Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Question 14: Is calling on someone tantamount to worshipping him and to polytheism?

What has prompted this question to be posed is the outward meaning of some of the verses of the Qur’an, which seemingly prohibit invoking anyone other than Allah.

“وأن المسجد ببه فلا تدعو مع الله أحداً .”

“The places of worship belong to Allah, so do not invoke anyone along with Allah.” 1

“ولا تجعل من دون الله ما لا ينفعك ولا يضّرك .”

“Nor invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor can do you any harm.” 2

Referring to such verses, a group of people hold that calling on others and invoking dead sacred figures or righteous people as polytheism and an act of worshipping them.

Reply: In order to make clear the answer to this question, we ought to explain the meaning of the two terms, du‘a’{supplication} and ‘ibadah{worship} :

As a matter of fact, the word“du‘a” literally means“calling” and“invoking” while the term“‘ibadah” means“worship” , and these two terms should not be considered synonymous. That is, the word“call” or“invocation” does not always mean“worship” for the reasons that follow:

First: The term“da‘wah” (a derivative of du‘a’) has been used in some Qur’anic verses but not in the sense of“‘ibadah” . For example:

“إني دعوت قومي ليلاً ونهاراً .”

“He (Nuh) said, ‘My Lord! Indeed I have summoned my people night and day’.” 3

Can we say that what Nuh (Noah) (‘a) meant is:“I have worshipped my people night and day” ?

As such, it cannot be said that da‘wah and ‘ibadah are synonyms, or that to seek help from the Prophet or a righteous person is to worship him; for, da‘wah or nida’{call} has more general meaning than worship.

Second: Du‘a’ in these verses does not absolutely mean invocation; rather, it means a particular call which can be a constituent part of the word“worship” ; for, this group of verses are about idol-worshippers who took their idols as gods.

No doubt idol-worshippers’s humility, supplication and imploration were dedicated to the idols they described as possessors of the right of intercession, forgiveness, etc. and recognized as independent possessors of the affairs in this world and the hereafter. It is obvious that under such conditions to turn to these creatures in supplication or request of any kind will be considered as worship and devotion.

As vivid evidence to the fact that the idol-worshippers’ supplication or invocation is an expression of their belief in the divinity of idols, we introduce the following verse:

“فما أغنت عنهم ألهتهم التي يدعون من دون الله من شئ .”

“Of no avail to them were their gods whom they would invoke besides Allah, in any wise.” 4

Therefore, the verses under discussion are irrelevant to our subject; our subject is concerned with the asking of one servant from another servant (of God) whom the former does not regard as lord and god nor an omnipotent master and possessor of the affairs in this world and the hereafter; rather, he regards him as an honorable servant who is loved by God and has been chosen for the station of prophethood or imamah{leadership} and God has promised to grant his supplication on behalf of His servants as He says:

﴿ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا ﴾

“Had they, when they wronged themselves, come to you and pleaded Allah for forgiveness, and the Apostle had pleaded for forgiveness for them, they would have surely found Allah all-clement, all-merciful.” 5

Third: The quoted verses prove clearly that calling on someone{da‘wah} does not mean mere asking for a need or something to be done but a ‘devotional’ call. As such, in one of the verses, the term“‘ibadah” has been mentioned immediately after the word da‘wah:

﴿ وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ ﴾

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, and I will hear you{r supplications}!’ Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.” 6

We notice that at the beginning of the verse, the term“ud‘uni” {call me} is followed by the term“‘ibadati” {My worship} . This testifies to the fact that da‘wah means a particular way of asking or seeking help from certain beings that have been recognized as having divine attributes.

Conclusion

From the three stated preliminaries, we reach the conclusion that the main purport of these Qur’anic verses is prohibition from calling upon the groups of idolaters who regard the idols as partners of God or having the power of intercession, and from any gesture of humility, meekness, or lamentation, seeking assistance, pleading, and request for intercession, or seeking help for the fulfillment of need with the belief that they are gods who have been commissioned to do divine acts and to do some acts related to this world and the hereafter.

What relationship do these verses have with imploring a pure soul which, according to the supplicator has not gone a speck beyond the limit of servitude, but a beloved and honorable servant of God?!

When the Qur’an says:

“وأن المسجد لله فلا تدعوا مع الله أحداً .”

