Quantum Theory: a Pragmatist Approach

5. The objectivity of physical description in quantum theory

If quantum state ascriptions and the consequent Born probabilities are relative to agent situations, then is there any non-relational physical description on which agents in all situations can agree? The analogous question in the context of relativity theory receives a straightforward answer: frame-dependent descriptions including those of length and time-intervals may be thought to derive from frame-independent invariants such as the space-time interval. The question must be answered positively in the context of quantum theory in order to facilitate descriptive claims about the physical world any agent can endorse whatever that agent’s physical situation, so that these claims can contribute to the predictive and explanatory goals of physics.

Section 3 explained why no claim expressed by a sentence of the formS : ‘The value of A ons lies in Δ’ (no NQMC) is implied by any quantum state ascription (QSA) or Born probability statement (BPS) - even in a case in whichS is correctly assigned Born probability 1 (relative to some agent situation)). NQMC’s were frequently and correctly made before the development of quantum theory and continue to be made after its widespread acceptance, which is why I call them non-quantum. While quantum theory adds no new ways of describing the physical world, it does offer authoritative advice to a situated agent, both on the content of NQMC’s relevant to its situation, and on the degree of belief appropriate to such claims. The appropriate degree of belief generally depends on the agent situation, so differently situated agents are frequently advised to hold different epistemic attitudes toward NQMC’s. But the content of a NQMC about a systems does not depend on agent situation. That is why any NQMC can be taken to offer a physical description that is objective, in the sense that the content of the claim is strongly agent-independent: it is independent of the physical as well as the epistemic state of any agent (human, conscious, or neither) that may make or evaluate it. But acceptance of quantum theory so drastically limits the content ofsome NQMC’s that they can no longer contribute to the explanatory or predictive goals of physics and so are best left unsaid.

5.1 Why violations of Bell Inequalities involve no physical non-locality

The distinctions just drawn between quantum state ascriptions, Born probability statements and non-quantum magnitude claims are important in explaining why quantum violation of Bell inequalities involves no physically problematic non-locality. Recall the discussion of non-local correlations in section 4. Remember that the eventM B when Bob measures the polarization of photonR along theb -axis occurs earlier in the laboratory frame than the eventM A when Alice measures the polarization of photonL along thea -axis. How should the relevant systems be described by NQMC’s? Consider the following claims:

D 1: Photon-detectorL records polarizationa or polarizationa ⊥ .

D 2: Photon-detectorL records polarizationa.

P 1: PhotonL has polarizationb or polarizationb ⊥ .

P 2: PhotonL has polarizationb .

Assume (all experts including Alice and Bob agree that) a photon pair is emitted in polarization state |Φ+,and detection is perfectly efficient.D 1 can be taken to express an NQMC that is licensed by quantum theory (because of the decohering polarization-correlation interaction betweenL and its detector+environment) and warranted for any agent at any time, simply because Alice’s photon detector is in good working order.D 2 can similarly be taken to express an NQMC that is licensed by quantum theory, but whereasD 2 is warranted for Alice as soon as she records theL polarization, Bob is justified in making claimD 2 only when Alice communicates to him the record of theL polarization later - unlessb=a , in which case Bob will be justified in claimingD 2 as soon as his detector records polarizationa on photonR . (Ifb≠a thenD 2 will be at most partially warranted for Bob before receipt of Alice’s message.)

Now consider claimsP 1 andP 2. One might suppose that Bob is justified in claimP 2 after consulting his photon detectorR and finding that it has recorded polarizationb , and that his entitlement extends to claimP 1 by simple logic. But this is incorrect. Even ifM B occurs invariantly earlier thanM A , quantum theory grants an agent (like Bob) only an extremely limited license to claimsP 1 andP 2: the content of these claims is severely weakened by the severe restrictions on what material inferences they support. This is because in the interval betweenM B andM A photonL undergoes no interaction with its environment capable of delocalizing its quantum polarization state in a preferredb -b ⊥ basis. After his detector records polarizationb forR , Bob’s situation does warrant him in ascribing polarization state |b,to photonL : this becomes his new quantum polarization state for that photon. But no QSA implies any NQMC: the eigenstate-to-eigenvalue link fails.P 2 does support some material inferences to behavior characteristic of classically polarized light, importantly including that photon-detectorL would record polarizationb , and indeed will do so ifb=a . But Bob is already warranted in believing these conclusions by his assignment of quantum state |b ,to photonL , and so is any agent (including Alice) who knows the result of Bob’s measurement. Any agent can reach these conclusions by assigning |Φ+,to the photon pair and conditionalizing on Bob’s recordedR polarizationb . So this part of the content of claimP 2 can be secured without it. Moreover,P 2 will not support additional material inferences just becauseL undergoes no decoherence interaction robustly correlating itsb -polarization state to an environment. These considerations also undercut claimP 1. So Bob has no warrant for claimingP 2 if the content of this claim is taken to extend beyond that of the claim that his quantum polarization state forL is |b ,, and no warrant for claimingP 1 if the content of that claim is taken to extend beyond that of the claim that his quantum polarization state forL is either |b ,or |b ⊥ ,. These claims have no place in a careful agent-independent physical description capable of explaining the non-local correlations. Nor do analogous claims about the polarization ofR .

Notice that we have now provided a reason why quantum theoretical analysis of these non-local correlations does not involve attributing to the polarizations of theL ,R photons in a pair

‘…any mutually independent existence (state of reality) [when] viewed separately, not even if [they] are spatially separated from one another at the particular time under consideration.’[22]

At most, quantum theory licenses a claim about the polarization prior to detection of theL -photon only with respect to theb -axis, and a claim about the polarization prior to detection of theR -photon only with respect to thea -axis: and the license it extends tothese claims is so severely restricted that neither amounts to a report on an independently existing state of reality. This is fortunate, since a well-trodden path takes one from the independent existence of pre-existing polarization states of both photons along every axis that their respective detectors simply reveal to Bell inequalities, whose experimentally-confirmed violation confirms quantum theoretical predictions derived from the Born rule as applied to state |Φ+,. If each arbitrarily-oriented photon-detector faithfully revealed a pre-existing polarization of the detected photon, and these polarizations were distributed among many pairs in state |Φ+,in a way that was independent of the detector settingsa ,b , then the only way to restore consistency with the Born rule predictions would be to allow that the polarization state of a photon could be non-locally altered before reaching the detector. That would constitute a blatant violation of a physical locality condition Einstein ([1948], p.322) stated as follows

aussere Beeinflussung von A hat keinenunmittelbaren Einfluss auf B; dies ist als << Prinzip der Nahewirkung >> bekannt (‘an external influence on A has no immediate effect on B; this is known as the ‘principle of local action’ ‘)

The present pragmatist approach to quantum theory acquits it of any such violation of local action.

