The Abandonment of the Qur'ān

Today, we have a complaint that we must address to this new generation which is: Why are they not acquainted with the Qurʾān? Why are they not being taught the Qurʾān in their schools? Even if we go to the Universities, we see that the (Muslim) university students cannot even recite the Qurʾān! Of course it is unfortunate that this has occurred however we must ask ourselves, “What steps have we taken to help them in this path?”

Do we assume that with the lessons of Fiqh, Sharīʿah and Qurʾān which are being taught in the Islāmic schools (Madāris) that this is enough for the new generation to become completely acquainted with the Qurʾān?

What is more amazing is that the previous generations were also distanced from and had abandoned the Qurʾān – and then we wish to complain to the new generation why they have not developed a relationship with the Qurʾān!? Without doubt, the Qurʾān has truly been alienated from ourselves and then we still expect the new generation to hold onto the Qurʾān!?

At this point, we will prove to the readers how we have alienated ourselves from this Sacred Book.

If a person’s knowledge is that of the science of the Qurʾān - meaning that he does a lot of contemplation upon the contents of the Qurʾān and if he knows the complete interpretation of the Qurʾān, how much respect would such a person have amongst us? None. However, if a person was to know “Kifāyah”[25] of Akhūnd Mullāh Kādhim Khurāsānī, then he

would be respected and would be considered as one with integrity.

Thus, the Qurʾān is truly unknown and has become distanced from us and this is the same complaint that the Qurʾān itself will proclaim!

We are all included in the protests and objections of the Messenger of Allāh (s.w.a.) when he complains to Allāh (s.w.t.):

) يٌا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هٌذَا الْقُرٌآنَ مَهْجُوراً (

“O’ my Lord! Surely MY nation took this Qurʾān as something trivial.”[26]

Approximately one month ago[27], one of our own great scholars had

gone to the holy cities (in ʿIrāq) and narrates that he visited Ayatullāh Khūʾī (q.d.s.). He said to the Ayatullāh, “Why have you stopped the lessons in Tafsīr which you were previously giving?”[28] The Ayatullāh

replied to him that there were many obstacles and difficulties in offering classes on Tafsīr of the Qurʾān. This scholar then told Ayatullāh Khūʿī (q.d.s.), “ʿAllāmah Tabā’tabā’ī (q.d.s.) has continued his classes on Tafsīr of the Qurʾān in Qum and thus, most of his time is spent in this area of study and research.” Ayatullāh Khūʿī replied, “Ayatullāh Tabā’tabā’ī has sacrificed himself – he has withdrawn himself from the society” - and he is right.

It is amazing that in the most sensitive issues of the religion, if we see a person who sacrifices his entire life to study the Qurʾān, then he will fall into thousands of difficulties and problems from the point of view of his food, overall life, his character (within the society), his respect and he will be removed from and deprived of many things. However, if he was to spend his entire life in the study of books such as “Kifāyah”, then he would be worthy of receiving everything!

Thus, in summary, we can find thousands of people who know “Kifāyah” very well. They also know the replies to the points brought up in “Kifāyah” and they even know the replies to the replies that have been given - and they even know the replies to the replies of the replies of “Kifāyah” however we cannot find even two people who know the Qurʾān properly! If you ask any scholar about a verse of the Qurʾān, they will say that they must go back and refer to the Tafsīr of the Qurʾān.

What is even more amazing than this is that the older generation has acted in this regards to the Qurʾān, however we had higher hopes that the new generation of the youth would be able to read the Qurʾān, understand it and act upon it!

If the previous generations had not strayed away from the Qurʾān, then without doubt, this new generation too would not have been led astray from the path of the Qurʾān. Thus, it is ourselves who have acted in this way to earn the wrath and curse of the Prophet (s.w.a.) and the Qurʾān.

In relation to the Qurʾān, the Noble Messenger (s.w.a.) has stated:

إِنَّهُ شٌافِعٌ مُشَفَّعٌ وَ مٌاحِلُ مُصَدَّقٌ

By this we mean that in the presence of Allāh (s.w.t.), the Qurʾān is an intercessor and its intercession will be accepted and in relation to those people who ignore the Qurʾān, it will complain (to Allāh (s.w.t.)) and its complaints will be accepted as well.[29]

It is both the older generation and even the newer generation who have done an injustice to the Qurʾān and continue to do so. It is the previous generation who had initiated this act of ignoring the Qurʾān, and it is the newer generation who are continuing in their footsteps.

This in conclusion, in the issue of the leadership of the youth, more than anything else, there are two things which we must do:

1) We must first recognize that which is troubling this generation. Once we have done this, then we can sit and think of the cure and remedy for their problems, since without knowing what is troubling them, it is not possible to go forth and cure the illness.

2) The second thing is that the older generation must first correct themselves. The older generation must ask forgiveness for the greatest sin which they have committed and that is that they have left and ignored the Qurʾān. We must all return back to this Qurʾān and place the Qurʾān in front of us and then march forward under the shadow of the guidance of the Qurʾān so that we will be able to reach to happiness and perfection. !

Notes:

[25] This is one of the major books in the field of Usūlul Fiqh that students of the Theological Seminary need to study as they progress in their studies to reach the highest level of learning – Ba`thul Khārij. (Tr.)

[26] Sūrah al-Furqān (25), Verse 30

[27] From when this lecture was originally given in 1963. (Tr.)

[28] It has been narrated that Āyatullāh Khū`ī was offering classes in Tafsīr of the Qurʾān some 8 or 9 years ago in Najaf, some of which were also printed in book form.

[29] al-Kāfī, Volume 2, Page 599

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Ref: Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

Reasons Why People Gravitate Towards Atheism

Incidentally, there are other people who have been able to recognize the things which pain this generation and have been able to misuse these youth and misguide them. What path did the teachings of materialism - which have even appeared in this country (Irān) – use which were able to make people sacrifice their lives for these things and for the purpose of atheism?

