The situations of Hazrat Abu Talib (as) would never be away from the Prophet’s mind nor would his image leave his sight. He didn’t forget his uncle for a while. He still remembered him, praised him and prayed to him for his eternal deeds and his glorious situations in order to be grateful to that man, who had done him many favors.
One day a nomad, with signs of sorrow and sadness appeared on his face, came to Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) hoping to get something that might relieve some of his sorrow. He said to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.): “O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)! We have come to you and we have no any camel nor can any of our children find anything to eat.”
The Merciful Prophet (s.a.w.a.) stood up deeply affected by this tragic scene dragging his feet towards the minbar. After praising Allah (s.w.t.), he began to pray Him: “O Allah! Send us abundant rain pouring plentifully to produce the plants, to fill the udders and to give life to the earth after its death ... and thus shall you be brought forth.”
As soon as the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) finished his praying, the sky began to lighten and the ground began to receive the abundant rain.The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) became delighted and his lips smiled but he remembered the near past and sighed: “What a man Hazrat Abu Talib (as) was! If he is alive, he will be delighted. Who will recite us his poetry?”
His cousin Imam Ali (a.s.) stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)! You may mean his saying:
And a white-faced, with whose face it is prayed,
so that the clouds bring goodness.
He is the shelter of the orphans and the guardian of the widows.
As the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: “Yes” Ali (a.s.) kept on reciting other verses of his father’s poem and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) from above the mimbar kept on praying Allah (s.w.t.) to forgive his sincere uncle.
Would we stop here with the Prophet when praying Allah (s.w.t.) to forgive his uncle after his death? The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) mentioned his uncle when every occasion passed by him because his mind was always busy with his good deeds and he always remembered his great situations.
Quite often the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) praised his uncle with worthy words and it was definitely that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wouldn’t praise any one, who didn’t deserve that.
He kept on praying Allah (s.w.t.) to forgive his uncle when Ali was reciting his father’s poetry and it was definitely that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) would never pray Allah (s.w.t.) to forgive anyone, who was not faithful.
Once he said to Imam Ali (a.s.): “No one is worthier than you of my position; you are the first in being a Muslim, you are my cousin and may son-in-law. You have Fatima, the head lady of the believing women. Before that, your father was my guardian and supporter when the Holy Quran was revealed and I am so careful to keep that for him by taking much care of his offspring after him.”
Once again he said to Aqeel: “O Abu Yazeed, I love you twice; once for your kinship with me and the other for I know how much my uncle had loved you.”
What great love the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) had for his uncle! He loved Aqeel for the kinship between them and the other love because he knew that Hazrat Abu Talib (as) had loved Aqeel too much. He thought that his uncle’s love for someone imposed upon him to love that one too.
On the day of Badr while the battle was at its peak Obayda’s leg, was cut and was bleeding, said to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) in a quivering voice: “O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)! If Hazrat Abu Talib (as) was alive, he would know that he had been truthful when he had said (addressing the polytheists):
I swear by the House of Allah that you have told lies!
We never give up Muhammad; we struggle and fight for him,
we support him until we are killed around him.
For him we ignore our wives and children.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was affected by the mention of his uncle and began praying Allah (s.w.t.) to forgive him and Abu Obayda.
Once al-Abbas asked the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), “O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), do you pray for Hazrat Abu Talib (as)?” The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) answered him: “Every good I hope for him from my God.”
If the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) praised his uncle and prayed Allah (s.w.t.) to forgive him whereas his uncle had been not a Muslim -which was far away from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)- then the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) would disobey Allah (s.w.t.) – Allah forbid! – According to many Holy Quranic verses as:
You shall not find a people who believe in Allah and the latter day befriending those who act in opposition to Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their (own) fathers, or their sons, or their brother, or their kinsfolk; these are they into whose hearts He has impressed faith (58:22)
Allah (s.w.t.) confirmed that it was impossible for believing in Him and loving the unbelievers to be in one heart.
‘O you who believe! do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends: would you offer them love while they deny what has come to you of the truth.’ (60:1)
In this verse Allah (s.w.t.) had forbidden the believers from taking the unbelievers as friends, loving them, supporting them or asking them for support.
‘O you who believe! do not take your father and your brother for guardians if they love unbelief more than belief; and whoever of you takes them for a guardian, these it is that are the unjust Say: If your fathers and your sons and your brethren and your mates and your kinsfolk and property which you have acquired, and the slackness of trade which you fear and dwellings which you like, are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His way, then wait till Allah brings about His command: and Allah does not guide the transgressing people.’ (9: 23-24)
In these verses Allah (s.w.t.) had forbidden the believers from taking their fathers and brothers as guardians if they were unbelievers. Faith would be the cause of preventing the sentiment between the believer and the unbeliever even if the unbeliever was the believer’s father or brother, who were be the closest relatives of him.
Then Allah (s.w.t.) said that loving the unbelievers or regarding them as guardians would bring the believer out of the sphere of faith and join him to the unjust people. Then Allah (s.w.t.) threatened the unbelievers of waiting for His punishment because they were not but transgressing people.
‘And had they believed in Allah and the Prophet and what was revealed to him, they would not have taken them for friends but! most of them are transgressors.’(5:81)
In this verse Allah (s.w.t.) denied the faith of those, who took the unbelievers as friends and hence they deserved rage and wrath of Allah (s.w.t.). They would remain in Hell for ever.
‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves.’(48:29)
All the above verses of Quran states that Love for Allah (s.w.t.) and love for the unbelievers cannot stay in the same heart. Allah (s.w.t.) prohibits the believers from taking unbelievers as guardians even if they are their close relatives, their brothers and fathers and has infact made staying away from them a condition of faith.
It is redicilious to say that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) did not know these aayats of the Holy Quran or (naauzubillah) he went against them.
Leaving the entire discussion aside only the fact that the Holy Prophet loved Hazrat Abu Talib (as) and remembered him throughout his life and prayed for his forgiveness itself is a proof of the deep faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (as) and his belief in the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.).
Holy Prophet said: "Gabriel came to me and said 'Allah sends greetings to you and says verily He has exempted from the fire the loins which gave you shelter, the womb which sustained your weight, and the lap which supported you.'"
(Ref :Mir Seyyed Ali Hamadani in his Mawaddatu'l-Qurba, Sheikh Sulayman Balkhi Hanafi in Yanabiu'l-Mawadda, Qazi Shukani in his Hadith-e-Qudsi)
One one more ocassion The Holy Prophet says in a hadith (joining his two fingers): "I and the supporter of the orphan are together in Paradise like these two fingers."
Ibn Abi'l-Hadid also has reported this hadith where he says that it is obvious that the Holy Prophets statement does not mean all supporters of orphans, since most of the supporters of orphans are sinners.
So the Holy Prophet meant by it Abu Talib and his distinguished grandfather, Abdu'l-Muttalib, who looked after the Holy Prophet.
The Holy Prophet was known in Mecca as the yatim (orphan) of Abu Talib because after the passing away of Abdu'l-Muttalib, the Prophet, from the age of eight, had been in the care of Abu Talib.
Sharh-e-Nahju'l-Balagha, vol.IV, p.312