Sharh Ziarat Jamia Kabirah

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{ وَ حُجَجِ اللَّهِ عَلَى أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ الْأُولَى ِ وَ مَعَادِنِ حِكْمَةِ اللَّه }

"Peace be upon the Proofs of God unto the people of this world and the world to come, and the first, and the mines of God's Wisdom."

The Meaning of Hujjat and Hujjat al-Islam

Hujjat doth signify a proof, an argument, that which doth cut off excuse; for that which doth bar the path of evasion, against which man cannot bring forth a plea for transgression of the law, is a proof, an argument, a hujjat. That we bestow upon the venerable scholars the title Hujjat al-Islam doth stem from this very understanding. For those noble souls who are truly divinely inspired men of learning are, in verity, the proofs of Islam; that is to say, by virtue of the religious sciences they possess, and upon the foundation of their knowledge, having been purified from moral vices and adorned with virtues, and having become, in their very lives of piety, abstinence, and devoutness, exemplars for the people, they stand as evidence for the truth of the Islamic faith. And Islam may well hold them forth in the world as a testament and a reasoned argument, saying: "The proof that I am capable of delivering virtuous men is the like of such and such a scholar." Verily, they may be introduced and shown in the world, that if the school of this faith were not capable of nurturing virtuous men, such pure souls would not have emerged from it.

Their very being is a proof that Islam is a school that cultivates humanity and moulds souls. If indeed among the men of religious learning there be such individuals (and, God willing, there are) who, both in terms of knowledge and in respect of piety, abstinence, justice, and other virtues of the soul, have refined themselves, then these very souls are truly the proofs, the arguments, the hujjat for the truth of Islam. Albeit, we concern ourselves not with the titles and appellations that, in our time, have become commonplace as mere courtesy. Forsooth, many words and terms amongst us have lost their true and proper meaning.

The Hujjat al-Islam in the True Sense of the Word

The Hujjat al-Islam in the true and unalloyed sense of the word are the sacred being of the Imam Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him) and his immaculate progeny (peace be upon them). The Holy Qur'an itself doth introduce Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) as a witness and a proof unto the prophethood of the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny):

] وَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَسْتَ مُرْسَلاً قُلْ كَفَي بِاللهِ شَهِيداً بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتابِ [;[1]

"And those who disbelieve say, 'You are not a messenger.' Say, 'Sufficient is Allah as witness between me and you, and [He] who has knowledge of the Scripture.'"

The people who disbelieve say, "Thou art not a messenger." Say, "Sufficient as witness unto my apostleship are two things: Firstly, the sacred essence of God, Who doth manifest miracles at my hand; this very Book that hath flowed from my tongue, though I be an unlettered man, is the testimony of God unto my apostleship. And secondly:"

] ...مَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتابِ [;

"...[He] who has knowledge of the Scripture."

He in whose being all the truths of this Book have been realized. That is to say, Ali (peace be upon him), who was nurtured in my school and is the very embodiment of the contents of my Book, is the second witness unto my apostleship. For if I were not a messenger sent forth by God, if this Book that I have brought were not a heavenly scripture, the like of Ali (peace be upon him) would not have emerged from my bosom and from this Book into the world, in whose being all human virtues are manifest and evident in their highest degree. Therefore, is he not a sufficient witness that I am a prophet and a messenger sent forth by God?

The Two Eminent Miracles of the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny): The Qur'an and Ali (peace be upon him)

Thus, I possess two miracles: the one is the Qur'an, and the other is the fruit of the school of the Qur'an, that is, Ali (peace be upon him), who is the very embodiment of "...[He] who has knowledge of the Scripture," and with his entire being is the personification of the heavenly truths of the Qur'an. Wherefore, Ali (peace be upon him), in the true sense of the word, is the Hujjat al-Islam, the Hujjat al-Nubuwwah (Proof of Prophethood), the Hujjat al-Risalah (Proof of Messengership), and the Hujjat al-Qur'an (Proof of the Qur'an). In the first degree, Ali Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and the immaculate Imams (peace be upon them) are the Hujjat al-Islam, and in the second degree, those who partake of the remnants of their bountiful table and are nurtured in their school, from among the divinely inspired scholars, are the Hujjat al-Islam. Albeit, inasmuch as in their own utterances they have not referred to themselves as Hujjat al-Islam, we are not permitted to bestow this title upon those noble souls, but rather, as they themselves have stated, they are the Hujjat Allah (Proofs of God), and we, following their own instruction, say:

(السَّلامُ عَلَي حُجَجِ اللهِ عَلَي خَلْقِهِ);

"Peace be upon those who are the proof, the argument, and the evidence sent forth by God, and who cut off all excuse; that is to say, God hath willed to close the path of excuse unto His servants, lest any should say, 'I had no knowledge that there was a religion and a law in the world,' and 'Neither did I have a way to attain the religion and the law that I might act upon them.'" Verily, to close the path of this excuse, God, the Wise, hath bestowed His grace and raised up immaculate guides from His own Presence to convey the religion and the law of God unto the people; wherefore, we have no excuse before God for transgression of the faith. Can we say, "I knew not whether he who claimed prophethood or Imamate was truthful in his claim or not? Whether he was learned in the laws of God or not? Whether he erred not? Whether he was not overcome by the desires of his soul?" These are excuses that man might fabricate for himself, but to close the path of these excuses, God hath introduced the guides of the world unto the laws, immaculate from error, along with clear signs and miracles that bear witness to the truth of their words, as the promulgators of the faith; that is to say:

Both their knowledge is in accordance with reality, and their reason holds dominion over their desires. Neither the slightest inadvertence, error, nor mistake befalls their perceptions, nor doth the smallest subjugation before the desires of the soul overcome their reason. It is for this very reason that the prophets and the Imams (peace be upon them) are the proofs of God and the cutters-off of the excuses of the servants of God; that is to say, we can no longer bring forth any excuse for transgression of the faith, for we possess both reason, by which we discern benefits and harms, and we are endowed with will, choice, and freedom in the realm of action. Moreover, immaculate men, learned in the truths of God's laws, have been placed amongst us to convey the divine law and guide us to the straight path of felicity. Therefore, if it be said, "Why didst thou not obey?" what excuse can we offer? The Imams (peace be upon them), besides possessing the attribute of ismah (infallibility), that their reason is never overcome by the desires of their souls, also possess divinely bestowed knowledge; that is to say, their knowledge is not acquired through human endeavor, wherein the possibility of error and mistake might lie, but rather it is directly bestowed upon them by their Creator, and from the moment of their birth, nay, even while they were in the wombs of their mothers, they were encompassed by the special grace and bestowal of the Almighty Truth.

An example of this reality is found in the Qur'an concerning the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him), who, from the very first hour of his birth, opened his lips in speech and declared his prophethood and awareness of heavenly truths:

] قالَ إنِّي عَبْدُ اللهِ آتانِيَ الْكِتابَ وَ جَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا [;[2]

"He said, 'Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.'"