They used this same path (that we are after) since they knew that this generation was in need of something. They knew that they needed a school of thought which would be able to answer their questions, and thus they presented such a thought ideology to them.

They knew that this generation possessed a series of great societal ideals and aims which they wanted to reach and wanted these things to prove true for themselves and thus, these materialists made these their same ideals and aims. Thus, they were able to pull many people towards themselves and with what sort of self sacrifices (on their part) and what kind of closeness!

When a person is found to have a serious need for something, he does not really think of the good and bad in that thing. When the stomach is hungry for food, it does not really pay attention to the type of food it gets – it will eat whatever it finds simply to satisfy the hunger.

The soul is the same way – if it reaches to a stage that it is hungry for a school of thought to follow and such a school which is run on some predefined and known principles which is able to answer the questions brought forth and is able to tackle all of the issues of the monotonous world and the societal issues which are placed in front of it, then it will not care if the beliefs are based on strong logic or not. Thus we see that humanity is not really after firm and logical speech – rather, it is after an organized and well-prepared thought which would be able to answer all of the day to day questions that come forth.

We, the philosophers, knew that all these words were nonsense, and although it was meaningless, the aforesaid philosophy was in fact a demanding exigency which filled a vacancy and saved a room for its place, and thus it was accepted.


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Ref: Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

The Difficulties of This Generation Must be Understood

Our main focus and concentration is that we must first identify where the pains of this generation lie. We must identify the intellectual pains, the academic pains – those pains that would point us to them being aware (of their responsibilities) – meaning those things which trouble the youth of today which did not trouble the youth of the past.

In these regards, the poet Mawlawī, has stated:

حسرت وزارى كه در بيمارى است

وقت بيمارى هم از بيدارى است

هر كه او بيدارتر پردردتر

هر که او هشيارتر رخ زردتر

“Remorse and humility occur at the time of illness: the time of illness is wholly wakefulness (of conscience). The more wakeful any one is, the more full of suffering he is; the more aware (of God) he is, the paler he is in countenance.”

In the past, the doors to the events (happening around the world) were closed to people – when the doors are closed to the people, then life is easy – the windows too were closed. Thus, no one knew what was happening outside (of their own home). No one knew what was happening outside of their own city. They did not even know what was happening in other countries. Today, these doors and windows (to other cities and countries) are wide open.

Today, the people are able to see the entire world and the advancements that the world has made. They see the knowledge of the world; they see the economic powers around the world; they see the political and military powers of the world; they can see the Democracies of the world; they see the equality that is taking shape around the world; they see the various movements, uprisings and revolutions taking place in the world.

The youth are seeing these things, thus, their emotions run high, and they have a right to see these things and to think for themselves and then say: “Why have we been left behind (in the face of all of these advancements)?”

In the words of a poet:

سخن درست بگويم نمی توانم ديد

كه می خورند حريفان و من نظاره كنم

“I must speak the truth that I cannot stand to see,

My opponents living well while I simply watch on.”

In this way, the world is moving forward towards political, economic and social freedom and is moving towards greatness, splendor, honour and freedom however we are still asleep or are witnessing this movement from far and are yawning away.

The previous generations did not understand all of these things and could not discern them, however the new generation has a right to say: “Why is it that Japan, which is a country of idol worshippers, and Iran which is an Islāmic country within the same year and same time period of existence, realize the need and have developed a new civilization and industry.

However we see that Japan was able to reach to a level where they are very easily able to compete with the Western nations, whereas we see the condition that Iran is in?!”

ما و ليلى همسفر بوديم اندر راه عشق

او به مطلبها رسيد و ما هنوز آواره ايم

“Laylā and I were traveling together on the path of love, She reached to that what she was searching for, while I still have yet to get there.”

Does this new generation not have the right to ask such questions?

The previous generations did not have the heavy weight of foreign interference bearing down upon their shoulders that this current generation is experiencing.

Is this a sin? Of course not! This is not a sin! Rather, experiencing this is actually a heavenly message from Allāh (s.w.t.). If this feeling and experience was not there, then this would have been a sign that we are the target of the punishment and chastisement (of Allāh (s.w.t.)).

So then, now that this feeling is present, this means that Allāh (s.w.t.) wants to grant us salvation from this chastisement.

In the past, the level of intelligence of the people was low and very few people entertained doubts, confusion and questions (about the religion), however this mode of thinking has now changed and people are asking more and more questions. It is natural that when intelligence increases, then questions would also be raised in the minds of the people that were not thought of previously, and these doubts and confusions must be removed from the minds of the people and the questions that they pose and the needs of their intelligence must be answered.

It is not possible that you can say to such a person that he should forget his questions and just return to how the previous generations were – rather, this is a very good opportunity to acquaint the people with the truth and teachings of Islām. It is not possible to explain the truth to an ignorant, illiterate person and thus, in regards to the guidance and leadership of the previous generation whose level of thought was low, it was necessary for us to express the religion and convey it to them in a particular way through a particular form of writing. However today, that old form of propagation and that old form of writing has absolutely no worth or value.

We must, and this is absolutely necessary, reform ourselves and have a deep restructuring in this part of our actions. We must be well acquainted with the logic, thinking and language of the day and must work for the guidance and leadership of the people in this manner.

The level of intelligence of the past generation was so low that if in a gathering, a person was to speak things that went against other things that he said (in the same gathering), then no one would have noticed or complained about this. However today, if a young adult who is in the 10th or 12th grade were to go and sit at the feet of the mimbar of a lecturer, he would be able to pick up five or six, maybe even more problems with the lecture. We must pay attention to their thoughts and intelligence and thus, we can no longer tell them to be quiet and stop wasting time.

As you know, it was not this way in the past. In the past, a person could recite a thousand lines of poetry in one sitting or other words of praise that were completely opposite of one another and not a single person would have understood that what the person was saying was going against his own words! For example, a person would first say that no action can take place without a cause:

أَبـى اللٌّهُ أَنْ يَجْرِى الأُمُورَ إِلاٌّ بَأَسْبٌابِهٌا

“Allāh is much greater than that He would perform actions except for a cause.”