“The places of worship belong to Allah, so do not invoke anyone along with Allah,” 7

it refers to the way the Arabs before Islam called upon the idols, celestial bodies, angels, and jinns that they worshipped. This verse and other related verses are pertaining to calling upon a person or thing deemed as an object of worship.

No doubt, requesting from these beings in such a belief is tantamount to worshipping them. But what do these verses have to do with the idea of asking a person to pray for you without considering that person as god, lord or capable of governing world, but treats him instead as a worthy servant whom God loves?

Some may imagine that one can call on outstanding godly figures only when they are alive and it is an act of polytheism to do so after their demise. In reply, we say:

First: It is from the pure souls of such good servants (of God) as the Prophet and the Imams (‘a) who are, as described by the Qur’anic verses, alive and leading their purgatorial{barzakhi} life, that we seek aid and not from their dead bodies in the ground. And our presence in the vicinity of their shrines contributes to strengthening our communion with and attention to their sacred souls. According to hadiths, in these sites supplications are granted.

Second: Their being alive or dead cannot be a criterion for distinguishing monotheism from polytheism. It is worth noticing that our discussion is about the criteria of polytheism and monotheism, and not about the importance or unimportance of these supplications.

Of course, this issue (that is, the importance or unimportance of this kind of implorations) has been treated elsewhere.

Notes

1. Surah al-Jinn 72:18.

2. Surah Yunus 10:106.

3. Surah Nuh 71:5.

4. Surah Hud 11:101.

5. Surah an-Nisa’ 4:64.

6. Surah al-Ghafir (or Mu’min) 40:60.

7. Surah al-Jinn 72:18.

Question 15: What is bada’ and why do you believe in it?

Reply: In Arabic, the word“bada’” literally means“manifestation” and“appearance” , and in the parlance of Shi‘ah scholars it applies to the change in the natural course of someone’s destiny as a result of his or her righteous and wholesome behavior. The question of bada’ is one of the lofty summits of the dynamic Shi‘i school, which springs from the logic of revelation and intellectual investigation.

From the viewpoint of the Holy Qur’an, man is not always hindered from deciding on his destiny; rather, the path of felicity is open for him, and by reverting to the right path and meritorious conduct he can change the ultimate destination of his life. The Qur’an points to this truth as a universal and permanent principle as follows:

“إن الله لا يغيّر ما بقوم حتى يغيّروا بأنفسهم .”

“Indeed Allah does not change a people’s lot, unless they change what is in their souls.” 1

It also says elsewhere:

﴿ وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى آمَنُواْ وَاتَّقَواْ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاء وَالأَرْضِ ﴾

“If the people of the towns had been faithful and God-wary, We would have opened to them blessings from the heaven and the earth.” 2

And regarding the change in the destiny of Hadrat Yunus (Jonah) (‘a), it says:

“فلولا أنه كان من المسبحين للبث في بطنه إلى يوم يُبعثون .”

“And had he not been one of those who celebrate Allah’s glory, he would have surely remained in its belly till the day they will be resurrected.” 3

Apparently, the latter verse indicates that Prophet Yunus (‘a) would have remained in that particular prison (belly of whale) till the Day of Resurrection were it not for his meritorious conduct (glorifying Allah) which resulted in changing the course of his destiny and safety.

This truth has also been acknowledged by the Islamic traditions. In this regard, the Holy Prophet (S) says:

إن الرجل ليحرم الرزق بالذنب يصيبه ولا يردّ القدر إلا الدعاء ولا يزيد في العمر إلا البرّ

It is due to his sin that one is deprived of his sustenance, and there is nothing that can change one’s destiny and fate except supplications and there is nothing that can prolong one’s lifespan except good deeds. 4

From this and similar hadiths, it can be deduced that on account of man’s sins and disobedience, he is deprived of sustenance but his meritorious acts like supplication can change the course of his destiny and his good deeds can prolong his lifespan.

Conclusion

It can be inferred from the verses of the Qur’an and the Sunnah that the destiny of so many a man is determined, within the framework of his common behavior, on the basis of natural cause and effect and ordinary order of the interplay of actions, and man may be informed by one of the awliya’ of God, prophets or Imams, for example, if this kind of conduct of this person continues, he will face the stated fate, but due to a sudden shift, a different behavior would surface and result in a change in his destiny.

