The Shi'a and Their Beliefs

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The Shi'a and Their Beliefs Author:
Translator: Ali Adam
Publisher: Fountain Books
Category: Various Books
ISBN: 1-903323-12-6

The Shi'a and Their Beliefs
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The Shi'a and Their Beliefs

The Shi'a and Their Beliefs

Author:
Publisher: Fountain Books
ISBN: 1-903323-12-6
English

www.alhassanain.org/english

The Shi'a and their Beliefs

Author: Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Al-Shirazi

Translated by: Ali Adam

Published by: Fountain Books

Frist English edition, 2008

ISBN: 1-903323-12-6

www.alhassanain.org/english

Notice:

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

The composing errors are not corrected.

Table of Contents

Foreword 7

The Shia in Brief 9

The Creed of Shia and Sunna 11

Introducing the Shia 12

Islam in the View of the Shia 14

1. Shia Doctrine 14

2. Shia View of Islamic Law 16

The Five Laws 17

Sources of Islamic Law 18

Governance in Islam 19

Power in Islam 20

Sources of Public Wealth 21

Islamic Freedom 22

3. The Islamic System in the View of the Shia 24

Shiite Doctrine 28

Divine Unity (tawhid) 28

Prophethood (nubuwwah) 29

The Prophets 30

Islam 31

The Qur’an 33

Direction of Prayer 34

Imamate 35

The Awaited Imam Mahdi 36

Infallibility 37

Allegiance and Dissociation 38

Resurrection 39

Divine Decree 40

Compulsion and Delegation 41

Dissimulation 42

Temporary Marriage 43

Prostrating upon Pure Earth 44

Combining the Prayers 45

Intercession 46

The Building of Shrines 47

The Visiting of Graves 48

Weeping and Mourning for Imam Husayn 49

No to Slandering and Excommunication 50

Mandatory Duties and Islamic Laws 51

Islamic Morals 52

The Single Nation 53

Cleaning up Society 54

Restoring the Glory of Islam 55

Invitation to Islam 56

Awakening the Muslims 57

Shia Culture 58

General Statistics 58

The Shia and the History of Islam 59

The Shia and Islamic Sciences 60

Successors of the Prophet 61

A Brief History of the Imams 62

Fatima al-Zahra’ daughter of the Prophet 63

Hadith from Fatimah al-Zahra’(AS) 63

The First Imam 65

The Virtues of Ali 65

Hadith from Amir-ul-Mu’minin (AS) 66

Amir-ul-Mu’minin, Imam Ali (AS) also said: 66

The Second Imam 70

Hadith from Imam Hassan (AS) 70

The Third Imam 72

What others have said about Imam Husayn 73

The Fourth Imam 74

Hadith from Imam Zayn al-A idin (A) 74

The Fifth Imam 76

Hadith from Imam Baqir (A) 76

What others have said about Imam Muhammad al-Baqir 77

The Sixth Imam 78

Hadith from Imam Sadiq (A) 78

What others have said about Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq 79

The Seventh Imam 80

Hadith from Imam Kadim (A) 80

What others have said about Imam Musa al-Kadim 81

The Eighth Imam 82

Hadith from Imam Rida(A) 82

What others have said about Imam Ali al-Rida 83

The Ninth Imam 84

Hadith from Imam Jawad (A) 84

The Tenth Imam 86

Hadith from Imam Had i (A) 86

The Eleventh Imam 88

Hadith from Imam Askari (A) 88

What others have said about Imam Hasan al-Askari 88

The Twelfth Imam 90

Hadith from Imam Mahdi (A): 90

Evidence for the Shiite Point of View 92

The Evidence for the Successorship of Ali 92

1. The Warning of his close family 92

2. The Day of Ghadir 92

3. The tradition of the ‘station’ 93

4. Successorship of other Imams from Prophet’s family 93

5. The tradition of the two weighty things 94

6. The tradition of the Ark 95

Shiism in the eyes of Sunni scholars 96

Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi 97

Shaykh Shaltut 98

The Edict in Full 99

Shaykh Muhmoud Shaltut answered: 100

Sources for Information on Shiism 100

Afterword 101

Transliteration 102

The Author 105

Notes 107

Foreword

In ancient times before human beings stepped upon this earth, a dialogue took place. The angels of the heavens were surrounding the divine throne glorifying the praises of their Lord and never wearying. When Almighty Allah willed it He created mankind, and the dialogue began, as the scene is depicted for us in the Quran thus: “Now your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am placing a vicegerent (khalifah) in the earth.’ They said: ‘Will you place therein one who will cause corruption therein and shed blood, while we glorify your praise and exalt you?’ He said: ‘I know what you do not know1 .

Allah creates Adam, peace be upon him, and he descends to the earth bearing within himself ideas, feelings and needs. Little by little the number of individuals increases and societies grow. Some individuals stand face to face in battle and war for their own selves and their interests. Here the mercy of Allah becomes apparent in that he sends messengers and prophets for the guidance of mankind and to save them from the seas of ignorance and error, and take them to felicity and comfort.

But mankind rebels against the prophets and messengers and instead of engaging them in insightful dialogue creates a rowdy atmosphere which takes many forms including refusing to listen, throwing stones, scorning, fathers preventing sons [from following the messengers], and, at its most severe, murder and dissension. On the other hand, we see the behaviour of the prophets and the messengers - kind words, replying to bad with good, bearing hardships, and so on which stems from their faith and their refusal to adopt these violent means.

The dialogue continued on this course until Islam came. Amongst the scenes depicted for us by the Holy Quran regarding the dialogue which took place in ancient times, we see that mankind is invited to reflection and to peaceful and purposeful dialogue and to return to the Allah given human nature (fitrah ) and to disavow violence in discussing the issues that concern him.

We notice always in the dialogue that there is a truth which is right and proper to follow after its features have been made clear and the shadows have been removed from it, and after its vital form has been given to it in order to arrive at the desired reality. Dialogue has a number of courtesies which should be observed during discussions, many of which are laid out for us in the Holy Quran in a number of verses, for example invitation [to Islam] with wisdom and fine preaching2 ; demonstrating clear proofs and evidences3 ; listening and then following the best of speech4 , and so on.

It is on this basis that that the late supreme religious authority Imam Sayyid Muhammad al-Husayn: al-Shirazi, he of encyclopaedic knowledge, universal thought and scope, and Islamic output, undertakes to introduce the school of the household of the Prophet Muhammad (ahl al-bayt), peace be upon them, so that the world may come to know their straight way and the benevolent message of Islam and the happiness it leads to in this world and the next.

Imam Shirazi wrote in a simple and attractive style, and his writings have been translated into a number of languages, and they are distributed in the greatest of Islamic conferences namely the yearly .ajj pilgrimage. This book constitutes a collection of Imam Shirazi’s short works regarding the school of the Prophet’s household which clarify many misconceptions about the school.

The Shia in Brief

The Shia (or Shi’ites) are those Muslims who follow [after the Prophet Muhammad] Ali ibn Abi Talib Commander of the Believers, and his pure progeny, peace be upon them.5 They constitute more than 500 million people and are spread throughout all the Muslim lands and make up minorities of differing number in most other countries of the world. Their numbers have increased day by day particularly since the crystallisation of Islamic thoughts and the opening of the door to dialogue and the rejection of blind partisanship.

