قال الله تعالی:

إِنَّمَا یُرِیدُ اللَّهُ لِیُذْهِبَ عَنْکُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَیْتِ وَیُطَهِّرَکُمْ تَطْهِیرًا

Indeed, Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.

(Sūrat al-Ahzāb 33:33).

Prophetic traditions, mentioned in most reliable Sunnī and Shī‘īte reference books of hadīth and tafsīr (Qur’anic Exegesis), confirm that this holy verse was revealed to exclusively involve the five People of the Cloak; namely, Muhammad, ‘Alī, Fātimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husayn, peace be upon them, to whom the term ‘Ahl al-Bayt (People of the House)’ is solely dedicated.

For instance, refer to the following references:

(1) Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH), al-Musnad, 1:331; 4:107; 6:292, 304. (2) Sahīh Muslim (d. 261 AH), 7:130. (3) At-Tirmidhī (d. 279 AH), Sunan, 5:361 et al. (4) Ad-Dūlābī (d. 310 AH), adh-Dhurriyyah at-Tāhirah an-Nabawiyyah, p. 108. (5) An-Nassā’ī (d. 303 AH), as-Sunan al-Kubrā’, 5: p. 108, 113. (6) Al-Hākim an-Naysābūrī (d. 405 AH), al-Mustadrak ‘ala’s-Sahīhayn, 2:416, 3:133, 146, 147. (7) Az-Zarkāshī (d. 794 AH), al-Burhān, p. 197. (8) Ibn Hājar al-Asqalānī (d. 852), Fath al-Barī Sharh Sahīh al-Bukhārī, 7:104.

As for Shī‘īte reference books of hadīth, refer to the following references:

(1) Al-Kulaynī (d. 328 AH), Usūl al-Kāfī, 1:287. (2) Ibn Babawayh (d. 329 AH), al-Imāmah wa’t-Tabsirah, p. 47, H. 29. (3) Al-Maghribī (d. 363 AH), Da’ā’im al-Islām, pp. 35, 37. (4) As-Sadūq (d. 381 AH), al-Khisāl, pp. 403, 550. (5) At-Tūsī (d. 460 AH), al-Amālī, H. 438, 482, 783.

For more details, refer to the exegesis of the holy verse involved in the following reference books of tafsīr: (1) At-Tabarī (d. 310 AH), Book of Tafsīr. (2) Al-Jassāss (d. 370 AH), Ahkām al-Qur’ān. (3) Al-Wahīdī (d. 468 AH), Asbāb an-Nuzūl. (4) Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597 AH), Zād al-Masīr. (5) Al-Qurtubī (d. 671 AH), al-Jāmi‘ li-Ahkām al-Qur’ān. (6) Ibn Kathīr (d. 774 AH), Book of Tafsīr. (7) Ath-Tha’ālibī (d. 825 AH), Book of Tafsīr. (8) As-Suyūtī (d. 911 AH), ad-Durr al-Manthūr. (9) Ash-Shawkanī (d. 1250 AH), Fath al-Qadīr. (10) Al-‘Ayyāshī (d. 320 AH), Book of Tafsīr. (11) Al-Qummī (d. 329 AH), Book of Tafsīr. (12) Furt al-Kūfī (d. 352 AH), Book of Tafsīr; in the margin of the exegesis of verse 4:59. (13) At-Tabrisī (d. 560 AH), Majma‘ al-Bayān, as well as many other reference books of hadīth and tafsīr.

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The Quran as Reflected in Nahj al-Balāghah

ص: 3

قَالَ رَسُولُ الله:

إنِّی تَارِکٌ فِیکُمُ الثَّقَلَیْنِ:

کِتَابَ اللهِ وَعِتْرَتِی أهْلَ بَیْتِی، مَا إنْ تَمَسَّکْتُمْ بِهِمَا لَنْ

تَضِلُّوا بَعْدِی أبَداً، وَإنَّهُمَا لَنْ یَفْتَرِقَا حَتَّی یَرِدَا عَلَیَّ

الْحَوْضَ.

The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said:

“Verily, I am leaving

among you two weighty things [thaqalayn]: The Book of Allah and

my progeny [‘itrat], the members of my Household [Ahl al-Bayt]. If you hold fast to

them, you shall never go astray. These two will never separate from each

other until they meet me at the Pond [ḥawḍ] (of Kawthar).”

Some references:

- Al­Ḥākim

al­Nayshābūrī, Al­Mustadrak ‘alā al-Ṣaḥīḥayn (Beirut), vol. 3, pp. 109-110, 148, 533

- Muslim, Al-Ṣaḥīḥ,

(English translation), book 31, hadīths 5920-3

- Al­Tirmidhī, Al-Ṣaḥīḥ, vol. 5, pp. 621-2, hadīths 3786, 3788; vol. 2, p. 219

- Al-Nasā’ī, Khaṣā’iṣ ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, hadīth 79

- Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Al-Musnad, vol. 3, pp. 14, 17, 26; vol.

3, pp. 26, 59; vol. 4, p. 371; vol. 5, pp. 181-182, 189-190

- Ibn al­‘Athīr, Jāmi‘ al­Uṣūl, vol. 1, p. 277

- Ibn Kathīr, Al­Bidāyah wa al­Nihāyah,

vol. 5, p. 209

- Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-‘Aẓīm , vol. 6, p. 199

- Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Albānī, Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah (Kuwait: Al-Dār al-Salafiyyah), vol. 4, pp. 355-358

ص: 4

The Qur’an

as Reflected in

Nahj al-Balāghah

Professor Muḥammad Taqī Miṣbāḥ Yazdī

Translator

Mansoor Limba

Cultural Affairs Department

Ahl al-Bayt(‘a) World Assembly

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نام کتاب: قرآن در آیینه نهج البلاغه

نویسنده: استاد محمد تقی مصباح یزدی

مترجم: منصور لیمبا

زبان ترجمه: انگلیسی

Title: The Qur’an as Reflected in Nahj al-Balāghah

Author: Professor Muḥammad Taqī Miṣbāḥ Yazdī

Translator and typesetter: Mansoor Limba

Project supervisor: Translation Unit, Cultural Affairs Department

Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly (ABWA)

Editor: Iffat Shah

Proofreader: Majid Karimi

Publisher: ABWA Publishing and Printing

Center

First Printing: 2010

Printed by: Laylā Press

Copies: 5,000

ISBN: 978-964-529-572-9

___________________________

© Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly (ABWA)

All rights reserved.

www.ahl-ul-bait.org

info@ahl-ul-bayt.org

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Transliteration Symbols

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reasoning, devoid of any iota of blind prejudice, whims or caprice. It addresses experts, scholars and thinkers in a manner that is acceptable to a healthy human mind [fiṭrah].

In order to disseminate the truth, the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly has included this valuable knowledge within the framework of research and writing of contemporary Shī‘ah writers or those who, through divine guidance, embrace this noble school.

This Assembly is also engaged in the study and publication of valuable works of pious predecessors and outstanding Shī‘ah personalities so that seekers of truth can quench their thirst from this refreshing fountain of knowledge offered by the Holy Prophet’s Household (‘a) as a gift to the entire world.

It is hoped that our readers do not deprive the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly of their valuable views and suggestions as well as constructive criticism in this arena.

We also invite scholars, translators and other institutions to assist us in propagating the pure Muhammadan Islam.

We ask God the Exalted, to accept this trivial effort and enhance it further under the auspices of His vicegerent on earth, Hadrat al-Mahdī (may Allah the Exalted, expedite his glorious advent).

We express our utmost gratitude to Professor Āyatullāh Muḥammad Taqī Miṣbāḥ Yazdī for writing the book, Mr. Mansoor Limba for translating it, and all our honorable colleagues, especially the dear ones in the Translation Office for accomplishing this task. /

Cultural Affairs Department

Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly

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the Muslims neglected his advice of firmly clasping the unifying cord of Allah [ḥabl Allāh],(1)

after his (ṣ) demise, and got divided into sects. Consequently, Muslim society lagged behind its original status which is described in the Qur’an in this manner:﴿ وَأَنتُمُ الأَعْلَوْنَ إِن کُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِینَ ﴾ “You shall have the upper hand, should you be truthful.”(2) Nowadays, one must acknowledge the painful reality that on account of drifting away from the reality of the Qur’an and the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), Muslim society has incurred irreparable losses.

In spite of drifting away from the reality of the Qur’an and being alienated from this heavenly gem and gift of the All-beneficent, outward heedfulness to it has gained momentum and remarkably increased among Muslims today.

All Muslims recognize the Qur’an as the sacred heavenly scripture revealed to the blessed Apostle (ṣ) on the Night of Ordainment [laylat al-qadr].(3)

Now, printing the Holy Qur’an on high quality paper with golden covers, reading and memorizing it, mastering the sciences pertaining to its outward aspects such as correct pronunciation and recitation [tajwīd] have found a special place in the culture of Muslims. We occasionally witness annual competitions of recitation and memorization of the Holy Qur’an at the international level, and this itself has become a source of prosperity.

Of course, it must not remain unsaid that the ever-growing attention paid to the Holy Qur’an in other Muslim countries has been to some extent due to

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His Eminence Imām Khomeinī (r)(1)

and the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran because it was after the message of the eminent Imām (r) to the administration of the Two Holy Places [al-ḥaramayn al-sharīfayn] (Mecca and Medina) conveyed by a council [shawrā] consisting of representatives from many Muslim countries, that Saudi Arabia undertook the reparation and development of the two holy sites along with the printing and distribution of copies of the Qur’an to the Ḥajj pilgrims from around the world, in order to present itself as the pioneer in propagating Islam and the Qur’an and undermine the attention paid by the Muslims to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Focusing on the outward aspects of the Qur’an and keeping away from its truth has been one of the greatest problems owing to which Muslims have received severe blows. As long as Muslims do not move from the exoteric aspects of the Qur’an towards its esoteric aspects and transform empty rhetoric into practice, the guidance of the Qur’an will not be achieved by them.

This volume is not an attempt to examine the reasons behind the straying of the Muslims from the truth of the Qur’an and the Prophet’s progeny [‘itrah] (‘a) after the passing away of the Holy Prophet (ṣ). It rather endeavors to present some dimensions of the truth of the Qur’an from the viewpoint of Nahj al-Balāghah(2) and the Holy Book itself, and to acquaint the readers with the Qur’an and its greatness from the perspective of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a). It also deals with and addresses some misgivings expressed by certain enemies. In the concluding part, these misgivings are also mentioned through the sermons of ‘Alī (‘a)—the speaking [nāṭiq] Qur’an—and the factors and motives for expressing them.

The subjects of this book are actually the transcript of a series of lectures given by His Eminence Āyatullāh Miṣbāḥ Yazdī in Ramaḍān 1419-20 AH (December 21, 1998-January 18, 1999 and December 10, 1999-January 8,

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2000) in Qum. The subjects touched by Professor Yazdī are not abridged and disarranged but conversational language has been rendered closer to the written word, with an effort to maintain perfect or total accuracy in compiling and editing this book.

In conclusion, we are thankful to the erudite scholars, Ḥujjat al-Islām Aḥmad Muḥammadī for transcribing and compiling the topics of this book, and Ḥujjat al-Islām Muḥammad Mahdī Nādirī Qummī for editing it. We beseech the munificent God for their continued success. c

Imām Khomeinī Educational and Research Institute

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disposal of the masses. Only some parts of the Torah were at the disposal of Jewish divines and it was not possible for the masses to have access to it.

Regarding the heavenly scripture revealed to Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā (‘a), its status has been more worrisome because what is known today as the Gospel [injīl] among the Christians is not the book revealed to Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā al-Masīḥ (Jesus the Messiah) (‘a). It rather consists of subjects compiled by certain individuals and known as the Four Canonical Gospels.(1) Thus, former communities were deprived of access to the heavenly scriptures. But the Qur’an has a different story. The manner of revelation of the Qur’an and its reciting and teaching by the Holy Prophet (ṣ) was such that the people memorized its verses and the Qur’an in its complete form was at their disposal. Among the other important distinctions of this heavenly book is that God the Exalted Himself assumes the responsibility of guarding and preserving the Holy Qur’an from any form of threat. In addition, the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) made sure the Muslims memorized its divine verses so that a good number of Muslims had memorized the whole Qur’an within his lifetime. They used to prepare manuscripts of verses as soon as they were revealed and gradually memorize them. The duplication of these manuscripts and learning of the Qur’an by heart made it accessible to everybody.

Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) says: “The Book of Allah is among you. It speaks and its tongue does not falter.” It is worthy to reflect on the second statement. That is to say, this book has the power of speech and its tongue neither falters nor feels tired. He (‘a) continues:

وَبَیْتٌ لاَ تُهْدَمُ أَرْکَانُهُ، وَعِزٌّ لاَ تُهْزَمُ أَعْوَانُهُ.

“It is a house whose pillars do not fall down, and a power whose supporters are never routed.”

speaker” [ṣāmitun nāṭiq].(1)

The Qur’an is a speaker, but a silent one. What does that mean?

It seems that this expression points to two different perspectives on this heavenly book. One perspective holds that the Qur’an is a sacred but silent book placed in a corner. It does not talk to anyone and no one communicates with it. The second perspective is that it is a talking book which addresses all human beings, calls on them to follow its guidance, and gives glad tidings of success and deliverance to its followers.

Obviously, the Qur’an, whose only description is sacredness, consists of words, statements and verses written on paper. The Muslims kiss and show respect to it and place it in the best part of their homes. Sometimes, they recite it in gatherings without paying attention to its meaning. If we view the Qur’an in this manner, then it is a silent book which does not produce a specific sound. Anyone who has such a view of the Qur’an will never hear a word from it and the Holy Qur’an will never solve any of his problems.

Therefore, we are duty-bound to follow the second perspective. That is, we have to regard the Qur’an as the book of life. By cultivating the spirit of submission to God, the Exalted, we have to be prepared to listen to the message of the Holy Qur’an which contains instructions for a better life. It is in this way that the Qur’an speaks and articulates, talking to human beings and guiding them in all aspects of life.

In addition to this interpretation of the Qur’an as “a silent speaker” which we mentioned, there is a deeper meaning of it which is what Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) refers to when he says, “I am the one who expounds this Qur’an to you.”

It is true that the Holy Qur’an is the Word of God, the Exalted, and the truth of this divine word and the manner of its revelation are beyond our comprehension but since the purpose is the guidance of mankind, this Word of God is simplified in the form of words, statements and verses that can be read and heard by all human beings. Yet, it is not correct to say that the contents of all verses can be grasped and comprehended by the average mind and the meaning of the verses understood without referring to the interpretation and explanation of the Apostle (ṣ), the infallible Imāms (‘a) and those well grounded in knowledge.

For instance, details and explanations of the particular aspects of law are not mentioned in the Qur’an. Moreover, verses of the Holy Qur’an are concise, and thus, they are in need of explanation and elucidation. Therefore, for

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many reasons the Qur’an is “silent” [ṣāmit]. That is, in the absence of the explanation and interpretation of one who has divine knowledge and awareness, it is of no use for the commoner.

The Qur’an is an ocean of divine knowledge and learning. Only those who have connection with the unseen world can dive into its unfathomable depth and acquire its man-perfecting pearls. God, the Exalted, has also urged the people to acquire the lofty knowledge of the Qur’an under the aegis of the grace, knowledge, assistance, and instructions of the Apostle (ṣ) and the Imāms of guidance (‘a) because the sciences of the Qur’an are with the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). As such, their words are those of the Qur’an. For this reason, the Apostle (ṣ) and infallible Imāms (‘a) are called “the talking Qur’an” [qur’ān nāṭiq].

In accordance with the abovementioned basis, Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) says: “It is the Qur’an. If you ask it to speak it won’t do so.” That is, “This is the Qur’an and here you are. As you can see, without the explanation of the infallible Imāms (‘a) you cannot make use of the Qur’an! These infallible Imāms (‘a) are supposed to interpret and explain the Qur’an to you and teach you the knowledge and sciences of the Qur’an.

