The Hadith of Position ( ar, حديث المنزلة, translit=hadith al-manzila) is a widely-reported saying ( ) attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad which equates the standing of his cousin
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
to him with the standing of Aaron to Moses, with the exception that Ali is not a prophet. In
Shia Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
, this hadith signifies Ali's usurped right to succeed Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, the Hadith of Position primarily supports the finality of Muhammad in the chain of prophets.
Hadith of Position
Ibn Hisham () ascribes to Muhammad that
A slightly different wording of this hadith appears in the canonical Sunni collection ''
Sahih Muslim
Sahih Muslim ( ar, صحيح مسلم, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim), group=note is a 9th-century ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (815–875). It is one of the most valued b ...
.'' This tradition is also found in the canonical Sunni works '' Sahih al-Bukhari'', ''
Sahih at-Tirmidhi
Jami at-Tirmidhi ( ar, جامع الترمذي), also known as Sunan at-Tirmidhi, is one of " the six books" ('' Kutub al-Sittah'' - the six major hadith collections). It was collected by Al-Tirmidhi. He began compiling it after the year 250 A.H. ...
'', and ''Sunan Ibn Maja''. In particular, '' Musnad Ibn Hanbal'' includes ten different traditions containing the above sentence. The hadith also exists with similar wordings in Shia sources, including the canonical ''
Kitab al-kafi
''Al-Kafi'' ( ar, ٱلْكَافِي, ', literally "''The Sufficient''") is a Twelver Shia hadith collection compiled by Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni. It is divided into three sections: ''Uṣūl al-Kāfī'', dealing with epistemology, theol ...
''.
Context
The Hadith of Position is associated with multiple occasions, including the two pacts of brotherhood between Muhammad and Ali, one before and one shortly after the migration to
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
. Muhammad also made this biblical analogy at
Ghadir Khumm
The Ghadīr Khumm ( ar, غَدِير خُم) refers to a gathering of Muslims to attend a sermon delivered by the Islamic prophet Muhammad on 16 March 632 CE (18 Dhu al-Hijjah 10 AH). The gathering is said to have taken place at the Ghadir K ...
, as noted by Donaldson and Poonawala.
Most frequently, however, the Hadith of Position is linked to the
Expedition of Tabuk
The Expedition of Tabuk, also known as the Expedition of Usra, was a military expedition that was initiated by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in October 630 CE (AH 9). He led a force of as many as 30,000 north to Tabuk, near the Gulf of Aqaba, in pr ...
in 9-10/630-631 against the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
. Muhammad is said to have left Ali in charge at Medina before leaving on his longest expedition. Afterwards, rumors began to spread by the hypocrites (s), saying that Ali was left behind because he was a burden to Muhammad, according to the Sunni Ibn Hisham (). Upon hearing this, the account continues, Ali left Medina and caught up (possibly in al-Jurf) with Muhammad, who reassured him, "Are you not content, Ali, to stand to me as Aaron stood to Moses, except that there will be no prophet after me?"
The Shia al-Mufid () includes a more detailed response in his famous ''
Kitab al-irshad ''Al-Irshad'' ( fa, ارشاد), also called the ''Book of Guidance into the Lives of the 12 Imams,'' is a biography of the lives of the 12 Shia Imams. It describes their historical circumstances, miracles and virtues. The book also includes eviden ...
.''
Most accounts of the expedition hold that Ali was the one left in charge of Medina, including those found in ''Sahih''s by al-Bukhari, Muslim, and
al-Tirmidhi
Abū ʿĪsā Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā as-Sulamī aḍ-Ḍarīr al-Būghī at-Tirmidhī ( ar, أبو عيسى محمد بن عيسى السلمي الضرير البوغي الترمذي; fa, , ''Termezī''; 824 – 9 October 892 CE / 209 - 2 ...
''.'' Some Sunni authors place others in charge of Medina: Al-Halabi () names three candidates, while Ibn Kathir () and Mughulta'i () name two. In particular, Ibn Kathir includes an account that Ali was left only in charge of Muhammad's family and not Medina, though he also acknowledges the opposite view of the ''Sahih''s.
