Let Us Know the Quran Better

The means for establishing the messengerhood of the Prophet of Islam are those we have already expounded. The conditions and clear signs which must exist in every bearer of a heavenly message must be shown to exist also in the Prophet of Islam.
Prophethood and messengerhood are closely and inseparably linked to the miracle that proves the relationship of the claimant to prophethood with the supra-natural realm; the miracle is the clearest and most objective evidence that disarms those who would illogically deny prophethood, for it demonstrates that the claim of the Prophet is founded on a reality.
All the Prophets had but a single aim in fulfilling their Divine missions; their teachings are all of a similar type, notwithstanding the peculiarities of the mission of each, and the truths they expounded concerning the supra-natural realm differ only with respect to the degree of detail. It is true that there are differences with regard to acts of worship and social dealings; a common principle is implemented in differing ways that take into consideration the specific characteristics of each age and represent an evolutionary process.
It appears that one of the reasons for the variation in miracles is that in the times of earlier Prophets, people were inclined to believe only on the basis of material observations of visible objects that lacked any spiritual content. The fetters imposed on human thought by the seers and sages of those times caused people's attention to be limited to a particular realm, which, in turn, was the most significant factor in separating them from God and causing their minds to stagnate. The destruction of such a limited mode of thought was therefore of necessity a principal aim of the Prophets.
The Prophets were entrusted by God with the duty of attacking this source of error by confronting the seers and soothsayers with deeds of a type similar to that which they performed, but enjoying a special advantage that placed them beyond the reach of all competition. By the power of the miracle they negated and destroyed that particular cause of the human beings' separation from God-the concentration of their attention on the dazzling acts performed by the soothsayers of the age which enslaved their spirits. By demonstrating their own miracles and setting forth the realistic principles of Divine religion, they opened the doors of guidance, growth, and development toward perfection, and linked all dimensions of human life and activity to God. All of this survives from the real nature of the miracle.
The Prophet of Islam began conveying his heavenly message in the midst of a society where people's minds revolved exclusively around eloquent speech and the composition of beautiful and attractive poetry and literary excellence. Precisely this concentration on a field of activity that cannot be counted among the basic and vital concerns of the human being was an important factor in prolonging the stagnation of thought and lack of attention to the source of all existence.
Under these conditions, God equipped His Prophet with a weapon, the Quran, that apparently belonged to the same category as the literary works of the age but possessed unique and astonishing characteristics that were beyond the capacity of the human being to reproduce.
The Quran's sweetness of speech, the attraction exerted by the verses of God's book, filled the hearts of the Arabs with new feeling and perception. Their deep attention was drawn to this Divine trust that had come to them, this inimitable work. Fully versed as they were in the arts and subtleties of rhetoric, they realized that the extraordinary eloquence of the Quran was beyond the power of man to produce. It was impossible for someone to hear the Quran and understand its meaning without being profoundly affected by its power to attract. From the beginning of revelation, the Quran was, then, the most important factor in bringing the human being to God's religion.
Moreover, if the Prophet of Islam had performed some miracle other than the Quran, it would have had no meaning for that people, given their mental structure. The path would have been open for all kinds of doubt and hesitation. But the Arabs of that age who were addressed by the Quran could never have any doubts about its extraordinary eloquence, for they were well aware of all the mysteries of rhetoric and had living among them masters of language and literary composition.
At the same time, since the Quran is intended to be an eternal miracle, revealed to make science and learning blossom among humanbeings, it is also a scientific miracle. It has expounded, in the most eloquent fashion, truths of a metaphysical nature together with everything that touches, however slightly, on the happiness of wretchedness of the human being. Although those who are not acquainted with the Arabic language cannot fully appreciate its miraculousness, they can perceive the miraculous nature of the meanings and truths it contains.
The limitation in time of the miracles performed by the earlier Prophets was an indication of the impermanence of their religions and the laws that they brought. By contrast, the miracle attesting to the prophethood fo the Prophet of Islam cannot be temporally limited, because his message is universal and represents the culmination of all preceding religions; his prophethood requires an eternal miracle, a brilliant and eloquent proof of its immortality.
A permanent message must display to mankind a permanent and everlasting miracle, one which advances with time, so that just as it offered convincing proof to people of the past, it may do the same to people of the future. A short-lived miracle that is imperceptible to later generations cannot be a source of reference or judgment for the future.
For this reason, the Quran is presented as a permanent and everlasting miracle, the final manifestation of God's revelation. The Quran itself says: "The true and well-formulated message of your Lord has now been completed, and none is able to change it." (6:115)
>From the very first day when he presented his religion as a universal school of thought, the influence of which was not to be contained by geographical or ethnic boundaries, the Prophet of Islam displayed this proof of his messengerhood to the whole of mankind, as a living proof that his mission and the revolutionary movement he inaugurated represented the final chapter in the history of prophetic missions and movements.
The Quran does not represent an ideological weapon for temporary use in moving from an inferior social system to a superior one at a given stage in history; it represents the permanent ideology of the human being living in the social and intellectual order of Islam.
The miracle accompanying the mission of the beloved Prophet of Islam brings to an end all the previous messages, limited as they were to a certain time. In its unique style, the Quran provides the human being with all necessary guidance by means of either recalling the circumstances leading to the revelation of various verses or of recounting of historical narratives or of describing the events that took place during the life of the Prophet, or by means of various similes and comparisons that touch on the different concerns of human life and guide the human being in the direction of higher degrees. By analyzing the stories and events contained in the Quran, which include also a distinctively Quranic mode of Judgment, it is possible to deduce certain general principles.
Although the gradual and orderly descent of the Quranic revelation was regarded as a defect by superficial and ignorant people, it should, in fact, be recognized as a principal factor in the triumph of the Prophet's message, given the conditions of the age and the events with which he was confronted.
Just as chronic diseases require long-term treatment, a continuous struggle against the factors that constantly prevent the human being from perceiving the truths of existence and stand in the way of his growth and development must be grounded on a firm ideational basis and a comprehensive social organization. Only then will it be able to implement its goals over a period of time and guide human beings to its ultimate purposc their liberation from self-alienation.
Solutions whose efficacy does not transcend events limited in time and space will be unable to solve the problems of the human being. Islam represents the only system which is able to answer those problems because of the attention it pays to all phenomena.
For Muslims, the miraculousness of the Quran is a matter of religious belief; for scholars and researchers, it is a matter of scientific belief. The Quran possesses a remarkable comprehensiveness and richness, with respect to its worldview and scientific content, and its ability to guide the individual and society. There are still many matters contained in the Quran that call for investigation and await discovery by further research.
The Extraordinary Richness of the Quran
The Quran represents the principal source of all researches concerning the Islamic school of thought. Moreover, in every age and every part of the world, it can serve as the basis for a developed and free society which enables all the hidden capacities and potentials of the human being to blossom in all their dimensions; it lays down a path to the ideal society and the government of God.
More than fourteen centuries have passed since the revelation of the Quran. Throughout this period, mankind has undergone numerous changes, and passing through repeated stages of development and growth, it has attained a more comprehensive awareness of the mysteries of creation. Nonetheless, the Quran has at all times retained its proud and dignified presence on the stage of human history.
When this miracle first came into existence, at a time when the foundations of human thought had not fully developed, it served to prove categorically the messengerhood of the Prophet of Islam. In the present age, as the human being discovers in the treasure house of the Quran, more and more remarkable indications, commensurate with his own growth in perception, knowledge and civilization, the Quran still stands as a permanent historical miracle and a living universal proof for the veracity of the Seal of the Prophets. The increase in the volume of human knowledge and the opening up of new horizons of thought have given us the chance to benefit more fully from the Quran than past generations.
If the Quran had been able to establish itself only during a certain segment of time and in a limited spatial environment, it would not have been able thus miraculously to advance together with time. The reason for the eternal vitality and authenticity of the Quran is that it has always been a source for spiritual guidance and command in the face of the changing events of time.
History bears witness that the emergence of the Seal of the Prophets and his mode of activity within society marked the beginning of a new stage in human thought and ratiocination and in the development and expansion of the will and independence of the human being. For in his growth to maturity, the human being now advanced in his investigations from the stage of mere observation to that of thought; an exact and profound examination of phenomena took the place of simplistic assumption. All this is indicated by the fact that the human beings' acceptance of true faith was no longer on the basis of miracles involving supranatural or extraordinary phenomena, as was the case with the mission of previous Prophets.
Human beings turning to faith on the basis of knowledge and thoughtљsomething to which the Quran repeatedly invites human belngsљrepresents in itself the miracle wrought by the heavenly message of Islam. Reliance on sensory miracles would not have been compatible with the nature of the final Divine message and its aim of liberating the human being and fostering the growth of his intellect. God, therefore, prepared the human being in the course of many thousands of years to receive the final guidance.
Our investigations of the Quran can be of value only when we empty our minds of all pre-existing notions and attitudes, because fanatical convictions concerning the contents of the Quran will yield nothing but mental stagnation and immobility. This is a pitfall that every alert and fair-minded researcher must seek to avoid.
It is an undeniable reality that the Quran is too elevated a book to be the product of ideas held by a group of scholars. It is even more impossible for it to have been produced by a single individual or to have been borrowed by him from other sources, particularly an individual who was unlettered, had not even studied, and had grown up in the degenerate environment of the Arabian peninsula at that time, an environment which was totally alien to science and philosophy.
When we consider the system and program of action proposed by the Quran for the uplift of the human being and compare it with the laws and systems of the past, we realize that it borrowed nothing from them and bore no resemblance to them. It represents an entirely new phenomenon, original and unprecedented in its fundamental nature, and among its lofty aims are the transformation of human societies and their restructuring on the basis of justice, equality, and freedom for the oppressed and deprived masses.
The Quran speaks in detail of the history of earlier Prophets and their communities, referring constantly to the events that occurred during their careers. When we encounter the narratives contained in the Quran, the events that it relates, we are brought into direct contact with reality, in an unparalleled fashion. Every reference they contain, direct and indirect, acquaints us with the very substance of truth. It is, then, totally impossible that the narratives of the Quran should have been borrowed from the Torah or the Gospels. The Quran always presents the stories of the Prophets in a positive framework by changing and modifying them so as to purge them of unworthy excesses and elements contrary to pure monotheism, reason, and sound religious thinking. A copying would have resulted in mere imitation, and would have been entirely negative.
Dr. Murice Bucaille, the French scholar, expresses himself as follows on this point: 'In the West, Jews, Christians and Atheists are unanimous in stating (without a scrap of evidence, however) that Muhammad wrote the Quran or had it written as an imitation of the Bible. It is claimed that stories of religious history in the Quran resume Biblical stories. This attitude is as thoughtless as saying that Jesus Himself duped His contemporaries by drawing inspiration from the Old Testament during His preachings: the whole of Matthew's Gospel is based on this continuation of the Old Testament.... What expert in exegesis would dream of depriving Jesus of his status as God's envoy for this reason?
"The existence of such an enormous difference between the Biblical description and the data in the Quran concerning the Creation is worth underlining once again on account of the totally gratuitous accusations leveled against Muhammad since the beginnings of Islam to the effect that he copied the Biblical descriptions. As far as the Creation is concerned, this accusation is totally unfounded. How could a man living fourteen hundred years ago have made corrections to the existing description to such an extent that he eliminated scientifically inaccurate material and, on his own initiative, made statements that science has been able to verih only in the present day? This hypothesis is completely untenable. The description of the Creation given in the Quran is quite different from the one in the Bible."
Taking these factors into consideration, no truth-loving individual can conceive of an origin other than Divine revelation for the Ouran which is not only a book, but also a proof of messengerhood and a manifestation of the miraculousness that supported the Prophet.
The Quran thus came to be the profound, brilliant and eternal miracle of God's Messenger enabling the teachings and laws of Islam to retain their validity through time. The Divine commands and instructions were made manifest in phrases and sentences that were marked by miraculousness, thus implementing God's will for the preservation of religion when faced with the assaults of rancorous enemies and for the frustration of their conspiracies.
Through the permanence and stability of the mould in which God's Commands are uniquely set, these enemies who would reach out against them in order to change and distort them are permanently prevented from attaining their goal; the eternal teachings and laws of God will last throughout time, immune from change or distortion.
Another aspect of the miraculousness of the Quran which has had a great effect is the revolutionary transformation it brought about in human civilization. A matter calling for serious attention in the study of Islam is the fact that it received no assistance from factors extemal to itself when it began to create the nucleus of a universal society out of a scattered and disunited people that lacked all science and free thought and did not even seek to unify its constituent tribes; and when it began, moreover, to found a uniquely, vast and spiritual civilization. All the factors for changing the world, for putting forward an international law with the slogan of unity among races, peoples, and social classes, for creating a movement for the liberation of thought and the ennobling of knowledge, were derived from the very text of the Quran, from the culture that emerged from the Quran and from the Islamic order. Islam never relied on a government or a power situated outside the society it had itself brought into being.
Even the aggressors who attacked the Islamic lands and triumphed over the Muslims, thanks to their military superiority, lost their dominance in the end when they were confronted with the spiritual power of Islam, and they adopted the religion of the people theyihad conquered. This history of nations does not record any other example of a victorious aggressor adopting the religion of the people it had defeated.
Complete Reference:
The Seal of the Prophets and His Message
Lessons on Islamic Doctrine
Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari
Translated by Hamid Algar - I.E.C