They believe in Allah as their Lord, Cherisher and Sustainer, in Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him6 , as their prophet, in Islam as their religion, in the Quran as their holy book, in the Kabah in Mecca as their direction of prayer (qiblah), in the questioning in the grave by the angels Munkar and Nakir, in the accounting on the day of resurrection, in heaven and hell, and in all that Allah’s messenger - Muhammad (S) - brought from his Lord.

They also establish the daily prayer (Salah), and pay the ftithe (khums) and obligatory alms (zakah), and they fast the month of Ramazan, and make pilgrimage to the Holy House in Mecca, and they make it incumbent to struggle with might and main (jihad) in the way of elevating the word of Islam, and they enjoin what is good and they forbid what is bad, and they ally themselves with the friends of Allah, and are against the enemies of Allah. They are foremost in good and charitable deeds, and are steadfast in fulfilling extra and recommended acts of worship, and adopting virtues and avoiding unlawful things and vices.

They believe that Islam is a complete religion which was revealed by Allah for the happiness of mankind. Hence, everything in Islam should be implemented in the various areas of life since there is no happiness without implementing the laws of Islam and having no need for the laws of the east or the west.

Almighty Allah has said: “And whoever desires other than Islam as a religion, it will never be accepted from him and in the afterlife he will be amongst the losers7 Also, in the traditions it is said: ‘That which Muhammad has declared lawful will remain lawful until the day of resurrection and that which he has declared unlawful will remain unlawful until the day of resurrection’8 . They also believe that it is obligatory to unite the Muslims under one banner as Almighty Allah has ordered: “And hold on firmly to the rope of Allah and do not be disunited9 and eAnd do not dispute amongst yourselves so that you will fail and your power will go10 .

They also believe that it is necessary to solve the differences that have arisen and caused disunity between Muslims, doing so in the light of the book of Allah and the authentic traditions (sunnah) far from different groupings and hateful and unwarranted partisanships and cliques.

They also believe that any law which goes against Islam is unlawful and wrong and should not be acted upon, as Almighty Allah has said: “And whoever does not rule by what Allah has revealed, then they are the unbelievers11 .

The top scholars of the Sunni school of thought have ruled that it is permissible to follow and adopt the Shiite school of thought. They include Shaykh Mahmud Shaltut the former rector of the University of al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt and others.

The Shia are distinguished in that they hold that the door to independent legal judgement (ijtihad) remains open; and in that reason (aql) is central to the divine law as well as the Quran, the traditions and consensus. They have a glowing history from the dawn of the message of Islam until today. The Shiite element was the most active in establishing Islamic thought and in building Islamic civilisation. They have to their credit innumerable writings.12 They have a tremendous number of schools, institutes, libraries, scholars and preachers in Islamic and non-Islamic lands.

They controlled [throughout history] a number of states in differing lands.13 They distinguished themselves throughout history with their long struggle against the unbelievers, the crusaders, the heretics, the Zionists and the colonialists. All along the way there was between them and their Sunni brothers brotherhood and friendship and interaction and companionship.

They are found today in most if not all of the countries of the world. However, the main Shia population centres are Iraq, Iran, the Gulf states, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Indonesia. Currently thay have educational and cultural institutes and top scholars in Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, Kadhimiyyah, Samarra, Beirut, Cairo, Qum, Khurasan, Tehran, Karachi, Mumbai, Jakarta, Kuwait, Qatar, Ahsa’ and QaUif provinces (Arabia), Afghanistan, Damascus, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, African countries, Europe, America and elsewhere.14

The Creed of Shia and Sunna

The world’s Muslims are divided into two groups - the Shia who number more than 500 millions, and the Sunnis who make up the rest of the Muslims. There is no difference between the two groups regarding the three fundamentals of the religion which are:

1. Belief in monotheism (tawhid).

2. Belief in prophethood (nubuwwah).

3. Belief in the resurrection (maad).

All Muslims believe in the existence of the one diety who is eternal and everlasting, all-knowing and all powerful, ever living and self subsisting, having no partner, and having all the beautiful attributes.

All Muslims also believe that Allah sent rightly guided prophets to mankind as guides to direct them to the truth and to happiness in this world and the next, and that Muhammad ibn Abdullah (S) is the ‘seal’ or last of the prophets and that there is no prophet to come after him. Similarly, all Muslims believe that when a person dies and his/her body perishes his/her soul (or spirit) remains and he/she will be brought back to life on the day of resurrection. Whoever has done good in the earthly life will be of the people of the garden of heaven and bliss, and whoever has done ill in the earthly life will be of the people of punishment and hellfire.

As for divine justice (adl)15 , the Shia believe that Almighty Allah is just and does not wrong anyone and does not act without purpose.

And as for Imamate, the Shia believe also that the Prophet of Islam Muhammad (S) appointed twelve successors and said: ‘The successors (khulafa’) after me will be twelve.’16 He (S) also said: ‘Whoever dies without knowing the Imam (leader) of his time has died the death of the age of ignorance.’17 These twelve successors were named18 by the messenger of Allah (S) himself and they are, in order:

1. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (Amir al-Mo’mineen) (a.s.).

2. Imam Hasan ibn Ali. (al-Mujtaba) (a.s.).

3. Imam Husayn ibn Ali (Sayyid al-Shuhada) (a.s.).

4. Imam Ali ibn Husayn (al-Sajjad) (a.s.).

5. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali (al-Baqir) (a.s.).

6. Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad (al-Sadiq) (a.s.).

7. Imam Musa ibn Jafar (al-Kadim) (a.s.).

8. Imam Ali ibn Musa (al-Riza) (a.s.).

9. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali (al-Jawad) (a.s.).

10. Imam Ali ibn Muhammad (al-Had:) (a.s.).

11. Imam Hasan ibn Ali (al-Askar:) (a.s.).

12. Imam Muhammad ibn Hasan (al-Muntadar al-Mahdi) (a.s.).

The last of the successors of these pure people is the Imam who is Muntadar (the awaited) Mahdi (rightly guided Imam) who is alive in this world but hidden from sight and who will appear at the end of time when Allah grants him permission so that he can fill the earth with justice and equity after it having been filled with wrongdoing and oppression. Then the servants of Allah will unite under his banner in a single Islamic government which will flourish by the will of Allah. There are widespread traditions about him reported from the Prophet Muhammad (S).19 The Shia have brought forward proofs and evidences for these two fundamentals of religion (osool al-deen) - divine justice and Imamate - from both rational and traditional sources. As for the ‘branches’ of Islam (furu al-deen) meaning the acts of worship and social contracts and all other laws and rulings of Islam, Shia Muslims have stated that the sources for them are four:

1. The Holy Quran. This is the book which is in the hands of the Muslims today. It has neither been added to or subtracted from.

