Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

www.alhassanain.org/english

The Final Conclusion- Your Journey to Certainty

Author(s): Dr. Hatem Abu Shahba

Translator(s): Jerrmein Abu Shahba

www.alhassanain.org/english

This text is directed to everyone; those who are looking for the Right Path, those who are lost and who need spiritual guidance, and also those who have already identified the true path but would like to reaffirm and strengthen their faith and beliefs. The author, Dr. Hatem Abu Shahba, takes the reader in an exceptional and rewarding spiritual journey with the sincere attempt to discover the truth and build the foundations of our faith from scratch using logic and common sense only and with an open mind that is ready to accept the truth wherever it is.

Miscellaneous information:

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book. Cover Photo © 2011 Jupiter Images Corporation. All rights reserved - used with permission. This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. ISBN: 978-1-4507651-7-6 Translated and Co-published: Jerrmein Abu Shahba jerrmein@yahoo.com PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Notice:

This version is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The composing errors are not corrected.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Translator’s Introduction 11

1st Case Study: The Divine Presence 13

1st Research Topic: Logical Reasoning and Inevitability behind the Existence of God 13

1st Conclusion 19

2nd Research Topic Logical Reasoning and Inevitability that There Exists Only ONE Creator 19

2nd Conclusion 25

3rd Research Topic: The Logical, Expected, and Essential Attributes of God the Creator 25

3rd Conclusion 30

4th Research Topic: Logical Reasoning and Inevitability that God the Creator Announces His Presence 31

4th Conclusion 33

5th Research Topic: The Wisdom and Goal Behind the Existence of Creation Who Are Created By God 33

5th Conclusion 35

6th Research Topic: The Prophets and Messengers - Logical Reasoning and Inevitability of Their Existence, Their Trustworthiness and Their Nature, as well as The Nature of Their Message 35

6th Conclusion 48

2nd Case Study: Muhammad - The Messenger of God and the Seal of Prophets and Messengers 50

1st Research Topic - Logical Reasoning and Inevitability of the Termination of Prophethood and Divine Revelations 50

1st Conclusion 52

2nd Research Topic - Logical Reasoning and Essentiality Behind the Trustworthiness of the Prophecy of Muhammad as the Seal of Messengers Who Delivers the Final and Universal Divine Revelation to all of Humanity 52

2nd Conclusion 66

3rd Research Topic - The Nature of Islam and the Final Muhammadan Message: Logic and Inevitability of Accepting and Abiding By This Religion 66

3rd Conclusion 82

3rd Case Study: Ali - The Appointed Guardian From God, the Executor of the Prophet's Will and His Successor 85

1st Research Topic - Logical Reasoning and Inevitability of the Existence of Guardians and Successors For Every Prophet by Divine Appointment and the Meaning of ‘Wali’ 85

1st Conclusion 91

2nd Research Topic - Logical and Expected Attributes of the Guardians and Successors of the Prophets and Messengers Who Are Chosen by God 92

2nd Conclusion 95

3rd Research Topic - Logical Reasoning Behind the Presence of a Guardian and Successor for Muhammad - the Seal of Prophets and Messengers 95

3rd Conclusion: 99

4th Research Topic - Logical Proofs that Ali ibn Abi Taleb is the Awaited Guardian (Wasi) and Successor of the Seal of Prophets and Messengers - Muhammad 99

4rth Conclusion 140

4th Case Study: The Eleven Executors of Will, Leaders (Imams), Guardians, and Proofs of God 143

1st Research Topic - Logical Reasoning Behind the Inevitability of Continuous Guardianship and Successorship after Ali ibn Abi Taleb over the Final Revelation 143

1st Conclusion 151

2nd Research Topic - The Logical and Expected Attributes of the Guardians over the Final Islamic Message after the First Guardian - Ali ibn Abi Taleb 151

2nd Conclusion 156

3rd Research Topic - Logical Proofs that the Eleven Sons and Grandsons of Ali ibn Abi Taleb are the Appointed Guardians over the Final Islamic Message after the First Successor Ali ibn Abi Taleb 157

3rd Conclusion 178

5th Case Study: The Twelfth Imam, the Occulted & Awaited One, the Sustainer and Rising One - Al Hujjah ibn Al-Hasan Al-Mahdi 182

1st Research Topic - Logical Reasoning and Inevitability of Termination of the Divinely-Appointed Guardians and Chosen Leaders (Imams) 182

1st Conclusion 185

2nd Research Topic - Logical Reasoning and Inevitability of the Continuation of Both the Guardianship and the Relationship Between the Heavens and the Earth, the Caretaking and Safeguarding of the Final Revelation 185

2nd Conclusion 189

3rd Research Topic - Logical Reasoning and Essentiality of the Divine Protection to the Last Guardian (12th Wasi) From Being killed By the Tyrannical Rulers, and the Method for Accomplishing This Goal 189

3rd Conclusion 194

4th Research Topic - Logical Evidence Behind the Continued Presence of the Awaited Mahdi throughout Time While in Occultation, then his Return and Reappearance on Earth at the End of Time 194

4rth Conclusion 206

5th Research Topic - How Does The Awaited Mahdi Execute the Duties of Guardianship Over the Final Message While He is Veiled From the Eyes and Physical Senses? 207

5th Conclusion 215

Conclusion 217

Preface

In The Name of God, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful

“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.” - Nikos Kazantzakis

“Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord.” - 1 Chron [16:10]

“Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long.” - Psalms [25:5]

“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding.” - Prov [3:13]

“Oh my People, follow the Messengers!” - Holy Quran [36:20]

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Dear Reader, dear human being, wherever you are and whichever time you exist, whether you are a believer or not, Muslim or not, monotheist or polytheist, fair or unjust, good or evil, righteous or corrupt, good-doer or sinner, truthful or liar, faithful or hypocrite, lover or hater, sane or foolish, whether you are interested or indifferent, white-skinned or black, yellow or brown, Arab or non-Arab, in China you reside or in America, in Europe you reside or in Africa, in India you reside or in Spain…all that does not matter. What is important is that you are a human being with a spirit and a unique being, with a heart and a pair of eyes, with ears, tongue, hands and legs…and most importantly a brain with sound intellect, intelligence and the ability to recognize and sense.