This truth which stems from the logic of revelation, Sunnah of the Prophet (S) and sound intellectual investigation is referred to by the Shi‘ah scholars as bada’.

It is worth noticing that explaining bada’ is among the salient features of Shi‘ism, but this word is also found in the writings of the Ahl as-Sunnah and the speeches of the Holy Prophet (S). For example, the Prophet (S) has used the term“bada’” in the hadith below:

“الله جل وعز أن يبتليهم ”

“The bada’ of Allah, the Glorious and Dignified, is to examine them.” 5

It is necessary to note that the idea of bada’ does not mean that the change will occur in God’s knowledge because God is aware from the beginning of the natural course of man’s behavior and of the effect of the transformative elements which cause bada’, and He does point to this fact in the Qur’an:

“يمحوا الله ما يشاء ويُثبت وعنده أم الكتاب .”

“Allah effaces and confirms whatever He wishes and with Him is the Mother of the Book.” 6

Therefore, at the occurrence of bada’ God, the Exalted, manifests to us the truth, which has been known to Him from the very beginning of existence. As such, Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says:

“ما بدا الله في شئ إلا كان في علمه قبل أن يبدوله ”

“Bada’ has never happened unless God is aware of it from the very beginning of existence.” 7

The philosophy behind bada’

No doubt, if man knows that he has access to changing his own destiny, he will be at the threshold of building a better future and will endeavor with a better spirit and greter efforts to improve his conduct in life.

In other words, just as repentance{tawbah} and intercession{shafa‘ah} save man from feeling of hopelessness and getting bored in life, the truth of bada’ brings to him mirth and joy and makes him full of optimism for the future. With this outlook, man knows that he can, through the decree of God, the Exalted, change his destiny and move toward a better future and more splendorous destiny.

Notes

1. Surah ar-Ra‘d 13:11.

2. Surah al-A‘raf 7:96.

3. Surah as-Saffat 37:143-144.

4. Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 5, p. 277; Mustadrak al-Hakim, vol. 1, p. 493; and a similar narration in At-Taj al-Jami‘ li’l-Usul, vol. 5, p. 111.

5. Majd ad-Din Mubarak ibn Muhammad al-Juzri, An-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa’l-Athar, vol. 1, p. 109.

6. Surah ar-Ra‘d 13:39.

7. Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, “Kitab at-Tawhid,” “Bab al-Bada’,” hadith 9.

Question 16: Do the Shi‘ah believe in the tahrif {distortion} of the Qur’an?

Reply: Renowned Shi‘ah scholars are of the opinion that the Holy Qur’an is free from any kind of tahrif{distortion} , and the version of the Qur’an which is in our hands today is the same as the heavenly book which was revealed to the Holy Prophet (S) and it has been subject to no deletion or addition. In order to clarify this point, let us consider pieces of evidence that follow:

1. The Lord of the worlds has guaranteed the Muslims to preserve and protect the heavenly scripture, i.e. the Qur’an, saying:

“إنا نحن نزلنا الذكر وإنا له لحافظون .”

“Indeed We have sent down the Reminder and indeed We will preserve it.” 1

It is obvious that when the Shi‘ah in the world take the Qur’an as the reliable basis of their thinking and action, they recognize the value of this noble verse and believe in the message it conveys regarding God’s protection and preservation of the Book of Allah.

2. The great Imam followed by the Shi‘ah, ‘Ali (‘a), who was always in the company of the Holy Prophet (S) and one of the scribers of the revelation, has called people on various occasions to abide by this very Qur’an. Below are some of what he has said in this regard:

“واعلموا أن هذا القرءان هو الناصح الذي لا يغش والهادي الذي لا يضلّ ”

“Know that this Qur’an is the adviser that never deceives and the guide that never misleads.” 2

“إن الله سبحانه لم يعظ أحداً بمثل هذا القرءان فإنه حبل الله والتين سببه المبين ”

“Allah, the Glorified, has not admonished anyone as He has done through lines of this Qur’an; it is Allah’s strong cord and His trustworthy means.” 3

“ثم أنزل عليه الكتاب نوراً لا تطفأ مصابيحه وسراجاً لا يخبوا توقّده ومنهاجاً لا يضلّ نهجه وفرقاناً لا يخمد برهانه ”

Then, Allah sent to him the Book as a light whose flames cannot be extinguished, a lamp whose gleam does not die, a way whose direction does not mislead, and a separator (of good from evil) whose arguments do not weaken.4

The magnificent words of the great leader of the Shi‘ah make it clear that the Holy Qur’an is like a radiant light which always illuminates the path of the human beings who abide by it and it is subject to no change that causes its flames to extinguish or human beings to get lost.