2. The Purified Traditions (the sunnah) reported from the Prophet (S) and his pure family (a.s.).

3. The consensus (ijma) of the Muslims.

4. Reason.

They have also said that the door to independent legal judgement (ijtihad) is open, so whoever derives - according to the proper conditions - a ruling from these four sources may act upon it.

Introducing the Shia

The word ‘Shia’ is derived from an Arabic word meaning ‘following’. The word Shia is applied in the Holy Quran to the followers of Noah (a.s.) as Almighty Allah says: “And indeed amongst his followers (Shia) was Abraham20 The Prophet (S) applied the name Shia to the followers of Imam Ali (a.s.) and named them with this name, and it is related by historians and traditionalists of the Shia and the Sunni schools alike in their books that the Prophet (S) said: ‘O Ali, you and your Shia (followers) are the ones who will triumph.’21 Thus the followers of Imam Ali (a.s.) were known by this name from the days of the Messenger of Allah (S) who was the first to apply this name to them. And since the speech of the Messenger (S) is revelation from Almighty Allah who has said in the Holy Quran [referring to the Prophet]: “And he does not speak of his own desire, it is nought but revelation revealed to him22 it follows that naming the Shia this name is nothing but revelation from Almighty Allah.

The Shia are those Muslims who follow Amir al-Mo’mineen (Commander of the Believers) Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) and his pure sons (a.s.) after the Messenger of Allah (S); and this is following the order of the Noble Messenger (S) who said before his death: ‘I am soon to be called and will answer, and I am leaving with you the two weighty things (thaqalayn). As long as you adhere to these two you will never go astray after me ever; the book of Allah and my family; the people of my house.’23 The Messenger of Allah (S) also said: ‘Ali is with the truth and the truth is with Ali.’24

He (S) also said: ‘There will occur dissension after me. When this happens then align yourselves with Ali ibn Abi Talib for he is the first who will see me and the first who will shake my hand on the day of resurrection and he will be with me in the highest heaven and he is the criterion (al-faruq) between truth and falsehood.’25 He (S) also said: ‘There will occur dissension after me. When this happens then align yourselves with Ali ibn Abi Talib for he is the criterion (al-faruq) between truth and falsehood.’26 He (S) also said: ‘Amongst the people there will occur schism and difference but this man (meaning Ali [a.s.]) and his companions are in the right.’27

The Shia are also named the ‘Imamites (imamiyah)’ as they believe in the imamate of Ali, Amir al-Mo’mineen (Commander of the Believers), and his eleven sons and grandsons (a.s.).

They are also named the ‘Jafarites (jafariyah)’ since they follow the Imams of the people of the prophet’s house (the Ahl al-Bayt) in matters of what is lawful and unlawful since these Imams are most knowledgeable of the book of Allah and what the Messenger of Allah (S) said. The sixth of these Imams is Jafar ibn Muhammad (known as ‘al-Sadiq’, ‘the truthful’). He was able to propagate Islamic teachings - the fundamentals (osool al-deen), branches (furu‘ al-deen), etiquettes (adab) and ethics (akhlaq) - in a more comprehensive and complete manner, something which conditions did not permit the rest of the Imams to do in such a complete way. The Shia took from Imam Jafar most of the features of their religion and for this reason they are related to him. The other Imams did not have as much opportunity to do this as they met with troubles as in the time of Ali and his sons Hasan and Husayn (a.s.), or with oppression and terror from the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphs. However, Imam Sadiq (a.s.) lived during a period in which the Umayyad dynasty was in decline and the Abbasid dynasty was in ascendance and he took the opportunity to spread the realities of Islam on a wide scale. The Shia are also named the ‘Twelvers (ithn" Ashariyah)’ as they believe in the Imamate of the twelve Imams of the Prophet’s house, the prophet having said: ‘The successors after me will be twelve in number.’28

The Shiite sect, then, is a practical form of Islam as the Prophet (S) and his pure household put forward. The other Islamic sects are practical forms of Islam as put forward by these particular sects’ leaders.

Islam in the View of the Shia

Islam in the view of the Shia consists of doctrine (aqidah), law (shariAh) and system (nidam).

1. Shia Doctrine

The Shia believe in Allah as their Lord, who is just and who has no partner or associate (sharik). They believe in Muhammad (S) as their Prophet, in Islam as their religion, in the Quran as their holy book, in the Kabah in Mecca as their direction of prayer (qiblah), and that all that Muhammad brought from his Lord was the truth, and that Allah will bring back to life those who are in the graves, and that heaven and hell are realities, and that mankind has freedom to choose in this life (without compulsion or delegation) and that if he acts well he will be rewarded for it and if he acts badly he will be punished for it.

The Shia also believe that the religion of Islam is complete and lacks nothing, as Allah revealed it and the trusty Messenger (S) and his pure successors (a.s.) propagated it. It is the one religion which must be followed in doctrine and in actions and any deviation from it brings about calamity in this life and tribulation in the next life, while adherence to it brings about happiness in this life and the next. It is a complete way of life that addresses the human being in his entirety. Hence it is concerned with nurturing the soul or spirit just as it is concerned with nurturing the body, it deals with values as well as with systems.

The fundamentals or roots of the religion in the view of the Shia are five in number:

1. Divine unity.

2. Divine justice.

3. Prophethood.

4. Imamate.

5. Resurrection.

Divine unity means that Allah is one and has no partner and no equal as Almighty Allah has said in the Quran: “Say: He is Allah unique, Allah the eternal, He begets not nor was He begotten, and there is none like unto Him29 Divine justice means that Allah is just and does not wrong anyone or tolerate wrongdoing.

Prophethood means that Allah by His grace has sent prophets to mankind to clarify the way of good and bad and to direct them to the good and prevent them from the bad. Imamate means that the Messenger of Allah (S) appointed, by order of Allah, his twelve successors to come after him and named them one after the other and specified them by name and epithet and fathers’ and mothers’ names just as every Imam specified the succeeding Imam. Hence it is obligatory to follow them and to take the features of the religion from them. Their names were mentioned previously [on page 13].

Resurrection means that Almighty Allah will revive creation on the day of resurrection and reward those who do good and punish those who do bad. eAnd whoever does a speck’s weight of good will see it and whoever does a speck’s weight of bad will see it30 . tails of these five fundamentals please refer to the books and encyclopaedias of the Shia such as: sharh al-tajrid31 , Abaqat alanwar32 , al-ghadir33 , al-fusul al-muhimmah34 , or al-murajat35 . These are amongst thousands of books authored by the Shia scholars in this regard.

2. Shia View of Islamic Law

In the view of the Shia, Islamic law or shariah consists of:

1. Acts of Worship. These are the acts by which nearness is sought to Allah and include daily prayers (Salah), fasting (sawm), tithe (khums), almsgiving (Salah), pilgrimage (hajj), struggle (jihad), purification (taharah), spiritual retreat to the Mosque (itikaf), and enjoining the good and forbidding the bad etc.

2. Contracts (muamilat) such as selling, renting, endowments and mortgages etc.

3. Ethics (akhlaq) which consist of: virtues which Islam has made either obligatory or recommended such as truthfulness, honesty, bravery, chivalry, activity and the like; and vices which Islam discourages either by forbidding or by considering them reprehensible such as betrayal, lying, cowardice, inactivity, causing corruption etc.

