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Discussions / Re: Shi'a Doctrine

« on: June 07, 2013, 02:24:52 PM »

Peace be upon all & Allah's mercy and blessings.

Dear Brothers Joseph, Irfan, Duster.

I reproduce one more article regarding 'Imamate in the Holy Quran" to enable a better understanding of the matter.

Quite a few people are asking for evidences in the Quran for aspects of the Imamate. I thought I'd post this note here :

The belief in angels is mentioned numerous times in the Quran. But do  people really care about  the angels? Do the scholars spend their time studying what little is   known about the angels with the greatest attention? If Allah hadn't   kept mentioning them, we might have forgotten about them lol. An   exaggeration perhaps, but I think you see the point: the number of times   something is mentioned is not equal to how important it is.



How  many times minimum does something need to be mentioned in the Quran   for it to be absolutely true, important, and something that must be   followed? Once. I think I'm correct in saying the only time the Quran   talks about how you must fast in the month of Ramadhaan is 2:183-187.   Yet it is an important thing. Fasting itself may be mentioned   repeatedly, but fasting in the month of Ramadhaan isn't.How many times  does  Imamate need to be mentioned in the Quran for it to be true,  important,  and necessary to follow? Once.



They ask you  for proof of the Imamate. Then let us turn to the Quran first for proof,  before we turn to the ahadeeth (narrations) and tareekh (history):



Translation of the Glorious Quran (by Shakir):

[4:59] O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Rasul) and those in authority (Ulil-Amr) from among you;  then if you quarrel about anything, refer it to Allah and the  Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the last day; this is better and  very good in the end.



The obedience to Rasulullaah ("the  Messenger (of God)") is equal to the obedience to Ulil-Amr ("the people  of authority") as can be seen by the wording.

"ateeAAoo Allaha waateeAAoo arrasoola waolee  al-amri minkum" = "obey the Messenger (Rasul) and those in authority  (Ulil-Amr) from among you": Notice how the same "obey" that is used for  Rasulullaah is also used for Ulil-Amr. This means that the Ulil-Amr must  have the same authority as a leader and commander as the Rasululllaah  or they wouldn't have the same level of obedience in this verse.



One  of the reasons why we trust Rasulullah and we have to obey him is  because his words are not his own; they are the words of God (69:40-47).  He receives communications from the Lord Almighty. He is infallible.  The same must apply to Ulil-Amr because they must be obeyed without  condition. Since the verse equates the obedience to the Prophet to the  obedience to the Ulil-Amr, one cannot disobey the Ulil-Amr.



Notice  that the verse says "if you quarrel about anything, refer to Allah and  the Messenger"; since we cannot disobey the Ulil-Amr, even when we  quarrel with Ulil-Amr, they cannot be in the wrong.

So what does  the Quran say about quarrelling with them? "refer to Allah and the  Messenger". Why? The Ulil-Amr are right, but if a person does not  believe in them, he or she refer to Allah and His "postman" -  Rasulullaah. Why? Allah and Rasulullaah are the bringers of law and  truth. The Ulil-Amr do not have this role. They do not  reveal/bring/establish the law and truth. Anyway, since Rasulullaah is equated with Ulil-Amr, disputing with the Ulil-Amr is disputing with Rasulullaah.


But they must be obeyed,  just like one obeys Rasulullaah; and they cannot be in the wrong. Thus,  they only speak what Allah and Rasulullaah have brought. The Ulil-Amr  only say what Allah and Rasulullaah say. This can only be true all the  time if Ulil-Amr have all the knowledge of Rasulullaah. Otherwise, if  they were asked a question and they were deficient in their knowledge,  they would speak from their own opinion, and the verse would no longer  be true! What happens if Rasulullaah dies and the Ulil-Amr remain? The  Ulil-Amr are still present, and since they only speak what Allah and  Ulil-Amr say, they must still be obeyed and followed. Therefore it would  be a great wrong to even consider obeying and learning Islam from any  other human being when the Ulil-Amr are present! How could we follow any  other, regardless of whether they were a sahabi (companion of the  Prophet) who was with the Prophet for decades or a scholar who studied  for decades, when they, perfect sources, are present?



Look  everywhere in the Quran where Allah asks they you to obey; He puts the  condition that if they disobey Him, then this is what you do. For  example, God tells us to obey our parents; but then He says if they  disobey Him, then disobey them. The only obedience in the Quran where  Allah does not warn you of disobedience is to Ulil-Amr. This indicates  that Allah's opinion of them is that they would never disobey Him; which  means they can never go against His commands. By not warning us of any  disobedience from them, He is making it clear that they would never be  disobedient in the face of the doubt and disbelief (in them) of many.

