The
attributes of Allah
The
Divine Essence and Qualities
If we analyze the nature of a human
being, we see that he has an essence which is his individual humanity
and also qualities through which his essence is known, such as the
quality of being born in such a land, or being the son of such a
person, or being learned and capable, or tall and handsome; or he
possesses the contrary of these qualities. Some of these qualities,
like the first and second, can never be separated from the essence,
and others, like being learned or capable, have the possibility or
separation and alternation. Yet all are different from the essence and
at the same time different from each other.
This point, namely the difference
between the essence and qualities and between the qualities
themselves, is the best proof that an essence that has qualities, and
a quality that makes known an essence, are both limited and finite.
For if the essence were limitless and infinite it would encompass the
qualities as well, and also the qualities would include each other,
and as a result all would become one. For example, the essence of man
would be the same as capability and also capability the same as
knowledge; height and beauty would be the same; and all of these would
possess the same meaning.
From this example it is clear that
the Divine Essence cannot be conceived to have qualities in the sense
that human beings have qualities. A quality can come about only
through setting limits and the Divine Essence transcends all
limitations (even the limitation of this transcendence which in
reality is a quality).
The Meaning of the
Divine Qualities
In the world of creation we are aware
of many perfections which appear in the form of qualities. These are
positive qualities which, wherever they appear, make the object of
which they are the quality more perfect and increase its ontological
value, as can be seen clearly in the comparison between the live being
such as man and a lifeless one such as a stone. Doubtless God has
created and bestowed these perfections upon creatures; if He had not
possessed them in their fullness Himself He could not have bestowed
them upon others and perfected others through them. Therefore, if we
follow the judgment of sound reasoning we must conclude that God, the
Creator, has knowledge, power, and every other real perfection.
Furthermore, as has already been mentioned, the marks of His knowledge
and power and, as a result, the marks of life are seen in the order of
the cosmos.
But because the Divine Essence is
limitless and infinite these perfections which are shown to be His
Qualities are in reality the same His Essence and one with each other.
The difference observed between the Essence and the Qualities and at
the same time between the Qualities themselves is only on the plane of
concepts. Essentially there is but one Reality involved which is one
and indivisible.
In order to avoid the inadmissible
error of limiting the Essence through attributing qualities to it or
denying the principle of perfection in it, Islam has commanded its
followers to preserve a just balance between affirmation and negation.
It has ordered them to believe that God has knowledge but not like the
knowledge of others. He has power but not like the power of others. He
hears but not with ears. He sees but not with eyes like those of men,
and so on.
Further Explanation Concerning
Qualities
Qualities in general are of two types
: qualities of perfection, and qualities of imperfection. Qualities of
perfection, as mentioned above, are of a positive nature and give
higher ontological value and greater ontological effect to the object
that they qualify. This is clear from the comparison between a live,
knowing and capable being and a dead being which lacks knowledge and
capability. Qualities of imperfection are the reverse of such
qualities. When we analyze these imperfect qualities we see that they
are negative and show a lack of perfection, such as ignorance,
impatience, ugliness, illness, and the like. Therefore, it can be said
that the negation of the quality of imperfection is the quality of
perfection. For example, the negation of ignorance is knowledge and
the negation of impotence is power and capability.
For this reason the Holy Quran has
related each positive quality directly to God and negated every
quality of imperfection from Him, attributing the negation of such
imperfections to Him, as He says: "He is the knower, the
Omnipotent," or He says, "He is the Alive" or
"Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him," or "Know
that ye cannot frustrate Allah."
The point that must never be
forgotten is that God, the Most Exalted, is Absolute Reality without
any limit or boundary. Therefore, a positive quality attributed to Him
will not possess any limitation. He is not material and corporeal or
limited to space and time. While possessing all positive qualities He
is beyond every quality and state which belongs to creatures. Every
quality which in reality belongs to Him is purified from the notion of
limitedness, as He says, "Nought is as His likeness." (Quran,
XLII, 11)
Qualities of Action
In addition, qualities are also
divided into qualities of essence and qualities of action. A quality
sometimes depends only on the qualified itself, such as life,
knowledge and power, which depend on the person of a living, knowing
and capable human being. We can conceive of man in himself possessing
these qualities without taking into consideration any other factor.
