Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

CHAPTER 2: AND NOW IT HAS COME TO THIS

The matter that I have referred to in the previous chapter will now, God willing, be discussed in more detail. At present I am giving you a glance at this situation after which I shall quote a tradition from the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.).

The eminent scholar Zakir Husayn in his book ‘Hamaare Murtaza Ki Shaan’ has referred to by way of example:

Questioner:  ‘What is this unity of the light of Muhammad (s.a.w.) and Ali (a.s.) that has been narrated in the traditions?’

Maulana: ‘Do you know the obligatory and the recommended acts in Namaaz (prayer) and wudhoo (ablution)?’

Questioner: ‘Yes, whatever is necessary.’

Maulana: ‘You do not have the complete knowledge of these things and you want to know about vain things? Go away and do not get involved in vain discourse.’

If you have got the general picture of what has happened here then I shall now quote what the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) has said:

‘Four things are proof of decline. Wasting of principles of religion, sticking to the branches of religion and consider them more important, elevating the dishonorable people, looking down upon the honorable people.’ (Nahj Ul Israr Page 77).

Keeping this tradition in mind, you will find it easier to understand what I am about to say. This will no doubt disturb the mind whilst one wonders why all resources and efforts have been directed towards the branches of religion rather than at its principles. Have we been given this life so that we should only worry about whether we should wash our faces once or twice during ablution? Alas, after 1400 years, the rules of ablution have yet to be sorted out. Or shall I say that this is nothing but frivolities of knowledge whose purpose is to divert the people from the purpose of their life and get them entangled in discussion. The kind of discussions which are better avoided, because the more hairs they split in these intricacies, the more entangled they will be and the differences they will create and the more doubts they will create in regulations. Today there are differences in the most ordinary of regulations between the Fuqaha (Jurisprudents). The result of this is that today the believers have been divided into different groups of different ways of doing things. This is despite the fact that Allah (s.w.t.)’s Commands are decisive and there is only one Sharia (law) and not fifty thousand. You have seen above from the statements of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) that by giving preference to the branches of religion over its principles is proof of decline. Now, reflect upon the decline that has set in on the Shiites, both in their worldly matters as well as their religious matters, and ponder over what their causes might be.

RECOGNITION OF IDOLS

لاَ إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِاللّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىَ لاَ انفِصَامَ لَهَا وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

[Shakir 2:256] There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; therefore, whoever disbelieves in the Shaitan and believes in Allah he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handle, which shall not break off, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

I would like to point out two things from this verse. There is only one handle to hold on to for all the people. Each person cannot hold on to his own handle. Secondly, it is necessary to disbelieve in Shaitan before believing in Allah (s.w.t.). Believing and disbelieving is with understanding, as that which is done in ignorance is void. That which a person does not even know, can he accept or reject it. I am only touching upon the understanding of belief at the moment as this is away from the topic of this book. God willing I shall deal with this matter at its appropriate time and place. Let me first deal with disavowing Shaitan.

In order to disavow Shaitan we have to first understand him and his methods. Allah (s.w.t.) has told us in many places in the Quran to save ourselves from Shaitan, and so if we do not even know who he is how shall we save ourselves from him. We do not even know how he misleads us and what kind of web of deceit that he spins in order for us not to fall into his trap. Let me now explain to you how he misleads people so that we can save ourselves from him.

THE WEB OF SATAN

There is a long sermon from the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) which in titled ‘The will to Kumayl Ibn Ziyad’. In this he (a.s.) has made Qumayl aware of all things big and small about this world and the hereafter. In this he (a.s.) has shed light on the workings of Shaitan. He (a.s.) says:  ‘O Kumayl! Iblees has not made any promises for himself. The promise he made to his Lord was to lead the people towards sin so that they may be destroyed. O Kumayl! He will entangle you in his web with enjoyment, and he will tell you what he knows and you will follow him and will not be able to let go, as you will think that he is dear to you although he is Satan, the accursed. Then when you go near him and are contented with him he will then show you ways that lead to destruction from where salvation would be impossible. O Kumayl! He has a web which he sets up, so fear this so that you may not get entangled in it. O Kumayl! The world is full of his webs. No one will be able to attain salvation from it except through us. O Kumayl! As you have been commanded, attain salvation from this through your love for us so that Satan will not become part of your wealth and children. O Kumayl! Do not be misled by those that prolong their prayers and keep fast all the time and give charity and are of the delusion that they have the correct understanding. O Kumayl! I swear by Allah (s.w.t.) that I have heard from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) that when Satan wants to lead people towards desires like intoxication, eating the flesh of swine and other sins, then he first leads them to excessive prayers and prostrations, then he gets them to fall for the Imamat of the false Imams who will call towards Hell on the day of judgement when nobody will be helped. (Nahj Ul Israr Page 366).

