16 ABDULLAH IBN SABA' THE JEW

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16. ‘ABDULLAH IBN SABA’ THE JEW ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ was considered by Sunni Muslim historians “the Spiritual Father of the Rāfiḍah”. The term rāfiḍah (pl. rawāfiḍ lit. “rejecters”) was originally given to dissenters, defectors, troops having deserted their leader, the Rawāfiḍ (Rafidites), a Shi’ah sect. They are those who reject the legitimacy of the appointment of Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, as well as ‘Uthmān as caliphs, for they believe that ‘Ali had been appointed by the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬to replace him after his death.

It is said that Saba’ was not the name of Abdullah’s father, but the name from which he came from, Saba’ in Yemen, (probably to hide his identity as a son of a Jew). It is like calling an Egyptian “the son of the Nile.” There is a sūrah (chapter) in the Qur’ān, called sūrat Saba’ (Sheba, Q. 34) mentioning the 1 Sabaean people .

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The Sabaean people in Yemen had constructed a dam with very advanced technology called Ma’rib Dam for irrigation. It is said that it was 16 meters high, 60 meters wide and 620 metres long. It could irrigate 9,600 hectares – 5,300 hectares belonged to the southern plain, and the remaining belonged to the northern plain, referred to “Ma’rib two plains, and referred to in the Qur’ān as “two gardens to the right and to the left.” Allah asked them to be grateful to Him, but they turned away, so that Allah destroyed their dam with َ‫ل َ ْال َعرََْيم‬ َ​َ ‫“( َس ْي‬flood of ‘alArīm”). Allah said: “Indeed there was the Saba’ (Sheba) a sign in their dwelling place – two gardens on the right hand and on the left; (and it was said to them:) “Eat of the provision of your Lord, and be grateful to Him.” A fair land and an Oft-Forgiving Lord! But they turned away (from the obedience of Allah), so We sent against them sayl al-arīm (flood released from the dam), and We converted their two gardens into gardens producing bitter bad fruit, and tamarisks, and some few lote trees. Like this We requited them because they were ungrateful disbelievers. And never do We requite in such a way except those who are ungrateful (disbelievers) (Q. 34:15-17). It is possible that Ibn Saba’ moved from Yemen to Ḥīrah in Iraq, as al-Baghdādī and Abū Zahrah said that he was originally from there.

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According to the Persian historian Mīr Khwand Ibn Saba’ had harbored feelings of hatred against ‘Uthmān because he expected him to welcome him when he entered Madinah, and this did not happen. Then he made contact with those who were hostile to him, resulted with his expulsion from Madinah by ‘Uthman. Eventually, he moved to Egypt and became one among the troublemakers against ‘Uthmān.

There are various views concerning the existence and reality of Ibn Saba’ among the Rawāfiḍ (Shi’ah). Contemporary Rawāfiḍ completely reject the existence of Abdullah Ibn Saba’ the Yemenite Jew. They claimed that he had been invented by the Umayyads to cover the crimes committed by the Ṣaḥābah and to make the Shi’ah (Rāfiḍhah heretics) looked bad. They said that the existence of Ibn Saba’ was narrated by Sayf ibn Omar al-Tamimi only, a well-known liar according to Sunni scholars themselves. ‘Ayatollah’ Murtaḍā al-‘Askarī in his book ‘Abdullah Ibn Saba’ and other Myths denied his existence.

But there are few reports about Ibn Saba’ not transmitted through Sayf ibn ‘Umar, among them are as follows: 1. Yaḥyā ibn Ḥamzah al-Zubaydī in his Ṭūq al-Ḥamāmah on the authority of Suwayd ibn Ghaflah al-Ju‘fī al-Kūfī (d. 80/699) who said that he entered upon ‘Ali r.a. and said: “I passed by some men, ibn Saba’, who were talking negatively about Abū Bakr and ‘Umar saying that you [Ali] hold the same feelings towards them.” ‘Ali replied: “What does this wretched black man (Ibn Saba’’s mother was Ethiopian) want from me?” Then he said: “I seek refuge in Allah in holding anything but good respect for them both.” Then he sent after Ibn Saba’ and exiled him to al-Madā’in (Ctesiphon, former capital of the Persian empire), and ascended the pulpit until the people were gathered, then praised Abū Bakr and ‘Umar, then said: “If it reaches me that anyone

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prefers me over them then I shall lash them as done with the slandering liar.”2 2. The Rāfiḍah among the Shi’ah told Zayd ibn ‘Ali ibn alḤusayn r.a. (d. 80/122) during his revolution to abandon the love of Abū Bakr and ‘Umar. He replied: “They are the companions of my grandfather,” and they said to him: “Then we shall turn you away”, so he said: “Go! for you are al-Rāfiḍah (dissenters, defectors).”

