Abdullah ibn Saba'

Abd Allah ibn Sabaʾ al-Ḥimyarī (or Sabāʾ, also sometimes called ibn al-Sawdāʾ, ibn Wahb, or ibn Ḥarb) was a 7th-century figure in Islamic history who, according to Salafist Islam specifically, is often associated with a group of followers called the Sabaʾiyya.

The name of Abdullah bin Saba figures in the most reliable book of Shia on Isma ur-Rijal, entitled Rijal-i-Kashshi and it is related in it from Imam Jafar Sadiq that Ibn Saba believed in the divinity of Hadhrat Ali, and, ultimately, he was burnt alive at his command. About Abdullah bin Saba, Rijal-e-Kashshi says:

“Many knowledgeable people have stated that Abdullah ibn Saba was a Jew who had accepted Islam and showed great devotion for Hadhrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). As a Jew, he exaggerated the personality of Joshua, the son of Nun, and the Wasi of Moses. After becoming a Muslim he began to exalt the personality of Hadhrat Ali much beyond the due limit, and he was the first person to declare that it was obligatory to believe in the Imamate of Hadhrat Ali, and completely dissociated himself from his enemies and he openly opposed them and denounced them as infidels” [Rijal-i-Kashi, page.71].

It is narrated by Sa'd bin Abdullah al-Ash'ari al-Qummi, a famous Shia Scholar" who was speaking of the Sab'iyyah (in al-Maqaalaat wal-Firaq p. 20) that:

   السبئية أصحاب عبد الله بن سبأ، وهو عبد الله بن وهب الراسبي الهمداني، وساعده على ذلك عبد الله بن خرسي وابن اسود وهما من أجل أصحابه، وكان أول من أظهر الطعن على أبي بكر وعمر وعثمان والصحابة وتبرأ منهم

Al-Sab'iyyah are the associates of Abdullah bin Saba' and he is Abdullah bin Wahb al-Raasibee al-Hamdaanee, and he was supported in that by Abullah bin Khurasee and Ibn Aswad and they are the loftiest of his companions, and the first of what he manifested was revilement upon Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan and the Companions and he freed himself from them[Reference: al-Maqaalaat wal-Firaq, p. 20].

Not all modern historical views make clear which person lay behind this figure. Some believe that Abdullah Ibn Saba may have actually been several figures (e.g. Hodgson), semi-legendary (Caetani, Momen Moojan), or legendary and fictional (Taha Hussein, Ali al-Wardi, Bernard Lewis, Wilferd Madelung, Askari) but the Jewish rabbi and biblical scholar Israel Friedlander and Sabatino Moscati affirm his existence. His Jewish origin has been contested. Some modern historians assert that Sayf ibn Umar fabricated the episode about the killing of Uthman to "exonerate the people of Medina from participation in the caliph's murder" and the movement to support Ali as a successor to Muhammad did not exist in the time of Uthman. With the exception of Taha Hussein, most modern Sunni writers affirm the existence of Ibn Saba'. In a similar vein, Shia writers deny Ibn Saba's historical existence to rid Shia'ism of the accusation by Sunni writers that Shia'ism is originally based on Judaic doctrines.

According to Jewish encyclopedia Abdullah ibn Saba' was a Jew of Yemen, Arabia, of the seventh century, who settled in Medina and embraced Islam. Having adversely criticized Calif Uthman's administration, he was banished from the town. Thence he went to Egypt, where he founded an antiothmanian sect. On account of his learning he obtained great influence there, and formulated the doctrine that, just as every prophet had an assistant who afterward succeeded him, Mohammed's vizier was Ali, who had therefore been kept out of the califate by deceit. Uthman had no legal claim whatever to the califate; and the general dissatisfaction with his government greatly contributed to the spread of Abdallah's teachings.

Tradition relates that when Ali had assumed power, Abdallah ascribed divine honors to him by addressing him with the words, "Thou art Thou!" Thereupon Ali banished him to Madain. After Ali's assassination Abdallah is said to have taught that Ali was not dead but alive, and had never been killed; that a part of the Deity was hidden in him; and that after a certain time he would return to fill the earth with justice.

Till then the divine character of Ali was to remain hidden in the imams, who temporarily filled his place. It is easy to see that the whole idea rests on that of the Messiah in combination with the legend of Elijah the prophet. The attribution of divine honors to Ali was probably but a later development, and was fostered by the circumstance that in the Koran Allah is often styled "Al-Ali" (The Most High).

