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Concerning Sayyiduna Usman radiAllaho-annho crown of my head
According to Ahlesunnah scholars After the
Prophet sallallaho alihi wassallam In rank, is Sayiduna Abu Bakr
radiAllaho-annho, second is Sayiduna Umar Farooq, third is Sayiduna Usman
and then comes Sayiduna Ali
Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari and al-Qari in Sharh al-Fiqh al-Akbar report the
Consensus of Ahl al-Sunna on the above. However, this order refers to
unconditional precedence, not spiritual rank.
In the totality of the transmission chains of tasawwuf, there are only two
transmitters from the Prophet  : Abu Bakr and `Ali. And there is no
disagreement that the spiritual ranks attained by Abu Bakr and `Ali are
the highest of all the Companions. There are countless narrations to that
effect.
This is not to say that precedence is given to `Ali over `Uthman, although
Ibn Jama`a in al-Manhal al-Rawi said (p. 112):
"
Al-Khattabi said that some
of Ahl al-Sunna in Kufa gave precedence to `Ali over `Uthman, and this is
Ibn Khuzayma's position.
Ahl al-Sunna nevertheless hold that the best of human beings after the
Prophet is Abu Bakr, then `Umar, then `Uthman, then `Ali.
Precedence is one thing, spiritual rank another, and love yet another! May
Allah be well-pleased with all of them.
It is written their Grandsheikh was saying about the third caliph Othman (r) ... In spite of this, Othman (r) didn't attain the spiritual ranks
attained by Abu Bakr (r) and Ali (r) because he sometimes held firmly to
his OWN DESIRES instead of putting them completely in line with the
Prophet's.
The problem is with the reason given, "because he sometimes held firmly to
his own desires instead of putting them completely in line with the
Prophet's." But this problem is eliminated when you remember that the same is explicitly reported from Sayyidina `Umar in Sahih al-Bukhari.
Therefore, it is even more possible with `Uthman - Allah be well-pleased
with them.
This was also one reason for his martyrdom: misfortunes befell him as a result of his not being able to totally leave his own desires behind.... Among the Sahaba, the most active soul was the soul of Abu Bakr (r)
because he never put his desires in the first place; after him came Sayyidina Ali
(r) who, in like manner, attained strong soul-activity..."
This is why the Prophet gave `Ali the title of "Gate of the City of
Knowledge" and to no-one else - the City being the Prophet himself.
Hence al-Shafi`i said in his Diwan:
"
I call upon my Lord to witness that
`Uthman is of high merit / and that `Ali's high merit is shared by none.
Similarly, Imam Ahmad said that none of the Companions had as many merits
narrated about him than `Ali. As to Abu Bakr, his spiritual closeness to
the Prophet is established by his being the Prophet�s
intimate friend after Allah as mentioned in the hadith, and his sole
companion in the Cave as mentioned in the Qur'an.
I CAN NOT ACCEPT THIS! Prophet said about Sayiduna Usman
radiAllaho-annho that if he had 100 daughters he would have wed them one by one to him!
This was in reference to his peerless sense of virtue. The Prophet
praised this specific quality of Sayyidina `Uthman in many narrations,
among them the one you quote above. All the shouting in the world cannot
load it with more than it carries. Otherwise, you, brother Nur Ahmed
`Attari, should never shorten prayers when travelling, because `Uthman -
whom you claim is the Crown of your Head - did not shorten them.
Was'salam,
Nur Ahmed Attari
Shaykh Ahmad ibn al-Mubarak relates in al-Ibriz that a certain man
approached a Wali and said to him: By Allah, I love you. The Wali (Sidi
`Abd al-`Aziz al-Dabbagh) turned to him with a severe look and said: "Is
it not enough that Allah knows all things?" Then he walked away leaving
the man in tears. Shaykh Ahmad approached the claimant to love of the
Friends of Allah and said to him: "You have claimed a very big thing. No
doubt, you will be tested. Therefore brace up and be a man." Later, a
dispute arose between that man and Sidi `Abd al-`Aziz over a fruit-tree
bordering each of their respective properties - for they were neighbors.
In the end, the man cursed Sidi `Abd al-`Aziz and the truth about his
claim was exposed for all to see.
I keep the jewels of my knowledge concealed
Lest the ignorant see Truth and turn away.
How many an essential knowledge, if I divulged it,
I would be told for it: You are of the idol-worshippers;
And righteous men would deem licit my blood
And think well of the ugly deed they would commit.
- Zayn al-`Abidin, `Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn `Ali
(Allah be well-pleased with them.)
Blessings and greetings of Allah upon our Master Muhammad, his Family, and
all his Companions.
Hajj Gibril
GF Haddad ©
[2000-07-02]
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