He said, "Verily, I am the servant of God, and my Creator hath given me the Book and made me a prophet." While a newborn child is utterly incapable of utterance, let alone the comprehension of heavenly truths and the declaration of prophethood.

Verily, our true belief, the belief of the Imamiyyah Shi'a, is that the Imams (peace be upon them), from the moment they are born of their mothers, possess, by the permission of God, comprehensive knowledge of the realities of the world, and are immaculate from any error and transgression, and are the proofs of God amongst mankind.

The Reason for the Occultation of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his noble advent)

At this present time, the proof of God upon the earth and amongst mankind is the Imam Hujjat ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi (may God Almighty hasten his noble advent), who is the proof and argument for the faith and the cutter-off of the excuses of God's servants, lest they should say, "If the immaculate heavenly proof were within our reach, we would have followed him." Verily, if God had not created that immaculate Imam (peace be upon him), the people would have had a proof against God, not God against the people; that is to say, they could have protested and said, "O God, Thou didst leave us without an immaculate leader, and we did not find the way." But God hath created the proof, and he is even now alive and ready, and his occultation is due to the lack of fitness in mankind to follow him.

] ...لِئَلاّ يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَي اللهِ حُجَّة ... [;[3]

"...so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers."

So that mankind should have no argument against God and should not bring forth the excuse of not having an immaculate leader, he is present and ready. Do you but show fitness and worthiness from yourselves, that he may appear amongst you, and when he comes, follow him and attain eternal felicity. But you possess no such readiness; the proof of this is that eleven Imams from his forefathers came amongst you, and you slew them. You split the head of Ali (peace be upon him) with a sword, you showered the poisoned body of Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) with arrows, and you trampled the dismembered body of Husayn (peace be upon him) beneath the hooves of horses. You enthroned the likes of rulers as Yazid and other tyrants. God says: You, the community of mankind, have given your test. You can no longer bring forth an excuse and complain to Me, saying, "Why didst Thou not create an immaculate leader for us?" I did create. "Why didst Thou not make him manifest amongst the people?" I did make him manifest. Not one, nor two, nor three. I manifested eleven immaculate Imams amongst you, but you either slew them with the sword, or poisoned them, or destroyed them in prison. This is the last of them; if he were to appear amongst you, you would slay him too, and if he were slain, the order of the world would be disrupted. Therefore, for the preservation of the order of the world, he must remain alive and hidden from you until the day when fitness is found in you. On that day, he will appear.

The sum of it is that both the Qur'an is present and manifest, and the executor of the Qur'an is alive and present. The deficiency lies in you, that you possess not the readiness to follow him. In the words of the late Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi (may his soul be sanctified):

(وُجُوُدُه لُطْفٌ وَتَصَرُّفُهُ لُطْفٌ آخَرٌوَعَدَمُهُ مِنّا);

"His existence is a grace from God, and his disposition in the world is another grace, and his absence is from us [it is we who do not show fitness from ourselves]."

The Shortcomings of the People of Kufa in Supporting Their Imam of the Age

A man said to Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) on the road to Karbala: "O Master, the hearts of the people of Kufa are with you, but their swords are also ready to descend upon you." The people of Kufa were Shi'a, lovers of the family of Ali (peace be upon him); but the wretched souls were not ready to defend the proof of their time, nay, with their own hands they dismembered their Imam; the very ones who, like us, would say "(Bi abi anta wa ummi)" [May my father and mother be sacrificed for you], and on the twelfth day of Muharram in Kufa, their men would beat their heads and chests, and their women would tear their hair; that is to say, they were lovers of the family of Ali (peace be upon him), but they were not ready to defend them. The state of the Imam of the Age (may God hasten his advent) is likewise at this time. The people are lovers of that noble being, and they weep in his separation and recite the supplication of Nudba and love poems; but if he were to come, they would treat him in the same way they treated his forefathers. He seeks 313 true devotees. If they are found, he will come; but 313 individuals, each of whom can move a nation and govern a country. The sum of it is:

(لِلّهِ الْحُجَّة الْبالِغة);

"To Allah belongs the conclusive argument."

By appointing the immaculate Imam, He has completed His proof unto mankind and closed the path of excuse before them. Neither in this world can they protest against God, nor in the world to come. Now, the immaculate proof has been amongst you for more than eleven hundred years; he inhales the very air you breathe, lives under the same sky as you, walks to and fro upon the same earth as you, and yet he sees no readiness in you to appear amongst you.

The Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are Proofs unto Us in This World and the Next

(اَلسَّلامُ عَلَي حُجَجِ اللهِ عَلَي اَهْلِ الدُّنْيا وَ الْآخِرَة وَ الْاُولَي);

"Peace be upon the Proofs of God unto the people of this world and the world to come, and the first."

That the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are proofs unto the people of this world is manifest, and explanations have been given concerning this. In the Hereafter also, their being proofs is known, and by the permission of God, they are the rulers of the Resurrection. There, "(Qasim al-Nar wa al-Jannah)" [the divider of Hell and Paradise] is Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him). The intercessor whose intercession is never rejected is the Great Truthful One, the delight of the Messenger's eye, the beloved of the Lord of the Worlds. That gate among the gates of Paradise which is opened more than other gates unto the people of the Resurrection, and is the most populous, is the Gate of al-Husayn.

(صَلَّي اللهُ عليك يا مولانا يا ابا عبدِالله الحسين);

"May God's blessings be upon you, O our Master, O Abu Abdillah al-Husayn."

But what is meant by their being proofs in "al-ula" [the first], as it has come in the words of the visitation:

(السَّلامُ عَلَي حُجَجِ اللهِ عَلَي اَهْلِ الدُّنْيا وَ الْآخِرَة وَ الْاُولَي);

Various meanings have been given for the word "al-ula"; some have conjectured that it refers to the time of the raj'ah [the return], in that it is the first period in relation to the world to come, and some have said that it refers to the past ages of the prophets (peace be upon them) and the former communities, over whom the Ahl al-Bayt of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon them) were proofs from Adam to the Seal; just as it has come concerning the Great Truthful One (peace be upon her):

(هِيَ الصِّدّيقَة الْكُبْرَي وَ عَلَي مَعْرِفَتِها دارَتِ الْقُروُنُ الْاُولَي);[4]

"She is the Great Truthful One, and upon the axis of her knowledge have revolved the first ages [of prophets and their communities]."

Another possibility is that "al-ula" refers to the World of Particles ('alam al-dharr), which was a world before this world, and it has been said that there, a confession of the Lordship of God, the prophethood of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his progeny), and the vicegerency of Ali al-Murtada (peace be upon him) was taken from the progeny of Adam, and we have no knowledge of its manner. And perhaps it is better to say: we know in general terms that in a rank preceding this world of nature, there exists a world or worlds, and we have no information about the details of those worlds, and we believe only that the guides, the Imams (peace be upon them), are proofs unto those worlds as well.