Bell inequalities may be derived in a bipartite system like the photon pairLR without assuming anything corresponding to independently existing polarizations for each subsystem. The key assumptions here are of conditional probabilistic independence such as the following (Gisin [2009]) where I suppose that α, β are variables ranging over the possible values of polarization recorded byL, R detectors respectively along thea ,b axes, and λ (which may include the quantum state, here |Φ+,) specifies the situation of everything in the past irrelevant to the choice ofa ,b axes:

prob(α|a ,b , λ) = prob(α|a , λ) : prob(β|a ,b , α, λ) = prob(β|b , λ) (6)

Which together imply

prob(α, β|a ,b , λ) = prob(α|a , λ) × prob(β|b , λ) (7)

Gisin glosses these conditions as follows

...for any give “state of affairs” λ, what happens on Alice’s side does not depend on what happens on Bob’s side, and vice versa.

But if λ is just whatever earlier physical conditions warrant ascription of quantum state |Φ+〉 to the pair, and the probabilities appearing in (6) are taken to be consequences of the Born rule as applied to |Φ+〉 , then neither (6) nor (7) says anything about what happens in this situation. As in the BPS’s from which they follow, (6) and (7) describe nothing in the physical world: their role is simply to offer authoritative advice to an agent such as Alice or Bob on what to expect in the situation described. As section 2 explained, a Born probability statement does not purport to describe physical reality. Its role within the theory is to offer objective advice to a physically situated agent on how to apportion beliefs concerning matters of which it is ignorant. So understood, conditions like (6) and (7) do not express physical locality conditions. The fact that Born probabilities violate the second part of (6) does not make the quantum world physically non-local. But it is interesting to note that if Born probabilities had violated just thefirst part of (6), by choosing one axis of his detector rather than another during repeated runs of the experiment, Bob would have been able to guide Alice’s expectations and thereby manipulate her behavior in a way thatwould have violated Einstein’s principle of local action! So the no-signaling theorems remain critical to this acquittal of quantum theory from the charge of violating a physically motivated locality condition.

5.2 Objectivity, Inter-subjectivity and Wigner’s friend

The content of a NQMC expressed byD 1 orD 2 is in no way relative to the situation of any actual or possible agent, even though an agent’s situation may well affect its warrant for making that claim. Moreover, because of the nature of the decohering polarization-correlation interaction betweenL and its detector+environment, the inferential power of one of these claims extends very far - far enough for such claims to be considered simply objective descriptions of the physical world for all practical and impractical purposes of any agent. An agent making such a claim may therefore be understood to be offering an objective description of the physical event normally taken to constitute the outcome of a measurement of linear polarization ofL along thea axis. It is by licensing, though not implying, such claims that quantum theory authorizes objective physical description of the world.

As we have seen, the status of NQMC’sP 1 andP 2 is different. Even though their content need not be regarded as relative to the situation of any agent making them, quantum theory severely limits their inferential power. This so restricts their content that it is no longer appropriate to think of these claims as simply offering an objective description of the physical properties of photonL , or of any other physical state of affairs. This does not mean that such claims have no use. Bob may utterP 2 intending thereby merely to ascribe quantum state |b ,to photonL , and such a usage may acquire common currency within a community of quantum physicists. Indeed, physicists do often ascribe linear polarization states to photons. But this does not show that by saying something likeP 2 these physicists are offering objective physical descriptions. By familiarizing themselves with quantum theory they have internalized the limited inferential power attached to such a claim and they use it with that common understanding.

The “paradox” of Wigner’s friend presents a challenge to the objectivity of physical description within quantum theory. To set up the “paradox”, imagine Schrödinger’s cat (and associated ‘diabolical device’) replaced by a human experimenter (Wigner’s friend) who records in a deviceD the result of a quantum measurement he has performed on a systems inside his isolated laboratory.[23]For example, suppose thats is the photonL just considered,D L detects its polarization along thea axis, and the friend is Bob. Meanwhile, another agentW remains outside the laboratory. After consulting the record ofD R, Bob ascribes quantum polarization state |b ,toL and applies the Born rule to calculate the probability, (|+a |b ,|2), ofD 2. He performs the measurement, consultsD L, and records the outcome by writingD 2 in his notebook.W , on the other hand, ascribes a quantum state |ΨW,to the enormously complex system composed ofL ,R, Bob,D L,D R, the notebook and everything else in the laboratory, and uses this to calculate the Born probability ofD 2. Even though this will not equal |+a |b ,|2, no inconsistency arises, since all BPS’s are relative to the physical situation of an agent making them, andW and Bob are in relevantly different physical situations: at this stage Bob has interacted, first withD R, and then withD L, butW has interacted with neither.

An inconsistency would arise if one took a quantum state completely to describe a system in accordance with the eigenstate-eigenvalue link and assumed measurement collapses this state onto an eigenstate corresponding to the corresponding eigenvalue of the measured observable. Bob would then take his measurement ofL -photon polarization to collapse the state ofL -photon+D L onto an eigenstate of which a “pointer reading” onD L was an eigenvalue. But, treating Bob merely as part of the physical contents of the laboratory,W woulddeny that the state |ΨW,collapsed onto such an eigenstate untilhe ,W , made a measurement by entering the laboratory to see what polarizationD L had recorded. There is no threat of such inconsistent descriptions of the contents of the laboratory prior toW ’s entry on the present pragmatist approach, which denies any descriptive role to quantum states. But if quantum theory deniesW the license to use his quantum state |ΨW,to describe what is happening in the laboratory before he enters, while licensing Bob to make descriptive claims such asD 2, then how can a claim likeD 2 be taken to offer an objective physical description ?