3. The Shi‘ah scholars have consensus of opinion that the Holy Prophet (S) has said:“Verily, I am leaving among you Two Weighty Things: the first is the Book of Allah (Qur’an) and the other is my progeny, the members of my Household {Ahl al-Bayt}. If you hold fast to them, you will never go astray.”

This hadith is among the mutawatir hadiths, which has been narrated by both the Shi‘ah and the Sunni. From the aforementioned statement, it is obvious that the Shi‘ah believe that the Book of Allah (the Qur’an) will undergo no alteration; for, if it undergoes any tahrif{distortion} , holding fast to it will neither guarantee guidance nor eliminate misguidance, and this does not accord with what has been confirmed by the text{nass} of this mutawatir hadith.

4. The traditions of the Imams followed by the Shi‘ah, which have been narrated by all our scholars and jurists confirm that the Qur’an is the criterion for distinguishing truth from falsehood and the standard by which good is separated from evil in the sense that any statement, including the“hadiths” that came down to us should be judged according to the Qur’an. If it is in agreement with its verses, it is correct and authentic; otherwise, it is deemed a fabrication and incorrect.

The Shi‘ah books of jurisprudence and hadith include a lot of narrations in this regard. We shall only quote one of them:

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says:

“ما لم يُوافق من الحديث القرءان فهو زُخرف ”

“Any statement that is not in accord with the Qur’an is futile and false.” 5

It is also clear from these hadiths that alteration has no place in the Qur’an, and thus, this sacred book can forever be a criterion for recognizing the difference between truth and falsehood.

5. Great Shi‘ah scholars, who have always been the forerunners of the Islamic and Shi‘i culture acknowledge that the Holy Qur’an will never be altered. These great figures are too many to enumerate, therefore we shall point to only some of them:

a. Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Husayn Babawayh al-Qummi, known as“Saduq” (d. 381 AH), says:

Our belief regarding the Qur’an is that it is God’s Word and revelation; it is a book which is free from falsehood and incorrectness and it has been sent down by God, the All-wise, and He is its guardian. 6

b. Sayyid Murtada ‘Ali ibn Husayn Musawi ‘Alawi, known as ‘Alam al-Huda (d. 436 AH), says:

A group of the Prophet’s Companions such as ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b and others recited the Qur’an from the beginning to the end to the Holy Prophet (S) many times and all of them confirm that the Qur’an has been compiled and well arranged, and it is free from any deletion and dispersion. 7

c. Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Hasan at-Tusi, known as“Shaykh at-Ta’ifah” (d. 460 AH), says:

As for the talk about the imperfection and addition in the Qur’an, it cannot be covered in this book; for, all Muslims have consensus of opinion that nothing has been added to the Qur’an, and regarding the supposition of imperfection, it is rejected by Muslims. The idea of the absence of addition is more concordant with our school.

This idea has been acknowledged and approved by Sayyid Murtada and the outward meaning of hadiths also confirms this fact. A small number of Shi‘ah and Sunni narrators points to the narrations which talk about the imperfection and alteration in the Qur’anic verses. These narrations which have been transmitted by Shi‘ah and Sunni are among the ‘solitary reports’8 which need not to be known or abided by, and they had better be discarded.9

d. Abu ‘Ali at-Tabarsi, the author of an exegesis named Majma‘ al-Bayan, says:

Regarding the idea of addition in the Qur’an, the entire Islamic ummah has consensus of opinion that it is groundless, and regarding the mutilation of its verses, a small number of our companions and a group of the Hashawiyyah sect of the Ahl as-Sunnah have transmitted narrations which assume that there is addition in the Qur’an, but the thing which our school accepts and regards as correct is the opposite. 10

e. ‘Ali ibn Tawus al-Hilli, known as“Sayyid Ibn Tawus” (d. 664 AH), says:“The Shi‘ah view is that no alteration has taken place in the Qur’an.” 11

f. Shaykh Zayn ad-Din al-‘Amili (d. 877 AH) explains the following verse,

“إنا نحن نزلنا الذكر وإنا له لحافظون .”