At other times a quality does not
depend only on the qualified in itself, but, in order to qualify, it
also requires the existence of something external as in the case of
writing, conservation, desire, and the like. A person can be a writer
if he possesses ink, pen, and paper, and he can converse when there is
someone with whom to speak. In the same way he can desire when there
is an object of desire. The sole existence of man is not sufficient to
bring these qualities into existence.
From this analysis it becomes clear
that the Divine Qualities which are the same as God's Essence, as
already pointed out, are only of the first kind. As for the second
kind, whose actualization depends upon an external factor, they cannot
be considered as Qualities of the Essence and the same as the Essence,
for all that is other than God is created by Him and so, being
situated in the created order, comes after Him.
Qualities that pertain to God after
the act of creation such as creator, omnipotent, giver of life, giver
of death, sustainer, etc., are not the same as His Essence but are
additional to it; they are Qualities of Action. By Quality of Action
is meant that after the actualization of an act the meaning of a
quality is understood from that act, not from the Essence (that
performs the act), such as "Creator", which is conceived
after the act of creation has taken place. From the creation is
understood the quality of God as Creator. That quality depends upon
creation, not upon the sacred Essence of God, the Most Exalted,
Himself, so that the Essence does not change from one state to another
with the appearance of that quality. Shi'ism considers the two
qualities of will (iradah) and speech (kalam) in their literal meaning
as Qualities of Action (will meaning wanting something and speech
meaning conveying a meaning through an expression). Most of the Sunni
theologians consider them as implying knowledge and thereby take them
to be Qualities of Essence.
Source: Shi'a
- By: Allamah Seyyid Muhammad Husayn
Tabatabai.
Prophethood
Nubuwwah
While independent in every respect, the
Almighty Allah, with His immense power, has created the world of
existence and its various creatures, allowing them to enjoy His
countless blessings.
From the first day of creation till
the last day of existence, man and other creatures are fostered by
Allah. They are each led toward a known and determined goal with a
particular order and system. They proceed towards their ends while
being exposed to His noteworthy blessings.
If we study and deliberate upon our
lifetime, namely the period of infancy, childhood, youth, and old age,
our conscience will testify Allah's complete favours to us. When we
become more aware of this matter, our wisdom will undoubtedly judge
that the Creator of the world is more compassionate to His creatures
than anyone else is. Due to this compassion and favour, Allah always
considers their interests and never consents to the corruption and
defect of their affairs without wisdom and expediency. Mankind is one
of the creatures of Allah. We know that man's interest and prosperity
depend upon his being realistic and benevolent; that is to say, he
must possess true beliefs, praiseworthy ethics, and good deeds.
One may say that with his
Allah-granted wisdom, man can distinguish between good and bad and can
recognize a well from a path.
It should be known, however, that
wisdom alone cannot resolve this difficulty and lead man to realism
and benevolence. All these indecent characteristics and unjust actions
witnessed in the human society are committed by those who possess
wisdom and discernment, however, as a result of selfishness,
profit-seeking, and voluptuousness, their wisdom has been overcome by
their sentiments and they have succumbed to their carnal desires,
leading them astray. Therefore, the Almighty Allah must lead and
invite us to prosperity through some other ways and through means
which can never be overcome by carnal desires and which never make
blunders or mistakes in their guidance. This path is nothing but the
path of Nubuwwah.
The Logic in Nubuwwah
From what we have discussed about
monotheism, it becomes evident that since Allah creates everything,
its fostering also depends upon Him. In other words, the Almighty
Allah is the organizer and leader of the movement of any worldly
creature or phenomenon that from the very beginning of existence
endeavours for its survival, strives to remove its imperfections,
eliminates its needs and shortcomings one after another, makes itself
independent and selfsufficient as much as possible, and moves in an
orderly manner in its path of survival and existence.