Read again the last section from the words ‘O Kumayl! Do not be misled’ up to the end and think over it with all your concentration, so that you may understand the web of deceit spun by Satan and save yourself.

A HUMAN BEING’S NATURAL WEAKNESS

We now have to see why it has come to this that the matters of religion have been changed one by one. Why have the Commands of Allah (s.w.t.), the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and the Imams (a.s.) been disregarded. If we inquire into this then we will have to go back into history to the time of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).

Allah (s.w.t.)’s Commands were given out by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and obedience to him (s.a.w.) was made compulsory, without any if’s or but’s. Then he (s.a.w.) explained the secrets of Tawheed (Divine Unity) and Wilayah (Mastership) of Ali (a.s.) again and again at the end announced this on the plains of Ghadeer because his (s.a.w.) complete Message was hanging on this particular matter. In other words the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) did two things. He gave out the exoteric commands that we have to follow and the esoteric command of Wilayah of Ali (a.s.).

Now it is an inherent human weakness to worship someone, from day one. When he could not understand the One Creator, he started worshipping stones, trees, moon, sun, stars etc. If nothing else, he started zero worship in the name of hero worship. The people at the time of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) were not exempt from this. When you look at that history you will see that even at that time there were only a handful of people who obeyed the esoteric commands. Most of them were busy in finding out the rules of Namaaz (prayer), Roza (Fast) and Zakaat Charity) that is why the foundation of their religion could not become strong. You will see that the esoteric knowledge only comes from Ahl Ul Bayt (a.s.) and no one else. Things were not that bad at the time of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), but soon after, the fire of envy enveloped the hearts of these people, turning them against the Ahl Ul Bayt (a.s.).

They wanted the people to refer to them and honour them in the same manner as they do the Ahl Ul Bayt (a.s.). But this matter was that of knowledge and to steal this was beyond their capabilities. As this period was just close to that of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), some of his (s.a.w.) commands were still ringing in their ears and even this used to bite them. They wanted high authority in the land and in matters of religion. Therefore during the period of the first two caliphs it was forbidden to write down the narrations of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). And so slowly as time went by the importance of the words of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) began to lose their importance in the daily lives of the people the personal opinions of the leaders began to gain more importance. All this was as a result of greed, envy and enmity towards the Ahl Ul Bayt (a.s.).

The people after the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)’s time had to decide whether to choose between the exoteric knowledge and the esoteric knowledge. They saw that those were with the esoteric knowledge have been ignored by the people and hardly anyone refers to them in matters of religion. Who used to ask Salman (s.a.), Abu Dhar (r.a.) and Miqdad (r.a.)? Even then, at that time they used to refer to the people of fatwa like Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas’ud etc.

And about the exoteric knowledge, its affair was of a different nature altogether. There is no doubt that ‘marjaiat’ is gained from this knowledge and not from other. What glory they have. Hordes upon hordes of people are coming, kissing their hands, acquiring exoteric commands, and presenting gifts. Its like mangoes are being sold at the price of their seeds. They had an open field to themselves. The traditions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) had already been lowered in the eyes of the people and the Holy Quran had already adorned the Mihrab. Now what else had remained except for their own conjectures, their own opinions and their own analogies. So the matter rests here now that:

1.When it comes to the Holy Quran, then whatever of it remains after their logic, will be their conjecture.

2.When it comes to Hadeeth, then whatever of it remains after their logic, will be their opinion.

3.Where both of these are silent then over there will be their analogies.

There you are, now they have become the uncrowned kings of religion, and when they release their fatwas then no question can be asked of them, no references can be asked of them and no proofs either. You just follow them without any if’s or but’s, give them their dues for their efforts otherwise they will tell you to leave their marjaiat. Neither will you remain a religious person nor will any of your deeds be acceptable as now Allah (s.w.t.) has given them this right. The authorization papers to enter Paradise are being issued right here in this world. It is another matter that even they themselves don’t know whether their own deeds are being accepted or not, or whether they themselves are going to Paradise or not.

So my dear readers, this was the beginning of Ijtihad.

CHAPTER 3: DO WE HAVE TO BE IGNORANT ALL THE TIME?

I do not know whether you consider ignorance as something which is good or bad, but I know that every person trains his child from the age of three or four. Then he spends time on the child and then money. He tries very hard to enable the child to be in a position to earn enough money in the battlefield of life. And if a child only manages to have a mediocre standard of education then he is reprimanded for it.

But, when it comes to religion the situation is totally opposite. The father tells the son: ‘My son, be ignorant, do not learn or reflect on any matter. I am ignorant, my father is ignorant, our forefathers were also ignorant people, and in fact our whole community is ignorant. So what is the problem? There are some people that we can ask from, and were they to tell us something wrong and we act upon it then Allah (s.w.t.) will question them and is not going to question us now is He?.’ Tell me the truth, is this not the situation?