Seeing the Truth, the Prophets and the Saints hold no Discord

(مَعادِنِ حِكْمَة اللهِ);

"The Imams (peace be upon them) are the mines of God's Wisdom."

Ma'din, as hath been noted heretofore, doth signify the place of origin for things, from whence they do spring forth. Wisdom (hikmah) is the knowledge of the realities of things as they truly are, and this, in its very essence, is solely the attribute of the sacred Being of the Truth – may His Majesty be glorified and His Grandeur be magnified – for He alone is the Creator of all things, and He encompasses the realities of His creatures:

} ...وَ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ };[5]

"...and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

He is the inherently Wise, and those who, by His leave and will, possess immunity from error in their perception, and whose knowledge is a bestowal from the Absolutely Wise, they too are wise by His permission. Albeit, in common parlance, the philosopher is termed a hakim (wise man), and philosophers are called hukama (wise men); that is to say, those who, through the establishment of proof and rational argument, proceed to the validation of matters, yet are never immune from error and mistake in their attainment of truths. The witness to this is their disagreement amongst themselves; for despite the fact that they all engage with the tools of reason, proof, argument, syllogism, premise, and conclusion, they hold manifold differences in their philosophical outcomes. And this very divergence doth reveal that assuredly at least one of these thinkers hath strayed from the path of truth; for if all had attained the truth, no discord would remain amongst them, even as there was no discord amongst the prophets (peace be upon them), and never did one prophet deem another to be in error. Two immaculate Imams have never differed. This doth reveal that they all saw and do see the Truth, and all, in the light of God's permission, are adorned with the attribute of wisdom and are the mines of God's Wisdom. Others, such as Plato and Aristotle, Farabi and Avicenna, and the like, if they have been called wise, are wise in a conventional sense, not truly wise, having grasped the realities of things as they truly are.

Knowledge of Ignorance is Itself Knowledge

A saying is narrated from Plato, which is fair and just. He says:

(لَيْسَ لَنا مِنْ فَضيلَة الْعِلْمِ سِوَي الْعِلْمِ بِاَنّا لا نَعْلَمُ);

"We have no benefit from the excellence of knowledge save the knowledge that we do not know."

This is a wise saying, that the benefit of scholars from knowledge is precisely their knowledge of their own ignorance; the difference between them and other people is that the people do not understand and do not know that they do not understand, whereas the scholars do not understand and know that they do not understand. Knowledge of ignorance is itself knowledge. Simple ignorance is the foundation for ascent to the realm of knowledge, and compounded ignorance is the cause of falling into the valleys of perpetual wretchedness; for two ignorances are piled upon one another: firstly, that one does not understand, and secondly, that one does not understand that one does not understand, and imagines that one does understand; such a person never thinks of understanding and always remains in the realm of ignorance.

He who knows, and knows that he knows,

His swift steed will leap beyond the celestial sphere.

He who knows not, and knows that he knows not,

His limping donkey will reach its destination.

And he who knows not, and knows not that he knows not,

In compounded ignorance will he remain forevermore.

A man who is sick and understands that he is sick will go to this physician and that physician until finally he finds a way to his recovery; but a man who is afflicted with various ailments and has no awareness of his sickness, nay, even believes in his complete health, it is natural that he will never think of a physician and treatment and will always grapple with his illness. The Holy Qur'an states:

} قُلْ هَلْ نُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِاْلاَخْسَرِينَ أعْمالاً * الَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِي الْحَياة الدُّنْيا وَ هُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعاً { ;[6]

"Say, [O Muhammad], 'Shall we inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds? [They are] those whose effort in the life of this world has been lost, and they think that they are doing well in what they are doing.'"

These never think of finding the path and the guide, and their end shall be the dreadful valleys of eternal perdition.

The Enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt Confesses to the Scholarly Eminence of Ali (peace be upon him)

Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Thaqafi, who was a vile, wicked, bloodthirsty man and the governor of the Banu Marwan, is renowned for his bloodshed and crimes. Yet, on one occasion, he uttered a good and fair saying. When he wrote separate letters to four of the famous scholars of his time (Hasan Basri, Amr ibn Ubayd, Amir Sha'bi, and Wasil ibn Ata) and asked them to write to him the best saying they had heard concerning the issue of predestination and free will. Of course, we know that the question of predestination and free will, and compulsion and delegation, is among the most intricate and perplexing issues for religious scholars. Now, this man wrote to the famous scholars of his time: "Write to me what you have heard from the great men of religion concerning this matter." Those scholars, although they were not well-disposed towards the Holy Imams (peace be upon them), were humble before their scholarly eminence and understood that only they truly comprehended. Hasan Basri, in his reply to Hajjaj, wrote: "The best saying that has reached us concerning this matter is the saying of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), who stated in this regard:"

(لَوْكانَ الزُّورُ فِي الْاَصْلِ مَحْتوماً لَكانَ الْمُزَوَّرُ في الْقِصاصِ مَظْلوُماً);

"If the commission of sin were inherently inevitable by the decree of God, then the retaliation against the murderer would be a manifest injustice, for God [God forbid] would have compelled him to kill and then condemned him to retaliation."

Wasil ibn Ata also wrote: "The best saying that has reached us concerning this matter is the saying of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), who stated:"

(اَيَدُ لُّكَ عَلَي الطَّريقِ ثُمَّ يَاْخُذُ عَلَيْكَ الْمَضيق);

"Do you believe that God, the All-Knowing and Just, would lead you into the narrow straits of sin and then punish you for having entered these straits?"

Amir Sha'bi also wrote: "The best saying that has reached us concerning this matter is the saying of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), who stated:"

(كُلُّ مَا اسْتَغْفَرْتَ اللهَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ مِنْكَ وَ كُلُّ ما حَمِدْتَ اللهَ عَلَيْهِ فَهُوَ مِنْهُ);

"Whatever you seek forgiveness from God for [having committed], it is clear that you consider yourself the doer of it [and you seek forgiveness], and whatever you praise God for [having been successful in performing], it becomes clear that you consider it to be from God."

Success in worship and the performance of good deeds is from God, but deviation from the path of truth and the commission of evil deeds is due to your own ill-choice. When these four writings from those four scholars reached Hajjaj, he looked at the depth and breadth of those luminous sentences and said: "These answers have been taken from the pure spring of knowledge." The enemy himself confessed that Ali (peace be upon him) is the pure spring of knowledge. Verily:

(مَعادِنِ حِكْمَة اللهِ);

"The mines of God's Wisdom."

