshim.

The believers from Banū Hāshim are part of the community; not everyone who is from the community is from Banū Hāshim.

The infallible successors of the Prophet (s.a.w.), meaning the twelve Imams (a.s.) who are the Imams of Islam and the true leaders of the Islamic community, are all from Banū Hāshim and not from other than them.

2) Demonstrating the Rites

From Abū ʿAbdallāh (a.s.), who said: “God Almighty commanded Abraham to perform the pilgrimage (ḥajj) and for Ishmael to perform it with him, and He settled them in the sacred precinct (ḥaram). They performed the pilgrimage on a red camel, and no one was with them except Gabriel. When they reached the sacred precinct, Gabriel said to them: ‘O Abraham, dismount and perform ablution before entering the sacred precinct.’ So they dismounted and performed ablution, and he showed them how to prepare for the state of ritual consecration (iḥrām), which they did. Then he ordered them to declare their intention for the pilgrimage and commanded them to recite the four talbiyāt (ritual phrases) that the messengers had recited. Then he took them to Ṣafā, where they dismounted, and Gabriel stood between them facing the House (Kaaba). He proclaimed God’s greatness, and they did the same; he proclaimed God’s oneness, and they did the same; he praised God, and they did the same; he glorified God, and they did the same; he extolled Him, and they did the same. Gabriel went ahead, and they followed, praising and glorifying God Almighty until he brought them to the place of the Black Stone. Gabriel touched it and ordered them to touch it, and he circumambulated with them seven times. Then he stood with them at the Station of Abraham and prayed two rakʿāt, and they prayed as well. Then he showed them the rites and what they should do.”(95)

From Abū Baṣīr, who heard Abū Jaʿfar and Abū ʿAbdallāh mention that “on the day of Tarwiya, Gabriel said to Abraham: ‘Take provisions of water,’ and so it was called Tarwiya (watering). Then he came to Minā and spent the night there. In the morning, he went with him to ʿArafāt and pitched his tent at Namira, below ʿArafāt. He built a mosque with white stones, and the trace of Abraham’s mosque was known until it was incorporated into this mosque at Namira, where the Imam prays on the day of ʿArafāt. He prayed the noon and afternoon prayers there. Then he proceeded with him to ʿArafāt and said: ‘This is ʿArafāt, so recognize (ʿarafa) your rites here and acknowledge (iʿtarafa) your sins.’ Thus it was named ʿArafāt. Then he moved on to Muzdalifa, which was named so because he drew near (izdalafa) to it. Then he stood at the Sacred Monument (al-Mashʿar al-Ḥarām) where God commanded him to sacrifice his son. He had seen in him his characteristics and manners and had become fond of him. When morning came, he moved from the Sacred Monument to Minā and said to his wife: ‘You visit the House, and I will keep the boy.’ Then he said: ‘O my son, bring the donkey and the knife so that I may offer the sacrifice…’”(96)

Note: The presentation of knowledge and rulings sometimes refers to divine instruction, such as what was achieved through intuitive knowledge for the Prophet (s.a.w.): “So that you may judge between people by what God has shown you”(97) “The heart did not lie about what it saw”(98). At times, it comes in the form of a true dream, as in: “And We did not make the vision which We showed you except as a trial for the people”(99). Sometimes it occurs as a physical manifestation, as in: “And [mention] when Abraham said, ‘My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead’”(100). And occasionally, it takes the form of an imaginal realization and external representation, as mentioned in the exegetical narration regarding the verse under discussion.

What happened to Abraham and Ishmael regarding the manner of performing the Hajj rituals on earth is similar to what occurred for the Seal of Prophethood concerning the manner of the five daily prayers during the Night Journey. This was of the nature of external representation and imaginal realization, as the manner of performing the noon and afternoon prayers was instructed and demonstrated at night.

The reconstruction of the Kaaba, the demonstration of the Hajj rituals, and Abraham’s call to prayer, which was an announcement for the performance of Hajj, all took place in the month of Dhū l-Ḥijja.(101)