Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

QuestionsOn Titles

Author:Bashir Alidina

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Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Mawlana (Our Master) 5

QUESTIONS 6

Aalim (Knowledgeable One) 7

QUESTIONS 9

Allamah (Knowledgeable In Many Fields Of Knowledge) 10

QUESTIONS 10

A'alam (The Most Knowledgeable) 12

QUESTIONS 12

ALAM UL HUDA (THE BANNER OF GUIDANCE) 13

QUESTIONS 13

Hujat UlL Islam (Proof of Islam) 14

QUESTIONS 14

Ayatollah (Sign Of Allah (S.W.T.)) 15

QUESTIONS 17

Ayatollah Al Uzma (The Great Sign Of Allah) 18

QUESTIONS 18

Faqih (Man Of Understanding) 19

QUESTIONS 20

Na'ib E Imam (Representive Of The Imam) 21

QUESTIONS 22

Imam (Divine Guide) 24

The Final Aregument 26

Introduction

A lot of people have the desire to be known by a title for the sake of prestige. The people of the community would then respect them according to the designation. The main driving force behind this is the ego factor.Take a look at this ego-breaking Verse.

[Shakir 28:83] (As for) that future abode, We assign it to those who have no desire to exalt themselves in the earth nor to make mischief and the good end is for those who guard (against evil)

Then there are those who use other's titles for themselves when they do not deserve them. The whole affair becomes extremely serious when the titlesbeing used are the ones that belong exclusively to the Holy Infallibles (a.s .). TAFSEER IMAM HASSAN AL ASKARI (A.S.)

Imam AliIbn Husayn (a.s .) narrated that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) said: 'If any of my male or female servant were to leave ourwilayat , oppose our way and call others with the good names of ours which Allah (s.w.t .) has Chosen for establishing the affairs of the religion and the world, and the titles of ours, having full belief,

without dissimulation, fear or religious reason, then Allah (s.w.t .) will raise them on the Day of Judgment and ask them, "O my slave, have you taken a Lord besides me?" And it will be said to them, "Allah is the Guardian", their fate will then be with theirshaytans who used to surround them and they used to obey them, "So now ask them for your reward for what you did"'.

As can be seen quite clearly that it is very dangerous to either adorn oneself or refer to others with thetitles which belong exclusively to the Holy Infallibles (a.s .). According to the aboveHadeeth ,

if we were to refer to some people with a designation which belongs exclusively to the Holy Infallibles (a.s .) then we will be told "So now ask them for your reward for what you did".Incidentally these guys have been referred to asshaytans .

Mawlana (Our Master)

This is one of the most commonly used titles for the priests in the Indian Sub- continent. Maybe the users are not aware of its meaning, but the priests for whom itis being used are certainly aware of its implications. They are quite happy ofbeing referred to asMawlanas .

Let us now look at correct usage of this title.

[Shakir 47:11] That is because Allah is the Protector of those who believe, and because the unbelievers shall have no protector for them.

So Allah (s.w.t .) is our Master (Mawlana ).Who else?

About 1400 year ago, at the plains ofGhadeer a declaration was made clarifying the Mastership of Imam Ali (a.s .), by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .).

(Of whomsoeverI am the Master, Ali is his Master)

Celebrations broke out after thisannouncement and the people began congratulating themselves over this and hugging each other, that since the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) is definitely our Master, therefore AliIbn Abi Talib (a.s .) is now declared to be the Master in the same sense.Allegiances were paid by the notables and everything seemed hunky dory.

Their sinister hidden desires only came to the fore later on, as soon as the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) passed away, at the conspiratorialgathering which took place at the tent ofBani Sa'da where they declared someone else as the ruler.

Since then, until today, there have been numerous governors and rulers with political aspirations as well as having desires to control other people in whichever way they can. This situation has become so ridiculous these days thatany one with a turban on his head (or even a hat sometimes)gets referred to as 'Our Master', and is happy with this reference. Now, if the people are doing this due to their ignorance, then surely theseMawlanas should have corrected them.But they seem to like basking in their glory of being masters and have let this situation carry on.

The shameful thing about this is that even the first three Caliphs, who were very eager to adorn themselves with as many exclusive titles of Imam Ali (a.s .) as they possibly could, did not have the courage to use the termMawlana for themselves.

Neither their historians of old nor the contemporary ones have ever referred to them as such.