4. Etiquettes (adab) which are the actions Islam considers to be courtesies such as the courtesies of sleep and wakefulness, of marriage, or of gatherings, travel and the like.

5. Laws (ahkam) which comprise obligatory (wajib), forbidden (haram), recommended (mustahab), reprehensible (makruh), and neutral (mubah). They are also divided into taklifiyah (duty bound) and wadiyyah (statuary) such as the laws of marriage and divorce and inheritance, and justice, penal codes and compensations.

The Five Laws

There are five types of laws (ahkam):

1. Obligatory (wajib).

2. Forbidden (haram).

3. Recommended (mustahabb).

4. Reprehensible/Discouraged (makruh).

5. Neutral (mubah).

Obligatory acts are those which Islam has made compulsory such as prayer, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage, and struggle. Forbidden acts are those which Islam prevents such as drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, dealing in usury, and adultery. Recommended acts are those which Islam encourages with permissibility of not doing them such as daily optional prayers (nafilah, pl. nawafil), recommended charity, and fulfilling other people’s needs.

Reprehensible acts are those which Islam discourages without making them forbidden such as divorce. Neutral acts are those the doing of which or not doing are considered equal in the view of Islam such as the drinking of water.

Sources of Islamic Law

The Shia believe that the sources from which Islamic law is derived are four in number and are:

1. The Holy Quran.

2. The Traditions (sunnah). These are the sayings, actions and ratifications of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (S) as well as that of the infallible Imams of his household (Ahl al-Bayt) (a.s.).

3. Consensus (ijma).36

4. Reason. It is related that ‘Allah has two proofs [over mankind] - an outward proof which is the prophets, and in inward proof which is reason.’37

Therefore, the Shia take their legislation from the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Messenger (S) and his pure household (a.s.) acting upon the tradition of the ‘two weighty things’.38 They also consider these four to be the source of Islamic legislation and that no individual or group may legislate a law which goes against them as any other legislation is false. Almighty Allah has said: “And whoever does not rule by what Allah has revealed, then they are the unbelievers39 .

A great deal in the way of Quranic exegesis, jurisprudence, traditions, information about the beginning of creation and the end of time, fundamentals and branches of the religion and other branches of knowledge have been related from the Prophet Muhammad (S) and his household (a.s.). The scholar Muhammad Baqir al-Majlis: collected a large amount of these traditions in over 100 volumes and named the book Bihar al-Anwar (Oceans of Lights). In these traditions there is enough to grant the Muslims, indeed the whole of humanity happiness in this world and the next.

Governance in Islam

The Shia believe that there are two aspects to ruling in the view of Islam:

1. A permanent aspect concerned with the ‘ruler’ and the ‘law.’ Thus the ruler must be male, a believer, of pure birth (not illegitimate), and a jurist. The law must be derived from the four sources of legislation.

2. A developing aspect concerned with the way in which the Islamic Law is implemented. This aspect is subject to independent legal judgement and it is the responsibility of the jurist-consults/authorities to make their views known in this aspect according to stipulated legal checks and balances.

Power in Islam

The Shia also believe that holy struggle (jihad) is a kifaie (common) obligation whereas defence is an ‘ayni (individual) obligation40 . Hence, it is mandatory for the Islamic state to prepare the requisite number of Muslims by the ways mentioned in Islamic law so that it may have a preventative force which will protect them and their interests wherever they are.

This power is not solely confined to military power but includes intellectual, economic and industrial power so that the prophetic tradition ‘Islam is above all and none shall be above it’41 may be realised.

Sources of Public Wealth

The Shia believe that the sources of public wealth are the khums (tithes), zakah (obligatory alms), jizyah (tax paid by non-Muslims living under the protection of the muslim state), kharaj (tax paid on certain categoriesof land), tijarah (trading), and such like. This wealth is spent in ensuring the public good and preventing individual hardship so that under the reign of the Islamic government no public good is left neglected and no one suffers from poverty or that his/her essential needs are not met.

The Shia also believe that Islam allows private ownership on condition that the wealth is obtained legally and that the owner pays his dues on it. Under no circumstances is the wealth of the people to be usurped. At the same time, Islam protects the rights of the worker and the farmer as well as those of the employer and landlord so that there is no inflation or no feudal system, and no ‘cheap/free labour’ or oppression.

Islamic Freedom

The Shia believe that freedom is one of the fundamental goals of Islam; for Allah sent his noble Prophet Muhammad (S) to: “Put off their heavy burdens and the fetters that were upon them”42 The Muslim then has full freedom to express his/her opinion in speech and in writing as well as full freedom in his/her social contracts, to travel, to marry, and to trade.

This wide scale freedom which Islam gives to its people prepares the practical and psychological climate for success in its efforts so that the Islamic society grows and flourishes. For this Islam, firstly, combats the four causes of backwardness which are:

1. Ignorance. Islam works to make education general by making learning compulsory as in the tradition: ‘The seeking of knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman.’43 Islam also encourages the learning of different sciences as in the tradition: ‘If the people knew the benefits of seeking knowledge they would seek it even by crossing the seas and shedding one’s blood.’44 Also amongst many other traditions it is said that: ‘The Angels lower their wings to the seeker of knowledge [in humility before them].’45

2. Poverty. Islam prohibits idleness, prevents unemployment, and encourages those who are able to work to do so and makes the State responsible for those who are incapable of work.

3. Illness. In Islamic Law there are many laws which are there to prevent and cure many diseases. Furthermore Islam actively promotes medicine to be widely available. In the traditions: ‘Knowledge is of two types - knowledge of religion and knowledge of bodies (i.e. medicine).’

4. Vice. Islam bases society in a way that no-one is forced to commit vices and puts in place preventative punishments - under stipulated conditions - for those who do.

Secondly, Islam works to promote peace and stability so that there is an environment for the flourishing of industry, trade, agriculture, and construction.

Islam also frees up all powers & energies to take part in encouraging growth: it frees up human potential since it makes marriage easy and prohibits adultery, it strengthens the pillars of the family and encourages a high birth rate so that the Islamic nation may be the largest as well as the most powerful. It also sets free the potentials of land and water for ‘the land belongs to Allah and whoever develops it’46 , and water belongs to whoever stakes it off and uses it, and any Muslim can develop or plant what land he/she is able to.

Islam also frees up the potentials of labour since there should be no borders between Islamic lands and all of Islamic lands are a wide area for the use of all Muslims, and any Muslim may travel and work and live anywhere he/she wishes.

All Muslims are also brothers in Allah. Hence there are no sectarianism, tribalism, nationalism, or racism in Islam. These are the bare bones of the ideas of the Shia in a number of fields and these are the bases upon which the Muslim entity was raised when it was raised high and touched the clouds and was so wide that the clouds did not encompass it.

Section 4

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 40

يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَوْفُواْ بِعَهْدِي أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ

40. "O' Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and fulfil My covenant and I shall fulfil your covenant, and have awe of none but Me."