This is what makes you different from the animal kingdom and elevates you to the rank of a human being. Dear human reader, I present this clarification to you and I call upon you by every sacred, valuable and beloved thing to you. I invite you to begin reading these pages with full concentration, thought, insight, and with all patience and effort to dedicate sometime for yourself. I call upon you to live these words that you’re about to read and follow the thoughts, suggestions, logic, proofs, questions, certainty, possibilities, rejected thoughts, accepted ideas, equations, calculations, results and conclusions.

I present all that to your mind and intellect that is free from any previous knowledge, fanaticism, leniency, and from every belief or intimacy. I ask you to empty everything inside you except your brainpower, intelligence, sound judgment and wisdom. Do not bring anything with you except your common sense which is agreed upon by any human being.

Dear reader, be patient since this is all for your benefit. In the end, it will not hurt you and you have nothing to lose. Rather, you may gain some benefit, advantage, or profit, so this possibility certainly deserves your attention and patience. In the end, the decision is yours and the final judgment is in your own hands. But do not let anyone prevent you from reaping its fruits.

So stand up against every attempt to prevent you from using your logic and sound judgment, for there are always those who desire to discourage you from using your mind and try to lead you astray. After all, it is the right of your intellect that you give it an opportunity even for once, to make its judgment by itself. No one ever regretted when they saw the light, embraced it, and dealt with the truth. We offer this advice to you sincerely and we leave the decision up to you. As a known philosopher (Descartes) once said, “I think, therefore I am!”

Now, let us start our journey together from the very beginning. Extend your hand to me and let us promise each other that we search together for the truth and reject what is clearly far from the truth. That we accept the truth regardless of whether we find it sweet or bitter. Let us go ahead without further ado, in our intellectual journey until we reach our desired destination. So go ahead and flip the page and let us start in our first research topic of this book, Building Blocks of Faith.

Translator’s Introduction

When I first picked up the case studies in this compilation of work to read, little did I know what I was to embark on! By the time I finished reading this precious work, I was convinced that the thoughts presented here were divinely inspired. I was very impressed, yet I felt a bit of shame. I was glad and lucky to have read and absorbed the thoughts presented in these chapters as I felt that my faith have become revived and strengthened from its very foundation. Yet, I wondered why didn’t I (as human being with a healthy and functional brain) ever ask myself these questions posed in this work, without having someone else lift my attention to it? And if I did ask myself these questions, would have I reached the conclusions reached by logical deduction?

This piece of work which I consider to be a “masterpiece” is written by an humble, wise, and sincere servant of God, my esteemed father whom I consider to be my teacher and mentor at the very least. Because of its dire importance and value, we sought to translate this work by the grace of God which was originally written in Arabic and is now available in English to accommodate a vast population of readers.

This work is unique in that it is directed to everyone who has a sane and healthy mind, regardless of their color, race, creed, or sect they belong to. It takes the hand of every human being and walks them step by step in the journey of guidance, in order to build the foundation of their faith from scratch, while disregarding any prior belief or influence, whether from our upbringing or societies we live in. Even if the building of faith is already present, it is still worth the time for you read this work and embark on this journey to renovate, reconstruct, and inspect this building from the bottom and up, just like a home inspector who routinely conducts an inspection of a house or building.

The thoughts presented in this work are based simply on two things:

1) Common Sense and Logical Deduction.

2) Facts in History which are definite and accurate.

It is directed to people of all backgrounds, classes, and levels of education. There are no prerequisites to reading these research topics. You don’t need to own a bank account or earn a college degree. You don’t need to come from a high class family or be a citizen in your homeland. You don’t need to own a house or have connections. No pens or paper need! All the reader needs are two important tools in order to fully benefit from the thoughts presented in this valuable compilation of work. These tools, which are readily available to every sane person, are:

1) Logical Reasoning-that is, working the Mind and using basic rules of logic and common sense that are inherently born within us and is universal across all human beings.

2) Open-Mindedness-that is, the desire and motivation to search for guidance. This entails the willingness to accept the truth when it is obvious and reject falsehood when it is exposed.

The reader is advised to read the material sequentially and start from the bottom of the building before getting to the roof. This way, every brick will be appropriately placed in its position until the final brick is placed at the very top of the building. The purpose will be met best in this way and will avoid the reader from having any bias whatsoever.

So let us throw all of our preexisting thoughts behind our backs and start with a clean white piece of paper. Let us sharpen our minds and put on our thinking caps. Our only motivation now is to sincerely find the truth and accept it, regardless of where we find it and whether or not it matches our preexisting thoughts. Let us promise ourselves to readily accept the truth when it stares us in the face and to reject falsehood and nonsense when it is clearly exposed. With that said, you are ready to pack your bags in preparation to travel in your journey of guidance!