The person would state this fact and everyone would agree with him and if right after saying this, he were to say:

إِذٌاجـٌاءَ الْقَدَرُ عَمِيَ الْبَصَرُ

“When fate comes the eyes are blinded.”

Once again, everybody supported this claim and confirmed its reality!

There is a story that when the King of Nishābūr [22] had come to

Tehrān, a great number of people gathered around him at the base of the mimbar due to the beautiful voice that he had. A prominent leader of the community said to him, “Seeing as how such a great number of people have gathered at the feet of the mimbar when you speak, why don’t articulate a few rational words to them and stop wasting their time?”

The King replied, “These people do not have the ability to understand rational speech. Rational words can only be spoken to people who have intelligence and these people do not posses any intelligence!” The leader replied that the King was wrong in his synopsis and it was not as he said. The King retorted that it was exactly how he said and that he would prove it to the leader.

One day when the leader was in the audience, the King started to speak on the mimbar about the tragedies that befell the Ahlul Baīt E in the city of Kufah, Iraq. He recited some poetry in a beautiful, sorrowful voice which made the people break into tears. He then said, “Be calm, be calm, be calm.” After everyone calmed and quieted down he said, “I would like to describe to you the scene of the children of Abī ʿAbdillāh (a.s.) while in the city of Kufah. When the Ahlul Baīt (a.s.) entered into the city of Kufah, the weather was so hot. The sun was beating down upon them so much that it felt like fire was being placed above their heads. The young children of the family were all thirsty and because of the intense heat, they were very hot. They were then put onto saddle-less camels and since the ground was full of ice the camels kept slipping on the ice and thus, the young children fell off of the camel onto

the ground and started crying:واعطشاه (O’ we are thirsty!)”

Notes:

[22] A city just outside of present day Mashhad, Iran. (tr.)


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Ref: Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

An Example of Two Generations

There is a verse in Sūratul Aḥqāf that was recited before I began my discussion. In my opinion, this verse actually portrays the scene of two generations – that of a righteous generation and the other of a generation that has gone astray.

We cannot say that without a doubt every proceeding generation would be more corrupt than the previous generation and that the world is going closer towards corruption day after day. At the same time, we also cannot say that the future generations will be more perfect than the previous generations and will never fall into error.

The verses that we wanted to look at are as follows:

وَوَصَّيْنَا الإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلاَثُونَ شَهْرًا حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى وَ الِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

“And We have enjoined on mankind kindness to his parents. In pain did his mother bear him and in pain she gave him bith. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months.

At length when the child reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years he says: ‘O my Lord! grant me that I may be grateful for Your favours which You have bestowed upon me and upon both my parents and that I may work righteousness such as You may approve; and be gracious to me in my progeny. Truly I have turned to You and truly I am of the Muslims.”[18]

This verse of the Qurʾān presents us with one of the ways of thinking and understanding of a righteous generation. It has been said that this verse was revealed in relation to Sayyid ash-Shuhadā Imām Ḥusain ibne ʿAlī (a.s.) - of course, he is simply the most perfect testimony of this verse, however the verse is a general all-encompassing verse.

In this verse, there are five characteristics which have been mentioned for a righteous generation.

The first characteristic is that of a soul which is thankful and realizes the importance and worth of the blessing and gift of creation:

(رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي)

“…’O my Lord! grant me that I may be grateful for Your favours which You have bestowed upon me…”

Such a person looks at all of the blessings and bounties that Allāh (s.w.t.) has given to both of them (the mother and father) and the previous generations and then says, “O’ Allāh! Give me the strength to be able to discern the truth and realize its true worth.

Give me the strength to be able to make the best use of the blessings that You have showered upon us such that would earn Your pleasure.” To be thankful for any blessing means that we make use of that blessing as it should be used.

After this, we pray that Allāh (s.w.t.) should give us the ability to perform actions that He is pleased with. We pray that we too should be given the chance to act in a way that is beneficial to ourselves, to others and perform those things which would earn the pleasure of Allāh (s.w.t.):

(وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ)

“…and that I may work righteousness such as You may approve…”

The third prayer is that we turn our attention to the future generation and ask Allāh (s.w.t.) for their goodness and for them to be righteous:

(وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي)

“…and be gracious to through my progeny…”

The fourth request made is that we are permitted to turn back towards Allāh (s.w.t.) for the mistakes, slips and shortcomings which we performed in the past:

(إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ)

“…Truly I have turned to You…”

The fifth and final prayer in this verse is that we ask to be granted the state of submission to the Truth and those things which Allāh (s.w.t.) has specified for us in relation to the natural world and the Islāmic legislations. It is through transgressing the limits set by Allāh (s.w.t.) that leads to our destruction and annihilation:

(وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ)

“…and truly I am of the Muslims.”[19]

In relation to this generation mentioned above, it is then mentioned in the Qurʾān:

(أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ نَتَقَبَّلُ عَنْهُمْ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوا وَنَتَجاوَزُ عَن سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ فِي أَصْحَابِ الْجَنَّةِ وَعْدَ الصِّدْقِ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ)

“These are they from whom We accept the best of what they have done and pass over their evil deeds, among the dwellers of the garden; the promise of truth which they were promised.” [20]



In this part of the verse, the tense changes to the plural form and thus it is clear that it is not in reference to one individual. In this verse, it is stated that, “Such are they from whom We shall accept the best of their deeds and pass by their ill deeds: (they shall be) among the Companions of the Garden: a promise of truth which was made to them (in this life).”

