By the command of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his family) to close the doors of the companions’ houses opening onto the mosque, except for the door of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ), this was not merely an architectural change; rather, it was a divine command and a sign of the unique station of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him ).
The Story of Closing the Doors
In the early days of his arrival in Yathrib (Medina), the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his family) built a mosque later known as al-Masjid al-Nabawi. Subsequently, rooms connected to the mosque were built for the residence of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and some of his wives. Over time, some companions also built rooms adjacent to the mosque. These rooms, in addition to a door opening to the outside, also had a door opening onto the mosque, and their owners would enter the mosque through that door for prayer and return the same way. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), by God’s command, was ordered to close all these doors except the door of the house of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). [1]
Reason for Closing the Mosque Doors
Al-Bara’ ibn Azib, a companion of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his family) and a supporter of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ), narrated:
“A group of the companions of the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) had houses with doors opening onto the mosque. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: ‘Close all these doors, except the door of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ).'”
Al-Bara’ said:
“Some people spoke about this command” (an objection or discussion arose).
So the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) stood up, praised and thanked God, then said:
“To proceed: I have been commanded to close these doors, except the door of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him ).” Then he said to the one who objected: “I have neither closed nor opened anything myself; rather, I have been commanded to do something and I have obeyed.” [2]
Unmatched Virtues
Amr ibn Maymun, a Tabi’i (follower of the companions) and hadith scholar of the 2nd century AH, narrated regarding the countless virtues of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him):
“One day, the name of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) was mentioned in his presence. He said: ‘Whoever speaks ill of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him ) is himself fuel for the fire of Hell.'”
He then added:
“I heard from distinguished companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), such as Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman and Ka’b ibn Ujrah, saying: ‘Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) possesses virtues that have not been given to any other human being:
- Marriage to Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her): He is the husband of the best woman of the first and the last. Does anyone among the predecessors or successors have a peer for Fatimah (peace be upon her)?
- Fatherhood of Hasan and Hussain (peace be upon him ): They are the masters of the youth of Paradise. O people, who in the world has equals to these two?
- Kinship and Successor of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): He is the son-in-law and successor (Wasi) of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) among his family and wives. Among the companions, only his door remained open to the mosque.
- Bravery and Support: He was the conqueror of Khaybar and the standard-bearer that day. On that same day, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), whose eyes were hurting, blew into the eyes of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ); after that, he never complained of eye pain, and heat and cold never harmed him.
- The Event of Ghadir: He is the one of the Ghadir event, where the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) explicitly made his guardianship (Wilayah) obligatory upon the nation and made his station known, saying: ‘O people, who is more deserving of you than yourselves?’ They said: ‘God and His Messenger.’ He said: ‘Whoever I am his Mawla, this Ali is his Mawla.’
- Purity and Spiritual Station: He is among the ‘People of the Cloak’ (Ahl al-Kisa), those from whom God removed all impurity and purified thoroughly.
- Beloved Status and Mission: He is the one of the event of the ‘bird’ (Tayr), when the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: ‘O God, bring the most beloved of Your creation to me to eat with me.’ Then Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) came and ate with him.
- Possessor of Surah Bara’ah (Repentance): When Gabriel revealed Surah Bara’ah to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) while Abu Bakr had taken it (to recite at Mecca), he was told: ‘O Muhammad, only you or Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) can deliver this Surah; he is from you and you are from him.’ And the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had such a relationship with him in life and after his passing.
- City of Knowledge: He is the treasure of the knowledge of prophethood; the one about whom the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: ‘I am the city of knowledge, and Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) is its gate; whoever seeks knowledge, let him enter through this gate.’ As God said: ‘Enter houses through their doors.'”
Amr concluded:
“And he was the one who relieved the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) of difficulties in battles; he was the first to believe in the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), attest to him, and follow him, and he was the first to pray. So who is more unjust than one who lies against God and His Messenger, compares someone to him, or considers any human being his equal?” [3]
Connection of the Hadith of Sadd al-Abwab with the Verse of Purification (Tathir)
Allamah Amini in Al-Ghadir considers this citation by Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) as evidence that the command of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his family) to close the doors of houses opening onto the mosque, except for the door of the Master of the Pious, was based on the Verse of Purification and by God’s command. [4]
Numerous narrations in Shia and Sunni sources state that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said:
“Entry into my mosque is forbidden for any impure man or woman, except for me and Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ).”
Based on this, the divine command was issued to close all doors leading to the mosque, and only the door of the house of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him ) remained open, because he was among the Ahl al-Bayt regarding whom the Verse of Purification was revealed. [5]
Citing the Event of Sadd al-Abwab
During the formation of the six-member council (Shura) to appoint the third caliph, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) reminded them of his special status by referencing the virtue of Sadd al-Abwab. Addressing the council members, he said:
“Is there anyone among you whom the Book of God has declared pure, as the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) closed the doors of all the Muhajirun’s houses to the mosque and left only my door open?”
Then the Prophet’s uncles, Hamzah and Abbas, stood up and said:
“O Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family), you closed our doors and left only the door of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) open?”
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said:
“I did not close these doors nor open that one; rather, God closed your doors and opened the door of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him ).” [6]
Closing the Doors by Divine Command
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) said in the six-member Shura for selecting the caliph:
“Is there anyone among you other than me to whom the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: ‘No one loves you except a believer, and no one hates you except a hypocrite’?”
They said:
“No.”
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ) said:
“Do you know that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) ordered your doors to be closed and my door left open, and you spoke about it; then the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: ‘I did not close your doors nor open his door; rather, God closed your doors and opened his door’?”
They said:
“Yes.” [7]
Embodiment of Piety (Taqwa)
Al-Sayyid al-Himyari, in his poetry, referred to the event of Sadd al-Abwab, saying:
“The Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his family) was commanded to close all doors opening onto the mosque, except the door of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him ), who is the embodiment of piety.” [8]
[1] Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 7, p. 342; Fattal Nishaburi, Rawḍat al-Wa’iẓin, p. 118; Ibn Hanbal, Faḍa’il Amir al-Mu’minin, p. 177.
[2] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 39, p. 32.
[3] Amali al-Tusi, vol. 1, p. 558.
[4] Amini, Al-Ghadir, vol. 3, p. 213.
[5] Amini, Al-Ghadir, vol. 3, p. 212; Qadi Nu’man, Sharh al-Akhbar, vol. 2, p. 204.
[6] Al-Ghadir, vol. 3, p. 301.
[7] ‘Awālim al-‘Ulūm, vol. 15, p. 227.
[8] Diwan al-Sayyid al-Himyari, p. 168.