The Instructive Meeting of Qatadah al-Basri with Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him)

It is narrated from Abu Hamza al-Thumali: "I was sitting in the mosque of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny) in Medina. A man arrived, greeted me, and said: 'Who are you, O servant of God?' I said: 'I am a man from the people of Kufa.' 'What is your need?' he asked. He said: 'Do you know Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir?' I said: 'Yes. What business do you have with him?' He said: 'I have prepared forty questions to ask him. If his answers are true, I will accept them, and if they are false, I will abandon them.' I said: 'Do you distinguish between truth and falsehood?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'One who himself distinguishes between truth and falsehood, what need does he have to ask another?' He said: 'You Iraqis are very impatient and talkative. What is it to you? Where is Abu Ja'far? Guide me to him.' At that very moment, Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) entered the mosque with a group of his companions and sat down in a corner of the mosque. I said: 'Master, there he is.' That man rose, went, and sat in the presence of the Imam. I also went forward and sat where I could hear the conversation. The group that was present departed after some questions and answers, and the gathering became private. The Imam turned to the newcomer and said: 'Who are you?' He said: 'I am Qatadah al-Basri.' The Imam said: 'Are you that famous jurist and scholar of Basra?' He said: 'The people say so.' The Imam said: 'I have heard that you interpret the Qur'an.' He said: 'Yes, Master, it is so.' The Imam then described some of the attributes of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), who are the true interpreters of the Holy Qur'an. After a long silence, Qatadah began to speak and said: 'Master, I have seen many jurists and scholars. I have been in the presence of a great man like Ibn Abbas, but nowhere have I seen in myself the agitation that I feel today in your presence. It is as if I have lost myself today; the matters that I intended to speak of have escaped my memory.' The Imam said:"

(اَتَدْري اَيْنَ اَنْتَ )

"'Do you know where you are sitting?'"

It has been repeatedly stated in the past that sometimes the Imams (peace be upon them) introduce themselves with attributes of perfection for the purpose of announcing to the people: "The water of your life is with us. Let the thirsty come towards us and take the water of their life from us so that they may not go astray; otherwise, there is no matter of self-purification or self-praise involved." Anyway, the Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Do you know where you are sitting?" and continued:

} فِي بُيُوتٍ أذِنَ اللهُ أنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ ... }[7]

"'In houses which Allah has permitted to be raised and in which His name is remembered...'"

Qatadah said:

(صَدَقْتَ وَ اللهِ جَعَلَنِي اللهُ فِداكَ وَ اللهِ ما هِيَ بُيُوتُ حِجارَة وَ لا طِين);

"'You have spoken the truth, by God, may God make me your ransom. By God, these are not houses of stone and clay.'"

Then the Imam said: "I will ask you about a verse; let me see what you understand from this verse to tell the people." In Surah Saba', it is stated:

} وَ جَعَلْنا بَيْنَهُمْ وَ بَيْنَ الْقُرَي الَّتِي بارَكْنا فِيها قُرَيً ظاهِرَة وَ قَدَّرْنا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ سِيرُوا فِيها لَيالِيَ وَ أيَّاماً آمِنِينَ { ;[8]

"And We placed between them and the cities which We had blessed [other] prominent cities, and We determined therein the stages [of travel], [saying], 'Travel therein safely by night and day.'"

"And We placed between them and the towns which We had blessed, towns apparent, and We determined therein the journeying: 'Journey therein safely by nights and days.'"

This verse shows that there are habitations, and between them are other habitations in which people can travel safely and see no danger. Where are those towns and habitations that God has given security to, so that people can travel in them with complete safety and have no fear or danger? Qatadah thought and said: "It is Mecca." The Imam said: "Have the people on the way to Mecca had no fear or danger? Have thieves not plundered the pilgrims? Have people not been killed? Has there not been bloodshed in Mecca itself?" He said: "Yes, there has been much." The Imam said: "Then how does the noble verse announce security, that you should travel in those towns day and night with complete safety and not worry about any danger, while the people of Mecca are not safe? Thieves, highwaymen, and murderers have been abundant in Mecca, and armies have been raised, and blood has been shed." Qatadah remained perplexed and gave no answer. The Qur'an states:

} ...فَسْئَلُوا أهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إنْ كُنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ };[9]

"...So ask the people of the message if you do not know."

"...So ask the people of remembrance if you do not know."

The informed ones concerning the heavenly truths of the Qur'an are only the Ahl al-Bayt of prophethood (peace be upon them). The Qur'an is the Remembrance (dhikr), and they are the People of the Remembrance (ahl al-dhikr).

} إنَّهُ لَقُرْآنٌ كَرِيمٌ * فِي كِتابٍ مَكْنُونٍ * لا يَمَسُّهُ إلاَّ الْمُطَهَّرُونَ { ;[10]

"Indeed, it is a noble Qur'an. In a protected register; none touch it except the purified."

"Verily, it is a noble Qur'an, in a guarded book; none shall touch it save the purified."

And thus, Imam Baqir al-Ulum (peace be upon him) said: "The meaning of the blessed towns and the apparent towns is not what you have understood; rather, the blessed towns refer to us, the family of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny), whose statements concerning the laws of God are never tainted by inadvertence or error, and the apparent towns are our Shi'a jurists who narrate the laws from us, and people can travel in our path with complete safety and take the divine laws from our house without any mistake." [11]

And peace be upon you, and the mercy of God and His blessings.

 * Ihtijaj: To bring forth a proof and an argument.

[1] - Surah al-Ra'd, verse 43.

 * Sajaya: Plural of sajiyyah, dispositions, character traits.

 * Bayyinat: Plural of bayyinah, meaning clear proof.

 * Ifazah: To bestow, to grant grace.

[2] - Surah Maryam, verse 30.

[3] - Surah al-Nisa', verse 165.

[4] - Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 105.

[5] - Surah Ibrahim, verse 4.

 * Jahl-i Basit: Simple ignorance, the lack of knowledge in one who understands that he does not know.

 * Jahl-i Murakkab: Compounded ignorance, the lack of knowledge in one who does not understand that he does not know.

[6] - Surah al-Kahf, verses 103 and 104.

[7] - Surah al-Nur, verse 36.

[8] - Surah Saba', verse 18.

[9] - Surah al-Nahl, verse 43.

[10] - Surah al-Waqi'ah, verses 77 to 79.

 * Maknun: Hidden, guarded.

[11] - Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 49, p. 349, hadith 2 and p. 357, hadith 11; Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, vol. 4, p. 330, hadith 49.

 10

{ وَ حَفَظَةِ سِرِّ اللَّهِ وَ حَمَلَةِ كِتَابِ اللَّه }

"And the guardians of God's secret, and the bearers of God's Book."

The Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are the Bearers of the Scientific and Practical Truths and Ordinances of the Qur'an

The Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are the bearers of the Qur'an; that is to say, they are both the bearers of the knowledge of the heavenly truths of the Qur'an, and the bearers of the practice of its ordinances. It is possible for one to bear knowledge, yet not bear the practice; that is, to be a scholar devoid of action. In the Surah al-Jumu'ah we read:

{ مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوْراة ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوها كَمَثَلِ الْحِمارِ يَحْمِلُ أسْفاراً... };[1]

"The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not carry it is like that of a donkey which carries loaded books..."

"The likeness of those who were charged with the Torah, then observed it not, is as the likeness of the ass carrying books..."

In this verse, the bearing is both affirmed and negated.

{ ...حُمِّلُوا التَّوْراة ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوها... } ;

"...they were entrusted with the Torah, then did not carry it..." ; that is, in that they were knowledgeable, they were bearers, and in that they were not practitioners, they were not bearers. They possessed the bearing of knowledge, but not the bearing of practice.

But the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are both the bearers of the scientific knowledge of the Qur'an and the bearers of its practical application. In this understanding, it is upon the premise that what is meant by the Book of God is the Qur'an, as is also the apparent meaning. And if we can include, in addition to the Qur'an which is the book of legislation, the book of creation as well (which is the entirety of the created world), within this meaning, it is still correct to say that the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophetic Mission (peace be upon them) possess both the knowledge of the truths and secrets of the world of existence and are the witnesses of creation, and also, in practice, the management and governance of the world of possibility, by the permission of God, is placed upon their shoulders, and they are the managers and governors of the created world. They are both the bearers of the knowledge of the Book of God, and the bearers of the practice, management, and organization of the Book of God. And if what is meant by the Book of God is solely the Qur'an, still, what is intended by the Qur'an is not merely this level of it which is in our hands, composed of letters and written forms upon pages and tablets, and which, in its own right, possesses sanctity and respect, and with which one cannot come into contact without purification.

The Four Degrees of the Noble Qur'an

Verily, the written Qur'an, with all this respect and sanctity, is situated at a level far lower than the reality of the Qur'an. The higher degrees of this truth cannot be contained within the mould of letters, forms, and words, but rather, as it itself states:

{ إنَّهُ لَقُرْآنٌ كَرِيمٌ * فِي كِتابٍ مَكْنُونٍ * لا يَمَسُّهُ إلاَّ الْمُطَهَّرُونَ };[2]

"Indeed, it is a noble Qur'an, in a protected register; none touch it except the purified."

"Verily, it is a noble Qur'an, in a guarded book; none shall touch it save the purified."

It possesses a supreme beauty that will dazzle the eyes of the prophets and messengers on the Day of Resurrection. It is the grace of God upon the worlds that He has brought down that supreme beauty and given it to us in this world in the form of these lines and forms upon the pages of paper. In a hadith narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) it is stated:

(كِتابُ اللهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ عَلَي اَرْبَعَة اَشْياءٍ عَلَي الْعِبارَة وَ الْاِشارَة وَ اللَّطائِفِ وَ الْحَقايِقِ);

"The Book of God, Exalted and Mighty, is upon four things: expression, allusion, subtleties, and realities."

(وَ الْعِبارَة لِلْعَوامِِّ وَ الاِشارَة لِلْخَواصِّ وَ اللَّطائِفُ لِلْاَولِياءِ وَ الْحَقايِقُ لِلاَنْبِياءِ);[3]

"Its expression is for the common people [who can come into contact with the words, lines, and forms of the Qur'an, pronounce its words, memorize them, and see and recite its forms upon pages]; its allusions [which pertain to intellectual truths] are for the elite [of thinkers]; its higher matters, the [understanding of which] requires a special spiritual subtlety, are for the saints; and its realities [which are the deeper level] are for the prophets (peace be upon them)."

In addition to these four degrees, it has also been stated:

(لَهُ تُخُومٌ وَ عَلَي تُخُومِهِ تُخومٌ لا تُحْصَي عَجائِبُهُ وَ لاتُبْلَي غَرائِبُهُ);[4]

"It has boundaries, and upon its boundaries are boundaries; neither are its wonders numbered, nor do its marvels become old."

In the noble Sahifah Sajjadiyyah, this sentence appears:

( اللَّهُمَّ إنَّكَ أنْزَلْتَهُ عَلَي نَبِيِّكَ مُحَمَّدٍ... مُجْمَلًا );

"O God, verily Thou didst send it down upon Thy Prophet Muhammad... in a concise form [like a closed chest whose key is not in everyone's hand]."

( وَ أَلْهَمْتَهُ عِلْمَ عَجَائِبِهِ مُكَمَّلًا );

"And Thou didst inspire him with the knowledge of its wonders and marvels in a complete manner [and in the first rank, Thy noble Messenger is knowledgeable of the wonders of this Book]."

( وَ وَرَّثْتَنا عِلْمَهُ مُفَسَّراً );

"And [after him] Thou didst make us [the Ahl al-Bayt] the inheritors of his knowledge [and entrusted us with its explanation and interpretation]."

( وَ فَضَّلْتَنَا عَلَي مَنْ جَهِلَ عِلْمَهُ );

"And Thou didst prefer us over those who are ignorant of its interpretation."

( وَ قَوَّيْتَنا عَلَيْهِ لِتَرْفَعَنا فَوْقَ مَنْ لَمْ يُطِقْ حَمْلَهُ );[5]

"And Thou didst grant us the strength of awareness of it, that Thou mightest exalt us above those who were unable to bear it."

Who are the Bearers of the Qur'an?

Of course, we know that all Muslims affirm the truthfulness of the Qur'an; the seventy-three Islamic sects that are the principal divisions, and each sect has its own branches. All Islamic sects believe in the Qur'an and consider it a heavenly book and a book of divine law. But the point is about the bearers of this Qur'an. The disagreement lies in who are the bearers of the Qur'an. A vast multitude of the Islamic community, many times greater than us, have erred in identifying the bearers of the Qur'an and have not known who the bearers of the secrets of this Book are; they have not understood who can open this closed chest and deliver the ordinances of God, which are the contents of this heavenly chest, to the people. The disagreement is precisely here. They have gone to others and have lost the door of the house of Ali and the progeny of Ali (peace be upon them). They have uttered words and deprived the wretched of the heavenly truths of the Qur'an. But we say: the Qur'an is the book of our divine law, and its bearers are those whom its sender and bringer have specified and designated, and not everyone can say, "I know the Qur'an and I know the ordinances that are in it," unless he has taken it from the Ahl al-Bayt of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny). There is no doubt that the Qur'an contains ambiguities and generalities; but who can resolve these ambiguities and generalities is a matter of dispute.