A default assumption underlying the objectivity of physical description dictates thatW accept Bob’s sincere reportD 2 when backed up byW ’s own independent investigations. This assumption is so deeply embedded in scientific methodology that it is hard to imagine how any kind of scientific activity could survive its wholesale rejection.W ’s quantum analysis of his situation may seem to challenge this assumption. Since he knows that Bob was to prepare his photon pair in polarization state |Φ+,, W’s initial quantum state |ΨW,t1 will include a representation of the polarization state of theL -photon that is a superposition of |a ,and |a ⊥ ,with appropriate non-zero coefficients. Subsequent interactions withD L, further recording equipment, Bob and Bob’s notebook will entangle this superposition with their quantum states. Nothing about this quantum state will even suggest what result (if any) Bob got in his measurement of the polarization of theL -photon. But W’s quantum state will advise him to expect that, whatever that result may be, the laboratory will contain multiple mutually supporting records of it. So that while his quantum analysis alone providesW no warrant for believingD 2, it does warrantW in believing that his observation ofD L, consultation with Bob, reading Bob’s notebook, and any other examination of what is ordinarily taken to be evidence thatD 2 was true even before he entered the laboratory, will all be mutually consistent with each other, and consistent also -either withD 2or else withD 2⊥ : Photon-detectorD L records polarizationa ⊥ . It remains perfectly consistent withW ’s quantum analysis of the situation for him to suppose that it isD 2⊥ , notD 2, that correctly described the physical situation prior to his entering the laboratory, despite Bob’s sincere statement that he remembers recordingD 2 , backed up by allW ’s own observations on entering the laboratory.

There is nothing strictly paradoxical about this situation. But it does prompt the skeptical concern that an agent who accepts quantum theory no longer has any reason to expect apparently sincere reports of fellow agents concerning readily observable properties of macroscopic objects to be reliable, not even if these are backed up by its own independent observations of these properties, together with what are ordinarily considered traces of them. Quantum theory does not validate the default assumption underlying the objectivity of physical description.

I think the right way for a scientist to respond to this concern is simply to refuse to take this skeptical possibility seriously. A scientist begins by trusting his or her own observations as well as those of others and questions these only when further observations provide positive reasons for doing so. Nothing we learn from quantum theory or anything else in science providesW with any reason for questioning his own or his friend’s sincere observation reports concerning the outcomes of quantum measurements or the gross properties of macroscopic objects. Science concerns itself precisely with those physical descriptions that can be taken to be objective in the sense that they are open to support from multiple independent observations whose evidential import can be collectively undercut only by this kind of radical philosophical skepticism, yielding to which would render scientific investigation of any kind impossible. The extremely hypothetical scenario of Wigner’s friend fails to lift the burden of proof from one who would seek to deny the objectivity of physical descriptions such as that offered by the claimD 2.

A further twist on the Wigner’s friend scenario will help to bring out a quantum limitation on the content of all NQMC’s (including not onlyD 2 but also claims such asS x from section 3), and indeed on all physical descriptions. ConsiderW ’s quantum state |ΨW,. Since the entire laboratory and its contents constitutes an isolated system,W will take |ΨW,to have evolved unitarily from its state |ΨW,t1 prior to his friend’s measurement of the polarization ofL to its state |ΨW,t2 just as he enters the laboratory to ask his friend about its result.

|ΨW ,t2 =U 12 |ΨW ,t1 (8)

W should ascribe to the contents of the laboratory att 1 a quantum state that reflects his belief that his friend has not yet performed the planned measurement onL . SoW will be warranted in ascribing to these contents a state |ΨW,t1 that assigns Born probability 1 to NQMC’s onD L, Bob and his notebook that suffices to substantiate that belief. Mathematically, there will exist a Hamiltonian that would induce the time-reversed evolution of |ΨW,so that at a later timet 3 (wheret 3− t 2= t 2 −t 1) it is restored to its value before the friend measured the polarization ofL

|ΨW ,t3 =U †23 |ΨW ,t2 = |ΨW ,t1 (9)

IfW had the powers of a quantum demon, he could instantaneously replace the original Hamiltonian by this time-reversing Hamiltonian att 2, thereby restoring |ΨW,att 3 to its original value att 1.[24]Suppose that he does so, and postpones his entry into the laboratory untilt 3. Since the quantum state of the entire laboratory is identical to what it was before his friend had made any measurement of the polarization ofL ,W must fully expect that if he then asks his friend about the result of his measurement, the friend will say he has not yet performed any measurement. He must further fully expect that his own examination at, and at any time after,t 3 ofD L, Bob’s notebook, and anything else inside the laboratory will reveal no record of any such measurement ever having been made.W ’s action att 2 has, byt 3, erased all traces of Bob’s measurement of the polarization ofL and its result: Indeed,W has succeeded in erasing all traces of everything that happened inside the laboratory betweent 1 andt 3.

It is deeply embedded in the way we ordinarily think about the past that everything that happens leaves some trace of its occurrence, however epistemically inaccessible this may be to us. Dummett ([1969]) even took rejection of this assumption to be a significant motive for antirealism about the past - the view that statements about the past on which no present or future evidence bears have no determinate truth-value. Consideration of the extended Wigner’s friend scenario shows that one who wholly accepts quantum theory must limit the content of NQMC’s and indeed all other physical descriptions so that such a claim does not thereby exclude the physical possibility that the claimed state of affairs leave no trace whatever. But while allowing for this possibility does marginally weaken every physical description I do not see that quantum theory thereby makes physical description any the less objective.

6. Conclusion

I promised a diagnosis of the curious situation that while there are no serious and lasting disagreements among physicists on the use of quantum theory, disputes about its meaning began with its inception and continue unchecked. I suggest that what is largely responsible for this situation is the assumption (tacit or explicit) that the meaning of quantum theory must be given by saying what the physical world is like, according to that theory. That the meaning ofany theory is to be given by spelling out its truth-conditions is an assumption no pragmatist will leave uncontested. Rejecting this blinkered perspective on interpretation makes it possible to see that the real significance of quantum theory for the philosophy of science is how it advances the goals of physicswithout presenting us with novel ways of representing the world. In this paper I have indicated how this new perspective permits progress on long-standing problems such as the measurement problem and quantum non-locality: many details remain to be filled in subsequently.

One goal of physics emphasized by realists is explanation of natural phenomena. I anticipate the objection that quantum theory is only able to achieve its great explanatory success through its deployment of novel theoretical representations of the world. Since this pragmatist interpretation cannot account for quantum theory’s explanatory successes (the objection continues), it is merely a new name for a bad old way of thinking–instrumentalism! To confine the present paper within reasonable bounds, a second paper will be devoted to a detailed refutation of this objection.[25]

Funding

National Science Foundation (SES0848022).

