Another Prophetic Prophecy regarding Mu’awiyah – narrated from Abdullah bin Amr e Aas

This incident is mentioned by Qazi Abu Hanifa, No’man e Maghribi, in his book ‘Al Manaqib wal Mathalib’ in this manner:

          Abdullah bin Amr e Aas says: I was sitting in the presence of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and a group of companions were present before him. I heard him say:

اوّل طالع یطلع علیکم من ھذا الفجّ،یموت علی غیر ملّتی۔

          ‘The first person to enter from this path will die on a nation other than mine’.

Abdullah bin Amr said: I departed from my father in such a condition that he was wearing his dress to arrive near the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), therefore, I was constantly observing the path and was afraid, like someone who controls his urine, to find my father arrive until Mu’awiyah entered; then the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: ‘He is that person’.[1]

          Then he writes: Ibn e Abbas heard the words of Abdullah bin Amr e Aas and said: After narrating this Hadith, how did Abdullah bin Amr e Aas fight along with Mu’awiyah against Imam Ali (a.s.)?

          Abdullah had an excuse for himself, not for others, and Ibn e Abbas was unaware of it. That excuse was, as it is narrated, that one day, he was sitting with a group of people and Husain bin Ali (a.s.) passed by them. Abdullah bin Amr said: Beware! By God, he is the most beloved person from the people of earth for the people of sky. And he did not speak to me in the battle of Siffeen, and if he would have spoken to me and expressed his contentment, it was much more beloved for me than the red coloured camel.

          Hence, Abdullah bin Amr sent someone near Imam Husain (a.s.) to attain the contentment of his holiness, and to inform his holiness about all that he said for him, and to seek permission for him to be able to meet his holiness.

          Imam Husain (a.s.) gave permission and he came near Imam (a.s.). Imam Husain (a.s.) said to him:

          ‘Do you know that I am the most beloved person amongst the people of earth for the people of the sky, and have you heard the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) say: ‘Hasan and Husain are the two leaders of the heaven’s youth, and their father is better than both of them’; then you came to fight against him?

          Abdullah bin Amr said: By God, O son of Allah’s Messenger! Nothing compelled me towards this act but the saying of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) while my father Amr complained against me to his holiness and said: He fasts in the day time and offers prayers throughout the nights and I have ordered him to be careful of himself but he did not accept.

          The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said to me: Obey your father.

Thus, he went towards Mu’awiyah and commanded me to go along with him. I obeyed him as the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) had commanded.

          Imam Husain (a.s.) said:

أولم تسمع قول اللّٰہ عزوجلّ في کتابہ و قد أمر ببرّ الوالدین ، ثمّ قال:( وَان جَاہَدَاکَ لِتُشْرِکَ بِیْ مَا لَیْْسَ لَکَ بِہِ عِلْم فَلَا

تُطِعْہُمَا)([2]) 

و قول رسول اللہّٰ صلی الله علیه وآله وسلم: انّما  الطّاعة في المعروف؟

‘Haven’t you heard the Almighty Allah’s saying in His book when he commanded to perform good deeds with the father and mother, and then said: ‘but if they strive to make you join with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not’[3]. And haven’t you heard the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) say: Obedience is for the good and desirable deeds only (not for the undesirable ones).

          Abdullah bin Amr said: I had heard this saying but By God, it felt that I hadn’t heard it.[4]

          Indeed; the Satan strives to mislead the misguided ones to such an extent that they feel that they haven’t seen or heard something that they had seen and heard; as they are ignorant, he keeps them strangled in misguidance and ignorance.