Allah, the Exalted has willed to
let the course of affairs go forward in this world-this temporal
world-by causes-amongst which lies His relationship with His
creatures; the most important of which is "man" or you can say
"mankind" whom He honored by making him His "Caliph" on earth as
manifested in the following verse:
"And (remember) when your Lord
said to the angels: " I am going to place (mankind) generations
after generations on earth…." (Al-Baqarah:30).
And for the sake of the
continuation of this relationship with His animate creatures, the
adoption of the matter of the "causes" by appointing the best of
His creatures on earth has come in agreement with His Will in the
matter of the evolution of this world, for His Wisdom
necessitated the choice of the best of His slaves to be
messengers and prophets who really deserved to hold the post of
heavenly responsibility, who could bear the highest ranks amongst
their fellow creatures owing to the magnanimity of the divine
message they bear to convey to the people- that is: the message
of giving them "glad tidings" to the believers and "warnings" to
the disbelievers.
Listen carefully to what the Lord
says: "Mankind were one community and Allah sent Prophets with
glad tidings and warnings, and with them He sent down the
Scripture in truth to judge between people in matters wherein
they differed………" (Al-Baqarah:213) until Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) came
to be their Imam and the seal of the Prophets – who finalized
with his comprehensive message all heavenly religions which
preceded him.
Their basic pillar is the noble
Quran as a constitution which enfolds between its manifold facets
a summary of the previous Scriptures and Books-abolishing some of
their legislations and affirming some, irrespective of what has
come in them of legislations corresponding with legislations
which suit and coincide with all times.
Owing to what is destined by the
Heavenly Judgment which ordained "death" even upon the master of
the prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) "You
verily. O Muhammad, will die and they verily (too) will die."
(Al-Zumar: 30); therefore, there should have been an alternative
to replace the loss of the Prophet who could be an ideal replica
of him and of the same pure caliber who can be equal in to the
Quran in issuing judgments like it with the same
legislations.
Building on the foregoing, the
alternative to the Quran is one of the twelve Imams who were
legally authorized to rule the world in accordance with the
teachings of the Quran together with its full implications till
Doomsday.
They could be typical examples as
causes or means of mercy between Allah, the Almighty, and his
subjects for their being exactly equivalent to the Quran in
estimation, significance and weight after having brought into the
light the secrets of its entities and according to the standard
of their understanding they proceeded to teach the Muslims its
judgments and legislations.
The Quran's Certification of
Considering Ahlul Bayt… As the Typical Examples of People
(P.B.U.T.)
"Allah chose Adam and Nuh (Noah),
the family of Ibrahim (Abraham) and the family of Imran above the
Alamin (mankind and jinn) (of their times.)" (Imran: 33)
Offspring, one of the other, and Allah, is All-Hearer;
All-Knower." (Aal-Imran: 34).
This noble verse emphasizes the
theory of the divine selectiveness of the best of Allah's
subjects who were really fit to rule over the people-from Adam to
Noah, till Abraham, the Prophet of Allah whereof came the
verification of Muhammad's linkage together with Ahlul-Bayt to
Abraham, the Prophet of Allah by way of Ismael (P.B.U.T.) via the
Quranic allusion:
"Offspring, one of the other" to
certify their being the best chosen from among the people of the
world-those who are appointed as the trustful caliphs of Allah on
earth by the divine mediation according to what is clearly
manifested in the Holy Quran to bear therewith the message of
divine guidance.
This divine selectivity is
confirmed in the holy verse of the Quran when the Almighty says:
" Verily, among mankind who have the best claim to Ibrahim
(Abraham) are those who followed him and this Prophet (Muhammad)
and those who have believed (Muslims).
And Allah is the Wali (Protector
and Helper) of the believers," to confirm to those who don't see
with their eyes that the Prophet Muhammad and his chosen trustees
after him (P.B.U.T.) were the true progeny of the Prophet Abraham
(P.B.U.H.) and that Allah is their Guardian, Helper and
Protector.
The Prophet's and Ahlul-Bayt's
verification of the covenant which they had given to the Almighty
Lord in the world of spirits (the first origin) before the stage
of mankind's appearance, (pre-creation stage) as mentioned in the
holy Quran:
"And (remember) when your Lord
brought forth from the Children of Aden, from their loins, their
seed (or from Adam's loin "Am I not your Lord?" They said: his
offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying): Yes!
We testify lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection:
"Verily, we have been unaware of this." (Al-Araf: 172) by word
and deed in this temporal world – the world of will and
adoption:
"And say: "O Muhammad! The truth
is from your Lord. "Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and
whosoever wills not, let him believe not…" (Al-Kahf:29) and this
has been the cause of raising their ranks in Allah's Sight in
addition to the secret of their surpassing mentality and
preferentiality over the rest of Allah's subjects together with
their profound insightfulness in comprehending the divine flow of
knowledge descending from the heavens:
"He sends down water(rain) from
the sky and the valleys flow according to their measure but the
flood bears away the foam that mounts up to the surface…." owing
to their being the caliphs of Allah on earth and for this valid
factor Allah has given them preferentiality over the rest of the
subjects in matters of knowledge and piety (…"Verily, the most
honorable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has Al-Taqwa
that is one of the pious. Verily, Allah is all Knowing,
Well-Acquainted (with all things.)"(Al-Hujhrat: 13) and that they
are the most knowledgeable of all on earth "…Are those who know
equal to those who know not?"