Why  does Allah command us to obey Muhammed, peace and blessings be upon him  and his Ahlulbayt? It's because he was chosen as Rasulullaah. Why was  he chosen? Because he is the pure and because he is the greatest of  men. Obedience to Rasulullah = obedience to Ulil-Amr, so that "waw"  ("and") next to the word "Rasulullaah" means that all those qualities  apply to Ulil-Amr. Allah has chosen those who are Ulil-Amr for their  great qualities and for being the greatest of men.



In one  verse, the Ulil-Amr are given nass (designation), authority, isma  (infallibility), and ilm (knowledge). Let's give the Ulil-Amr a  nickname. How about "Imams"? Oh wait, that sounds suspiciously like the  Shia concept of Imamate. Plagiarism perhaps lol? Or maybe the same  Author is behind this all.



Do you want Imamate to be  clearly written out in clear, simple terms with what the role of Imamate  is and the qualities that an Imam will possess? Too bad; it seems the  Quran does not work like that. Want an example? Let's look at Salaat.  Arguably one of the most important things in the whole religion of  Islam. Even though it is mentioned all over the Quran, nowhere do the  Majestic Words of the Creator give a passage that acts as a manual to  Salaat. Instead in one chapter, we find just one verse that mentions the  timings. When it comes to the number of rakaat per Salaat, not even a  single verse! In-fact, ar-Rahmaan, subhanahu wa tala, does not give a  clear method of how to perform Salaat! But, I thought Salaat was  supposed to be important? Of course it is. It's very important. That's  why it's mentioned in the Quran, Sunnah, and ahadeeth. Imamate is also a  very important concept. It's mentioned a few times in the Quran with  different words, such as walaya. But it's mentioned and that's enough.






"I  asked Abu 'AbdAllaah (as-Sadiq)about the words of  Allaah  'Believers, obey Allah, His Messenger, and your  leaders (who possess Divine Authority). . . .' (4:59) "The Imam said,  'This was sent from the heavens about `Ali ibn Abi Taalib, Al-Hasan and  Al-Hussain ' I then said, 'People say, "Why did He not specify Ali and his family by their names in the Book of Allaah ?' "The  Imam said, 'Say to them, "The command for prayer came to the Messenger  of Allah but He has not specified (the number of the Rak'ats) for them  as being three or four. It, in fact, was the Messenger of Allah who  explained to them this matter. The command for Zakat (a form of  income tax) came to the Messenger of Allah and there was no specific  taxable number such as one Dirham on every forty Dirham. It was the  Messenger of Allah who explained it for them. The command for Hajj came  to the Messenger of Allah. It did not say walk seven times around the  Ka'ba. It was the Messenger of Allah who explained it for them...."

Source: al-Kulayni in his al-Kafi, volume 1, pages 286–288, hadeeth #1

Grading: al-Majlisi said this hadeeth is SaHeeH (authentic) in his Mir'aat Al-`Uqool, volume 3, page 213

Some thoughts to conclude


Now before anyone replies saying "Tabatabaa'ee's arguments/commentary are weak/untrue", please think about why they are weak. I've seen quite a few people say this, yet they provided no reason as to why they think this. There are Sunni scholars who have agreed with various aspects of what has been written above. One example is ar-Razi who agreed that 4:59 makes Ulil-Amr infallible; (however he tried to make it out that the Ulil-Amr are the whole Ummah...which for a variety of reasons is a poor explanation. A simple example: the verse says the "those in authority _amongst you_" (ulil-amri minkum). I.e. there are certain people in the Ummah who are so-and-so. Not the whole Ummah. Razi's explanation contradicts the wording of the verse).


On another subject, if anyone were to bring something, such as a set of ahadeeth, which claim that the Ulil-Amr taught or behaved differently to the Prophet then either the Quran is wrong for equating the Prophet and Ulil-Amr in many ways, or this set of ahadeeth is. The answer is obvious. And vice versa. It does not matter how "authentic" a set of ahadeeth may be according to the science of rijaal or a set of scholars; if it contradicts the Quran, it is false. For example, if the Ulil-Amr say you cannot wipe on leather socks, and a set of ahadeeth say that various people said you can, then the latter is false because it has disagreed with the Ulil-Amr.


Allahumma salle alah Muhammedin wa Aale Muhammed.

"All  the  praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has guided us to this, never  could  we have found guidance, were it not that Allah had guided us!" |  Quran,  007:043.