From among the Shiites,Sheykh Kulayni ,Syed Razi ,Sheykh Sadouq etc. none of them ever used the termMawlana for anyone other than the Holy Infallibles (a.s .). These days however, every otherturbanite is being referred to as aMawlana .

Let ustake a look at what happens in the Mosques andHussaynias during the Holy month ofRamadhan . The Shiites reciteDu'a ETawassul in great numbers during which they pronounce the fourteen Holy Infallibles (a.s .) as their Masters, after which they duly go back to referring to the priest with the same reference as their fifteenth.

OAbul Hasan , O Commander of the Faithful, O 'Ali, son of AbuTalib , O decisive argument of Allah over mankind, O our chief, O our Master . .

This reference, whichgets repeated for each of the fourteen Holy Infallibles is clearly in line with the pronouncement of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) atGhadeer Khumm , as this title is to be used exclusively for the Holy Infallibles (a.s .). The fifteenth reference is clearly out of line.

QUESTIONS

Why are these priests not correcting the ignorant one whorefer to them as such? Is this because they like equating themselves with the Holy Infallibles (a.s .)? What is their justification of the usage of this term for themselves? Are they now going to stop using this title?

Aalim (Knowledgeable One)

When does one become knowledgeable? When a personrealises that what he does not know is far greater than what he knows, he ends up referring to himself as a 'seeker of knowledge'. In fact, what a person knows is immaterial when compared to what he does not know. It is pointlessto even compare .

It therefore follows from this that when a person declares himselfto be an Aalim , then he is surely an ignorant one as he has yet to evenrealise that he does not know. He does not even know what it is that he does not know.

AL KAFI - H 56, Ch. 3, h4

Aliibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammadibn 'Isa fromYunus fromJamil who has said the following: "I heard Imamabu 'Abd Allah, recipient of divine supreme covenant, saying, 'People become of three groups: Scholars, those who learn and garbled ones. We are the scholars. Our followers are the ones who learn. The rest of the people are garbled ones." On top of this is the statement of Imam Ali (a.s .):

Whosoever neglects to say 'I don't know', will fall in the trap of death -Nahj Ul Balagah , Saying 85 (Arabic Version)

So the Holy Infallibles (a.s .) are theUlama (Knowledgeable Ones). Can anyone in his right mind argue with this? Idon't think so. Yet the priests go around referring to themselves asUlama . In fact, in England, we have anorganisation formed by these priests who have named it 'Majlis EShia Ulama Europe', and most of the resident priests of theImambargahs of England, as well as the freelancers are members of thisorganisation .

It looks like all these priests have yet torealise that what they knowis infinitesimal compared to what it is that they do know, and that they are nothing but seekers of knowledge.Or is it that they do know and are trying to elevate their status among the people by adopting such titles?

So what kind of a scholar is a scholar?

AL KAFI - H 45, Ch. 2, h2 (EXTRACT)

Muhammadibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmadibn Muhammadibn 'Isa from Muhammadibn Khalid fromabu al-Bakhtari fromabu 'Abd Allah, recipient of divine supreme covenant, who has said the following: "The scholars are the heirs of the prophets because the prophets did not leave any Dirham or Dinar (units of money) as their legacy. What they left was certain pieces of their statements. Those who acquired anything of these pieces of their statements have certainly gained a colossal share.

H 52, Ch. 2, h9

Al-Hassanibn Muhammad has narrated from Ahmadibn Ishaq fromSu'dan ibnMuslim fromMu'awiya ibn 'Ammar who has said the following: "Once, I asked (Imam)abu 'Abd Allah, recipient of divine supreme covenant, 'There is a man who recounts yourHadith and spreads them among people and ties them to their hearts and the hearts of your followers.

Also there is a worshipper among your followers who does not narrate yourHadith . Which of these two people is better?' The Imam replied, 'The one who narrates ourHadith and ties them up to the hearts of our followers is better than seventy thousand worshippers.'"

So , at the end of the day it all points in the same direction. A scholar is one who narratesHadeeth and not the one who goes around as an expert in jurisprudence.Wasaail UsShia Vol 11 H 27; BiharUl Anwaar Vol. 82 H 2;Rijal Kashi Vol 3.

ImamSadiq (a.s .) said: Understand the status of ourShias according to the good reports from us for we do notrecognise theFaqih from among them to be aFaqih unless he becomes aMuhaddith (Narrator of traditions)

Thisis explained in more detail under the chapter onFuqaha . Let us now look at aHadeeth frequently quoted by the priests.

Muhammadibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmadibn Muhammadibn 'Isa from Muhammadibn Khalid fromabu al-Bakhtari fromabu 'Abd Allah, recipient of divine supreme covenant, who has said the following: "The scholars are the heirs of the prophets because the prophets did not leave any Dirham or Dinar (units of money) as their legacy. What they left was certain pieces of their statements.

Those who acquired anything of these pieces of their statements have certainly gained a colossal share. You must be very careful, when acquiring such knowledge, to know from what kind of people you receive them. After (the death of) every one of us (theAhl al-Bayt ,

family of the Holy Prophet, recipient of divine supreme covenant), there comes a just person who removes (and exposes) from (the texts ofShari'a ) the forgeries of the exaggerators, the materials of the fallacious ones that might have been made to infiltrate and the interpretations of the ignorant ones." For some reason the priests usually only quote the words, 'The scholars are the heirs of the prophets' and thereby claim justification for all of their actions.Agha e Khomeini has quoted in his book Islamic Government and the Rule of the Jurist:

"Thefuqahâ are the trustees of the prophets ('a) means that all of the tasks entrusted to the prophets ('a) must also be fulfilled by the justfuqahâ as a matter of duty"

He then goes further and uses anotherHadeeth in this manner. AL KAFI - VOL 7 (ARABIC VERSION)

The Commander of the Faithful ('a) said toShurayh : "The seat [of judge] you are occupying is filled by someone who is a prophet ('a), the legatee of a prophet, or else a sinful wretch." He then uses thisHadeeth to prove his claim andsays: Considering the fact that thefuqahâ do not have the rank ofprophethood , and they are indubitably not "wretched sinners," we conclude that, in the light of the tradition quoted above, they must be the legatees or successors of the Most Noble Messenger (s).

Have you noticed his proof? This involves very strange logic. Even ifI were to accept this logic, then why restrict this to only Jurists? By this proof whosoever is not "wretched sinners," would end up being a trustee of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .).

Incredible! This thinking goes even further when they use thisHadeeth for themselves:

MUSTADRAK AL WASAAIL - VOL 17 H 21468

Allamah Hilli in his writing quotes: 'The Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) said that the scholars of myUmmah are like the prophets of the Israelites'.

MY !My !My ! The Prophets of the Israelites include the Prophets Musa (a.s .) and Isa (a.s .). There is no limit to a person's aspirations now is there? So which scholars is thisHadeeth referringto ?The priests or the Holy Infallibles (a.s .)? The followingHadeeth has answered this question.

Aliibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from 'Abd al-'Azizibn al-Muhtadi from 'Abd Allahibn Jundab to who Imam al-Rida , recipient of divine supreme covenant, wrote the following: "Thereafter (after thanking Allah I must say), Muhammad, recipient of divine supreme covenant, was the trustee of Allah in the matters of His creatures. When hewas taken away from this world, we,Ahl al-Bayt , inherited him; thus, we are the trustees of Allah over His earth.

QUESTIONS

When will all these priestsrealise that they are not knowledgeable, but are only seekers of knowledge?

When was the last time you heard from the mouth of a priest the words 'I don't know'?

Why do they concentrate mainly onFiqh and not onHadeeth ?

Allamah (Knowledgeable In Many FieldsOf Knowledge)

Now what canI say about that! Theseguys are only trying to go one better than theUlamas . Slightly more knowledge in a few more fields of knowledge, and hey presto! One is anAllamah .

There are unknown number of sciences and branches of knowledge thatcannot even be imagined . Why do theseguys think that they are knowledgeable in many fields of knowledge, when the total sum of their knowledge is not even a drop in the ocean?

From history, thiswas first displayed from the School of the Holy ImamJa'far AlSadiq (a.s .). Numerous subjectswere taught including mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy etc. Try questioning theAllamahs of today on any of these and see for yourself what answers you get. The Holy Imam (a.s .) only displayed a drop of the knowledge that he (a.s .) had. TheseAllamahs only have a drop from this drop, and that is all they have.

AL KAFI - H 44, Ch. 2, h1

Muhammadibn al-Hassan has narrated from Aliibn Muhammad fromSahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammadibn 'Isa from 'Ubayd Allah al-Dihqan fromDurust alWasiti from Ibrahimibn 'Abd al-Hamid fromabu al-Hassan Musa , recipient of divine supreme covenant, who has said the following: "Once the Holy Prophet, recipient of divine supreme covenant, entered the Mosque and found a group of people gathered around a man. He asked, 'Who is he?' Itwas said that he was anAllama .