The Various Recitations of the Holy Qur'an

A few words should be said about the recitations Qira'aat . It is generally known that there are seven or ten different recitations of the Qur'an. By the word "recitation" is meant the various wordings which convey the same or allied meanings ( Maalik and Malik ) For example Yatta'harna and Yat'harna . It is generally believed that the recitation of the seven or of the ten reciters of the first, second and third centuries of Islam are valid, and Muslims are allowed to adopt either of these in reciting the Qur'an. It is generally believed that the origin of these various recitations goes back to the time of the Holy Prophet who approved these varieties but, according to the Shia Ithna-Ashari School, whose views are based on the teachings of the Holy Imams, the revealed recitation of the Qur'an can be only one since, as the Imam put it, "The Qur'an is One, came down as One, the variation in the recitation comes from the reciters, not from God" It is a misrepresentation of the fact by the ruling party for propaganda purposes that the Holy Prophet followed the recitation of Zaid ibne Thabit during the close of his ministry.

But, as stated by Mustafa Sadiqe-Rufaa'yee in his book EjaazuI Qur'an, the Holy Prophet does not follow anything but the divine recitation 75:16-19. Zaid ibne Thabit and the ruling party who already failed to produce a collection of their own had no alternative but to adopt an approved collection of the Holy Prophet and his recitation; anything else would have been rejected by the Muslim world. 67 Shia Qurra (Reciters):

1 Hamzatubna Habeeb 2 Aasim 3 Abdullah ibne Aamir Yasabi, who acquired knowledge from Waasila Adqu' (a companion of the Holy Prophet) d. 116 A.H.

4 Abi ibne Hamza-e-Kas'ayi, who acquired knowledge from Hamza b. Habeeb, and Ibne Abi laila, who had learnt from Ameerul Momineen Ali ibne Abi Taleb 5 Khalaf ibne Hashanul Bazzar, a student of Hamzatibna Habeeb 6 Yakoob ibne Is'haaq Qazrami, who learnt from Ameerul Momineen Ali ibne Abi Taleb 7 Yazeed ibne Qeeqaa' Makhzoomi, from Abdullah ibne Abbas, who learnt from Ameerul Momineen Ali ibne Abi Taleb.

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Ref: Haji Mirza Mahdi Pooya Yazdi
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

The Value of the Qur'an in the Eyes of the Muslims

The religion of Islam is superior to any other in that it guarantees happiness in man's life. For Muslims, Islam is a belief system with moral and practical laws that have their source in the Qur'an.

God, may He be exalted, says, "Indeed this Qur'an guides to the path which is clearer and straighter than any other" [XVII:9]. He also says, "We have revealed to you the book which clarifies every matter" [XVI:89].

These references exemplify the numerous Qur'anic verses (ayat) which mention the principles of religious belief, moral virtues and a general legal system governing all aspects of human behaviour.

A consideration of the following topics will enable one to understand that the Qur'an provides a comprehensive programme of activity for man's life.

Man has no other aim in life but the pursuit of happiness and pleasure, which manifests itself in much the same way as love of ease or wealth. Although some individuals seem to reject this happiness, for example, by ending their lives in suicide, or by turning away from a life of leisure, they too, in their own way, confirm this principle of happiness; for, in seeking an end to their life or of material pleasure, they are still asserting their own personal choice of what happiness means to them. Human actions, therefore, are directed largely by the prospects of happiness and prosperity offered by a certain idea, whether that idea be true or false.

Man's activity in life is guided by a specific plan or programme. This fact is self-evident, even though it is sometimes concealed by its very apparentness. Man acts according to his will and desires; he also weighs the necessity of a task before undertaking it.

In this he is promoted by an inherent scientific law, which is to say that he performs a task for "himself" in fulfilling needs which he perceives are necessary. There is, therefore, a direct link between the objective of a task and its execution.

Any action undertaken by man, whether it be eating, sleeping or walking, occupies its own specific place and demands its own particular efforts. Yet an action is implemented according to an inherent law, the general concept of which is stored in man's perception and is recalled by motions associated with that action. This notion holds true whether or not one is obliged to undertake the action or whether or not the circumstances are favourable.

Every man, in respect of his own actions, is as the state in relation to its individual citizens, whose activity is controlled by specific laws, customs and behaviour. Just as the active forces in a state are obliged to adapt their actions according to certain laws, so is the social activity of a community composed of the actions of each individual. If this were not the case, the different components of society would fall apart and be destroyed in anarchy in the shortest time imaginable.

If a society is religious, its government will reflect that religion; if it is secular, it will be regulated by a corresponding code of law. If a society is uncivilized and barbaric, a code of behaviour imposed by a tyrant will appear; otherwise, the conflict of various belief-systems within such a society will produce lawlessness.

Thus man, as an individual element of society, has no option but to possess and pursue a goal. He is guided in the pursuit of his goal by the path which corresponds to it and by the rules which must necessarily accompany his programme of activity. The Qur'an affirms this idea when it says that "every man has a goal to which he is turning, so compete with each other in good action" [II:148]. In the usage of the Qur'an, the word din is basically applied to a way, a pattern of living, and neither the believer nor the non-believer is without a path, be it prophetic or man-made.

God, may He be exalted, describes the enemies of the divine din (religion) as those "who prevent others from the path of God and would have it crooked" [VII:45].

This verse shows that the term Sabil Allah- the path of God - used in the verse refers to the din of fitrah - the inherent pattern of life intended by God for man. It also indicates that even those who do not believe in God implement His din, albeit in a deviated form; this deviation, which becomes their din, is also encompassed in God's programme

The best and firmest path in life for man is the one which is dictated by his innate being and not by the sentiments of any individual or society. A close examination of any part of creation reveals that, from its very inception, it is guided by an innate purpose towards fulfilling its nature along the most appropriate and shortest path; every aspect of each part of creation is equipped to do so, acting as a blueprint for defining the nature of its existence. Indeed all of creation, be it animate or inanimate, is made up in this manner.

As an example, we may say that a green-tipped shoot, emerging from a single grain in the earth, is "aware" of its future existence as a plant which will yield an ear of wheat. By means of its inherent characteristics, the shoot acquires various mineral elements for its growth from the soil and changes, day by day, in form and strength until it becomes a fully-matured grain-bearing plant - and so comes to the end of its natural cycle.

Similarly, if we investigate the life-cycle of the walnut tree, we observe that it too is "aware", from the very beginning, of its own specific purpose in life, namely, to grow into a big walnut tree. It reaches this goal by developing according to its own distinct inherent characteristics; it does not, for example, follow the path of the wheat-plant in fulfilling its goal just as the wheat-plant does not follow the life pattern of the walnut tree.

Since every created object which makes up the visible world is subject to this same general law, there is no reason to doubt that man, as a species of creation, is not. Indeed his physical capabilities are the best proof of this rule; like the rest of creation, they allow him to realize his purpose, and ultimate happiness, in life.

Thus, we observe that man, in fact, guides himself to happiness and well-being merely by applying the fundamental laws inherent in his own nature.

This law is confirmed by God in the Qur'an, through His Prophet Moses, when he says, "Our Lord is He who gave everything its nature, then guided it" [XX:50]. It is further explained in LXXXVII:2-3 as "He who created and fashioned in balanced proportion and He who measures and guides"

As to the creation and the nature of man, the Qur'an says, By the soul and Him who fashioned it and then inspired it with wrong action and fear of God; he is truly successful who causes it to grow and purifies it and he is a failure who corrupts and destroys it. [XCI:7-1O].

God enjoins upon man the duty to "strive towards a sincere application of the din," (that is, the fitrah of God, or the natural code of behaviour upon which He has created mankind ), since "there is no changing the laws of the creation of God" [XXX:30].

He also says that "In truth, the only deen recognized by God is Islam" [III:19]. Here, Islam means submission, the method of submission to these very laws. The Qur'an further warns that "the actions of the man who chooses a din other than Islam will not be accepted" [III:85].

The gist of the above verses, and other references on the same subject, is that God has guided every creature - be it man, beast or vegetable - to a state of well-being and self-fulfillment appropriate to its individual make-up.

Thus the appropriate path for man lies in the adoption of personal and social laws particular to his own fitrah (or innate nature), and in avoiding people who have become "de naturalized" by following their own notions or passions. It is clearly underlined that fitrah, far from denying man's feelings and passions, accords each its proper due and allows man's conflicting spiritual and material needs to be fulfilled in a harmonious fashion.

