The International Conference of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), the Supporter of the Great Prophet (p.b.u.h) is going to be held by AhlulBayt (a.s.) World assembly in cooperation with similar institutes.
“Imam Hossein (a.s.) Holy Shrine”, Hazrat Aboutaleb Research and Publishing Institute”, “The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought”, “Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy of Islamic Propagation Office”, “Al-Mustafa International University”, “Hawza Language teaching center”, “International University of AhlulBayt (a.s.)”, “Mirath-e Nabowat Cultural Institute”, “Jamiat al-Zahra Seminary University”, “Zorria al-Nabawia Research Center”, “Qasem ibn al-Hassan (a.s.) Religious-Cultural Institute”, and “Abna al-Rasoul Cultural and Artistic Institute”; are the paricipanet and cooperator of the conference.
On this occasion ABNA anchor interviewed head of the Islamic history department of the International University of AhlulBayt (a.s.), Hujat al-Islam Dr. Muhammad Reza Zare Khourmizi, on Abu Talib's personality, his position in Islam and the doubts (raised by the enemies) about him.
ABNA: What is the position of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) in Islam?
Dr. Zare: In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), one of the great figures of the Islamic world, was one of the first supporters of the Prophet Muhammad, and one of the first Muslims. He is the eminent father of our first Imam, Imam Ali (a.s.) and we are honored to introduce his personality in the international conference of "Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), the Supporter of the Great Prophet (p.b.u.h)".
Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) is called "Imran" in historical reports. The honorable uncle of the Prophet, and one of the sons Hazrat Abd al-Muttlalib, Abu Talib (a.s.) was born about 35 years before the Prophet and a few years after the Prophet lived with his mother Amina, his nurse Halima, and his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, according to historians, Abu Talib was his guardian from the age of eight. Also, in the Prophet's marriage with Hazrat Khadijeh, Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) played a pivotal role. Later, the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) brought the dear son of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), namely Imam Ali (a.s.), to his house and educated him. When the Archangel of revelation, Gabriel, was descended to the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) and the call to Islam began, one of first of those who believed in the religion of his nephew, Muhammad (p.b.u.h), was a serious supporter of him, Abu Talib (a.s.) who hid his faith. His poems describing the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h), his unwavering support for the Prophet (p.b.u.h) as well as his behavior and actions show that he was one of the first Muslims insofar as the 10th year of the Prophet's first revelation in which Abu Talib (a.s.) and Khadijeh (a.s.) passed away, was called "Aam al-Hozn" (the year of Grief).
ABNA: Some Sunni scholars believe that Abu Talib (a.s.) passed away without faith, and they distinguish between the his services and faith and say that he indeed was a supporter of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) but died without faith. In response to this doubt, what can we say to prove the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.).
Dr. Zare: Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) is one of the brilliant figures of Islam. Due to the hatred and resentment of the Umayyad dynasty towards Imam Ali (a.s.), the Umayyad caliphs ordered to curse the Imam on Minbars in an approximately sixty-year period. When Imam Ali, the supreme figure of Islam after the Prophet, was insulted by Umayyads, his honorable father was naturally insulted too. On this basis, the Umayyad mercenary writers, with the aim of tarnishing the image of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), fabricated narrations, therefore, unfortunately, there are false narrations about Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) in Sunni hadith books. But fair scholars in Hadith and history, confirmed that he was a true Muslim, serious and true supporter and companion of the Prophet (p.b.h.u). In this regard, many works from the early centuries of Islam have been written by great figures of Islam. When I looked at the writings of great historians; I came across many works by Shiite and fair Sunni historians who had written about the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.). Maybe in this conference we will have an article about the descriptive bibliography of works related to the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.). One of the most recent works in this regard is the book "The Believer of Al-Quraysh" by Mr. Khanizi, a Shiite scholar of the Arabian Peninsula, who have been encountered by mistreat from Al-Saud and Wahhabism because of the book. There are several works that have studied the subject from different aspects and hadiths, in which the authentic hadiths related to the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) have been narrated, and also, the false hadiths that indicate his unbelief have been quoted and examined in terms of authenticity and narration, proving that their authenticity is distorted and fake. From a historical and hadith point of view, it is certain for us that the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) has been trusted and approved by the Islamic narrators and the AhlulBayt (a.s). To the extent that there is a narration that states: "If the faith of Abu Talib (a.s.) is placed in one cup of scales and the faith of the other people in the other cup, the faith of Abu Talib (a.s.) would weigh heavier." Surprisingly, this hadith was narrated later about the first caliph, and in that place, they replaced Abu Talib (a.s.) with the name of the first caliph!