Acknowledgements

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. SES-0848022. I thank my Arizona colleagues Jenann Ismael and Terry Horgan for their helpful comments and suggestions on this work. Special thanks go to my hosts in Vienna, Prof. A. Zeilinger and Prof. M. Aspelmeyer, who made it possible for me to visit the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences during summer 2009 under the Templeton Research Fellows Program “Philosophers-Physicists Cooperation Project on the Nature of Quantum Reality”, and additionally to Xiaosong Ma and the other scientists in the Institute for many enlightening discussions and for permission to reproduce Figure 2. I also wish to acknowledge the support of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics under their sabbatical program, and to thank its members and visitors for the intellectual stimulation they provided during my visit in Fall 2009: research at the Perimeter Institute is supported by the Government of Canada through Industry Canada and by the Province of Ontario through the Ministry of Research and Innovation. Finally I wish to thank the University of Sydney, and Huw Price, Director of the Centre for the Study of Time, for inviting me to give a series of lectures early in 2010 in conjunction with the award of an International Visiting Research Fellowship, thereby providing the stimulus and opportunity to share these ideas at a formative stage.

Introduction

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

“Verily the Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right (or stable) (to run societies), and giveth the glad tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward”1 .

“We have sent down to thee the book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad tidings to Muslims”2 .

“When those come to thee who believe in Our Signs, say: 'Peace be on you: Your Lord hath inscribed for Himself (the rule on Mercy; verily, if any of you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented, and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful”3 .

The light of Islam is illuminating hearts of individuals in nearly all parts of the world, in spite of heavy barriers and careful controls and religious interrogation exerted by not only many governments of non-Muslim nations, but also in some Muslim countries, against their believing people, especially during the years after the Islamic Revolution of Iran.

The effective influence of the light of the truth together with the speed in the movement of the Age has brought forth a more vital exchange of thought and religious ideology in connection with the Holy Qur'an.

In regard to this, we refer to what the Messenger of Allah (S) has said about it:

When afflictions surround you like the dark night refer to the Qur'an, because, it is an Intercessor whose intercession is accepted. It reports the evils (of people) which will be confirmed. It leads the person to Heaven who puts it in front of himself (follows it); and he who puts it behind himself (neglects it) will be driven to Hell.

This very Qur'an is the best guide to the best ways. It is a Book in which there are useful explanations, statements and gaining (of goals). It is the Separator (of right and wrong).4

Obviously, those people whose language is not Arabic can refer to the Holy Book in English, because this is an international language and it is possible for all nations with any native language, to read and understand it in English. As far as we know, there are more than 50 different English translations of Qur'an available in Iran alone, and probably others exist in libraries (and homes) throughout the world.

This makes it easy for the lovers of truth to obtain the knowledge of the Holy Qur'an and Islamic ideology, through the medium of English, which formerly was acquired directly by the Arabic and Persian languages.

But, a fact should be mentioned here that not all of the words of Allah are easily understood by ordinary people and need explanatory commentary, i.e. 'Tafsir’.

Alongside this path, there are some problems that those eager to learn the Qur'anic truth should know and be careful of. Hence, we deal here with some of the difficulties we were involved in and recognized when we were preparing this endeavour; the fruit of our humble labour of more than three years, a translation of the commentary of over one section (of the 30 sections) of the Holy Qur'an from different commentary sources.

The work is based upon popular commentaries accepted by Muslim scholars. We consulted other books and present living scholars, learned in the Qur'anic Sciences for our work to produce this commentary in a simple standard of English easily understood by the laymen.

The style of writing here is a mixture of British-English and American-English, understandable for all the readers; even for those acquainted with only one of them. However, excuse us for using interchangeable spellings. If both are used, from time to time, they are acceptable; for example, honour and honor.

Not All English Versions of Quran Are Acceptable

Some Western translators of the Holy Qur'an; not all of them, and some producers of literature on Islam in the English language, are the anti-Muslim elements which are busy in distorting the facts about the faith to create disruption in Islamic ideology.

These hostile minds have attempted to black-list the Holy Prophet (S) and the religion of Islam, through their purposeful and subtle mis-translations, mis-interpretations, mis-representations and distortion of the facts.

The distortion and the misinterpretations are so skilfully decorated in linguistic excellence and delusive logic that the blind lovers of the English language, who are hardly or even totally unaware of the actual Qur'anic factors of their own faith, get caught up in the falsehood tempered with eloquence and they swallow the 'sugar-coated poisonous pills of deceit' allowing themselves to become duly conditioned to serve the purpose of the publications of the hostile camps.

The current standing of Evil has always been against the Truth in the history of man, even before written history, when the sons of Adam came into existence.

When these antagonistic elements have successfully extended their active influence upon our own religion, ideology and social tradition, we are also duty bound to Allah, His Final Word (the Holy Qur'an), the Faith, and to Islam, to do our best to present to every sincere seeker of Truth, a selection of a translation of the verses of the Holy Qur'an of the original Arabic text, and the 'Tafsir' (commentary) of them.

By the way, we believe that it is the essential belief of 'Shi'a' that the present Qur'an, that which is in our hands today, is the Holy Book of Allah, revealed to the holy Prophet Muhammad (S), as arranged and compiled during his lifetime and read out to him and it contains nothing less or more than what was revealed.

And it should be noted that,

“Nay, but it is a Glorious Qur'an, (inscribed) in a tablet preserved.”5 ,

whose present arrangement is the order in which the various verses were sorted and arranged at the command of the Holy Prophet (S), himself.

This is the uncorrupted or undisturbed Word of Allah, the preservation of which has been guaranteed by Allah, Himself:

“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)”6 .

Furthermore, the English translations, along with the Arabic text of the verses, in this book, are selected from different translations of English versions of the Holy Qur'an, (whose names are listed at the end of the book under the title of 'References') which are from the best available sources in which some better styles and more proper meanings are employed. The translator and editor did their best to preserve this divine message and in conveying the Qur'anic facts in English.

In a few instances this writer, the translator, changed a word of those existing translations to a better one, from the existing material which was employed in this work.

What is a 'Commentary'?

A pure, correct, accurate translation of the Qur'an is necessary, but sometimes it is difficult for the readers to understand all of the apparent and hidden meanings and it is the duty of every Muslim, man or woman to read, understand and contemplate on the Holy Qur'an according to his own capacity:

“...read you, therefore, of the Qur'an as much as may be easy for you..”7 .

This reading has to be done not only with the tongue, voice and eyes; a mere recitation, but, also, with the best light that our intellect can supply, and even more, with the truest and purest light which our heart and conscience give us.

However, it is not always possible to fully understand the Holy Book as Allah says:

“That is indeed a Qur'an most honourable,”Which none shall touch but those who are purified”8 .

Thus, some additional information is needed. For example, it is sometimes necessary, for understanding the text, to refer to the particular occasion for the revelation of a particular verse; or to know the philological changes of a word used at the time of revelation or before it and the meaning that it has in Arabic, today.