After these preliminary remarks, the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) approaches the Qur’an through another angle, calling on the people to refer to and reflect upon the Qur’an. That is to say, the infallible Imām is supposed to impart the knowledge and sciences of the Qur’an to the Muslims, and the Qur’an by itself cannot talk whereas the people are incapable of directly grasping the divine messages. The Imām (‘a) then says: “But I will tell you about it.” That is to say, “I will inform you of the Qur’an and teach you the knowledge and sciences pertaining to it, so that you know that everything you need is in the Holy Qur’an: ‘Know that it contains knowledge of what is to come about, stories of the past, cure for your ills and regulation for whatever faces you’.” That is, “It is you who must settle your affairs by referring to the Holy Qur’an and the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a).”

By referring to the Qur’an and studying the life accounts of past communities and nations we must learn our lessons and set our lives on the path of truth.

Secondly, the Holy Qur’an also gives information about the future. Obviously, to talk scientifically and accurately about the future could be done only by God, the Exalted, and those who are informed of the future by His decree. It is God for whom the past, present or future has no meaning and who can talk and give information about the future. It is God who can clearly show the way to His servants and teach them how to behave in order to attain success. It is the Holy Qur’an that gives information about the past and future and makes the people aware of them. Hence, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) says: “Know that it contains knowledge of what is to come about and stories of the past.”

why many problems remain unsolved. Some individuals may possibly question: “In spite of the fact that the Qur’an is at our disposal and we claim to follow it, why are our problems still unsolved and the people are still suffering from economic problems like inflation, overpricing and thousands of social and individual, moral and cultural problems?” Let us reply to this question.

perfection, and calls Muslims towards them. In line with the statement of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) about the healing power of the Qur’an, we shall point out one of the general ways implied by the Qur’an and explain it as a sample.

Sacred Essence of God from the withdrawal from us of this great blessing on account of ingratitude.

In any case, it is the duty of each member of the nation especially those who are in charge of the cultural affairs of the country to guard the sphere of beliefs and religious-moral values of society.

Those who do not have sufficient knowledge of religion and are under the influence of individualistic ideas and secular tendencies regarding the statement of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) think that it refers only to the spiritual and moral problems of the people. In our opinion, however, this notion is wrong because the subject of discussion includes both individual and social problems and maladies. By stating and expounding the statement of the Imām (‘a), the groundlessness of the notion of separation of religion and politics and the falsity of secularism will become clear.

originates from society since every society affirms a specific social order according to its primordial state in line with its culture and thought. Thus, in line with their hegemonic policies, the imperial powers strive to impel nations toward their imperialistic aims, make these nations alien to their original culture and control their culture and social order by imposing an imported culture.

Therefore, it must be seen what social order and the dominant culture and thought in society affirms. Obviously, the religious culture that originated from the Qur’an and monotheistic worldview affirms the social order which maintains the realization of the purpose of creation and the assurance of man’s felicity and salvation in this world and the hereafter; and what is essentially the concern of Islam and the Qur’an is the salvation and perfection of man.

It is indeed lamentable that some “intellectuals” and liberals who are Muslims but do not have sufficient knowledge of the sociopolitical precepts of Islam and hardly have any religious concerns are unaware of this basic point. Whenever they talk about social order, they refer to the social order derived from Western democracy, and this Western social order stems from their secular thought. On account of their poor knowledge of religion, these “intellectuals” think that to organize the social affairs and systematically administer society is only possible through the separation of politics and religion. This itself is a product of cultural imperialism and regarded among the successes of the arrogant powers which, by stupefying the minds of the so-called intellectuals of the Third World countries, have been able to alienate them from their religious thought and turn them into promoters of the imperialist culture.

In any case, in the Islamic or monotheistic culture, everything including the social order is evaluated according to the purpose of creation. Obviously, the objective of social order in the religious or Qur’anic culture is not only to guarantee material welfare and worldly interests. Rather, the perfection of man and his success in the hereafter is also taken into account. It is clear that in case of conflict, success in the hereafter takes precedence over worldly affairs.

Now, by taking this introduction into account, we shall review and closely examine the statement of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) about the role of the Qur’an in securing the sociopolitical order of society so as to become more familiar with the viewpoint of wilāyah regarding the role and station of the Qur’an in social life.

By using an astounding expression, Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) mentions the role of the Qur’an in organizing the social affairs of society and calls our attention to it

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lest we forgot it. After saying that the Qur’an is “the cure for your ills,” the Imām (‘a) says: “[The Qur’an contains] regulations for whatever faces you.” That is to say, “The system of your affairs and relations is in the Qur’an.” In other words, “If you are looking for the desirable and rational system under whose auspices all members of society can enjoy their legitimate rights, you have to regulate your affairs according to the instructions of the Qur’an.”

It is no secret to those who are informed that the phrase “… and regulation for whatever faces you” refers to the social affairs and relations of individuals. It is true that every individual is duty-bound to organize his personal and private affairs according to the instructions of the Qur’an but the phrase “… and regulation for whatever faces you” does not encompass the personal affairs of individuals. As it is clear to those who know Arabic that in the statement under discussion Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) wants to state the social dimensions of the Holy Qur’an.

By saying, “Your social order is in the Holy Qur’an,” Imām ‘Alī (‘a) wants to tell the Muslims and his followers that they must organize their political affairs and social relations according to the Qur’an.

Of course, it is clear that as long as these stated admonitions are considered non-binding moral admonitions by the officials of the Islamic system and are not heartily accepted and believed by them, this heavenly healing prescription will not cure any of the social ills of our society. By mentioning the key points of the policy of the religious system, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) reveals the truths without acting upon which it is impossible to realize a human society based upon justice and equity, in which all individuals enjoy their rights and attain desirable perfection.

Therefore, the most fundamental and pivotal factor is the faith, belief or conviction of the government officials and authorities in the overall dictum and precepts of the Holy Qur’an. So long as they do not have sincere faith and firm conviction in the Qur’an and the efficiency of its instructions in solving the problems of society and ensuring the happiness of man, not only they do not take the Qur’an as a model in practice, but they also do not want to understand the Qur’an. Of course, since they rule over Muslim people in an Islamic country, in slogan they might ostensibly call themselves and their government an Islamic government just to preserve their standing in the eyes of their own people and other Muslims. This is while the only government model not discussed by them is the government based on the laws of Islam and patterned after the Qur’an. Yet, this alienation of so-called Islamic states from the religion and Qur’anic culture especially in relation to politics and the administration of society is something not

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unknown to the Muslims because they know that the systems of government in their respective countries are not Islamic and the dominant culture and mindset of the government officials are totally different from the mindset and paradigm based upon the Qur’anic culture.

What is astonishing and surprising for man and at the same time a cause of concern and regret is the cultural condition prevailing in our dear Islamic country of Iran—the country where a revolution based on the instructions of the Qur’an and the religious culture and under the leadership of the wilāyah al-faqīh has been successfully staged. It is indeed a pity and a cause of concern that the statements, stances and actions of some cultural officials show that they do not have sufficient knowledge of this heavenly book and do not regard the efficiency of the government paradigm derived from it as more than any Eastern or Western paradigm. They consistently move away from the principles of the Islamic Revolution and religious values. Owing to their lack of strong faith and true belief, implicitly or explicitly, they shamelessly express that the age of sovereignty of the Qur’an and the utility of religious culture in the realm of governance has passed and today human society is not in need of divine revelation as it can independently present better ways of administering society and maintaining order and security. It is appropriate at this juncture to point out the oppressive nature of the existing systems of government in the world and the tragedies and crimes perpetrated against nations in the name of advanced and civilized systems so as to expose more than ever the groundlessness of the said notion and the faithlessness and self-defeatism of its proponents. However, in order not to digress from the main topic and avoid prolonging the discussion, we shall not mention the existing injustices, violations of human rights, oppressions, crimes, and insecurities in man-made systems and we shall refer to the relevant references.

It is obvious that the utility of the government based on the instructions of the Qur’an in maintaining justice, equity and order in society will appear provided that the government officials and authorities believe in it, and actually observe the laws and ordinances of the Qur’an. Unless it is such, the Qur’an cannot rule over society. Therefore, the rule of the Qur’an in society depends on the true faith and belief of government officials in this heavenly book, which depends on their knowledge of this divine healing prescription and realizing the need for religion and divine government. Also, this feeling will not be attained except by generating the spirit of servitude to God and getting rid of the sense of arrogance and megalomania vis-à-vis the sovereignty of God, the Exalted. This sense of arrogance is the same sense of ingratitude that dismissed Satan from the station of proximity

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to the angelic station and nearness to God and subjected him to eternal perdition.

At this point, it is appropriate for us to pay heed to the discourse of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) in Sermon 175 of Nahj al-Balāghah that mentions the unpleasant consequences of drifting away from the Holy Qur’an. This discourse is a warning to those who, on one hand, present themselves as followers of ‘Alī (‘a), and on the other, regard the Qur’an and the model of government derived from it as insufficient for the administration of human society today and prefer defective human systems of government to the Qur’anic wilāyah. It is hoped that in the light of such instructions all members of our society particularly the decision-makers and government officials have stronger faith in the centrality of the Qur’an in Islamic society, and sincerely put its instructions into practice.

contains a cure for the biggest diseases, namely unbelief, hypocrisy, revolt and misguidance.”(1)

That is, with the existence of the Qur’an and its rule over society, no need will remain unsolved for anyone because the Holy Qur’an is the most sublime divine program for the lives of the monotheists, and God, the Exalted, has guaranteed honor in this world and salvation in the hereafter for the followers of this heavenly book. Therefore, should our Islamic society abide by the revitalizing commands and instructions of the Qur’an and take it as their pattern of behavior by having faith in the truthfulness of its promises, it will solve individual and social, material and spiritual needs of society and make Islamic society needless of anything and anyone.

On the contrary, the Imām (‘a) points out the peril of parting from the Qur’an. He rejects the notion that without the Qur’an—the greater one of the two weighty things [thiql al-akbar]—one can solve individual and social problems of society, and says: “No one will be free from want before (guidance from) the Qur’an [and the society will never be needless of the Qur’an.” That is, in forming a society based on justice and equity and other moral values, even if all human learning and experiences are put into use and all ideas and thoughts are applied, in the absence of the Qur’an one will lead to nowhere. It is because without the Qur’an it is impossible for one to become independent and self-sufficient. As such, the Imām (‘a) says: “Therefore, seek a cure from it for your ailments and seek its assistance in your distress.” Then, by mentioning the most serious individual and social ailments and maladies—that is, unbelief, hypocrisy and misguidance—he says that the means of curing these ailments and maladies lies in the Qur’an and one can cure his ailments and maladies by referring to it.

Therefore, the general principles and main ways must be learned from the Qur’an, and problems solved by following those general principles and benefiting from experiences, reflection and thinking. If we intend to solve problems with this frame of mind, we will definitely overcome all odds in all aspects, for this is the divine promise. God, the Exalted, says:

﴿ وَمَن یَتَّقِ اللَّهَ یَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا ﴾

“And whoever is wary of Allah, He shall make a way out for him”(2)

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physical factors or their inefficiency in solving problems, it is impossible to solve a problem, recover from a sickness, cure ailments, or fulfill any legitimate and rightful demand of man. By creating the system of cause and effect, God, the Exalted, has not made Himself unable to create phenomenon through an unnatural way. Rather, the precedent of Allah is that initially affairs are conducted through natural agents but are not confined only to natural agents. In fact, quite often, God created things through unnatural means and this can also be called divine precedent. Curing or treating a disease can possibly be done through natural ways and medical treatment, or under special circumstances, through unnatural means such as the supplications of the infallible Imāms (‘a) or other awliyā’ [saints] of Allah. In the same manner, the combatants of monotheism, who from the perspective of material equipment were condemned to be defeated by the enemy on the battlefield, emerged victorious owing to hidden help and unnatural causes. Such instances can be regarded as part of the Divine causes and factors.

The Holy Qur’an has narrated events that came to pass through unnatural ways. For example, for rain to fall according to its natural course and factors, the water of the seas and oceans must evaporate and turn into clouds. Then, because of the difference between sea and land temperatures, the wind tends to scatter the clouds to other parts of the earth until the drops of water in the clouds fall in the form of raindrops, snow drops or hailstones. To expect rain without its natural causes and factors according to the scientific perspective is regarded as irrational and futile. However, without considering the natural factors of rain, Ḥaḍrat Nūḥ (Noah) (‘a) addressed his community [qawm] and urged them to repent and ask for forgiveness so that the sky would send down rain:

﴿ وَیَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّکُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَیْهِ یُرْسِلِ السَّمَاء عَلَیْکُم مِّدْرَارًا وَیَزِدْکُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَی قُوَّتِکُمْ وَلاَ تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِینَ ﴾

“O my people! Plead with your Lord for forgiveness, then turn to Him penitently: He will send copious rains for you from the sky, and add power to your [present] power. So do not turn your backs [on Him] as guilty ones.”(1)

It is true that the natural causes and factors of rain and the entire system of cause and effect governing the nature are all under divine power and the will of God, but without taking them into account God, the Exalted, says to

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the people: “Ask forgiveness for your sins and turn to God. In turn, He will send copious rains from the sky.”

One may possibly say that God, the Exalted, does not mean that without the presence of natural causes, there will be no rain; rather, it means that He will send down rain for us by means of facilitating natural causes. The reply is that this notion is inconsistent with the monotheistic viewpoint because as stated earlier, by creating the system of cause and effect, God, the Exalted, has not made Himself unable to create phenomena without natural causes and factors. Regarding His power in creating and bringing phenomena into being, God says:

﴿ إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَیْئًا أَنْ یَقُولَ لَهُ کُنْ فَیَکُونُ ﴾

“When He wills something, all He needs to do is to say to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.”(1)

way or another and awaken them from the slumber of heedlessness and bring them back to the path of truth and servitude. In order to realize this, He sometimes inflicts them with calamities in the forms of poverty and famine. Simultaneously, He introduces repentance, asking for forgiveness of sins, and returning to Him through prayer and supplication to remove those calamities, so that finally the purpose of creation, which is nothing but the voluntary desire for perfection in man, can be realized. This process is also one of the astounding precedents of God. He sometimes sent a prophet and subjected his community to hardships so that they would not become heedless of Him and the path of truth, and be protected from the devastation of material pleasures.

Under difficult conditions human beings realize their spiritual needs and are more inclined to accept the truth and the teachings of the prophets (‘a), compared to the time when they are in comfort. The Qur’an states:

﴿ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِی قَرْیَةٍ مِّن نَّبِیٍّ إِلاَّ أَخَذْنَا أَهْلَهَا بِالْبَأْسَاء وَالضَّرَّاء لَعَلَّهُمْ یَضَّرَّعُونَ ﴾

“We did not send a prophet to any town without visiting its people with stress and distress so that they might entreat [for Allah’s forgiveness].”(1)

Verses 75 and 76 of Sūrah al-Mu’minūn also explain this subject:

﴿ وَلَوْ رَحِمْنَاهُمْ وَکَشَفْنَا مَا بِهِم مِّن ضُرٍّ لَّلَجُّوا فِی طُغْیَانِهِمْ یَعْمَهُونَ ٭ وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْعَذَابِ فَمَا اسْتَکَانُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا یَتَضَرَّعُونَ ﴾

“Should We have mercy upon them and remove their distress from them, they would surely persist, bewildered in their rebellion. Certainly We have seized them with punishment, yet they neither humbled themselves before their Lord, nor did they entreat [Him for mercy].”(2)

Therefore, the philosophy behind some afflictions and difficulties is to awaken people and make them return to the path of guidance, although it is possible that these calamities do not awaken some communities as they remain stubborn in their deviation and misguidance. In this case, the guidance [ḥujjah] is exhausted for them and they have to accept responsibility for the sure calamity that will put an end to their lives.

In verses 42 to 44 of Sūrah al-An‘ām, the Qur’an addresses the Prophet of Islam (ṣ) thus:

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﴿ وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلنَا إِلَی أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِکَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْبَأْسَاء وَالضَّرَّاء لَعَلَّهُمْ یَتَضَرَّعُونَ ٭ فَلَوْلا إِذْ جَاءهُمْ بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُواْ وَلَ_کِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَیَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّیْطَانُ مَا کَانُواْ یَعْمَلُونَ ٭ فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُکِّرُواْ بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَیْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ کُلِّ شَیْءٍ حَتَّی إِذَا فَرِحُواْ بِمَا أُوتُواْ أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ ﴾

“We have certainly sent [apostles] to nations before you, then We seized them with stress and distress so that they might entreat [Us]. Why did they not entreat when Our punishment overtook them! But their hearts had hardened, and Satan had made to seem decorous to them what they had been doing. So when they forgot what they had been admonished of, We opened for them the gates of all [good] things. When they rejoiced in what they were given, We seized them suddenly, whereat, behold, they were despondent.”(1)

We have to know that this has been the precedent of God [sunnat Allāh] with respect to past communities and the ummah of the Last Apostle (ṣ) is not an exception to it.