This note is mostly based on a lecture delivered by Ammar Nakshawani

Brothers have you all had the pleasure of listening to brother Ammar Nakhshwani and brother Hasanayn Rajabally on youtube. I would request you to hear him and benefit from the same and also grace me with your views and comments.
N.B: They have discussed at length various topics.
With warmest regards brothers,
Towards unity among all of mankind,
Arif ali Vakil
"And the pleasure of Allah (swt) is the greatest bliss."

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Discussions / Re: Shi'a Doctrine

« on: June 05, 2013, 02:23:29 AM »

And peace Be upon you too and His mercy & blessings Irfan,
                                                                                                                                                                             It seems you have not read my replies to your foregone preconceived conclusions.(Please help  retrieve my reply regarding the same which I had addressed to you and Brother Joseph jointly). Nevertheless at the expense of repetition, if your comprehensive capacities permit you to accept the simple reality that an absence of the mention of names or subject matter do not prove the nonexistence of doctrines,practices or realities. There are many vital matters which are not mentioned in the Holy Quran, like method & number of rakats to be offered in a salah, the number of times the Holy Kaaba has to be circumumbulated, the meanings of letters at the beginning of many surahs like ALIF LAM MIM, YA SIN, HA MIM, TA SIN, QAF, TA HA etc and the same can only be understood by referring it to the Holy Prophet (saws). WILL YOU NEGLECT TO  OFFER YOUR SALAH, TAWAAf OF THE KABAH ON THE GROUNDS THAT YOU FIND NO MENTION OF ITS PERFORMANCE IN THE HOLY BOOK OR RECOMMEND A SEPARATE SALAH FOR  EACH HUMAN BEING ON THE EARTH. If anything is evident here,it is your incapacity to comprehend the pristine purity of the Shia faith (pls reread my replies until  you clearly understand the truth). With Regards Arif Ali Vakil

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Discussions / Re: Shi'a Doctrine

« on: May 30, 2013, 05:05:51 PM »

Dear Brother Joseph,
 Salam Alaykum !

Why hasn't Imam Ali (a.s.) been mentioned in the Holy Quran?