 For example, the opening letters of some Surahs; we have twenty-nine Surahs that begin with disconnected letters [Alif Lam Mim - Alif Lam Ra - Kaf Ha Ya 'Ain Sad - Ha Mim 'Ain Sin Qaf...]; who can truly say what is meant by these letters? It is impossible for anyone to understand from his own reasoning what God intends by these disconnected letters. There is no way other than to ask the bringer of the Qur'an himself or those whom he has introduced as the interpreters and explainers of the Qur'an. We say that from where do you say, for example, that [Kaf Ha Ya 'Ain Sad] means such and such? Has revelation descended upon you? Or has the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny) introduced you as his successors and the interpreters and explainers of the Qur'an?

The Knower of the Truths of the Qur'an are Only the Ahl al-Bayt of the Noble Messenger (peace be upon them).

But we say with proof that the only one who is knowledgeable of the truths of the Qur'an is its sender and revealer, and after him:

(مَنْ خُوطِبَ بِهِ);

"He who was addressed by its addresses."

{ يا أيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إنَّا أرْسَلْناكَ شاهِداً وَ مُبَشِّراً وَ نَذِيراً * وَ داعِياً إلَي اللهِ بِإذْنِهِ ... };[6]

"O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And one who invites to Allah, by His permission..."

{ ...وَ أنْزَلْنا إلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ ... };[7]

"...And We have revealed to you the message [the Qur'an] that you may make clear to the people..."

And after him, those whom the same Messenger has introduced as the equals of the Qur'an and his successors, and has said:

(اِنّي تارِكٌ فيكُمُ الثَّقَلَيْنِ كِتابَ اللهِ وَ عِتْرَتي اَهْلَ بَيْتِي ما اِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُم بِهِما لَنْ تَضِلُّوا اَبَداً وَ اِنَّهُما لَنْ يَفْتَرِقا حَتّي يَرِدا عَلَيَّ الْحَوْضَ);

"Verily, I am leaving behind among you two weighty things: the Book of God and my progeny, my Ahl al-Bayt. If you hold fast to them, you will never go astray, and indeed, they will never separate until they return to me at the Pond [of Kawthar]."

And this noble hadith is among the certainties between both groups, Shia and Sunni, and it shows that the Ahl al-Bayt of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny) must always be alongside the Qur'an so that its truths may be explained to the Ummah through them; no one other than them can do this. How many verses are there whose beginning relates to one matter, whose middle relates to another matter, and whose end has a matter separate from the first two? The discernment and explanation of these matters require divine, unseen inspirations, and that is exclusive to the inhabitants of the House of Revelation and Prophethood; for it is obvious that:

(اَهْلُ الْبَيْتِ اَدْرِي بِما فِي الْبَيْتِ);

"The people of the house know best what is in the house."

Otherwise, one who enters unannounced, what does he know of the gems hidden in the corners of the house?

The Imam's Interpretation (peace be upon him) Regarding the Disconnected Letters

In the words of some of the people of gnosis, I saw that a man asked the Imam about the interpretation of [Kaf Ha Ya 'Ain Sad]; the Imam said:

(لَوْ فَسَّرْتُ لَكَ لَمَشَيْتَ عَلَي الْماءِ);

"If I were to explain these five letters to you, you would be able [by its blessing] to walk upon water."

That is, there is a secret in it, and awareness of it has this effect. The Qur'an itself also says:

{ وَ إذا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ جَعَلْنا بَيْنَكَ وَ بَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَة حِجاباً مَسْتُوراً };[8]

"And when you recite the Qur'an, We place between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter a concealed partition."

"And when thou recitest the Koran, We place between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter a hidden barrier."

But what it is, we do not know. This address is to the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny), that when you recite the Qur'an, We place a veil between you and the people, and they do not see you and cannot harm you. Although their eyes are open and the space is bright, and there is no apparent veil in between, you become concealed from them. But we do not know which part of the verses has this effect. This mystery and secret of the verses of the Qur'an is in the hands of the Imam of the Age (may God hasten his advent). That noble being, despite being among the people, is not seen by them. One of the ways in which the Imam (peace be upon him) keeps himself hidden from the sight of others and protected from the evil of enemies is this very way.

It is mentioned in the accounts of the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny) that when he was sitting in the Masjid al-Haram with a group of people, the wife of Abu Lahab, who, like her husband, was among the spiteful enemies of the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny), appeared from afar, holding a piece of wood or something else in her hand, intending to harm the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny).

One of those who were present said: "O Messenger of God, this shameless woman is coming from afar; it would be good if you were to rise from here and go somewhere else." He said: "She will not see me." The woman came and stood before the same gathering and said: "Where is Muhammad?" Despite the fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) was sitting there, she did not see him. [9]

{ وَ إذا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ جَعَلْنا بَيْنَكَ وَ بَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَة حِجاباً مَسْتُوراً };[10]

Wonders of the Noble Qur'an

And likewise, we have this verse:

{ وَ لَوْ أنَّ قُرْآناً سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ الْجِبالُ أوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ اْلاَرْضُ أوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ الْمَوْتَي ... };[11]

"And if [only] a Qur'an could cause the mountains to move or the earth to be broken apart or [could cause] the dead to speak..."

"And if it had been a Koran whereby the mountains were moved, or the earth cloven asunder, or the dead made to speak..."

If ther0e were to be a word by which the mountains could be moved, or the earth could be broken into pieces [or its entire expanse traversed in a moment], or the dead could be spoken to, that word would be this Qur'an... But which part of the Qur'an and under what conditions, we do not know. It is narrated from Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Kazim (peace be upon him) that:

(قَد وَرَثْنا هذَا الْقُرآنَ الَّذِي فيهِ ما تُسَيَّرُ بِهِ الْجِبالُ وَ تُقَطَّعُ بِهِ الْبُلْدانُ وَ يُحْيَي بِهِ الْمَوْتَي);[12]

"We have inherited this Qur'an in which are verses by which the mountains can be moved, and the lands traversed, and the dead brought to life."

Verily, those who are the bearers of the secrets of the Qur'an are aware of these verses.

Sa'di has a tale in the Bustan, and he says:

I was in company with a man of heart; we reached the seashore. I had money, and the boatman took me aboard; but since that man of heart and man of God had no money, they did not take him. I wept at his separation. When he saw my weeping, he laughed and said: "Be not affected; He who takes you by ship can take me without a ship as well."

Grieve not for me, O wise of mind,

He who takes the ship will bring me too.

Then I saw him spread his prayer rug upon the water, and there he engaged in supplication and intimate discourse with God. Throughout the night I was on the ship, and he was upon the water; when morning came:

From our bewilderment, our eyes slept not that night,

At dawn he looked at me and said:

You came limping by wood, I by foot,

The ship brought you, and God brought us.

Now, we do not know whether this tale is a reality or a product of Sa'di's imagination, which he has brought forth with such clarity and certainty in the Bustan; 

But what is certain is that the highest degree of such perfections is accounted as a common matter at the sacred threshold of the Household of the Prophetic Mission, and perchance a portion of those secrets doth also reach the humble beneficiaries of the bounteous table of those noble ones.