Then he asked, 'What is that?' They replied that he is an expert in genealogy, chronology, and the history of the pre-Islamic days of darkness and poetry of Arabs. The Holy Prophet, recipient of divine supreme covenant, then told them, 'There are only three kinds of Knowledge: A decisive Verse, a justly enjoined obligation or an established tradition. Other than these are only something extra.'"

Historically there have been some good Mullahs whohave been caught up in this name game. One such example is the famous Mullah MuhammadBaqir AlMajlisi of the BiharUl Anwar fame. The reference ofAllamah was allocated to him after his death.

This is a very serious trend that has come up recently that all thoseSheykhs and Mullahs of old are now being referred to with these titles in the new publications.Sheykh Kulayni ,Sheykh Toosi ,Sheykh Sadouq etc are now been referred to asAyatullahs , whereas historically they have always been known simply asSheykhs .

QUESTIONS

How many fields of knowledge are there? How many is 'many' out of all the fields of knowledge?

Can having a small amount of knowledge of a small number of them make one anAllamah ?

How come theseAllamahs do not have the knowledge of the subjects that were taught by the Holy ImamJa'far AlSadiq (a.s .)? Are they experts in the genealogy, chronology, pre-Islamic history and the poetry of the Arabs?

A'alam (The Most Knowledgeable)

Whatever that can possibly be learnt in matters of religion, thisguy is supposed to know it. Heis regarded as the most knowledgeable among all theUlamas and is a step ahead of theAllamahs .

So he just sits there basking in the glory of being referred to as theA'alam on the presumption that no one is more knowledgeable that him. Maybe someone should remind him that ImamMahdi (a.s .) is still around and that he (a.s .) has only gone into occultation.

But it is common knowledge among the Shiites that their Holy Imam (a.s .) is still alive and is their Divine Guide whose return from occultation is eagerly awaited.And so I have no choice but to conclude that 'the most knowledgeable one' is surely aware of this. He has therefore deliberately adorned himself with this title despite being aware that there is the person of the Holy Imam (a.s .) who is actually theA'alam .

QUESTIONS

If theUlamas are not theUlamas , then what does that make the most knowledgeable of them all?

Why has this 'A'alam ' deliberately ignored the fact that inactual fact ImamMahdi (a.s .) is more knowledgeable that he will ever be? Is he trying to tell us that ImamMahdi (a.s .) does not actually exist and therefore he is now theA'alam ?

ALAM UL HUDA (THE BANNER OF GUIDANCE)

Giveme a break! This was one of the titles used by Imam Ali (a.s .). How can anyone else use this title for himselfI shall never know.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w .)said: O Ali! You are the Banner of Guidance and the Light of Religion and that is the Light of Allah (s.w.t .) -Bihaar Ul Anwaar Vol 22 Incidentally this titleis commonly used forSyed Murtadha , the pioneerMujtahid of over a thousand years ago. He was a student of theMu'tazilite teacherAsadabadi and startedIjtihad using the principles of ImamShafei . His brotherSyed Razi (compiler ofNahj Ul Balagah ) did not agree with him and refused to pray behind him.

QUESTIONS

As the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) used this title for Imam Ali (a.s .), then where is the justification of using it for ordinary people?

Howcan anyone possibly justify using this title for someone other than a Holy Infallible (a.s .).

Hujat UlL Islam (Proof of Islam)

And what is required to prove something? Some people try to prove it with academic arguments, some have even tried it by military force, and the Prophets (a.s .) even used miracles for their proofs.

So, when a person call himself a proof of Islam, then it follows that he is referring to his character, his whole personality, so that when a person looks at him, then Islam is proven. By looking at him, at his blessed face, listening to his speech, his actions, and his character, the truth of Islam would dawn upon the people. There would be no need to provide any intellectual arguments or proofs.

If you were to now use your common sense a little bit you willrealise the gravity of the situation when someone uses this title for himself, as the whole of the building of religion would be based on this foundation and would eventually collapse if the claim turns out to be false.

According to Shiite beliefs, Allah (s.w.t .) gave a complete religion with no deficiencies, through a trustworthy angel to an Infallible Prophet and Infallible Imams. The proof of an infallible religion can only be through an infallible. If a normal person were tobe regarded as proof of Islam then all his deficiencies will have to be regarded as the deficiencies of Islam, and in this way the whole religion would become unreliable. The person whois accepted as the proof of Islam would therefore be one who is above any mistakes or disagreements.