Or the alphabetical symbols which evidently and undoubtedly are secrets, and especially the ambiguous /mutashabihat/; the knowledge of which has been announced to be with the /rasixuna fil 'ilm/; those deeply established in knowledge.

They are some things that only 'the particular ones, the sinless ones', besides the Prophet (S), himself, viz, Ahlul Bayt, knew with all the Qur'anic facts and talked about them in their traditions and narrations (as He says:

“And whom We had taught knowledge from Our own Presence”9 .

For instance, the Apostle, himself, answered the questions which used to be asked by people as to the meaning of certain words in the verses revealed, or details of certain historical or spiritual matters on which they sought more enlightenment. These answers and explanations or in other words, the commentaries were gathered by some Companions /ashab/ and were afterward written down which are called 'Hadith' or 'traditions'.

Of course, the holy Prophet (S) had openly declared in Hadith-uth- Thaqalayn that the Qur'an is with the Ahlul Bayt, and to avoid going astray, the Muslims should be attached to these two. Later, the Ahlul Bayt's explanations and narrations, were added to them and together with the effect of expert religious scholars, in the past and present, established 'Exegesis' (explanation of Qur'an) which became a science in itself and was called 'Tafsir', commentary.

'Commentary' shows how every verse, or group of verses, were revealed to the holy Prophet (S) on a particular occasion, but which also has a general meaning. The particular occasion and the particular people concerned have passed away, but the general meaning and its application remain true for all time.

This is also one of the miracles of the Qur'an that with the help of 'commentary' it is always open and it is always new for those new generations to come.

The Current Commentary

As was mentioned earlier, the light of Islam is enlightening every corner in the world and seekers of truth, having referred to the translations of the Holy Qur'an, find that they need 'Tafsir', (commentary).

Some of them, Shi'a believers in particular have been led to this Center; Imam Ali (as) Library, requesting a clear, concise English Tafsir; 'a commentary of the Holy Qur'an'.

From the beginning of Islam until today (although many times the Holy Qur'an has been translated into English and a few of them are published with brief, detailed commentary, as footnotes, there has rarely been, as far as we know, a fairly complete commentary in English sufficient for them to find their answers. So the decision was made to supply this commentary.

Ayatullah Mujahed Al-Hajj, Allamah Sayyid Kamal Faqhih Imani, the founder and responsible party of this Islamic Scientific Research Center, approached us and reported the situation to scholars and appropriate research societies.

Then 12 people, who had varying nationalities and educational backgrounds, especially from the point of the English language and Islamic Theology, gathered. In their first gathering, which was held on 28th Safar, 1412 (1370 H. / 1991), they concluded that the commentary of the whole Qur'an which they intended to supply in English, would take many years to produce.

In order to quench the thirst of the lovers of Truth who had demanded it again and again, they decided to supply the commentary of the last section of the Qur'an, as a sample, and after its publication and receiving constructive comments by the readers and with a better skillfulness of the ones involved, the translation of the commentary would begin from the beginning of the Holy Qur'an.

Therefore, they thought it would be better that the sample, entitled 'An Enlightening Commentary Into the Light of the Holy Qur'an', begin with Surah Insan, the end of the 29th Section, because the Qur'an was revealed for the improvement of Man and this Surah is about Man and his creation from a lowly life-germ which can develop unto the highest point where no other creature can ascend.

But, after several weeks the number of us dwindled to a handful and after some months, until the present, we remain two people; the translator and the editor. During this period of more than three years, a few people have tried their hands at this task to have a share in the translation, but, for different reasons, they were not successful.

However, we are completely grateful for their efforts and extend our thanks for their attempts, as well as to those who had any involvement in this work.

Attributes Needed for Working on This Kind of Commentary

This endeavour needed not only the knowledge and skillfulness in the English language, but also the knowledge of Arabic, and Islamic science and culture, because Tafsir is an attempt to analyze and explain the meaning of verses in the Holy Qur'an.

Moreover, Allah, Himself, says:

“We have sent down to thee the book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims”10 .

Then, it needs that those involved know a little bit about almost all sciences and knowledge that human beings are concerned with when working with the commentary. Also, the phonetic sound systems of the two languages, English and Arabic, are different. Therefore, when an Arabic word from the Qur'an is mentioned in the English text, it is shown with the phonetic alphabet and in its special phonetical sign, i.e.: / /, to avoid using 'Arabic script' in the book, as far as possible.

A transliteration table of the Arabic letters and sounds and the corresponding phonetic signs, applied in this book, is given at the beginning of the book.

The Problems in Translating

We tried to avoid mixing up our own personal theories and conclusions with the interpretation of the text itself. With the help of Allah, we did our best; at times asking for guidance from some learned religious men (Ruhaniyan), and used all the knowledge and experience we possessed in the service of the Holy Qur'an for its commentary, hoping that Allah accepts it.

The nature of this sort of endeavour is so that, in the course of translation, some difficulties arise from various causes.

For instance, cultures in the Arabic language and English language are different so that some of the words like /amrun bayn al amrayn/ in the case of fatalism and freewill are nearly impossible to translate into English, because of the difference in the concept in English literature; or the meaning of a word like 'prostration', in English, is rather different with what /sajdah/ exactly means in Arabic.

In such cases, we selected the meaning of the words from among what the earlier commentators and phililogists used and where they were not unanimous, we also used the ideas of new writers, who had reasonable advantages in their interpretations, when the senses adopted with the commentary sources that we were taking and translating materials from. Explanations, of course are always helpful which we took benefit from, too.

It is noteworthy that there are some circumstances in the text, of the commentary, in which a verse or verses of Qur'an from other Suras rather than the Surah under discussion are mentioned as evidence or, thereby, for strengthening the idea.

The text of these verses and also the traditions and narrations from the holy Prophet or Ahlul Bayt (as) is printed in bolder type than the running commentary in order to distinguish, at a glance, the substance from the shadow. Also, the mentioned verses are generally taken from A. Yusuf Ali's translation.

It Was Only By His Merciful Will!

Translators Note

Both the editor and the translator have interesting factual stories to tell of how the way of this endeavour was paved by Providence and how they were divinely led to be absorbed into this task, Alhamdulillah. A few words given here in this regard are not to be misunderstood as a display of vanity for any peculiar distinction; for there is none.

It is purely to attract the attention of the readers to a living instance of the Providential implementation of the divine plan and how man drifts to his assignment and how matters are automatically manipulated, though, they seem yet only to be circumstantial.

“He said: Our Lord is He Who gave to each (created) thing its form and nature and further gave (it) guidance”11 .

