- Eventually the
inevitable occurred and the spirit of the Prophet [s.a.w] flew to
its eternal abode. For in the words of the poet Nizami, 'he who
has not died and will not die is only God.' It was clear that with
the death of this great man a storm would blow up over the
peaceful ocean of Islam, and that turbulent waters would be
churned up. The ambitious would try to benefit and to get as much
as they could from this turbulence and commotion, to fish in these
troubled waters. On the other hand, we know that the great mass of
people believe anything they see; they have always been thus and
have always been fuel for a fire that anyone may care to kindle.
They need constant training and continual taking care of, and
without an educator they cannot reach their own perfection. Now we
must ask if such a society, in such conditions, needs a leader who
can take the reins of command in the place of the Prophet or not,
so that the result of all the pains the Messenger of Allah took
should not be dissipated. Is there not a need for a knowledgeable,
political authority who is thoroughly acquainted with the Divine
laws and who can guide and lead the people on the right path in
the right way?
- The Shi'a belief
holds that the generous Grace and Love of God and His infinite
wisdom demand that after the Prophet the people should not be
without a leader. Such a leader must be sinless and wise, so that
his correctness of speech and action may be a guarantee and a true
sign of a superior man, selected by God. He must take the reins of
the Muslim community in his hands and lead and guide them with
extensive wisdom and foresight, without error, and this he must
take from the Prophet of Islam. Because there is no reason for
God, Who was considerate of the people in the time of the Prophet,
to change His judgement and to withdraw His loving concern. How
could it be possible that God, Who by His Grace created thousands
of elaborate details for the protection and growth of our bodies,
Who caused the eyebrows to grow so that the salty, bitter, tainted
sweat of the forehead cannot hurt the eyes, and Who made the
eyelashes also so that under their outspread canopy the eyes can
be more beautiful and better protected, how can God, Who created
these and many more known and unknown things, have neglected to
appoint a goodly successor to the Prophet? Does not the bringing
into existence of the best of communities, which is the aim of
Islam, need the selection of the best of leaders? Is not the
appointment of a sinless leader, educator and Imam the basis of
the contentment of society? Can Islamic society attain contentment
and happiness without divine supervision and leadership?
- So if there is a
need for the divine, sinless leader, and Islamic society wants a
divine educator, how can it be said that this matter has been
ignored by Islam and that the people have been left to themselves?
In short, the same philosophy which demands the appointment of the
Prophet also precisely demands that God introduce and appoint a
successor through the Prophet. The Prophet of Islam [s.a.w] said
in the latter part of his life:
-
- "O People, I
swear before Allah that I have explained what will make you nearer
to heaven (contentment) and what will make you far from the Fire
(error)".
(Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2, p.74) With this explanation, how can it be
said that the Prophet of Islam did not appoint his immediate
successor?
-
- Is the
Qur'an Not Sufficient?
- The great and mighty
Qur'an is the fundamental basis for every kind of Islamic concept.
Like a mighty rock, all the fruitful buildings of Islamic
knowledge have been made steady on it. It is the clear spring from
which all the streams of insight flow. The credibility and
prestige of other religious foundations rest on it. But, on the
basis of the proofs we shall give, one cannot be content with the
Qur'an alone to solve the problems of leadership, the differences
which crop up in Islamic society, or the satisfying of the needs
of the Muslim people.
-
- 1. Firstly because
the Qur'an and its great and abundant contents need commentary and
explanation. Since all the verses are not alike in clarity and
openness, unacquainted and unknowing readers in the first moments
of their journey may become lost and not take the path to their
destination. So the Prophet himself or those appointed by him who
have a spiritual link with what is beyond the external world, must
be a guide in this valley also, so that they can interpret and
explain the ayahs according to Allah's purpose. For if not,
ordinary people will sometimes interpret incorrectly and will end
up far from the truth. It is recounted that a thief was
brought into the presence of the Abassid Caliph Mu'tasim so that
he might have the punishment proscribed in the Qur'an administered
to him. The command of the Qur'an is: "Cut off the hand of a
thief." But Mu'tasim did not know from where the hand should
be cut. He asked the 'ulema. One of them said: "From the
wrist." "From the elbow," another said. Mu'tasim
was not satisfied. He was forced to ask Imam Muhammad at-Taqi the
9th Imam (a.s) who was present, and he replied:
-
- "Four
fingers must be cut off." "Why?" "Since Allah
has decreed in the Qur'an: And that the places of Sajdah are for
Allah.' (LXXII;18), that is the seven places of the body, of which
one is the palm, which in Sajdah contact the ground belong to
Allah, they should not be cut off." (Nur ath-Thaqalayn,
vol.5, p.439.)
-
- All those present accepted and were satisfied with
his proof. This kind of interpretation is in fact interpretation
of the Qru'an by the Qur'an, and is peculiar to the descendents of
the prophetic mission, and no one, to whatever degree he may be a
master of interpretation, is able to succeed in perfectly
understanding interpretation in this way unless he has taken the
habit from the Household of the Prophet and has taken them as his
model.
