The ten to whom Paradise was promised

Names

Although the term ar (sometimes also ar, both meaning 'the ten to whom glad tidings were given') itself dates from a period after the 9th century, the list of ten as such already appears on an inscription made upon a plaster table which is thought to have belonged to the palace of Khalid al-Qasri, an Umayyad official who served as the governor of Iraq under Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (). In this early version, the tenth person appearing on the list was Mu'awiya (c. 600–680), the first Umayyad caliph (). This is likely to be understood as an attempt to portray Mu'awiya, who in reality had been a relatively late follower of Muhammad, as one of the prophet's closest companions. However, this was not accepted by later tradition, where instead of Mu'awiya one finds either Muhammad himself, or the prominent early convert Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (c. 581–639).

Apart from this early Umayyad inscription, the list is mainly preserved in a number of 9th-century Sunni hadith collections, which contain a prophetic hadith that generally consisted of the phrase spoken by Muhammad "Ten will be in Paradise", followed by a list of companions. In versions of this hadith recorded by Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855) and Abu Dawud (817/818–889), the first name in the list is that of Muhammad himself, while in other versions as recorded by Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ibn Sa'd (c. 784–845), and al-Tirmidhi (825–892), Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah appears in Muhammad's stead.

There are eight names which are common to all versions of the list: the four Rashidun caliphs, and the members of the committee (ar) appointed by Umar ibn al-Khattab at his deathbed which would go on to elect Uthman ibn Affan as the third caliph:

Rashidun caliphs:

• Abu Bakr (): first caliph, ; one of the earliest converts; Muhammad's closest friend and most trusted advisor
• Umar ibn al-Khattab (born c. 583–593, died 644): second caliph, r. 634–644; relatively late convert, but fought at Badr and Uhud; played an important role in organizing an Islamic state in Medina
• Uthman ibn Affan (died 656): third caliph, r. 644–656
• Ali ibn Abi Talib (c. 600–661): fourth caliph, r. 656–661; one of the earliest converts; cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad

Members of the ar that elected Uthman:

• Talha ibn Ubayd Allah (c. 593–656)
• Zubayr ibn al-Awwam (born c. 592–602, died 656)
• Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (c. 577–c. 652): early convert; rich merchant; friend of Abu Bakr
• Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (born c. 600, died c. 670–678)

There is also one companion on the list who did not play any role of special significance in the early Muslim community, but who was held in high regard as one of the first persons to convert to Islam. Though he was not part of the ar election committee (which consisted only of the most prominent members of the Quraysh), he also supported the election of Uthman:

• Sa'id ibn Zayd (c. 600–670/671)

The tenth named figure in the list was either Mu'awiya, or the prophet Muhammad, or Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, an early convert who played an important role in the election of Abu Bakr as caliph, and who was considered by Umar as a possible successor:

• Mu'awiya (c. 600–680) / Muhammad (c. 570–632) / Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (c. 581–639)

Sometimes, Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud (died c. 652–654), an early convert who had served as Muhammad's personal assistant in Medina, and who was well known for his knowledge of the Quran, was also reckoned among the ten.

Historical and religious significance

Most members of the list of ten ar also appear on one particular version of a list of twelve early Muslims whom Muhammad is said to have appointed as 'apostles' (Arabic: ar). This list, which like the list of the ten ar entirely consists of members of the Quraysh who emigrated with Muhammad from Mecca to Medina ('emigrants' or ar), appears to have functioned as a direct rival to another list of twelve 'apostles', which consisted entirely of non-Qurayshi Muslims ('helpers' or ar). In this sense, the list of the ten ar (which in its early versions also included Mu'awiya) may likewise have originated as a pro-Qurayshi or pro-Umayyad (the Ummayads also belonging to the Quraysh) tradition.

Sunnism

The list appears in several 9th-century hadiths collected by Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855), Ibn Sa'd (c. 784–845), Abu Dawud (817/818–889), and al-Tirmidhi (825–892). The canonical list as recorded by these early Sunni authors only omitted the name of Mu'awiya, which was replaced either by the prophet Muhammad himself or by Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah. Apart from that, the developing Sunni tradition represented by these 9th-century authors was happy to endorse a list of companions which did not only include the four Rashidun caliphs (the legitimacy of whose caliphate it supported against the Shi'is), but also the names of all the major warring parties at the First Fitna (Uthman, Ali, Talha, Zubayr), who could thus be seen as absolved from the sins of civil war by Muhammad's promise of Paradise.