However the following verse is in relation to the corrupt, misled generation, and it states:

(وَ الَّذِي قَالَ لِوَالِدَيْهِ أُفٍّ لَّكُمَا أَتَعِدَانِنِي أَنْ أُخْرَجَ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ الْقُرُونُ مِنْ قَبْلِي وَهُمَا يَسْتَغِيثَانِ اللَّهَ وَيْلَكَ آمِنْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَيَقُولُ مَا هَذَا إِلاَّ أَسَاطِيرُ الأََوَّلِينَ)

“But (there is one) who says to his parents ‘Woe on you! Do you hold out the promise to me that I shall be raised up even though generations have passed before me (without rising again)?’ And the two of them (the mother and father) seek Allāh’s aid (and rebuke the son saying): ‘Woe to you! Have faith for the promise of Allāh is true.’ But he says ‘This is nothing but tales of the ancients!’”[21]

A conceited, perplexed and mentally undeveloped generation would learn a few things, and then would not believe anything else that they hear; thus they would cease being servants of Allāh (s.w.t.). They would say to their father and mother, “Woe upon you!” They would make fun of their parents and would resort to laughing at their thoughts and beliefs. Such a generation would say to their them!

(أَتَعِدَانِنِي أَنْ أُخْرَجَ)

“Do you hold out the promise to me that I shall be raised up?”

Such a generation exclaims: “Do you expect me to believe that there is another world after this one or that there is another life after this one whereas we see that previous generations came, lived, died and that is it!?”

The father and mother are religious and are not prepared to hear anything that goes against their religion and faith, however at the same time, they see that the dearest of people to them is speaking to them in such a way that it makes them upset and forces them to say to their child:

(وَيْلَكَ آمِنْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ)

“Woe to you! Have faith for the promise of Allāh is true!”

One of the most painful things for a religious father and mother to see is their dear child drifting towards disbelief of the religion, or to see him or her deny the beliefs and go towards Kufr (complete disbelief).

(وَهُمَا يَسْتَغِيثَانِ اللَّهَ)

“…and the two of them (the mother and father) seek Allāh’s aid…”

It is at this time that the cry for help can be heard in the heavens when both the father and mother call upon Allāh (s.w.t.). However, the child replies to their pleas by saying that:

(مَا هَذَا إِلاَّ أَسَاطِيرُ الأََوَّلِينَ)

“This is nothing but the tales of the ancients!”

This verse gives us a picture of two completely different generations. One verse shows us a righteous generation, while the other verse gives us the image of a corrupt generation.

With this said, let us see which group our young generation falls under.

Notes:

[18] Sūrah al-Aḥqāf (46), Verse 15

[19] Sūratul Aḥqāf (46), Verse 15

[20] Sūratul Aḥqāf (46), Verse 16

[21] Ibid., Verse 17

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Ref: Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

What Must be Done?

That which is even more important than charting a program for the leadership of this generation is that we must strengthen the belief in our own minds that the issue of leadership and guidance of this generation is different in its methods and techniques throughout the various time periods, and differs according to the groups or people whom we are working with.

Thus, we must completely remove the thought from our heads that this new generation must be guided by following the methods used by the previous generations.

First of all, we must fully understand this young generation and comprehend what sorts of peculiarities and distinctions they possess. In relation to this generation, there are two modes of thought that are common, and usually, there are two ways that they can be dealt with.

From the point of view of some people, these youth are an insensitive and rude group of people who have been deluded and enraptured by their own lower desires. They are worshippers of the self and possess thousands of (other) deficiencies. These people (who think this of the younger generation) are constantly making faces at them and are always speaking bad of this new generation.

However, the youth see themselves as the complete opposite of this picture. The youth do not see themselves as having any deficiencies. They imagine themselves to be the effigy of intelligence, the effigy of sagacity, the effigy of higher qualities. The older generation thinks that this group have fallen into disbelief and that they are plunged in to sin, while the new generation think that the older generation are simple minded and ignorant.

The older generation tells the newer ones that they have lowered themselves to the worship of their own selves and have become disbelievers, while the new generation tells the older one that they do not know what they are talking about and that they do not understand them!

Generally speaking of course, it is possible that one generation may consider the previous generation as being righteous people but it is also possible that they may consider them as being misguided.



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Ref: Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

Become a Scholar For The Time in Which You Are Living In

There is a speech from Imām Jaʿfar ibne Muḥammad as-Ṣādiq (a.s.) which is a very lofty speech. This ḥādīth has been narrated in al-Kāfī[17]

in which the following sentence is mentioned in a (long) ḥādīth:

أَلْعٌالِمُ بِزَمٌانِهِ لاٌ تَهْجُمُ عَلَيْهِ اللَّوٌابِسُ

“The person who is fully aware of the time in which he is living, will never be overcome with bewilderment (of the things around him).”

This means that the person who knows, recognizes and understands the time in which he is living will never fall prey to confusion or perplexity about the things occurring around him.

The word “confused” used in this ḥādīth is commonly used in Fārsī in the meaning of a strong or forceful attack that is launched against another person. However in the ʿArabic language it is in the meaning of a person who is carrying something and all of a sudden, out of his own inability or unawareness, becomes negligent of his surroundings.

In this ḥādīth the Imām (a.s.) has told us that, “If a person is fully aware of his own surroundings, then he will never fall prey or victim to the confusion and bewilderment of those things around him, such that one time he looks and forgets even his own hands and feet and he is not able to make use of his own strength and energy nor is he able to gather together his thoughts to solve a problem.” This is truly a great saying.

There are many such important phrases in this same ḥādīth, although I have not memorized all of them, however another line states:

لاٌ يُفْلِحُ مَنْ لاٌ يَعْقِلُ وَ لاٌ يَعْقِلُ مَنْ لاٌ يَعْلَمُ

“That person who does not use his intellect will not be successful, and that person who does not have knowledge will not be able to use his intellect.”