For the people of insight and caution, calamities, problems and adversities act as reminders of guidance. As stated by the Qur’an, there are also people in their midst who are heedless and will not be awakened by any warning, alarm or reminder and come to their senses.

It is important to pay attention to the philosophy behind such events, learn a lesson from the past, repent and return to God. It is indeed a pity that in our society only a few pay attention to this matter. Owing to this heedlessness or weakness of faith, some officials extend their hands to other than God in a bid to be relieved from economic difficulties such as drought and famine. By allocating a huge budget from the public treasury, they intend to create rain by putting chemical elements in the clouds. How futile! Is the knowledge of the cause of rain by the emergence of clouds and their scattering by means of wind and other limited factors that makes man arrogant, thinking he can produce rain whenever he wants, and instead of drawing the attention of the Muslim masses to God and resorting to His favor and beneficence, he searches and hunts for a fragment of the clouds while on top of a mountain in order to impregnate it, so to speak, and thus send down rain?! By the way, the said issue calls to mind the story of Ḥaḍrat Nūḥ (‘a) and his son. After 950 years of inviting them to faith, Ḥaḍrat Nūḥ (‘a) was disappointed as his people refused to believe in God. After losing all hope of guiding them, and witnessing signs of divine wrath,

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he urged his son to believe in God and embark on the ark in order to be saved from the definite punishment. In reply to his father, he expressed his atheistic thought, thus:

﴿ سَآوِی إِلَی جَبَلٍ یَعْصِمُنِی مِنَ الْمَاء ﴾

“I shall take refuge on a mountain; it will protect me from the flood.”(1)

As we all know, he did not believe in God till the last moment and perished. By relating this story, God, the Exalted, reveals the essence of atheistic thought and warns people of it.

Now, this atheistic thought also exists among some people, especially the xenomaniac intellectuals. Instead of having faith in God and drawing the people toward Him in their speeches and writings, they expect and rely on the assistance of the enemies of Islam in solving problems.

It is known to those who are informed that we do not intend to oppose scientific advancement and the achievement of human sciences, because the Qur’an and monotheistic thought—more than any other school of thought—calls upon the people to learn and seek knowledge and make use of the products of human thought and ideas. At this juncture, what we emphatically oppose is this atheistic thought. Unfortunately, those who follow this school of thought are not few in our society.

In any case, the best, shortest and safest way of solving individual and social problems is to return to the Door of the House of God, for treading the way of God ensures our eternal and otherworldly salvation as well as removes our problems and hardships.

﴿ فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّکُمْ إِنَّهُ کَانَ غَفَّارًا ٭ یُرْسِلِ السَّمَاء عَلَیْکُم مِّدْرَارًا ﴾

“Then I told [them]: ‘Plead to your Lord for forgiveness. Indeed He is the All-forgiving. He will send for you abundant rains from the sky.”(2)

Therefore, in order to remove deficiencies and find relief from problems the Qur’an proposes solutions to its followers and guarantees the efficacy of these solutions. As experienced many times, the Muslims can try them.

Undoubtedly, the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran is one of the miraculous examples of the divine succor and hidden help of God to our

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Islamic society. When all the people, by relying upon God and refusing to pin their hopes on other than Him, demanded an Islamic government, God—in accordance with His promise in the Qur’an: “O you who have faith! If you help Allah, He will help you and make your feet steady”(1)—made the people victorious over their enemies, notwithstanding the power of the 2,500-year-old monarchial regime backed up by all the enemies of Islam. The precedent of God, that when people turn to Him He shall help them, is still true. Once they forget God, seek assistance from other than Him, and turn their backs to Him, they shall incur wrath and ignominy.

Anyway, there is no doubt that the Holy Qur’an is the healing prescription of God, and the salvation of man in this world and the hereafter lies in abiding with its revitalizing injunctions. The way of solving individual and social problems must be sought in it. The Qur’an—this guarantor of the salvation of man—must be recognized and one must strive to respect and honor it and act upon its orders. However, there are two kinds of respect paid to the Qur’an, which we shall cite below.

they do not touch its words and verses without ablution, and sit humbly while reading it. Many of them do not stretch their feet against a copy of the Qur’an. They cover it with the best of covers and place it in attractive boxes. In sum, such outward forms of respect to the Qur’an are common among Muslim masses.

The observance of the abovementioned forms of respect to this heavenly book is a necessary value. No matter how faithful we are to such practices, we have not paid due respect to this heavenly book and have not expressed due gratitude for this greatest blessing of God, the Exalted, which is the blessing of guidance. However, the highest form of respect and gratitude for any blessing is to realize its essence and act upon it the way God has commanded. Once we consider the Qur’an with this perspective and pay respect and honor to it, it will become clear that the Holy Qur’an does not have a desirable place in the culture of Muslim societies and due respect and honor are not being paid to it. The forms of paying respect to the Holy Qur’an by Muslims are necessary but by doing so, the purpose of God Almighty in revealing the Qur’an is not realized. Familiarity with the outward aspects of the Qur’an, reading its divine verses and paying outward respect to this curing prescription are a prelude to acting upon its instructions and injunctions. The true right of the Qur’an cannot be given without making it the axis of the sociopolitical lives of the Muslims.

Evidently, kissing and paying respect to a doctor’s medical prescription and reading it in a melodious tone without understanding and abiding with its recommendations and instructions can never cure the disease of a patient. Every rational person believes that recovery lies in following the instructions of a medical prescription. The real form of respect to a medical prescription is to act upon it and not to offer outward respect to the doctor and his prescription.

lost. Since the most disastrous misguidance in the path of life is that which endangers the salvation of man, the real and true light is that which saves human beings from misguidance and clearly shows the true path of human perfection. In other words, it distinguishes the path of perfection and salvation from the paths of degradation and deviation. As such, God, the Exalted, has described the Qur’an as “light”, saying:

﴿ قَدْ جَاءکُم مِّنَ اللّهِ نُورٌ وَکِتَابٌ مُّبِینٌ ﴾

“Certainly there has come to you a light from Allah and a manifest Book”(1)

As such, by benefiting from it, you can distinguish the path of felicity from that of perdition.

After describing Islam and the Apostle (ṣ), Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) thus says in Sermon 189 while describing the Holy Qur’an:

ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ عَلَیْهِ الْکِتَابَ نُوراً لاَ تُطْفَأُ مَصَابِیحُهُ، وَسِرَاجاً لاَ یَخْبُو تَوَقُّدُهُ، وَبَحْراً لاَ یُدْرَکُ قَعْرُهُ.

“Then, Allah sent to him the Book as a ‘light’ whose flames cannot be extinguished, a ‘lamp’ whose gleam does not die, and a ‘sea’ whose depth cannot be sounded.”(2)

In describing the Qur’an in this sermon by using three extremely beautiful similes, Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) wants to acquaint the hearts of the Muslims with the greatness of the Qur’an and draw their attention towards this magnificent divine asset which has been at their disposal.

Initially, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) describes the Qur’an as a “light” whose flames cannot be extinguished and whose gleam does not die. Through a similitude of what is intelligible to what is perceptible, he says that the Qur’an is like the great source of electric energy that illuminates the highways that are running in different directions in the darkness of the night through a network of powerful electric lights. By installing traffic lights along crossroads, it distinguishes the way that leads to a specific destination from those other ways that end up in terrible abysses for those who want to arrive safely at their destination. The Qur’an also plays the same role in a religious or Islamic society with a difference: the flames emanating from this source of light and illuminating the path of salvation can never be extinguished. As such, the path of truth is always straight and illuminated, and the Holy

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Qur’an and the glowing flames emanating from it continuously warn its followers to be careful and not deviate from the path of truth.

In another part of the sermon, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) says:

وَنُوراً لَیْسَ مَعَهُ ظُلْمَةٌ.

“[The Qur’an is] an effulgence with which there is no darkness.”(1)

This is because this heavenly book has innate beacons which incessantly illuminate the path of guidance and felicity. The Imāms (‘a) who are the interpreters of divine revelation represent the beacons that impart the knowledge of the Qur’an to the people and acquaint them with its truth through their God-endowed knowledge.

As such, Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) likens the Qur’an with a lamp whose flames cannot be extinguished and whose gleam does not die.

The sciences of the Qur’an are so profound and extensive that whenever those who are familiar with the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) contemplate on them, they acquire new knowledge and facts at every stage. As this heavenly book is a manuscript of divine knowledge, however much those who are thirsty of the truth drink from its pure fountain their thirst is never quenched. In fact, they become thirstier. As such, we can see that by reciting divine verses in ritual prayers and reflecting upon them, the awliyā’ of Allah and those who are knowledgeable of the truth of the Qur’an strive to purify their souls and place themselves more than ever at the threshold of the inspirations of God and His infinite knowledge. The Qur’an is a radiant sun whose gnosis [ma‘rifah] is endless and whose luminosity is eternal, for this heavenly book is like a deep ocean. It is impossible for anyone to fathom it expect the Apostle (ṣ) and the infallible Imāms (‘a) who possess the “knowledge of the Book” [‘ilm al-kitāb]. Any person who wants to be familiar with the Qur’an or the Word of God and lead his individual or social life based upon the instructions of this heavenly book has no option but to cling to the Qur’an according to the interpretation, explanation and conduct of the Apostle (ṣ) and the infallible Imāms (‘a). In proving this, we shall point to certain parts of two traditions:

Imām al-Ṣādiq (‘a) says:

وَنَحْنُ قَنَادِیْلُ النُّبُوَّةِ وَمَصَابِیْحُ الرِّسَالَةِ وَنَحْنُ نُوْرُ الأَنْوَارِ وَکَلِمَةُ الْجَبَّارِ وَنَحْنُ رَایَةُ الْحَقّ الَّتِی مَنْ تَبِعَهَا نَجیٰ وَمَنْ تَأَخَّرَ عَنْهَا هَویٰ وَنَحْنُ مَصَابِیْحُ الْمِشْکَاةِ الَّتِی فِیْهَا نُورُ النُّوْر.

“We are the lanterns of apostleship [nubuwwah] and the lamps of messengership [risālah]. We are the lights of the Light and the word of the Almighty. We are the banner of truth; whoever follows it is saved and whoever abandons it goes astray. We are the lamps of the niche which contains the Light of lights.”(1)

A similar statement has also been reported from Imām al-Sajjād (‘a) when he said:

إِنَّ مَثَلَنَا فِی کِتَابِ اللهِ کَمَثَلِ الْمِشْکَاة وَالْمِشْکَاةُ فِی الْقَنْدِیْلِ فَنَحْنُ الْمِشْکَاةُ فِیْهَا مِصْبَاحُ وَالْمِصْبَاحُ مُحَمَّدٌ (ص) أَلْمِصْبَاحُ فِی زُجَاجَةٍ نَحْنُ الزُّجَاجَةُ کَأَنَّهَا کَوْکَبٌ دُرِّیٌّ یُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَکَةٍ زَیْتُونِةٍ مَعْرُوْفَةٍ لا شَرْقِیَّةٍ وَلا غَرْبِیَّةٍ لاَ مُنْکَرَةٍ وَلاَ دَعْیَةٍ یَکَادُ زَیْتُهَا یُضِیءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ

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نَارٌ نُّورٌ الْقُرْآنِ عَلَی نُورٍ یَهْدِی اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن یَشَاء وَیَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِکُلِّ شَیْءٍ عَلِیمٌ بِأَنْ یَهْدِی مَنْ أَحَبَّ إِلیٰ وِلاَیَتِنَا.

“Verily, our example in the Book of Allah is like the niche. We are the niche wherein a lamp is placed and the lamp is in a glass and the glass is Muḥammad (ṣ). (And) the glass is as it were a brightly shining star—lit from a blessed olive tree, neither eastern nor western, whose oil lights up, though fire does not touch it. The light of the Qur’an is light upon light. Allah guides to His Light whomever He wishes. Allah draws parables for mankind, and Allah has knowledge of all things. Verily, He guides whoever He loves to our guardianship [wilāyah].”(1)

In this saying, the Imām (‘a) has interpreted verse 35 of Sūrah al-Nūr as referring to the Apostle (ṣ) and his Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) or the infallible Imāms (‘a). The Imām (‘a) said that the similitude of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) in the Qur’an is that of a transparent glass that reflects the light of the lamp of apostleship [nubuwwah]. This light emanates from a blessed tree whose radiance is all-encompassing and undeniable, overflowing with Divine light. This light is neither eastern nor western and neither unknown nor manifest.

Imām al-Sajjād (‘a) says that the truth of the Apostle (ṣ) and his holy Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) is like a luminous lamp which gives light without a flame. The light of the Qur’an is the light (the wilāyah of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)) by which God guides whomever He wishes.

instructions of the Holy Qur’an and the teachings and precepts of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) and set their individual and sociopolitical affairs according to the dictates of the Holy Qur’an, in addition to honor and glory in this world, they will enjoy the outcome of their good deeds in the hereafter.

Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) calls upon people to preserve the enlivening ordinances of the Qur’an:

فَاسْأَلُوا اللهَ بِهِ، وَتَوَجَّهُوا إِلَیْهِ بِحُبِّهِ، وَلاَ تَسْأَلُوا بِهِ خَلْقَهُ، إنَّهُ مَا تَوَجَّهَ الْعِبَادُ إلَی اللهِ بِمِثْلِهِ. وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ شَافِعٌ مُشَفَّعٌ، وَقَائِلٌ مُصَدَّقٌ، وَأَنَّهُ مَنْ شَفَعَ لَهُ الْقُرْآنُ یَوْم الْقِیَامَةِ شُفِّعَ فِیهِ، وَمَنْ مَحَلَ بِهِ الْقُرْآنُ یَوْمَ الْقِیَامَةِ صُدِّقَ عَلَیْه.

“Pray to Allah through it and turn to Allah with its love. Do not ask the people through it. There is nothing like it through which the people should turn to Allah, the Sublime. Know that it is an interceder and its intercession will be accepted. It is a trusted speaker. Whoever the Qur’an intercedes for on the Day of Judgment, its intercession will be accepted. He about whom the Qur’an speaks ill on the Day of Judgment shall testify to its truthfulness.”(1)

After saying that the Qur’an is the greatest cure and solution to the ills of society, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) persuades people to look for the cure to their ills in the Qur’an by following it and turn to God by acting upon it, and not take the Qur’an as a means of asking other human beings for their help.

Then, the Imām (‘a) warns the people of the danger of being separated from the Qur’an and invites them to follow this heavenly book and take it as the guideline in their thought and action:

فَإنَّهُ یُنَادِی مُنَاد یَوْمَ الْقِیَامةِ: أَلاَ إنَّ کُلَّ حَارِث مُبْتَلیً فِی حَرْثِهِ وَعَاقِبَةِ عَمَلِهِ، غَیْرَ حَرَثَةِ الْقُرآنِ، فَکُونُوا مِنْ حَرَثَتِهِ وَأَتْبَاعِهِ، وَاسْتَدِلُّوهُ عَلی رِّبِّکُمْ، وَاسْتَنْصِحُوهُ عَلی أَنْفُسِکُمْ، وَاتَّهِمُوا عَلَیْهِ آرَاءَکُمْ، وَاسْتَغِشُّوا فِیهِ أَهْوَاءَکُمْ.

“On the Day of Judgment an announcer will announce, “Beware, every sower of a crop is in distress except the sowers of the Qur’an.” Therefore, you should be among the sowers of the Qur’an and its followers. Make it guide you towards your Lord. Seek its

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advice for yourselves; do not trust your views against it; and regard your desires in the matter of the Qur’an as misguiding.”(1)

On the Day of Resurrection, when human beings will be resurrected for their reckoning—recompense and punishment—an announcer will announce this truth to the people: “O people! Know that all human beings today will be afflicted with the products and outcome of what they sowed except those whose beliefs and actions are based upon injunctions and instructions of the Qur’an. Only these individuals will be pleased with the products and effects of their deeds and beliefs and not feel cheated.

