QUESTION:
Did Imam Ali (peace be upon him) curse ‘A’isha, her father, Umar and their companions? Did he do so openly, such as during Friday sermons?
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
Yes, the Commander of the Believers (peace be upon him) openly cursed A’isha on numerous occasions, including during the Qunut of his prayer. If he didn’t perform this loudly, such as in a congregational prayer, it would not have been known.
The Commander of the Believers, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), used to curse Abu Bakr, Umar, A’isha, and Hafsa during every prayer of his, reciting the well-known Du’a named ‘Du’a Sanamay Quraish’. (Refer to the books containing supplications, such as the book Al-Misbah by Al-Kaf’ami, and Al-Balad-ul-Ameen, as well as Al-Muhtadhar).
Another example of his public cursing is when a man came to him (peace be upon him) and said to him:
Extend out your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you’. He replied: ‘On what?’ He said: ‘On the traditions of Abu Bakr and Umar.’ Then he (peace be upon him) stretched his hand and said: ‘Close your hands together! May Allah curse the two! By Allah, if I were you, I would have died on delusion!
Basa’ir al-Darajat, by Al-Saffar, page 412
We also have the example of what he (peace be upon him) said to Al-Ash’ath, bin Qais:
Woe to you, O’ bin Qais! What did you see I did when Uthman was killed and I found men to support me? Did you see me defeated, cowardly, or (did you see) any short-coming during my battle on the Day of Basrah, while they were surrounding their camel?! Cursed be whoever was with it! Cursed be whoever was killed around it! Cursed be whoever rode it!
Bihar al-Anwar, volume 29, page 469
It is a well-known fact that A’isha (may Allah curse her) was the woman who rode the camel.
Furthermore, we have the example of what he (peace be upon him) said in his letter when he cursed A’isha:
The people of immorality were pleased with A’isha. A great number of the people of Basrah were killed around her, and Allah struck hardly those who remained of them, and they fled (away from the war). She brought a more evil omen upon them than the camel of rock brought upon its people in that land, by the great sin which she committed, in her opposition to her Lord and her Prophet, and in her deception of dividing the Muslims and killing the believers, without any clear evidence, nor any excuse, nor any argument (to justify her action).
Bihar al-Anwar, volume 32, page 253
Moreover, Abu Bakr, Umar, and Abu-Ubayda, ibn Jarrah, were the prominent characters of the Saqifa movement. Despite their position in power, the Commander of the Believers (peace be upon him) stood before them and said:
O’ treacherous and impudent people! You filthy, rotten sperms!
Mustadrak Nahjul-Balagha, volume 1, page 284. Narrated on behalf of the book Kashf al-La’ali’, by Ibn al-Arandas
The Office of Sheikh al-Habib