A definite conclusion can be drawn
from this concept. That is to say, any one of the various kinds of
phenomena of the world has a specific evolutionary process for its
survival which is done by its special endeavours. In other words, in
the path of their survival, worldly creatures of each particular group
have a series of specific functions assigned to them by Allah. As the
Holy Our'an, with reference to this fact, states:
"...Our Lord is
He Who gave to everything its creation, then guided it (to its goal)
(20:50). "
This order applies to all components
of creation without any exception. It includes , the stars, the earth,
their components, compositions that generate primary phenomena,
plants, and animals.
Man's condition is the same as
others, in this universal guidance, but there is a difference between
him and others.
Doctrine
of Prophethood
We [Shi'a Muslims] believe that
prophethood is a Divine duty and a mission from Allah; He appoints to
it those whom He selects from among His good servants, from those who
are exalted among mankind. He sends them to the rest of humanity to be
a guide to what is of benefit to them and is in their interest in this
world and the next; to purify them from immorality, evil deeds and
harmful customs, and also to teach people wisdom and knowledge and the
ways of happiness and goodness until they attain to the perfection for
which they were created, and reach the highest position in both
worlds.
We believe that the Grace of Allah [lutf]
requires that He send His messengers to His servants to guide them, to
carry out reforming work, and to be intermediaries between Allah and
his gerents. For we believe that Allah does not allow mankind to
appoint, nominate or select a person as a prophet; indeed only Allah
can choose and appoint someone as a prophet, because:
"Allah knoweth
best with whom to place His message" (6:125)
It follows that people have no right
to dispute over those whom Allah sends as guides, bringers of good
tidings and warners of what is to come, nor over that which they
bring, i.e. the commandments and religious laws.
Prophecy is from
Divine Grace [lutf]
Man is a changeable creature, a
complex structure containing his being, his nature, soul and
intelligence. Every individual personality is similarly of a complex
nature, in which there are causes of good and evil. On the one hand,
man has been created with emotions and instincts, such as self-love,
desire and pride; he obeys the call of his desires, has a natural
disposition to show his superiority over others, to own things, and to
take for himself that which belongs to others; he rushes recklessly at
the objects and ornaments of this world. As Allah has said:
"Lo! Man is in
the way of loss" (103:2)
and:
"Surely man
waxes insolent, for he thinks himself self-sufficient"
(96:6&7)
"Surely the soul
of man incites to evil" (12:53)
There are other verses which clearly
talk about and point to the desires and feelings of the human soul
which was created with man.
On the other hand, Allah has given
intelligence [A'ql] to man to guide him to what is in his interest and
to the way of goodness, and He has also bestowed on him a conscience
which prevents him from doing evil and oppressing others, and which
also upbraids him when he has sinned.
There is continual enmity and
struggle between man's desires and his intelligence. One whose
intelligence overcomes his desires will attain the highest position
among mankind and a perfect spirituality, but one whose desires to
conquer his intelligence will be among the great losers, the lowest of
mankind and comparable in nature to the beasts.
The desires and their legions are
stronger than intelligence and its armies, and this is why most people
go astray and wander far from the straight path of guidance, through
obeying their desires and answering the call of their emotions. As is
said in the Qur'an:
"And though thou
try much, most men will not believe" (12:103)
Besides, man is reluctant and unaware
of all the facts and secrets of the world around him, and since he is
also ignorant of his own self, how can he know all that will make him
prosperous and what will make him suffer;
how can he know everything that is in his own interest or in the interests of mankind as a whole?
Whenever he advances with a new discovery,
he sees his own ignorance and realises that he knows nothing.
It is because of this that Man has an
insistent need for someone to show him
the clear, straight path to prosperity and to give support to his intelligence, so that it may overcome
its unruly, persistent enemy, and so that he may prepare to fight his
emotions.
Man is desperately in need of someone
to help him to the path of goodness and happiness, especially when his
emotions deceive him, disguising his bad actions as good and his good
actions as bad, as a result of which his intelligence is confused and
cannot find the right path to prosperity and distinguish between the
real good and the real evil. Everyone of us has succumbed on this
battlefield, either consciously or unconsciously, except the man whom
Allah protects. It is difficult for an enlightened, civilised man to
attain the way of goodness and happiness, so how much more difficult
is it for an ignorant, unschooled man!