QUESTIONS

Do any of theseHujjat Ul Islams claim to be infallible? If not, then how can their incomplete persons be the proof of our complete religion?

Ayatollah (SignOf Allah (S.W.T.))

These have sprung up only recently, in the last hundred years or so. Beforehand, most of them used tobe referred to asSheykhs .

And so I referred to the Book of Allah (s.w.t .) and saw fifty six Divine Verses referring to theAyatullahs . Well, obviouslyI cannot use all of them here, for the sake of brevity, but I cannot use only a couple either as that would not do justice to the argument.Therefore I have decided to use as few of them as I could.

Wherever the termAyatullah has been used, it has been immediately followed by a Fatwa (Verdict) from Allah (s.w.t .) that whoever rejects them, falsifies them, does not place his faith in them, neglects them, denies them, mocks them, turns his face away from them, or fights against them has been referred to as either an unbeliever, person of Hell,

one on whom is Divine Wrath, one whose deeds have been confiscated, the most unjust one, blind, deaf, dumb, one without posterity, an accursed, a loss maker, a transgressor and ungrateful. Phew!

Here they are!

[Shakir 2:39]And (as to) those who disbelieve in and reject My communications, they are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide.

[Shakir 2:61]And abasement and humiliation were brought down upon them, and they became deserving of Allah's wrath; this was so because they disbelieved in the communications of Allah and killed the prophets unjustly; this was so because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits.

[Shakir 3:4] Surely they who disbelieve in the communications of Allah they shall have a severe chastisement; and Allah is Mighty, the Lord of retribution.

[Shakir 3:21] Surely (as for) those who disbelieve in the communications of Allah and slay the prophets unjustly and slay those among men who enjoin justice, announce to them a painful chastisement.

[Shakir 3:22]Those are they whose works shall become null in this world as well as the hereafter, and they shall have no helpers

[Shakir 6:39]And they who reject Our communications are deaf and dumb, in utter darkness; whom Allah pleases He causes to err and whom He pleases He puts on the right way.

[Shakir 6:49]And (as for) those who reject Our communications, chastisement shall afflict them because they transgressed.

[Shakir 6:157] Or lest you should say: If the Book had been revealed to us, we would certainly have been better guided than they, so indeed there has come to you clear proof from your Lord, and guidance and mercy. Who then is more unjust than he who rejects Allah's communications and turns away from them? We will reward those who turn away fromOur communications with an evil chastisement because they turned away.

[Shakir 7:40] Surely (as for) those who rejectOur communications and turn away from them haughtily, the doors of heaven shall not be opened for them, nor shall they enter the garden until the camel pass through the eye of the needle; and thus do We reward the guilty.

[Shakir 7:64]But they called him a liar, so We delivered him and those with him in the ark, and We drowned those who rejected Our communications; surely they were a blind people.

[Shakir 7:72]So We delivered him and those with him by mercy from Us, and We cut off the last of those who rejected Our communications and were not believers.

[Shakir 7:203]And when you bring them not a revelation they say: Why do you not forge it? Say: I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord; these are clear proofs from your Lord anda guidance and a mercy for a people who believe.

[Shakir 10:17] Who is then more unjust than who forges a lie against Allah or (who) gives the lie to His communications?Surely the guilty shall not be successful.

[Shakir 11:59]And this was Ad; they denied the communications of their Lord, and disobeyed His messengers and followed the bidding of every insolentopposer (of truth).

[Shakir 11:60]And they were overtaken by curse in this world and on the resurrection day; now surely Ad disbelieved in their Lord; now surely, away with Ad, the people ofHud .

[Shakir 20:125] He shallsay: My Lord!why hast Thou raised me blind and I was a seeing one indeed?

[Shakir 20:126] He will say: Even so,Our communications came to you but you neglected them; even thus shall you be forsaken this day.

[Shakir 20:127] And thus doWe recompense him who is extravagant and does not believe in the communications of his Lord, and certainly the chastisement of the hereafter is severer and more lasting.

[Shakir 31:32] And when a wave like mountains covers them they call upon Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience, but when He brings them safe to the land, some of them follow the middle course; and none denies Our signs but every perfidious, ungrateful one.

[Shakir 39:63] His are the treasures of the heavens and the earth; and (as for) those who disbelieve in the communications of Allah, these it is that are the losers.

You have now seen the Verses about theAyatullahs and theFatwas (Verdicts) of Allah (s.w.t .) thathave been Issued to those that reject them.