The term ar itself does not yet appear in these early hadiths, but seems to have originated in later Sunni literature. In this literature, the concept of the ten ar developed as a special form of praise for the closest of Muhammad's companions, the emulation of whom had always been a defining element of Sunnism. Hadiths extolling each of the ten ar were brought together in works that were especially devoted to them, examples of which include:

• al-Zamakhshari (died 1144), ar ('The Special Characteristics of the Ten Noble and Pious Ones')
• Muhibb al-Din al-Tabari al-Makki (died 1295), ar ('The Blooming Gardens in the Virtues of the Ten Companions')

Shi'ism

In stark contrast to the Sunni tradition, Shi'i scholars generally rejected the hadiths about the ten to whom Paradise was promised as inauthentic. According to one Shi'i hadith recorded in the ar (The Book of Sulaym ibn Qays), Ali ibn Abi Talib –himself one of the ten ar– said that the other nine would in fact go to the lowest layers of hell.

The rejection by Shi'i scholars of the tradition of the ten ar is in line with the more general Shi'i rejection of the first three Rashidun caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman) as usurpers of the rightful Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib. The presence of all six members of the election committee (ar) that elected Uthman as third caliph rather than Ali further renders it unthinkable that Shi'i scholars would validate the list.

References

Works cited

References

1. However, the earliest known version of the list, which may date to {{nowrap. c. 724–743, contains the name of the first Umayyad caliph [[Mu'awiya I. Mu'awiya]] ({{nowrap. c. 600–680). Mu'awiya's place was occupied in later versions by Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, or in some other versions also by the prophet Muhammad himself.{{harvnb. Van Ess. 2017. Gibb. 1960–2007.
2. companions of the prophet]] (Arabic: {{Transliteration. ar. ṣaḥāba) held a special place.{{harvnb. Nawas. 2021.
3. {{harvnb. Kohlberg. 2020. ar. al-mubashsharūn; see pp. 20, 67, 76, 98, 148.
4. So {{harvnb. Wensinck. 1960–2007a.
5. All of the preceding in {{harvnb. Van Ess. 2017. Gibb. 1960–2007.
6. {{harvnb. Wensinck. 1960–2007a. Dates for Ahmad ibn Hanbal in {{harvnb. Holtzman. 2009, for Abu Dawud in {{harvnb. Melchert. 2007.
7. {{harvnb. Wensinck. 1960–2007a. Dates for Ibn Sa'd in {{harvnb. Fück. 1960–2007, for al-Tirmidhi in {{harvnb. Juynboll. 1960–2007.
8. {{harvnb. Van Ess. 2017. Rotter. 1982. Wensinck. 1960–2007a.
9. {{harvnb. Athamina. 2015.
10. {{harvnb. Levi Della Vida. Bonner. 1960–2007.
11. {{harvnb. Madelung. 1997
12. {{harvnb. Gleave. 2008.
13. {{harvnb. Madelung. 1960–2007.
14. {{harvnb. Hasson. 1960–2007.
15. {{harvnb. Houtsma. Watt. 1960–2007.
16. {{harvnb. Hawting. 1960–2007.
17. {{harvnb. Wensinck. Juynboll. 1960–2007. On the {{Transliteration. ar. shūra, see {{harvnb. Bosworth. Marín. Ayalon. 1960–2007.
18. As mentioned above, Mu'awiya appears in an early version of the list found on an Umayyad-period plaster inscription ({{harvnb. Van Ess. 2017. Wensinck. 1960–2007a). On Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, see further {{harvnb. Gibb. 1960–2007.
19. {{harvnb. Anthony. 2018. Anthony does not make it clear whose place among the ten known from other versions of the list Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud occupied.
20. {{harvnb. Van Ess. 2017
21. {{harvnb. Wensinck. 1960–2007b.
22. {{harvnb. Wensinck. 1960–2007a.
23. {{harvnb. Van Ess. 2017
24. On the Sunni and Shi'i view of the Rashidun, see {{harvnb. Nawas. 2021.
25. {{harvnb. Kohlberg. 2020. Nawas. 2021.
26. {{harvnb. Kohlberg. 2020. Wensinck. 1960–2007a.
27. {{harvnb. Kohlberg. 2020
28. The precise dating of this work, which was falsely attributed to [[Sulaym ibn Qays. Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilali]] (died 678, but perhaps a legendary figure himself), is not clear. {{harvnb. Modaressi. 2003. 724. 743), which would make it one of the oldest Islamic books that are still extant. However, the fact that it contains so many later additions and alterations may render it impossible to reconstruct the original text (see {{harvnb. Gleave. 2015. c. 762–780 and to the late 8th/early 9th century, respectively (see {{harvnb. Gleave. 2015. Kohlberg. 2020. {{Transliteration. ar. al-Iḥtijāj]] (c. first half of the 12th century; see {{harvnb. Kohlberg. 1960–2007).
29. {{harvnb. Kohlberg. 2020
30. {{harvnb. Van Ess. 2017. Nawas. 2021.