The Remembrance of the Favours of Allah

In the previous verses we learnt about the commission of Adam's vicegerency on the earth, the respectful treatment of the angels towards him, Iblis's reaction of pride, and the negligence of his covenant with Allah, and, consequently, his removal from the Garden and, thereafter, his penitence.

Through these events, this fundamental principle was made clear that: in this world, there are two opposite forces, i.e. right and wrong, or just and unjust, which are always at odds with each other.

He who, following the temptations of Satan, chooses the wrong path gets farther and farther away from felicity and salvation and involves himself in toil and pain, the fruit of which is remorse and regret.

But those who, heedless of the Satanic temptations and those of vicious fellows, choose the path of obedience of Allah will live a happy life, free from spiritual pain and grief.

There is a close similarity between the story of Adam (as) and that of the Israelites when they were rescued from the clutches of Pharaoh before their vicegerency on the earth, and, after that, their negligence of their solemn promise to Allah which caused them to be involved in pain and misery.

Their fate not only resembles that of Adam's, but it can also be considered as a subdivision of that general principle. Hence, in the above verse and several verses after that, Allah refers to some different aspects of the lives of the Children of Israel and their lamentable end to complete with them the educative lesson which He started with the story of Adam's fate.

He addresses the Israelites and says:

"O' Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and fulfil My covenant and I shall fulfil your covenant, and have awe of none but Me."

Those three instructions (the remembrance of the great blessings of Allah, being loyal to His covenant, to be in awe of only Him) are, indeed, the basis of all Divine programs.

The remembrance of the blessings of the Lord leads Man to the knowledge of Allah, and provokes a sense of gratitude in him. Then, believing that those bounties are not given unconditionally and He has taken a covenant for them makes man aware of his duties and responsibilities.

After this, not having awe of anybody or any power in the way of performing the Divine duties, causes Man to remove all the barriers and obstructions from his way and fulfil faithfully his responsibilities and promises, for, having awe of this and that, is one of the greatest obstacles on this way, especially in the case of the Israelites who were under the control of Pharaonic governments and, consequently, fear had become a part of their lives.

Explanations

Jews in Medina

It is interesting that, according to what historians of the Qur'an have cited, Surah Al-Baqarah is the first Surah that was revealed in Medina. This Surah talks mostly about Jews, because they were the most dominate group of the 'People of the Book' there.

Before the advent of the Prophet of Islam (S), as their own religious books indicated, they were waiting for such an advent, and used to give its glad tidings to others. They were also in a very good economic condition at that time and, on the whole, they had a deep influence on the social affairs of Medina.

But, with the advent of Islam, many of them not only did not accept the invitation of Islam, but stood, hiddenly and openly, against it, because Islam hindered them from their unlawful interests and did not let them continue their evil social projects. Now, after the passing of more than fourteen centuries, this same hostility is still alive and active against Islam.

It was at that time when the above verse and the verses after that were sent down which blamed them intensively and, by mentioning the sensitive aspects of their historical background, moved them so violently that those Jews, who had the least sense of justice and truth-seeking, awoke and accepted Islam. Besides that, this admonishment was a comprehensive lesson for all the Muslim believers, too.

In the discussions of the verses that will come later, we shall talk about some of the outstanding circumstances of these people such as their rescue from the grips of Pharaoh, the cleaving asunder of the sea and the drowning of Pharaoh and his horsemen, the appointing place of Moses (as) on Mount Sinai (Toor), the calf (of gold) worshipped by the Israelites when Moses (as) was not among them which caused them to receive the instruction of the bloody repentance and, thereafter, the special bounties of Allah were sent down for them, and some other events similar to these, each of which contains a lesson or lessons to be learnt by all.

The Jews' Twelve Covenants with Allah

As it is understood from the verses of the Holy Qur'an, the covenant mentioned in the above verse is the very covenant of worshipping Allah; to treat parents, kindred, orphans, and the needy with kindness; to have fair behaviour with people, to attend and be steadfast in ritual prayers; to pay alms; to avoid doing grievous wrongs, and to avoid shedding blood.

The witness of this statement is Surah Al-Baqarah. No. 2 verses 83 and 84:

"And (remember) when We made a covenant with the Children of Israel (instructing): ‘You shall not worship any but Allah; and A (you shall do) good to (your) parents, and to the near of kin and to the orphans, and the needy, and speak kind words to people, keep up the prayer, and pay the poor-rates (zakat)’. Then you turned away, except a few of you, and you backslide (even now)."

"And (remember) when We made a covenant with you: 'You shall not shed your blood, nor expel one another from your dwellings', then you confirmed it while you bore witness."

These two verses, in fact, refer to the ten different covenants that Allah had taken from the Jews. When we consider, and add, the two other covenants of Surah Al-Maidah. No 5. Verse 12, which advises them to believe in the Divine prophets and help them respectfully, the fact is made clear that they had given numerous covenants to Allah for those great Divine blessings; and they had been promised by Allah to be settled in the Gardens of Heaven under whose trees and castles streams flow, if they would have kept their promises, thus:

"Allah did aforetime take a Covenant from the Children of Israel... and Allah said:'I am with you: if ye (but) establish regular Prayers, practice regular Charity, believe in My apostles, honour and assist them... And admit you to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath..."

But, unfortunately, in spite of the long expectations of the Jews based upon the prophecies in their sacred scriptures, they, finally, observed none of those promises and they continued their most vehement and the most torturous opposition and persecution against Islam and Muslims not only at the advent of Islam but they have also been continuing it until the present time.

The fruit of their evil actions was that they became vagrant, and this condition will always be seen in their lives till the time when they will be destroyed. If we see that, with the support of this or that, they flourish in their authorative existence for a short length of time, it cannot be counted a real reason for their final victory.

We know it well that one day the true followers of Islam, free from any tribal or racial adherences and only under the light of the Holy Qur'an, will rise and put an end to all these vanities.

Allah will fulfil His Covenant, too!

The bounties of Allah have never been given unconditionally and every blessing is accompanied by a responsibility or responsibilities.

A tradition from Imam al-Sadiq (as) says that the objective meaning of the phrase: 'I shall fulfil your covenant', mentioned in this verse, is that Allah will fulfil His covenant in admitting them into Heaven.1

It is not surprising that, in this tradition, the belief in the mastership of Hazrat Ali (as) is mentioned as a part of this covenant, because one of the items of the covenant of the Children of Israel was the acceptance of the prophecy of the Divine Apostles and the assisting of them.

And it is evident that the acceptance of their vicegerents is also a part of the acceptance of that leadership and mastership, which should be established at any time appropriate with that age. At the time of Moses (as), it was he who held that position; and at the time of Hazrat Muhammad (S), he did, and thereafter Hazrat Ali (as) continued it.

By the way, the phrase: “...and have awe of none but Me", referring to an awe of His punishment because of their disobedience of His command, is an emphasis on this subject that, in fulfilling their covenant with Allah, they should fear of no one and no circumstance.

Why are Jews Called the Children of Israel?