Imām ‘Alī (‘a) who knows the reality of this world and the hereafter as well as their relation to each other and is highly concerned about the plight of the Muslims said: “You should be among the sowers of the Qur’an.” That is to say, “If you want salvation, you have to sow good deeds with the blessings of the Qur’an. Be among those who build their abodes in this world and the hereafter by acting upon the enlivening instructions of this heavenly book. Take the Qur’an as your guide so that you will never be in loss.”

Of course, we are aware that faith [īmān] has various degrees, and the Islamic society can overcome its problems and achieve victory over the enemies with honor and dignity, provided that the cultural officials of society have sincere belief and faith in the religious government and submit to the precepts and decrees of the Qur’an like the submission of Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham) (‘a), and do not feign belief in the Qur’an by using religion and religious culture only in order to gain popularity.

In the Holy Qur’an, those who do not have faith in the divine laws and ordinances and only pretend to have accepted Islam in order to deceive Muslims and attain their worldly objectives are described as munāfiqīn [hypocrites]. The external and internal characteristics and behavior of this group have been mentioned in numerous verses of the Holy Qur’an.

Qur’an and the divine orders as well as the degrees of our submission to God by the faith and degree of submission of Ḥaḍrat Ibrāhīm (‘a) so that we can discern the distance between us and what the Qur’an and God, the Exalted, want from us, and strengthen our faith. If you and I received an order from Jibra’īl (Archangel Gabriel) (‘a) to sacrifice our own son—while we were awake and not in sleep—we cannot be sure of listening to it let alone executing the divine command to sacrifice our own son! Yet, without any hesitation, Ḥaḍrat Ibrāhīm (‘a) was determined to obey the divine order. Without entertaining any doubt about the authenticity of what had been revealed to him he informed his son of his dream:

﴿ فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْیَ قَالَ یَا بُنَیَّ إِنِّی أَرَی فِی الْمَنَامِ أَنِّی أَذْبَحُکَ فَانظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَی قَالَ یَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِی إِن شَاء اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِینَ ﴾

“When he was old enough to assist in his endeavor, he said, ‘My son! I see in a dream that I am sacrificing you. Say what you think.’ He said, ‘Father! Do whatever you have been commanded to do. If Allah wishes, you will find me patient’.”(1)

Such is the degree of faith and submission of Ḥaḍrat Ibrāhīm (‘a). Now, try to observe the degree of faith and submission of the son. Look at the obedience of the son to the command of God and his father, and you will be astonished by the sincerity and faith of individuals whom the pen and tongue are incapable of describing, and hesitate in calling yourselves “Muslims”.

Ḥaḍrat Ismā‘īl (‘a)—this son who learned from his father the lesson of submission to the Will of God—encouraged his father to execute the divine order without asking about the philosophy behind killing him and induce doubt and hesitation in his father. He (‘a) said: “Father! Do whatever you have been commanded. If Allah wishes, you will find me patient.” Great men act after asking for the help of God, the Exalted, and rely on Him. In all activities, with His succor, assistance and utmost humbleness, they say: “By the will and help of God, I will perform such-and-such deed.” Even here, Ḥaḍrat Ismā‘īl (‘a) did not rely on his own power but on Allah’s help.

God, the Exalted, expresses and describes the visage of Ḥaḍrat Ibrāhīm (‘a) and his state of submission to God by quoting Ibrāhīm’s (‘a) words:

﴿ إِنِّی وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِیَ لِلَّذِی فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ حَنِیفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِینَ ﴾

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“Indeed I have turned my face toward Him who originated the heavens and the earth, as a ḥanīf, and I am not one of the polytheists.”(1)

We must have the same belief and faith of Ibrāhīm (‘a) in God and the Qur’an, to benefit from the Qur’an, i.e. guide society according to the instructions of the Qur’an.

Therefore, it is clear that in addition to faith and conviction, what will materialize the program on the guidance of the Qur’an is to act according to the instructions of the Qur’an and practice its enlivening commandments in both individual and social life.

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safe from the snares of Satan. The pebbles in Mash‘ar al-Ma‘rifah(1)

must be collected with which to pelt [ramy] the devil of the commanding self or carnal soul [nafs al-‘ammārah] when referring to the Holy Qur’an. One must resist one’s carnal desires, give preference to the word of God over them, and have no preconceived notions, in order to avoid committing errors while referring to the divine verses and understanding the Holy Qur’an. It is not true that whoever approaches the Qur’an with whatever intentions and by whatever means can rightly benefit from it. Simply put it, if we have truly accepted the servitude to God, we have to totally submit to Him, resign to His will and decree and sincerely believe that He knows better than His servants what is good for them and that He bids or forbids whatever is good or bad for them. It is only with such faith and conviction that people can correctly understand this divine book and benefit from its enlivening instructions.

Therefore, the first and foremost condition of benefiting from the divine guidance is to have the spirit of submission and avoid any form of prejudgment and self-centeredness. In the prescription that he writes for a patient, an expert physician expects him to take the prescribed medicine and foods and prohibit the intake of medicine or foods that prevent or delay his recovery. Yet, are all prescriptions of a doctor consistent with the likes and inclinations of a patient? Possibly, a patient may enthusiastically take prescribed medicines and avoid some foods prohibited by the doctor. But in most cases, the inclinations of the patient are inconsistent with the prescriptions of the doctor. Sometimes, a patient wants to eat pickles but for the doctor, doing so is like taking deadly poison. In these cases, it is possible that because of his strong inclination to these foods, the patient would doubt the diagnosis of the doctor and make personal desire a justification for consuming them. Of course, regarding physical illnesses, on account of a strong desire to recover, man is not willing to violate the doctor’s prescriptions. In most cases, he tries to prefer them over his personal inclinations and faithfully abide by the prescriptions of the attending physician. Concerning spiritual maladies, however, many people take their carnal inclinations as the criterion for judgment and engage in interpreting religion and divine laws on the basis of false, preconceived notions and improper desires.

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Obviously, with such a mentality it is impossible to correctly understand the Qur’an and religion even if we assume that a person really wants to correctly understand it and has no intention at all to deceive others. The mere fact that he wants to understand the Qur’an and religion does not totally hinder the effects of his prejudgment, tainted notions and carnal inclinations from erroneously interpreting and understanding Qur’anic verses and traditions. Of course, the case of individuals who are aware and consciously distort religious laws and decrees to deceive the people and render a blow to the religious culture of society in the name of different interpretations is a different story which we will deal at its appropriate time. We will briefly examine the causes and motives of this anti-religious idea from the perspective of Nahj al-Balāghah. Now, we will try to find the proper way of referring to the Qur’an and understanding its laws and injunctions from the statements of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a).

﴿إِنَّ هَ_ذَا الْقُرْآنَ یِهْدِی لِلَّتِی هِیَ أَقْوَمُ وَیُبَشِّرُ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ الَّذِینَ یَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْراً کَبِیراً﴾

“Indeed this Qur’an guides to what is most upright, and gives the good news to the faithful who do righteous deeds that there is a great reward for them.”(1)

The point which is emphasized is the necessity for firm belief in the content of this noble verse, for once such faith in the Qur’an does not exist in man and he does not totally submit himself to God and empty himself of prejudgments and carnal desires, it is possible for him to succumb to satanic temptations and go astray. Once he consults the Qur’an, he unconsciously looks for verses that seemingly concord with his carnal desires.

Obviously, the injunctions and decrees of the Qur’an are not harmonious with the carnal desires and bestial inclinations of man. Thus, whenever the Qur’an states something against his personal inclinations, he is displeased and whenever Qur’anic verses are consistent with his carnal inclinations, he accepts them with open arms. Of course, all these reactions are expressed secretly in his heart but their effects are manifested through his actions and behavior. As such, reason demands that before consulting the Qur’an, man empties his mind of any form of self-centeredness so that he can enter the school of the Qur’an with a spirit of God-centeredness. It is in this manner, observing the etiquettes sincerely, that man acquires divine gnosis.

they justify it with short verses and their ambiguous outward meanings. Obviously, such a psychological background with preconceived notions does not guarantee an accurate understanding of the Qur’an but it also leads to misunderstanding and deviation from the truth.

In the religious parlance, this type of understanding and interpretation of the Qur’an is described as “speculative interpretation” [tafsīr bi’r-ra’y] and regarded as the worst kind of approach to the Qur’an, in particular, and religion, in general. The Qur’an considers this kind of approach to religion and divine verses as an act of mockery and categorically denounces it:

﴿ وَلاَ تَتَّخِذُوَا آیَاتِ اللّهِ هُزُوًا وَاذْکُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللّهِ عَلَیْکُمْ وَمَا أَنزَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ مِّنَ الْکِتَابِ وَالْحِکْمَةِ یَعِظُکُم بِهِ وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللّهَ بِکُلِّ شَیْءٍ عَلِیمٌ ﴾

“Do not take the signs of Allah in derision, and remember Allah’s blessings upon you, and what He has sent down to you of the Book and wisdom, to advise you therewith. Be wary of Allah, and know that Allah has knowledge of all things.”(1)

As mentioned earlier, the ones who benefit from the guidance of the Qur’an are those who believe and have faith in it. Those who want to coin religious or Qur’anic justification for their personal inclinations and interpret the Word of God according to their personal opinion have actually no faith in God. It is proper here to pay attention to some pertinent traditions:

قَالَ رَسُوْلُ الله (ص): قَالَ اللهُ جَلَّ جَلاَلُهُ: مَا آمَنَ بِی مَنْ فَسَّرَ بِرَأْیِهِ کَلاَمِی.

The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said:

“Allah, may He be glorified, said: ‘He who interprets My Word according to his opinion has indeed no faith in Me’.”(2)

Meanwhile, the Apostle (ṣ) is also reported to have said:

مَنْ فَسَّرَ الْقُرْآنَ بِرَأْیِهِ فَقَدِ افْتَریٰ عَلیٰ اللهِ الْکَذِبَ.

“He who interprets the Qur’an according to his opinion has attributed a lie to Allah.”(3)

Thus, one who intends to interpret Qur’anic verses in his favor and present it as the interpretation of the Qur’an or the Word of God, has actually set his opinion as the criterion, and attributes it to God, the Exalted. This approach

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to the Qur’an and its interpretation is abominable and dangerous because it misguides, and those who commit such a sin shall be afflicted with the severest of punishments on the Day of Judgment. In this regard, the Apostle (ṣ) has also said:

مَنْ فَسَّرَ الْقُرْآنَ بِرَأْیِهِ فَلْیُتَبَوَأْ مَقْعَدُهُ مِنَ النَّارِ.

“The abode of the one who interprets the Qur’an according to his opinion shall be in the Fire.”(1)

Therefore, in order to be safe from the gravest chastisement one should avoid impugning God, the Exalted, and keep away from falling into the pitfall of deviation, abandon carnal desires, shun egoism, have faith in the Sacred Essence, who is pure and good and does not wish anything but good for mankind, be God-oriented, and submit himself to Him.

It is said that the abovementioned statement indicates the need for utmost care, trustworthiness and God-wariness [taqwā] in understanding and interpreting the Holy Qur’an, for the Imām (‘a) said that one should approach the Qur’an and embark on understanding and interpreting it with the assumption that he knows nothing and whatever it states is the truth:

وَاسْتَغِشُّوا فِیهِ أَهْوَاءَکُمْ.

“Regard your desires in the matter of the Qur’an as deceitful.”(1)

That is to say, “Consider your desires as wrong and improper so that you can benefit much from the Qur’an. Otherwise, you will always be on the verge of error and deviation.”

Therefore, the kernel of religion which is nothing but submission to God demands that man completely obeys God, the Exalted, and treats as erroneous his personal opinion with respect to God’s decrees and injunctions in the Holy Qur’an. Once such a spirit dominates, it is obvious that he will grasp the divine ordinances, commandments and teachings of the Qur’an better, and once he totally surrenders to God, heartily accepts them.

Muslims. In a bid to avoid deviation in religion and fall into the abyss of tafsīr bi’r-ra’y, the observance of piety and keeping aloof from carnal desire and prejudgment is indispensable. As we delve deeper into the issue, we find out the marvels of Imām ‘Alī’s (‘a) words in classifying human beings on their degree of servitude to God into two main groups, and be more acquainted with his psychological knowledge of the human psyche in relation to religion and divine commandments.

By describing the characteristics of each group, he (‘a) presents the two groups as follows:

1. One group consists of those who have completely acknowledged their servitude to God and are determined to combat their carnal desires and give precedence to the will and pleasure of God over their whims and caprice. Naturally, such individuals who heartily acknowledge this heavenly book, i.e. the Qur’an, sincerely accept its injunctions and teachings and take it as their guide in practice and strive to observe its rites.

In describing this group, Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) said:

عِبَادَ اللهِ، إِنَّ مِنْ أَحَبِّ عِبَادِ اللهِ إِلَیْهِ عَبْداً أَعَانَهُ اللهُ عَلَی نَفْسِهِ.

“Indeed, the most beloved of Allah is he whom Allah has given power (to act) against his passions.”(1)

Then, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) stated the status of the Qur’an among these people:

قَدْ أَمْکَنَ الْکِتَابَ مِنْ زِمَامِهِ، فَهُوَ قَائِدُهُ وَإِمَامُهُ، یَحُلُّ حَیْثُ حَلَّ ثَقَلُهُ، وَیَنْزِلُ حَیْثُ کَانَ مَنْزِلُهُ.

“There is no good which he has not aimed at or any likely place (of virtue) of the Qur’an. Therefore the Qur’an is his guide and leader. He gets down when the Qur’an puts down his weight and he settles where the Qur’an settles him down.”(2)

This group has accepted the Qur’an and the truths of religion as a set of objective realities and has faith in them. It regards religious ordinances and injunctions of the Holy Qur’an as containing objective realities and observes them as directly related to his salvation and their violation as the cause of perdition in this world and the hereafter.

Since these individuals have no opinion or view of their own, they believe in religion, heavenly scriptures, divine ordinances and teachings; have faith in the causative relationship between them and the welfare of mankind,

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strive hard to accurately understand the Qur’an to know exactly what it enjoins; and then, follow it.

2. Opposed to the first group, there are people who think that the Qur’an, or any other religious text or scripture for that matter depends on what individuals think and it does not speak about absolute and specific subject matters. The Qur’an or any religious text is devoid of meaning and content and it has no innate purpose. Every person has his own ideas which stem from his educational, family, social and other backgrounds. Once he approaches the Qur’an, he deduces certain points based on his personal ideas, while the Qur’an does not actually express those points. In fact, it is his understanding which is discussed under the guise of the Qur’an. Obviously, given such perspective and outlook, religion, the Qur’an and its verses and injunctions are treated as words and frameworks devoid of any content and it is the ideas of man that give meaning and concept to these words. According to the abovementioned notion, it is claimed that the Qur’an or any religious text has nothing to speak of. Rather, every person understands something from the Qur’an or any religious text according to his own mindset. Obviously, this kind of outlook is actually a mockery of religion and the religious.

Perhaps, everybody is more or less familiar with the Dīvān [collection of poetry] of Ḥāfiẓ(1) and the ghazals(2) and other poems of this great poet and prominent mystic. The different readings of the dīvān of Ḥāfiẓ and the poems of this great poet mean that the composer of these poems has not meant anything in the words and expressions used in poetry. He has only put meaningless words and expressions together in a rhythmical form and arranged them as empty frameworks but of course with a very elegant and attractive rhythm. That is, while having no meaning, purpose and intention in mind, the poet has recited them.

In accordance with the notion of different readings, it is said that the ghazals and other poems of Ḥāfiẓ are devoid of any meaning. By consulting the book for a specific purpose and mindset, everyone opens the book of Ḥāfiẓ and interprets the first poem in a page or a ghazal in a certain way. For example, one who has a patient and wishes for his recovery consults the book and understands from a ghazal that his patient will not get well. Another person who has a debt understands from the same ghazal that he will soon pay it. A third person who hopes for the return home of his loved one who is on a journey receives from it glad tidings of the return of his beloved. In general, everyone understands something from these words according to his mindset. In reality, it is the individuals who give the book of Ḥāfiz the power of speech. Everyone puts his own words in the mouth of Ḥāfiẓ and all interpretations, justifications and perceptions are considered correct because these understandings are those of individuals, while the expressions, words, ghazals, and other poems are assumed meaningless.