Concise answer:~

One should be aware that although the imam’s names, )especially Imam Ali’s(, haven’t been mentioned in the Quran, nevertheless, their names, )especially Imam Ali’s(, can be found in the Prophet’s sayings. One very good example is the hadith of Ghadir which is considered the official announcement of the appointment of Imam Ali as successor to Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) after his decease.  This hadith sanadwise (its chain of narrators) is mutawatir (meaning that the number of narrators narrating it is so high that one becomes sure that the hadith is authentic and that all of the narrators can’t be lying or can’t be mistaken in their narration), and concerning its content and meaning, contains clear evidence on Imam Ali (a.s.) being Imam.
Moreover, the Holy Quran itself has spoken about Imam Ali (a.s.). The most important verse that has spoken about him, is verse 55 of Surah Ma’idah which says: “Only Allah is your Waliyy (one who is in charge of everything) and His apostle and those who believe, those who establish prayer and pay the poor-rate while bowing down in rokoo’.”It has been stated in both Shia and Sunni history, tafsir and hadith books that this ayah was revealed when Imam Ali (a.s.) gave his valuable ring as charity to a needy person while bowing down in Rukoo’. This verse is only talking about Imam Ali (a.s.) and no one else is meant by this ayah. So, although Imam Ali’s name hasn’t been mentioned in the Quran, yet he has clearly been spoken of in it.
There are at least two reasons why Imam Ali’s name hasn’t been mentioned in the Quran. First, because the Quran usually expresses general matters and instructions, and doesn’t get very specific. For example, Imam Sadiq (a.s.) was asked why the imams haven’t been named in the Quran. He answered that concerning wilayah (religious authorithy), the Quran has acted the same way that it has regarding salat, zakat, and hajj. The Quran hasn’t been very specific on how to perform these acts, and has only said that they have to be done. The Prophet is the one who has thoroughly explained how these acts must be performed. In the same way, the Prophet has become very detailed in relation to those succeeding him, without any need for them to be explicitly named in the Quran. The second of many reasons for the above-mentioned issue is that since wilayah was a controversial issue, and there were big chances that others would disagree with it, it was much better and safer for the Quran to express it implicitly so that it wouldn’t cause them to go against the Quran and Islam itself! It’s very clear that this isn’t to the benefit of the Muslim Ummah and is a good reason for not mentioning the names of the imams in the Quran. In other words, if the appointment of Imam Ali as successor was to be clearly mentioned in a verse of the Quran, there was a possibility that those who opposed it would somehow falsify or get rid of the verse in order to destroy all of the evidence showing that he is the true successor to the Prophet (p.b.u.h.). As a result, Islam would lose its value as the final religion for mankind in addition to the Quran losing its value as an eternal divine book . Moreover, the Quran says: “Surely we have revealed the Reminder (the Quran), and We will most surely be its guardian.” One of the ways of protecting the Quran is to naturally and very normally block the reasons that might provoke falsification and hostility towards it and not let them even come up in the first place. Consequently, two things take place. Firstly, the Quran doesn’t clearly mention Imam Ali (a.s.). Secondly, the verses regarding his religious authority such as Ayah Tabligh which is the official announcement of his appointment to being successor, and Ayah Tathir which has to do with the infallibility of the imams, are all located in between verses that don’t have anything to do with these subjects so that the Quran stays protected throughout history, and no one thinks about falsifying it because of the truth it is expressing.
Detailed Answer
First of all, one must note that: 1- The imams’ names have been explicitly mentioned in the Prophet’s sayings, especially Imam Ali’s name in which the Holy Prophet of Islam has in many different events, clearly stated that Imam Ali is his successor and the  religious authority after him. For example, in the wake of Prophet Muhammad’s prophethood, when he was ordered by Allah to invite his tribe, family, and relatives to Islam, he declared: “The first person to believe in me (answer my call to Islam) will be my wasiyy, minister, and successor.” The only person to answer him was Imam Ali (a.s.). In the end, when no one answered the Prophet other than Ali (a.s.), he said: “After me, you (Ali) are my wasiyy, minister and successor.”[1] Another example is the famous hadith of Ghadir in which the Prophet clearly stated that: “Whosoever I am his Mowla, Ali is his Mowla.”[2] Also in the hadith of Manzilah, the Prophet states that: “You (Ali (a.s.)) are in comparison with me, like Harun compared with Musa, the only difference (between us and them) is that there is no prophet after me.”[3] The hadiths of the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) regarding the fact that Imam Ali (a.s.) will take his place are mostly Mutawatir (meaning that there is no doubt that the hadith has been said by the prophet because the number of narrators is so high that one becomes sure that it is impossible for the hadith to be an unauthentic one) and this fact has been pointed to in both Sunni and Shia books.[4] In yet another hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) names all of the imams after him for Jaber-ibn-Abdillah-al-Ansari, from Imam Ali until the twelfth and final imam meaning Imam Mahdi (a.s.).[5]
So one should be aware that although the imams’ names haven’t been explicitly stated in the Quran, yet the holy Prophet, whose words are all true and come from Wahy (divine inspiration)[6], has clearly expressed their names and emphasized on their being imams after him.
2- Imam Ali’s Wilayah (religious authority) has been pointed out in the Quran even though his name hasn’t been explicitly mentioned. Both Shia and Sunni commentators of the Quran admit that verse 55 of surah Ma’idah has been revealed regarding Imam Ali (a.s.) and that he is the only one meant by it.[7] “Only Allah is your waliyy and His apostle and those who believe - those who establish salat and give charity while bowing (in rokoo’).”