Thus, we may conclude that the intellect 'aql should rule man in matters pertaining to individual or personal decisions, rather than his feelings. Similarly, truth and justice should govern society and not the whim of a tyrant or even the will of a majority, if that be contrary to a society's true benefit.

From this we may conclude that only God is empowered to make laws, since the only laws useful to man are those which are made according to his inherent nature.

It also follows that man's needs, arising from his outward circumstance and his inner reality, are fulfilled only by obeying God's instructions (or laws). These needs may arise through events beyond man's control or as a result of the natural demands of his body.

Both are encompassed in the plan of life that God has designated for man. For, as the Qur'an says, the "decision rests with God only," [XII:40,67] which is to say that there is no governance (of man or society, of the inner or the outer) except that of God.

Without a specific creational plan, based on the innate disposition of man, life would be fruitless and without meaning. We may understand this only through belief in God and a knowledge of his Unity, as explained in the Qur'an.

From here we may proceed to an understanding of the Day of Judgement, when man is rewarded or punished according to his deeds. Thereafter, we may arrive at a knowledge of the prophets and of prophetic teachings, since man cannot be judged without being first instructed in the matter of obedience and disobedience. These three fundamental teachings are considered to be the roots of the Islamic way Of life.

To these we may add the fundamentals of good character and morals which a true believer must possess, and which are a necessary extension of the three basic beliefs mentioned above. The laws governing daily activity not only guarantee man's happiness and moral character but, more importantly, increase his understanding of these beliefs and of the fundamentals of Islam.

It is clear that a thief, a traitor, a squanderer or a libertine do not possess the quality of innocence; nor can a miser, who hoards money, be called a generous person. Similarly, some- one who never prays or remembers God cannot be called a believer in God and the Last Day, nor be described as His servant.

From this we may conclude that good character flourishes when joined to a pattern of correct actions; morals are to be found in the man whose beliefs are in harmony with these fundamentals. A proud man cannot be expected to believe in God nor be humble in respect to the Divine; nor can the man, who has never understood the meaning of humanity, justice, mercy or compassion, believe in the Day of Rising and the Judgement.

Chapter XXXV:I0 speaks of the relationship between a sincere system of belief and a fitting character: Pure speech rises up to Him and He raises up good deeds still further.

In chapter XXX: 10 we learn again of this relationship between belief and action: Then evil was the consequence of those who do wrong action because they denied the signs of Allah and they made a mock of them.

To summarize, the Qur'an is composed of the following Islamic fundamentals which together form an interlocking whole: a primary system of belief in the Unity of God, Prophethood and the Day of Reckoning, accompanied by a second group of beliefs, namely, belief in the Tablet, the Pen (which delineates the sequence of cosmic events), the rule of destiny and the decree (without implying pre-determination), the angels, the throne of the Creator, and, finally, in the creation of the sky, the earth and everything between them.

Thereafter, we observe that man's well-being lies in his character being in harmony with these principles.

The shari'ah, namely the laws and code of behaviour explained in the Qur'an and commented upon in every detail by the model of the Prophet's life, is the means whereby a man may practise these principles. At this point we should add that the Prophet's family are his chosen heirs and are entrusted with the task of exemplifying and explaining further the prophetic message and the shari'ah after the Prophet's death. The Prophet himself has shown that the tradition, hadith, known as the hadith al-thaqalayn which all sects of Islam accept, refers specifically to this matter of succession.

The Qur'an as a Document of Prophethood

The Qur'an refers on several occasions to the fact that it is the word of God, that it issues from a divine source in the very words in which the Prophet received them and which he later transmitted. The divine nature of the Qur'an is affirmed in several verses.

In LII:33-34 we read, "or they say that (the Prophet) is inventing it. Indeed they do not believe. If they are truthful then let them produce words like it". Likewise in XVII:88 "Say (O Muhammad), if all the jinn and mankind were to join forces to produce something like this Qur'an they could not produce it even if they were to help one another." Again, in XI:13 "or they say he has invented it! Say: then produce ten verses like it which you have invented," and again in X:38, "or they say he has invented it. Say: produce a single chapter like it," we find further proof.

The following challenge is made in Chapter II:23 "and if you are in doubt concerning that which we have revealed to Our slave then produce a chapter like it. "

Here it should be noted that the Qur'an is addressing those who grew up with Muhammad, the man they knew to be unlettered and untutored in the matters spoken about in the Qur'an. Despite this knowledge, they still doubt.

Another challenge is issued, (to those who would find contradictions in the Qur'an, but obviously cannot): Will they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from other than God, they would have found in it much incongruity [IV:82].

Since everything in the world is in a state of growth and self-perfection, then the Qur'an would of necessity lack harmony since it was revealed over a period of twenty-three years; it would lack harmony that is if we were to suppose that it was the work of a man rather than of a prophet. The Qur'an, whose messages announce and confirm that it is the work of God, also teaches us that Muhammad is a messenger, sent by God, thus confirming the authenticity of the Prophet. In chapter XIII:43 God speaks Himself, as on many occasions, confirming that He is witness and testimony to the prophecy of Muhammad: "Say God is sufficient witness between you and me." The verse refers to disbelievers and defies their disbelief.

In another verse, the testimony of angels is added to that of God's: But God testifies concerning that which he has revealed to you; He has revealed it in His knowledge; and the Angels also testify. And God is sufficient witness [IV:166].

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Ref: Qur'an in Islam; Allama Sayyid Mohammad Hussayn Tabatabai
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

How was the Qur'an, the Final Word of God, Acquired?

It is a well-known historic fact that every religious Scripture revealed before the Holy Qur'an suffered alterations, additions and subtractions; some have even disappeared altogether.

Leaving aside the ancient ones, take for instance the case of Jesus, the most recent of the Apostles of God before the Holy Prophet Muhammad. What is available today is a collection of mere stories told by different persons at different times based upon often contradictory records. And even this has undergone revision, with various translations of the text, hailed by some and contested by others; for example the Douai Bible of the Catholic Church, the King James Version of the Protestant Churches and the Diaglott of the Watchtower Society, etc. This destructive activity by man was tolerated by the Almighty Providence while the Scriptures were being tampered with, awaiting the Final and All-Comprehensive revelation which was yet to be given to the human race. This was revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Last of the Messengers and Warners from God. This Final Word of God, the Qur'an, was sent down with a challenging Under taking and assurance that none thereafter shall ever be able to tamper with it, meddle with it, as the Omnipotent Author of the Word and its Revealer Himself would take care of its Originality, Arrangement, Completeness and Security:

Verily, We have sent down the Reminder (the Qur'an), and verily We (Ourself) for it will certainly be the Guardian. (15:9)

On Us is its (Qur'an's) Compilation, its Recitation and its Explanation.

Before leaving this world, the Holy Prophet declared:

I leave among you Two great (very important) things, the Book of God and my Ahlul-Bait; should ye be attached to these Two, never, never shall ye go astray, and verily never, never shall these Two be separated from one another.

This Apostolic announcement clearly states that:

1 The Holy Qur'an was there in the form of a complete Book.

2 It was there in the hands of the people, for the Holy Prophet says, "I leave among (or in the midst of) you".

3 To avoid going astray, people should hold fast to both, the Qur'an and the Ahlul-Bait, and not to others.

4 The Ahlul-Bait will always be with the Qur'an, and the Qur'an in its original form and with its correct meanings will be only with the Holy Ahlul-Bait.

5 As the Holy Prophet says, these Two will never be separated from each other. As long as the Qur'an is there in this world, there will be one of the Ahlul-Bait (the Imam of the age).

The historic recital of the Qur'an by the severed head of Husain, the King of Martyrs, at Karbala, proved that a member of the Ahlul-Bait, even when killed, is the custodian of the Qur'an and can deliver it to the world.

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Reference: Haji Mirza Mahdi Pooya Yazdi
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

The Qur'an: What Does it Mean?

By the Qur'an we mean the verses, phrases, sentences and chapters uttered by the Holy Prophet of Islam, not as his own words, but as the Word and the Book of God revealed to him; this he claimed as his Everlasting Miracle which bears testimony to his Prophethood; and with this he challenged not only those who doubted its origin, and not only humankind alone, but even the Jinns, saying that even if the Jinns and men joined forces to produce the like of it, they would never be able to do even a small part of it This challenge was made not to any particular age, but to all ages.

By this definition we exclude all the utterances of the Holy Prophet which he did not claim to be the words of God (although the ideas and subject matter were certainly a revelation from God). The definition also excludes the words of the Holy Prophet which he presented to the people as the Word of God, but not as a miracle or a part of it with which he challenged the world (namely the various Ahadees-e-Qudsi). These Ahadees-Qudsi are so numerous and abundant that, collected together, they would be no less than the size of the Holy Qur'an, if not more, but their value is no greater than the other genuine traditions of the Holy Prophet This definition must be kept in mind throughout the discussion of the Holy Qur'an.

1. Of the religious records of historical value, pre- Islamic or post-Islamic, in our possession, no document can ever compete with the Holy Qur'an in authenticity. Of the historical records which the Muslims claim to be most authentic and genuine - of the Sunni school the Sehha-e Sitta and of the Shia school the KotobeArba'a - none can be said to have been within the reach of every Muslim from his earliest years until his death as has the Holy Qur'an. And no tradition is considered so important that every Muslim child must learn, recite and memorise it word for word with grammatical accuracy and phonetic perfection as they must do with the Holy Qur'an.

2. This importance and care which is given to the Qur'an by every Muslim did not emerge in a later period. The Muslims were attracted to the Holy Qur'an as the Word of God from the time of its revelation to the Holy Prophet and its recitation to the people. The Holy Qur'an itself; from the time of its revelation, encouraged the people in various ways to learn, read, recite and memorise ft and to ponder over every word of it and to listen carefully when it was recited. When one recites it, one must first prepare for it by dissociating oneself from anything which would cause any diversion of thought or distraction of attention (16:98-7:204).