This notion is exactly the same as the “different interpretations of religion,” which considers the Qur’an or any religious text meaningless and devoid of any message or significance. The proponents of this idea assume that the Qur’an does not state what to do or not to do, and what is true and correct or what is false and wrong. Rather, it is individuals who interpret truth and falsehood from the Qur’an, according to their own mindsets. Since these things originate from the minds of individuals, all of them can be considered correct. In fact, to judge them as correct or otherwise is meaningless because all different interpretations of a verse, though contradictory to one another, are considered correct. A person understands from a ghazal of

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Ḥāfiz that his patient will get well. Another person learns from it that his loved one who is traveling will return soon. A third person becomes hopeless and expects the death of his patient.

The proponents of the notion of “different interpretations of religion” claim that the Qur’an or any religious text is also like that. They believe that individuals are not supposed to accuse one another of misunderstanding the Qur’an because understanding it does not require any expertise since the Qur’an or any religious text has no message of its own for it to be understood. The fact of the matter is that “understanding” is within the realm of man. In our opinion, the promotion of this idea is meant to attain certain political goals but it is outwardly advanced and promoted as a religious epistemological theory and called “new interpretation of religion,” “straight paths,” or the like. Religious pluralism which is presented in the framework of “different interpretations of religion” is not very logically or rationally substantiated. Once a rational person examines the roots of this idea and its effects, he will undoubtedly confirm its falsity and futility. On the other hand, given the destructive impacts of pluralist thought in religious society, it cannot easily be ignored.

It seems that coupled with thousands of years of experience, one of the most effective snares which Satan—this sworn enemy of mankind—has used since the creation of Ḥaḍrat Ādam (Adam) (‘a) to deceive the worshippers of God and monotheists is to advance the notion of “different interpretations of religion”. Inspired by this satanic thinking, so-called intellectuals rush to the help of Satan and exert all efforts to assist him in this regard. They have placed their talents and powers of oral and written expressions at the disposal of Satan and set themselves as instruments to misguide people.

We have to think as much as possible about the true meaning of “different interpretations of religion” or “straight paths” and to reflect on the destructive effects and repercussions of this atheistic thought so that we can find out the goals of the founders and proponents of this satanic snare and realize the intensity of their movement.

In any case, once we compare this tendency with that of the first group, [we will find out that] the spirit of the first tendency is God-centeredness or servitude and submission to God, the Exalted, and the spirit of the second tendency is man-centeredness or keeping away from God and His commandments. In the first tendency, the efforts are generally exerted for man to accept his servitude to God, the Exalted, while in the second tendency the efforts are exerted for man to deny his servitude to God and indulge in bestial inclinations and passions. This tendency sets human inclinations and desires as the essence and tries to interpret and justify religion or the Qur’an according to them.

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Perhaps, one of the reasons behind the emphasis of the Qur’an on its descriptions such as ﴿ تِلْکَ آیَاتُ الْکِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُّبِینٍ ﴾ “These are the signs of the Book and a manifest Qur’an,”(1) ﴿ بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِیٍّ مُّبِینٍ ﴾ “In a clear Arabic language,”(2) ﴿ تِلْکَ آیَاتُ الْقُرْآنِ وَکِتَابٍ مُّبِینٍ ﴾ “These are the signs of the Qur’an and a manifest Book,”(3) and ﴿ قَدْ جَاءکُم مِّنَ اللّهِ نُورٌ وَکِتَابٌ مُّبِینٌ ﴾ “Certainly there has come to you a light from Allah and a manifest Book,”(4) which highlight the clarity, lucidity and expressiveness of the Qur’an is exactly to prevent deviant thoughts like “different interpretations of religion” and refute any allegation of ambiguity and vagueness in the meaning and purport of the Qur’an.

Thus, the Qur’an is the book of guidance in which God, the Exalted, has stated all the truths necessary for the happiness of man in this world and the hereafter. By reflecting on the Qur’an, Muslims are duty-bound to know their individual and social duties and guarantee their salvation by following it. Meanwhile, the question on who is the competent person to interpret the Qur’an and religious teachings is a subject which we shall now deal with.

possesses the spirit of servitude to God can understand it and benefit from it according to his own intellectual level. However, to fathom the meanings and knowledge [ma‘ārif] of the Qur’an a great deal of reflection and thinking is needed. In this regard, the Qur’an says:

﴿ إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِیًّا لَّعَلَّکُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴾

“Indeed We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an so that you may apply reason.”(1)

﴿ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِیًّا لَّعَلَّکُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴾

“We have made it an Arabic Qur’an so that you may apply reason.”(2)

In general, the verses that invite mankind to reflect and apply reason regarding the Qur’an and its teachings tell us that we should not only depend on the outward meanings of the Qur’an. Instead, by relying upon reflection, reason and the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), we have to explore the profundity and subtleties of the Qur’an and benefit from this treasure of divine knowledge more than ever. Therefore, to understand the Qur’an and interpret its sublime knowledge [ma‘ārif] is only within the competence of the experts who are acquainted with the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). A neophyte without any knowledge of religion and the principles and rules governing the exegesis [tafsīr] of the Qur’an, has no right to express a view or say anything under the name of a “new interpretation of religion and its laws and teachings”.

﴿ یَا أَیُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاء إِلَی اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِیُّ الْحَمِیدُ ﴾

“O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah is He who is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable.”(1)

What common people understand from this verse as it outwardly indicates is that we are in need of God, the Exalted, who is self-sufficient and worthy of praise. By the word faqr [poverty], what come to the minds of common people are human needs for subsistence such as food, clothing and others. By creating their causes and effects, God, the Exalted, provides means for the subsistence, growth and evolution of man. At this level of understanding which is the “outward level,” the Qur’an is clear and evident and all those who know its language can understand it well. It does not mean, however, that another meaning which is deeper than this outward meaning cannot be inferred from it and the abovementioned verse does not point to any fact more profound than what the common people understand. The more a person is acquainted with the different subjects of scholastic theology [‘ilm al-kalām] and literary nuances of the Arabic language, the more he reflects and ponders on each verse, and finds subtler and more profound meanings than the obvious meanings of the Qur’an.

If we try to reflect a bit deeper on this verse, we will realize that our poverty and need for God, the Exalted, is beyond the need for food, clothing, health, and material things. We are in absolute poverty while God is All-sufficient. We are essentially poor [faqīr bi’dh-dhāt] while God is Self-sufficient in essence [ghanī bi’dh-dhāt]. Literally, “poor” refers to a person whose pillars of support are broken and he is incapable of standing. “Man is poor” means that even if all material things are provided for him, his existence is defective and dependent. The essence of our existence is in need of God. It is God, the Exalted, who has created us. By creating the causes and effects of existence, it is He who has provided the ground for man’s subsistence, growth and evolution. By the nature and essence of our being, we are poor and needy while God is All-sufficient in essence.

It is evident that the second perspective is deeper than the first one. The first and second meanings are considered “outer” and “inner” respectively. And even more profound meaning than the second one is for us to say that human beings are not only poor and needy by the nature of their existence but by the nature of the very “need” itself. Their need for existence is their connection with God, the Exalted. Of course, to understand the truth of the third meaning is beyond the capability of common people.

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It must be noted that all three interpretations of this verse run parallel, all three are correct and rightful, none of them contradicts the other. In terms of depth, however, they are not of the same level. It is not correct to say that all degrees of the meanings of the Qur’an are universally understandable and that all people have the power and capability to understand all levels and degrees of the Qur’an. It is necessary to emphasize and point out that after the Apostle (ṣ), only the Imāms (‘a), through divine inspiration, possess the knowledge and sciences of the Qur’an and are cognizant of the inner aspects of this great heavenly book. In this regard, we shall partially quote below a relevant tradition:

عَنْ أَبِی جَعْفَرٍ (ع) فَقَالَ یَا جابِرْ! إِنَّ لِلْقُرْآنِ بَطْنًا وَلِلْبَطْنِ بَطْنٌ وَلَهُ ظَهْرٌ وَلِلظَّهْرِ ظَهْرٌ یَا جَابِرْ! وَلَیْسَ شَیْءٌ أَبْعَدُ مِنْ عُقُوْلِ الرِّجَالِ مِنْ تَفْسِیْرِ الْقُرْآنِ إِنَّ الْآیَةَ یَکُوْنُ أَوَّلُهَا فِی شَیْءٍ وَآخِرُهَا فِی شَیْءٍ وَهُوَ کَلاَمُ مُتَّصِلٌ یُتَصَرَّفُ عَلیٰ وُجُوهٍ.

Abū Ja‘far (Imām Muḥammad al-Bāqir) (‘a) said: “O Jābir! The Qur’an has an interior [bāṭin] and this interior is within an interior. It also has an exterior [ẓāhir] and this exterior is within an exterior. O Jābir! Also know that the intellects of men are incapable of interpreting the Qur’an. Verily, the first part of a verse may deal with a thing while its latter part may deal with another thing. It consists of words connected together with the capacity of having various meanings (though without being contradictory to one another).”(1)

What is emphasized here is that understanding the inner meanings and subtleties of the Qur’an is not within the competence of everybody. Of course, it does not mean that the Qur’an has been revealed only for the Imāms (‘a) and scholars, and others are incapable of understanding even the outward meanings of the Qur’an. In fact, the outward meanings of the Qur’an can be beneficial to everyone, depending on the talent and the level of understanding and discernment, provided that he sets aside his prejudgment as well as carnal desires and inclinations, and avoids speculative interpretation. In connection with understanding the Qur’an, one has to pay special attention to certain points which we shall deal with under the following heading.

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purify them, and to teach them the Book and wisdom, and earlier they had indeed been in manifest error.”(1)

In this and similar verses, the first duty has been mentioned with the phrase “to recite” [yatlū] and in mentioning the second duty the expression “to teach” [ta‘līm] has been used.

In conclusion, elucidation of the revelation and elaborate explanation of the divine laws and exegesis of the Holy Qur’an in the above sense is a function which is only within the competence of the Apostle (ṣ) and the infallible Imāms (‘a), for they are the only ones blessed with divine knowledge and wisdom by God.

suggest its apparent meaning, i.e. “hand”. It rather refers to its allegorical meaning such as “power” and the like. Thus, interpreting and expounding the verse “The hand of Allah is above their hands” without paying attention to the verse “Nothing is like Him” is outside the periphery of proper method of interpretation and because of this wrong interpretation, it may possibly lead to the presentation of an erroneous anthropomorphic representation of God.

As such, in interpreting the Qur’an we have to pay attention to the verses in relation to one another and understand their meaning through the Qur’an itself.

jurisprudence [fiqh] and the deduction of laws from religious sources [ijtihād] has various levels. Every mukallaf (1) is obliged to follow [taqlīd] the most learned jurist [faqīh], i.e. one who in matters of ijtihād has the superior understanding and talent and is the most knowledgeable in jurisprudence. Of course, the other marāji‘ al-taqlīd [sources of emulation or religious authorities] who are not equal to the most learned in matters of ijtihād are also fuqahā and mujtahidūn but they are on a lower level. It must not remain unsaid that the religious edict [fatwā] of the fuqahā on the necessity of following the most learned also stems from the rational method. It is exactly like referring to an expert doctor who has many years of medical experience. To prefer him over a doctor who has recently acquired his license to practice medicine is the rational decision, and to do otherwise is condemned by all rational people. Understanding and identifying the subtleties of the Qur’an is only within the competence of the experts who spent their lives understanding the Qur’an and religious sciences with the knowledge acquired from the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). Keeping in view the different degrees of understanding and interpreting this heavenly book, it is evident that the more the abovementioned points and affairs are taken into account, the lesser will be the probability of committing mistakes while interpreting the divine verses, and easier to get closer to the correct understanding of this heavenly scripture.

transformation of meanings, which sometimes happens in the course of time to a certain word, may possibly lead to error and misunderstanding.

For example, the meaning and concept of the word taqiyyah [dissimulation] is clear to all. In popular usage this word means that a person conceals his faith or religion and acts in such a manner that others are uninformed of his real faith or religion while the literal meaning of taqiyyah is piety and it has been used in the Qur’an and Nahj al-Balāghah in this sense. The word taqiyyah is not mentioned in the Qur’an but the word taqāh which is synonymous with taqiyyah and taqwā [piety or God-wariness] is mentioned in the passage below:

﴿ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ ﴾

“Be wary of Allah with the wariness due to Him.”(1)

fluency to mankind. This book has invited the people to monotheism, guidance, perfection, and felicity in the most beautiful and eloquent manner.

In a single statement: neglect of any of the above-mentioned prerequisites will lead to a misunderstanding and incorrect interpretation of the heavenly book—the Holy Qur’an.

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schemes against the religious culture of the people. In this regard, we shall first pay attention to the statement of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) recorded in Nahj al-Balāghah. Then, we will acquaint the masses, especially the youth and the educated with the satanic stratagems of the opponents of the Qur’an to mislead the people.

Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) said:

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّکُمْ لَنْ تَعْرِفُوا الرُّشْدَ حَتَّی تَعْرِفُوا الَّذِی تَرَکَهُ، وَلَنْ تَأْخُذُوا بِمَیثَاقِ الْکِتَابِ حَتَّی تَعْرِفُوا الَّذِی نَقَضَهُ، وَلَنْ تَمَسَّکُوا بِهِ حَتَّی تَعْرِفُوا الَّذَی نَبَذَهُ. فَالْ_تَمِسُوا ذلِکَ مِنْ عِنْدِ أَهْلِهِ، فَإِنَّهُمْ عَیْشُ الْعِلْمِ، وَمَوْتُ الْجَهْلِ.

“You should know that you will never know guidance unless you know who has abandoned it, you will never abide by the pledges of the Qur’an unless you know who has broken them, and will never cling to it unless you know who has forsaken it. Seek these things from those who own them because they are the life spring of knowledge and death of ignorance.”(1)

This instructive statement of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) on the need to know the enemies and identify their deviant ideas renders the burden of responsibility of the religious scholars, preachers and propagators much heavier. Purging the minds of the people, especially the youth, who do not have sufficient knowledge of religion, of the objections and doubts of the atheists is one of the fundamental tasks of propagation and promotion of Qur’anic or religious culture, without which one cannot expect a desirable result. To make this matter clear, we shall deal with this subject in three sections: the doubts, the approach, and the motive of the enemies in instilling the doubts.

It is true that the Qur’an is the greatest favor that God, the Exalted, has ever granted His servants and He Himself has guaranteed its protection and preservation from distortion by the wicked, but this is not the end of the story. At every moment, depending on the condition and spiritual state of those who in terms of social status are capable of exerting influence on the minds of people, Satan, the sworn enemy of the Children of Adam, instills doubts into their minds so as to draw the masses of people towards him and away from the Qur’an and religion. Since the Qur’an is the greatest means of guidance, salvation and felicity of mankind, the main goal of Satan is to separate human beings from the Qur’an and religion. One of the means used by Satan along this way is to instill doubts about religion or the Qur’an to weaken the faith of the people.

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The activities of Satan and his human entourage in suppressing the Qur’an have been there since its revelation. They started with the closing of ears and refusing to listen to the divine verses, followed by impugning and calumniating the Prophet (ṣ). They continue today in various forms and will continue in future. In this regard, we shall cite only some of the doubts expressed in society today, and try to clear the minds of readers so that by becoming aware of their satanic stratagems, they can confront the cultural onslaught of the enemies.

As the devils failed to destroy and annihilate the Qur’an in their campaign against it, they decided to deprive the people of getting acquainted with its content. For many centuries the enemies of the Qur’an propagated among the Muslims, the Shī‘ah in particular, that the Qur’an is beyond their understanding and they have no knowledge of its esoteric aspect. As such, one cannot rely only upon its exoteric aspect. By promoting this idea, they tried to deprive people of the benefits of the Qur’an and remove it from the lives of Muslims. It is true that the outward respect to the Qur’an in the form of reciting and kissing it and considering it holy remained among Muslims, but they were deprived of its content and discouraged from putting its divine instructions into practice.