'Israel' was one of the titles of Jacob, Yosuf's (Joseph) father. Both the well-known commentators 'Tabarsi' in his book: 'Majma'ul-Bayan ' (vol. 1, p. 92), and 'Shaykh-ut- Ta'ifah' the Late Toosi in his book entitled: 'at- Tibyan Fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an' (vol. 1, p. 180) have expressed:

"Israel is the same as Jacob, the son of Issac (Ishaq) the son of Abraham (as)...".

These two great commentators believe that the word / isra'il / is a combination of the term 'Isr', / 'abd /, with the meaning of 'servant' and' 'il ' with the meaning of 'Allah'. Then, the word means 'the servant of Allah'; and it is a 'Hebraic' word.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 41-43

وَآمِنُواْ بِمَا أَنزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍ بِهِ وَلاَ تَشْتَرُواْ بِآيَاتِي ثَمَناً قَلِيلاً وَإِيَّايَ فَاتَّقُونِ

وَلاَ تَلْبِسُواْ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُواْ الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

وَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُواْ مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ

41. "And believe in what I have revealed (the Qur'an), confirming that (Scripture) which is with you, and be not the first to reject Faith therein, and sell not My Signs for a miserable price; and be in awe of none but Me."

42. "And confound not the truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth while you know (it)."

43. "And keep up the prayer, and pay the poor-rates (zakat), and bow down in prayer with those who bow down (in congregation)."

The Lord commands the Jews that they should believe in His revelation, the Qur'an, and accept it because the acceptance of the Qur'an is just the same as the acceptance of the Turah:

"And believe in what I have revealed (the Qur'an) confirming that (Scripture) which is with you..."

This statement indicates that the Turah, in which they believe, itself has pointed out the glad tidings of the advent of the promised Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (S), and the revelation of the Holy Qur'an. Thus, the requisite belief in the content of the Turah is belief in the Qur'an.

"...and be not the first to reject Faith therein..."

The verse addresses the Jews and says that those people, who are of the "People of the Book" and among whom there are scholars and learned men who believe in God and have accepted the Divine prophets, should not be the first group to reject the Qur'an and deny its rightfulness. When their scholars do not accept the truth, many others also follow them and reject it.

"...and sell not My Signs for a miserable price..."

Some authentic narrations denote that many of the scholars and Rabbis of the Jews used to sell the verses and some features of Hadrat Muhammad, the promised Prophet (S), mentioned in the Scripture of old, the Turah, to some of the rich Jews at that time and perverted the verses of the Turah in exchange for taking money from them.

Here, Allah scorns them and forbids them from doing this abominable action and directs them not to corrupt the Scripture for that little sum of money. The money they used to take was, of course, a large sum, but, in comparison with what they committed, it was very little.

Allah's signs are worth more than all their paltry considerations, and changing and perverting those Divine Signs is a very great sin so that gold and silver, howsoever much they may be, or even high social positions, seems naught in comparison with it. So, He says:

“...and be in awe of none but Me."

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"And confound not the truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth while you know (it)."

This verse provides another emphasis on the above meaning. The Jewish scholars are told, here, not to mix up the truth with falsehood by perverting the verses of the Turah and hiding its revelations about the Prophet of Islam (S), when they are supposed to make them manifest, because they recognize them and, in connection to this, know the difference between right and wrong very well.

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"And keep up the prayer, and pay the poor-rates (zakat), and bow down in prayer with those who bow down (in congregation)."

In Islam, next to the belief in Allah, His Messenger, and the Resurrection, prayer and alms (zakat) are the two essential pillars of Faith without which the establishment and endurance of Faith is impossible.

Prayer and poor-rates, as well as observing their proper times, are strictly and repeatedly emphasized in the concerning verses of the Holy Qur'an and Islamic traditions and narrations. The excellence and importance of prayers are briefly pointed out in commenting on verse 3, the current Surah on pages 80-83 in this volume.

Explanation

Islam, as a religion, has revealed information with the perfection necessary to train mankind and to discipline the human race and to enable them to raise themselves from the depths of material degradation to the unlimited elevation of spiritual glory in order to qualify each - individual as an adherent, as much as he or she personally desires, to rise towards the divinity in store for every sincere seeker of it.

The curbing of the physical desires of a human being is sure to have the natural consequence of sublimating it by the resulting moral effect on the mind which can gradually put it well on the way to receiving the enlightenment of the higher meanings of life. A certain degree of piety and devotion is essential for a human being to be initiated into the realm of spiritual bliss.

All the previous religions, particularly the creed of the Jews and the Christians, were limited to some extreme systems of optional ascetic hermitage of extremes which did not agree with the natural demands of the social life of the people.

The imposition of such extremes, with the freedom to do it or not, could help only a few to follow the order, discarding completely their worthy life but the bulk of the people had sunk deep into hypocritical observances and practices.

Islam, as a practical and fully regulated religion, bases its foundation first on humbling the ego of man by making him conscious about his relation to his Creator and thus making him yield to the Lord, his God, in complete submission to Him by worshipping in a way suiting his humble position.

By this, Islam brings man in the presence of his Lord. The first cardinal doctrine or ordinance of Islam is 'salat' or, 'prayers' which develops in a human being the appropriate feeling in relation to God and puts the individual in direct contact with the great qualities of the Absolute Divinity.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 44

أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ أَفَلاَ تَعْقِلُونَ

44. "Do you enjoin righteousness upon people while you forget your own selves (to practice it)? And you read the Scripture? Have you then no sense? "

This verse is apparently addressing and scorning the scholars of the Jews who, before the Divine invitation of Hadrat Muhammad (S), recommended people to embrace Islam. They enjoined them to pay charity and favour each other, but they did not do these good deeds themselves. They did not accept Islam in order to continue their mastership, nor pay charity lest they might become poor.

But, the verse, in fact, addresses and admonishes all those who habitually recommend others to piety and neglect their own souls.

"Do you enjoin righteousness upon people while you forget your own selves (to practice it)?..."

It is not logical that a person enjoins his fellow men to help others and work righteousness but,'he himself does not observe it. That is why, at the end of the verse, it says:

“...And you read the Scripture? Have you then no sense? "

It inquires how you do not understand that you should enjoin righteousness on yourselves first and do accordingly to be as an example, and then expect others to obey you and receive your recommendation, with their whole hearts.

Experience has proved that words which are uttered only by the tongue, as simple statements, physically strike the ears and perish. But reasonable speech that arises from the soul and reality settles in souls firmly and affects hearts deeply.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 45-46

وَاسْتَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاَةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلاَّ عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ

الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلاَقُوا رَبِّهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

45. "And seek you help (from Allah) through patience and prayer; and most surely it is a hard thing, save upon the humble,"

46. "Those who bear in mind the certainty that they will meet their Lord and that verily unto Him shall they return."

To enable Man to overcome his latent low desires and to clean his mind from the love of position and rank, the Qur’an says:

"And seek you help (from Allah) through patience and prayer; and most surely it is a hard thing, save upon the humble,"

How to Overcome Difficulties

To overcome difficulties and solve problems demands two fundamental principles. The first principle is a strong inner will, and the second one is a firm outward refuge. These two principles are referred to in the above verse as 'patience' and 'prayer'.