Modern Views

Historicity

According to Sunni and Shia sources, Abdullah bin Saba' was a Yamanite Jewish convert to Islam, although M.G.S. Hodgson doubts he was a Jew and actually may have been several figures. He also suggests that Ibn Saba' and Ibn al-Sawada' should be considered as two separate individuals. According to Leone Caetani, Ibn Saba in origin was a purely political supporter of Ali, "around whom later generations imagined a religious conspiracy like that of the Abbasids." Modern Muslim writers tend to discredit Tabari's account of Ibn Saba as "sheer fiction". Taha Hussein and Ali al-Wardi maintain that Ibn Saba' was the creation of Umayyad propaganda. According to Bernard Lewis modern critical scholarship has successfully cast doubt on his historical existence. Ibn Saba is called a semi-legendary figure by Moojan and a legendary figure by MariaMassi Dakake. Israel Friedlander concludes that Ibn Saba' and the Sabi'iyya did, in fact, exist. The episode about his role in killing of Uthman has been fabricated, however. His work has also been attested to by Sabatino Moscati.

Ali Al-Wardi after affirming that Ibn Saba is fictional name, suggests that Ammar Yaser may actually be the historical figure lay behind Ibn Saba figure. He noted at similarities of Ammar Yaser life to Ibn Saba. Ammar was also from Yemen. He was called Ibn Sawda (son of a black woman). He was zealous supporter of Ali's right for caliphate, and went to Egypt to rouse Muslims against Uthman. He also obstructed the peace effort between Ali and Aisha.

Ancestry

M. G. S. Hodgson concludes that he was most likely not a Jew. W. F. Tucker suggests that it was possible that the attribution of Jewish ancestry to Ibn Saba' on his parental side and imputation of black descent on his mother's side, was fabricated to discredit his credentials as a Muslim Arab and "thus stigmatize all ideas associated with him". Bernard Lewis states that modern critical scholarship cast doubt on his Jewishness. Bernard Lewis, citing the example of Ibn Saba', states that there is tendency in Islamic sources to attribute subversive and extremist doctrines to Jewish origins, conspiracy or instigation. G. Levi Della Vida also rejects his Jewish origin and maintains that Ibn Saba' was an Arab.

However, according to Hartwig Hirschfeld, Abdullah bin Saba' was a Jew from Yemen who embraced Islam. Israel Friedlander suggested that he may have been a son of an Ethiopian Falasha woman, which explains why he was called "ibn al-Sawdāʾ". W. F. Tucker, after examining the different arguments, concludes that "Whatever is the case regarding his ethnic identity, it is quite probable that Ibn Saba' was a Yemenite, and that he came from a Jewish milieu".

Ghulat

Traditionally, Abd Allah ibn Sabaʾ is considered as the first of the ghulāt. He may have been the first to deny that Ali had died and predicted his return (rajʿa), which was considered one form of ghulū. Also, the notion of the absence (ghayba) of an imam seem to have appeared first among the ghulāt.

Concerning Ibn Saba' religious beliefs, particularly that of the Sabaʾiyya, Tucker noted that they are more complete and better recorded in sources devoted to heresiography. But Hodgson states that there are contradictions in what religious views is ascribed to him and his followers.

Heinz Halm records him as a representative of a Ghulat group from the city of Seleucia-Ctesiphon (al-Madā'in) who came to see ‘Alī in Kūfah. When Ibn Saba' proclaimed divinity, then ‘Alī denied this angrily and exiled him back to Seleucia-Ctesiphon. Heinz Halm adds that Islamic writers such as Ašʿari in Maqālāt, Baḡdādi in Feraq have said that Ibn Saba' was the first person who idolized Ali ibn Abi Talib. He idolized and tried to set up a worship to Ali who angrily denied this. After ʿAli’s death, he is said to maintain this idea that "a devil in ʿAli’s appearance had been murdered" and ʿAli had ascended to heaven and that his occultation (rajʿa) was imminent.

Examining his roles in Uthman’s Killing and emergence of Shia

According to M. G. S. Hodgson, "surer sources" than Tabari and Sayf ibn Umar seem to exclude Ibn Sabaʾ from playing any major role in the political events that led to Uthman's killing.

Wilferd Madelung after reviewing the accounts of Sayf ibn Umar on the alleged role of Abdullah ibn Saba' in the rebellion against Uthman and emergence of Shi'a asserts ‘’few if any modern historians would accept Sayf's legend of Ibn Saba’’

Taha Hussein asserts that the "fabrication" of ibn Saba' was done by the enemies of the Shī‘a; that the insertion of a "Jewish element" would discredit the Shī‘a. He noted that the absence of any record of ibn Saba' being present at the Battle of Siffin suggests that ibn Saba' is a fictitious person.

