Another set of instances which demonstrate the lack of complete submission to divine commands on the part of the Companions and show that they would sometimes follow their own interests, or that they accepted divine orders only as long as they were in line with their own benefits is the fact that, after the Prophet’s (PBUH) death, they distorted some of Islamic teachings claiming that the changes were intended to reform those teachings.

Changes to the Call to Prayer for Fajr

One of the innovations they introduced to the religion involved adding something to the call to prayer (Adhān). According to Malik in his Muwatta, once, when the Muezzin came to wake Umar up for Fajr prayers, he said to Umar: ‘Prayer is better than sleep,’ and Umar thought that it would be a good idea to add this phrase to the call to prayer (tradition no. 6). Zarqani, in his annotations on the Muwatta, reports that Abd-Allah ibn Umar heard his father say to the Muezzin, ‘Whenever you get to the phrase ‘Hasten to success…’ (Hayy Alal-Falah) add ‘Prayer is better than sleep’ (Al-Salaat Khayr min Al-nawm) twice!’ (Zarqani, 1/150).

Depriving the Prophet’s (PBUH) daughter of her inheritance

Another event is when the companions deprived the Prophet’s (PBUH) daughter, Fatima, of her inheritance. The Quran stipulates that a dead person’s children inherit their remaining belongings. It also refers to some Prophets’ children inheriting from their fathers. In other verses still, the Quran speaks about Solomon inheriting from David:

‘Solomon inherited from David, and he said, “O people! We have been taught the speech of the birds, and we have been given out of everything. Indeed this is a manifest advantage.”’ (Q27:16).
In another verse, God reminds us of the fact that Zechariah asked God for a child to inherit from him:

‘Indeed I fear my kinsmen, after me, and my wife is barren. So grant me from Yourself an heir, who may inherit from me and inherit from the House of Jacob, and make him, my Lord, pleasing (to You)!’’ (Q19:5–6).
These verses shed light on the fact that the Prophets’ children inherit from their fathers. Of course, these verses refer to the inheritance of material possessions, not knowledge or prophethood, because these are not inheritable. Otherwise, Zakariya’s prayer to God to make his child ‘and make him, my Lord, pleasing (to You)!’ would not make sense because God’s prophets are definitely pure people with whom God is pleased.

Against all of these verses, the First Caliph, Abu Bakr, claimed to have heard the Prophet (PBUH) say: ‘We prophets do not leave inheritance.’ Based on this alleged Hadith, Abu Bakr deprived Fatima (SA) of her inheritance. If this were a true teaching of Islam, the Prophet (PBUH) would certainly have told his children as inheritors about this. It is strange to see that the Prophet’s wives inherited the houses in which they used to live, whereas his daughter was not allowed to receive any inheritance. Even if we admitted the authenticity of the hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) may have meant that the Prophets are not rich worldly people to leave a great fortune behind when they die, while the simple things such as rugs, dishes and clothes, certainly belong to their inheritors after the Prophets die.

Cutting ‘the share of the Prophet’s (PBUH) Family’

According to the Quran, when Muslims win booty in wars against the disbelievers, they should give away one fifth of it:

‘Know that whatever thing you may come by, a fifth of it is for Allah (SWT) and the Messenger, for the relatives and the orphans, for the needy and the traveller, if you have faith in Allah (SWT) and what We sent down to Our servant on the Day of Separation, the day when the two hosts met; and Allah (SWT) has power over all things.’ (Q8:41)
After the Prophet’s (PBUH) death, when the booty came to Medina, the Caliph cut this share (Ahmad ibn Hanbal 1: 348 and Qurtubi 8:10).

Cutting the ‘share of those whose hearts are to be reconciled’

Another change to the Islamic practices was the cutting of the payment to those who were supposed to be kept from hostility towards Islam. As far as Quranic instructions are concerned, Zakat is supposed to be divided between a number of groups: 1) the poor 2) the needy 3) the Zakat collectors 4) those whose hearts are to be reconciled, 5) freeing slaves 6) debtors 7) charities and 8) wayfarers who were without means (Q9:60). After the Prophet’s death, they refused to pay the share of the fourth group, arguing that Muslims no longer needed to reconcile the hearts of those people and that paying them was only acceptable at the time when Islam did not have enough power, but that now the Muslims were powerful this could be dispensed with.

The above cases are only a handful of the Companions’ contraventions of clear divine orders, which prove that ignoring the Prophet’s (PBUH) order concerning Imam Ali’s (AS) leadership was not a strange or farfetched affair.

Source: en.shafaqna.com