The meaning of intellect (عقل) is the power or ability to deduce and rationalize something and to establish a relationship between two arguments – meaning to bring about the prerequisites for an issue and then come to a conclusion. The intellect takes its source of inspiration from knowledge and thus, intellect is the lamp whose oil which it runs upon is knowledge. The ḥādīth then goes on to say:

وَ سَوْفَ يَنْجُبُ مَنْ يَفْهَمُ

This means that whoever understands (something), then his outcome will be that he will possess a virtuous, honourable character since the outcome of a treasure or priceless good is through the work which it puts forth. By this it means that we should not be afraid of knowledge and we must not think of knowledge as being something that is dangerous.

However in reality, we are the complete opposite meaning and manifestation of this ḥādīth that states:

أَلْعٌالِمُ بِزَمٌانِهِ لاٌ تَهْجُمُ عَلَيْهِ اللَّوٌابِسُ

From the beginning to the end, from the top to the bottom, from the door (of the Masjid) to the Miḥrāb, all of us are unaware of the times in which we are living. We are simply sitting down, unaware of our surroundings, dozing off. One time we are accosted that, for example, this land must be divided up and that the land must be cleaned and tilled (to make use of it).

Unknowingly, it is as if this issue (in relation to the cleaning and tilling of the land) launches an offensive upon us since we are completely unaware of the time in which we are living. We do not have the foresight or speculation of what would happen in the future and have not planned anything to determine what our responsibilities will be or what we should be doing.

We in reality, do not know what is going on in this world and what is being done beyond the curtains. We have suddenly faced the issue of womens’ social rights. Here, we don’t have enough time to think over it and analyze all of its aspects in order to determine its importance. Are those who are defending the social rights of women really serious? Do they really want to attract more fans? Or is there another benefit that they intend to gain from arousing such questions? Along with these, there will come other doubtful and unknown matters that we do not know.

Some sixty to one hundred years ago among the other Islāmic countries, the issue of guiding and leading the youth had been brought up, but they have been busier in pondering and discussing this issue than we were.

Notes:

[17] Al-Kāfī, Volume 1, Pages 26 and 27

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Ref: Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

The Generation of the Youth or the Mind Set of the Youth?

I should state this point here that when we use the phrase the “generation of the youth,” our aim is not to specify the level or age of the youth. Rather, our aim is to speak to that level or group of people who, due to the effects of their own studies and acquaintance with the new civilizations, have developed a specific way of thought and intellect – whether these people happen to be old or young.

However most of these people are from the younger generation and it is because of this that we refer to it as the “generation of the youth,” whereas we see that there are also a great number of “older people” who possess this new way of thinking and there are also many “youth” whose thought pattern and beliefs resemble the older, past generations.

In any case, our intention is to speak in regards to that category of people who possess this specific mode of thinking – something which is increasing day by day. This is a mode of thinking which both the older and younger individuals are beginning to possess and in the future, if God forbid, the correct ways and methods to guide and lead this generation are not put into practice, then we will lose complete control of the future generations.

This issue is a very important issue in our country (Iran) – and even in other Islāmic countries where it is still an important issue – however these countries realized this issue earlier than we did and thus, they put forth this issue with great seriousness, while we still have not taken this matter to be very important.

Generally speaking - in our eyes – the younger generation is simply a generation of people who are infatuated with themselves and who merely worship their lower desires.

We think that when they speak to us, we can simply make faces at them, pass a few sarcastic jokes off of the Mimbar or that we can resort to cursing them (for their errors) and speak bad things to them. We think that we can talk to them and make them listen to that which we are saying, make them laugh at what we tell them and then everything will be alright.

We think that we can exclaim and cry out to them: “O’ you from such-and-such a (bad) school” and we think that this will solve all of our problems. These are all simply lullabies that we are saying and are only there to keep us in our sleep and prevent us from actually thinking about a way out and a better route to take. In an instant, we will wake up and realize that it is now too late to go back.

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Ref: Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari

www.ahlulbaytportal.com

The Best Students

From this point, we realize that there is another issue which we are able to understand which is that the best students of the philosophers are the same people who lived at their time and saw them - which is at variance with the best students of the Prophets and the intimate friends of Allāh (the Awliyā).

The best students of Plato, Aristotle or Abū ʿAlī Sīnā were those who were directly in their study circle. The person who best understand the thoughts of Abū ʿAlī were people such as Bahmanyār or Abū ʿAbīd Jawzjānī.

However, who were the best students of the Noble Prophet (s.w.a.), Amīrul Moʾminīn ʿAlī ibne Abī Ṭālib (a.s.) or Imām Jaʿfar ibne Muḥammad as-Ṣādiq (a.s.)? Are their best students only those people who lived at their time and who lived with them? No, this is not the case!

There is a point which the Noble Prophet (s.w.a.) himself had alluded to in one of his speeches. It is possible that those people who lived at the Prophet’s (s.w.a.) time did not correctly understand the true meaning of these words (with the exception of people such as Salmān (r.d.a.), Abū Dharr (r.d.a.) and Miqdād (r.d.a.), others may not have completely understood his words). The Prophet (s.w.a.) had said:

نَصَرَ اللٌّهُ عَبْدً سَمِعَ مَقٌالــَتِي فَوَعٌاهٌا وَ بَلَّغَهٌا مَنْ لَمْ يَبْلُغْهُ

“May Allāh assist that servant who hears my words, understands them and then conveys them to those who have not been informed of them.”[14]

In other narrations, this ḥādīth has been mentioned as:

نَصَّرَ اللٌّهُ عَبْدً سَمِعَ مَقٌالَتِي...

“May Allāh show kindness to that servant who hears my words...”

The Prophet (s.w.a.) then said:

رُبَّ حٌامِلٍ فِقْهٍ غَيْرَ فَقِيهٍ وَ رُبَّ حٌامِلٍ فِقْهٍ إِلـى مَنْ هُوَ أَفْقَهُ مِنْهُ

“How possible it is that sometimes a person possesses a deep understanding of the religion whereas he himself is not a Faqihī (one firmly grounded in the Islāmic sciences) and how possible it is that sometimes one would transfer his knowledge to another person but that other person is actually more knowledgeable than the one transferring the knowledge.”[15]

The lexical meaning of the word Fiqh (فقه) in the religion of Islām actually refers to the reality and the true wisdom of the dīn (religion) which must be achieved through deep study and thought and thus, the meaning in this ḥādīth is the truth and the words which people hear directly from the Imām (a.s.).