Related to this biblical analogy, Muhammad is said to have named the two sons of Ali and Fatima as Hasan and
Husayn
Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", " ...
after the two sons of Aaron, namely, Shabbar and Shabbir. Hyder writes that this connection is well-known today in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
, and in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
and the rabbinic literature are replete with references to the special status of Aaron and his progeny, writes Miskinzoda. In verses 20:29-32 of the Quran, Moses asks God to include his brother Aaron in his prophetic mission. His prayer is answered by God, as evidenced by verses 20:36-42, 25:35, and 28:35. Aaron thus becomes the chosen associate of Moses in his prophetic mission and in revelation, as described in verses 21:48-9 and 2:248. In
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach" '' aron
Aron may refer to:
Characters
*Aron (comics), from the Marvel Universe comic ''Aron! HyperSpace Boy!''
*Aron (Pokémon), in the ''Pokémon'' franchise
* Aron Trask, from John Steinbeck's novel ''East of Eden''
*Áron or Aaron, the brother of Mos ...
My covenant of peace. And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood."
This divine elevation of the prophets' families above others is a recurring theme in the Quran, where the families of Muhammad and the past prophets are given a prominent role. In particular, after the past prophets, God often selects the spiritual and material heirs to the prophets from their own kin.
Golden calf
Aaron failed to prevent the
Banu Israil
The Banu Israil or Bani israili are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Their name means "Children of Israel", and the community claims descent from the Jewish community of Madinah. They belong to the Shaikh caste, ...
from returning to idolatry, notes Miskinzoda. She also suggests that Aaron joined the Banu Israil in worshiping their idol, though this is rejected by Nasr et al. who write that Aaron rebuked the Banu Israil and enjoined them to worship God in verse 20:90 of the Quran. Lumbard writes that verse 20:88 identifies
Samiri
Samiri or the Samiri is a phrase used by the Quran to refer to a rebellious follower of Moses who created the golden calf and attempted to lead the Hebrews into idolatry. According to the twentieth chapter of the Quran, Samiri created the calf ...
as responsible for this transgression.
Shia and Sufi views
In Shia and Sufi sources, Moses represents the function of prophecy () and Aaron that of sainthood (), as with Muhammad and Ali, respectively. In Isma'ili Shia, Moses is counted as one of the seven "speaking" prophets who revealed God's law, whereas Aaron is one of the seven "silent" prophets who convey the hidden truths of God's revelation to a select group of believers.
Significance in Shia Islam
Succession to Muhammad
As early as
al-Kulayni
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Iṣḥāq al Kulaynī ar Rāzī ( Persian: ar, أَبُو جَعْفَر مُحَمَّد ٱبْن يَعْقُوب إِسْحَاق ٱلْكُلَيْنِيّ ٱلرَّازِيّ; c. 250 AH/864 CE ...
(), Shia authors have used the Hadith of Position to argue for the special status of Ali and his designation as the successor of Muhammad. For instance, al-Mufid writes that this hadith invested in Ali all the privileges which Aaron had received from Moses except prophethood. In particular, Ali was the deputy of Muhammad just as Aaron was the deputy of Moses, which implies that Ali was the rightful successor to Muhammad.
Similarly, the contemporary
Aslan
Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character, he appears in all seven chronicles of the series. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion, and is described as the King of Beasts, the ...
notes the succession of the previous prophets by their kin in the Quran and invokes the analogy between Ali and Aaron. Based on these, he argues that Ali was the natural successor of Muhammad and his exclusion from the
Saqifa
The Saqifa ( ar, سَّقِيفَة, translit=Saqīfah) of the Banu Sa'ida clan refers to the location of an event in early Islam where some of the Companions of the Prophet, companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad pledged their allegiance to A ...
affair after Muhammad's death in 632 was a deliberate move reflecting the Quraysh's fear that combining prophethood and
caliphate
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
in the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) would have made them too powerful. A conversation to this effect between the Hashemite
Ibn Abbas
ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās ( ar, عَبْد ٱللَّٰه ٱبْن عَبَّاس; c. 619 – 687 CE), also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest mufassir of the Qur'a ...
and the second caliph
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...