3. The Holy Prophet was commanded by God not to be in a hurry in the recitation, or in the arrangement, of the Holy Qur'an, but to follow the divine order in both respects. (This indicates that the arrangement is not to be according to the date of the revelation). In short, the student of the Holy Qur'an will realise the importance and care attached to the Qur'an by its Author; and therefore the Muslims who rightly believe that God is the Author of the Holy Qur'an, show the utmost devotion to the Holy Book and obey the orders required of them. They learn it, and make their children learn it and put it into writing. Thus the Muslims in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet were taught that to learn the Holy Qur'an is "Ibadat"

(Devotion); to recite it is "Ibadat"; to write it down is "Ibadat"; to teach others and make them read and learn it by heart and understand it is "Ibadat"; and to use the verses of the Holy Qur'an in daily life is "Ibadat". History records people who never used any other verse or phrase or sentence in their life than the words of the Holy Qur'an The Holy Qur'an declares that the purpose of the coming of the Holy Prophet was to bring the teachings of the Book (the Divine Book) and to show the importance of the written word. if the teacher is absent, the student can read the written word. The Holy Qur'an commands the people, in their business transactions, to write down their contracts before witnesses to avoid later doubts and disputes. Is it possible that the Author of the Holy Qur'an, who attaches so much importance to writing down our business affairs, should not care for His own important work, namely the provision of a Book containing the fundamental principles of the true, divine, universal and final message, a message which is not only for one section of humanity, or for a particular period of time, but for the human race as a whole, for all times and for all parts of the earth? The authenticity and genuineness of the version of the Holy Qur'an now in our possession, and its being the same Qur'an uttered by the Holy Prophet, is so evident and obvious that no Muslim scholar of any standing has ever doubted that this same version of the Holy Qur'an - every letter, word, sentence, verse and chapter - was uttered by the Holy Prophet In other words, what we have in our possession is the Qur'an. The dispute is about omissions and alterations in the arrangement of some letters, and not about additions. Alterations and alternatives given by some commentators regarding the writing or pronunciation of some words in the Holy Book do not effect any substantial change either in the meaning or the significance of phrases or sentences. This will be dealt with in discussing variations in the same word, for example "Malika" and "Malika". In short, the Muslim World throughout the ages has believed unanimously that nothing has been added to the Holy Qur'an now in our possession. Religious records other than the Holy Qur'an, Islamic and non-Islamic, are suspected of containing passages and even chapters which have been added to the original work.

Having in mind this complete authenticity of the Holy Qur'an in every part, the Holy Prophet and his companions and scholars in subsequent generations are unanimous in the belief that the Holy Qur'an is to be regarded as the standard and the criterion upon which other religious records, Islamic and non-Islamic, must be judged. Any utterance or action attributed to the Holy Prophet or the Holy Imams of his House which may disagree with the Holy Qur'an is to be considered spurious and must be rejected. This was declared by the Holy Prophet and by Ali, Hasan and Husain and by the succeeding nine Imams of the Holy House, which means that the Qur'an existed as the standard and criterion for the verification of the falsehood and truth of other statements and narratives available to the public through the ages until 260 A.H.

There is no doubt that the Qur'an in our possession is the same as the version which received the official assent of the Third Caliph. All that has been said about the omission or alteration refers to the arrangement or the wording of verses or chapters in the period between the departure of the Holy Prophet and the official assent of the Third Caliph to the present version.

As has already been pointed out, the Holy Qur'an was in use in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet There was a keen desire on the part of Muslims, men, women and children, to possess the Book - in writing or, mostly, by heart. There were also the chosen scholars among the early Muslims to whom the Holy Prophet had entrusted the duty of recording the Qur'an as it was revealed and recited by him. The foremost of these was Ali ibne Abi Taleb, Jafar ibne Abi Taleb; besides Ali there were Abdullah ibne Mas'ood and Mas'ab ibne Omair among the earliest Muslims in Mecca, and Obai ibne Kaab among the earliest adherents in Medina, Ma'az ibne Jabal, Salim Maula Hazaifa and others.

Jafar ibne Abi Taleb was the head of the early Muslims who had migrated to Abyssinia and he was a master of the Qur'an so far revealed. Mas'ab ibne Omair was sent to Medina to teach the Qur'an to the people before the migration of the Holy Prophet to that place. These people recorded the Qur'an in writing under the direct command and personal supervision of the Holy Prophet, in his presence, as it was revealed, placing each part of it in its relevant place as commanded by the Holy Prophet, and reading their manuscripts to him then and there for his approval and also repeatedly afterwards. These scribes were considered to be responsible for teaching the Qur'an to others. They were regarded as the masters and teachers of the Holy Qur'an during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet and thereafter.

These people, and thousands of prominent companions (Sahabas) who were interested in learning the Holy Qur'an and its meaning, and their disciples such as Abdullah ibne Abbas and others, all lived in the intermediary period between the departure of the Holy Prophet from this world and the time that the Third Caliph gave official assent to the present version. They taught Muslims throughout the length and breadth of the fast-Expanding Muslim Empire. And the people of various races and creeds learnt it by heart and wrote it down for their own use. In fact, it is said that in the one battle of Yamama, which took place about six months alter the departure of the Holy Prophet, seven hundred Huffaz (those who know by heart) were killed in a single day's fight.

The Qur'an existed during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet in the form of an arranged Book as approved by the Holy Prophet himself. As the Holy Prophet said, "Gabriel would place before me the Qur'an for review once a year, but this year he did it twice, which indicates that the time of my departure is close at hand." It is evident that the divine Author and the Holy Prophet both guarded the Qur'an to the extent that no adulteration of any kind could be made by any profane hand, and that the Qur'an received its complete arrangement and order not later than about three months before the departure of the Holy Prophet. It is to this revealed Book in its complete form and available to all that the Holy Prophet referred when he declared to his followers: "I leave amongst you Two Great Things, the Book of God and my Ahlul-Bait."

And it was with reference to the complete Book of God, which was in the hands of the Muslims at the time of the departure of the Holy Prophet, that Omar dared to say reply to the demand of the Holy Prophet for paper and ink, "Hasbona Kitaballa", that is, "Sufficient for us is the Book of God" This clearly proves that the Qur'an in its complete and duly arranged form existed among the people, and was within the reach of the common man, as were the Ahlul-Bait who were left by the Holy Prophet together with the Qur'an If this were not so, a reference to the "Book of God" is meaningless.

The Holy Qur'an claims for itself a pre-Existence with God (in the Lauhe Mahfooz, the Secured Tablet) and the Kitabe Maknoon, ie. the Hidden Book (for believers) or at least in the mind of the Holy Prophet (for unbelievers). The arrangement of the revealed book should be in accordance with the pre-revealed arrangement, rather than in the order of the date of its revelation.

For instance, a poet or writer may arrange his lyrics or articles in his mind. Although circumstances may force him to recite portions from two lyrics of different method on the same occasion, when he comes to put the work into writing, the lines of the lyrics will be put in their correct order irrespective of the date of the recitation.

Although there is no problem, theological, theoretical or practical, which the Qur'an has not dealt with (and it surpasses all scriptural records of pre-Islamic or post-Islamic periods in the abundant variety of its contents), yet its method of approach, presentation and solution is exclusively unique. It does not deal with a topic in the systematic way - by ordinary authors of theology or even by any apostolic writer; on the contrary, it expressly says that it has adopted a special method of its own, with changing topics, moving from one subject to another, or reverting to the previous one and deliberately repeating the same subject in order to reinforce the understanding, learning and memorising of it:

And certainly We have used various arguments for men in this Qur'an, every kind of description, but most men consent not to aught but denying. (17:89)

And certainly We have repeated (the verse) to them that they may be mindful, but the greater number of men consent not to aught but denying. (25:50)

Say! Have ye considered that if God taketh away your hearing and your sight and setteth a seal on your heart, who is the god besides God that can bring it to you? See how We repeat the verses, yet they turn away. (6:46)

Say! He hath the power that He should send on you chastisement from above you or from beneath your feet, or that He should throw you into confusion (making you) of different parties, and make some of you taste the fighting of others. See how We repeat the verses that they may understand (6:65)

The repetition is to show forth in various ways the signs (of the Unity of God).

From the following verse of the Holy Qur'an, it is quite 6bvious that the Holy Qur'an was already aware that there would be those who would accuse its Author of scattering its subject- matter here and there. For this reason, the verse (and other verses) explains the special and unique system of presentation:

And thus do We (variously) repeat the verses and that they may say, Thou hast learnt (them from others) and that We may make it clear to a people who know.(6:106)

However, it is a tact that the Holy Qur'an deals in each chapter of a particular rhythm with various topics in various ways, and this variety only adds to its unique beauty and matchless eloquence.

Any attentive reciter or intelligent audience of the Holy Qur'an, while -sing through variations in one rhythm, will enjoy what the Holy Qur'an itself declares:

God hath the best announcement, a Book comfortable in its various parts, repeating thereof do make tremble the skins of those who fear the Lord; then their skins and hearts became pliant to the remembrance of God; This is God's guidance. He guideth with it whomsoever he willeth; and (as for) him whom God alloweth to err, there shall be no guide for him.

Is he then who has to guard himself with his own person against the evil chastisement on the Resurrection Day? And it will be said to the unjust: "Taste ye what ye earned."

Those before them rejected (the apostles) therefore there came unto them the chastisement from whence they perceived not.

So God made them taste the disgrace in this world's life, and certainly the chastisement of the hereafter is greater; if they only know (it)! And certainly We have set forth for men in this Qur'an similitudes of every sort that they may mind.

An Arabic Qur'an without any crookedness that they may (guard) against evil.

God setteth forth a parable; there is a man in whom are (several) partners differing from one another, and there is another man (devoted) wholly to a man. Are they two alike in condition? (All) praise is God's; nay! most of them know not (39:23-29)

Even those who doubted the genuineness of the arrangement of the present version did not claim that the whole arrangement of the verses in all the chapters has been affected. There are chapters which were undoubtedly revealed in complete form, namely Chapters 54, 56, 56 and the chapters immediately preceding and succeeding them. One will find the same variation of subject is manifested in those chapters. This variety of expression in rhythmical form is found not only in the chapters, but even in the verses of the Holy Book. These are the facts an intelligent and a sincere student of the Holy Qur'an will recognise in studying the Book.


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Ref: Haji Mirza Mahdi Pooya Yazdi
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

THE ORIGINALITY AND GENUINENESS OF THE HOLY QUR'AN IN ITS TEXT AND ITS ARRANGEMENT

The great majority of scholars of all schools of thought in Islam agree that the Holy Qur'an, as it is today in our hands, was put into writing under the command, and under the personal supervision, of the Holy Prophet himself, and that there were no additions, omissions or alterations whatsoever.

There are, however, a few traditionalists of the Sunni as well as the Shia schools who, influenced by tradition rather than reason and historical fact, have held the view that some omissions and alterations occurred before official assent was given to the present version by the Third Caliph. The advocates of this view have not succeeded in providing any evidence of this.

Their views remain as individual opinion with support from others. Our intention here is to:

1. Point out the reasons underlying these doubts
2. Weigh up the traditions put forward in support of the doubts
3. Given the internal and external historical evidence for and against these theories
4. Explain what Muslims are required to believe about the Holy Qur'an as a part of their belief Before dealing with these matters.


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Ref: Haji Mirza Mahdi Pooya Yazdi
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

The Uniqueness of the Holy Qur'an

1. A miracle implies an extraordinary event which is beyond human capacity and is above available knowledge and the general laws of science. Thus, a miracle is something that human beings are unable to perform whether through their natural abilities and powers or thorough the power of science and by using scientific methods. Hence, that which can be brought about through natural and scientific laws and as a result of the qualities of different objects cannot be classed as a miracle. For example, flying through the skies in an airplane, traveling to other planets and galaxies with the help of space ships, viewing distant planets with the help of a telescopes, or curing severe diseases through medical knowledge and medicines, et cetera, cannot be considered as miracles. This is because these acts are not extraordinary and are not outside absolute human power. In fact, experts and specialists can, with the help of instruments, scientific methods, and knowledge of the natural or artificial qualities of different things, make it possible.