"It is only the men of
understanding who will remember" (i.e. get a lesson from Allah's
Signs and Verses) and for the greatness of their piety their
learning of the divine teachings and to which Allah referred and
stressed has been inherent and instinctively inspired and
exclusively inculcated in them from the All-Knowing Creator to
Whom be ascribed all glory and perfection.
Such is the escalating
relationship or linkage between knowledge and piety which Allah
stressed in His Holy Book in the following verse: (So be afraid
of Allah, and Allah teaches you. And Allah is All-Knower of each
and everything." (Al-Baqarah: 282) starting with the noble
Messenger (P.B.U.H.) on Whom the Divine Revelation
descended upon him and who was the first teacher to him and to
the twelve pure progeny who came after him (Peace be upon them
all) who have been taught through inspiration, giving attentive
ears or blowing knowledge into their hearts.
Because Allah, the Exalted, chose
the greatest Messenger to be as MERCY to the whole of the worlds
"We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but a Mercy for mankind, jinn
and all that exists)." (Al-Anbia: 107) because they it was they
who took up the position of the Imamate after him as well as of
being a Mercy to the whole of the worlds and that came after
achieving the highest peak of perfection which proved their full
right in bearing the obligation of the Divine
Mediation.
Building on the foregoing, it has
become quite clear to all that the heavenly selectivity is not
built on random adoption or insensible consideration but built on
competence and qualifications of leadership which these elite
enjoy and this is what history, the people and men of intellect
who coincided with the Prophet, the honorable Ahlul-Bayt and
those who succeeded them till they themselves have become
witnesses along the centuries declaring that the prophetic
household have been the purest, the finest and the most qualified
in the matters of religion, interpretation of the Quran and
jurisprudence among the people according to the conditions they
were destined to live through.
The Ranks and Positions of Ahlul-Bayt in the
Holy Quran
The holy Quran has demonstrated in
several of its honorable verses the high status of Ahlul-Bayt and
their appropriate positions (P.B.U.T.) in Allah's Sight and for
the sovereignty and supremacy of their characters, the holy Quran
called the Muslims to love them and endear themselves to them for
they were the divine gate-ways of Allah, the Exalted, through
which the faithful believers can enter and they were in fact, the
second weighty treasure who are regarded as next to Quran in
estimation and consideration and that they are the means of
conveying Allah's Mercy which contained
everything:
"My Mercy embraces everything.
That (Mercy) I shall ordain for those who are the Muttaqin (the
pious and give Zakat, and those who believe in Our Verses
(proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, and revelations) and adding
to certitude, the Quran has clearly shown within an open and
obvious verse the Divine Will in purifying and taking filth away
from Ahlul-Bayt (P.B.U.T.) thoroughly as shown in the following
verse:
"Verily, Allah wants only to
remove (evil deeds and sins) from you O members of the family of
Ahlul-Bayt from you and to purify you from filth thoroughly."
(Al-Ahzab:33). The Quran also indicated the scientific aspect of
Ahlul-Bayt (P.B.U.T.) for it cited to people that they are the
inheritors of the knowledge that is stored in the Scripture. See
how the Quran lucidly exhibits this point to the people when it
says:
"Then, We gave the Book (the
Quran) as inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose (the
followers of Muhammad). Then of them are some who wrong
themselves and of them are some who follow a middle course and of
them are some who, by Allah's Leave, foremost in good deeds. That
(inheritance of the Quran) is indeed the great grace." (Fatr:
32)
So, because the Quran is divinely
preserved in a safe location
"Verily, We, it is We Who have
sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Quran) and, surely, We will guard
it from corruption." And thus openly and absolutely negates any
aversion-be it increase or decrease- and that falsehood cannot
enter it to defect it; therefore, the Quran is an infallible Book
and its infallibility necessitates those who inherit their
knowledge to be infallible so as to make everything to clear-away
from vagueness, ambiguity, caprice and personal
judgment.
This is an evident proof of the
infallibility of Ahlul-Bayt-closely attached to the infallibility
of the holy Quran for an infallible Book, heavenly- kept cannot
be inherited to people who are not infallible!!
So, who can grant a verified
interpretation of the Quran the like of what Allah has willed and
ordained, if one is not well cut out for the task and whose
knowledge is inadequate to cover or undertake the diverse aspects
of religion in terms of putting it into practice?
For infallibility is a must
because the person who claims to be infallible, ought to be equal
in weight and standard in contrast with the
Quran.