A broader Shia interpretation of this hadith is that its biblical analogy attaches the authority of Ali and his descendants to the authority of Muhammad, implying that the political and spiritual leadership of the
Shia Imams
In Shia Islam, the Imamah ( ar, إمامة) is a doctrine which asserts that certain individuals from the lineage of the Islamic prophet Muhammad are to be accepted as leaders and guides of the ummah after the death of Muhammad. Imamah further ...
is the natural continuation of Muhammad's prophetic authority. In connection with this hadith, Mavani notes the Shia belief that the Imams have inherited the prophet's esoteric knowledge and his functions, excluding only direct revelation. In particular, the divinely-inspired Imams are the interpreters par excellence of the inner dimension () of the Quran, and these two "weights" are said to never separate in the prophetic
Hadith al-Thaqalayn
The Hadith al-Thaqalayn () refers to a hadith () attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad that introduces the Quran and his progeny as the only sources of divine guidance after his death. Widely reported by both Shia and Sunni authorities, the ...
.
Significance in Sunni Islam
Al-Shahrastani
Tāj al-Dīn Abū al-Fath Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Karīm ash-Shahrastānī ( ar, تاج الدين أبو الفتح محمد بن عبد الكريم الشهرستاني; 1086–1153 CE), also known as Muhammad al-Shahrastānī, was an influenti ...
() argues that the descendants of Muhammad have special knowledge of the Quran, just as the descendants of Aaron posses a special version of the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
.' In his commentary of ''Sahih Muslim'',
al-Nawawi
Abū Zakariyyā Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī ( ar, أبو زكريا يحيى بن شرف النووي; (631A.H-676A.H) (October 1230–21 December 1277), popularly known as al-Nawawī or Imam Nawawī, was a Sunni Shafi'ite jurist and ...
() acknowledges the Shia implications of this hadith. So do al-Halabi in his ''al-Sira'' and the contemporary Siddiqi in his edition of ''Sahih al-Muslim.'' Despite its Shia coloring, the Hadith of Position nevertheless remains prominent in Sunni sources as one of the most important pieces of evidence supporting the finality of Muhammad in the chain of prophets.'
Debates
In response to the Shia claims, Sunni scholars argue that the Hadith of Position is irrelevant to Muhammad's succession because Aaron died before Moses. The Shia
Sharif al-Murtaza
Abū al-Qāsim ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā (Arabic: أبو القاسم علي بن الحسين الشريف المرتضى ) (commonly known as: Sharīf Murtaḍā, Sayyid Murtaḍā, (Murtazā instead of Murtaḍā in non-Ara ...
() counters that had Aaron survived Moses, the former would have surely succeeded the latter. The Shia al-Kulayni adds that Moses' successor
Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
later designated the progeny of Aaron to succeed him instead of his own or Moses'. Al-Kulayni suggests that Joshua did so because it was the divine choice.
The Sunni Siddiqi refutes the Shia interpretation of the Hadith of Position, saying that it refers to the family relationship between Muhammad and Ali rather than the caliphate. He argues, "Aaron was the cousin of Moses and so was the case with Ali and the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him)."' Alternatively, Miskinzoda notes that the Quran frequently refers to Aaron as a brother of Moses in verses 7:142, 19:53, and 28:25. In Jewish tradition,
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
6:20 similarly holds that Jochebed bore Amran (Imran) his sons Aaron and Moses.'
That Aaron was Moses' brother whereas Ali was Muhammad's cousin is a limitation of this biblical analogy for Miskinzoda. She suggests that the two pacts of brotherhood () between Muhammad and Ali partially addressed this limitation by emphasizing the closeness of the two men.'