Sadd al-Abwab: Difference between revisions

'''Sadd al-Abwāb''' (Arabic:{{iarabic| سدّ الابواب}}, lit: Closing the Doors) refers to the event that the [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] ordered that all doors which were opened to [[Masjid al-Nabi]] be closed  except 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]].

Sadd means closing, and Abwāb means doors; then Sadd al-Abwab means "closing of doors."

[[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 [['Ali b. Abi Talib]]'s house.

Some people including [[al-Qadi al-Nu'man al-Maghribi]] said in his ''[[Sharh al-akhbar fi fada'il al-A'imma al-Athar (book)|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 al-'Amili|Sayyid Ja'far Murtada]], has not considered this sentence by Hamza's as an objection to the Prophet (s), but a question about the secret behind this commmand.