Let us look at this from another angle. Say there are twoMujtahids who call themselvesAyatullahs . One of them has declared something permissible whilst the other one has made it forbidden (e.g. Chess). Can you now tellme whether they are verifying each other or falsifying and opposing each other? You will have to admit that they are actually falsifying and opposing each other.

And yet they both claim to beAyatullahs . You have seen above the result of the one who falsifies or opposes anAyatullah .Don't both of these two people come under these Divine Verdicts?

The Holy Infallibles (a.s .) have actually referred to themselves as theAyatullahs . AL KAFI - H 528, Ch. 18, h1

Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated fromMu'alla ibn Muhammad from Ahmadibn Muhammadibn 'Abd Allah from Ahmadibn Hilal from 'Umayya ibn Ali fromDawud al-Riqqi who has said the following: "Once, I askedabu 'Abd Allah, recipient of divine supreme covenant, about the meaning of the words of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, 'The signs and warnings are of no avail to the disbelieving people.' (10:101) The Imam said, 'Signs are 'A'immah , and warnings are the prophets, recipient of divine supreme covenant. '" AL KAFI - H 529, Ch. 18, h2

Ahmadibn Mahran has narrated from 'Abd al-'Azim ibn 'Abd Allah al-Hassani from Musaibn Muhammad al-'Ijli fromYunus ibn Ya'qub in amarfu ' manner fromabu Ja'far , recipient of divine supreme covenant, who has said the following: "In the words of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, 'However, they rejected all Our signs. . .' (54:42) 'The signs' are all the successors (of the prophets, recipient of divine supreme covenant).'" HADEETH U TARIQ

The Commander of theFaithul (a.s .) said: O Tariq, The Imam is the Kalama-t-All?h [Word of God] andWaj'ha -t-Allah [Face of God] andHijaba -t-Allah [Veil of God] andN?ru -Allah [Light of God] and ?ya -t-Allah [Sign of God]. - BiharUl Anwaar Vol. 25 H 4After all this, do you reckon that anyone other than the Holy Infallibles (a.s .) has any right to this title? It looks tome as if some people are taking this title very lightly.

[Shakir 45:34]And it shall be said: Today We forsake you as you neglected the meeting of this day of yours and your abode is the fire, and there are not for you any helpers:

[Shakir 45:35] That is because you took the communications of Allah for a jest and the life of this world deceived you. So on that day theyshall not be brought forth from it, nor shall they be granted goodwill.

InTafseer Safi andTafseer Qummi , this has been explained in this manner: 'The 'Ayaat of Allah' in this Verse is a reference to the Holy Infallibles (a.s .) and those that mocked them will be told that these are the ones they used to falsify and mock'. The reality is thatthese claims of theirs to the titles of the Holy Infallibles (a.s .) is to try and equate to them. No one from the olden times up until recently has ever used these titles or even plucked up the courage for it.Sheykh Mufeed andSheykh Tusi that they revere somuch, remained as justSheykhs , whilst they themselves have gone much further.

QUESTIONS

Why are theseAyatullahs differing from each other in theirFatwas if they are both signs of Allah (s.w.t .), and He (s.w.t .) is only One? If oneAyatullah opposes anotherAyatullah , will they both end up in Hell as per the Divine Verses?

Ayatollah AlUzma (The Great SignOf Allah)

Does this not remind you ofMe'raj ?

the greatest signs of his Lord.

[Shakir 53:17-18] The eye did not turn aside, nor did it exceed the limit. Certainly he saw of Somehow it does not compute in my brain that when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) arrived at his (s.a.w .) destination inMe'raj , there was one of these people who go around calling themselves the 'great sign of Allah', sitting there waiting for him.And inZiyarat , the Holy Imam (a.s .) is referred to as the great sign of Allah (s.w.t .). BIHAR UL ANWAAR VOL. 97 H 5

Peace be upon you o Doyen of the Martyrs, Peace be upon you of Great Sign of Allah (s.w.t .).

BIHAR UL ANWAAR VOL. 54 H 26

Imam Ali (a.s .) said: If I make the intention to see the wonders of the earth and the seven heavens in the twinkling of an eye, then I can do so for I have the Great Name and I am the Great Sign and the magnificent Miracle.

QUESTIONS

What happens when one of these 'great sign of Allah' declares the playing of Chess to be permissible when ithas been clearly forbidden ? When two of these 'great sign of Allah' oppose each other, does it mean that they are both signs of differentAllahs ?But there is only one Allah (s.w.t .).