And he (s.a.w.) has also said:

AL KAFI - AL KAFI H 35, Ch. 1, h1

Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub has narrated from Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim from his father from al-Hassan ibn abu al-Husayn al-Farisi from Abd’ al-Rahman ibn Zayd from his father from abu Abd’ Allah, recipient of divine supreme covenant, who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim. (People should) know that Allah loves those who seek knowledge.’”

But it is due to a conspiracy that has been established over centuries that the Shiites have been told not to worry. Acquisition of religious knowledge is not an obligation on you for this only for certain people. This is not ‘Wajib Ayni’, but it is ‘Wajib Kifayi’. You are the general public and are crippled and therefore not subject to questioning. You go and get jobs, run businesses and enjoy yourselves, and when you have a religious matter to sort out then come to us for we are the specialists. The reward for our efforts is that you should give us a fifth of our wealth (In whichever way you may have earned it) then you are free for a whole year and no more burdens are on you.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) did not leave a single stone unturned on this matter. He used the words ‘on every Muslim’ in the above tradition. So even if a single person were to opt out of the seeking of knowledge then he will no longer be a part of the whole.  If you are still not convinced then look at another tradition:

AL KAFI - H 49, Ch. 2, h6

Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn Hassa’n from Idris ibn al- Hassan from abu Ishaq al-Kindi from Bashir al-Dahhan from abu ‘Abd Allah, recipient of divine supreme covenant, who has said the following: “O Bashir, there is nothing good in those of our people (followers) who do not acquire good understanding of religion (Fiqh). If someone among them may not have good understanding of religion he needs to ask those who oppose us. When he needs them they lead him astray without him even realising.”

I think there should not be any doubt that remains about this matter now. If you wish to be counted among the honoured ones, or if you want to be regarded as one who follows the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and the Imams (a.s.) and if you do not wish to enter the door ignorance, then acquire religious knowledge and act on it, no less no more.

FROM WHOM SHOULD BE ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE

Let it be clear that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) did not tell us to acquire knowledge, rather he told us to seek it. Now it becomes necessary for us to find out whom to seek it from. Were we to seek it from the wrong source then our efforts would be in vain, time would be wasted and we would be sinners. Come, let us ask the Holy Quran as to whom we should seek knowledge from.

فَلْيَنظُرِ الْإِنسَانُ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ

[Shakir 80:24] Then let man look to his food,

It has been explained in Tafseer Safi that Imam Baqir (a.s.) was asked about the reference to food in this verse and he (a.s.) replied: This is man’s knowledge which he should seek. The commentator then said that what the Imam (a.s.) is saying is that knowledge should be acquired from the Ahl Ul Bayt (a.s.) in whose houses the revelation came down. Knowledge sought from other sources would be incomplete and weak.

In another tradition the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) has said: ‘Knowledge has been safeguarded with its inheritors and you have been Commanded to seek the whole of it from those that have it (The Ahl Ul Bayt (a.s.)).

In another tradition Imam Ja’far Al Sadiq (a.s.) has said: ‘The knowledge that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) has left, we the Ahl Ul Bayt (a.s.) are its inheritors’.

WHO ARE THE SCHOLARS?

The term ‘knowledge’ is an attribute which mean ‘to know’, and ‘ignorance’ means ‘not to know’. People of understanding know that the majority are normally in the opposition. Two opposite things cannot co-exist at the same place e.g. fire and water, similarly, intellect and ignorance cannot be in the same person at the same time. If you consider someone knowledgeable then you have to deny every kind of ignorance in him. If he is considered knowledgeable in matters of religion then you will have to deny his ignorance in all matters of religion. Now, is there anyone who can make this claim of being knowledgeable? Does anyone have the right to call someone knowledgeable?

Apart from the Holy Infallibles (a.s.) everyone else gains knowledge, and the more they gain the less ignorant they become. Those who gain knowledge are not the knowledgeable ones but can only be referred to as seekers of knowledge. Compared to each other everyone is knowledgeable. I am knowledgeable compared to my son. Someone else is knowledgeable compared to me, and this chain has no bounds. The Holy Infallibles (a.s.) have clarified this matter so that everyone cannot wear this crown on their heads. I am only presenting two traditions here which are sufficient for those who wish to understand.

AL KAFI - H 56, Ch. 3, h4

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from Jamil who has said the following: “I heard Imam abu ‘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 (who do not have any meaningful opinion in life).’”

“O Kumayl! Remember that there are three kinds of people: one kind is of those learned people who are highly versed in the ethics of truth and philosophy of religion, second is the kind of those who are acquiring the above knowledge and the third is that class of people who are uneducated. They follow every pretender and accept every slogan, they have neither acquired any knowledge nor have they secured any support of firm and rational convictions.” - Nahj Ul Balagah Saying No. 146