Given the fact that in Islam there is no ruling saying that giving charity while in rokoo’ (bowing in prayer) is preferred as mustahabb or wajib, one can easily conclude that this verse is pointing to an event that occurred only once. This verse is speaking of the time in which Imam Ali was praying in the masjid. When he went down to rokoo’, a beggar came up to him asking for help, Imam Ali pointed to his finger and the beggar approached him, took off the imam’s ring and left.[8] Thus, the verse is saying that religious authority and supervision of the Islamic ummah are solely[9] for Allah, His messenger and Imam Ali (a.s.), and other than them, no one has any authority.
So, till now we have concluded that the imams’ names have been mentioned by the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and Imam Ali’s wilayah has clearly been pointed to in the Quran, such that an unprejudiced and unbiased researcher really searching for the truth, can easily reach the conclusion that the Prophet’s (p.b.u.h.) standpoint on those succeeding him, was that Imam Ali (a.s.) and his children are to succeed him after his passing away. But why haven’t Imam Ali and the other imam’s names been explicitly mentioned in the Quran? There can be two reasons behind this issue:
1- “The Quran usually speaks in a very general way and mostly teaches us principles, ways and methods (instead of getting very specific) as it has regarding the osool (pillars)and foroo’ (branches) of Islam.” This is what Imam Sadeq (a.s.) has said.[10] He goes on to give us three examples:  a) Salat. The Quran has been general regarding salat; not being specific about how long it is supposed to be and how it is supposed to be performed. On the other hand, the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h.) has clearly illustrated how to perform it for us and how many rak’ats each prayer should be. b) Zakat. In the Quran, zakat has only been mentioned as an Islamic ruling. It was the Prophet who expressed which things have zakat and what the criteria for zakat becoming wajib for each one is.
c) Hajj. The Quran says that Hajj is wajib and no more, but the Prophet has explained how it is supposed to be performed.[11]
Therefore, it is wrong to expect to be able to find every detail in the Quran. So it is a big mistake not to follow the imams just because of the fact that none of their names have come in the Quran. That’s why no one says that noon prayers (which are 4 rak’ats) have to be prayed 2 rak’ats just because the Quran hasn’t mentioned how many rak’ats  each prayer is.
2- In issues like this, in which there are big chances that others will disagree, it is much better for the Quran to express the truth implicitly rather than explicitly, otherwise there is a high possibility that they will end up denying the Quran as a whole. It’s very obvious that such a problem isn’t to the benefit of the Muslim ummah. Of course, the Quran says: “Surely we have revealed the Reminder (the Quran), and We will most surely be its guardian”[12], but one should remember that one of the ways of protecting the Quran and not letting others falsify or change it, is for it to speak in a way that others (such as the hypocrites who show that they are Muslims on the outside even though they aren’t within) don’t get sensitive and provoked.  In this way, the high respect and value of the Quran will be kept, and certain individuals won’t think of changing or falsifying it in a way that will comply with their personal desires and wicked goals or just because they disagree with something.[13]
Shahid Ayatollah Motahhari answers this question in the following way. He says: “The answer to the question that why hasn’t Imam Ali’s khilafah and imamah been mentioned in the Quran, is that 1- The Quran usually expresses general laws. 2- The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) or Allah (s.w.t.) didn’t want such an issue in which people are sensitive about and prefer their own desires (to what Islam wants), to be presented explicitly, and although it wasn’t, people still went against it and falsely interpreted the Prophet’s sayings to their own benefit. In other words even if the Quran had clearly stated that Ali (a.s.) is successor to the Prophet they still would have found a way around it. The holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: "ذا علی مولاه" (Ali is his Mawla). How much more clear can one get? (Yet they interpreted what he said falsely and according to their will.)Yet there is a big difference between ignoring what the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) has said after him passing away regardless of all of its clarity and ignoring what the Quran has been completely clear about one day after his demise. That is why I have narrated in my book “Khilafah and Wilayah” that once during Imam Ali’s reign, a Jew wanted to attack and criticize the Muslim ummah for undesirable events that took place in the beginning of Islam. He told Imam Ali (a.s.) (and of course what he said really was a negative point) that you (the Muslim ummah) started quarreling over your prophet even before completely burying him after his death. Imam Ali answered: We argued about what he had instructed, not over the Prophet himself, but you (meaning the Jews) disregarded the most important principle of your religion which is tawhid (oneness of God), and asked your prophet to build an idol for you to worship. So there is a big difference between you and us; we didn’t argue about our prophet, we argued about what the interpretation of his saying was (and what he wanted us to do after his death). These two vary tremendously. (Motahhari goes on to say that) there is a big difference between saying that the people back then had misunderstood what the Prophet had said and saying that the Muslims back then rejected what the Quran had clearly stated or had falsified it.[14]
So one can say that the main reason behind not mentioning the names of the imams, or at least Imam Ali’s name, is the protection of the Quran from falsification and change, and that is why the verses of tathir[15], tabligh[16], and wilayah[17] are all located between verses that are either talking about the Prophet’s wives, different Islamic rulings, or not being friends with The People of the Book (ahlul-kitab), which all have nothing to do with the religious authority of the imams and Imam Ali (a.s.), yet the fair and unbiased researcher can with the least consideration tell that this part of the verse is separate from the verses before and after it and is located there for a certain reason.[18][19]
For further information, see “The Quran and Imam Ali (a.s.)”, question 324 (website:1817).