For example, once, on a night, the writer of these lines, the translator, had seen in a dream that the Holy Qur'an, was placed, honourably, on a high position, wide open, high above a very great crowd of people amongst whom he was standing, watching. The full name of his was clearly written in the midst of the writings on the right page of it with magnificent bold letters.

The dream was obviously a good one, but it did not mean vividly to him at that time.

It was four years before he found out, in the course of translating the commentary of verses 11-16 from Surah 'Abasa No. 80, both the meaning of that dream and the cause of later changes in his career of twenty years, as a manager of a profitable Foreign Language Center, thanks to Allah.

It is always true what the Qur'an says:

“You will not unless Allah wills, surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise”12 .

By His graceful arrangement this writer was separated from his almost material gains, of this fleeting world, to be set toward the assured, perfect, pure, spiritual rewards of the next, everlasting world from Him, Allah willing, when he began translating the commentary of the Qur'an and entered this great Divine Ocean of light, he found out that from earlier times such a success had been appointed and bestowed to him by Allah.

Therefore, all changes and graceful arrangements directly are from Him and it was His helpful Will that planned His graceful design and showered the ability and insight upon us to lead us to the present point. We are eagerly in hopes that He will help us and guide us in all cases to complete the task successfully so that He accepts it from us.

Editor's Note

In my case, it is a fact that only by the grace of Allah have I come to be at the helm working, side-by-side with the translator, on this commentary of the Holy Qur'an. Editing and checking this translation of 'An Enlightening commentary into the Light of the Holy Quran' has been a most important and rewarding experience for me.

To be of value in this work several things were necessary; my mother tongue, English, was almost at the top of the list. Then, having the ability to use a computer and printer, which involved me having to learn and use a Farsi program named Zarnegar, produced in Tehran, Iran, I was able to make use of the wonderful array of fonts it contains; necessary to type the Arabic and English languages.

Next, living in Iran, for four years, has made it possible for me to become acquainted with the native language and customs. However, the greatest asset, of all, is that I am a Shi'a Muslim woman.

It is fifteen (15) years from now, that in America, I became enlightened to the existence of the Holy Qur'an and accepted it as a better way of life. Over this period of time it has put me in touch with the purity of the religion and the logical answers to the religious questions I had as a Catholic.

My father told us (during our childhood) that if we ever wanted to know anything we should go to the source and to always have the correct tools on hand to do the job right.

When I started hearing and seeing, on television, the upheaval of the Islamic Revolution, in Iran, and the speech of a brave and courageous man they called Ayatullah Khomeini, I became very intense on knowing why it was happening and in knowing who this man was who had been exiled and was making his return to his homeland.

“Our Lord! We have heard the call of one calling (us) to faith, 'Believe ye in the Lord,, and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to Thyself our souls in the company of the righteous”13 .

It was something more spectacular than I had ever read about in my high school history books. There was a charge in it that I could not explain, and up until that time, I had never really heard anything about Islam, Prophet Muhammad or Muslims, for that matter.

I bought A. Yussuf Ali's English Translation of the Holy Qur'an, basing my decision on my father's counsel and I began from page one.

It was talking about the same things I had already learned; Adam and Eve in the Garden, disobeyed God due to the wiles of Satan and then, were expelled to Earth; Moses is given the scripture and leads his people out of Egypt, but they forfeited their covenant for a golden calf; Abraham, Ismail and Issac of the religion true, and there, Mary.

Hail Mary! Chaste, pure, chosen above other women, given glad tidings of a Word from Him; his name will be Christ Jesus, son of Mary, held in honor...14

And it went on: Practise charity, take care of the orphans, speak a speech that is just, beware of the deceits of the Unbelievers...I was in awe as I neared the end. No place was any obscenity found -no trace of ugliness which I found in the Bible -nothing but pure scripture; a complete religion, the one and only continuing from the first of Abraham. So, it became crystal clear to me that Islam is the final, refined message from God.

True, just, undeniable, containing what I had always felt and that is this: There is only One God; unique, needing no partner, powerful, and yet merciful and kind. How could God be more than one; Creator of such a vast universe and more?

With this understanding, though, came many tests to my new-found-faith; albeit necessary tests. Did I really believe - did I really submit to His Will - was I really worthy?

I began by only putting on a scarf, covering all of my hair.

“And say to the believing women...that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers...”15

Immediately the responses that I encountered proved the rightness of it all. I was chided, spit at, hit and cursed. Well, of course, a great deal of this was due to the propaganda which caused mass hysteria against Iran and not having their facts straight about the religion of Islam, however, it hurt just the same, but I had learned forgiveness and perseverance from my mother.

It was difficult for my family in the beginning; this change I was making, however, we are very close at heart, today, due to my faith and reliance on Allah.

“And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.'“16

Almost at once the veils over my understanding fell away and I started rejecting a lot of the 'big-business' propaganda that had infiltrated into my life.

“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error; whosoever rejects Evil and believes in God bath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks...”17

The 'Big Sell' eats away at the very fabric of human society to the point that life has only a superficial meaning and high value is put on every inanimate object which man can produce.

“The life of this world is alluring to those who reject faith, and they scoff at those who believe. But the righteous will be above them on the Day of Resurrection; for God bestows His abundance on whom He will “18 .

I had developed an intense desire to go to Iran--the country of martyrs; having an air so thick with emotions, direction and goal, at that time, and having the presence of an undeniable strength caressing it in the hands of an unseen power.

Ten years after I started practicing the tenets of Islam the opportunity presented itself for me to be able to fulfil my desire.

“Not equal are those Believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause...God has granted a grade higher to those who strive...”19

I wished very much to become involved in some type of work regarding the Holy Qur'an and in due time I was approached to work with a group of people on a commentary of the Holy Qur'an.

“And for those who fear God, He prepares a way out” “And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine...”20

Those of you who know anything about the rigors of editing know that it is very time-consuming and attention to detail is very necessary.

Spending many hours discussing the meaning of a single word, or phrase, can cause the ordinary soul to become frustrated, but that frustration is ultimately quelled when peace and tranquillity cover the heart at the point where there is that final agreement and gives those involved renewed enthusiasm to continue.

Sometimes you will notice more spacing than usual on a line or within the phonetic brackets (/ /), but this is due to the fact that the Zarnegar program is a Farsi program and it took much time trying to place the little phonetic line over, or the little dot under, the correct letter, because English is written from left to right and Farsi is written from right to left, so, I had a bit of anarchy on my hands for a time.