Israel Friedlander, Julius Wellhausen, and most particularly, Leone Caetani, assert that Sayf fabricated the episode about killing of Uthman to "exonerate the people of Medina from participation in the caliph's murder" and as Friedlander adds finding a "scapegoat for the troubles surrounding Uthman" and any complicity in the strife resulting in the death of third caliph. Tucker asserts that although it may have been the case, there is no concrete evidence supporting this theory. They note that sources older than al-Tabari are silent on Ibn Saba' and his role in the agitation against Uthman. "They aver that the movement for supporting Ali as heir and testamentary trustee of the prophet did not exist in the time of Uthman as Ibn Saba' had alleged. Therefore they refuse to accept the authenticity of Ibn Saba's claim that Ali was the heir of prophet". Caetani noted that a religious conspiracy may have been created around the person of Ibn Sabaʾ even though he may have been just a political supporter of Ali.

However, W. F. Tucker notes that the suggestion that Sayf is not reliable is no longer sustainable. Tucker and Landau-Tasseron point out that although Sayf may have been an unscrupulous hadith collector, this should not detract from his general reliability as a transmitter of historical information (akhbārī). Tucker also states that even if Sayf's accounts of Ibn Saba' was a fabrication, he appears to be only the transmitter of the story and not the ultimate source. He adds that accusations of bias could equally be leveled at other akhbārīs contemporary to Sayf, including the Shi'a historian Abu Mikhnaf.

Linda D. Lau accepts Sayf's accounts and the role of the Saba'iyya at the Battle of the Camel. She points out that traditionalists other than Sayf did not give an explanation to why the hostilities broke out after the near-settlement. Not only Sayf's account is the sole exiting account with an explanation of what happened, it is also logically consistent.

Sunni views

According to Tabari, based on traditions collected by Sayf ibn Umar, Ibn Saba' was a Yemenite Jew who embraced Islam{{[Rijal-i-Kashi, page.71, by most authentic Shia Muhaddath Imam Kashi].|date=11 Nov 2015}}. During the time of Ali ibn Abi Taleb, he introduced a number of concepts that later were ascribed to more extreme factions of Shia Islam, or ghulat. According to these traditions, the exaltation of Ali, his divine appointment by the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a successor, the concept of ghayba and return (rajʿa) were first formulated and expressed by Ibn Sabaʾ and his followers (the Sabaʾiyya). He and his followers are sometimes said to be the ones who enticed the Egyptians against Uthman on the ground of Ali's special right of succession, and participated in further instigation at later conflicts. Historically, Sunni theologians have not only upheld Ibn Saba's existence, but used evidence from the historical works of the Shi'a in order to support their claims.

In Sunni polemics, ibn Saba' plays the same role of seeking to destroy the message of Islam from within (by introducing proto-Shi'ite beliefs) as Paul would play in seeking to deliberately corrupt the early teachings of Jesus.

Shia views

The name of Abdullah bin Saba figures in the most reliable book of Shia on Isma ur-Rijal, entitled Rijal-i-Kashshi and it is related in it from Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq that Ibn Saba believed in the divinity of Ali, and, ultimately, he was burnt alive at his command. About Abdullah bin Saba, Rijal-e-Kashshi says:

“Many knowledgeable people have stated that Abdullah bin Saba was a Jew who had accepted Islam and showed great devotion for Hadhrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). As a Jew, he used to exaggerate the personality of Joshua, the son of Nun, and the Wasi of Moses. After becoming a Muslim he began to exalt the personality of Hadhrat Ali much beyond the due limit, and he was the first person to declare that it was obligatory to believe in the Imamate of Hadhrat Ali, and completely dissociated himself from his enemies and he openly opposed them and denounced them as infidels”.

[Rijal-i-Kashi, page.71].

Al-Maamqaani from his work Tanqih al-Maqaal Fi Ilm al-Rijaal (2/183-184):

   عبد الله بن سبأ الذي رجع إلى الكفر وأظهر الغلو ... غال ملعون، حرقه أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام بالنار، وكان يزعم أن علياً إله، وأنه نبي

   Abdullah bin Saba' who returned to kufr (disbelief) and manifested ghuluww (exaggeration)... Exaggerator, cursed one, Amir al-Mu'mineen burned him with the fire, and he would worship Aliand that he (Abdullah bin Saba') is a prophet.