“Indeed We have sent down the Reminder and indeed We will preserve it” 12

and says it means:“We (Allah) shall protect and keep the Qur’an from any alteration, change and addition.” 13

g. Qadi Sayyid Nur ad-Din Tustari, the author of the book, Ihqaq al-Haqq (d. 1019 AH), says:

What some say about the Imamiyyah Shi‘ah that they believe in the alteration of the Qur’an is not accepted by all the Shi‘ah. Only very few of them have such a belief to which the Shi‘ah give no attention.14

h. Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, known as“Baha’uddin al-‘Amili” (d. 1030 AH), says:

The correct view is that the Magnificent Qur’an is immune from any form of addition or imperfection and the claim that the name of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) has been omitted from the Qur’an is not accepted by learned scholars.

Anyone who delves into history and traditions knows that on account of the tawatur15 of the traditions and narration transmitted by thousands of the Companions, the Qur’an is intact and fixed and the entirety of it has been compiled in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (S). 16

i. Fayd al-Kashani, the author of the book, Al-Wafi (d. 1091 AH), who mentions the verse,

“إنا نحن نزلنا الذكر وإنا له لحافظون .”

“Indeed We have sent down the Reminder and indeed We will preserve it,” 17

in addition to other Qur’anic verses which verify that the Qur’an has been preserved from any kind of alteration, says:

At this point, how is it possible that tahrif {distortion} and alteration will take place in the Qur’an? Besides, what has been related about the existence of tahrif contradicts what the Book of Allah says. So, such traditions must be regarded as groundless. 18

j. Shaykh Hurr al-‘Amili (d. 1104 AH), says:

A researcher of history and hadith knows well that on account of the tawatur of traditions and narrations of thousands of the Companions, the Qur’an is intact and fixed and has been compiled with utter accuracy and arranged in the lifetime of the Prophet (S). 19

k. The great researcher, Kashif al-Ghita’, in his renowned book, Kashf al-Ghita’, says:

No doubt the Qur’an, owing to the divine protection and preservation, has been preserved from any deletion (and alteration). This fact has been verified by the Qur’an and scholars’ consensus of opinion of all periods. And the opposition of a small group is not worth considering.

l. Also, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Hadrat Ayatullah al-‘Uzma Imam Khomeini (q) has a statement in this regard. This statement which we shall quote below is another clear proof:

Anyone, who is aware of the great care taken by the Muslims in compiling, preserving, recording, reciting, and writing the Qur’an will testify to the groundlessness of the notion of “distortion of the Qur’an”, and consider it unbelievable.

Also, the accounts that have been transmitted in this regard will be found either so ‘weak’{da‘if} that they lack soundness of judgment, or so ‘unknown’{majhul} that they seem obviously fabricated, or are narrations of other sorts, the explication of which needs writing a comprehensive book.

And were it not for the fear of deviating from the point in question, we would explain the course of history of the Qur’an over the past centuries and make clear that the Glorious Qur’an is exactly the same version of heavenly book which is in our hands, and concerning the difference of opinion among the reciters of the Qur’an, it is something new, which has nothing to do with what Jibra’il al-Amin (Archangel Gabriel the Trustworthy) has brought down onto the pure heart of the Holy Prophet (S).20

Conclusion

The Muslims, both Shi‘ah and Sunni, are of the opinion that the present version of this heavenly book is the same as the original version of the Qur’an which was sent down onto the Holy Prophet (S), and that it is safe from any form of distortion, alteration, addition, and deletion.

This is solid evidence to the groundlessness of the unfair accusation against the Shi‘ah, and if the transmission of pertinent ‘weak’ narrations has led to this accusation, it is worth noticing that such narrations have not been transmitted only by a small faction of the Shi‘ah but also by a group of Sunni exegetes{mufassirun} . Below are some examples:

1. Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Ansari al-Qurtubi in his exegesis narrates on the authority of Abubakr al-Anbazi from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, that in the lifetime of the Prophet (S) Surah al-Ahzab (with 73 verses) was the same size as Surah al-Baqarah (with 286 verses) and the ‘verse of stoning’{ayah ar-rajam} was in that Surah. Now, such alleged verse is not found in Surah al-Ahzab!21

And it is stated in the same book that ‘A’ishah is reported to have said:

“In the lifetime of the Prophet (S) Surah al-Ahzab had 200 verses. Then, after the mushaf was written, we do not find more than that which the present version has!” 22

2. The author of the book, Al-Itqan narrates that the number of surahs in Ubayy ibn Ka‘b’s mushaf was 116 because two other surahs called Hafd and Khal‘ were included therein.23

What we all know is that the Holy Qur’an has 114 surahs and there is no trace of such two surahs like Hafd and Khal‘ in the Qur’an.