2. In reality, miracles are acts of Allah and stem from Divine Power that are sometimes manifested through His Messengers (S.A.W.) in order that people build faith in them and follow them and prove sincere to them.

3. The one who claims to be a prophet should be able to perform miracles to authenticate his truthfulness and his Prophethood.

4. A miracle does not take place at the hands of ordinary people because a miracle is a Divine act and is supernatural.

Divine acts and actions do not take place at the hands of ordinary and ungodly people. Thus, when a sincere and trustworthy person - known for his truthfulness and honesty declares a religion whose principles and other fundamental issues do not conflict with the intellect and logic, and if a miracle is seen at his hands, them he must truly be a Divine Prophet. If this were not the case, then we would be (committing the blasphemy of) saying that Allah has granted miraculous powers to a liar and has, authenticated him. Since it is repulsive to authenticate a liar, such an act could never be Allah's, since He never commits repulsive acts. Thus, if someone exhibited miracles and at the same time offered a complete, comprehensive, and logical religion, he is certainly a Divine prophet. I repeat: The quiddity and the reality of a miracle are supernatural, and a supernatural act cannot but be a Divine act.

Therefore, a miracle is an act of Allah and He never authenticates anyone except the ones who are truly Prophets and Saints and have come through Him and never gives any other the power to perform a miracle. Thus, care should be taken so that not all and any random acts are mistaken for miracles.

5. In the same manner that a miracle cannot be performed at the hands of ordinary people, a genuine and truthful Prophet must have a miracle and through this he must possess Divine authentication. It is true that people - naturally and based upon their pure and unpolluted nature (fitrah) - consider a person whom they find capable, truthful, reliable and honest to be a good person and assume that his inner self is the same as his outer self. Thus, they develop a trust in him; yet all these are not enough reason for that person to be considered as infallible (masum) and these factors do not give us sufficient grounds to consider him as being immune from falsehood and error and to take all his calls and commands as valid and to submit to him and to being to believe in him. In fact, it is also possible that people may harbour doubts about such a person if he claims prophethood and they may also fall into perplexity and may fall into dishevel. And if that comes to be the case, the guidance and instruction of the people cannot be possible at his hands and the Prophet would, thus, fail in his mission. It is here that the significance and the impact of miracles is experienced and it is here that Divine Mercy and Grace come in and a miracle takes place at the hands of the Prophet in order that the people gain full certainty about his prophethood and that pure souls and untarnished and healthy hearts recognize his sincerity and believe in him and consider his words as Divine Commands. In this manner, the religion (din) penetrates into the hearts of people and Allah's Command spreads and establishes itself in the world.

6. The life histories of the Prophets have recorded various miracles. Three prominent Prophets - Prophet Moses (A.S.), Prophet Jesus (A.S.), and Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) - too, had their own exclusive miracles. What was the reason for the differences in their miracles?

We have mentioned earlier that the beneficial of a miracle is that people are convinced to have faith in the prophethood of the owner of that miracle. In this manner, the Prophet is able to spread faith certitude into the hearts of people. After gaining release from their initial skepticism, the people begin to believe in him and act upon his commands and reach dignity, honour, and felicity and follow in the footsteps of the Prophet in their quest for absolute perfection. Thus, miracles are sent for the benefit of mankind and are a mercy from Allah to His creation, just as the presence of a Prophet who is a favour and mercy from Allah. They act as rain and purify stains from the hearts, and like the sun, they illuminate man's intellect and they are like life which is breathed into the inner being of man. Therefore, it would also be important for the miracle to be in accordance with the period and the location of its manifestation as well as the norms, habits, perception, and awareness of the people to whom it is manifested, so that it can be recognized and accepted in such a way that the mentioned benefits can be gained from it.

7. During the times of Prophet Moses (A.S.), the knowledge of sorcery was rampant among the people of Egypt. A group of educated and intellectual people had acquired this knowledge and knew about its impact. It was taught and practiced widely.

Therefore, the people were aware of the laws of the knowledge of sorcery, the extent of its applicability, and the extent of its power, and they also knew what lay beyond the purview of the power of this knowledge. For this reason, wisdom demanded that the miracle of Prophet Moses (A.S.) be of a kind that people could recognize but only of a more superior nature to what they were capable of and had knowledge about, so that it would be considered as a miracle as against the knowledge and power of the magicians, thereby gaining victory over them. This demanded that the kind and the nature of the work would be of the same kind as that of the magicians.

8. In the times of Prophet Jesus (A.S.), Palestine and Syria were under Greek dominance. Many Greeks were settled in these countries and healing and curative practices were widely practiced. It is for this reason that certain chapters of the Torah that are existent with the Jews contain comprehensive instructions on curing patients from such diseases as edema, small pox, leprosy, and scabbiness. These instructions are based on the methods used by the Jewish priests and it seems that they stemmed from the spiritual practices of these priests even if medicines were used in the process. These are all indicative of the widespread practice and use of the arts of healing and curative practices and the powers and effects of medicine among those people. It was with this background that Prophet Jesus' (A.S.) miracle was his extraordinary ability to heal lepers and the congenitally deaf and blind. His community could relate easily to such acts and knew well that such acts were beyond the powers of the priests and the doctors and were even beyond the realm of medical treatment and in fact stemmed from another power which was Divine in nature.

9. The awareness of the Arabs among whom Islam emerged (Allah's Wisdom deemed it best for this religion to emerge from among this people) was mainly centered around literature and the skills of eloquence and oration. There were no other fields of knowledge and science that were prevalent and learnt among them. The dominant culture in that society was based on eloquence and oratory skills and the powers of speech. Many poetry sessions and sittings were organized for enjoying good poetry. It was customary for the men of eloquence to compete and flaunt their skills in these fields and the favourite and widely prevalent topic of discussion was poetry, eloquence, and the importance of poets, orators, and skillful speakers. Thus, the environment of that society was well-versed in gauging the limits of beautiful oration and the extent of eloquence and who had those skills and to what extent one can progress in those fields. Therefore, Allah's Wisdom which is based on logic and rationality demanded that the miracle of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) fall in the realms of eloquence but that which was beyond human power and the power of human eloquence and that it be different from the speech, writings, and the compositions of human beings.

10. As the verses of the Qur'an were revealed and recited to the eloquent and literary Arabs, they recognized this degree of eloquence as being of a miraculous nature which was beyond their knowledge and capacity. They realized that they could never produce a book or even a chapter like that of the Qur'an and even though they spent years opposing the Prophet (S.A.W.), and waged many bloody battles they could not succeed in competing with the Qur'an because if they could, then it would have been much easier and preferable an ordeal than the battles, and they would have replied the Prophet (S.A.W.) with at least one chapter like those of the Qur'an and would have eliminated Islam for good.But they did not do this, simply because they were helpless and incapable and, instead, they continuously engaged in conflict with the Prophet (S.A.W.) and his followers and began many wars.

11. It was very clear to the eloquent Arabs who were well versed in recognizing the nuances of oration and eloquence and the limits of human ability in these fields that the Qur'an that was revealed in their language was a miracle and was beyond human power. It was a Divine act and not an ordinary phenomenon. Thus, the Qur'an stood as a proof against them and as the grounds for the mission of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).Similarly, the miraculous nature of the Qur'an is also clear to other communities. This is because, as a rule, whenever the elite, the learned, and the experts among people approve of the authenticity of something, the rest take it as a sign of validity and submit to their superior discretion. Human intelligence, too, demands the same.

12. The Glorious Qur'an is the most superior of all miracles because its miraculousness and its extraordinariness are in its very essence that does not need anything outside of itself.

13. The Glorious Qur'an is an everlasting and eternal miracle and has been and shall be protected both, in its matter and its form. Anyone anywhere, and at anytime can refer it, ponder upon it, seek inspiration from it and be guided by it.

14. The Glorious Qur'an has testified its own extraordinariness and has explicitly and repeatedly invited people to challenge it, saying: If you think that this Qur'an has been forged by a man them you too bring the like of it; then bring ten forged chapters like it (11:13); If not ten, then bring a chapter like this(10:38). In other words, if you can bring one verse like the verses of the Qur'an, the call to Islam which is so heavy on you and opposes all your customs and beliefs will be, withdrawn from you, and if you fail to do this, then submit that this Book is a Divine Revelation and is not the word of any man.

In spite of all these open invitations and opportunities, the Arabs failed to produce anything even close to the Divine Word and it was because of their own failure that they bad-mouthed the Prophet (S.A.W.) and pelted him with stones and prevented people from listening to the verses of the Qur'an. If they had the power to do so, they would have produced a book like Qur'an and would have recited it in their sessions of poetry oration and would have summoned the Prophet (S.A.W.) and would have convinced him of his defeat. Then they would have declared openly that Muhammad (S.A.W.) had conceded and that he was defeated, and in this way, they would put an end to the call of Islam. In fact even if they had succeeded in bringing two lines of verse like those of the Qur'an which would have been acceptable to the skilled ones as being of the caliber of the Qur'an, the forces of evil deviation would have glorified their success to such an extent that its word would have spread all over the world. This would have been the best the most peaceful challenge that they could have posed against Islam.

15. The Qur'an is a miracle from other aspects too and is beyond ordinary human power. Recognizing its extraordinary nature from various aspects is not exclusive to the Arabs, and in fact anyone can (through a good translation) reach this conclusion. One of the matters that Qur'an contains is historical narrations. This Book narrates the events and stories pertaining to earlier communities and famous personalities of the past, and that too through person [the Prophet (S.A.W.)] who had never attended school and had never undergone any kind of studies. What is important to note is that many of these narrations are also present in the Torah and the Evangel (Christian Bible) that are currently available among the Jews and the Christians and which are considered as heavenly scriptures by them. The only difference is that much of what has been narrated in the Torah and the Evangel is tinged with superstition and blasphemy and is illogical and delirious. For example, in the Torah, as regards the narration of the story of Prophet Adam (A.S.) and the forbidden fruit, Allah the Almighty has actually been alleged with falsehood and deceit! A similar example is about Prophet Abraham (A.S.) and his alleged misgivings about the promise of God... and how the angels came to Prophet Abraham (A.S.) and gave him the good tidings of the birth of Prophet Isaac (A.S.). A third example is the claim that Prophet Aaron (A.S.) was himself responsible for creating an idol!

Now compare these narrations from the current Torah with what the Qur'an has revealed.