This Asif ibn Barkhiya was the vizier of the venerable Sulaiman (peace be upon him), whose extraordinary power the Qur'an doth explicitly reveal, that in the twinkling of an eye he transported the throne of the Queen of Sheba from one country to another; whereas concerning him it is stated:

{ ...عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتابِ };[13]

"...with whom was part of the knowledge of the Scripture."

He possessed a trifle of the knowledge of the Book, and the proportion of his knowledge to the knowledge of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) concerning whom the verse:

{ ...عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتابِ };[14]

"...with whom is knowledge of the Scripture,"

was revealed (Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him) is as a drop to the ocean; for he possessed the knowledge of the entire Book.

The Sacred Being of the Imam of the Age (may God hasten his noble advent) is Aware of the Truths of the Qur'an

He who possessed a single drop performed that extraordinary feat; now, what deeds can he who possesses the entire ocean accomplish? He is the sacred being of the Imam of every age, and he is among the bearers of the Book of God, and thus Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) stated:

(لَيْسَ شَيْءٌ اَبْعَدُ مِنْ عُقُولِ الرِّجالِ مِنْ تَفْسيرِ الْقُرْآنِ);

"Nothing is further removed from the intellects of men than the interpretation of the Qur'an."

(اِنَّ آيَة تَنْزِلُ اَوَّلُها في شَيْءٍ اَوْسَطُها في شَيْءٍ آخِرُها في شَيْءٍ);

"Verily, a verse is revealed whose beginning pertains to one thing, its middle to another, and its end to yet another."

It is possible that the beginning, middle, and end of a single verse pertain to several separate matters. But who is it that can draw forth those diverse matters from within that verse? Finally, it is stated in a hadith:

(اِنَّما...تَطْهيراً مِنْ ميلادِ الْجاهِلِيَّة);[15]

"...only those who are purified from the birth of ignorance can be aware of the subtleties of the truths of the Qur'an, and who are born of the mother of knowledge, and who have not been and are not defiled by the filth of ignorance at any stage of their creation." In the Visitation of the Heir, we read:

(وَ لَمْ تُنَجِّسْكَ الْجاهِلِيَّة بِاَنْجاسِها);

"And ignorance never defiled thee with its impurities."

From the moment of their birth and even before, they were aware of the truths, and it is not the case that they were first born ignorant and then acquired knowledge. It is we who are born of an ignorant mother, and then we go begging from this teacher and that teacher, from this scholar and that scholar, from this book and that book, to obtain a trifle of knowledge; and that too mixed with thousands of errors and mistakes (to such a point has my knowledge reached, that I know indeed that I am ignorant).

A jurist's Ignorance of the Inner Meanings and Secrets of the Qur'an

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to the jurist:

(اَنْتَ فَقيهُ اَهْلِ الْعِراقِ);

"Are you the jurist of the people of Iraq [who issues fatwas to the people concerning the ordinances of God]?"

He said: "Yes." The Imam (peace be upon him) said:

(فَبِمِ تُفْتِيهِم);

"Upon what basis do you issue fatwas to them?" He said:

(بِكِتابِ اللهِ وَ سُنَّة نَبِيِّهِ);

"Upon the basis of the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny)." The Imam (peace be upon him) said:

(يا ... تَعْرِفُ كِتابَ اللهِ حَقَّ مَعْرِفَتِهِ وَتَعْرِفُ النّاسِخَ وَ الْمَنْسوُخَ);

"O ..., do you know the Book of God as it should be known? Do you know its abrogating and abrogated verses?"

Again he said: "Yes." The Imam (peace be upon him) said:

(يا ... اِدَّعَيْتَ عِلْماً);

"O ..., you have claimed a great knowledge."

(وَيْلَكَ ماجَعَلَ اللهُ ذلِكَ اِلّا عِنْدَ اَهْلِ الْكِتابِ الَّذِينَ اُنْزِلَ اِلَيْهِمْ وَيْلَكَ وَ لا هُوَ اِلاّ عِندَ الخاصِّ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّة نَبِيِّنا);

"Woe unto you! God has not placed the knowledge of the truths of His Book except with its people, those to whom it was revealed, and woe unto you! And it is not except with the select from the progeny of our Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny)."

(وَ ما وَرَّثَكَ اللهُ مِنْ كتِابِهِ حَرْفاً);[16]

"And God has not bequeathed to you a single letter of His Book."

Of course, the meaning is that you do not even know the meaning of a single letter of the Qur'an; otherwise, we too know the letters of the Qur'an. We recite every day and night in our prayers:

{ إيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَ إيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ * إهْدِنَا الصِّراطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ *‌صِراطَ الَّذِينَ أنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لاَ الضَّالِّينَ };

"Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek. Show us the straight way, the way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose [portion] is not wrath, and who go not astray."

This much the jurist also knows. He was claimed as the Imam, who knows not only the words of the Qur'an but also its meanings, such as:

]إيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَ إيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ[;

"Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek."

He and all of us know that:

{ وَيْلٌ لِلْمُطَفِّفِينَ * الَّذِينَ إذَا اكْتالُوا عَلَي النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ * وَ إذا كالُوهُمْ أوْ وَزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ‌ };[17]

"Woe to those who give less [than due]! Those who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. But when they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss."

The words and meanings of these verses are known to the jurist and others as well; but what he and his like do not know are the inner meanings and secrets that no one can fathom except the Family of Infallibility (peace be upon them), whose hearts are the landing place of revelation and divine inspirations.

The Interpretation of Imam Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that:

One moonlit night I was in the service of Imam Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) outside the city of Kufa. He said to me: "What is the interpretation of the (Alif) which is the first letter of the words ]الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ رَبِّ الْعالَمِينَ[ (All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds)?" This Abbas, who was among the distinguished students of Imam Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) in interpretation and was among the renowned scholars, says: "I remained silent in response to the Imam (peace be upon him), for I had nothing to say." The Imam himself began the interpretation and spoke for an hour concerning the interpretation of the letter (Alif), and then proceeded to the interpretation of the other four letters of the word ]الحمد‌[ (Al-Hamd), and he had not yet finished the interpretation of the letter (Dal) when (بَرِقَ عَمُودُ الصُّبْحِ) the pillar of dawn shone forth, and he said to me:

(قُمْ يا اَبا عَبّاسِ اِلَي مَنْزِلِكَ وَ تَأَهَّبْ لِفَرْضِكَ);[18]

"Arise, O Abu Abbas, and go to your dwelling and prepare for your obligatory prayer."

That is, from the beginning of the night until dawn he had been engaged in the interpretation of the five letters of the word ]الحمد‌[ (Al-Hamd) and had still not reached its end. He stated:

(لَوْشِئْتُ لَاَوْقَرْتُ سَبْعِينَ بَعِيراً مِنْ تَفْسيرِ فاتِحَة الْكِتابِ);[19]

"If I wished, I could load seventy camels with the interpretation of the Surah al-Fatiha."