Nowadays, so-called intellectuals who have scanty knowledge of the Islamic sciences instill the most deceiving doubts—used in the past centuries in the West against the distorted scriptures of other religions—under the rubric of “new thinking” among the cultural and academic circles and influence the educated class who are uninformed of their false ideas and satanic imagination. They are doing so with the hope of undermining the foundation of beliefs of this class without knowing that the Muslims, especially the educated ones with inquisitive minds, soon realize the falsity of their baseless, fictitious, illogical, and irrational ideas. The beliefs of the Muslims and religious scholars are anchored in logic and rationality, derived from the knowledge of the Apostle (ṣ) and the infallible Imāms (‘a) and stem from the fountain of divine revelation. Whenever a Muslim comes across with deviant ideas in the intellectual and ideological domain, he refers to experts and scholars of the religious sciences so as to receive the logical and correct answer.

Since our discussion pertains to the Holy Qur’an, we shall examine and discuss the abovementioned doubt or misgiving in relation to it. This doubt is raised in various forms on different levels. Sometimes, it is claimed that some verses of the Holy Qur’an have diverse interpretations on which the exegetes do not have a consensus of opinion. No matter how we research to arrive at the correct view, at the end we will accept the interpretation and opinion of one of the exegetes, which other exegetes do not regard as the view of the Qur’an. It is therefore impossible to obtain the real view of the Qur’an.

By doing so, the promoters of this misgiving unsurprisingly want to instill doubt into the minds of those who are mentally weak and do not have sufficient knowledge of religious sciences to analyze and respond. The skeptics think that the intellectual and ideological foundations of Muslims are based upon blind following. They know that whenever there is talk about thought, reason and logic, only the Qur’an, along with its teachings is affirmed by a sound mind and correct logic, and wholeheartedly accepted by every truth-seeking person. They then try to raise this doubt in a more profound way so that they can render a severer blow to religious thought, without realizing that by scrutinizing their ideas Muslim thinkers will discover that this type of idea leads to nothing but the abyss of skepticism.

In any case, it can be inferred from the way this doubt is expressed that the promoters believe that the Holy Qur’an has immutable truths but since the exegetes do not have a consensus of opinion on the exegesis of the Qur’an, we are incapable of stating the truth of the Qur’an. It is therefore impossible to benefit from the Qur’an and it must be set aside.

But when they are confronted with explicit and categorical verses of the Qur’an and cannot find fault with the unambiguous verses nor refute its reasoning and precise verses, they express the doubt in a different manner. They totally withdraw from their former stance on the alleged impossibility of understanding the Qur’an and religious knowledge and assume the diametrically opposite stance. They regard the Qur’an and religious accounts as devoid of any reality, and religious ordinances and precepts as human beings’ theoretical understandings of Qur’anic verses. They claim that not only the Qur’an but all religious scriptures have been sent down so that they may be interpreted in diverse ways, and all these different interpretations and various understandings are correct and right. If it is asked, “Is it so even if these interpretations and understandings are contradictory to each other?” they will reply that the diversity of interpretations, even if conflicting, does not create any problem, because in essence, the Qur’an has never stated any reality. Rather, mere empty words and frameworks under the guise of “divine revelation” have been imparted

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to the Prophet (ṣ), and by consulting them everyone can deduce anything from them! What is actually presented is mere human understanding, and since humans have different mentalities, their interpretations may vary from one another. Religion is nothing but diverse human understanding of the words and verses of the Qur’an and religious accounts, and since they do not represent any reality, diverse interpretations cannot also be confirmed or falsified. All interpretations reveal the truth and must be deemed correct and right because the Qur’an does not state immutable truths which are consistent with only one of these interpretations.

The founders of the theory of “straight paths” or “different interpretations of religion” have gone further. In a bid to strike a blow to the basis and foundation of religion, i.e. divine revelation, they assert that not only can human beings not discern immutable truths from the Qur’an or divine revelation, and that everyone expresses and interprets what is in his mind as “revelation”, but even the Apostle (ṣ), because of his being human, has expressed his understanding and interpretation as “revelation” to the people. Accordingly, the understanding of the Apostle (ṣ) has also been a personal one in accordance with his mentality and the circumstances of his time and place and has been expressed in the form of words and verses. As such, it is asserted that the Qur’an cannot be considered the Word of God and divine revelation. Instead, it must be said that the Qur’an is the word of the Prophet (ṣ).

Definitely, you will ask: what can we say about the verses quoted below?

﴿ وَمَا یَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَی ٭ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ وَحْیٌ یُوحَی ﴾

“He does not speak out of [his own] desire: it is just a revelation that is revealed [to him].”(1)

﴿تَنزِیلٌ مِن رَبِّ الْعَالَمِینَ ٭ وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَیْنَا بَعْضَ ٱلأَقَاوِیلِ ٭ لأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْیَمِینِ ٭ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِینَ﴾

“[It is] gradually sent down from the Lord of all the worlds. Had he faked any sayings in Our name, We would have surely seized him by the right hand and then cut off his aorta.”(2)

The proponents of this theory say in reply that these points are also the understanding or interpretation of the Prophet (ṣ) and represent his feelings.

It is evident that such theories lead to nothing but skepticism, denial of reality, disregard for logical reasoning, and playing with words. In dealing

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with the most explicit meanings and unambiguous concepts, the promoters of this theory say, “This is your feeling and interpretation which does not indicate any truth except your own personal opinion. Hence, it is good and respectable for you but for others it has no value at all!”

The promotion of such notions about religion and the Qur’an is one of the most advanced stratagems and snares of Satan which have so far been used to deceive and beguile the Children of Adam.

Therefore, according to the rational way of the ignorant referring to the learned, there is no way of understanding the Qur’an and religious precepts except by referring to the Transmitter (ṣ) of this divine book and the infallible Imāms (‘a) and the students of their school. Yet, not all people follow the rational way and are faithful to reason and the logical principles of understanding [fahm], instruction [tafhīm] and comprehension [tafahhum]. They are those whose only pursuit is the misguidance of people and whose sole aim is to instill doubt and create sedition [fitnah] in society. The Qur’an has also predicted this reality:

﴿ هُوَ الَّذِیَ أَنزَلَ عَلَیْکَ الْکِتَابَ مِنْهُ آیَاتٌ مُّحْکَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْکِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِینَ فی قُلُوبِهِمْ زَیْغٌ فَیَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاء الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاء تَأْوِیلِهِ وَمَا یَعْلَمُ تَأْوِیلَهُ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِی الْعِلْمِ یَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ کُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا وَمَا یَذَّکَّرُ إِلاَّ أُوْلُواْ الألْبَابِ ﴾

“It is He who has sent down to you the Book. Parts of it are definite verses, which are the mother of the Book, while others are metaphorical. As for those in whose hearts is deviance, they pursue what is metaphorical in it, courting temptation and courting its interpretation. But no one knows its interpretation except Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge; they say, ‘We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.’ And none takes admonition except those who possess intellect.”(1)

The muḥkamāt of the Qur’an refer to the verses whose meanings are clear and whose contents are undeniable. The verses constitute the principles and quintessence of Qur’anic knowledge. The criterion and basis of the correctness or incorrectness of “religious knowledge” are the muḥkamāt or “the mother of the Book”. On the contrary, there are verses which cannot be understood without the assistance of the muḥkamāt and not everybody can fathom the depth of their meanings. These verses are called “allegorical” verses [mutashābihāt].

The Qur’an has forbidden the people to follow the mutashābihāt without paying attention to the muḥkamāt and the exegesis and exposition of the Apostle (ṣ) and the infallible Imāms (‘a). The Holy Qur’an regards the act of following the mutashābihāt as a sign of deviation of the heart, stating that those who take the mutashābihāt of the Qur’an as the basis of their thinking, understanding and beliefs are looking for sedition, speculative interpretation [ta’wīl] and distortion [taḥrīf] of the Qur’an. According to the Qur’an, none knows the interpretation and exegesis of the allegorical verses except God and “those firmly grounded in knowledge”. “Those firmly grounded in

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knowledge” refer to those who have wholeheartedly acknowledged their servitude to God, saying: “We believe in the Qur’an—both its definitive and allegorical verses. Its entirety comes from God.”

On the other hand, most of the words used in the abstract sense are originally used with tangible meanings. Take for example the following verses:

﴿ یَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَیْدِیهِمْ ﴾

“The hand of Allah is above their hands.”(1)

﴿ وَهُوَ الْعَلِیُّ الْعَظِیمُ ﴾

“And He is the All-exalted, the All-supreme.”(2)

The words fawq, ‘alī, ‘ālī, and ‘uluww all mean “high” as opposed to “low”. It is evident that at the beginning man could not understand any meaning of these words beyond the tangible. For example, man takes his head as the criterion for what is “high” and regards his feet as “low”. He considers whatever is below his feet as “low”. For this reason, it is said that the sky is “high” while the earth is “low” or “below”. However, with his entrance into social life, he goes beyond these meanings and gradually perceives intangible and abstract meanings. That is, when it is said that so-and-so occupies a high position or is promoted to a higher position, man no longer understands “high” or “higher” in its tangible sense.

Obviously, in this kind of usage the intended meaning has become abstract. When it is said that “The One who has created all things by His will has an extremely high status,” the highness attributed to God is infinitely above the highness attributed to an office head in relation to his subordinates. The distance between the two is the distance between zero and infinity, as well as that of real and virtual, for any highness or delegated position is false and perishable expect the Real Highness which is due and belongs to God, the Creator of the universe.

﴿ إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَیْئًا أَنْ یَقُولَ لَهُ کُنْ فَیَکُونُ ﴾

“When He wills something, all He needs to do is say to it, ‘Be,’ then it is.”(3)

Therefore, when the Qur’an states, “He is the All-exalted, the All-supreme,”(4)

it implies that neither the Highness of God is physical and tangible nor His Magnificence and Greatness have any material and

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corporeal connotation. But the truth behind the Magnificence and Greatness of God is something which is beyond human comprehension. Of course, in many cases there is no word which can be used in an intangible sense. So, there is no option but to use the same word and give an abstract meaning to it. For example, it is said that God is High and Great. “High” is the same word used to refer to the roof in relation to the floor. “Great” is also the same word used when describing Mount Damāvand.(1)

Yet, when these words are used to describe God, their meanings become abstract. Again, their becoming abstract in meaning does not mean that their true sense, when applied to God, can be comprehended.

It is said that words which get closer to their true meanings through the above way are of the same type of similitude which elicits ambiguity and fallacy. When it is said that “God is above,” one who has not yet been able to separate the above meanings from their tangible properties and attributes thinks that God is in heaven, although He is not a body to occupy space:

﴿ فَأَیْنَمَا تُوَلُّواْ فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللّهِ ﴾

“So whichever way you turn, there is the face of Allah!”(2)

But he cannot comprehend it. Of course, he does not have any duty beyond what he can comprehend for he has no power beyond it.

When it is said, “Verily, Allah is the All-exalted, the All-supreme,” one who goes beyond this stage, has more power of understanding and also comprehends delegated meanings, thinks that the Highness and Greatness of God is also like that of a head office in relation to his subordinates. But these two are actually cheese and chalk apart!

One who has spent his life seeking knowledge, wisdom and comprehension of abstract meanings understands an even higher meaning of exaltedness and greatness, saying that God has Essential Greatness in relation to others.

All the creatures exist and so does God, but the existence of God, the Blessed and Exalted, in terms of the existential level of greatness, cannot be compared with His creatures. But, again, the truth behind His Highness, Greatness and sublime level of existence is something which everyone can discern depending on his power of discernment although comprehending its essence is impossible for anyone. Now, keeping in view the above

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explanation, we argue that whenever God wishes to tell us human beings something which is beyond our common understanding, He has to use words which we can comprehend to some extent after reflection, although it is beyond our comprehension to understand its essence. In such cases, there is no option but to use allegorical words.

As such, the verses which indicate metaphysical points and beyond the understanding of common human beings will more or less have certain degrees of metaphor, and whose essence can be known by the help of precise verses. For instance, whenever the Qur’an states, “And He is the All-exalted, the All-supreme,”(1)

and we cannot comprehend the truth or essence of the greatness and exaltedness of the Supreme Being, we have to interpret it through precise verses such as “Nothing is like Him”(2) so as to avoid misunderstanding and misinterpretation. The first verse states that God is Exalted and Great while the second one informs us that He has no equal and partner. That is, whatever state of greatness and exaltedness we think of it is still below His true Greatness and Exaltedness because He is above that.

The same is true with respect to the Attributes of God. When it is said that God is All-knowing and All-powerful, it is clear that the essence of knowledge in relation to God is above that which is applied to human beings. But the truth of the Attributes of God is something which is incomprehensible for anyone except God whose Essence is His Knowledge, Life and Power.

For the guidance of man towards Him and His Attributes, God, the Exalted, has used the same words which man initially understands in their tangible senses so that man does not remain deprived of that lofty knowledge, no matter how imperfect.

Hence, the existence of allegorical verses in the Qur’an is part of divine wisdom, for without them, the means to comprehend abstract and intangible concepts and facts would be totally lost. But to cite, interpret and expound the allegorical verses, as stated earlier, is something that must be done by the help of precise verses. But not all individuals who intend to understand the Qur’an and its sciences would choose the abovementioned logical, rational and natural way of understanding divine knowledge. In the verse under discussion, God mentions the existence of definitive and allegorical verses in the Qur’an and says that “Those in whose hearts is deviance”(3) have some psychological and moral sickness. In other words, “There is a

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sickness in their hearts.”(1) They take the allegorical verses as the basis of their thinking and action. Without taking into account the precise verses of the Qur’an, they give preference to allegorical verses and thus pave the ground for their own and others’ misguidance.

frontispiece of their propaganda activities against Islam. Meanwhile, they abhor listening to the precise verses of the Qur’an, the statements of truth and divine knowledge authentically transmitted from the Ahl al-Bayt or infallible Imāms (‘a).

They who sometimes regard themselves as Muslims are knowingly or unknowingly in tandem with the enemies of Islam, for they are looking for negative points to be falsely attributed to Islam. By magnifying these negative points, they aim at undermining the inclination towards Islam of those truth-seeking individuals who have not yet embraced Islam. In this book, we are dealing not only with atheists and non-Muslim enemies but also with those who claim to be Muslims.

In order to refuse to listen to the words of truth and submit to reason and logic, they make justifications for themselves such as those mentioned in the section about “different readings and interpretations of religion”, and maintain their stance without considering the implications of their statements. In this part, I shall let the dear readers themselves judge those justifications and their effects. However, out of sympathy and concern, we invite them to reexamine their faith, just as the Qur’an urges the faithful to invite one another to thinking, reflection, reform, and guidance, and remind one another of the truth

﴿ یَا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِیبُوا لِلّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاکُم لِمَا یُحْیِیکُمْ ﴾

“O you, who have faith! Answer Allah and the Apostle when he summons you to that which will give you life.”(1)

“Different interpretations” as a weapon in confronting the Qur’an

It should by now be clear that the said idea which is expressed under the name of “straight paths,” the expression “different understandings, readings or interpretations of religion,” or within the theoretical framework of “the language of religion” or “minimalist or maximalist religion” has no agenda but to oppose the religious beliefs of monotheist thought. Let them know that the wary Muslim scholars are smart enough to detect the illogical and irrational nature of their arguments and more than aware of the hidden agenda of the promoters of these groundless misgivings.

wicked acts? In reply, we shall first examine the view of the Qur’an and then explain the statement of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) in Nahj al-Balāghah in this regard.

It can be inferred from the Qur’an that since the very beginning of revelation, Satan has tried his best, by exploiting the weaknesses of the jinn and humans, to separate the people from the Qur’an. Other than this, nothing could be expected from Satan, for he swore:

﴿ فَبِعِزَّتِکَ لَأُغْوِیَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِینَ ٭ إِلاَّ عِبَادَکَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِینَ ﴾

“By Your might, I will surely pervert them, except Your exclusive servants among them.”(1)

In order to execute his plan of misguiding people and depriving them of the knowledge of the Qur’an, he made the precise verses a pretext. He encouraged or urged the materialists and his friends to follow the allegorical verses of the Qur’an without paying attention to its precise verses, so that through them he could also draw the rest towards uncertainty and doubt. After dividing the verses of the Qur’an into muḥkamāt and mutashābihāt, God, the Exalted, states:

﴿ فَأَمَّا الَّذِینَ فی قُلُوبِهِمْ زَیْغٌ فَیَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاء الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاء تَأْوِیلِهِ ﴾

“As for those in whose hearts is deviance, they pursue what is metaphorical in it, courting temptation and courting its interpretation.”(2)

His followers assist him in attaining his objective. The Qur’an describes these individuals as “Those in whose hearts is deviance” and “Those in whose hearts is a sickness” and forbids people from following them.