Patience, here, has been rendered into' fasting' and' perseverance' during difficulties while prayer is a connection with Allah and a means of communication with this Helpful Refuge.

About the term / sabr / ' patience', one of the books2 says that it is a natural phenomenon well-known to every enlightened one that bodily mortification is to some extent necessary in disciplining the human ego accommodated in the physical framework, to lighten it by liberating it from the clutches of the desires and passions of the material world otherwise it would sink deeply into its own devious personal interest.

This is essential to elevate it unto the heights of the spiritual realms. A religion merely consisting of some mere formal rituals and the offering of chanting or the recitation of some verbal prayers or charms without the demand on the individual for the practical control of the animal-self in him can hardly be worth anything.

The truth endowed or the spiritual strength one gets through overcoming his selfish passions, is by itself a very vast subject to be dealt with in the brief notes meant to explain the particular aspects of the wordings of the Divine verses here.

However, an Islamic tradition says that Imam al-Sadiq (as) was once asked about the meaning of the word / sabr / 'patience', mentioned in this verse, when he said: "Patience means fasting."3

Again, commenting on this verse, the leading commentators have cited that whenever any difficulty confronted the Prophet of Islam (S), he used to resort to' fasting' and 'prayers' to be helped with.4 Also, Hazrat Ali (as) did the same.5

It is also narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (as) who has said:

"It does not matter that when one of you is involved in a grief out of the grieves of the world, you would make ablution and enter a mosque. Then, you would recite a prayer and offer a petition therein to Allah, because I know He has commanded: ‘And seek you help (from Allah) through patience and prayer'."6

Yes, verily prayer connects Man to an everlasting Power, to Allah, for Whom all the hard problems and complicated difficulties are easy. This very feeling causes man to be calm, powerful, and steadfast against misadventures.

And with prayer, -what else can ever be imaginably more effective or successful than any individual in his helplessness approaching the All-Merciful, Almighty through prayers for help ?

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In the verse following the above one, the Holy Qur'an introduces the humble ones, thus:

"Those who bear in mind the certainty that they will meet their Lord and that verily unto Him shall they return."

So, it is narrated from Amir-ul Mu'mineen Ali (as) who has said that one of the characteristics of the humble ones who are the same as the believers is knowledge and certainty about their meeting with Allah which will take place in the Hereafter.7

What is 'Meeting with Allah'?

The idea of 'meeting with Allah ' has been mentioned repeatedly in the Qur'an where it totally means 'Presence in the Hereafter'. It is obvious that the purpose of 'meeting with the Lord' is not a physical meeting like the meeting of people with each other face to face.

We also know that Allah is not a bodily substance to have colour or place, or to be seen with the eyes. Then, as some commentators have said, the purpose of the phrase may be the observation of the effects of His Power in the scene of the Hereafter, such as: His bounties, rewards, and punishments.

Or, it means an esoteric intuition in the heart or soul, because, sometimes, Man reaches a point that he sees the Lord in front of him by his heart's eye, and in that case no doubt will continue for him.

This state may come to being for some people in this world as a result of piety, worship, and purification of the carnal soul. The following explanation, cited in Nahjul Balagha, attests to the idea:

One of the companions of Amir-ul Mu'mineen Ali (as), Di'lib al-Yamani, who was a learned man, once asked him (as) whether Ali (as) had seen Allah, his Lord, when he (as) replied:

"Do I worship the One Whom I have not seen?"

Then the man asked him to explain it more and Ali (as) added:

"Eyes do not see Him face to face, but hearts (souls) perceive Him through the (light of) realities of Faith..."8

However, in the Hereafter, all human beings will attain this esoteric intuition, since, therein, the effects of the Glory and Power of Allah will be so manifested that none can deny them, and all will have a decisive Faith in everything.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 47-48

يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَنِّي فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ

وَاتَّقُواْ يَوْماً لاَّ تَجْزِي نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْئاً وَلاَ يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَلاَ يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلاَ هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ

47. "O' Children of Israel, call to mind My favour which I bestowed on you, and that I made you excel the nations (of that time)."

48. "And guard yourselves against a day when no one in the least shall avail another, nor shall intercession be accepted from anyone, nor shall any ransom be taken from anyone, nor shall they be helped (from outside)."

The Vain Imaginations of the Jews

In these verses, again, the Lord addresses the Children of Israel and reminds them of His bounties bestowed on them, thus:

"O' Children of Israel, call to mind My favours which I bestowed on you..."

These bounties were numerous consisting of Faith, Divine Guidance and their rescue from the grips of pharaohs which led them to regaining their splendour and independence.

Then, among these bounties He has pointed out the bounty of their being made to excel the nations of their time which in itself is a combination of different bounties. He continues and says:

“...and that I made you excel the nations (of that time)."

Some may think that the objective meaning of the phrase, "I made you excel the nations ", is that He has made them excel the nations all over the world and forever.

But, regarding other verses, the Qur'an makes it clear that the application of the address 'you' is meant for those immediately present at that time and in their own locality, because in another occurrence the Qur'an, addressing Muslims, says:

"You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, " (Surah Ale-Imran. No. 3. verse 110).

Another verse about the Israelites says: "And We made a people, considered weak (and of no account), inheritors of lands in both East and West…", (Surah Al-A'raf No.7. verse 137). It is obvious that the Children of Israel did not inherit the world entirely at that time.

So, it means that they inherited the east and the west of their own region, Therefore, their preference to other nations means preference to the other nations in their environment at that time.

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The Qur'an rejects the vain considerations of the Jews, They thought that, on the Day of Judgment, their forefathers and ancestors, who were prophets of Allah would make intercession for them; or they imagined that on that Day those prophets could give ransom for their sins the same as some of their people employ bribery in this world, The Qur'an says:

"And guard yourselves against a day when no one in the least shall avail another ",

"Nor shall intercession be accepted from anyone", "nor shall any ransom be taken from anyone," "nor shall they be helped (from outside)"

In brief, the 'Judge' on that Day is He Who accepts, from the servants, only pure good actions done with true belief, as the Qur'an says about it:

"The Day when on neither wealth nor sons will avail," " But only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart" (Surah Shu'ara No.26. verses 88 & 89).

The verse under discussion, in fact, is a hint to this reality that, in this world, saving a sinful person from punishment by applying all possible means is an ordinary custom. Sometimes someone undertakes the payment of another person's compensation and pays it.

If this way fails, intercession may be resorted to and some respectable personalities who have power and influence may be brought forward to intercede for him. If intercession does not avail either, the person tries to save himself by paying for the fine. And, if this, too, provides no results, he asks his friends and fellow men to help him somehow, so that he can escape from the grips of punishment.

There are different ways of fleeing from punishment in this world, but the Qur'an says that the chastisements in the Hereafter are completely different from those in this world and none of these behaviours are acceptable there. The only way of rescue is to refuge under the shade of Faith and righteousness, and to ask help from Allah, the Merciful.

Supplication

O'Lord, the Creator, the Cherisher! We humbly ask You to guide us so that, at the end, You will be pleased with us and we can be prosperous.