If we refer to several historical books, we see that Abu Talib (a.s.) is a serious supporter of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) and we see that he even had no doubt to endanger the lives of his children to save the life of the Prophet (p.b.u.h). Given the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his family, his own life, and all his property to support the Prophet, there is no doubt in his faith. Throughout history, there have been many people who have hidden their faith in order to preserve a more important issue. The believer of Pharaoh's family, Asia, was in the Pharaohs' system (during Moses time, she was Pharaoh's wife), but she had faith and saved the life of Prophet Moses. There also have been others throughout history who have hidden their faith in order to preserve a more important subject. The situation required that Abu Talib (a.s.), as one of the elders of the Quraysh, hide his faith in order to maintain his position among the Quraysh as before, so that he could continue his support of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). There are a series of important historical events that indicate the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.). An unnamed person narrates, "I saw three persons – namely the Prophet (p.b.u.h), Khadija (a.s.) and Ali (a.s.) – were praying. When I asked a question in this regard, I heard that they said that they pray to God Almighty." In some historical books, it is stated in that situation Abu Talib (a.s.) told his son, "Jafar", or another person to join these three people. If Abu Talib (a.s.) was not a believer and a Muslim, how could he order to prayer? Discussions about hadith, history, as well as discussions about Abu Talib's theological literature have their specific place. Numerous poems of Hazrat Abu Talib about the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) directly indicates his faith. An example of his poems is, "Do you not know that Muhammad (p.b.u.h) is a prophet like Moses, and that the servants of God have a special love for him. One who has his love should not be oppressed." (Ibn Hisham: al-Sira al-Nabawiyyah, published by Dar al-Ma'rifah, vol. 1, p. 350). These are very clear examples of the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) that the researchers can refer to the many books that have been written on this subject and the many arguments that have been given in this regard.
ABNA: In your opinion, why is it necessary to hold a conference about Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.)?
Dr. Zare: Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) was the greatest supporter of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) in Mecca, and at the beginning of Prophet's mission, the Islam owes the noble man, Abu Talib (a.s.). The history of his entire life of honor shows his unparalleled selflessness and sincerity. During his lifetime, Abu Talib (a.s.) was the custodian and key keeper of Kaaba, the refuge of the helpless and the helper of the deprived, and his sacrifice and perseverance in supporting the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) was exemplary. Moral values, struggle and literary heritage of Abu Talib (a.s.) are issues that require extensive and academic work in the field of knowledge, literature and media for this great figure. Large conferences have been held about figures who have had less influence on Islam its history, but about the uncle of the Prophet (p.b.u.h), this great figure, no remarkable conference has been held. Especially considering the fact that historical oppression has happened to this noble man. The historical oppression is that the enemies of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) covered his face behind the dust of slander, negligence and forgetfulness. Therefore, it is necessary for this conference to be held with greatness and with a very extensive planning, and to invite the scholars and academics to attend it. Praise be to God; this has been done and the glorious conference of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) will be held.
ABNA: Our society has heard a lot about the virtues, bravery and characteristics of Imam Ali (a.s.) and people know a lot about that Imam. But people’s knowledge of his esteemed father, Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), is incomplete or low. From your point of view, how can we introduce Abu Talib (a.s.) to the society, youth and people?
Dr. Zare: Extensive academic work has been done in this regard, but they must be continuous and up to date in the society. This means that these works must be rewritten in a modern way, and one of the ways, is to hold conferences such as the recent one (Abu Talib (a.s.) Conference). Topics related to Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) should be in the form of academic articles, books, and journals. In the present day, the general audience, which constitutes a major part of the society, has much more to do with social and audio-visual media than with books, articles, and publications. Therefore, I suggest that a special issue about Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), his biography and services in the history of Islam, be considered by dedicated art institutions and directors and sympathetic producers. So that we can witness the production of a film about Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), in the form of a feature film or a multi-part series. Reports from his life should also be included in textbooks. Although, we have sentences about him in textbooks, but it is not enough. In textbooks We should introduce the character of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) to students. In the conference, God willing, the Divan (book of poems) of Abu Talib (a.s.), the poems left by him and the poems written by others about him will be published. On the other hand, the commemoration of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) on the day attributed to his demise has been in the tradition of the ulema and the they had this issue in their plan throughout the year that hold a special commemoration for him on the day of his demise.
ABNA: What is the role of International University of AhlulBayt (a.s.) in holding the conference of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.)?
Dr. Zare: International University of AhlulBayt (a.s.) is one of the institutions under the auspices of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and can be said to be the academic arm of the Assembly. From the very beginning, the University was one of the bases for holding the conference. University professors and students can play a role in presenting and criticizing articles. The university can hold one of the pre-sessions of the conference of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.). The university was also instructed to register the conference in the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) and did so, and some of the conference sessions were held at the University. We can say with certainty that the university is doing its best to better organize this conference and make any necessary cooperation.
ABNA: In the end, if you have a point, please tell us.
Dr. Zare: Special thanks and appreciation to you and ABNA Media for covering and publishing the news related to the conference very well. May God reward you.
ABNA: Thank you for your time.
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It should be mentioned that by the initiation of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, and support and cooperation of the similar institutions, including, “Imam Hossein (a.s.) Holy Shrine”, Hazrat Aboutaleb Research and Publishing Institute”, “The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought”, “Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy of Islamic Propagation Office”, “Al-Mustafa International University”, “Hawza Language teaching center”, “International University of AhlulBayt (a.s.)”, “Mirath-e Nabowat Cultural Institute”, “Jamiat al-Zahra Seminary University”, “Zorria al-Nabawia Research Center”, “Qasem ibn al-Hassan (a.s.) Religious-Cultural Institute”, and “Abna al-Rasoul Cultural and Artistic Institute”; international conference “Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), Supporter of the Great Prophet (p.b.u.h)” will be held.
The deadline for submitting academic works and articles to this conference has been extended until February 18, 2021.
To receive academic call of the conference, click here.
The other program which will be held in the sideline of the conference is the “General Festival of Poetry about Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.)”.
To receive the academic call for the Poetry Festival, click here.