3. Hibat Allah ibn Salamah, in his book, An-Nasikh wa’l-Mansukh, narrates that Anas ibn Malik is reported to have said:

In the lifetime of the Prophet (S), when we recited the Qur’an we used to read a surah which was similar in size to Surah at-Tawbah (Bara‘ah) in length, and all that I remember of it is only one verse, and that is:

“لو أن لإبن أدم واديان من الذهب لابتغى إليهما ثالثاً ولو أن له ثالثاً لبتغى إليهما رابعاً لأيملاء و جوف إبن أدم إلا التراب و يتوب الله على من تاب ”

“Should the Children of Adam have two valleys of gold, he would ask for a third and should he have three he would ask for a fourth. Nothing can fill the bellies of the Children of Adam except dust. God accepts the repentance of those who repent.”

This is while we know that there is no such a verse in the Qur’an, and when we consider its eloquence{balaghah} we find that it is essentially inharmonious.

4. Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti, in his exegesis, Al-Durr al-Manthur, reports on the authority of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab that Surah al-Ahzab was similar in length to Surah al-Baqarah and the verse of stoning was part of the former surah.24

A small group of both the Shi‘ah and the Sunni schools have narrated ‘weak’{da‘if} and untenable traditions on“the occurrence of alteration in the Qur’an” . According to the vast majority of the Muslims - both Shi‘ah and Sunni - these weak narrations are not acceptable.

According to the Qur’anic verses, authentic{sahih} and mutawatir traditions, consensus{ijma‘} and unanimity of thousands of the Companions of the Prophet (S) and consensus of opinion of the Muslims of the world no such tahrif, alteration, addition, or deletion has taken place and it will never take place.

Notes

1. Surah al-Hijr 15:9.

2. Nahj al-Balaghah (Subhi as-Salih), Sermon 176.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid., Sermon 198.

5. Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, “Kitab Fadl al-‘Ilm,” “Bab al-Akhdh bi’s-Sunnah wa Shawahid al-Kitab,” hadith 4.

6. Al-I‘tiqadat, p. 93.

7. Majma‘ al-Bayan, vol. 1, p. 10 as quoted from the reply to Al-Masa’il at-Tarablusiyyat by Sayyid Murtada.

8. Khabar al-wahid or ahad: Although termed ‘solitary report’, this refers to any report that is not mutawatir. {Trans.}

9. At-Tibyan, vol. 1, p. 3.

10. Majma‘ al-Bayan, vol. 1, p. 10.

11. Sa‘d as-Su‘ud, p. 144.

12. Surah al-Hijr 15:9.

13. Izhar al-Haqq, vol. 2, p. 130.

14. Ala’ ar-Rahman, p. 25.

15. By tawatur is meant the multiplicity of the sources of a certain report that leads to certitude in the listener that the report is indeed true. A mutawatir hadith is one which has been reported by so many different chains of transmission and such a number of narrators in every generation as normally could not agree to fabricate a tradition without the fact of its fabrication becoming known. {Trans.}

16. Ala’ ar-Rahman, p. 25.

17. Surah al-Hijr 15:9.

18. Tafsir as-Safi, vol. 1, p. 51.

19. Ala’ ar-Rahman, p. 25.

20. Tahdhib al-Usul, “Accounts of Imam Khomeini’s Lectures”, vol. 2, p. 96 {written by Professor Ja‘far Subhani}.

21. Tafsir al-Qurtubi, vol. 14, p. 113, the beginning of the commentary on Surah al-Ahzab.

22. Ibid.

23. Al-Itqan, vol. 1, p. 67.

24. Ad-Durr al-Manthur, vol. 5, p. 180, the beginning of the commentary on Surah al-Ahzab.