Of course, the number seventy here is for the purpose of indicating abundance, and the specific number is not intended, such that seventy-one or eighty would also be possible. It has been stated:

(وَ اللهِ لَقَدْ تَجَلَّي اللهُ لِخَلْقِهِ في كَلامِهِ وَلكِنْ لا يُبْصِرون);[20]

"By God, verily God has manifested Himself to His creation in His Word, but they do not see."

God, who is an infinite being, necessarily His manifestation will also be infinite, and none but He and His saints (to the extent of His permission) will encompass its truths; but:

(حَفَظَة سِرِّاللهِ);

"[The Family of the Prophet (peace be upon them)] are the guardians of God's secret."

God has secrets and mysteries that no one but the Messenger and his Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are privy to, and they, according to their nature of guarding secrets, do not reveal those secrets to anyone; for if they were able to be revealed, they would no longer be secrets, and those noble ones would not be (حَفَظَة سِرِّاللهِ) the guardians of God's secrets. This poem is narrated from the book of one of the people of gnosis:

A servant went silently with a tray,

The tray was covered with a lid.

Someone said to him: "What do you have on your tray?

Do not be crooked with me, tell me truthfully."

He asked the servant to inform him of the contents of the covered tray. The servant, in response to this undue request and expectation, said:

If you were to stand upon the intellect concerning this secret,

You would have known its unveiling.

That is, this lid has been placed upon it and it has been concealed so that you and your like may not know what things are in it; otherwise, it would have been left open. Not everything is worthy of everyone's understanding. These verses are attributed to Imam Sayyid al-Sajideen (peace be upon him):

Verily, I conceal from my knowledge its jewels,

Lest a brother of ignorance should see them and cause us tribulation.

And many a jewel of knowledge is with me, if I were to disclose it,

It would be said to me, "You are among those who worship idols."

And Abu al-Hasan (Ali, peace be upon him) preceded in this,

To al-Husayn he confided, and before him to al-Hasan.

We too have been told not to inquire about certain matters that have a secret aspect, for we will not reach anywhere and may possibly be afflicted with satanic temptations; for example, do not delve too deeply into the issue of predestination and free will. Why Satan was created, and why the path of temptation was opened to him concerning mankind, and why when it was said to Adam not to eat from the fruit of that tree, he ate and troubles arose, and so on, are among the secrets of creation; you have no business with these. You have been given commands; act upon them. If you become purified, gradually your heart will become illuminated, and perhaps a little of those secrets will also become known to you; but as long as veils are upon hearts, no one should expect to become aware of those secrets.

What is Meant by the Secret Entrusted to Fatima (peace be upon her)?

One of the esteemed men of learning asked me, concerning this sentence related to the Great Truthful One (peace be upon her), when we say:

(اَللّهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْأَلُكَ بِفاطِمَة وَ اَبيها وَ بَعْلِها وَ بَنِيها وَ السِّرِّ الْمُسْتَوْدَعِ فيها);

"O God, verily I ask Thee by the right of Fatima (peace be upon her), and her father, and her husband, and her sons (peace be upon them), and the secret entrusted in Fatima."

What is that entrusted secret* in Fatima? I said: Although some scholars have offered explanations, but in my opinion, if it were meant for us to understand, it would not be a secret. It becomes clear that it is a hidden mystery between God and Zahra (peace be upon her), and God has placed that secret as a trust in the chest of His beloved; neither can anyone become aware of that secret, nor is she permitted to reveal it. Let us ask God to open our heart's eye a little, so that before we die, we may benefit from their heavenly beauty, even if from behind veils and numerous coverings, so that when we depart from this world, we may be gathered with them there.

Love of the World Prevents the Connection Between Us and the Prophet and the Progeny of the Prophet (peace be upon them)

In the supplication of Abu Hamza, we read:

(سَيِّدِي اَخْرِجْ حُبَّ الدُّنْيا مِنْ قَلْبِي وَ اجْمَعْ بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَ الْمُصْطَفَي وَ آلِهِ خِيَرَتِكَ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ);

"My Master, first remove the filth and impurity of the love of the world from my heart, and then establish a connection between me and the Prophet and the progeny of the Prophet (peace be upon them), Thy chosen ones from Thy creation [otherwise, where am I, the polluted and impure, and where is being gathered with the pure ones]?"

A polluted person himself is ashamed to enter the assembly of the pure. Now, if someone wants to enter this mosque while his clothes and body are soiled with filth and impurity, he himself is ashamed to enter, and we too do not allow him. We say: This is a mosque, and the people of the assembly are all pure, and the mosque cannot be defiled.

Paradise is the abode of peace and the place of the sound, not the place of those polluted with the filth of the love of the world:

(سَيِّدِي اَخْرِجْ حُبَّ الدُّنْيا مِنْ قَلْبِي وَ اجْمَعْ بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَ الْمُصْطَفَي وَ آلِهِ خِيَرَتِكَ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ);

It is hoped that before we die, this great capital of the love of Ali (peace be upon him) will remove the darknesses and impurities from the page of our souls (God willing), for we believe that:

(عادَتُهُمُ الْاِحسانُ وَ سَجِيَّتُهُمُ الْكَرَمُ);

"Their habit is beneficence, and their nature is generosity."

Assuredly, those who show respect at their sacred threshold, their grace and favor will encompass them, and they will be granted success in sincere repentance, and they will enter the realm of Barzakh with a purified soul.

And peace be upon you, and the mercy of God and His blessings.

[13] - Surah al-Naml, verse 40.

[14] - Surah al-Ra'd, verse 43.

[15] - Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 92, p. 110, hadith 10.

 * Qadarat: Impurity, filth.

[16] - Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 2, p. 293, continuation of hadith 13.

 * Isti'anah: Seeking help.

[17] - Surah al-Mutaffifin, verses 1 to 3.

 * Mubarriz: Superior and distinguished.

[18] - Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 92, p. 104.

[19] - Ibid., p. 103.

 * Ifadah: To benefit, to be of use.

[20] - Al-Mahajjah al-Bayda', vol. 2, p. 247.

 * La Yatanaha: Without end, infinite.

 * Mustawda': Entrusted, deposited.

 * Tanjis: To make impure, to defile.

 * Tawbah Nasuh: Sincere repentance, from which one does not return to sin.

Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him) said:

Poverty with us is better than wealth with our enemies.

And being killed with us is better than living with our enemies.

And we are the refuge of whoever seeks refuge in us.

And the light of guidance for whoever seeks insight from us.

And the guardian of whoever holds fast to us.

So whoever loves us will be with us in the high degrees of Paradise.

And whoever separates from us will go towards the hellfire.