I leave you, now, in the hopes that you, too, will be provoked to question and seek. (Seek and you will find). Looking back, I feel that Allah does consider me worthy.

“God is the protector of those who have faith; from the depths of darkness He will lead them into light”21 .

Wa Salam.

Notes

1. 17:9

2. 16:89

3. 6:54

4. Usul al-Kafi, vol 2, p. 599.

5. 85:21, 22

6. 15:9

7. 73:20

8. 56:77, 79

9. 18:65

10. 16:89

11. 20:50

12. 76:30

13. 3:193

14. 3:42-45

15. 24:31

16. 17:24

17. 2:256

18. 2:212

19. 4:95

20. 65:2-3

21. 2:257

Acknowledgment

Tafsir Nemunah is compiled by the great writer and researcher, His Eminence Ayatullah il-Ozma Nasir Makarim Shirazi, and with the cooperation of an estimable group of Muslim scholars, Hujaj-

ul-Islam:

By the way, it should be notified that for the translation of this volume, Tafsir Nemunah has been mainly utilized.

* * * *

يَأَيهَا النّاس قَدْ جَاءَكُم بُرْهَنٌ مِّن رّبِّكُمْ وَ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ نُوراً مّبِيناً

“O mankind! Verily there has come to you a convincing proof (the Messenger and the Qur’an) from your Lord: for We have sent unto you a light (that is) manifest.”1

إِنّا نحْنُ نَزّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَ إِنّا لَهُ لحَافِظونَ

“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message and We will assuredly Guard it (from corruption).”2

وَ مَنْ أَعْرَض عَن ذِكرِى فَإِنّ لَهُ مَعِيشةً ضنكاً وَ نحْشرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَمَةِ أَعْمَى

“But whosoever turns away from My Message (the Qur’an), verily for him is a straitened toilsome life, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgement''.3

وَ نُنزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَ رَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“And We send down (stage by stage) of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy for those who believe...”4

Notes

1. 4:174

2. 15:9

3. 20:124

4. 17:82

References

Arabic, Farsi Commentaries

1. Tafsir-i-Nemuneh, by A Group of Shi'a Scholars with Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi; Dar-ul-Kutub-il-Islamiyyah, Qum, Iran, 1990/1410.

2. Majma'-ul-Bayan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an, by Shaykh Abu Ali al-Fadl-ibn-il-Husain-il-Tabarsi, Dar-u-Ihya'-it- Turath-il' Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, 1960/1380 AH.

3. Al-Mizan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an by 'Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Husain at- Tabataba'i, al-A'lami lil-Matbu'at, Beirut, Lebanon, 1972/1392 AH.

4. Atyab-ul-Bayan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an by Sayyid 'Abdul-Husain Tayyib, Muhammadi Publishing House, Isfahan, Iran, 1962/1382 AH.

5. Ad-Durr-ul-Manthur fi-Tafsir-il-Ma'thur by Imam 'Abd-ur-Rahman al-Suyuti, Dar-ul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, 1983/1403 AH.

6. Al-Tafsir-ul-Kabir by Imam Fakh-ir-Razi, Dar-ul-Kutub-il-'islmiyyah, Tehran, 1973/1393.

7. Al-Jam'li -Ahkam-il-Qur'an (Tafsir-ul-Qartabi) by Muhammad-ibn-Ahmad al-Qartabi, Dar-ul-Kutub-il Misriyyah, 1967/1387.

8.Tafsir-i-Nur-uth-Thaqalayn by 'Abd-i-'Ali-ibn Jum'at-ul-'Arusi al-Huweyzi, al-Matba'atul-'ilmiyyah, Qum, Iran, 1963/1383 AH.

9. Tafsir-i-Ruh-ul-Janan by Jamal-ud-Din Abul-Futuh Razi, Dar-ul-Kutub-il-Islamiyyah, Tehran, 1973/1393 AH.

10. Tafsir-i-Ruh-ul-Bayan by Isma'il Haqqi al-Burusawi Dar-u-Ihya'-ut- Turath-il-' Arabi, Beirut.

English Translations of Qur'an

1. The Holy Qur'an, Text, Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Publication of the Presidency of Islamic Courts & Affairs, State of Qatar, 1946.

2. The Holy Qur'an, Arabic Text by a Group of Muslim Brothers, English Translation and footnotes by M. H. Shakir, Tehran, Iran.

3. The Glorious Koran, Bi-lingual Edition with English Translation by Marmaduke Pickthall, printed in Great Britain by W. & J. MacKay Ltd., Chatham, Kent, London.

4. Al-Mizan, An Exegesis of the Qur'an by al-Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn-at- Tabataba'i, Translated by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, Vol. 1, Tehran, WOFIS, 1983.

5. The Koran translated with notes by N. J. Dawood, Penguin Books Ltd, New York, U.S.A, 1978.

6. The Koran Interpreted, Translated by Arthur J. Arberry, London, Oxford University Press, 1964.

7. The Glorious Koran, Translated with Commentary of Divine Lights by Ali Muhammad Fazil Chinoy, Printed at the Hyderabad Bulletin Press, Secanderabad-India, 1954.

8. Holy Qur'an, Shakir, M. H., Ansariyan Publications, Qum, Islamic Republic of Iran, 1993.

9. The Holy Qur'an with English Translation of the Arabic Text and Commentary According to the Version of the Holy Ahlul-Bait by S. V. Mir Ahmad Ali, published by Tahrike- Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., New York, 1988.

10. A Collection of Translation of the Holy Qur'an, supplied, corrected and compiled by Al-Balagh Foundation, Tehran, Iran, (unpublished).

Supporting Technical References

1. Nahjul -Balagha by as -Sayyid ar -Radi Dar -ul -Kitab al -Lubnani, Beirut, Lebanon, 1982.

2. Sharh -i -Nahjul -Balagha by Ibn-i Abi al-Hadid, Dar -u -Ihya' -il - Kutub -il -' Arabiyyah, Eypt, 1959/1378 AH.

3. Nahj-al-Balagha of Amir al-Muminin 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, selected and compiled by as-Sayyid Abul-Hassan 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ar-Radi al-Musawi, Translated by Sayyid Ali Raza, World Organization For Islamic Services (WOFIS), Tehran, Iran, 1980.

4. Nahjul Balagha -Hazrat Ali, Translated by Sheikh Hassan Saeed, Chehel Sotoon Library & Theological School, Tehran, Iran, 1977.

5. Al-Kafi by ash-Shaykh Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Kulayni ar-Razi, Translated and published by WOFIS, Tehran, Iran, 1982.