To add more to what is confirmed,
some Quranic texts enhances such a proposal which states that
they inherited the knowledge of the Book, Divine Revelations and
the Imamate which the Book has termed as the "Great Kingdom" due
to its "grandeur" and consideration." (Al-Nissa:54):
"Or do they envy men (Muhammad and
his followers) for what Allah has given them of His Bounty? Then
We had already given the family of (Ibrahim) Abraham, the Book
and Hikmah (As-Sunnah)-Divine revelation to those Prophets not
written in the form of a book) and conferred upon them a great
kingdom."
(Al-Nissa: 54)
So for their many attributes and
for their high ranks in Allah's Sight, the heavenly command came
to the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.) that he should inculcate into the
people's hearts the love of Ahlul-Bayt (P.B.U.T.) for their love
is equal to the value of conveying the message of Islam which the
Prophet had brought to the whole of mankind and delivered them
from the gloom of polytheism and misguidance:
"Say: (O Muhammad) ". No reward do
I ask of you for this except that you cherish friendliness to
those who are really my relatives. And whoever earns a good
righteous deed, We shall give him an increase of good in respect
thereof. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Thankful."(to those
who obey His Command.)"
(Ash-Shura/23)
But the nation of Islam did not
bind themselves to the Book of Allah, nor to the recommendation
of His Messenger (P.B.U.H.)
in the matter of showing love and
friendliness to Ahlul-Bayt
(P.B.U.T.) and their followers nor
glorifying their virtuous deeds and characters.
But their lot, out of this nation,
was but killing, displacement, torture, poisoning or displacement
and for this reason they didn't relish any stability or taste the
odor of security without dropping themselves in the lap of Islam
by following the Quran and the prophetic legal acts.
The Prophetic Sayings on Behalf of Remembrance
of Ahlul-Bayt In the Holy Quran
In addition to the foregoing
Quranic proofs in the matter of the Divine Selectivity of Ahlul-
Bayt (P.B.U.T.) and the fact of their being equal, part and
parcel, with the first weighty treasure i.e. the Quran together
with their being the bearers of spectra colors of knowledge, came
the recommendations of the noble Prophet (P.B.U.H.) in a repeated
manner by depending on the second weighty treasure after the Book
to certify their Imamate one after another according to their
chronological order.
Among his countless sayings is the
following: "He who loves me, let him keep his love for me and he
who loves me, let him love my pure progeny; I am leaving to you
the two weighty treasures: The Book of Allah and my pure progeny;
therefore, he who loves my pure progeny, ought to love the Quran,
for this obligatory love manifests itself clearly by taking them
as Imams who were well-qualified for the interpretation of the
Quran, the demonstration of its judgments, the divine
legislations and everything that came from Allah in the holy
Quran till Doomsday.
The Sayings of
the Pure Imams about the Second Weighty Treasure (i.e. the
Quran)
Amir Al-Muminin Ali bin Abi Talib
(The Prince of Believers) (P.B.U. H.) on describing the positions
and ranks of Ahlul-Bayt (P.B.U.T.) has said: "Verily, Allah, to
Whom be ascribed all glory and perfection has purified us, made
us infallible and witnesses on His Creation, made us His Proof on
earth, made us with the Quran and made the Quran with us neither
abandoning it nor it abandons us," together with his saying
(P.B.U.H.) of Ahlul- Bayt and he is, of course, included with
them:
"We-Ahlul-Bayt, are not to be
contrasted or measured by others for, in our favor, the Quran was
descended and in our favor exclusively is the source of the
heavenly mission.
Besides, there are recurrent and
frequent sayings issued by Ahlul-Bayt (P.B.U.T.) which reveal
their positions and esteems and that they are equivalent the
Quran in value and assessment….and the rope which Allah, the
Almighty, has ordered us to hold on to it.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P.B.U.H.) says:
"Our example, in the Book of Allah, is like a niche; so it is we
who are the niche and within the niche there is a lamp and the
lamp is in a glass; this glass, symbolically, represents the
noble person of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) which is likened
to a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive." And Ali
said:
"Neither of the east nor of the
west but it is exposed to the sun all day long) whose oil would
almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it." Light
upon Light! Allah guides people to His Light (through His Quran)
whom He wills." meaning, guiding people to paying loyalty to us-
we - Ahlul-Bayt.
The same interpretation is given
by his son Imam Al-Baqir (P.B.U.T.) Allah has made the loyalty of
the people to us the axis round which the judgments of the holy
Quran as well as all other Books go from which they take the
light of guidance and by means of it faith becomes
manifest.
Allah's Messenger has ordered the
people (P.B.U.H.) to take the Quran as well as the Imams
(Ahlul-Bayt) as their examples. Before the Prophet's speech comes
to an end he addressed the people by saying: " I am leaving to
you these two weighty treasures-the Great weighty treasure and
the Small weighty treasure.
The Great one is the Book of my
Lord and the Small one are my own pure progeny of Ahlul-Bayt,
therefore keep my remembrance in these two treasures, for you
will never get misled at all if you bind yourselves to both of
them altogether.
Sun -
22 Jamadilawal 1446H -