When all people co-operate and
consult with one another and deliberate together they are still unable
to understand what is useful and what is harmful for themselves and
for society. So Allah through His Grace and Mercy for mankind sends
them a messenger. The Qur'an says:
"He it is who
sent among the unlettered ones a messenger of their own, to recite
unto them His signs, and to purify them and to teach them the Book and
Wisdom." (62:2)
and he [the messenger] warns them
concerning what is evil and gives glad tidings to them about what is
good for their welfare.
The giving of, this Grace is
necessary for Allah, because it is a sign of His Perfection, and He is
Kind and Generous to His servants. When a man deserves His Mercy and
Grace, Allah must grant it to him, because there is no deficiency or
withholding in the Being of Allah. The meaning of "necessary for
Allah" is not that anyone forces Him to act in this way and that
it is necessary for Him to obey, but it means that this is an
inseparable attribute of Allah, i.e. Mercy and Grace cannot be
separated from Him, in the same way as we say that His Existence is
inherent in Him, or that He is Necessarily Existent, i.e. His
Existence is co-existent (with Him) and cannot be separated (from
Him).
Sources: Islamic
Teachings in brief - By: Allamah Seyyid Muhammad Husayn
Tabatabai.
The faith of Shi'a
Islam - By: Muhammad Ridha Al-Muzaffar
Muhammad
Ibn Abdullah, The prophet of Islam [pbuh&hf]
Muhammad [peace and
blessings be upon him and his family] the last Prophet of God was born
at the early dawn of the 17th of Rabi'u 'l-Awwal in the year 570 C E
in Mecca. His mother's name was Aminah bint Wahb while his father was
'Abdullah, son of 'Abdul 'l-Muttalib, who had died in Madina on his
return from Damascus, even before Muhammad's birth. As was the
tradition of the Arabs of the time, Muhammad pbuh&hf] was sent to
a wet-nurse while he was a child. For this, his grandfather and
guardian 'Abdu 'l-Muttalib, selected an honorable lady named Halima,
from the tribe of Bani Sa'ad who were famous for their bravery and
eloquence.
When Muhammad [pbuh&hf]
was six years old, he was taken by his mother to Madina, where his
father was buried, to visit her relatives. At a place named Abwa', the
mother died suddenly, leaving the child an orphan. Muhammad [pbuh&hf]
was then taken into the custody of his grandfather who was also the
chief of the Quraish tribe. After only two years, Abdul Mutalib died
and the orphan boy was then taken into the custody of his affectionate
uncle Abu Talib, a trader.
According to some
historians, on one occasion when Abu Talib brought Muhammad [pbuh&hf]
to accompany him on his trade caravan to Damascus, they met a
Christian monk named Bahira at Basra, situated on the trade route.
Bahira had noticed the shadow of a cloud keeping pace with the young
orphan. After questioning Muhammad, Bahira knew that Muhammad was to
one day become a Prophet and informed Abu Talib to protect him.
Due to his character,
Muhammad grew up to be a respected youth and became known as
'Muhammad, the Trustworthy' or 'al-Amin'. It was for this honesty,
trustworthiness and virtue that an honorable wealthy lady named
Khadija, daughter of Khuwalid, sought to employ Muhammad, then twenty
five years of age, to take charge and lead her trading caravan to
Damascus and Basra.
The trip
not only brought unprecedented profits but also revelations to Khadija
from her servant Masara who was sent to accompany Muhammad [pbuh&hf],
of his excellent character and generosity. According to most
historians, Khadija, had been twice married and twice widowed. Some
sources named Abu Halah and Atigh Makhzumi as former husbands. Due to
the excellent reputation of Muhammad, she now decided to send her
close friend Nafisa to speak to Muhammad (pbuh) about marriage.
The
beautiful and most honorable lady of the Quraish, who had spurned the
proposals of many Quraish aristocrats and rich men married Muhammad [pbuh&hf],
who was twenty five years old, and fifteen years younger than she.