3. On the authority of Abū Muḥammad ibn Ṭāwūs and Abū Ya‘lā from Abū ‘-Qāsim ibn Abī’l-‘Alā’ from Abū Muḥammad ibn Abī Naṣr, from Khaythamah ibn Sulaymān, from Aḥmad ibn Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb, from ‘Amr ibn Marzūq, from Shu‘bah, from Salamah ibn Kuḥayl, from Zayd who said: “’Ali said: ‘What do I have to do with this wicked black man?!’ He meant Abdullah ibn Saba’ who used to attack Abū Bkr and ‘Umar.” (This report has a good sanad of trustworthy narrators).

4. ‘Ali tells Ibn Saba’: “Woe to you! By Allah he (the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬did not tell me anything that he kept hidden from others, I heard him say that from now until the Hour there will be thirty liars and you are one of them.” (Some of its narrators have been criticized, but it has been narrated through several other chains with better narrators).

The existence of Ibn Saba’ the Jew was recognized and mentioned in Shi’ah books, such as follows: 1. The 3rd century Hijrah Shi‘ah scholar and authority Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn Mūsā al-Nawbakhtī who wrote on the sects and viewpoints of the Shi‘ah. He said: (a) The first sect (lead by Ibn Saba’) that exaggerated (guluww) with ahl al-bayt and ‘Ali was the Sabaite

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This very same narration has been narrated through different channels with authentic chains of transmitters, such as Abū Isḥāq al-Fizārī in his al-Sīrah on the authority of Shu‘bah from Salamah ibn Kaḥīl from Abū alZa‘arā’ from Zayd ibn Wahb; the narrators are trustworthy.

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(Saba’iyyah) sect. Ali wanted to burn him alive, but instead, he expelled him to Madā’in (Ctesiphon). (b) He was the first to revile Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and other Companions, and he would free himself from them (just like the view of Shi‘ah Rāfiḍah today). He said that ‘Ali r.a. commanded him to do so (just like the Shi‘ah Rāfiḍah claimed). ‘Ali wanted to kill him, but due to the protest of the people he expelled him (c) Knowledgeable people among the associates of ‘Ali said that ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ was a Jew who became Muslim and showed loyalty to ‘Ali. He was then the first who propagated the foundation of tashayyu’ which is rafḍ (rejection of the majority of the ṣaḥābah, especially Abū Bakr and ‘Umar), and guluww (exaggeration) with the Ahl al-Bayt and ‘Ali. 2. Abū ‘Amr Muḥammad ibn ‘Umar (ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz) alKishshī (d. 340/951) in Ikhtiyār Ma‘rifat al-Rijāl (known as Rijāl Kishshī) by Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Țūsī (d. 400/1009), also admits the existence of Ibn Saba’ and his belief in the divinity of ‘Ali and the prophethood of himself.

The fifth Shi’ah imām Abū ‘Abdullah Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq (80148/699-765) was reported to have cursed ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ who used to claim ‘Ali to be God, whereas ‘Ali himself was an obedient servant of Allah.

It was also reported that Ibn Saba’ had said to ‘Ali: "You are Him (i.e., God), and it has been revealed to me that you are God and I am a prophet.” So the commander of believers (i.e., Ali) said: "How dare you! Satan has made a mockery of you. Repent for what you have said. May your mother weep at your death! Quit (your claim).” But he refused, so he (Ali) imprisoned him and asked him three times to repent, but he didn’t. Thus he burnt him ( i.e., his corpse after killing him) with fire and said: "Satan had taken him into his whim, he used to come to him and to induce these (thoughts) in him”. It is also mentioned that:

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(a) A group of knowledgeable people (namely, Sunnī scholars) mentioned that ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ was a converted Jew and showed his loyalty to ‘Ali r.a. (b) As a Jew he used to say that ‘Ali r.a. after the death of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was like Joshua (Yūsha‘) ibn Nūn after Prophet Moses (Mūsā) a.s. (c) He was also the first to witness the saying of the obligation of the leadership (imāmah) of ‘Ali r.a., announced openly his disavowal of his (‘Ali’s) enemies, and declared them disbelievers. From here those who opposed the Shi‘ah used to say that the foundation of alRāfiḍī was taken from the Jews.

