Before I begin, let me first explain what does a Politicized issue mean - By defination: A politicized issue is a social, economic, theological, spiritual, scientific or legal issue which has become a political issue, as a result of deliberate action or otherwise, whereby people become politically active over that issue.
I believe the first political/social gathering occured when Prophet Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) invited his family at Da‘wat dhul-‘Ashīra. This was the occasion when Allah revealed the verse "And warn your nearest relations,".
Although the family gathering are never political in nature, however Islam had begun when Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم)had turned thirty-seven years old. Initially, the mission was kept a secret. Then three years after the advent of Islam, he was ordered to commence the open declaration of his message and this is when he invited around forty men from the Banu Hashim (family tribe) and asked Ali(A.S) to make arrangements for the dinner. After having served his guests with food and drinks, when he wanted to speak to them about Islam.
After dicussion he asked: "Therefore, who amongst you will support me in this matter so that he may be my brother (akhhī), my successor (wasiyyī) and my caliph (khalifatī) among you?"
To which only Ali(A.S) then a child, responded : "I will be your helper, O Prophet of God."
Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) then put his hand on the back of Ali's neck and said:
Years passed Islam was at its glory Hazrat Ali was declared a Hero - لا فتى إلا علي ولا سيف إلا ذوالفقار in the battle of Ohod, he had already married Prophet's(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) virtous daughter and was looking as the most promising candidate for Muhammad's(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) succession. However Abu Bakr had also married his daughter to Muhammad(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) and he also claimed to be the part of Muhammad's family and this was the first time it appeared that there are more than one contenders for the succession.
To clear the doubt from the minds of the people the following Qur’anic verse was revealed:
“O Messenger of Allah convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message. And Allah will protect you from the people.”
This was the time when Muhammad was returning from his last pilgrimage and he had approximatly gathered a crowd of 120,000 people. He stood still at a pond asked for peoples attention and declared:
O people, Allah is my Master(Mawla), and I am the Master(Mawla), of the believers. I am worthier of believers than themselves.
Later in history this event was recorded as Ghadir Khumm. When the Holy Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) completed his sermon, he said:
And then on a fateful night when our Holy Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) breath his last it was just in a house of Saqifat. The name of the house is used as shorthand for the event, or the gathering, which was a crucial turning point in the history of Islam. the Medinan Muslim or "Ansar" gathered in the Saqifah to discuss the future and leadeship of Muslims. There were two Ansar tribes, the Khazraj and the Aws; both were present. However, the Muhajirun, or Muslim emigrants from Mecca, had not been notified of the gathering. When Muhammad's companions, Abu Bakr and Umar, learned of the gathering, they rushed to the meeting. After a tumultuous debate, the details of which are highly contested, those who gathered there gave their allegiance, or bay'ah, to Abu Bakr as the new leader of the Islamic community. There were some Muslims who felt that Ali(A.S), Muhammad's(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) cousin and son-in-law, should have been the new leader. They initially refused to take the oath to Abu Bakr and were known as the Shi'at Ali or "partisans for Ali". Some of them even thought that Ali himself didn't take the oath.Over time, disaffection with the government of the caliphs strengthened the ranks of the Shi'at Ali. This eventually led to the separation of the Muslim community into the Sunni and Shi'a traditions. Sunnis believe Abu Bakr, one of the early converts to Islam, Muhammad’s(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) closest companions, adviser and father-in-law, was his first successor. In contrast, the Shi'ah believe that Ali, first male convert to Islam and Muhammad's(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) first cousin and son-in-law, and his lineal descendants (known as Imams) had a divinely ordained right to lead the community religiously and politically.
I believe the first political/social gathering occured when Prophet Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) invited his family at Da‘wat dhul-‘Ashīra. This was the occasion when Allah revealed the verse "And warn your nearest relations,".
Although the family gathering are never political in nature, however Islam had begun when Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم)had turned thirty-seven years old. Initially, the mission was kept a secret. Then three years after the advent of Islam, he was ordered to commence the open declaration of his message and this is when he invited around forty men from the Banu Hashim (family tribe) and asked Ali(A.S) to make arrangements for the dinner. After having served his guests with food and drinks, when he wanted to speak to them about Islam.
After dicussion he asked: "Therefore, who amongst you will support me in this matter so that he may be my brother (akhhī), my successor (wasiyyī) and my caliph (khalifatī) among you?"
To which only Ali(A.S) then a child, responded : "I will be your helper, O Prophet of God."
Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) then put his hand on the back of Ali's neck and said:
This may not sound political at the moment because Islam had just begun. No one actually knew that how vast this khalifat will turn into. But after many religious wars when Islam actually showed its true virtue people started finding their place in the layer one and took Muhammad's(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) statement for Hazrat Ali(A.S) as mere a token of appreciation of a child's fancy.Inna hadhã akhhí wa wasiyyí wa khalífatí fíkum, fasma‘û lahu wa atí‘û — Verily this is my brother, my successor, and my caliph amongst you; therefore, listen to him and obey.