Some historians say that Khadija had had two sons and one daughter
from her earlier marriages. Though all historians agree that with
Muhammad [pbuh&hf], Khadija bore a daughter called Fatimah Zahra,
other children attributed to Muhammad cannot be ascertained whether
were also his or from Khadija's previous marriages. These were Qasim
and 'Abdallah, who died in infancy and three daughters; Zaynab,
Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum.
While
polygamy was a common practice in Arabia at the time as well as in the
history of earlier Prophets, such as Abraham [pbuh&hf], Muhammad [pbuh&hf]
did not take another wife as long as Khadija was alive. And even after
her death, various Hadiths or traditions of Prophet Muhammad [pbuh&hf],
narrate how Muhammad [pbuh&hf] continued to cherish her.
While
Muhammad [pbuh&hf] was unlettered and did not share the
polytheistic beliefs of the Meccan Quraish, his stature among them
none the less continued to increase due to his honesty and justice .
When Muhammad [pbuh&hf] was thirty, the Quraish tribes decided to
repair and rebuild the Ka'ba, then desecrated with pagan idols. They
chose Muhammad [pbuh&hf] to arbitrate their dispute as to which
tribe should have the honor of reinstalling the Black Stone. Muhammad
[pbuh&hf] had the stone placed on a piece of cloth and asked
members of each tribe to lift it together to the corner of the Ka'ba
where it was to be placed and then raised it up himself.
The special
characteristics of the Prophet of Islam
The holy Prophet
The Holy Prophet, Muhammad bin
Abdullah (Peace be on him and his progeny), with whom Prophethood came
to an end, was born in 570 AD at Makkah. He was raised as a Prophet
when he was 40 years of age. For 13 years He preached Islam in Makkah,
where he underwent great many difficulties and hardships. During this
period he trained a few selected persons. Thereafter he migrated to
Madina where he established his centre. For ten years he openly
propagated Islam there. He fought a number of successful battles
against the arrogant Arabs whom he finally subdued. By the end of this
period the entire Arabian Peninsula had embraced Islam. The Holy
Qur'an was revealed on him piecemeal over a period of 23 years. The
Muslims showed a wonderful devotedness and reverential attachment to
the Holy Qur'an and the person of the Holy Prophet, who passed away in
11 A.H. in the 23rd year of his Prophetic mission when he was 63 years
of age. He left behind a nascent society full of spiritual zeal,
believing in a constructive ideology and conscious of its world
responsibility.
There were two things which gave this
new-born society a spirit of enthusiasm and unity. One was the Holy
Qur'an which inspired the Muslims. It was always recited by them. The
other was the lofty and penetrating personality of the Holy Prophet of
which they were greatly enamoured. Now we briefly discuss the
personality of the Holy Prophet:
His Childhood:
He was still in his mother's womb,
when his father, returning from a business trip to Syria died in
Madina. Thereafter Abdul Muttalib, his grandfather took over his
custody.
From his very childhood the signs of
the Holy Prophet's great future were evident from his features, his
conduct and his demeanor. Abdul Muttalib intuitively detected that his
grand son had an exceptionally bright future.
The Holy Prophet was only 8 years old
when his grand father also passed away and according to the will of
the old gentleman, the guardianship of the child passed to his elder
uncle, Abu Talib, who was also surprised to see that the boy's
behaviour differed from that of other children.
Unlike the children of the neighbours
he was never covetous of food, and unlike the prevailing custom of
those days he always kept his hair combed and his face and body clean.
One day Abu Talib wanted him to
change his dress in his presence before going to bed. Muhammad (Peace
be on him and his progeny) did not like the idea. But as he could not
flatly refuse to obey the order of his uncle, he asked him to turn his
face away, so that he could take off his dress. Abu Talib was
naturally surprised, as even the Arabs of mature age during those days
were not averse to become totally naked in the presence of others. Abu
Talib says: "I never heard him telling a lie, nor did I see him
doing anything indecent. He never laughed unnecessarily, nor was he
desirous of taking part in the games of the children. He preferred to
be alone and was always modest".
Abhorrence of
Idleness and Lethargy:
He disliked idleness and laziness. He
used to say: "Allah! I take refuge in You
from laziness, lethargy, disability and worthlessness".
