Only Door of `Ali’s House Open to the Masjid

The fact that the doors of the companions’ house open to the Masjid were closed except that of `Ali proves `Ali’s unique position.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Musnad has quoted Zayd ibn Arqam as saying: The doors of houses belonging to some of the Holy Prophet’s companions opened to Masjid which they frequented at will.

One of the days, the Messenger of Allah ordered all the doors to be closed, saying: You have to close the doors opening to Masjid and there is no exception in this regard save the door of `Ali’s house which will never be closed. With this order, some of the companions started to speak to one another about the reason behind it and envy `Ali. They would say: What is this privilege that the Holy Prophet has given to `Ali? Zayd reports: The Messenger of Allah rose up and after praising Allah said: It is not me who have issued the order to close all the doors to Masjid except that of `Ali, to which some of you have protested. By God, I have neither closed nor opened the door of any house. This decree has been issued by God Almighty and I am the one to convey it. Hence, in conveying this decree, I will obey God and will carry out His decree.[294]

Ibn Mughazili in Manaqib has quoted `Adi ibn Thabit as saying: The Messenger of Allah after entering the mosque said to the companions: God Almighty revealed to prophet Moses (a.s): Build for me a pure mosque in which no one but Moses, Aaron, and the children of Aaron will reside. He also revealed to me to build a pure mosque in which no one but me, `Ali, and his children will reside.[295]

Hudhayfah ibn Usayd Ghifari has been reported as saying: When the companions of the Holy Prophet came to Medina, they had no house

قَالَ حُذَيفَةُ بْنُ اليَمانِ آخَى رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ بَيْنَ المُهاجِرينَ وَالأَنْصارِ وَكَانَ يُؤاخي بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَنَظيرِهِ. ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِيَدِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ فَقالَ: هَذَا أخِي. قَالَ حُذَيفَةُ: فرَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ سَيِّدُ المُرْسَلينَ وَإمام ُالمُتَّقينَ وَرَسُولُ رَبِّ العَالَمينَ الَّذِي لَيْسَ لَهُ فِي الأَنامِ شَبيهٌ وَلا نَظيرٌ وَعَلِيٌّ أَخوهُ.

والأخْبارُ فِي ذَلِكَ كَثيرَةٌ، وَهذِهِ مَنْزِلَةٌ شَريفَةٌ وَمَقامٌ عَظيمُ لَمْ يَحْصَلْ لأَِحَدٍ مِثْلُهُ.

فِي سَدِّ الأبْوابِ:

خَصَّصَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ أمِيرَ المُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ بِفَضيلَةٍ لَمْ يَشْرِكْهُ فِيهَا سِواهُ. رَوَى أحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبل ٍفِي مُسْنَدِهِ عَنْ زَيدِ بْنِ أرْقَمَ قَالَ: كَانَ لِنَفَرٍ مِنْ أصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ أبْوابٌ شارِعَةٌ فِي المَسْجِدِ. فَقالَ يَوْماً: سُدُّوا هَذِهِ الأَبْوابَ إلاَّ بابَ عَلِيٍّ. فَتَكَلَّمَ فِي ذَلِكَ أُناسٌ. قَالَ: فَقامَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ فَحَمَدَ اللهَ وَأثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ: أمَّا بَعْدَ، فَإنِّي أَمَرْتُ بِسَدِّ هَذِهِ الأَبْوابِ غَيْرَ بابِ عَلِيٍّ فَقالَ فِيهِ قائِلُكُمْ. وَاللهِ مَا سَدَدْتُ شَيْئاً وَلا فَتَحْتُهُ وَلكِنِّي أُمِرْتُ بِشَيْءٍ فَاتَّبَعْتُهُ.

وَمِنْ كِتابِ مَناقِبِ ابْنِ المُغازِلِيِّ الشَّافِعِيِّ: عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ ثابِتٍ قَالَ: خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ إلَى المَسْجِدِ فَقالَ: إنَّ اللهَ أَوْحى إلَى نَبِيِّهِ مُوسَى أنِ ابْنِ لي مَسْجِداً طاهِراً لاَ يَسْكُنُهُ إلاَّ مُوسَى وَهَارونُ وَابْنا هارُونَ. وَإنَّ الله أَوْحى إِلَيَّ أنِ ابْنِ مَسْجِداً طاهِراً لاَ يَسْكُنُهُ إلاَّ أنَا وَعَلِيٌّ وَابْنا عَلِيٍّ.

وَعَنْ حُذَيفَةَ بْنِ الأسْيَدِ الغِفارِيِّ قَالَ: لَمَّا قَدِمَ أصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ المَدينَةَ

to live in. Hence, they had made their resting-place in the mosque but the Messenger of Allah barred them from doing so, saying: Mosque is the place of worship. So you must not use it as a place for rest or sleeping, for you may have nocturnal pollution which will undermine its sanctity. Following this order, the companions moved from the mosque and built houses around it based on their need and ability and opened a door to the mosque. The Messenger of Allah in another order, gave Mu`adh ibn Jabal the mission to close the doors opening to the mosque. To this end, Mu`adh went to Abu-Bakr first to convey the message, saying: The Holy Prophet has ordered you to move from the mosque and block the door of your house to the mosque. Abu-Bakr said: I will eagerly accept the Holy Prophet’s order. He immediately blocked the entrance to the mosque and left that place.