Prior to the Revelation of the Qur'an the only sources available to have recorded such narrations were the sacred teachings of the Jews and the Christians, samples of which we saw in the above paragraph. This was what was in circulation among the Jews and the Christians of those times, but what has been revealed in the Qur'an is free from blasphemy and insult to the Divine Prophets (A.S.). What has appeared in the Qur'an was certainly not extracted from the sources that were available in those times otherwise it would also have contained similar fiction. In fact, what has come in the Qur'an is through Divine Revelation.

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Ref: Allamah Shaykh Muhammad Jawad Balaghi Najafi
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

The Holy Quran Arranged by Imam Ali (A.S.)

There is no dispute among Muslim scholars, whether they are Sunni or Shia, concerning the fact that the Commander of Believers, Ali (AS), possessed a special transcript of the text of Quran which he had collected himself, and he was THE FIRST who compiled Quran. There are a great number of traditions from Sunni and Shia which states that after the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF), Imam Ali sat down in his house and said that he had sworn an oath that he would not put on his outdoor clothes or leave his house until he collects together the Quran.

Sunni references:

- Fat'hul Bari fi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v10, p386
- al-fihrist, by (Ibn) an-Nadim, p30
- al-Itqan, by al-Suyuti, v1, p165
- al-Masahif, by Ibn Abi Dawud, p10
- Hilyatul awliya', by Abu Nu'aym, v1, p67
- al-Sahibi, by Ibn Faris, p79
- 'Umdatul Qari, by al-Ayni, v20, p16
- Kanzul Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v15, pp 112-113
- al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 9, Section 4, p197
- Ma'rifat al-Qurra' al-kibar, by al-Dhahabi, v1, p31

There are also traditions from the Imams of Ahlul Bayt which tell us that this was done by Imam Ali by order of the Holy Prophet (See al-Bihar, v92, pp 40-41,48,51-52).

This transcript of Quran which compiled by Imam Ali (AS) had the following unique specifications:

a) It was collected according to its revelation, i.e., in the order in which it had been sent down. This is the reason that Muhammad Ibn Sireen (33/653 - 110/729), the famous scholar and Tabi'i (disciples of the companions of the Holy Prophet), regretted that this transcript had not passed into the hands of the Muslims, and said: "If that transcript were in our hands, we would found a great knowledge in it."

Sunni References:

- at-Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd, v2, part 2, p101
- Ansab al-ashraf, by al-Baladhuri, v1, p587
- al-Istiab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, v3, pp 973-974
- Sharh Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v6, pp 40-41
- al-Tas'hil, by Ibn Juzzi al-Kalbi, v1, p4
- al-Itqan, by al-Suyuti, v1, p166
- al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 9, Section 4, p197
- Ma'rifat al-Qurra' al-kibar, by al-Dhahabi, v1, p32

It is according to this transcript that Sunni scholars relate that the first Chapter of Quran which was sent down to the Prophet (PBUH&HF) was Chapter al-Iqra (al-Alaq, Ch. 96).

Sunni References:

- al-Burhan, by al-Zarkashi, v1, p259
- al-Itqan, by al-Suyuti, v1, p202
- Fathul Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v10, p417
- Irshad al-sari, by al-Qastalani, v7, p454

As you know the Chapter al-Alaq is not at the beginning of the present Quran. Also Muslims agree that the verse (5:3) was among one of the last revealed verses of Quran (but not the very last one), yet it is not toward the end of the present Quran. This clearly proves that although the Quran that we have available is complete, it is not in the order that has been revealed. These few misplacements were done by some companions on purpose at worst, or out of ignorance at least.

It was for this reason that the Commander of Believers, Ali (AS) frequently stated in his sermons: "Ask me before you lose me. By Allah, if you ask me about anything that could happen up to the Day of Judgment, I will tell you about it. Ask me, for, by Allah, you will not be able to ask me a question about anything without my informing you. Ask me about the Book of Allah, for by Allah, there is no verse about which I do not know whether it was sent down at night or during the day, or whether it was revealed on a plain or in a mountain."

Sunni References:

- al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, v2, p198
- at-Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd, v2, part 2, p101
- al-Isabah, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v4, p568
- Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v7, pp 337-338
- Fathul Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v8, p485
- al-Istiab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, v3, p1107
- Tarikh al-Khulafa, by al-Suyuti, p124
- al-Itqan, by al-Suyuti, v2, p319

b) This transcript contained commentary and hermeneutic interpretation (Tafsir and Ta'wil) from the Holy Prophet some of which had been sent down as revelation but NOT as a part of the text of Quran. A small amount of such texts can be found in some traditions in Usul al-Kafi. These pieces of information were the Divine commentary of the text of Quran which were revealed along with Quranic verses. Thus the commentary verses and Quranic verses could sum up to 17000 verses. As Sunnis know, Hadith al-Qudsi (the Hadith in which the speaker is Allah) is also direct revelation, but they are not a part of Quran. In fact Quran testifies that anything that Prophet said was (either direct or indirect) revelation (See Quran 53:3-4). The direct revelation includes the interpretation/commentary of the Quran. In addition, this unique transcript contained the information from the Holy Prophet about which verse was abrogated and which was abrogating, which verse was clear (Muhkam) and which was ambiguous (Mutashabih), which verse was general and which was specific.

c) This unique transcript also contained references to the persons, places etc., about which the verses were revealed, what is called "Asbab al- Nuzul". Since the Commander of Believers was aware of these facts, he frequently said: "By Allah, no verse has been sent down without my knowing about whom or what it was revealed and where it was revealed. My Lord has gifted me with a mind which has a quick and retaining understanding, and a tongue which speaks eloquently."

Sunni References:

- Hilyatul Awliyaa, by Abu Nu'aym, v1, pp 67-68
- at-Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd, v2, part 2, p101
- Kanzul Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v15, p113
- al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 9, Section 4, p197

After he compiled this transcript, Imam Ali (AS) took it and presented it to the rulers who came after the Holy Prophet, and said: "Here is the book of Allah, your Lord, in the order that was revealed to your Prophet." but they did not accept it and replied: "We have no need of this. We have with us what you possess." Thereupon, Imam Ali (AS) took the transcript back and informed them that they will never see it again. It is reported that Imam Ali recited the latter part of the following verse of Quran: "And when Allah took a Covenant from the People of the Book to clarify it to mankind and not to hide its (clarification); but they threw it away behind their backs and purchased with it some miserable gain! and what an evil was the bargain they made!" (Quran 3:187)

By "its clarification", Imam Ali meant the unique divine commentaries. The Commander of Believers then concealed that transcript, and after him it was passed to the Imams who also kept it concealed. It remained concealed with the Imams, one after the other to this day, because they wished to be only one sequence of Quran among the Muslims. Because otherwise if people have had two different sequences, it might later result to some alteration in Quran by some sick-minded people. They wished people have strictly one sequence of Quran. The Quran and its commentary which were collected by Imam Ali (AS) is not available for any Shia in the world except to the Imam Mahdi (AS). If the transcript of the Commander of Believers had been accepted, that would have been the Quran with unique commentary in the hand of people, but it turned out to be otherwise.

This gives the meaning of the traditions in Usul al-Kafi which say that no one but the Commander of Believers and the later Imams had the Quran in the order it was revealed, and that the Quran which they had contains "what can be understood of the heaven, etc." and "the Knowledge of the Book, all of it," because they were the commentaries and interpretations noted in the transcript of Imam Ali directly from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty, said: "And We have sent down on you a Book in which is the clarification of ALL the things." (Quran 16:89)

Sometimes the word "tahrif" is used in some traditions, and it must be made clear that the meaning of this word is changing of something from its proper place to another place, like changing the right position of sentence, or giving it a meaning other than its true or intended meaning. Therefore, it has absolutely nothing to do with addition or subtraction from the text. It is thus with this meaning that the Quran states: "Some of the Jews distort (yuharrifuna) words from their meaning" (Quran 4:46).

This meaning of "tahrif", i.e., changing of meaning or changing the context, as it appears in the Quran, has not only been applied in the Muslim community to the verses of the Quran but also to the ahadith of the Holy Prophet, even by rulers who have been prepared to use Islam to their own personal advantage. It is this "tahrif", with this meaning, that the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt have constantly sought to oppose. As one example, Imam al-Baqir (AS) complained about the situation of the Muslims and their corrupt rulers, and said:
"One of the manifestations of their rejecting the Book (of Allah behind their backs) (see Quran 2:101) is that they have fixed its words. but they have altered the limits (of its command) (harrafu hududah). They have (correctly) narrated it, but they do not observe (what) it (says). Ignorant people delight in their preservation of its narration, but the knowledgeable people deplore their ignoring to observe (what) it (says)."

Shia references:

- al-Kafi, v8, p53
- al-Wafi, v5, p274 and v14, p214

This use of "tahrif" is taken as a definition for the word wherever it appears in the ahadith of the Imams, similar to what Quran (4:46) has used.

It is necessary to emphasize here that all grand scholars of the Imami Shia are in agreement that the Quran which is at present among the Muslims is the very same Quran that was sent down to the Holy Prophet, and that it has not been altered. Nothing has been added to it, and nothing is missing from it. The Quran which was compiled by Imam Ali (excluding the commentaries) and the Quran that is in the hand of people today, are identical in terms of words and sentences. No word, verse, chapter is missing. The only difference is that the current Quran (collected by the companions) is not in the order that was revealed.

The completeness of Quran is so indisputable among Shia that the great Shia scholar, Abu Ja'far Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al-Husain Ibn Babwayh, known as "Shaikh Saduq" (309/919-381/991), wrote:
"Our belief is that the Quran which Allah revealed to His Prophet Muhammad is (the same as) the one between the two covers (daffatayn). And it is the one which is in the hands of the people, and is not greater in extent than that. The number of Surahs as generally accepted is one hundred and fourteen...And he who asserts that we say that it is greater in extent than that, is a liar."

Shia reference: Shia Creed (al-I'tiqadat al-Imamiyyah), by Shaikh Saduq, English version, p77.

It should be noted that Shaikh Saduq (RA) was the greatest scholars of Hadith among the Imami Shia and was given the name of Shaikh al-Muhaddithin (i.e., the most eminent of the scholars of Hadith). And since he wrote the above in a book with the name of "The beliefs of the Imami Shia," it is quite impossible that there could be any authentic Hadith in contrary to it. It is noteworthy that Shaikh Saduq lived at the time of minor occultation of Imam Mahdi (AS) and he is one of the earliest Shia scholars. He had the honor that he was born with the prayer of Imam Mahdi (AS). For a more detailed discussion of completeness of Quran as well as the opinion of the Shia, interested readers may look at "al-Bayan," by Abul Qasim al-Khoei, pp 214-278.

Some ignorant opponents of the Shia mentioned that we apply al-Taqiyya (dissimulation) and we do not release our actual belief on Quran. These people never tried to understand that Taqiyya is for the time when my life or the life of the other fellow is in danger. There is no need to conceal my belief here since I am not under prosecution. The above article is witness to what I say. Taqiyya is not a good excuse for these people in front of Allah to disregard what Shia present. They have liberty to check the traditions which we have mentioned in different articles, or they can else ask their "honest" scholars to do that.