3. Al-Māmqānī, another Shi‘ah scholar in his Tanqīh al-Maqāl fī ‘Ilm al-Rijāl, admitted that: (a) According to the consensus of the Rāfiḍī sect, all of the ṣaḥābah including Ibn Saba’ were apostates except three people. (b) Ibn Saba’ manifested ghuluww (exaggeration), and claimed that ‘Ali was a deity and that he (Ibn Saba’) was a prophet. Eventually ‘Ali burned him.

4. Ni‘matullāh al-Jazā’irī, another famous Shī‘ī scholar in his book al-Anwār al-Nu‘māniyyah (2/234) said that ‘Abdullah ibn Saba' said to Ali (‘alayhi al- salām), "You are the Worshipped One in truth." So Ali (alayhi ‘l-salām) banished him to al-Madā’in (Ctesiphon). It was also said that he was a Jew who accepted Islam and whilst upon his Judaism he used to say about Joshua bin Nūn and Moses like ‘ Ali and the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. As Joshua was a waṣī to Prophet Moses, so was ‘Ali to the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬.

It was also said that when ‘Ali had assumed power Ibn َ ‫ت َأَ ْن‬ َ ‫أَ ْن‬ Saba’ ascribed divine honour to him and said to him َ ‫ت‬ “Thou are Thou”, and said as reported by al-Jurjānī that the Qur’ān, was one part of nine parts of the whole Qur’ān, known only by Ali, and therefore, ‘Ali banished him to alMadā’in (Ctesiphon) the former capital of Persian empire.

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It is true that many classical Shi‘ah scholars admit the existence of Ibn Saba’ in history, who propagated Sabaite (Saba’iyyah) beliefs, but they reject any connection between Tashayyu‘ (Shi‘ism) and the Sabaite beliefs. The Rāfiḍī Shī‘ah scholar Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan Al-Țūsī (385-460/9951067)3 in his Ikhtiyār Ma‘rifat al-Rijāl called Ibn Saba’ “an infidel.” He was cursed by the imām, because instead of preaching for the imāmat of ‘Ali he preached his (‘Ali’s) divinity.

However, two essential basics preached by Ibn Saba’ were also believed by the Rāfiḍī Shi‘ah: (1) The revilement of Abū Bakr, ’Umar, and ‘Uthmān and other companions where he claimed that he had been commanded by ‘Ali r.a. to do so. (2) The obligation of leadership (imāmah) of ‘Ali and declaring the infidelity of his (‘Ali’s) enemy among the ṣaḥābah.

There are some similarities between the teachings of Ibn Saba’ and those of Twelver Shi ‘ah Rāfiḍah, as follows: Ibn Saba’ claimed the divinity of ‘Ali, whereas the Shi‘ah claimed that ‘Ali had said in his sermon called َ ‫ْال ُخ ْط َب ُة َاإل ْفت َخاريَّة‬ “The boasting Sermon” where it was cited and sung in their celebrations of Ḥusayn and in their parties. ‘Ali was allegedly claimed to have over fifty qualities or authorities which had been given to him by Allah, as if he was Allah’s agent in His creationَ ‫ل َية َ َت ْ​ْويْنيةة‬ َ َ ‫(و‬.َ I shall mention here twenty of them, as follows: (1) I have the key of the unknown (al-ghayb), nobody knows it after the Messenger of Allah except I; (2) I am the one who gives leaves and fruit to trees; (3) I am the one who lets the spring waters pour forth; (4) I am the one who lets the water of the rivers flow; (5) I am the one who brings the dead out of their graves; (6) I am the master of the Day of 3

He was known as the Shaykh al-Ṭā’ifah (“The Head of the Sect”) was born in Iran. In his 181‫َص‬3‫ اإلستبصارَفيماَاختلفَفيهَمنَاألخبارَج‬he believed in the possibility of practising mut‘ah (temporary marriage). He had a chapter where he said that it was possible to marry for than four wives in the mut‘ah. His other bookَ ‫ َتهذيب َاألحْام‬contained jurisprudence the vast majority of which were attributed to their imams.

