An Explanation of the Narration about the Medahdeha Sect Following the Way of the Samaritan

The “Mudamhidah sect” are those whose beliefs are unstable and confused, who lack a sound, clear, and deep understanding of religion and Islam. Unable to discern the truth, they wander constantly amid doubts, like a blight that has a harmful, unwelcome effect on everything around it. They are a hard and formidable obstacle to the light of truth and reality!

One of the clearest signs of the Mudamhidah sect is their inability to distinguish truth from falsehood. They are like a rolling stone tumbling down from a height: any doubt can shake their beliefs!

Consider the Battle of Siffin: when the Qur’ans were raised on the points of spears, some people’s convictions wavered, and they disobeyed the command of God’s Proof!

The Mudamhidah sect stand firm in resistance to the command of God’s Proof. When he orders them to fight, they cry, “No fighting!” When he orders them to make peace, they cry, “No peace!”

They are like Samiri, who makes calves out of the “trace of the Messenger”—a deficient understanding of religion—and leads people away from the path of truth!

They are like Samiri, who belongs neither to Pharaoh nor to Moses (AS), yet whose deeds are a thousand times worse than Pharaoh’s! Pharaoh is known to the people, but the true face of people like these is not revealed to everyone. They set up idols in the face of truth!

In short, the Mudamhidah sect are those who place their own opinions and understanding of religion, truth, current affairs, and unfolding events above the judgment of God’s Proof!

Like Hasan al-Basri at the Battle of the Camel, Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari at the arbitration, Abdullah ibn Umar, and others like them...

عَنْ جَدِّهِ فَرْوَةَ الظَّفَارِيِّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سَلْمَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ تَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي ثَلَاثَ فِرَقٍ فِرْقَةٌ عَلَى الْحَقِّ لَا يَنْقُصُ الْبَاطِلُ مِنْهُ شَيْئاً يُحِبُّونِّي وَ يُحِبُّونَ أَهْلَ بَيْتِي مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ الذَّهَبِ الْجَيِّدِ كُلَّمَا أَدْخَلْتَهُ النَّارَ فَأَوْقَدْتَ عَلَيْهِ لَمْ يَزِدْهُ إِلَّا جَوْدَةً وَ فِرْقَةٌ عَلَى الْبَاطِلِ لَا يَنْقُصُ الْحَقُّ مِنْهُ شَيْئاً يُبْغِضُونِّي وَ يُبْغِضُونَ أَهْلَ بَيْتِي مَثَلُهُمْ مَثَلُ الْحَدِيدِ كُلَّمَا أَدْخَلْتَهُ النَّارَ فَأَوْقَدْتَ عَلَيْهِ لَمْ يَزِدْهُ إِلَّا شَرّاً وَ فِرْقَةٌ مُدَهْدَهَةٌ عَلَى مِلَّةِ السَّامِرِيِّ لَا يَقُولُونَ- لا مِساسَ‌ لَكِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ لَا قِتَالَ إِمَامُهُمْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ قَيْسٍ الْأَشْعَرِي‌
Al-Amali (by al-Mufid), text, p. 30

Furwah al-Zafari said: I heard Salman—may God have mercy on him—say:

The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: “My community will divide into three groups. One group will be upon the truth, and falsehood will not diminish it in the least. They love me and my Household. Their likeness is that of pure gold: the more you place it in the fire and stoke the flames, the more its excellence and purity increase. Another group will be upon falsehood, and truth will not diminish it in the least. They hate me and my Household. Their likeness is that of iron: the more you cast it into the fire and fan the flames, the more its vileness and baseness increase, though it remains no more than iron. And another group will be confused and wavering, following the way of Samiri, but they do not say, ‘Do not touch!’ Rather, they say:

‘No fighting!’ Their leader is Abdullah ibn Qays al-Ash‘ari.”

“Dahdaht al-hajarah” means “I rolled the stone along,” and perhaps it is an allusion to their confusion in religion and their wavering under the doubts sown by those who lead people astray. (Al-Bihar)

عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ قَيْسٍ الْأَشْعَرِي: He is Abdullah ibn Qays, Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari, the well-known figure who was one of the two arbiters in the affair of Siffin.

“Mudamhidah” refers to a group who are lost, wavering, and unstable in their religion, as though stranded midway: they have neither joined the truth nor become steadfast in falsehood. The word alludes to confusion and instability in religion, and to slipping amid the doubts spread by those who lead others astray.

Further explanation:

“Dahdaht al-hajarah” means “I rolled the stone and sent it on its way.”

Here, “mudamhidah” (also “mudahdihah”) is applied to a group who are weak and wavering in their religion, steadfast neither in truth nor in falsehood. Instead, they wander amid doubts and are drawn to their own desires and the opinions of those who lead others astray.

The expression alludes to the third group in Salman’s hadith, whose leader is identified as Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari. They are neither wholehearted in their love for the Household (AS) nor openly hostile to them. Rather, through rationalizations and doubts, they shirk fighting and supporting the truth; by saying “No fighting!” they evade taking a clear stand against falsehood.

