The secret of the amazing silence of Kufa with the reference of Hazrat Zainab (pbuh); A narration in Shia and Sunni sources

What happened when the voice of the people of Kufa stopped and even the bells of the camels stopped? This amazing story is narrated in the two books "Al-Baldan" by Ibn Faqih and "Al-Ihtjaj" by Tabarsi and has provided an important discussion ground about the merits of the divine saints and the concept of the formative guardianship.

According to the Missionary Thought and Culture Base, reports in Shia and Sunni historical sources tell about the rare silence of the people of Kufa and the sounding of camel bells, at the same time as Hazrat Zainab (PBUH) signaled to start the sermon; A narrative that, along with the views of a number of Muslim scholars about the dignity of the divine saints, provides a basis for examining the concept of the formative guardianship and the limits of the implications of this historical report.

The fourth of Jumadi al-Awl, the anniversary of the birth of Hazrat Zainab Kabri (pbuh), is a reminder of her outstanding role in the Ashura saga and the explanation of the message of the uprising of Imam Hussain (pbuh). In addition to the historical and rhetorical aspects of the life of His Holiness, some reports quoted in Islamic sources speak of events that are connected with the subject of the dignity of the divine parents and the formative guardianship in religious discussions.

According to the narration of the Hozwa, one of these reports is related to the moments before the sermon of Hazrat Zainab (PBUH) in Kufa; When, according to some sources, he signaled the people to be silent and the atmosphere in the parliament calmed down. In this article, while reviewing this report in two sources, "Al-Baladan" by Ibn Faqih Hamdani and "Al-Ihtjaj" by Ahmad Bin Ali Tabarsi, the view expressed in some Salafi currents about the occupation of divine saints in the world is also examined.

What is the formative guardianship and what is its place in religious discussions?

In the term of theological debates, the formative guardianship is said to be a kind of domination and possession in the universe, which according to this view, God gives it to some chosen servants with his permission and will. According to this understanding, any influence of the divine saints is not independent of God's will, but it is meaningful within the framework of God's power and permission.

This issue has been raised with different interpretations and limits among Muslim theologians and scholars. On the other hand, some Salafi and Wahhabi currents have a critical approach in evaluating a number of behaviors related to divine saints, especially asking for blessings and believing in their possession of the world, and in some cases they consider such beliefs to be contrary to monotheism.

In order to examine this difference, one must distinguish between belief in independent power for non-God and belief in dignity or possession that takes place with God's permission; Because these two views are not the same in terms of belief.

The view transferred from the Wahhabi movement about the possession of divine saints

In the book "Fatawa al-Lajna al-Da'imah", in the discussion of seeking blessings from the righteous, a phrase has been quoted that refers to the belief in the possession of the righteous person in the world:

"As for blessing the righteous, revival is an innovation... and the status of one of the greatest partners is if I believe in the righteous, that it is beneficial and harmful, and that it is possessed by Alkun and the like."

The meaning of this phrase is that seeking blessings from the living righteous, in this view, is considered a heresy, and if it is accompanied by the belief in their independent ability to bring profit and loss or take possession of the world, it may be considered one of the greatest polytheism.

Of course, for a precise judgment about this position, a distinction must be made between the principle of the dignity of divine saints, belief in their influence by God's permission, and attributing independent power to them. Also, generalizing a phrase or fatwa to all the views raised in Salafi and Wahhabi currents, requires a wider examination of sources and fatwas.

Narration of Kufa's silence before Hazrat Zainab's sermon

After the Ashura event and the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his companions, the family of the Prophet (s.a.w.) were captured and transferred to Kufa. Among the events of this period, Hazrat Zainab's sermon before the people of Kufa and the ruling system has a prominent place; A sermon that reminded people of their responsibility and the consequences of their behavior with a strong statement.

In some historical narrations, an incident has been mentioned before the beginning of this sermon: Hazrat Zainab (PBUH) gestured with her hand to establish silence among the crowd, and after that, the atmosphere of the assembly calmed down; In such a way that even the bells of camels could not be heard.

Ibn Faqih Hamadani's report in the book "Al-Beldan"

Abu Abdullah Ahmad bin Muhammad Hamdani, known as Ibn Faqih, one of the geographical and historical writers of the 4th century Hijri, narrates this story in the book "Al-Baladan" as follows:

"Wakd ummat ili nas an anastawa. She breathed a sigh of relief, and then she said: Praise be to God and prayers be upon the Prophet.

