Sadd al-Abwab: Difference between revisions

'''Sadd al-Abwab''' (Arabic:{{iarabic| سدّ الابواب}}, lit: Closing the Doors) refers to the event that the [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] order that all doors which were opened to [[Masjid al-Nabi]] be closed  except for the door of [['Ali b. Abi Talib]]'s (a) house. This [[hadith]] is frequently narrated ([[Mutawatir]]) in [[Shi'a]] and [[Sunni]] sources. The event of Sadd al-Abwab is regarded as one of the [[:Category:Excellences of Imam Ali (a)|excellences of Imam Ali (a)]]. He referred to this event in the [[six-member council]] for assigning caliph after [['Umar b. al-Khattab]].

[[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] planned to build a mosque in [[Medina]] when he entered the city, which later was called [[al-Masjid al-Nabawi]] (The mosque of Prophet Muhammad (s)). Afterwards a number of houses were built around the mosque for Prophet Muhammad (s) and a number of his wives. Then several [[companions]] of Prophet Muhammad (s) built their houses around the mosque. All these houses had an exit door and an extra door leading to this mosque. They used it for entering al-Masjid al-Nabawi in [[praying]] time. However, God ordered Prophet Muhammad (s) to close all of the doors of houses which could be opened to the Masjid, except for [['Ali b. Abi Talib]]'s house.

A number of people became upset by this order and complained about it. Prophet (s) replied: "I am ordered by God, to close all the doors except for 'Ali b. Abi Talib's. I heard your words. By God, I did not order to close or open any door of the mosque. Then I am compelled to do so."

Some people including Qadi Nu'man al-Maghribi said in his ''Sharh al-akhbar'', "Abbas, uncle of the Prophet (s) went to the Prophet (s) and said, 'Are you prohibiting me, that I am your uncle, Abu Bakr and 'Umar and only allowed Ali to leave his door open to the mosque?!' The Prophet (s) said, 'it was the order of God.'" Elsewhere, Qadi Nu'man said that this was a question of [[Hamza b. 'Abd al-Muttalib]] from the Prophet (s). Sayyid Ja'far Murtada, did not consider this Hamza's objection to the Prophet (s), but, according to him, it was a question about the secret behind it.

=== Time of Incident ===

Exact time of the incident of Sadd al-Abwab is not mentioned in historical and hadith sources. [[Al-Majlisi]], without mentioning the year of its happening, mentioned that it happened on the [[Day of 'Arafa]]. According to the mentioning of some names and other evidences, researchers have made guesses about the year of its happening and have made two major opinions:

==Documentation of Hadith==

[[Ibn Shahr Ashub]] has narrated this incident from different narrators. As he said, the hadith Sadd al-Abwab was narrated by thirty companions of Prophet Muhammad (s) such as: [[Zayd b. Arqam]], [[Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas]], [[Abu Sa'id al-Khudri]], [[Umm Salama]], [[Abu Rafi']] etc.

[[Ibn al-Bitriq]] has mentioned eleven hadiths from different sources on this incident in the twentieth chapter named ''Fi sadd al-abwab min al-masjid illa bab 'Ali'' (about the closing of the doors from the mosque except the door of 'Ali), of his book ''al-Umda''. [[Al-Qanduzi]] has mentioned numerous hadiths with different sources in the seventeenth chapter of the book ''[[Yanabi' al-mawadda]]'' called "Fi sadd al-abwab min al-masjid illa bab 'Ali". [[Ibn 'Asakir]] has allocated thirty pages of his book, ''Tarjumat Imam 'Ali b. Abi Talib'' on this hadith.

The hadith Sadd al-Abwab is regarded as a special privilege of [['Ali b. Abi Talib (a)]]; a desire for everybody. Hakim al-Niyshaburi has narrated this hadith and expressed that Sadd al-Abwab is among Sahih (authentic) hadiths: "As narrated from [['Umar b. al-Khattab]]:

A [[six-member council]] was held after the death of [['Umar]] in order to choose his successor. In the meeting 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) mentioned the incident of Sadd al-Abwab and the others acknowledged it: "Is there anyone who is regarded privileged by the Holy book of God, so as Prophet Muhammad (s) closed all the doors of the [[Immigrants]]' houses leading to Masjid al-Nabi, but mine?"