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ He said: لَمَّا فَرَغَ عَلِيٌّ ع مِنْ قِتَالِ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ وَضَعَ قَتَباً عَلَى a saddle ثُمَّ صَعِدَ عَلَيْهِ فَخَطَبَ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَ أَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ يَا أَهْلَ الْبَصْرَةِ يَا أَهْلَ الْمُؤْتَفِكَةِ يَا أَهْلَ الدَّاءِ the incurable disease أَتْبَاعَ الْبَهِيمَةِ يَا جُنْدَ الْمَرْأَةِ رَغَا you answered وَ عُقِرَ فَهَرَبْتُمْ مَاؤُكُمْ bitter وَ دِينُكُمْ نِفَاقٌ وَ أَخْلَاقُكُمْ دِقَاقٌ ثُمَّ نَزَلَ يَمْشِي بَعْدَ فَرَاغِهِ مِنْ خُطْبَتِهِ فَمَشَيْنَا مَعَهُ فَمَرَّ بِالْحَسَنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ وَ هُوَ يَتَوَضَّأُ فَقَالَ يَا حَسَنُ أَسْبِغِ الْوُضُوءَ فَقَالَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَقَدْ قَتَلْتَ بِالْأَمْسِ أُنَاساً يَشْهَدُونَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ يُصَلُّونَ الْخَمْسَ وَ يُسْبِغُونَ الْوُضُوءَ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَقَدْ كَانَ مَا رَأَيْتَ فَمَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تُعِينَ عَلَيْنَا عَدُوَّنَا؟
فَقَالَ وَ اللَّهِ لَأَصْدُقَنَّكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَقَدْ خَرَجْتُ فِي أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ فَاغْتَسَلْتُ وَ تَحَنَّطْتُ وَ صَبَبْتُ عَلَيَّ سِلَاحِي وَ أَنَا لَا أَشُكُّ فِي أَنَّ التَّخَلُّفَ عَنْ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَائِشَةَ هُوَ الْكُفْرُ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ مِنَ الْخُرَيْبَةِ نَادَانِي مُنَادٍ يَا حَسَنُ إِلَى أَيْنَ؟ ارْجِعْ فَإِنَّ الْقَاتِلَ وَ الْمَقْتُولَ فِي النَّارِ فَرَجَعْتُ ذَعِراً وَ جَلَسْتُ فِي بَيْتِي فَلَمَّا كَانَ فِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّانِي لَمْ أَشُكَّ أَنَّ التَّخَلُّفَ عَنْ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَائِشَةَ هُوَ الْكُفْرُ فَتَحَنَّطْتُ وَ صَبَبْتُ عَلَيَّ سِلَاحِي- وَ خَرَجْتُ أُرِيدُ الْقِتَالَ حَتَّى انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ مِنَ الْخُرَيْبَةِ فَنَادَانِي مُنَادٍ مِنْ خَلْفِي يَا حَسَنُ إِلَى أَيْنَ؟ ارْجِعْ مَرَّةً بَعْدَ أُخْرَى فَإِنَّ الْقَاتِلَ وَ الْمَقْتُولَ فِي النَّارِ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ ع صَدَقَكَ أَ فَتَدْرِي مَنْ ذَلِكَ الْمُنَادِي؟ قَالَ لَا قَالَ ع ذَاكَ أَخُوكَ إِبْلِيسُ وَ صَدَقَكَ أَنَّ الْقَاتِلَ وَ الْمَقْتُولَ among them فِي النَّارِ فَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ الْبَصْرِيُّ الْآنَ عَرَفْتُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنَّ الْقَوْمَ the doomed

*Al-Iḥtijāj ʿalā ahl al-lijāj* (by al-Ṭabrisī), vol. 1, p. 171

It is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās (may God be pleased with him) that he said:

When ʿAlī (AS) had finished fighting the people of Basra, he placed one saddle atop another, climbed up, and delivered a sermon. After praising and glorifying God, he said:

“O people of Basra! O people of the city of falsehood and slander! O people afflicted with an incurable disease! O followers of a beast of burden! O army of a woman!” (referring to ʿĀʾisha’s camel) “The camel roared, and you answered its call; when it fell, you fled. Your water is brackish and bitter, your religion hypocrisy, and your character base and feeble.”

After finishing his sermon, he set off on foot, and we walked with him. He passed al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, who was performing ablution, and said to him, “Ḥasan, perform your ablution thoroughly.”

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said, “Commander of the Faithful, yesterday you killed people who bore witness that there is no god but God and that Muḥammad (PBUH) is His Messenger, who performed the five daily prayers and completed their ablutions.”

The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to him, “Then, when what you saw—the battle—took place, what kept you from helping us against our enemy?”

He replied, “By God, I will tell you the truth, Commander of the Faithful. On the first day, I went out, performed the ritual bath, applied perfume, and armed myself, having no doubt that to stay behind when the Mother of the Believers, ʿĀʾisha, had gone forth was disbelief. When I reached a place in Khurayba, a voice called to me: ‘Ḥasan, where are you going? Turn back, for both the killer and the one killed are in the Fire.’ So I returned in fear and stayed at home.

“On the second day, I again had no doubt that to stay behind from ʿĀʾisha was disbelief. So I applied perfume, armed myself, and went out to fight. When I reached that same place in Khurayba, a voice called repeatedly from behind me: ‘Ḥasan, where are you going? Turn back, for both the killer and the one killed are in the Fire.’”

ʿAlī (AS) said, “He spoke the truth to you. Do you know who that caller was?”

“No,” he replied.

He said, “It was your brother Iblīs. He spoke the truth when he said that those among them who killed and were killed are in the Fire.”

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said, “Now I understand, Commander of the Faithful, that those people were doomed.”