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al-Asbât in Islamic thought is a controversial concept among Shia and Sunni schools. Sunni school believes that they all were the brothers of Prophet Joseph and were Prophets. Yet, Shia school rejects the idea that al-Asbât were Prophets, due to the big sins they committed. Some of Shia sholars think that al-Asbât were Wasiyy (Legatee) of Prophets. Sheikh Ali Hasan Galum adds a new idea to al-Asbât by arguing the similarity between the concept of al-Asbât in Quran with those Judges in Torah. He gives the concept of Judges and al-Asbât as a reference to Twelve Imams. This article, after explaining the concept of Judges in Judaism, will deal with the concept of al-Asbât in Sunni sources. After that it will explain the meaning of al-Asbât generally in Shia thought. Then it will touch upon the similarity of the Judges with the concept of Twelve Imams which has handled for the first time by Sheikh Galum in Shia thought.
Summary
al-Asbât, whose number is twelve and mentioned as the descendant of the Prophet Jacob in Islamic thought, is a controversial concept among Shia and Sunni schools. Both schools agree on the meaning of al-Asbât, which means the son of the son, grandson, the son of the daughter or the notable sons. But they differ in content and details of al-Asbât. Eventhough, the thought that al-Asbât are the eleven brothers of Prophet Joseph and all of them were Prophets is prevailing idea in Sunni literature, they differed on the identity of al-Asbât. Some of them claimed that they were Prophet Joseph’s brothers and they became Prophets after repentance and seeking forgiveness and asking Allah for His mercy for the sins and crimes they had committed. Besides, Sunni scholars do not refer to the Hadiths in which Hasan and Hussein were mentioned as al-Asbât while they interpreting the verse in which al-Asbât is mentioned there too. Contrary to Shia school that rejects the idea of al-Asbât were the brothers of Prophet Joseph and the idea that all of them were Prophets, due to the big sins they committed to their brothers Prophet Joseph. Shiites believe that Allah when mentioned to the brothers of Prophet Joseph in verses and when He told their attitude towards their fathers, Prophet Jacob, He did not use glowing and bright words about them. Far from it, He used a very humiliating and accusatory language about them in verses. Therefore, unlike other Prophets’ biographies, which have lived a commendable life since their childhood, a devout and purist profile was not drawn about them in Quran. Some contemporary Shia scholars link the hadiths reported in Hasan and Hussein as al-Asbât with the verses in which the word al-Asbât are mentioned. They point to the similarity between Prophet Moses and Prophet Mohammad, and Haroun and Ali ibn Ebi Talib, and between the nation (ummah) of Prophet Moses and the nation of Mohammad in terms of differentiation. They defend that the surviving groups in Prophet Mohammad’s ummah are Ahlu’l-bayt (family of Prophet Mohammad) and those who followed them, as well as who acknowledged that Ali ibn Ebi Talib and his twelve sons are sinless Imams (leaders) which should be emulated. There are contemporary Shiite scholars who go on to say that when the Prophet Mohammad mentioned Hussein as al-Asbât, he did not mean that he was his grandson. Rather, He wanted to reveal the similarity between His grandson and al-Asbât which mentioned in Quran. So, they think that those al-Asbât were Wasiyy (Legatee) of Prophets. They argue that, when Allah mentioned al-Asbât in verses with those Prophets, He meant that He is in connection with them as well as in connection with Prophets, but by inspiration and another kind of revelation that differed from his revelation to the Prophets. There are some of other Shia sholars added another meaning to the word al-Asbât. They argue that the Judges in Torah are the Wasiyy of Prophets who lived in inter-Prophethood era. They point out that al-Asbât were like Judges in their statue, they not only ruled over the community with justice, but also were the successors and the guardians of Prophets’ secret knowledge, as well as divine models for human being to follow. As Allah sent Judges to the Jews to save them from perdition, the Prophet Mohammad appointed Ali ibn Ebi Talib and his sons as Judges of his ummah. Kwaiti Shiite scholar Sheikh Ali Hasan Galum adds more new idea to al-Asbât by arguing the similarity between Twelve Imams with those Judges in Torah. He gives the concept of Judges and al-Asbât as a reference to Twelve Imams by addressing the similarity and common denominator between them. He combined the concept of Judges with the concept of al-Asbât in Wasayah (guardianship) and Imamamate (legitimate successor). He went on to say that the counterpart of Prophet Moses in Islam is Prophet Mohammad, and the counterpart of Jashua is Ali ibn Ebi Talib, and the counterpart of Deborah, the only woman in the Judges, is Fatima bint Mohammad (daughter of Prophet). And the rest of the Judges are counterparts of the sons of Ali ibn Ebi Talib, whose numbers are eleven. This article, after explaining the concept of al-Asbât and Judges in Judaism, will deal with the concept of al-Asbât in Sunni sources. After that, it will explain the meaning of al-Asbât generally in Shia thought. Then it will touch upon the similarity of the Judges in Judaism with the concept of Twelve Imams which has handled for the first time by Sheikh Galum in Shia thought.