Loyalty to the Preceding Khulafa & Falsehood of Taqiyya

The Promised Messiah (as) states in his book, Sirr-ul-Khilafah – this book was originally written in Arabic; however, its Urdu translation is as follows:

“Even if we assume that the most truthful person …” i.e. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), against whom these people level allegations and claim that Hazrat Ali (ra) should have been the Khalifa first. Clarifying this matter, the Promised Messiah (as) states:

“Even if we assume that the most truthful person [i.e. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra)] was one of those who prioritised the pleasure of this world and its temptations and that he usurped the right of another, then we are forced to admit that Ali, the Lion of Allah, was a hypocrite (God-forbid) and did not cast aside his worldly desires and wholly devote himself to Allah and that he was beguiled by the world and desirous of its attractions and charms as he did not leave the company of ‘the apostates and disbelievers’”. These are the extremely harsh words they say in regard to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), for example that he was a disbeliever. “But instead, he adopted hypocrisy and chose taqiyya for approximately 30 years.

“If, in the eyes of Hazrat Ali, may Allah the Almighty be pleased with him, Al-Siddiq Akbar [i.e. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra)] was a disbeliever and had usurped his right, then why did he agree to pledge allegiance to him? Why did he not migrate from the land of oppression, tribulation and apostasy? Was not Allah’s earth vast enough for him to emigrate as has been the practise of the righteous?

“Look at the example of Abraham, who fulfilled the commandments; how powerful he was in bearing witness to the truth; when he saw that his father erred and had gone astray and his people worshiped idols instead of the Supreme Lord, he turned away from them. He was not afraid, nor did he care about the consequences. He was thrown into fire and yet he did not choose to conceal his faith out of fear of the evildoers.

“This is the way of the righteous. They do not fear swords or blades. They consider taqiyya to be a grave sin and an immoral and unjust act. And even if they were to commit an iota of such a despicable act, they turn to Allah seeking His forgiveness.

“We are amazed at how Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, swore allegiance to Al-Siddiq and Al-Faruq [i.e. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and Hazrat Umar (ra)] despite ‘knowing’ that they had ‘renounced Islam and usurped the rights of others’. Moreover, if he” i.e. Hazrat Ali (ra) “was aware of their alleged ‘corruption, disbelief and apostasy’, then why is it that he continued to spend among them a wholelifetime and followed them sincerely and devotedly. He did not tire or become weary, nor did he show any resentment, nor did he let any other reason become a hindrance in this, including his high level of righteousness.

“Moreover, there was nothing stopping him, nor was he held as a prisoner in that he could not go to the other Arab tribes. Thus, in such an instance, it was his duty to migrate to some other part of Arabia, to its east or to the west.”

If the circumstances had become so dire, then there was nothing stopping Hazrat Ali (ra) from migrating. The Promised Messiah (as) states that not only should he have migrated, but then also incited others to fight against them for they had become apostates and disbelievers. The Promised Messiah (as) continues:

“[He should have left] in order to urge people to fight and incite the Bedouins to battle. He should have aroused them with his eloquent words and then fought the rebellious apostates.”

The Promised Messiah (as) further states:

“About one hundred thousand Bedouins joined Musaylimah Kazzab. However, Ali (ra) was more deserving of this support than anyone else. Therefore, on what basis did he follow ‘the disbelievers’” i.e. the first three Khalifas, against whom these people level the allegation that they were disbelievers, “and why did he display his loyalty to them? If he was appointed as the leader, then why did he sit idly like the indolent and not rise like those who strive [in the cause of Allah]? What had prevented him from standing against them if he had seen the signs of his honour and high rank by Allah? Why did he not go forward to war in support of the truth and to call others towards this mission? Was he not the most eloquent among the people, the most articulate in speech and the one who could breathe life through his words? Thus, he could have gathered people around him within an hour or even less due to the strength of his speech and oration, which would have affected the listeners and attracted them. If people could gather around an imposter and liar [i.e. Musaylimah Kazzab], how is it that the Lion of Allah could not do the same while he was supported by Allah and was the beloved of the Lord of the Worlds?

“Above all else, the strangest thing is that Hazrat Ali (ra) did not only pledge allegiance to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and Hazrat Umar (ra) [Sheikhain], but he also observed every Salat behind them and never missed a single prayer or turned away like those who harbour doubts.

Moreover, he participated with them in mutual consultation and believed in their claim. He helped them in every matter with all his effort and capacity and was not of those who remained behind. Thus, carefully ponder, is this how an oppressed one behaves? Look how he followed the so-called ‘liars’, despite his knowledge of their lies and slander, as if truth and falsehood were alike for him. Did he not know that those who trust in The Powerful never choose the way of hypocrisy, even if they are cast into the fire? Indeed, they do not leave the truth even if by upholding it they are cast into ruin and destruction.”

(Sirr-ul-Khilafah, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 8, pp. 349-351, Urdu Tarjumah of Sirr-ul-Khilafah, pp. 86-91, Nazarat Ishaat)

Thus, the Promised Messiah (as) has clearly explained that Hazrat Ali (ra) never opposed any of the Khulafa before him; in fact, he pledged his allegiance to them. And those who claim that Hazrat Ali (ra) did not pledge his allegiance to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) commit a disservice to the honour of Hazrat Ali (ra) as opposed to honouring his status.