[1] Ibn-al Bitriq, Al-Umdah, pg.121 & 133, Seyyed Hashem Bahrani, Ghayat-ul-Maram, pg. 320, Allamah Amini, Al-Ghadir, v.2, pg. 278.
[2] This hadith is mutawatir (a hadith that has been narrated so many times by different narrators that one becomes sure that it is authentic) and has been narrated in both Shia and Sunni books. In the book Al-Ghadir, the different “levels of narrators” of the hadith from the first till the fourteenth century (lunar calendar) have been named, in which the foremost are more than 60 narrators from the Prophet’s companions who have narrated the hadith in Sunni books and whose names have been recorded there. Also, in Mir Hamed Hosein’s book, Abaqat, it has been proven that this hadith is mutawatir. See Al-Ghadir, v.1, pg.14-114, Ibn-al-Maghazeli, Managheb, pg. 25-26, Motahhari, Emamat va Rahbari, pg. 72-73.
[3] Al-Umdah, pg.173-175, Ahmad-ibn-Hanbal, Musnad Hanbal, v. 3, pg.32, Al-Ghadir, v.1, pg. 51, v.3, pg. 197-201.
[4] Many efforts have been made in both Al-Ghadir and Abaqat to prove that the traditions concerning Imam Ali’s imamah are mutawatir. Fazel-e-Qooshji, a Sunni scholar, doesn’t reject the fact that some of these traditions are mutawatir. See Sharh-e-Qooshji bar Tajrid-ul-I’tiqad, Khajeh al-Tusi.
[5] Muhammad-ibn-Hasan al-Ameli, Ithbat-ul-Hudat, v.3, pg. 123, Suleiman-ibn-Qandoozi, Yanabee’-ul-Mawaddah, pg. 494, Ghayat-ul-Maram, v.10, pg. 267 (as quoted by Misbah Yazdi, Amoozesh Aqa’ed, v.2, pg. 185).
[6] “Nor does he (The Prophet (p.b.u.h.)) speak out of desire, It (what he says) is nothing but divine revelation (from Allah (s.w.t.))” Najm:3-4
[7] See tafsir books, commentaries regarding this verse, such as Fakhr-ul-Din Al-Razi, Al-Tafsir-ul-Kabir, v.12, pg. 25, Tafsir Nemooneh, v.4, pg. 421-430, Jalal-ul-Din Al-Suyuti, Al-Durr-ul-Manthoor, v.2, pg. 393. Also, Sunni hadith references have narrated the hadith; Muhibb-ul-Din Tabari, Thakha’ir-ul-Uqba, pg. 88, Jalal-ul-din Suyuti, Lubab-ul-Nuqul, pg.90, Ala’ul-Din Ali Al-Muttaqi, Kanz-ul-Ummal, v.6, pg. 391, and many other references in which Tafsir Nemooneh has pointed to some of them.
[8] This analysis has been acquired from Shahid Motahhari’s book Emamat va Rahbari, pg. 37.
[9] According to Arabic literature scholars, the word “innama” means “only” and shows that what has been stated in the sentence is something exclusively for the person(s) mentioned.
[10] Koleini, Osool-ul-Kafi, kitab-ul-hujjah, v.1, chapter Ma nassallahu wa rasuluhu alal-a’immah wahedan fawahedan.
[11] This is the hadith itself:
عن ابى بصیر قال: سالت اباعبدالله (ع) ‏عن قوله الله عزوجل "اطیعوا الله و اطیعوا الرسول و اولى الامر منکم"، فقال (ع) نزلت فى على بن ابى طالب و الحسن و الحسین فقلت له: انّ الناس یقولون: فما له لم یسم علیا و اهل بیته فى کتاب الله عزوجل ؟ قال (ع) قولوا لهم: ان رسول الله نزلت علیه الصلاة و لم یسم الله لهم ثلاثاً و اربعا، حتى کان رسول الله هو الذى فسر لهم ذلک .و نزلت علیه الزکاة و لم یسم لهم من کل اربعین درهماً، حتى کان رسول الله هو الذى فسر لهم ذلک .و نزل الحج فلم یقل لهم طوفوا اسبوعاً حتى کان رسول الله هو الذى فسر لهم ذلک.
[12] This point was mentioned by Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani in his classes of The Theological Principles of Ijtihad, which will be printed in the second volume of The Theological Principles of Ijtihad.
[13] Ibid
[14] Emamat va Rahbari, pg.109-110, 27th edition, Sadra Press, Tehran, 1381.
[15] “Verily, Allah’s will is to remove all impurity from you, ye household (of the Prophet) and to purify you thoroughly.” This part of the verse has been placed between verse speaking about the wives of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.). Ahzab:33
[16] “O Messenger! Proclaim the (message) which hath been sent to thee from thy Lord. If thou didst not, thou wouldst not have fulfilled and proclaimed His mission” This verse is in between verses speaking about haram meat and animal corpses (which are haram). Ma’idah:67
[17] “Verily your Waliyy is Allah and…” which is located after verses regarding not being friends with the Christians and Jews. Maidah:55
[18] This was also pointed to in one of Ayatollah Hadavi’s classes on the theological principles of ijtihad which will be printed in the second volume of the book.
[19] Acquired from Question 200 (site: 1223)                                                                                        Regards. Arif Vakil

