Incident of Pen and Paper that caused irreparable damage to the Muslim nation

In the days leading to his demise, when a group of companions visited the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), he (s.a.w.a.) ordered them:

“Fetch me a pen and a paper so that I write a will for you so that you are not deviated after me.”

The second one said:

“Surely the Prophet is overcome by illness (suggesting that his words should not be taken seriously). The Book of Allah is with you. The Book of Allah is sufficient for us!”

(Sahih Bukhari Chapter on Knowledge, v 22, Musnad-e-Ahmad b. Hanbal, Research of Ahmad Muhammad Shakir, trad 2,996, Tabaqaat of Ibn Saad v 2, p 244 Beirut Edition)

In Tabaqaat of Ibn Saad we find another narration which reveals that a person present in the assembly declared:

“The Prophet is delirious.”

• Tabaqaat of Ibn Saad v 2 p 242, Beirut Edition, Sahih Bukhari Chapter on جوائز الوفد from the Book of Jihad v 2 p 120, and the Chapter of Exodus of Jews form the Arabian Peninsula v 2 p 36 has these words

“The person who said this was the one who said that the Book of Allah is sufficient for us.” i.e. second one

The Confession of Second One in Sunni Books

The second one himself has confessed about this lowly and shameful act. While describing the conditions of the second one, Abul Fazl Ahmad Ibn Abi Tahir in Taarikh al-Baghdad and Ibn Abil Hadid in Sharh-o-Nahjil Balaagha v 3 p 97 have documented:

On a particular day, there occurred a lengthy discussion between the second one and Ibn Abbas when the second one said:

“During the illness which led to his demise, Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wished to put forward his (Imam Ali’s) name but we prevented him from doing so. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) did not approve of this.”

At that time, some of those present urged:

Obey the instructions of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.).

After a heated debate some people intended to bring the en and paper upon which the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) declared:

(Of what use is it) after this?

• Tabaqaat of Ibn Saad v 2 p 242, Beirut Edition

Even if a pen and paper had been provided as per the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) instructions and had he (s.a.w.a.) written a will nominating Imam Ali (a.s.) as his successor, the second one’s calculated remark placed the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) nomination under a shadow of uncertainty. To foil the nomination, all that the opponents of Imam Ali (a.s.) and Islam had to do was summon a group of cronies to testify that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) was speaking in delirium, Allah forbid!!

When voices rose in his presence and events took an ugly turn, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) exclaimed:

Go away from me, it is not appropriate to quarrel in the presence of a Prophet.

• Tarikh Abi al-Fidaa, v. 1, p. 15

In Sahih Bukhari in the Chapter on Book of Knowledge v 1 p 22, the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) annoyance is recorded with a slight variation:

Go away from me, it is not appropriate to argue in my presence.

Clearly, by preventing the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) from writing his will, the companions disobeyed Allah and His Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and led the nation down a dark path from which it never recovered.