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Resurrection; (7) I am the one who gives light to the sun, the moon and the stars; (8) I am the one who knows the past and the present; (9) I am the master of solar eclipse and lunar eclipse; (10) I am the master of the planets and the stars;(11) I am the light of the lights; (12) I am the one who has the keys of Paradise; (13) I went beyond Moses at sea and I drowned Pharaoh and his soldiers; (14) I am the one who explores the seven heavens and the seven earths in a split second, instantly (lit. “in the twinkling of an eye”); (15) I am the lantern of guidance; (16) I am the key of piety; (17) I am the End and the Beginning; (18) I am the one who sees the deeds of the servants (slaves); (19) I am the one who knows the orbits of rotating celestial bodies (planets and stars); and (20) I am the master of measure and the drops of rains.

These statements indicate the divinity of ‘Ali claimed by the extremists among the Shi‘ah followers. The second similarity between Ibn Saba’ and the Shi‘ah Rafidah, is their belief in the apostasy of the majority of the ṣaḥābah, and the curse at Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Among their statements are as follows: 1. Al-Majlisī in his Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 30, p. 145 in a chapter entitled “The infidelity of the three persons (i.e., Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthmān), their hypocrisy, their disgraceful deeds, their shameful traces, and the merit of disclaiming association with them and cursing them” he said that the whole ṣaḥābah (companions of the Prophet) were infidels except three, four, five, six, or seven persons, depending on various reports of the Shi ‘ah.

In the same volume, p. 381 it is reported that a mawlā (a freed slave) of ‘Ali ibn al-Ḥusayn asked him about Abū Bakr and ‘Umar, he answered that both of them and anyone who loved them were infidels.

Abū Ḥamzah al-Thumālī asked ‘Ali ibn al-Ḥusayn about the two persons (i.e., Abū Bakr and ‘Umar), he replied: “Both are the first who acted tyrannically against

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our right, took our inheritance from us, and sat on the seat we deserved more than they did. May Allah do not forgive them, and do not have mercy on them. Both of them were infidels, and anybody who brought them into power.

2. Al-Kulaynī in his al-Kāfī, vol. 8, p. 198 reported that Abū Ja‘far said: “After the death of the Prophet people became apostates except three persons: al- Miqdād ibn al-Aswad, Abū Dharr al-Gifārī, and Salmān al-Fārisī.”

Dr. Salaymān al-‘Awdah in his book ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ said that he was influenced by Jewish and Christian ideas.

When the camp of ‘Ā’ishah, Ṭalḥah and al-Zubayr decided to make peace with ‘Ali who appreciated it, the followers of Ibn Saba’ known as al-Saba’iyyah attacked both camps at night, so that each camp defended itself, and the “battle of the Camel” took place. Ibn Taymiyyah (661-728/1263-1328) long ago had said that none of the two camps started the attack, but defended themselves against the attack. This Saba’iyyah group believed that ‘Ali was also a prophet, that the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬ had concealed nine-tenth of the Qur’ān, cursing the Ṣaḥābah, ḥulūl (incarnation), and tanāsukh (transmigration of souls).

(Turner, 1 September, 2017) :‫المراجع‬ ‫َفيديو‬.‫َمْافحةَالشبهات‬.‫أبوَعمرَالباحث‬ َ‫َعبدَهللاَبنَسبإَوَأثرهَفيَاحداثَالفتنةَفيَصدر‬.‫َالدْتورَسليمانَبنَفهد‬,‫العودة‬ َ ‫َهـ‬1111َ,‫َدارَطيبة‬.‫اإلسالم‬ http://harunyahya.com/en/Articles/3448/the-people-of-sabaand the-arim-flood http://www.saaid.net/bahoth/43.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_ibn_Saba%27 http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/189-abdallah-ibnȚsaba By: Hartwig Hirschfeld http://islamicweb.com/arabic/Shia/ibn_saba_true.htm https://ar.m.wikipedia.org.wiki ‫الشيخَالطوسي‬