4

Discussions / Re: Shi'a Doctrine

« on: May 30, 2013, 03:15:46 PM »

Respected brother Joseph,                                                                                                                           May peace and Blessings of Allah (swt) be upon you and all the brothers & sisters                                  At the expense of repetition you will not find the number of times you need to circumambulate the Holy Kaaba during the performance of Hajj\Umrah in the Holy Quran,you will have to refer it to the Holy Prophet (S). You will not find how to perform the Salah and the number of rakats in each salah in the Holy Quran ,you will have to refer it to the Holy Prophet (S).                                                                     Brother if you, as you assert, that since you consider absence of doctrines  in the Holy Quran as false tell me HOW THEN WILL YOU  COMPLETE YOUR OBLIGATIONS OF THE PERFORMANCE OF SALAH  without referring to sources outside it Or have you discovered Holy verses directing  you how to perform Salah and the number of rakats you need to perform in your daily compulsory prayers        The Holy Prophet (saws), a divinely appointed messenger and sent as a mercy to the worlds, by enlightening us on all essential matters does not in anyway preach against the  Holy Book and NOBODY can afford not to accept and follow his teachings ON THE GROUNDS THAT THEY ARE NOT PRESENT IN THE HOLY  BOOK. Brother,you need to reexamine and realize how precarious your beliefs are. With Warmest Regards. Arif Ali         

5

Discussions / Re: Shi'a Doctrine

« on: May 30, 2013, 02:06:17 PM »

Peace and Blessings of Allah (swt) be upon all.                                                                                                This is in response to brother Irfan's comments on the quranic verse 3:61 " But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge,then say : Come let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and our selves (anfus) and your selves,then let us beseech Allah and invoke his curse upon the liars".                                                                                    Brother Irfan's question is as to why did the Prophet take one woman Fatima (A.S) to the exclusion of several other women in his household ?                                                                                                  There are some minute linguistic points in this verse which are worthy of note. This group (Ali,Fatima,Hasan and Husayn) is used as an adjunct,and the Prophet as the possessor, in a genetic term,as is seen in 'our sons','our womwen' and 'ourselves'.                                                                      Had not the Prophet taken Fatima along with him,people would have thought that 'our women' means the Prophet's wives and 'our sons' refers to Fatima though she was a female and 'ourselves indicates his sacred self alone.                                                                                                                  But by taking along only these fourand no one else besides,the Prophet was showing the Muslims,that the best example for women is Fatima (a.s) and the foremost example for boys are Hasan and Husain,according to the Quran's wordings, which also delicately used the word our selves for Ali, thereby solving the question of succession once and for all.                                          Regards

6

Discussions / Re: Shi'a Doctrine

« on: May 28, 2013, 03:45:23 PM »

Salam Alaykum brothers Joseph and Sahil .

In the name of Allah (swt) the Beneficent the Merciful.

The Holy Quran Verse 33:33 "........ Allah desires to keep away uncleanness from you people of the House (The ahlulbait ) and make you pure as pure can be ".
It is necessary to clear to clear any doubts that may arise in the minds of sincere seekers of truth,that this verse may also incude the wives of the Prophet - as some are bound to misinterpret.. The fact is, IT ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT,as is crystal clear from our above discussion which has proved that it is exclusively addressed to the five persons namely 1) Muhammad 2) Ali 3) Fatima 4) Hasan 5) Husayn (peace be upon all of them),four of whom are males,with the exception of daughter Fatima (S). (By the way Fatima (a.s) was the only surviving daughter of the Holy Prophet (saws)).
***As to mentioning them by name, refer Holy Quran 40:78 "We did aforetime send Apostles before thee there are some whose story we have related to thee,and some whose story we have not related to thee". Are you then going to deny those Prophets sent by Allah whose names are not mentioned in the Quran  by your erroneous assumed logical criterion's    You may as well dare to reject your salah on grounds that  the methodology of its performance is not specified in the Quran and keep circumambulating  around the Kaaba for the rest of your life ,on the grounds that though the commandment to circumambulate the Holy Kaaba as a rite of Hajj is commanded, as to the number of times it is not specified in the Holy QURAN ? Brothers you have no choice but to refer matters to the Holy Prophet and those vested with authority for the same.
For a thorough comprehension of the truth and its application all intelligent seekers of truth have to refer to 1)The Holy Quran 2) Traditions from AhlulBait (who are divinely appointed and purified for the job by none other than Allah(swt) himself and 3) Islamic history. You simply cannot  affordto ignore any of them.