This ḥādīth tells us that there are many people who hear these words and hear the truth of the religion directly from the Imām (a.s.) and memorize it, but they are not people of understanding and analysis. There are also many people who take the words and truths of the religion and pass them on to other people, but the people whom they pass this knowledge on to are much more worthy and are much better at understanding and comprehending this knowledge.

For example, a person heard the words of the Prophet (s.w.a.) when he said:

لاٌ ضَرَرَ وَ لاٌ ضِرٌارَ

“Do not do anything that causes harm to yourself or to others.”

However the person who heard these words did not have the ability to understand how deep or profound this sentence was. Nonetheless, he memorized it and then passed it on to the next generation, and the next generation understood it better than he did – and this generation too passed it on to the next generation.

It is possible that this will continue on until the twentieth generation and they will understand it better than the first, second and third generation, as this twentieth generation will be better equipped to understand it.

The Qurʾān is the same. We cannot say that the people who were in the past understood the Qurʾān better (than others) - rather, it is the opposite of this. The miracle of the Qurʾān lies in the fact that the Qurʾān is always one step ahead of the commentaries which are written about it – meaning that in each and every time period in which the Qurʾān has been explained, when the knowledge and understanding of the people increases, they will go forth to re-interpret and re-understand the Qurʾān and they will see that the Qurʾān has far surpassed their commentary and is much more advanced than what they had written.

We do not need to go far in this discussion – simply look at the Science of Jurisprudence (ʿIlmul Usūl). Without doubt, the companions of the Noble Prophet (s.w.a.), the companions of Amīrul Moʾminīn ʿAlī ibne Abī Ṭālib (a.s.), the companions of Imām Jaʿfar ibne Muḥammad as-Ṣādiq (a.s.) and even companions such as Zurārah (r.d.a.) and Hishām ibn al-Ḥakam (r.d.a.) were people who had learnt the laws of Fiqh either directly from the Prophet (s.w.a.) or from one of the A’immah (a.s.), however they did not understand, analyze and examine the rules of jurisprudence as Muḥaqqiq al-Ḥillī (q.d.s.), ʿAllāmah al-Ḥilli (q.d.s.), Shaykh Murtaḍā (q.d.s.) and Shaykh Anṣārī (q.d.s.) did.

Therefore, as we mentioned - in the ways of the philosophers, which person is better at understanding the meanings of his teacher? It is that person who goes the furthest back (to his teacher). However in the school of the Prophets and the intimate friends of Allāh (s.w.t.), who would be better apt to understanding the meanings and words of these noble personalities? It is those people who come in the future and possess more knowledge and understanding and this is one of the miracles of prophethood.

In a ḥādīth which is found in the section on Tawḥīd, it is mentioned that since Allāh (s.w.t.) knew that in the end of time, people would come forth who would go deep in thought and delve deep in deliberation on a subject, He revealed Sūratul Ikhlāṣ and the first few verses of Sūratul Ḥadīd which include the greatest and most precise issues in relation to Tawḥīd.

By this we mean that the people at the time of the Prophet (s.w.a.) were not worthy of such verses. However in the future, such people would surely come who would be worthy of receiving these verses of the Qurʾān. These verses are what will provide spiritual nourishment to the people of the future time. Of course since these verses express the final utmost limits of elucidating on the concept of Tawḥīd, if a person was to rebel and go against these verses, he would definitely be destroyed. This is the miracle of prophethood and the miracle of the Qurʾān which is:

لاٌ تَنْقضى عَجٌائِبُهُ وَ لاٌ تَفْنـى غَرٌائِبُهُ

“It’s (the Qurʾān) points of amazement never cease to end and its amazement will never pass away.”[16]

All that we have stated up until this point was for this purpose that: when we wish to discuss the issue and speak about the guidance of the youth, we should not have someone stand up and say, “Sir! As if there is a difference between the guidance of the youth and the guidance of the older generation?! As if the Ṣalāt that the youth perform and the Ṣalāt that we the older people perform is different, such that their guidance should also be something different? Just as how in the past we did things, so too we should continue in that same way today.

In the past, the way we interacted with our elders and our mothers and fathers and just as we sat together in the Majlis (gathering) and related incidents about the trials and tribulations that faced the Ahlul Baīt E and the ways in which we recognized Allāh (s.w.t.) and received guidance - the youth of today too must close their eyes (to the realities) and must go to those same places that we went to and learn and be guided just as we were taught and guided!”

Notes:

[14] Al-Amālī of Shaykh al-Mufīd, Sitting 23, Page 186

[15] Furū` al-Kāfī, Volume 5, Page 293

[16] Nahjul Balāgha, Sermon 150

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Ref: Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

The ways of propagations

At a certain time and place, it may be through one thing that people receive guidance, however it is possible that in another time and place, that same thing may lead to misguidance and being led astray!

If the same logic that causes an old, illiterate woman to become a true believer is used by an intelligent, learned person, then it may actually cause him to being led astray. Furthermore, it is possible that a book that is in agreement with the thoughts of a particular time and which is in conjunction with the opinions of a specific era and at the level of their thinking, and which would lead to the guidance of the people (of that time), may actually be classified as a book of misguidance in another time period!

We have books that, in their own time period, fulfilled the requirements and responsibilities for when they were written and hundreds and thousands of people received guidance through such a book; however those same books – in our time period – would not guide anybody!

These books are deemed too simple and could lead to the misguidance and cause doubts and confusion in the minds of the people and thus, would be classified as books of misguidance - such a book whose buying and selling, printing and distributing would not be free of doubt!