The meaning of the phrase is that Hazrat Zainab (PBUH) pointed to the people to be silent; Then the breaths were locked in the chests and the bells stopped. After that, he started his sermon by praising God and salutations on the Prophet (PBUH).

This report presents an image of the atmosphere prevailing in the assembly and the effect of Hazrat Zainab's gesture on the attendees. However, in order to draw a reliable conclusion from it, in addition to the text of the report, the historical validity of the quote and its meaning should also be examined.

Ahmad bin Ali Tabarsi has also narrated a similar report about the beginning of Hazrat Zainab's sermon in the book "Al-Ihtjaj". This book states:

"So Zaynab bint Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him) passed away to the people in silence, Hudhayim al-Assadi said, "I did not see, and God is the forgiveness of sins." He uttered it as if it were uttered and rested on the tongue of Ali (peace be upon him) and he signaled to the people that they would not listen. The breath and the dwelling of the bells"

According to this narration, Hazrat Zainab (PBUH) signaled the people to be silent and after that, the breaths were locked in the chests and the bells stopped. In the following, Hazim Asadi, the narrator of this report, praises his eloquence and eloquence and considers his expression reminiscent of the words of Imam Ali (AS).

Does this report prove the formative guardianship of Hazrat Zainab (PBUH)?

Some writers and religious researchers present the report of the silence of the people and the bells of the camels as evidences for the dignity of Hazrat Zainab (PBUH) and the possibility of the possession of divine saints by God's permission. From this point of view, the mentioned event can be considered in the framework of belief in the virtues of divine saints.

However, there is a difference between narrating a historical event and proving a verbal proposition. In order for this narration to be considered as a clear proof of the formational guardianship, it should be clarified that the reported silence was merely the result of the speech and spiritual authority of Hazrat Zainab (pbuh) on those present, or the text of the narration indicates the occurrence of a seizure beyond normal factors.

Also, the expression "silence of the bells" alone does not establish that this happened through a formative takeover. Therefore, definitely attributing this event to Velayat Tekuni requires an argument beyond the narration of the story.

The merits of divine saints in the view of some Sunni scholars

The discussion of the virtues of divine saints is not limited to Shiite sources and has been discussed in the works of a number of Sunni scholars. Some of these scholars did not consider the dignity to be exclusive to the worldly life of the saints, and they also spoke about the possibility of the appearance of works and dignity after death.

In the text under review, Dawood bin Sulaiman Naqshbandi, one of the Shafi'i scholars of the 13th century of Hijri, is mentioned as one of the people who discussed the possibility of the honor of divine saints after death. Also, Ahmad Bin Sediq Ghamari, one of the contemporary Sunni scholars, narrates a story of observing the extraordinary behavior of Seyyed Dabbagh.

Ghamari writes in this report that when he was sitting next to Seyyed Dabagh in a meeting, a thought about his position and dignity came to his mind, and Seyed Dabagh, without saying anything about it, bent down and kissed his hand. Ghamari interprets this behavior related to what happened in his mind and mentions it as an example of Seyyed Dabagh's status and virtues.

This story, if the attribution and authenticity of the narration is verified, shows the narrator's belief in Seyyed Dabagh's knowledge of the hidden matter; But in order to turn it into an independent reason about the formational guardianship, its foundations and implications must be examined separately. In addition, the acceptance of the principle of dignity among a number of Sunni scholars does not necessarily mean the acceptance of all the ideas raised about the formative guardianship.

The report of the silence of the people of Kufa and the calming of the camel bells before the sermon of Hazrat Zainab (PBUH) is reported in two sources, "Al-Baladan" by Ibn Faqih Hamdani and "Al-Ihtjaj" by Tabarsi. These reports, along with quotes about the dignity of divine saints in the works of some Sunni scholars, provide a basis for examining the place of dignity and formative guardianship in Islamic thought.

However, a distinction should be made between three issues: the historical narration of an event, the acceptance of the possibility of dignity for the divine parents, and the proof of a concrete example of the creational guardianship. Each of these cases needs its own investigation and reasoning.

Based on this, the mentioned narration can be considered as one of the reports that can be examined about the spiritual position and influence of Hazrat Zainab (pbuh); However, a definitive judgment about whether this event was an example of the formative guardianship requires a more detailed evaluation of the narrative document, the meaning of the text, and theological foundations related to it.