Moreover it is obvious from the use of the masculine gender in this verse - clear for those acquainted with the Arabic language - the words ankum and yutah-hirakum meaning "from you" and "purify you" used in the Quran are masculine terms and refer to the said persons collectively,the majority of whom are males. If Allah (swt) had addressed the Prophets wives -as some misconstrue- then the Quran,the finest masterpiece of Arabic language would surely have used the feminine gender ankunna and yutah-hirakunna instead of the masculine, because they numbered more. If not the 5 five Holy personalities I have mentioned above, who is Allah (swt) referring to in verse 33:33 and for what purpose I am sure, hopefully, that you will at least agree with me here when I say that Allah (swt) does not do anything without a purpose.
Thus it is evident that this verse draws a clear picture in the minds about the true objectives of the Book of Allah (swt). By emphasizing the purity and INFALLIBLE leadership on the unwavering axis called Ahlul- Bayt, it endeavors to build the edifice of the Muslim society on the solid base of cleanliness and virtue.
Now lets clear your unproven doubts regarding Verse  of Mawadda 42:23.
As regards Verse 42:23 the Prophet (saws) explicitly told the Muslims,that this verse refers to Ahlulbayt that is ALI,FATIMA,HASAN,and HUSAYN and urged them to obey and follow these illustrious personalities after him.
 As for Holy Quran: 3:61 Again I ask use if it were not these 5 illustrious personalities who stood for Mubahila against the Christians of Najran who else was there  and this verse refers to?
 All commentators .traditionalists and biographers are unanimous that the Prophet whilst explaining this verse,said that the word "near relatives" as used here refers exclusively to his Ahlulbayt.
What makes you think brothers that the above fact is in dispute ? You are wrong when you say they were written centuries after the Holy Prophet(saws). Perhaps what you are suggesting that they were published later on.Its not the same.
People who remained obedient  to Allah (Swt), remained  attached to the teachings of Ahlulbayt (pbut) and were never confused in any matter because of the presence of an Imam(A.s) among their midst  to guide them in all matters.after the demise of the Holy Prophet (saws).
The Authority  given  to  Ahlulbait (Peace be upon them ) to guide mankind by ALLAH (swt) HIMSELF will hold good not only till doomsday but beyond that.
With warmest Regards,
Your brother in Faith Arif Ali Vakil

7

Discussions / Re: Shi'a Doctrine

« on: May 28, 2013, 03:42:04 AM »

Wa Aale qum Salam Wa Rahmatullah brother Joseph. It seems you are adamant not to believe and accept the lofty position Allah (swt) has granted Ahlulbayt (peace be upon them). You seem to find it easy to ignore the Holy Quranic verses 33:33, and 42:23 which Allah (swt) has ordered all Muslims to follow in their quest to attain salvation. As regards Verse 42:23 the Prophet (saws) explicitly told the Muslims,that this verse refers to ahlulbayt that is ALI,FATIMA,HASAN,and HUSAYN and urged them to obey and follow these illustrious personalities after him. All commentators .traditionalists and biographers are unanimous that the Prophet whilst explaining this verse,said that the word "near relatives" as used here refers exclusively to his Ahlulbayt. You furthur even ignore to belittle Allahs verse of Malediction (Mubahila) The Holy Quran 3:61 " But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge,then say :Come let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your womeand ourselves and your selves,then let us beseech Allah and invoke His curse upon the liars ". This verse points towards an epoch-making event,narrated by all historians and commentators;an event which revealed to the Muslims how near and dear the progeny of the Prophet are to Allah the Exalted. This event which clearly marked out the clear status of Ahlulbayt,is known in the annals of Islamic historians as MUBAHILA .......and you deny it. What a pity that you cannot notice what is so glaringly visible as clear truth from the Holy Quran. (BY the way Ali (a.s),Hasan(a.s)and Husayn (a.s) who accompanied the Holy Prophet (saws) on this Mubahila against the Christians of Najran are the first three divinely appointed Imams). Accept them and inshallah you will accept all 12 Imams. Your comments suggest you have not even remotely understood the truth about the Shias leave aside making absurd conclusions based on your own fallible deductions. Please do not gamble with your hereafter,and this I say with a lot of affection to you my Muslim brother in faith. May Allah (swt) for the love of Muhammad and His Holy progeny guide you towards the truth and illuminate you with his love and obedience. "Obedience to Allah (swt) is better than compassion to the world".
                                                                                                                                                            With Regards. Arif Ali Vakil