Our concern here is to explain from the Qur’anic perspective the motive of such individuals in their opposition to religious culture. The Holy Qur’an states that those who, with the intention of “courting temptation”, take the allegorical verses as the basis of their thinking and actions, or abandon the exterior [ẓāhir] of the Qur’an under the pretext of the mutashābihāt, are sedition-mongers.

The question which is posed here is: what is sedition [fitnah] and sedition-mongering? The lexicographers, especially those who strive to look for the original meaning of the word and give meanings to words while keeping their root-words in view, have said that fitnah originally means “heating a

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thing by means of fire”. Whenever a thing is placed over a fire to be warmed, burned or melted, the Arabs say “It made the thing hot” [fatanahu]. In the Qur’an, the phrase fatanahu has also been used in its literal sense when it says:

﴿ یَوْمَ هُمْ عَلَی النَّارِ یُفْتَنُونَ ﴾

“It is the day when they will be tormented in the Fire.”(1)

Therefore, the essence of the literal meaning of fatanahu is to burn and melt. However, as lexicographers say, the requisite of a literal meaning becomes the second or third meaning of the word. The same is true in the case of the word fitnah. As stated, fitnah originally means “to grow hot” but “to grow hot” has a requisite and that is if this growing hot or getting burned happens to a man—such as the verse “It is the day when they will be tormented in the Fire”—he will be in a state of agitation [iḍṭirāb]. Agitation is the outward condition of one who is physically burned. At times, it is an inner or spiritual state. As such, agitation is actually one of the requisites of fitnah or growing hot, and considering the expansion of the meaning of a word, fitnah also refers to the things that cause inner or spiritual agitation. Since a part of the inner or spiritual agitation is the worry or uncertainty in matters of beliefs, whatever causes such agitation is also called fitnah.

There is the term “sedition [fitnah] in religion” because by instilling superstitious or false notions, some individuals wish to create agitation or uncertainty in the conviction or faith of the faithful, and let them abandon the religion of truth.

An examination or test is also called fitnah for it causes agitation and worry. Since at the time of an examination a person is worried about the result, he has no peace of mind. In the Qur’an, the word fitnah, in the sense of agitation on account of a test, can be found in numerous verses. The Qur’an states:

﴿ أَنَّمَا أَمْوَالُکُمْ وَأَوْلاَدُکُمْ فِتْنَةٌ ﴾

“Your possessions and children are only a test.”(2)

It also says:

﴿ وَنَبْلُوکُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَیْرِ فِتْنَةً ﴾

“And We will test you with good and ill by way of test.”(3)

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Sometimes, the punishment or inconvenience itself is also referred to as fitnah.

It is evident that in the verse under discussion—“It is He who has sent down to you the Book. Parts of it are precise verses, which are the mother of the Book, while others are allegorical. As for those in whose hearts is deviance, they pursue what is allegorical in it, courting temptation [fitnah]”(1)—fitnah implies “sedition in religion”, for following the mutashābihāt is inconsistent with examination or test, and those who follow the mutashābihāt do not intend to torture and torment others. It does not mean to heat or burn either. Rather, they are sedition-mongers because under the pretext of the allegorical verses, they intend to create agitation or doubt in the minds of people and misguide them.

Meanwhile, the stance of the Qur’an against this strategy of the enemies is as follows:

﴿ وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّی لاَ تَکُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَیَکُونَ الدِّینُ کُلُّهُ لِلّه ﴾

“Fight them until faithlessness(1)

is no more, and religion becomes exclusively for Allah.”(2)

In this fighting, the slogan of the Muslims is as follows:

﴿ قُلْ هَلْ تَرَبَّصُونَ بِنَا إِلاَّ إِحْدَی الْحُسْنَیَیْنِ وَنَحْنُ نَتَرَبَّصُ بِکُمْ أَن یُصِیبَکُمُ اللّهُ بِعَذَابٍ مِنْ عِندِهِ أَوْ بِأَیْدِینَا فَتَرَبَّصُوا إِنَّا مَعَکُم مُّتَرَبِّصُونَ ﴾

“Say, ‘Do you await anything to befall us except one of the two excellences? But we await that Allah shall visit on you a punishment, from Him, or by our hands. So wait! We too are waiting along with you.’”(3)

true that the enemies will not derive advantage from this coquetry against religion and the Muslim nation, because our educated Muslim youth, who honorably and victoriously emerged from the armed struggle and invasion, are vigilant enough to detect the enemy’s transfer from the military front to the cultural front. Yet, because of the gravity of the danger and the irreparability of the consequences of defeat on the cultural front, the Holy Qur’an, while warning the Muslims, urges them to stand firmly against the enemies of God and religion.

The proponents of polytheism cleverly adopted the lifestyle of people of the time and chose appropriate methods to achieve their objectives. As such, since polytheism manifested itself in the form of idol-worship during the early period of Islam, the chiefs of polytheism promoted the worship of idols made of stone and wood, and prevented people from inclining to the worship of One God. The reason behind this attitude was that with the dominance of the monotheistic culture, there would have been no room for them to satisfy their carnal desires.

Today, polytheism in its modern form is promoted under the guise of “scientific theories” in different gatherings and circles. If during the early period of Islam 360 idols or so were worshipped and promoted by materialists to stupefy the minds of people, today the exponents of polytheism try to build as many idols as the people, dissuade them from thinking of God, the Exalted, and draw their attention to satanic insinuations and superstitions.

It is clear that the notion of “straight paths” or “different interpretations of religion” belongs to this category, since it means that any person can take whatever he understands regarding God and religion from the religious texts as the basis of his belief and action because that is the truth and reality.

Therefore, everyone can have his own private or personal deities and religions. It is evident that this notion is diametrically opposed to the spirit of monotheism which is embodied in the formula of faith “There is no god but Allah” [Lā ilāha illallāh].

Since the most sensitive subject in the life of man is his belief, on which his felicity in this world and the hereafter depends, it is worthwhile for him to reexamine his beliefs and ideas on the basis of the Qur’an and the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), and rationally or logically assess them without being led astray by his whims and caprice, for it is only in this way that he can free himself from the snares of Satan and the abyss of deviation. Of course, to purify one’s self and overcome one’s carnal desires is extremely difficult, and it is not without purpose that the Apostle (ṣ) has considered it “greater jihād” [jihād al-akbar]. It is especially true if the enemies of monotheism and Islam are willing to grant him international fame in order to achieve their political and colonial agendas of confronting Islam. It is true that in such a situation, for man to embark on jihād al-akbar, and disregard the pledges and promises of the enemies of Islam is an astounding and amazing accomplishment, but it is not impossible. In history, many individuals came to their senses at the last moment, freed themselves from their carnal desires and the trap of the devils from among the jinn and humans, saved

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themselves from impending perdition, and returned to the fold of monotheism.

fitnah in religion that would take place as mentioned by God, the Exalted. The Apostle (ṣ) said: ‘After me my ummah will experience fitnah.’ He (ṣ) then mentioned the types of sedition (fitnah) that would be carried out by the materialists, emphasizing three types:

یَا عَلِیٌّ إِنَّ الْقَوْمَ سَیُفْتَنُوْنَ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَیَمُنُّوْنَ بِدِیْنِهِمْ عَلیٰ رَبِّهِمْ وَیَتَمَنَّوْنَ رَحْمَتَهُ وَیَأْمَنُوْنَ سَطْوَتَهُ یَسْتَحِلُّوْنَ حَرَامَهُ بِالشُّبَهَاتِ الْکَاذِبَةِ وَالأَهْوَاءِ السَّاهِیَةِ، فَیَسْتَحِلُّوْنَ الْخَمْرَ بِالنَّبِیْذِ وَالسُّحْتَ بِالْهَدِیَّةِ وَالرِّبَا بِالْبَیْعِ.

O ‘Alī! Surely the people will be tested with their wealth. They will count as a favor to their Lord their acceptance of the religion and expect His mercy and immunity from punishment. They will make lawful what He prohibited through unjustifiable misgivings and carnal desires. So they will equate wine with fruit syrup, bribery with gift, and usury [ribā] with trade.”

The Apostle (ṣ) said: “After me the people will be afflicted with a fitnah in their wealth and economic relations, ignore the explicit decrees of the Qur’an on the prohibition of usury, and practice usury under the pretext of trade and business based on false justifications.”

vis-à-vis God is repugnant to the truth of religion and the spirit of Islam, which is total submission to the Will of God.

the people of the 21st century need a prophet who is appropriate for the time, such assertions can be considered not only a denial of religion but the claimants’ incorrect understanding of religion and its laws. Those who make such assertions are supposed to pay attention to the implication, corollaries and repercussions of their assertions. Perhaps they would avoid saying something that could be considered seditious in religion and save themselves from the snare of Satan and the enemies of Islam and the Qur’an.

enemies of religion and keep them away from the snares of Satan. Religious people can assist committed religious scholars in accomplishing their great mission of guiding society.

As stated at the beginning of the book, in this part we shall mention the motives of the opponents of religious culture as recorded in Nahj al-Balāghah by Imām ‘Alī (‘a). We shall first identify these elements and then mention the motives of these individuals in opposing religious culture and the teachings of the Qur’an.

In the West today it is believed that acquisition of knowledge is impossible for man and he must be skeptical of everything and have no certainty in any subject. The proponents of this idea believe that for a person to say that he is certain of the certain subject is a sign of ignorance and folly, for it is impossible to have knowledge of anything. Being proud of this doubt and ignorance, they argue that the sign of knowledge, learning and intelligence is for man to be skeptical of any knowledge and certainty in any subject whether religious or non-religious. Such weak arguments have been advanced for the past one hundred years or so among the Europeans. Prior to it, it had also been the intellectual basis of the skeptics. In our society today, there are those who intend to weaken the religious convictions of the people by casting doubt upon their religious beliefs under the pretext that we cannot have certain knowledge in any field, and, thereby, realize their goals and satisfy their carnal desires. Interestingly enough, they advance these contentions under the guise of “academic subjects” and expect our wary and sagacious people to accept them hook, line and sinker.

Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) pointed to the existence of such wicked individuals throughout history and said:

فَاقْتَبَسَ جَهَائِلَ مِنْ جُهَّال وَأَضَالِیلَ مِنْ ضُلاَّل.

“He has gleaned ignorance from the ignorant and misguidance from the misguided.”(1)

They learn ridiculous subjects from a group of ignorant and misguided persons and discuss them as “scientific facts”. An example of their “scientific facts” is that one must doubt everything and not have certainty in anything! Concerning religious affairs, they say whatever a person understands is the truth! It is because in essence truth and falsehood do not exist! There is no criterion for truth and falsehood except the personal understanding of every person.

Imām ‘Alī (‘a) also said:

وَنَصَبَ لِلنَّاسِ أَشْرَاکاً مِنْ حبالِ غُرُور، وَقَوْلِ زُور.

“He has set for the people a trap (made) of the ropes of deceit and untrue speech.”(2)

The Imām (‘a) continued:

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قَدْ حَمَلَ الْکِتَابَ عَلَی آرَائِهِ.

“He takes the Book (Qur’an) according to his own views and right after his passions.”(1)

Then, the Imām (‘a) turned his attention to the propaganda styles of these people and said:

وَعَطَفَ الْحَقَّ عَلی أَهْوَائِهِ، یُؤْمِنُ مِنَ الْعَظَائِمِ، وَیُهَوِّنُ کَبِیرَ الْجَرَائِمِ.

“He makes people feel safe from big sins and treats serious crimes lightly.”(2)

That is, in a bid to draw the attention of people, they make them feel safe from the consequences of their major sins, present major sins as trivial, and thus encourage them to commit crimes and offenses. They actually try to weaken religious convictions and piety.

The Imām (‘a) also said:

یَقُولُ: أَقِفُ عِنْدَ الشُّبُهَاتِ، وَفِیهَا وَقَعَ، وَیَقُولُ: أَعْتَزِلُ الْبِدَعَ، وَبَیْنَهَا اضْطَجَعَ. فَالصُّورَةُ صُورَةُ إِنْسَان، وَالْقَلْبُ قَلْبُ حَیَوَان، لاَ یَعْرِفُ بَابَ الْهُدَی فَیَتَّبِعَهُ، وَلاَ بَابَ الْعَمَی فیَصُدَّ عَنْهُ، فَذلِکَ مَیِّتُ الاَْحْیَاءَ!

“He says that he is waiting for (clarification of) doubts but he remains plunged therein, and that he keeps aloof from innovations but actually he is immersed in them. His shape is that of a man, but his heart is that of a beast. He does not know the door of guidance to follow or the door of misguidance to keep aloof from. Such people are living dead bodies.”(3)

Then, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) addressed the people and said:

(فَأَیْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ)؟ و (أَنَّی تُؤْفَکُونَ)! وَالاَْعْلاَمُ قَائِمَةٌ، وَالاْیَاتُ وَاضِحَةٌ، وَالْمَنَارُ مَنْصُوبَةٌ، فَأَیْنَ یُتَاهُ بِکُمْ؟ بَلْ کَیْفَ تَعْمَهُونَ وَبَیْنَکُمْ عِتْرَةُ نَبِیِّکُمْ؟ وَهُمْ أَزِمَّةُ الْحَقِّ، وَأَلْسِنَةُ الصِّدْقِ! فأَنْزِلُوهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ مَنَازِلِ القُرْآنِ، وَرِدُوهُمْ وُرُودَ الْهِیمِ الْعِطَاشِ.

““So where are you going?”(4)

“Then where do you stray?”(5)

The signs (of guidance) are standing, indications (of virtue) are clear,

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and the minarets (of light) have been fixed. Where are you being taken astray and how are you groping while you have among you the descendants of the Prophet? They are the reins of Right, signs of Faith and tongues of truth. Accord to them the same good position as you accord to the Qur’an, and come to them (for quenching the thirst of guidance) as thirsty camels approach the water spring.”(1)

In a tone harsher than that of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a), the Holy Qur’an describes these pseudo-learned ignoramuses and warns the people of their deception:

﴿ وَکَذَلِکَ جَعَلْنَا لِکُلِّ نِبِیٍّ عَدُوًّا شَیَاطِینَ الإِنسِ وَالْجِنِّ یُوحِی بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَی بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا وَلَوْ شَاء رَبُّکَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا یَفْتَرُونَ ﴾

“That is how for every prophet We appointed as enemies the devils from among humans and jinn, who inspired each other with flashy words, deceptively. Had your Lord wished, they would not have done it. So leave them with what they fabricate.”(2)

The enemies of the prophets (‘a) and the opponents of divine guidance are outwardly human but because all their activities are directed towards misguiding others, instilling doubts, weakening religious beliefs, and opposing divine guidance, the Qur’an describes them as devils in human form and warns people from following them.

It is indeed a pity that today we can witness those who, under the pretext of “different interpretations of religious texts,” intend to give a religious color to their own carnal desires and yearnings and make a mockery of the religion of God and the Holy Qur’an.

By predicting the condition of society, Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) complained of the alienation of the Qur’an during his time as well as the end of time, saying:

إِلَی اللهِ أَشْکومِن مَعشَرٍ یَعِیشُونَ جُهَّالاً، وَیَمُوتُونَ ضُلاَّلاً، لَیْسَ فِیهمْ سِلْعَةٌ أَبْوَرُ مِنَ الکِتَابِ إِذَا تُلِیَ حَقَّ تِلاَوَتِهِ، وَلاَ سِلْعَةٌ أَنْفَقُ بَیْعاً وَلاَ أَغْلَی ثَمَناً مِنَ الکِتَابِ إِذَا حُرِّفَ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ!

