Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

15. The Holy Prophet (saaws) had said "I swear by the one who controls my life that this man (Ali) and his Shi'a shall secure deliverance on the day of ressurection" . Do any hadith exist in which the Prophet (saaws) had guaranteed paradise for Imams Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi, Hanbal and their followers?

Tafsir Durr al Manthur, by al Hafidh Jalaladeen Suyuti in his commentary of verse 98:7

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Answer:

Ali(r.a.) & Shias in Jannah

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

At the time of the Prophet (saws), and even many years after his death, there was no such thing as Shias and Sunnis, etc. All the muslims were united as One Ummah. These sects, factions, and creeds were created many years after the death of the Prophet (saws).

The above quoted hadith that the Prophet (saws) of Allah said that Ali and his Shias shall secure deliverance on the Day of Resurrection, is absolutely incorrect and against the guidance of the Holy Quran! Allah states time and again in the Holy Quran that whoever believes, and does righteous good deeds, shall secure deliverance. Never has it been mentioned anywhere in the Quran, that Paradise can be obtained by aligning oneself to any Personality! This is a false saying that the unscrupulous people have attributed to the Messenger of Allah (saws), for it is inconceivable that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would ever say something which is directly against the clear aayahs of the Holy Quran.

The sects and people who believe the above hadith as authentic, and think that only the Shias will secure deliverance because of their love for Hadrat Ali (r.a.), then they should read the Holy Quran and see how Allah curses the Christians who declared a similar claim and said that all they have to do is love Jesus and believe that Jesus is the son of Allah, to claim their rights to Paradise! Allah calls such claims their ‘wishful fancies’!!!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Al Baqarah verse 111-112:The (Jews and Christians) say: “None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.” These are their wishful fancies! Say to them, “Bring your evidence if you are right in your claim!”. The fact is that no one has any special claim to Paradise! Whoever surrenders himself to Allah in obedience, and is a doer of good deeds, shall have his reward with His Lord. There shall be neither fear nor grief for such people.

Your question: Do any hadith exist in which the Prophet (saaws) had guaranteed paradise for Imams Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi, Hanbal and their followers?

No, there is no such hadith whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) guaranteed Paradise for the followers of any of the Imams, for it did not behove the Messenger of Allah (saws) to say anything but the Truth! The Holy Quran is extremely clear in its guidance of who will secure deliverance: the ones who believe and do righteous good deeds will be successful on the Day of Qiyaamah!

Thus if anyone wants to take a fabricated hadith and make it the basis of his belief, rather than the clear aayahs of the Holy Quran, then it is his individual choice of choosing mis-guidance over guidance, and falsehood over Truth!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother in Islam,

Burhan