Then Mu`adh conveyed the Holy Prophet’s message to `Umar, saying: Block the door of your house opening to the mosque and leave the place. `Umar said: I will obey the Holy Prophet’s order but I wish one of the windows of my house would open to the mosque. Mu`adh conveyed to the Messenger of Allah what `Umar had wished. Then, Mu`adh went to `Uthman when the Holy Prophet’s daughter was in his house and conveyed the message. `Uthman too complied with the Holy Prophet’s order and left the mosque.

Mu`adh’ last message was conveyed to Hamzah who obeyed the Holy Prophet’s message, left the mosque and blocked the door of his house to the mosque. Amid this, `Ali was thinking about whether this order would include him too though the Messenger of Allah had built a house for him among his own houses in the mosque.

But the Messenger of Allah removed any doubt about it by saying: O `Ali, you stay where you are, for you are purified and this order does not include you and your family. When this news reached Hamzah, he said: O Messenger of Allah! I was surprised that you sent all of us out of mosque but you kept only a youth of Bani `Abd al-Muttalib in it. The Holy Prophet said: This was not a decision of my own, for I would not give privilege to anyone if I had to decide. By God, this is a grace God Almighty has bestowed upon `Ali. As for you, I have good news about you. God and His messenger are pleased with you. So be happy. This good news became manifest in the battle of Uhud

لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ بُيوتٌ فَكانوا يَبِيتونَ فِي المَسْجِدِ. فَقالَ لَهُمُ النَّبِيُّ: لاَ تَبِيتوا فِي المَسْجِدِ فَتَحْتَلِموا. ثُمَّ إنَّ القَوْمَ بَنَوْا بُيوتاً حَوْلَ المَسْجِدِ وَجَعَلوا أبْوابَها إلَى المَسْجِدِ وَإنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ بَعَثَ إِلَيْهِمْ مُعاذَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ فَنادَى أَبَا بَكْرٍ فَقالَ: إنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ يَأْمُرُكَ أنْ تَخْرُجَ مِنَ المَسْجِدِ وَتَسُدَّ بابَكَ. فَقالَ: سَمْعاً وَطاعَةً. فَسَدَّ بابَهُ وَخَرَجَ مِنَ المَسْجِدِ. ثُمَّ أرْسَلَ إلَى عُمَرَ فَقالَ: إنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ يَأْمُرُكَ أنْ تَسُدَّ بابَكَ الَّذِي فِي المَسْجِدِ وَتَخْرُجَ مِنْهُ. فَقالَ: سَمْعاً وَطاعَةً للهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ غَيْرَ أنّي أرْغَبُ إلَى اللهِ فِي خَوْخَةٍ فِي المَسْجِدِ. فَأَبْلَغَهُ مُعاذٌ مَا قَالَ عُمَرُ. ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَ إلَى عُثْمانَ وَعِنْدَهُ رُقَيَّةُ فَقالَ: سَمْعاً وَطاعَةً. فَسَدَّ بابَهُ وَخَرَجَ مِنَ المَسْجِدِ. ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَ إلَى حَمْزَةَ فَسَدَّ بابَهُ وَقالَ: سَمْعاً وَطاعَةً للهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ. وَعَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ فِي ذَلِكَ مُتَرَدِّدٌ لاَ يَدْرِي أهُوَ فِي مَنْ يُقيمُ أوْ فِي مَنْ يَخْرُجُ. وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ قَدْ بَنَى لَهُ فِي المَسْجِدِ بَيْتاً بَينَ أبْياتِهِ فَقالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ: أُسْكُنْ طاهِراً مُطَهَّراً. فَبَلَغَ حَمْزَةَ قَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ لِعَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ فَقالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ تُخْرِجُنا وَتُمْسِكُ غِلْمانَ بَنِي عَبْدِ المُطَّلِبِ؟ فَقالَ لَهُ نِبِيُّ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ: لَوْ كَانَ الأَمْرُ لِي مَا جَعَلْتُ دُونَكُمْ مِنْ أَحَـدٍ. وَاللهِ مَا أَعْطـاهُ إيَّـاهُ إلاَّ اللهُ، وَإنَّكَ لَعَلَى خَيْرٍ مِنَ اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، أَبْشِرْ. فَبَشَّرَهُ

when Hamzah was martyred. This privilege of `Ali was heavy for some of the companions. So in their gathering, they started to complain and tried to know the reason. Hearing this, the Messenger of Allah rose up among the companions and said: It is heavy for some men to see that I have allowed `Ali to stay in the mosque, and have started to complain about it. By God, sending out some people from mosque and allowing `Ali to remain in the mosque was not on my order. God Almighty revealed to Moses (a.s) and his brother: Build houses for your close relatives, making them Kiblah for them, perform prayer in them. Following this decree, God ordered Moses again not to allow anyone to reside or have sexual intercourse with his wife in that place of worship except Aaron and his progeny. Since `Ali’s position to me is like that of Aaron to Moses, and he is my brother, no one has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife in this place except `Ali and his progeny. The Messenger of Allah further said: If anyone is displeased with this, the way is open for him. Let him go from here to there, pointing with his holy hand toward Syria.[296]