The final days of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) witnessed a defining moment in Islamic history known as Hadith al-Qirtaas, this moment highlights the Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him and his progeny) intent to write a will that would prevent his Ummah from misguidance but was tragically opposed and silenced by some of his companions.
- The Prophet’s (peace be upon him and his progeny) Explicit Desire to Leave a Will
As reported in widely accepted historical sources, Ibn Abbas, the cousin of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), would weep when he remembered the Thursday before the Prophet’s martyrdom. The illness of Allah’s Messenger(peace be upon him and his progeny) intensified, and he said:
ائْتُونِي أَكْتُبْ لَكُمْ كِتَابًا لاَ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدِي
“Come to me, so that I should write for you a document that you may not go astray after me.
But the people differed and argued, and he said, ‘Go away from me!’”
[Sahih Muslim, Book 25, Hadith 29 – https://sunnah.com/muslim:1637a
Sahih Bukhari, Book 64, Hadith 453 – https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4431
Some companions accused the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) of delirium, a grave insult that silenced the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) and blocked this critical directive.
2. Will-Making: A Sunnah the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) Urged for All
This silencing is particularly shocking when we remember that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) had said:
“It is not permissible for any Muslim who has something to will, to stay for two nights without having his will written and kept with him.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 55, Hadith 1 – https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2738
Sahih Muslim, Book 25, Hadith 1 – https://sunnah.com/muslim:1627a )
If will-making is mandatory for every believing Muslim, how can we accept that the final Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny)..left the world without one, especially when he explicitly tried to write one?
- The Opponents’ Version of the Will: Incomplete and Irrelevant
Some later sources try to offer an alternative by quoting Ibn Abbas, who claimed the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) did make a three-point will after the Thursday incident. He is quoted as saying:
“I make a will about three things: - Expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula
- Honor the foreign delegations as I used to do
- And Ibn Abbas said: The third one, either he remained silent or I forgot it.”
[Sahih Muslim, Book 25, Hadith 29 – https://sunnah.com/muslim:1637a ]
Let’s analyse this carefully: The first point is a geopolitical directive and the second is diplomatic advice and the third is forgotten, rendering the “will” incomplete.
Compare that to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him and his progeny) earlier words:
“Come to me, so that I should write for you a document that you may not go astray after me.”
Do any of these three points fit that description? Absolutely not. None of these three instructions — expelling polytheists, honouring delegations, or a forgotten third — relate to guidance. Thus, this “will” fails to meet the Prophet’s clearly stated goal: “a document that you may not go astray after me.”
- The Real Will Preserved by Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them)
Unlike the opponents’ incomplete account, Shia narrations preserve not only the Prophet’s (peace be upon him and his progeny) intent to write a will, but also its full content, dictated privately after public opposition silenced him.
Sulaym ibne Qays narrates that Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said to Talha in a long tradition during the mention of the boasting of the Muhajirun and the Ansar about their virtues and merits:
“O Talha, did you not witness the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) when he called for the shoulder-bone so he could write upon it something by which the Ummah would not go astray nor fall into disagreement after him but your companion said what he said, ‘The Messenger of Allah is speaking in delirium,’ and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) became angry and abandoned it?”
Talha replied: “Indeed, I did witness that.”
He [Ali, peace be upon him] said: “Then after you all left, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) informed me of what he had intended to write on it and to make the public bear witness to — and that Gabriel had informed him that Allah had known the Ummah would differ and divide.”
Then he called for a document and dictated to me what he had intended to write on the shoulder-bone, and he made three men witness to it – Salman al-Farisi, Abu Zar, and al-Miqdad.
وَ سَمَّی مَنْ يَكُونُ مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ اَلْهُدَی اَلَّذِينَ أَمَرَ اَلْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِطَاعَتِهِمْ إِلَی يَوْمِ اَلْقِيَامَةِ
And he named those who would be from among the Imams of guidance, whom the believers were commanded to obey until the Day of Judgment.
فَسَمَّانِي أَوَّلَهُمْ ثُمَّ اِبْنِي هَذَا حسن [حَسَناً] ثُمَّ اِبْنِي هَذَا حسين [حُسَيْناً] ثُمَّ تِسْعَةً مِنِ اِبْنِي هَذَا حُسَيْنٍ
So he named me as the first of them, then this son of mine, Hasan, then this son of mine, Husain, then nine from this son of mine, Husain.
كَذَلِكَ يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ وَ أَنْتَ يَا مِقْدَادُ قَالاَ نَشْهَدُ بِذَلِكَ عَلَی رَسُولِ اَللَّهِ صَلَّی اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ
He said: “Is it not so, O Abu Zar and you, O Miqdad?” They both said: “We bear witness to that upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny).”
فَقَالَ طَلْحَةُ وَ اَللَّهِ لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اَللَّهِ صَلَّی اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ يَقُولُ لِأَبِي ذَرٍّ مَا أَقَلَّتِ اَلْغَبْرَاءُ وَ لاَ أَظَلَّتِ اَلْخَضْرَاءُ ذَا لَهْجَةٍ أَصْدَقَ وَ لاَ أَبَرَّ مِنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ وَ أَنَا أَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُمَا لَمْ يَشْهَدَا إِلاَّ اَلْحَقَّ وَ أَنْتَ أَصْدَقُ وَ أَبَرُّ عِنْدِي مِنْهُمَا
Then Talhah said: “By Allah, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) say to Abu Zar: ‘Neither the dust-covered ground carried, nor the sky shaded, anyone with a tongue more truthful and a heart more loyal than Abu Zar.’ And I testify that they both did not bear witness to anything, but the truth and you are more truthful and loyal in my view than both of them.”
[Reference: Kitab Sulaym, vol 2, pg 659. Bihaar Al Anwaar, v. 36, pg. 277 narrating from Gaibat-e-Nomani]
- A Four-Day Silence: The Opponents Remained Quiet
This incident happened on Thursday, and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) passed away on Monday, after four full days. In that time: None from the Ummah came forward to say, “Ya Rasool Allah, please write for us that document you promised.” Not one person requested the will again, not even those who argued during the incident. If they truly cared for the Ummah’s guidance, why didn’t they act? The answer is clear: they feared what the will would contain.
Conclusion
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), who made will-writing obligatory for all Muslims, was himself denied from writing his most important will in public. The incomplete version reported by the opponents fails to reflect anything related to guidance, protection from deviation, or succession. By contrast, the will preserved through Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) written privately, dictated clearly, witnessed truthfully is the one that fulfills the Prophet’s (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) words :
I should write for you a document that you may not go astray after me.