Intercession in the Qur'an and Traditions

The term / safa'at / ' intercession', with all its derivations, has occurred about thirty times in the Qur'an. This status shows the depth of the importance of the matter.

Undoubtedly, the punishments of the Lord, whether in this world or in the next, are not for revenging at all, but they are, in fact, to warrant the obedience of the Divine ordinances and, consequently, the development and progress of men. Therefore, everything that weakens this security should be avoided in order that people would be less likely to commit sin and vice.

On the other hand, the way of repentance and return to righteousness and improvement should not be completely closed to the sinners. They must have the opportunity and possibility of improving themselves which results in piety and returning to the path of Allah.

Thus, intercession means that, on the Day of Judgement, prophets, saints, and some special righteous ones will intercede with Allah's permission for those who have not cut their tie of Faith with Allah and preserved their spiritual relationship with Him and His Messengers.

In other words, intercession, in its proper meaning, exists for the preserving of this equilibrium. It is a means for the sinners and the wrong-doers to return from their present way to the path of obedience and servitude.

We may emphasize that the doctrine of intercession is quite natural, reasonable and logical. It is a natural, just, and merciful classification of souls according to the natural affinity and the bonds of love and sincere attachment which existed between the individual and the faithful servants of Allah, viz. the holy Prophet (S) and the holy Ahlul Bayt (as) whose purity of spirit, flawlessness of conduct and character, selfless services and matchless sacrifices for the cause of truth, are universal factors and whose goodliness is unreservedly acknowledged by the Muslims and even by the non-Muslims as well.

However, as it was mentioned before, there are numerous verses in the Qur'an concerning 'intercession'. To understand these verses completely and correctly, all of them should be studied carefully and considered as a whole to follow the unity of purpose they are meant for.

It is absolutely wrong that for proving our claim we take only one verse from amongst the numerous verses on intercession and neglect the others. The errors that have come into being upon the subject of intercession, as well as upon some other rational subjects, are the effect of such wrong and imperfect investigations.

This method, in which we take a single verse and refuse or neglect other verses that can be elucidative and frames of reference for that particular verse, is far from the right manner of researching.

Then, firstly, besides all the other arguments of the various expositions on the validity of intercession based upon the other verses of the Qur'an, as was mentioned formerly, and with further assurance by the traditions of the holy Prophet (S), it is a natural and logical conclusion, beyond all doubt, that on the Day of Judgement intercession cannot be but an undeniable fact.

That is, Allah regard for His holy and faithful servants is accepted as a natural and logical necessary factor. Secondly, it is certain that the Holy Qur'an in many places, some of which are mentioned below, asserts the effectiveness of intercession under some conditions, on the Day of Judgement, when those authorized by the Lord shall have the right to do it.

The Qur'an says:

"On that Day shall no intercession avail except for those for whom permission has been granted by (Allah) Most Gracious and whose word is acceptable to Him ", (Surah Taha, No.20. Verse 109).

"No intercession can avail in His Presence, except for those for whom He has granted permission...", (Surah Saba, No.34. Verse 23).

"And those whom they invoke besides Allah have no power of intercession; -only he who bears witness to the Truth, and they know (him)", (Surah Az-Zukhraf, No.43. Verse 86).

For further elucidation on the doctrine of intercession some of the verses which can also be referred to are: 26: 100, 2: 123 & 255, 74: 48, 21: 28, and 19: 87.

In the authentic literature of Muslims, both the Sunnite and Shi'ah schools, through some Islamic narrations, there are many implications to the existence of 'intercession' in the Hearafter which are presented as explanatory statements for the aforementioned verses on intercession.

Some of these books are: Bihar-al-Anwar, Majma'-ul-Bayan, Tafsir-i-Almizan, At-Tibyan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an, Al-Burhan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an, Al-Khisal by Shaykh al-Saduq, Usul al-Kafi, Sunan-i-Ibn-Majah, Musnad-i-Ahmad, Muwatta-i-Malik, Sunan-i-Tirmizi, Sunan-i-Darmi, Sahih-i-Muslim, Sahih-i-Bukhari,…

Out of the many traditions and narrations cited in the above mentioned books, a few of them have been chosen here:

1. The holy Prophet (S) has said:

"I will be the first one who intercedes and the first one whose intercession will be accepted (by Allah)."9

2. Hadrat Ali (as) said:

"...We will intercede and those who love (and follow) us will do so, too..."10

3. The holy Prophet (S) also said:

"...I have been bestowed on (five privileges: the first is), 'intercession' which I have kept for my followers (Ummah). Intercession is (permitted) for the one who associates no partner with Allah..."11

4. Again, the Messenger of Allah (S) has said:

"...The most prosperous people by my intercession on the Day of Judgement will be those who have sincerely said from their deep hearts (souls): there is no god except Allah (i.e. sincerely believe in Allah)."12

5. The holy Prophet (S) has also said:

"My intercession is for all (true) Muslims."13

6. Firdous-ud-Diylami, Abuhurayrah, narrates from the holy Prophet (S) who has said:

"The intercessors (in the Hereafter) are five: the Qur'an, relationships, trust, your Messenger, and the people of the house (Ahlul Bayt) of your prophet."14

7. Imam al-Sadiq (as) is narrated to have said:

"There is none of (the people of) ancient times and (those of) the later times but needs Muhammad's intercession (S) on the Day of Judgement."15

8. In Usul al-Kafi, it is also cited that Imam al-Sadiq (as) has said in a tradition:

"He who wishes to enjoy of intercession by the intercessors with Allah, should try to gain His pleasure."16

We hope that Allah, the Merciful, may bestow the success of obedience and servitude on His path upon all of us and may He save us from any err and sin in our deeds. May He deprive us not of the intercession of the holy Prophet (S) and Ahlul Bayt (as) on the Day of Reckoning. Amin, O' Lord of the Worlds!

Notes

1. Nur-uth- Thaqalayn, vol, 1, p 73

2. The Holy Qur'an, with English Translation of the Arabic Text and , p. 98

3. Al-Burhan Fi Tafsiril Qur'an, vol. 1, p. 14 & Tafsir-as-Safi: vol. 1, p. 111

4. Majma'-ul-Bayan, vol. 1, p. 99

5. Ibid, p. 100

6. Usul al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 480

7. Atyabul-Bayan, vol. 2, p. 21

8. Nahjul-Balagha, sermon 179

9. Sunan-i- Tirmizi vol. 5, p. 24 & Sunan-i-Darmi; vol. 1, p. 26 & 27

10. Al-Khisal by Saduq, p. 624

11. Musnad-i-Ahmad, vol. 1, p. 301 & Sunan-i-Nisai vol. 1, p. 172

12. Sahih-al-Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 36

13. Sunan-i-Ibn-Majah, vol. 2, p. 1444, tradition 4317

14. Bihar-al-Anwar, vol. 8, p. 43

15. Bihar-al-Anwar, vol. 8, p. 38, tradition 16

16. Usul al-Kafi; vol. 8, p. 11 & Bihar-al-Anwar, vol. 8, p. 53


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