It is amazing! A book that had led thousands – rather hundreds of thousands of people to the path of true guidance in the past may now be classified as a book of misguidance? Yes! With the exception of the Heavenly Book (the Noble Qurʾān) and the true words of the Maʿṣūmīn (a.s.), any other book we speak about has a particular message that is aimed at a specific and limited time period. When that era is over, the book is then of no use.

This issue that I have just spoken about is a very important, societal issue and even today is still regarded as an unknown, strange and unfamiliar issue that we must overcome, however this issue has never been discussed nor brought up. I do not anticipate that this issue will be made completely clear in this gathering of ours, however it must continuously be stated that we must accept that the ways to guidance are specific for their own time periods.

With this said, it is necessary that we now bring forth proofs from the Islāmic texts in relation to this topic so that may be known that what we discuss here is the view expressed in the Islāmic works.

I started out my discussion with a verse of the Qurʾān which states:


« أُدْعُ إِلـى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَ الْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُم بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ »

“Call others to the path of your Lord through wisdom and good exhortation and argue with them in the best possible manner.”[11]

According to the unanimous opinion of the commentators of the Qurʾān, this verse presents us with three different ways to invite people and offers us three distinct ways of guiding the people. Each of these three ways of guidance must be used in their own specific instances.

This verse tells us that we must call people to the way of our Lord. The word Lord (رب) is a special term meaning one who is responsible for upbringing and nurturing. Since this level of guidance is a level of invitation as well as upbringing and nurturing, the word used here is Lord (رب). Therefore, we are told to invite people to the path of our Lord – the path which people must be nurtured and trained upon – but through what means?

We must use wisdom (الحكمة). Wisdom is in the meaning of persuasive, firm speech which has neither marks of alteration in it, nor one in which doubts can occur. In the terminology of the people of logic and the philosophers, this is speech whose preamble is 100% based on pure certainty. By this we mean that the people must be called to the path of the Lord with proof, wisdom and knowledge that is 100% pure and which is completely unadulterated. The commentators of the Qurʾān have mentioned that inviting people through the use of logical, intellectual wisdom, proofs and evidence is limited to one particular group of people who have the ability to make use of this method.

The second method is through good exhortation (والموعظة الحسنة) meaning that we must call the people to their Lord through good words, advice and warnings which their heart and soul will be in agreement with.

There are some people who do not possess the ability to express their beliefs through the use of their intelligence and academic proofs, and if an intellectual issue is presented to them, they immediately become confused. Thus, the way to guide them is through good council and warnings. Such people must be guided through employing stories, narratives and wisdom-based anecdotes and anything that would bring ease and comfort to their hearts. The responsibility of exhortation and good council is to work on the heart of a person, whereas the job of intellectual and logical proofs deal with the brain and thinking ability of a person. A majority of the people are still at a level of basing issues which they believe in on their heart, soul and emotions and are not at a level of using their intellect and thoughts.

The third stage is that of arguing with the people in the best possible way (و جادلهم بالتي هي أحسن). Thus, if a person is put face to face with someone else whose purpose is not to arrive at the truth and whose goal is not to understand what the actual facts are - rather he has come and is ready to speak, argue and bring up points of contention - then the other one too must dispute with that person as he is quarreling with. However, we must argue with such a person in the best possible manner such that the argument does not stray from the path of the truth and reality. Therefore, we must not resort to unfairness or injustice in arguments, nor can we resort to lying or other similar things.

This verse gives us many different ways through which we can guide people and each way has been put in place for a particular instance in time. Thus, it is clear that the ways through which we can guide people are not all the same, nor are they equal!

Notes:

[11] Sūratul Nahl (16), Verse 125


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Ref: Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

Why do tragedies take place?