From Sa'd bin Abdullah al-Ash'ari al-Qummi who was speaking of the Sab'iyyah (in al-Maqaalaat wal-Firaq p. 20):

   السبئية أصحاب عبد الله بن سبأ، وهو عبد الله بن وهب الراسبي الهمداني، وساعده على ذلك عبد الله بن خرسي وابن اسود وهما من أجل أصحابه، وكان أول من أظهر الطعن على أبي بكر وعمر وعثمان والصحابة وتبرأ منهم

   Al-Sab'iyyah are the associates of Abdullah bin Saba' and he is Abdullah bin Wahb al-Raasibee al-Hamdaanee, and he was supported in that by Abullah bin Khurasee and Ibn Aswad and they are the loftiest of his companions, and the first of what he manifested was revilement upon Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan and the Companions and he freed himself from them.

From Ibn Abi al-Hadeed, another famous Shi'a scholar from his work Sharh Nahj al-Balaaghah (5/5):

   أن عبد الله بن سبأ قام إلى علي وهو يخطب فقال له: أنت أنت، وجعل يكررها، فقال له - علي - ويلك من أنا، فقال: أنت الله، فأمر بأخذه وأخذ قوم كانوا معه على رأيه

   Abdullah bin Saba' stood addressing Ali saying, "You, You" and he began repeating it, so Ali said to him, "Woe be to you, and who am I?" He said, "You are Allaah." So he ordered that he be captured and a group of people with him upon his view."

Ni'matullah al-Jazaa'iree, another of Shi'ite famous scholars from his book al-Anwaar al-Nu'maaniyyah (2/234):

   قال عبد الله بن سبأ لعلي عليه السلام: أنت الإله حقاً، فنفاه علي عليه السلام إلى المدائن، وقيل أنه كان يهودياً فأسلم، وكان في اليهودية يقول في يوشع بن نون وفي موسى مثل ما قال في علي

   Abdullah bin Saba' said to Ali (alayhis salaam), "You are worshipped in truth." So Ali (alayhis salaam) banished him to al-Madaa'in, and it is said that he was a Jew who accepted Islam and whilst upon his Judaism he used to say about Joshua bin Noon and about Moses the likes of what he said about Ali.

Famous Shia scholar Nau Bakhti writes,

   “It is known as the Sabai sect because Abdullah bin Saba was its ring leader. “

   [Khandan-i-Nau-Bakhti, page 275]

Muhammad Ali al-Mual'lim, a present-day Shi'ite also affirmed the existence of Abdullah bin Saba' in his book "Abdullah bin Saba: The Unknown reality" This book was a refutation of those who denied the existence of Abdullah bin Saba' giving the excuse of "false narrations".

In traditional Shi'a sources, Abdullah Ibn Saba' is sometimes viewed as an extremist Shia (ghulat), himself cursed by Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq. Nevertheless, Ibn Sabaʾ became the subject of a tradition used by different Shia factions to both attack and defend extreme Shia groups. According to this tradition, and depending on the different interpretations, Ali either burned or exiled him and his followers for this cult.

Earliest Shia scholars(mutaqaddimiin) also described Abdullah ibn Saba' as a real person, which is. Another Shiite scholar named Al-Maamiqaaniy was found out also confessing the existence of Abdullah ibn Saba'

In traditional Shi'a sources, Ibn Saba' sometimes figured as an extremist (ghali)). It is said that Jafar Sadiq, the sixth Shia' Imam and the founder of Shi'a Islamic fiqh, cursed him. Shī‘a scholars such as Abu Muhammad al-Hasan bin Musa al-Nubakhti, Abu Amr bin Abdul Aziz al-Kash-shi, Al-Hasan bin Ali al-Hilly, al-Astra Abadi,Al-Sadooq, and Al-Nawbakhty. gave the stories and narrations of Ibn Saba.

Other sources on Ibn Saba

Multiple Sunni scholars state that Sayf ibn Umar, who wrote extensively about ibn Saba, was unreliable on matters of Prophetic Hadith. For example, al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH) has quoted from the book of Sayf in his History. In "al-Mughni fi al-Dhu'afa'" al-Dhahabi wrote:"Sayf has two books which have been unanimously abandoned by the scholars." However, some modern historians have pointed out that this view of Sayf should be limited to his Hadith scholarship, and thus it does not detract from his general reliablitiy as a transmitter of historical information.

