Hadith al-Tayr al-Mashwi: Difference between revisions

'''Ḥadīth al-Ṭayr al-Mashwīy''' (Arabic: {{ia|حديث الطائر المشوي}}) is a [[hadith]] regarding the virtues of [[Imam Ali (a)]]. According to this hadith, [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] wanted to eat a meal of a roasted bird (al-tayr al-mashwi). He asked God to send His most loved and virtuous creature to him to share the meal with him. After some come-and-goes, Imam Ali (a) was the person who eventually ate the meal with the Prophet (s). The hadith is cited in [[Shiite]] and [[Sunni]] sources. So many people have narrated the hadith such that 90 people narrated the hadith from [[Anas b. Malik]].

The word "al-tayr" (Arabic: {{iarabic|الطَّیر}}) means bird and the word "al-mashwi" (Arabic: {{iarabic|المَشویّ}}) means roasted or grilled. Here is the story:  

[['A'isha]] and [[Hafsa]] who heard the Prophet (s) saying these words told their fathers, [[Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa]] and [['Umar b. al-Khattab]], about the story. They went to the Prophet (s) one at a time in order to share the Prophet's (s) meal in the hope of counting as God’s most loved creature, but the Prophet (s) did not admit them to his house.<ref>Ibn Kathīr, ''al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya'', vol. 7, p. 350.</ref>

Anas b. Malik said that I preferred the person who would share the meal with the Prophet (s) to be [[Sa'd b. 'Ubada]] from my own tribe, but I saw that [['Ali b. Abi Talib (a)]] was coming. I did not let him in for three times. Finally, the Prophet (s) ordered me to let him in. Imam 'Ali (a) entered the house and shared the meal with the Prophet (s).<ref>Ibn Kathīr, ''al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya'', vol. 7, p. 350.</ref>

: The Prophet (s) had a chicken. He said: "O God! Send me your most loved creature to eat this chicken with me." Abu Bakr went to the Prophet (s), but he did not let him in. Then ‘Umar went to him, but the Prophet (s) did not let him in either. But when 'Ali (a) went to him, he let him in.

==Implying Imam 'Ali's (a) Priority==

* [[Al-Shaykh al-Mufid]] argues for the implication of this hadith for the [[wilaya]] of Imam 'Ali (a) as follows: God’s love is grounded in truths, rather than whims and desires. Therefore, the most beloved person by God is the most virtuous person too. What is more, the most virtuous person for God is definitely prior and more preferable with respect to [[imamate]] and wilaya, since it is unreasonable to prefer a less virtuous person to a more virtuous one with respect to [[prophethood]] and the general [[khilafa]] (succession) of God.<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Ifṣāḥ'', p. 33.</ref>

* In his book, ''[[al-Fusul al-mukhtara]]'', [[al-Sayyid al-Murtada]] argues that the most loved person by God is rewarded by God more than any other creature, and a person who is regarded by God more than all others has more virtuous actions and worships than those of others. Therefore, Imam 'Ali (a) is superior to all creatures except the Prophet Muhammad (s).<ref>Sayyid Murtaḍā, ''al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtāra'', p. 96.</ref>