6. Shi'a, by Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba-i, translated by Sayyid Hosein Nasr, Qum, Ansariyan Publications, 1981.

7. Williams Obstetrics, Pritchard, Jack A., 1921; MacDonald, Paul C., 1930, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, U.S.A, 1976.

8. The Encyclopedia Americana, Americana Corporation, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., U.S.A, 1962.

9. Compton's Encyclopedia and Fact-Index, F.E. Compton Company, printed in U.S.A, 1978.

10. Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, Second Edition, by Noah Webster, Published by the World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, U.S.A, 1953.

Phraseological and Philological Sources

1. A Glossary of Islamic Technical Terms Persian-English, by M. T. Akbari and others, Edited by B. Khorramshahi, Islamic Research Foundation, Astan, Quds, Razavi, Mashhad, Iran, 1991.

2. Al-Mawrid, a Modern Arabic-English Dictionary, Third Edition,by Dr. Rohi Baalbaki, Dar el-Ilm Lilmulmalayin, Beirut, Lebanon, 1991.

3. Elias' Modern Dictionary, Arabic-English, by Elias A. Elias & Ed. E. Elias, Beirut, Lebanon, 1980.

4. An Introduction to Arabic Phonetics and the Orthoepy of the Qur'an, by Bahman Zandi, Islamic Research Foundation, Astan, Quds, Razavi, Mashhad, Iran, 1992.

5. A Concise Dictionary of Religious Terms & Expressions (English-Persian & Persian-English), by Hussein Vahid Dastjerdi, Vahid Publications, Tehran, Iran, 1988.

6. Arabic-English Lexicon, by Edward William Lane, Librarie Du Liban, Beirut, Lebanon, 1980.

7. A Dictionary and Glossary, by Penrice B.A. Curzon Press Ltd., London, Dublin, Reprinted, 1979.

8. Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, by David B. Guralnik, Simon & Schuster, New York, U.S.A, 1984.

9. The New Unabridged English-Persian Dictionary, by Abbas Aryanpur (Kashani), Amir Kabir Publication Organization, 1963.

10. The Larger Persian English Dictionary, by S. Haim, published in Farhang Moaser, Tehran, Iran, 1985.

A Presentation to Muslims

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficient, The Merciful

“O ye who believed! Obey Allah, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you”. 1

('Those charged with authority' are only the twelve sinless Imams (as) and; at the time of occultation, Sources of Imitation, who are learned, pious, and just, should be referred to.)

في إكمال الدين في حديث عن جابر الجعفي عن جابر بن عبد الله الانصاري قال: قلت: يا رسول الله عرفنا الله ورسوله، فمن اولي الامر الذين قرن الله طاعتهم بطاعتك؟ فقال (ص) هم خلفائي يا جابر، وأئمة المسلمين بعدي أولهم علي بن أبي طالب، ثم الحسن والحسين، ثم علي بن الحسين، ثم محمد بن علي المعروف في التوراة بالباقر وستدركه يا جابر فإذا لقيته فاقرأه مني السلام. ثم الصادق جعفر بن محمد، ثم موسى بن جعفر، ثم علي بن موسى، ثم محمد بن علي، ثم علي بن محمد، ثم الحسن بن علي، ثم سميي وكنيي حجة الله في أرضه، وبقيته في عباده ابن الحسن بن علي، ذاك الذي يفتح الله على يديه مشارق الارض ومغاربها

In 'Ikmal-ud-Din' a tradition, through 'Jabir-il-Ju'fi', is narrated from Jabir-ibn- Abdillah thus:

I said:

“O Messenger of Allah, we have known Allah and His Apostle; then who is 'Ulil-Amr', those that Allah has made their obedience the same as your obedience?'

Then, the Prophet (S) said:

'O Jabir! they are, after me, my successors and the Guides of Muslims; the first of them is Ali-ibn-Abi Talib; then (Imam) Hassan, and (Imam) Husain; then Ali-ibn-il-Husain; then Muhammad-ibn-Ali, known in the Torah as Baqir, whom you will see.

O Jabir! When you visit him, give my regards to him. After him, there is Sadiq, -Ja'far-ibn-Muhammad; and after him Musa-ibn-Ja'far; then Ali-ibn-Musa; then Muhammad-ibn-Ali; then Ali-ibn-Muhammad, then Hassan-ibn-Ali; and after him (there comes) Al-Gha'im whose name and sir-name is the same as mine. He is Allah's Authority on the Earth and His Remainder amongst His servants.

He is the son of (Imam) Hassan-ibn-Ali (a.-Askari). This is the very personality by whose hands Allah will open the Easts and Wests of the world.’2

قال الله تعالى: “وما ينطق عن الهوى إن هو إلا وحي يوحى”

“Nor does the Apostle speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed”.3

قال النبي (ص): “إني تارك فيكم التقلين، كتاب الله حبل ممدود من السماء إلى الأرض وعترتي أهل بيتي، وإن اللطيف الخبير أخبرني أنهما لن يفترقا حتى يردا علي الحوض فانظروا بماذا تخلفوني” وفي حديث آخر: “لن تضلوا ما إن تمسكتم بهما”

The Prophet (S) said:

“I leave behind me two weighty (very worthy and important) things:

The book of Allah (i.e. the Quran), which is a stretched string from the heaven to the earth, and my progeny, my Ahlul Bayt; for verily Allah, The Merciful, The Aware, informed me that never, never, will these Two get separated from each other until they meet me at the Houd of Kauthar (the Pond of Abundance).

Therefore, be careful and contemplate on how you will treat them (after me)”

...and in another tradition it is added:

“Never, never, shall you get astray if you attach yourself to these two”.4

Abul-Hassan-ir-Rida (as) said:

“May the Mercy of Allah be upon the servant who Keeps alive our commandment”.

I asked him (as) how the one could keep your commandment alive.

He (as) said:

“He (can) learn our sciences and teach them to people. In fact if people knew (the merits) and goodnesses of our speech, surely they would follow us.”5

Notes

1. 4:59

2. Ikmal-ud-Din, Vol. 1, p. 253; with nearly similar meaning, in Yanabi-ul-Mawaddah, p. 117

3. 53:3,4

4. Ma'uni-ul-Akhbur, p. 90, tradition 2, & Musnad Ahmad-ibn-Hanbal, Vol. 3, p.17, and other books from the Sunnite School and Shi 'ah School mentioned in Ihqaq-ul-Haqq, Vol 9, p. 309 to 375

5. Ma' ani-ul-Akhbar, p. 180 & 'Uyun-i-Akbar-ur-Rida, Vol. 1, p. 207