“I complain to Allah about persons who live ignorant and die misguided. For them nothing is more worthless than the Qur’an if it is recited as it should be recited, nor anything more valuable than the Qur’an if its verses are removed from their places.”(1)

Similarly, regarding the status of the Qur’an and religious teachings during the end of time, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) thus said:

وَإِنَّهُ سَیَأْتی عَلَیْکُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِی زَمَانٌ لَیْسَ فِیهِ شَیْءٌ أَخْفَی مِنَ الْحَقِّ، وَلاَ أَظْهَرَ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ، وَلاَ أَکْثَرَ مِنَ الْکَذِبِ عَلَی اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَلَیْسَ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ ذلِکَ الزَّمَانِ سِلْعَةٌ أَبْوَرَ مِنَ الْکِتَابِ إِذَا تُلِیَ حَقَّ تِلاَوَتِهِ، وَلاَ أَنْفَقَ مِنْهُ إِذَا حُرِّفَ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ، وَلاَ فِی الْبِلاَدِ شَیءٌ أنْکَرَ مِنَ الْمَعْرُوفِ، وَلاَ أَعْرَفَ مِنَ المُنکَرِ! فَقَدْ نَبَذَ الْکِتَابَ حَمَلَتُهُ، وَتَنَاسَاهُ حَفَظَتُهُ، فَالْکِتَابُ یَوْمَئِذ وَأَهْلُهُ مَنْفِیَّانِ طَرِیَدانِ، وَصَاحِبَانِ مُصْطَحِبَانِ فِی طَرِیق وَاحِد لاَ یُؤْوِیهِمَا مُؤْو، فَالْکِتَابُ وَأَهْلُهُ فِی ذلِکَ الزَّمَانِ فِی النَّاسِ وَلَیْسَا فِیهِمْ، وَمَعَهُمْ وَلَیْسَا مَعَهُمْ! لاَِنَّ الضَّلاَلَةَ لاً تُوَافِقُ الْهُدَی، وَإِنِ اجْتَمَعَا، فَاجْتَمَعَ الْقَوْمُ عَلَی الْفُرْقَةِ، وَافْتَرَقُوا عَنِ الْجَمَاعَةِ، کَأَنَّهُمْ أَئِمَّةُ الْکِتَابِ وَلَیْسَ الْکِتَابُ إِمَامَهُمْ.

“Certainly, a time will come upon you after me when nothing will be more concealed than rightfulness, nothing more apparent than wrongfulness and nothing more current than untruth against Allah and His Prophet. For the people of this period nothing will be more valueless than the Qur’an being recited as it ought to be recited, nor anything more valuable than the Qur’an being misplaced from its position. And in the towns nothing will be more hated than virtue, nor anything more acceptable than vice. The holders of the Book will throw it away and its memorizers forget it. In these days the Qur’an and its people

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will be exiled and expelled. They will be companions keeping together on one path, but no one will offer them asylum. Consequently at this time the Qur’an and its people will be among the people but not among them, will be with them but not with them, because misguidance cannot accord with guidance even though they may be together. The people will have united on division and will therefore be cut away from the community, as though they were the leaders of the Qur’an and not the Qur’an their leader.”(1)

The Commander of the Faithful (‘a) clearly predicted that after him a time will come when nothing will be more concealed than the truth and nothing more apparent than falsehood. Lies and calumny against God and His Apostle (ṣ) will frequently be done by the pseudo-learned ignoramuses and materialistic hypocrites in order to attain their goals.

In continuation, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) said: “At that time, no action will be seen from those who are knowledgeable of the Word of God except indifference, and from the protectors of the Qur’an whose duty is to guard the religious values nothing but complacency and negligence in the performance of duty. At that time, the Qur’an and its true followers and the religious scholars will be among the people but in reality separate from them and the people will be equally away from them. It is because the people will isolate them and not follow them. They will live among the people but the hearts of the people will not be with them because the people will tread the path of misguidance, which cannot be reconciled with the way of the Qur’an, the path of guidance.

At the end of the sermon, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) thus said: “The people will have united on division and will therefore have cut away from the Islamic community, as though they were the leaders of the Qur’an and not the Qur’an their leader.” That is, the people at that time will be united on discord and dissension. It is as if they will agree on not to concur with the Qur’an and its true interpreters, to follow the pseudo-learned ignoramuses as though they were the leaders of the Qur’an and will interpret and justify the Qur’an according to their carnal desires, and to separate and keep aloof from the true Muslims, religious scholars and authentic interpreters of the Qur’an. Instead of taking the Qur’an as their guide and model in their thinking and action, they will overtake the Qur’an, refuse to acknowledge its leadership and guidance and interpret the Qur’an and religion according to their opinion.”

Now, the enemies of religion and the Qur’an have tried their best to remove the religious identity of the Muslim nation and deprive them of their independence, freedom and honor by means of weakening their religious beliefs. Considering the importance and sensitivity of the situation, it is expedient for the Muslim nation, especially the religious scholars, to realize the threat, be vigilant and never be complacent concerning their situation vis-à-vis the threat posed by the enemies of Islam and the Qur’an.

Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, in a bid to achieve their imperialist agenda, the enemies of Islam and global kufr do not openly express their enmity to Islam and the Muslim ummah in confronting the religious culture of the people. They usually utilize those Muslim elements living in the Islamic society who, on one hand, have social and cultural positions and, on the other hand, have somehow religious credentials. Knowingly or unknowingly, they who are tools in the hands of foreign agents pave the ground for the misguidance of people by distorting religious teachings. These individuals have been condemned and reproached in many verses of

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the Holy Qur’an and traditions of the infallible Imāms (‘a) and the people have been warned about them.

The lack of the spirit of submission and servitude to God and His decrees can be a source of fitnah when those who lack this spirit intend through false justifications to interpret religion according to their carnal desires.

If such individuals enjoy a social status on account of which some people listen to them, they are more than any other the object of Satan’s temptation, because they have desires which have been prohibited by religion, and it is difficult for them to dispense with them on account of the weakness of their spirit of servitude to God. Meanwhile, they have the power by the use of which they can present the truth in their favor. Satan exploits this golden opportunity, and draws and incites them to fitnah and the distortion of religion. Satan kindles the fire of satisfying these desires in their hearts. He also instills this doubt in their minds: What is the proof that what the religious scholars have declared as religious obligations and values are exactly what God or religion wants from us?

Since such individuals observe that with the existence of the Qur’an, the sayings of the ‘ulamā’, and the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), they cannot fully satisfy their carnal desires, whims and caprice, they decide to find a new way so that they can fully satisfy their desires and at the same time remain in the fold of Islam and maintain their social standing in society. Therefore, what internally draws them toward deviation is the lack of the spirit of submission and servitude to God and acquiescence to their carnal desires.

In reply to the question on why some people in Islamic society intend to create fitnah in religion, Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) said that the root of all seditions in religion lies in carnal desires which these people cannot abandon. In order to satisfy these desires, they engage in fitnah by treading a new way of confronting religious laws and values.

By the way, what is this new way they adopt to advance their objectives? Imām ‘Alī (‘a) said that they formulate laws according to their carnal desires and attribute them to Islam. They engage in distorting the truths of religion by baseless interpretations and false justifications, and interpret the Qur’an and its verses as they wish. As a result, they tell something which is inconsistent with the truth of religion and the Holy Qur’an and encourage the people to disobey the Qur’an. It is evident that these individuals behave in a way that the people do not become aware of their satanic agenda and stop following them.

For Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) the root of all seditions and innovations in religion is egoism and the lack of the spirit of submission and servitude to God. He (‘a) also dissuaded the people, especially their leaders, from following their

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whims and caprice and warned them that the following verse could be applied to them:

﴿ أَرَأَیْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ ﴾

“Have you seen him who has taken his desire to be his god?”(1)

Those who are today the most influential forces and agents of Satan in distorting religious teachings were not like this to begin with. There are many cases of individuals who were among the upright Muslims and true propagators of the Qur’an and religious teachings, but they changed direction along the way and joined the ranks of the enemies of Islam. They get expelled from the guardianship [wilāyah] of God and accept the wilāyah and friendship of Satan. On the contrary, there are also many persons who, after many years of deviation and misguiding themselves and others, repent by returning to the fold of Islam and spend the remaining parts of their lives compensating for their undesirable deeds in the past.

This shifting of positions of individuals throughout life is not unusual or uncommon. Yet, what is worthy of note is that according to the Qur’an, there is no sin more dangerous and graver than fitnah in religion. The gravest sin is that after knowing the truth and being acquainted with religious laws and teachings, one decides to obstruct people from knowing and acting upon them.

To conclude, I would like to draw the attention of everybody to the precious saying of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī (‘a) when he said:

حَاسِبُوا أَنْفُسَکُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُحَاسَبُوا.

“Take account of your self before you are called to account.”(2)

That is, evaluate your self, your beliefs, your ideas, and your actions in the court of your conscience. Before you return to God and lose the opportunity to repent, return to the fold of the Qur’an and the religion of truth. Save yourself from the trap of Satan and the commanding self or carnal soul [nafs al-‘ammārah] and frighten it with the inevitable destiny.

Let me conclude with the warning of the Holy Qur’an in this regard when it states, thus:

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﴿ ثُمَّ کَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِینَ أَسَاؤُوا السُّوأَی أَن کَذَّبُوا بِآیَاتِ اللَّهِ وَکَانُوا بِهَا یَسْتَهْزِئُون ﴾

“Then the fate of those who committed misdeeds was that they denied the signs of Allah and they used to deride them.”(1)

I implore God, the Exalted, to guide everybody in the path of truth.

﴿ وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلَیٰ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الْهُدَیٰ ﴾

“And may peace be upon him who follows guidance!”(2)

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p: 98

marajī‘ al-taqlīd [sources of emulation or religious authorities], 63

Mash‘ar al-Ma‘rifah, 44

Mecca, 5, 40

Medina, 5

messengership [risālah], 34

metaphorical verses [mutashābihāt], 33, 73, 74, 78, 79, 81, 83

miracle [mu‘jizah], 17, 56

misguidance [ḍalāl], 23

monotheism [tawḥīd], 86

Mount Damāvand, 76

mujtahidūn, 63

mukallaf, 62

munāfiqīn [hypocrites], 39

muqallid, 62

Nahj al-Balāghah, 5, 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 21, 22, 32, 36, 43, 45, 49, 50, 61, 64, 67, 68, 79, 92, 95, 100

narrations [riwāyāt], 60

nāṭiq, 5, 9, 10, 11

natural disposition [fiṭrah], 2

outward or exterior aspect [ẓāhir], 56, 58, 73, 81

polytheism [shirk], 86

precedent of God [sunnat Allāh], 28, 30

proof [ḥujjah], 10, 27

Prophet Ādam (Adam) (‘a), 54

Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham) (‘a), 15, 39, 40, 41

Prophet Ismā‘īl (Ishmael) (‘a), 40, 41

Prophet Muḥāmmad (ṣ), 7

Prophet Mūsā (Moses) (‘a), 7

Prophet Nūḥ (Noah) (‘a), 25, 28, 29

prophets (‘a), 12, 26, 27, 28, 96

pseudo-learned ignoramuses, 92, 93, 95, 97, 99

Pseudo-Muslim mammonists, 96

Qum, 6, 7

Qur’an, 5

raka‘āt [cycles or units], 59

Ramaḍān, 5

religion [dīn], 13

ritual prayer [ṣalāt], 58

Satan (Iblīs), 21, 28, 44, 46, 48, 54, 68, 69, 72, 79, 80, 90, 91, 92, 99, 100, 102

Saudi Arabia, 5

scholar [‘ālim], 91

scholastic theology [‘ilm al-kalām], 57

sedition or test [fitnah], 73, 74, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 99, 100, 101, 102

Self-sufficient in essence [ghanī bi’dh-dhāt], 57

Sermon 133 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 7, 61

Sermon 147 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 9, 68, 97

Sermon 157 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 10, 16, 17

Sermon 17 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 21, 22, 36, 45, 49, 96

Sermon 175 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 21, 22, 36, 45, 49

Sermon 189 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 12, 32

Sermon 50 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 79, 100

Sermon 86 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 50, 92, 95

sharī‘ah, 90

speculative interpretation [tafsīr bi’r-rayy], 46, 47, 48, 50, 58, 74

sublime knowledge [ma‘ārif], 55, 56

Sūrah Āl ‘Imrān, 4, 59, 64, 73, 78, 81, 83

Sūrah al-An‘ām, 27, 28, 41, 95

Sūrah al-Fatḥ, 61, 75, 76

Sūrah al-Mu’minūn, 27

Sūrah al-Nūr, 31, 35

Sūrah al-Shawrā, 61, 75, 77

taqiyyah, 63

taqlīd, 62

tartīl, 30

the commanding self or carnal soul [nafs al-‘ammārah], 44, 102

thiql al-akbar, 3, 22, 60, 67

thiql al-kabīr, 4, 60

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Third World countries, 19

to pelt [ramy], 44

Torah, 8

Tradition on Two Weighty Things [ḥadīth al-thaqalayn], 33

traditions [aḥādīth], 56, 60

Two Holy Places [al-ḥaramayn al-sharīfayn], 5

ummah, 3

understanding [fahm], 73

usury [ribā], 88

walī al-faqīh [jurist-guardian], 15

wilāyah al-faqīh, 84, 89, 90

wilāyah al-faqīh [guardianship of the jurist], 17, 20

Word of God, 9, 34, 47, 48, 64, 71, 98

xenomaniacs [gharbzadeh-hā], 16, 29

marajī‘ al-taqlīd [sources of emulation or religious authorities], 63

Mash‘ar al-Ma‘rifah, 44

Mecca, 5, 40

Medina, 5

messengership [risālah], 34

metaphorical verses [mutashābihāt], 33, 73, 74, 78, 79, 81, 83

miracle [mu‘jizah], 17, 56

misguidance [ḍalāl], 23

monotheism [tawḥīd], 86

Mount Damāvand, 76

mujtahidūn, 63

mukallaf, 62

munāfiqīn [hypocrites], 39

muqallid, 62

Nahj al-Balāghah, 5, 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 21, 22, 32, 36, 43, 45, 49, 50, 61, 64, 67, 68, 79, 92, 95, 100

narrations [riwāyāt], 60

nāṭiq, 5, 9, 10, 11

natural disposition [fiṭrah], 2

outward or exterior aspect [ẓāhir], 56, 58, 73, 81

polytheism [shirk], 86

precedent of God [sunnat Allāh], 28, 30

proof [ḥujjah], 10, 27

Prophet Ādam (Adam) (‘a), 54

Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham) (‘a), 15, 39, 40, 41

Prophet Ismā‘īl (Ishmael) (‘a), 40, 41

Prophet Muḥāmmad (ṣ), 7

Prophet Mūsā (Moses) (‘a), 7

Prophet Nūḥ (Noah) (‘a), 25, 28, 29

prophets (‘a), 12, 26, 27, 28, 96

pseudo-learned ignoramuses, 92, 93, 95, 97, 99

Pseudo-Muslim mammonists, 96

Qum, 6, 7

Qur’an, 5

raka‘āt [cycles or units], 59

Ramaḍān, 5

religion [dīn], 13

ritual prayer [ṣalāt], 58

Satan (Iblīs), 21, 28, 44, 46, 48, 54, 68, 69, 72, 79, 80, 90, 91, 92, 99, 100, 102

Saudi Arabia, 5

scholar [‘ālim], 91

scholastic theology [‘ilm al-kalām], 57

sedition or test [fitnah], 73, 74, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 99, 100, 101, 102

Self-sufficient in essence [ghanī bi’dh-dhāt], 57

Sermon 133 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 7, 61

Sermon 147 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 9, 68, 97

Sermon 157 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 10, 16, 17

Sermon 17 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 21, 22, 36, 45, 49, 96

Sermon 175 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 21, 22, 36, 45, 49

Sermon 189 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 12, 32

Sermon 50 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 79, 100

Sermon 86 of Nahj al-Balāghah, 50, 92, 95

sharī‘ah, 90

speculative interpretation [tafsīr bi’r-rayy], 46, 47, 48, 50, 58, 74

sublime knowledge [ma‘ārif], 55, 56

Sūrah Āl ‘Imrān, 4, 59, 64, 73, 78, 81, 83

Sūrah al-An‘ām, 27, 28, 41, 95

Sūrah al-Fatḥ, 61, 75, 76

Sūrah al-Mu’minūn, 27

Sūrah al-Nūr, 31, 35

Sūrah al-Shawrā, 61, 75, 77

taqiyyah, 63

taqlīd, 62

tartīl, 30

the commanding self or carnal soul [nafs al-‘ammārah], 44, 102

thiql al-akbar, 3, 22, 60, 67

thiql al-kabīr, 4, 60

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