And the truth is the best to be followed...

www.ahlulbaytportal.com

Imam Ali (A.S.), the Source of Authentic Quranic Knowledge

Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), whose heart and soul brimmed with Divine Revelation, had, since the initial days, a very close and dear companion, who was a source of peace and serenity to his ethereal spirit.

History, in spite of its narrow and biased in recording truths and realities and its distortion of facts, was unable to ignore the name and qualities of that sincere companion of the Almighty's Last Prophet or to undermine his unparalleled virtues.

Indeed, the name 'Ali (A.S.) appears along that of the Prophet and any reference to the Holy Qur'an throughout the history of Islam. As confirmed by authentic sources, he was the first to acknowledge the prophethood of Muhammad (S.A.W.). So deep were the bonds between the two cousins - despite the age gap of 30 years - that he spent more time with him than with any of his brothers. He was, actually, raised by the Prophet (S.A.W.) and imbibed the divine source of knowledge and virtue through him. He personified the morals and wisdom of the Prophet. From the very day that his father Abu Talib had entrusted him to the care of the Prophet, there is no instance of any separation between these two chosen ones recorded in history, except for a few special occasions. Of these, mention could be made of Laylah al-Mabit, when Imam 'Ali (A.S.) was asked by the Prophet to sleep in his bed so that he could migrate from Makkah to Madinah, undetected by the infidels hovering around the house. The other two occasions are the expedition which the Prophet undertook to Tabuk and assigned him to stay in his absence in Madinah as his deputy - citing the Hadith al-Manzilah on the relationship between Moses and Aaron - and his despatch to Yemen before the Farewell Pilgrimage.

Thus, apart from these exceptions, one finds Imam 'Ali (A.S.) always at the side of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) in the same manner as the latter was inseparable from the Holy Qur'an and Divine Revelation. This association between the two wasn't the mere bond of kinship or the prophet's repayment of the favours of his loving uncle and guardian Abu Talib. Rather it was due to the striking resemblance the two cousins shared in spiritual qualities and intellectual perceptions as divine providence had decreed. Years later, Imam 'Ali (A.S.) in his own inimitable and unmatched eloquence was to describe this relationship as follows:

You do know my position of close kinship and relationship with the Messenger of Allah. When I was only a child he took me over. He found neither lies in my speaking, nor weakness in any act. From the time of his weaning Allah had put a great angel with him to take him along the path of high character and good behaviour throughout day and night, while I used to follow him like a young camel following in the footsteps of its mother. Every day he used to demonstrate to me some of his high traits and commanded me to follow. Every year he used to go in seclusion to Mount Hira where I saw him but no one else saw him... I used to see and watch the effulgence of divine revelation and the fragrance of prophethood.(1)

The companionship between the two was so intertwined and was at such a peak of spiritual perception that the Prophet said:

O 'Ali! You see all that I see and you hear all that I hear, except that you are not a Prophet, but you are a vicegerent and you are surely on (the path of) virtue.(2)

Two Perspectives of Imam 'Ali (A.S.)

Although history has recorded the important role and personality of Imam 'Ali (A.S.) in firming up the foundations of Islam in those critical moments of the divine message, it is distressing to note that historians have not paid the required attention to his transcendental characteristics which continue to loom larger than life and extend beyond the realm of valour, magnanimity, piety, knowledge, wisdom and perception.

There are two broadly defined views in the history of Islam with respect to the position and status of Imam 'Ali (A.S.): the perspective of those who claim to follow the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), and the perspective of those who call themselves Shi'ite - by stressing that the sunnah would remain incomplete if the Prophet's practice of love and affection for his Ahl al-Bayt is not duly emphasized.

The Ahl al-Sunnah see Imam 'Ali (A.S.) as a valiant hero who decisively defeated the roughnecks of Arabia from among the unbelievers and hypocrites, and whose matchless sword (dhu al-fiqar) never faltered in the defence of the person of the Prophet and the prestige of Islam. But in their view, Imam 'Ali (A.S.), although a brave, fearless and magnanimous warrior, lacked knowledge of politics and statecraft like the Umayyids, to extend the physical boundaries of Muslim lands through wars, increase state coffers by way of taxation, booties and spoils of war, and crush any signs of dissent in the embryonic stage.

The viewpoint about the Imam by those claiming to be his devotees also falls short of adequate perception. The main axis of belief of this group is that since the Commander of the Faithful (Amir al-Mu'minin) and the Leader of the Pious (Imam al-Muttaqin) decided against use of force for his rights after the Prophet, despite being the most worthy person for the caliphate and was subsequently deprived of political authority, he should be considered as an oppressed saint and should thus be mourned for.

However, the shortcomings of these two points of view do not imply they're wrong. Rather, they should be called as inadequate attempts to fathom the fathomless ocean. Without the least doubt, Imam 'Ali (A.S.) was a matchless warrior and had no peers as regards the caliphate, but neither of these two viewpoints, reflect the essence of his unique and extraordinary characteristics.

For Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) he was the closest, the dearest, the most reliable and the highly respected confidant and companion, but not simply because of his bravery, piety, knowledge or judgement; rather, because he had full qualities of prophethood although he was not a prophet. The Almighty Creator had granted him the perception to see the signs of revelation to his cousin the Seal of Prophets, yet it was Divine Will that he was not Allah's Messenger. Imam 'Ali (A.S.) was in fact the Interpreter of the Holy Qur'an and the Testifier to its Truth, as taught by Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), and this was the greatest privilege for him. This is why he would repeatedly urge people:

Ask me before you lose me (forever). By Allah! There is no ayah in the Qur'an except that I know regarding whom it was revealed and where it was revealed, whether in the plain or on the mountain. Indeed My Lord has granted me a perceptive heart and an eloquent tongue.(3)

The Imam's Knowledge of the Holy Qur'an

Islamic scholars of various schools have focused on the fact that while the Holy Qur'an is the greatest miracle presented to mankind for all time by the Almighty's Last Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), Imam 'Ali (A.S.) enjoys the honour of being the most knowledgeable of the companions in respect to the secrets and mysteries of Allah's Revealed Word. Thus, he is the most merited and praiseworthy human being after the Prophet.

This is confirmed by the wise and eloquent speeches as well as the egalitarian practices of Imam 'Ali (A.S.), which continue to stand out as exemplary behaviour for humanity. For instance, although he emphasizes his undisputable right for the caliphate in view of the fact that he was the publicly proclaimed deputy of the Prophet and denounces the incompetent for usurping what did not belong to them, he is so magnanimous that he is prepared to overlook his right of leadership in order to avoid dissension at that critical juncture of Islamic history when the neo-Muslims could well have turned back to idolatry. However, he deems it highly crucial to continue his presence in the intellectual and social scenes by expounding the principles of Islam and interpreting the meaning and purport of ayahs of the Holy Qur'an. A glance at hadith literature and historical narratives including his own sermons and letters, reveal that throughout the twenty-five years of his detachment from political and administrative issues, Imam 'Ali (A.S.) never felt unconcerned about the affairs of the ummah and anxiously invited Muslims to properly learn the meaning of the Holy Qur'an. In one instance he calls on people as such:

O people! Ask me (about any matter), since after me you will never find anyone more knowledgeable than me to pose questions. Neither will you find anyone more knowledgeable than me about what is between the two covers (the Holy Qur'an). So ask me.(4)

On another occasion he says:

Surely, the Almighty Allah has honoured me, from among the companions of the Messenger of Allah, with the knowledge of the abrogator (nasikh) and the abrogated (mansukh), the clear (muhkam) and the allegorical (mutashabih), and the specific (khass) and the general ('amm). And, this is Allah's favour to me and to His Prophet.(5)

In the book Tarikh Dimashq, we come across the words of Ibn Shabramah who says:
No one but (Imam) 'Ali bin Abi Talib (A.S.) was able to assert on the pulpit (publicly) that he could answer any question and explain any subject with respect to the contents of the Holy Qur'an.(6)

In Manaqib Al-i Abi Talib, Ibn Shahr Ashub quotes al-Sha'bi as saying:
There is no one after the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) more knowledgeable than (Imam) 'Ali (A.S.) with respect to the Holy Qur'an.(7)

'Abdullah bin 'Abbas, who is considered a well-known exegete of the Holy Qur'an of the early days of Islam, has been quoted in the book al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith as emphasizing:
My knowledge of the Qur'an in comparison with (Imam) 'Ali (A.S.) is like a small pond in front of a fathomless ocean.(8)

Mansur bin Hazim, a companion of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (A.S.) citing a relatively long report which he presented to the Imam for soliciting his views regarding debates with various scholars, says as follows:

I asked the people: Are you aware that Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) was Allah's proof or authority (hujjah) to mankind? They replied in the affirmative. I asked: Who is Allah's hujjah among the ummah after the passing away of the Prophet (S.A.W.)? They said: the Qur'an. I contemplated on the Holy Qur'an and realized that even groups harbouring doubts about Divine Revelation, such as the Murji'ah, Fatalists and atheists despite their disbelief in the Qur'an never hesitate to cite verses from the Qur'an in their paradoxical arguments, in order to overwhelm their antagonists! Hence, I observed that the Qur'an without a guardian and correct interpreter can not be referred to. So I questioned them: Is there any criteria in this regard to expound the correct interpretation of the Holy Qur'an? They said: 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, while 'Umar and Huzayfah also have some knowledge of the Qur'an and were able to answer all relevant questions? They replied with one voice: No! On several instances questions were posed and they were unable to reply; however, the only person who has never left any question concerning the Qur'an unanswered, was (Imam) 'Ali (A.S.).(9)

Imam 'Ali (A.S.), the Source of All Authority

The interpretation of the Revealed Word of God or Exegesis of the Holy Qur'an is traced to Imam 'Ali (A.S.). He is considered the indisputable authority in this field. In fact, as scholars testify, he developed this science expounded to him by the Prophet and passed it on to his disciples after creating various branches out of it. A review of the exegeses of the Holy Qur'an reveals that he is the ultimate source for most of the authentic explanations. He bequeathed this science to his cousin 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, who on being asked to compare his own knowledge with that of Imam 'Ali (A.S.), said:
It is like a raindrop in comparison with the all-encompassing ocean.(10)

In the book Matalib al-Su'ul it is written:
Among the Islamic ummah 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas is reputedly the pioneer and the foremost exegete of the Holy Qur'an, yet he was a student and follower of (Imam) 'Ali (A.S.) and acquired knowledge from the Imam.(11)

Imam 'Ali (A.S.) and Practical Implementation of the Holy Qur'an

The Imam, in word and practice, showed that his emphasis on his right of leadership and his position of being the Testamentary Legatee (wasi) of the Prophet was not an ambition to gain power and political authority. Rather, it was for the practical implementation of the Holy Qur'an in society as intended by Allah and Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), since during every military encounter Imam 'Ali (A.S.) cherished nothing but martyrdom for the cause of Islam. His famous saying: "By Allah the Son of Abi Talib is more familiar with death than an infant with the breast of its mother", (12) stands out as firm testimony in this regard. It is also worth recalling that the day when the masses fed up with decades of injustice and distortion of the spirit of Islam, came begging at his doorstep to take on the reins of political authority, Imam 'Ali (A.S.), after initial refusal said that he has decided to accept the caliphate only because of the fact that it is the duty of the learned and the capable to duly discharge their responsibilities with respect to the oppressed people.