Years passed Islam was at its glory Hazrat Ali was declared a Hero - لا فتى إلا علي ولا سيف إلا ذوالفقار in the battle of Ohod, he had already married Prophet's(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) virtous daughter and was looking as the most promising candidate for Muhammad's(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) succession. However Abu Bakr had also married his daughter to Muhammad(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) and he also claimed to be the part of Muhammad's family and this was the first time it appeared that there are more than one contenders for the succession.
To clear the doubt from the minds of the people the following Qur’anic verse was revealed:
“O Messenger of Allah convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message. And Allah will protect you from the people.”
Surah Maidah (5): Verse 67
This was the time when Muhammad was returning from his last pilgrimage and he had approximatly gathered a crowd of 120,000 people. He stood still at a pond asked for peoples attention and declared:
O people, Allah is my Master(Mawla), and I am the Master(Mawla), of the believers. I am worthier of believers than themselves.
Of whomsoever I had been Master(Mawla), Ali here is to be his Master. O Allah, be a supporter of whoever supports him (Ali) and an enemy of whoever opposes him.
Later in history this event was recorded as Ghadir Khumm. When the Holy Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) completed his sermon, he said:
This clearly identifies; that Hazrat Ali(A.S) was appointed as the Imam of the Ummah however most people claimed this declaration to be the religious succession not a political succession and they said that the Seat for Khalifat was still vacant whether the need be or not.
To achieve this goal they spread the word that the word Mawla meant a friend and the prophet wanted to convey his friendship for Hazrat Ali(A.S) to his Ummah, however in my opinion: If the time and conditions of the Ghadeer event are taken in to consideration, then too the meaning of ‘Maula’ will be “master”:
To achieve this goal they spread the word that the word Mawla meant a friend and the prophet wanted to convey his friendship for Hazrat Ali(A.S) to his Ummah, however in my opinion: If the time and conditions of the Ghadeer event are taken in to consideration, then too the meaning of ‘Maula’ will be “master”:
The Holy Prophet(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم)on his return from Hajj, mid-way, in a barren and open desert where there was no sign of water, called back those who were ahead and waited for those who had yet not arrived. In the afternoon’s blazing heat (in which the people in order to save themselves from being burnt, spread their mattresses), performed the Zohr-Asr prayers combinedly, prepared a pulpit from saddles of the camels, delivered a sermon informing about his death, repeated the sentences thrice, raised the hand of Ameerul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (A.S)and intimated that he has received a command from the Almighty that must be conveyed immediately.
Were all these pains taken just to declare that Ameerul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (A.S.) is the “friend of the believers”? It seems highly unlikely because it was nothing new. The Holy Quran had time and again declared that “Muslims are brothers of each other,” and Ali (AS), of course, was one of them. Also, the concept of brotherhood is much higher than that of friendship. The interpretation of the people it was a declaration of Ameerul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (A.S.)’s friendship, is a great insult to the lofty personality of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), the most knowledgeable person in the world. For, even an ordinarily wise person would not put one lakh or more people in such inconvenience just to declare somebody’s friendship. It goes on to prove that it was the all important announcement of Ameerul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (A.S.)’s successorship after the Holy Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) which was announced and now the politicazation of Islam was at its peak.
And then on a fateful night when our Holy Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) breath his last it was just in a house of Saqifat. The name of the house is used as shorthand for the event, or the gathering, which was a crucial turning point in the history of Islam. the Medinan Muslim or "Ansar" gathered in the Saqifah to discuss the future and leadeship of Muslims. There were two Ansar tribes, the Khazraj and the Aws; both were present. However, the Muhajirun, or Muslim emigrants from Mecca, had not been notified of the gathering. When Muhammad's companions, Abu Bakr and Umar, learned of the gathering, they rushed to the meeting. After a tumultuous debate, the details of which are highly contested, those who gathered there gave their allegiance, or bay'ah, to Abu Bakr as the new leader of the Islamic community. There were some Muslims who felt that Ali(A.S), Muhammad's(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) cousin and son-in-law, should have been the new leader. They initially refused to take the oath to Abu Bakr and were known as the Shi'at Ali or "partisans for Ali". Some of them even thought that Ali himself didn't take the oath.Over time, disaffection with the government of the caliphs strengthened the ranks of the Shi'at Ali. This eventually led to the separation of the Muslim community into the Sunni and Shi'a traditions. Sunnis believe Abu Bakr, one of the early converts to Islam, Muhammad’s(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) closest companions, adviser and father-in-law, was his first successor. In contrast, the Shi'ah believe that Ali, first male convert to Islam and Muhammad's(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) first cousin and son-in-law, and his lineal descendants (known as Imams) had a divinely ordained right to lead the community religiously and politically.