- 2. Another proof is
that what we have said concerning the need for correct
interpretation of the Qur'an concerns only one side of the Qur'an,
the exoteric meaning and the commands of the Qur'an. But in the
shelter of these exoteric words and meanings, a deeper and wider
aim, a spiritual profundity is concealed, especially in the
sections on knowledge, beliefs and the virtues. The respected
Prophet said:
"The Qur'an has a beautiful outer
meaning and a profound inner meaning."
(Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2,
p.599).
-
- He also said:
"The Qur'an has profundity, and the
profundity of that is deep too, up to seven inner meanings."
(Tafsir Safi, vol.1, p. 39). Truly, all the Qur'an has, according
to the words of the great exegetes, a hermeneutics and an inner
meaning, and to arrive at them by thought and research alone is
not possible. It is not explicable to all through words, for the
ability to perceive and practice this is not given to all men.
Only those near to God, the pure, those free from corruption, can
comprehend this, and use it for the solution of the differences
and incidents between men, and learn it, and then, by virtue of
the immunity from error and mistake that they have from God, teach
it to others. These ones near to God, the slaves immune from error
are the Prophet (s.a.w) and his Household about whom the
Qur'an said:
-
- "Household
of the Prophet; Allah desires only to put away from you
abomination and to cleanse you." (XXXIII:33)
-
- There is also a
hadith that only the Prophet and his Household, who are the
original ones to be addressed by the Qur'an, can perceive all the
truths of the Book.(16) That is to say the Prophet who was
addressed by Jibra'il and his Household, since they are the family
of the Prophet, are more acquainted with the meaning of the Qur'an.
It is because of this connection between the Qur'an and the
Household that the Prophet said to the people in the last days of
his life: "I leave two things in your trust, the Book of
Allah and my descendents; if you attach yourselves to these two
you will never go astray."(17)
- 3. The Qur'an needs
a sinless, enforcing guarantor. Since the Qur'an is a fundamental
law, a kind of constitution, it needs an enforcing guarantor and a
power to implement it. But only he who like the Prophet (S.A.) is
free from error and who understands and knows the Qur'an with
competence, can be the guarantor of its commands and laws. These
special qualities are to be found in the beings of the Imams (A.S.),
and the best witness to this is the few years of the leadership of
'Ali (A.S.), who, despite the difficulties which beset his holding
of the rein of government, carried out to the end the great and
resplendent laws of Islam each and every one. As a postscript, the
summary and fundamental of this lesson can be found in a
discussion which students following the sixth Imam, Ja'far as-Sadiq
(A.S.), had with a man in the presence of the Imam.
-
- A man from Damascus
was given a meeting with Imam Sadiq (A.S.) and said that he had
come for a discussion with one of his students. The Imam said,
"Introduce him to Hisham." Hisham was the youngest of
his students. "O Boy," said the man from Damascus,
"ask me concerning the Imamate of this man (Imam Sadiq (A.S.))."
Hisham was angered by his lack of manners and shuddered. But he
concealed his temper and began. "Is your Creator more kind
and loving towards His slaves, or the slaves themselves.?"
"The Creator." "What has the loving Creator done
for his slaves?" "He has appointed a clear guidance and
proof, to protect them from differences and disunity, and to
establish friendship and unity among them. He has made clear to
them their religious duties." "Who is that guide?"
"The Prophet." "Who is it after the death of the
Prophet?" "The Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the
Prophet of Allah." "Can the Book of Allah and the Sunnah
of the Prophet prevent us from differences today?"
"Yes." "So why do you and I who are both Muslims
have a dispute, or in other words, why have you come here from
Damascus as a result of this difference?" The man from
Damascus was silent and said no more. Imam Sadiq (A S.) said to
him: "Why don't you speak up?" "What shall
say?" he replied. "If I say we have no difference, then
I lie. And just as I said the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the
Prophet should take away the difference between us, so this also
is untrue, because, in many instances, the Book of Allah and the
Sunnah do not have a clear and obvious meaning that could dispel
our differences." So the man from Damascus said that he
wanted to ask the very same question from Hisham.
-
- The Imam agreed.
"O Hisham, Who is the more loving towards people? God, or the
people themselves?" "God." "Did he send them
someone to protect the unity of Muslims and to take over their
control, to explain to them truth and falsity?" "Are you
talking about the time of the Prophet, or about now?"
"In the time of the Prophet, it was him; no, tell me about
now." "Today it is this man who is seated here and to
whom people come from every corner of the land, and who gives us
news of the heaven and the earth; and this knowledge was
bequeathed to him from his father and so on back to the
Prophet." "How can I verify and accept this statement
for myself?" "Go now and ask him anything you
like." "That's right, there is no other excuse; only I
must ask." Then Imam Sadiq (A.S.) told him about his journey
and of the things that had happened to him on his way which only
the man could know of. When he had explained so that no doubt
remained for him, the man declared his belief in the Imam.(Usul
Kafi, vol. 1, p.171-73)
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