He says in this regard:
Behold! By Him who split the grain (to grow) and created living beings, if people had not come to me and supporters had not exhausted the arguments and if there had been no covenant of Allah with the learned to the effect that they should not acquiesce in the gluttony of the oppressor and the hunger of the oppressed I would have cast the rope of caliphate on its own shoulders, and would have given the last one, the same treatment as to the first one. They you would have seen that in my view this would of yours are no better than sneezing of goat.(13)

In another instance, once when was mending his shoes during his caliphate, he asked one of his companions of the worth of his worn out footwear and on being said that it was worth nothing, he answered:
This matter of caliphate is even more worthless for me than these worn out shoes, if I am not able to support the oppressed against the oppressors!

What was then the objective of Imam 'Ali (A.S.), when following the passing away of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and the scandalous event of Saqifah Bani Sa'idah, he solicited the testimony of the Ansar and the Muhajirin for his right to the caliphate?

What made the Imam deliver that memorable and moving sermon called Shiqshiqyyah in which he has denounced the misrule of his predecessors and questioned their legitimacy to the caliphate?

How is it possible to justify the Battles of Jamal and Nahrawan and the War of Siffin that the Imam fought against dissenters as Caliph of the Islamic state?

The answers to these questions are not much difficult for those who are familiar with the position and personality of Imam 'Ali (A.S.). Indeed, in the Imam's view, the caliphate was in essence nothing more than a task to be fulfilled, and he only regarded it as a means to promote the Holy Qur'an and promulgate the Divine laws in society for the benefit of mankind. It is beyond any question that the caliphate was his right in view of the fact that he was the most knowledgeable about the Holy Qur'an and the principles of religion, and was blessed with the wisdom to foresee the outcome of affairs. In this respect, he has said:
I am more cognizant than any of you about the Book (Qur'an) and the sunnah, more perceptive of religion than any of you and more knowledgeable than any of you regarding the consequences of affairs.(14)

It was not due to arrogance but because of solid and indisputable proofs that Imam'Ali (A.S.) considered himself as Manifestation of Qur'anic verses, and was his perception, will and words, as the words, views and will of the Book of Allah. This is the very reason why, during the events of Siffin when the deceitful lifting of the Holy Qur'an on spear points by the forces of Mu'awiyah had misled a part of his own forces to think that they were wrong in fighting fellow-Muslims, the Imam reminded to them:
I am the Qur'an al-Natiq (Vocal or Speaking Qur'an)... This is Kitab Allah al-Samit (Silent Book of God), and it is me who explains and interprets it. So hold fast to the Kitab Allah al-Natiq (Vocal Book of God).(15 & 16)

Undoubtedly, such statements could only be expressed by Imam 'Ali (A.S.). He was witness to the revelation of the Holy Qur'an as well as the eloquent expressions of the Prophet. He demonstrated the practicability of the divine ayahs and the sunnah of the Prophet, not for any worldly objective, but to pave the ground for spreading the genuine precepts of Islam and bringing about justice in society.

Imam 'Ali (A.S.), although privileged with such a great and highly significant position and status, lived a very simple life that measured to the standard of the poorest of people in society. That's why, his speech and his silence, his resentment and his contentment, his deed and his word, his consent and his admonishment, were all manifestations of Allah's will. He was indeed, the living Qur'an, since his life mirrored the practical interpretation of the divine ayahs.

Alas! His detractors deprived him of the chance to promote the Holy Qur'an in its entirety and explain more clear the rule of religion in society so as to pave the way for the Islamic ummah to strive towards prosperity and salvation. It's a pity, the ummah did not give Imam 'Ali (A.S.) the respite to wield his enlightened pen as dexterously as his celebrated sword, dhu al-fiqar, to let mankind benefit from the ocean of knowledge of which he was the repository. It surely is most bothersome for men of knowledge and wisdom to be deprived of the opportunity to shed their light of knowledge on the society and to guide people on the right path, and instead, be forced to unsheathe the sword.

It's even more annoying for men of wisdom and justice to see their precious and valuable words unheeded and their justice not tolerated. It is unfortunate that not even the pulpit was snatched from him to prevent him from expounding his knowledge, but at the same time his hands were tied with the ropes of political intrigue so as to prevent him from even drawing the dhu al-fiqar against oppression and evil in the general interests of the Islamic ummah. Religion is the most significant challenge for men of knowledge and it is that crucial arena where they unravel the waves of wisdom beating in their breasts; for they have waited long to witness the spread of virtue and munificence among mankind.

Imam 'Ali (A.S.) has a famous saying in this respect:
So I adopted patience, although there was pricking in the eye and suffocation (of mortification) in the throats.(17)

In spite of all these barriers, Imam 'Ali (A.S.) used every opportunity to explain and expound the meanings of the ayahs of the Holy Qur'an. However, he was quite concerned with the lack of appropriate learners of the Divine knowledge and thus would say:
I am the great treasure of knowledge, but unfortunately the number of learners and seekers and seekers of knowledge are so few. It won't be long before they miss me for ever, and be disappointed?(18)

In another instance, while addressing his disciple Kumayl bin Ziyad, the Imam said:
O Kumayl! Knowledge is a belief that is acted upon. With it a person acquires obedience in his life and a good name after his death. O Kumayl, those who amass wealth may be dead even though they may be living while those endowed with knowledge would remain so long as the world lives. Their bodies are no more but their figures exist in the hearts. Look, here is a heap of knowledge (pointing to his bosom). I wish I could get someone to bear it. Yes I did find, but either it was the one that could not be relied upon. He would exploit the religion for worldly gains, and by virtue of Allah's favours upon him he would domineer over the people and through Allah's pleas would lord over his devotees. Or it was the one who was obedient to the hearers of truth but there was no intelligence in his bosom. At the first appearance of doubt he would entertain misgivings in his heart. So neither this nor that was good enough. Either the person is eager for pleasures, easily led away by passions, or is covetous for collecting and hoarding wealth. Neither of them has any regard for religion in any matter. The nearest example of this is the loose cattle. This is the way that knowledge dies away with the death of its bearer.(19)

What troubled the Imam was the lack of a deserving audience. He was the repository of knowledge, yet people asked him about the most simple and basic issues, while the crooked tried to annoy him by deliberately posing irrational questions. His answers were based on their level of intelligence, but whenever he found the opportunity he let flow the springs of science and wisdom, he did. That's why he has said:
I have hidden knowledge; if I disclose it you will start trembling like ropes in deep wells.(20)

Nevertheless, never did Imam 'Ali (A.S.) let ago any single opportunity to inculcate Muslims with the meaning and purport of the Qur'an and its vast secrets. Hence, in accordance with the instructions of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) he was the first to compile the Holy Qur'an. He subsequently employed the following two methods for interpretation of the Holy Book:
A. Elucidation of the concepts and moral obligations of the ayahs and the harmonious interrelation between them with respect to actual and related topics.

B. Explanation of Divine knowledge with respects to various matters such as religious, social and scientific, during sermons and while giving answers to ideological questions.

Today, both the effective methods employed by Imam 'Ali (A.S.), are at the disposal of researchers and scholars, enabling them to discover the keys to understanding the Holy Qur'an in order to quench the for divine knowledge of the seekers of truth.

Imam 'Ali (A.S.), Barometer of Qur'anic Concepts

Whatever has been recorded by academic and historical sources of the personality, thoughts, works, practice and behaviour of Imam 'Ali (A.S.), is ample proof of his unrivalled merits that enables seekers of knowledge in an era when mankind has taken giant strides in the scientific field, to rely upon the Imam's words in their fundamental discussions in both the ideological realm and the world of nature and practical sciences.

If contemporary philosophers and theoreticians, in spite of having access to all sources of human knowledge are unable to offer clear, unambiguous and definite answers to many essential questions regarding the science of divinity, anthropology and theology, they are advised to study the trail blazed out by Imam 'Ali (A.S.), whose transcendental wisdom will help unravel the truth. The various theories, beliefs and isms that have been wandering in the valley of bewilderment, should avail the opportunity to contemplate on the timeless wisdom of the eloquent words of Imam 'Ali (A.S.). Then only will they be able to understand the basis of his words. The Imam says:
I advise you to hold fast to the Book of Allah! It is a strong rope, a bright light, a definite remedy and a satiating spring. It protects from error those who have faith in it and grants success to those who abide by it.(21)

Unfortunately, the clear and lucid words of Imam 'Ali (A.S.), which he expressed in an era of ignorance - and at times he vented his feelings by speaking down the mouth of a well because of lack of deserving persons who could lend him their ears - were to be ignored by two groups:
A. Those who claimed to be his devotees but who only devotedly recalled and repeated his words without ever making much effort in theory and in practice to make this these ideals and beliefs manifest in social life.

B. The so-called modernists who because of their narrow-mindedness wrongly dismissed the intellectual legacy of the past with out giving themselves the opportunity to ponder on words and thoughts of Imam 'Ali (A.S.) regarding Divine Revelations, religion, the Qur'an and achievements of Islam.

Notes:
1. Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon: 192.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid., Sermon: 189.
4. Ibn 'Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, Beriut: Dar al-Fikr, vol. 42, p. 398.
5. Saduq, Muhammad bin 'Ali bin Babawayh, al-Khisal, p. 576.
6. Ibn 'Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, vol. 42, p. 299.
7. Ibn Shahr Ashub, Manaqib Al Abi Talib, vol. 2, p. 43.
8. Ibn Athir, al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa al-Athar, vol. 1, p. 212; Majlisi,Muhammad Baqir, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 106, p. 92.
9. Kulayni, Muhammad bin Ya'qub, Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 168.
10. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh al-Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 1, p. 17.
11. Shafi'i, Matalib al-Su'ul, p. 29.
12. Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon: 3.
13. Tabrisi, Fazl bin Hasan, al-Ihtijaj, vol. 1, p. 182.
14. Qunduzi, Sulayman bin Ibrahim, Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, vol. 1, p. 214.
15. Mawsu'ah al-Imam 'Ali (A.S.), vol. 8, p. 207.
16. Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon 3.
17. Saduq, 'Ilal al-Shara'i', p. 40.
18. Nahj al-Balaghah, Maxim: 147.
19. Ibid., Sermon 5.
20. Ibid., Sermon 156.


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Refrence: By: Ahmad Turabi
Translated by Mahdi Chamanzar
www.ahlulbaytportal.com