Tabari narration on Ibn Saba' goes back to Sayf ibn Umar. There are two other historians mentioned Ibn Saba' accounts which is said to have independente sources. However, it can be shown that their chains of isnad go back to Sayf Ibn Umar.

The contemporary Shī‘a believed that both works are fabricated and a number of prominent Sunni scholars concur regarding his narration of Hadith, including al-Hakim, Abu Dawud, al-Suyuti and al-Nisa'i. The Shī‘a point out that although al-Dhahabi mentions Sayf ibn Umar as a weak narrator, stating "Sayf has two books which have been unanimously abandoned by the scholars", he also accepts the story of Abdullah ibn Saba' relayed from Sayf ibn Umar in his book.

However, as W. F. Tucker argued that Sayf is not reliable is no longer sustainable. that although Sayf may have been an unscrupulous hadith collector, this should not detract from his general reliability as a transmitter of historical information (akhbārī). Tucker also states that even if Sayf's accounts of Ibn Saba' was a fabrication, he appears to be only the transmitter of the story and not the ultimate source. He adds that accusations of bias could equally be leveled at other akhbārīs contemporary to Sayf, including the Shi'a historian Abu Mikhnaf. The similar case was. although Waqidi was criticized as not reliable in narration chains transmission but non narration historical information was accepted.

Moreover, apart from the polemical chains of narration Sayf there are consensus among earliest historians both Sunni or Shiite scholars(mutaqaddimiin) from another chains of narrations was also described Abdullah ibn Saba' was exist as a real person, which. Another Shiite scholar named Al-Maamiqaaniy was found out also confessing the existence of Abdullah ibn Saba'

Some early Jewish literature also exists on Ibn Saba. He was largely regarded as an apostate from Judaism.

See also

• Ghulat
• Dhammiyya Shia

Notes

References from Authentic Shia Books:

• [Rijal-i-Kashi, page 71].
• [al-Maqaalaat wal-Firaq page 20].
• Tanqih al-Maqaal Fi Ilm al-Rijaal (2/183-184).
• Ibn Abi al-Hadeed, Sharh Nahj al-Balaaghah (5/5).
• Ni'matullah al-Jazaa'iree, al-Anwaar al-Nu'maaniyyah (2/234)
• Nau Bakhti, [Khandan-i-Nau-Bakhti, page 275].
• Muhammad Ali al-Mual'lim, "Abdullah bin Saba: The Unknown reality", page X.

References

References from Authentic Shia Books:

1. [Rijal-i-Kashi, page 71].
2. [al-Maqaalaat wal-Firaq page 20].
3. Tanqih al-Maqaal Fi Ilm al-Rijaal (2/183-184).
4. Ibn Abi al-Hadeed, Sharh Nahj al-Balaaghah (5/5).
5. Ni'matullah al-Jazaa'iree, al-Anwaar al-Nu'maaniyyah (2/234)
6. Nau Bakhti, [Khandan-i-Nau-Bakhti, page 275].
7. Muhammad Ali al-Mual'lim, "Abdullah bin Saba: The Unknown reality", page X.

Further reading

• A paper about a favorable Isma'ili legend formed around the figure of Abdullah ibn Saba':

Further readings from Authentic Muslim Books:

1. Tarikh Tabri, Volume 3, page 177.
2. [Tarikh Damishq, 7:430]
3. [Rijal-i-Kashi, page 71].
4. [al-Maqaalaat wal-Firaq page 20].
5. Tanqih al-Maqaal Fi Ilm al-Rijaal (2/183-184).
6. Ibn Abi al-Hadeed, Sharh Nahj al-Balaaghah (5/5).
7. Ni'matullah al-Jazaa'iree, al-Anwaar al-Nu'maaniyyah (2/234)
8. Nau Bakhti, [Khandan-i-Nau-Bakhti, page 275].
9. Muhammad Ali al-Mual'lim, "Abdullah bin Saba: The Unknown reality", page X.
10. Bihar Al Anwar, By Allama Baqir Majlasi, 97/65.
11. Fundamental Shi'te Beliefs, Pages 11–13.

External links

• Abdullah Ibn Saba's role in Early conspiracies against Muslim Caliphate. https://www.wireclub.com/clubs/lifestyle/the_islamic_world/conversations/SiqQjQMAAAAABqpG0
• http://d1.islamhouse.com/data/en/ih_books/single/en_Fundamental_Shiite_Beliefs.pdf