By: Ali Adam
When calamity strikes, after the initial shock there usually comes a time for contemplation and examination. During this time questions such as, “Why did this have to happen to me?” commonly arise. In addition, latent religious beliefs are brought to the fore in an attempt to cope with such calamities. These beliefs are then examined in order to attempt to explain that which has occurred. A coherent explanation is, however, often seen as remote, particularly as emotions are often charged and rationality tends to lose out at times of trial and tribulation. In taking a step back it is possible to identify the essence of the problem. The problem arises out of a broader issue and that is the attempt to reconcile the occurrence of pain and suffering with the seemingly contradictory assertion that there exists a just, good and wise God. For surely such a God would intervene and prevent such things from happening? Whilst many books has been written on this, in the short space of this article, I shall limit the discussion to misfortune (ibtila’).
As Muslims, we believe in the existence of Allah (SWT) and that He is Just: these are the first two fundamentals of the religion of Islam. This being the case, how do we reconcile the misfortune that befalls us with our view of the justice of Allah (SWT)? Since all acts emanating from Allah (SWT) are just and cannot be questioned: “He (Allah) will not be questioned about his actions and they (His servants) will be questioned.” , we must re-examine our view of the nature and reality of such misfortune.
The Absolute Dominion of Allah (SWT)
Allah (SWT) as Creator and Sustainer of everything has absolute dominion (mulk) over everything: “To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what is between them; He creates whatever he wishes.” Given this fact, Allah (SWT) has the absolute right to act howsoever He wishes with regard to His creation because: “Any action of Allah (SWT) in this world is considered to be an action towards something which is from Him and belongs to Him, and no-one has any right or priority in relation to Allah.”
The Justice of Allah (SWT)
Allah’s absolute dominion and right of action over His creation does not entail that He should act unjustly towards it. On the contrary: “Allah is Just and does not act unjustly to anyone and does not do anything which goes against wisdom. So every act of creation, every provision of sustenance, every giving or withholding occurs from Allah (SWT) for good reasons even if we do not know or understand these reasons.”
The Qur’an in many verses refutes the idea that Allah (SWT) is unjust to His servants: “Whoever acts righteously it is for his own self and whoever acts ill it is against his own self and your Lord is not unjust to His servants.”
Imam Ali (AS) when asked about justice said, “Justice is that you do not accuse Allah.” This means that one cannot accuse Allah (SWT) of lack of wisdom in His acts, commands and prohibitions. An inkling of the way Allah’s justice works can be glimpsed from the story of Moses and Khidr in the Qur’an and from the following hadith about Moses:
“It is said that the Prophet Moses asked Allah to show him something of His justice that on the face of it seemed problematic. Allah ordered him to go to a well in the desert and wait to see what would happen. While he was waiting, a horseman came to drink at the well and as he was doing so, his money bag fell out onto the ground without him knowing. Then a child came and took the bag and left. Then a blind man came to make the ritual ablution at the well. The horseman returned and accused the blind man of stealing and it ended up with the horseman killing the blind man. When the horseman left, Allah revealed to Moses that the horseman had once stolen some property belonging to the father of the child and Allah wanted to return the property to the rightful heir who was the child. As for the blind man, he was the murderer of the father of the horseman and as the heir, the horseman carried out the retribution.”
The Issue of Misfortunes
There is no doubt that things exist in the world which are harmful to humanity. When such things afflict a person they are perceived as misfortunes.
One approach, popular amongst philosophers, has been to deny the reality of such misfortunes; they are merely the absence of good events. In certain cases this appears to be the case. Poverty and ignorance are actually states in which something else is lacking. Poverty is the lack of wealth and ignorance is the lack of knowledge. One does not say of a poor man that he owns something called poverty and when he becomes rich, he has lost that thing. Rather, we would say that he lacks wealth and that when he becomes rich he has gained something. Hence, scholars have reiterated that such misfortunes are non-entities.
As for other types of misfortune such as floods, earthquakes, wild beasts and poisonous creatures, they are only relatively unfortunate or are regarded as such because they lead to the lack of something else such as loss of life, limb or property.
Often the first type of misfortune is the cause of the second. For example, ignorance of the rules of basic hygiene leads to the spread of disease and microbes which, in turn, lead to illness and loss of life. It is one of the duties of humanity to use his God-given intellect to ensure that the effects of these are minimised. In the case of ignorance, for example, this would be by providing a suitable education system and in the case of poverty by providing a just social and economic system. Even the effects of earthquakes can be minimized by buildings built using technology to withstand them. If a comparison is made between Japan and Turkey, both of which are subject to earthquakes, we see that Japan has put this technology into practice and has succeeded in minimizing deaths from earthquakes. Turkey on the other hand, although having laws about the standards of buildings to be built, suffered greatly in recent earthquakes because corruption had made people ignore these laws and cut corners when erecting buildings.
Misfortune as Divine Retribution
The Qur’an brings forth many examples of this type of calamity. When people have been warned continuously by Allah’s messengers for going against divine laws or committing crimes, eventually Allah (SWT) punishes them in this world by destroying them.
Misfortune as a Test
“And We shall surely try you with something of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits; and give glad tidings to the patient ones, those who say when calamity strikes them: To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.”
“He who created death and life to try you – which of you is best in deeds; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving.”
This world is the place of trial and testing. Just as gold is assayed and purified by fire to burn off all impurities, so the human nafs is tried in the fire of calamity and misfortune so that it may be purified, educated and reach its full potential and perfection. Imam Ali (AS) talks about this principle when he scolds one of his governors for attending the banquets of the rich people in Basrah. Imam Ali (AS) himself made do with two slices of bread as his ration, saying, “Perhaps in Yamamah or in the Hijaz there is a person who doesn’t have a hope of eating bread.” People were astounded by this, and said, “Ali ibn Abi Talib must eat more than this.” They could not understand how Imam Ali could be like this, given his strength in battle. In response, Imam Ali (AS) presented an example from nature to show that hardship brings about great benefits: “The tree of the desert is the hardest of wood, whereas the green well-watered trees of the orchards have the thinnest of skins. The plants of the desert make the best firewood, and are the slowest to burn out.”
Drowning in ease and luxury, far from difficulties, brings about weakness and the stagnation of the human spirit whereas, if the challenge is successfully met, difficulty spurs on the human spirit and hones it to act and progress towards perfection.
Misfortune as a Sign of Allah’s Love
When Allah (SWT) wishes to show kindness and love to one of His servants, He makes him susceptible to misfortune. In a hadith of Imam al-Sadiq (AS) it is stated that, “When Allah loves one of His servants He immerses him in calamity to the utmost.” This is to aid His servant on the road to perfection and also because Allah knows that when one of the believers is tested with calamity, he will turn even more towards Allah and abase himself in front of Allah begging for His mercy.
The lack of misfortune is a sign of being far from Allah’s kindness as in the following hadith: “Once the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was invited to the house of one of the Muslims. When he arrived, he noticed a hen laying an egg on one of the walls surrounding the house. The egg either did not fall or it fell but did not break. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) was astonished at this. The man whose house it was said, ‘Are you astonished, O Messenger of Allah, for I swear by Allah who has chosen you as a Prophet, I have never been struck by any affliction.’ The Messenger of Allah (SAW) rose at once and left the house saying, “He who does not see calamity is far from Allah’s grace.”
Note%%%
1 The Holy Qur’an: The Prophets (21):23.
2 The Holy Qur’an: The Table Spread (5):17.
3 Divine Justice; Murtada Mutahhari; al-Dar al-Islamiyyah; Beirut; p.57.
4 Islamic Questions; Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Shirazi; Dar al-‘Ulum; Beirut 1994; p.10.
5 The Holy Qur’an: Verses Explained (41): 46.
6 Exposition of Nahj al-Balaghah; Sayyid Muhammad Shirazi; vol.4. p. 481-2.
7 Islamic Questions; Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Shirazi; Dar al-‘Ulum; Beirut 1994; p.10.
8 The Holy Qur’an: The Heifer (2):155-156.
9 The Holy Qur’an: The Dominion (67): 2.
10 Nahj al-Balaghah: Letter 45.
11 Divine Justice; Murtada Mutahhari; al-Dar al-Islamiyyah; Beirut; p.194.
Reference: ImamReza.net