He always exhorted the Muslims to
work hard and to be industrious, and used to say that adoration had
seventy parts, the best of them is to earn one's livelihood lawfully.
Honesty:
The Holy Prophet, prior to his being
raised to Prophethood, made a journey to Syria on behalf of Khadija
who subsequently became his wife. This journey, more than ever before
made his honesty and efficiency clear. His honesty and reliability
became so well known that he received the epithet of Muhammad, the
trust-worthy. People entrusted their valuables to him for safe
custody. Even after his being raised to Prophethood despite all their
hostility to him, the Quraysh continued to deposit their valuables
with him, for safe keeping. That is why at the time of his migration
to Madina he left behind Imam Ali for a few days to return the
deposits to their original owners.
Combat with
Tyranny:
During the pre-Islamic period a pact
was concluded by the victims of cruelty and tyranny with a view to
make common efforts for the protection of the oppressed against the
unjust tyrants. This pact which is known as "Hilful Fuzul"
was arranged in the house of Abdullah ibn Jad'in in Makkah by certain
important personalities of the time. Later during the period of his
Prophethood, the Holy Prophet often mentioned this pact and said that
he was still willing to participate in a similar pact and not to
violate its provisions.
Family
Behaviour:
He was kind to his family. To his
wives he was never harsh. The Makkans (people of Mekkah) were not
generally familiar with such a good behaviour. He tolerated the
stinging remarks of some of his wives, though they were resented by
others. He emphatically counseled his followers to be kind to their
wives for, as he often remarked, men and women both had good and bad
traits. Man must not take into consideration only the unpleasant
habits of his wife and divorce her for that reason. If he disliked
some qualities of his wife, she must be possessing some other
qualities which he liked. Thus the whole thing was balanced. The Holy
Prophet was extremely affectionate to his children and grand-children
and showed love and tenderness to them. He loved them, seated them on
his lap, put them on his shoulders and kissed them. All this was
contrary to the custom and usage of the Arabs of those days.
The Holy Prophet showed love and
affection to the children of the common Muslims also. He seated them
on his lap and passed his hand on their heads. Mothers often brought
their children to him for his blessing. Sometimes it so happened that
some child urinated on his clothes. On such occasions mothers were
upset and felt ashamed. Some of them tried to stop the child from
making water. But the Holy Prophet asked them not to interrupt the
child and said that he himself would clean his clothes, if they became
dirty.
Treatment of
Slaves:
He was extraordinarily kind to the
slaves. He told people that the slaves were their brothers. He
said:
"Give them
of the same food of which you eat yourselves, and provide them with
the same kind of clothes as you put on yourselves. Do not force them
to do jobs which are too difficult for them. Share with them their
jobs and help them in the performance of them. Do not call them
slaves, for all men are the bondsmen of Allah, who is the real Master
of everyone. Call your male slaves young man and your female slaves
young woman."
Islam gives to the slaves all
possible facilities leading to their complete liberation. The Holy
Prophet described the slave-trading as the worst occupation and said
that those who traded in human beings were the worst people in the
sight of Allah.
Cleanliness and
Use of Perfume:
The Holy Prophet was greatly
interested in cleanliness and was fond of the use of perfume. He urged
his friends and followers also to keep their body and house clean and
perfumed. He especially exhorted them to have bath and use perfume on
Fridays so that bad odor might not cause inconvenience to the
congregation.
Social Behaviour:
In his social life the Holy Prophet
was always kind, cheerful and courteous to the people, took a lead in
greeting all, including the children and the slaves. He did not
stretch his feet in front of anyone and did not recline in the
presence of others. In his company all sat in a circular form, and
none had any distinct place or position. He was watchful of his
companions and if he did not see anyone of them for two or three days,
he inquired about him. If anyone of them was ill, he went to see him
and if anyone had any trouble, he made every effort to solve his
problem. In a gathering he did not address or pay attention to any one
individual, but equally attended to all. He did not like that he
should be sitting and others be serving him. He personally took part
in all that was to be done. He used to say that Allah hates to see a
man who considered himself to be superior to others.
Soft as well as
Tough:
In his personal matters the Holy
Prophet was soft, sympathetic and tolerant. His tolerance on many
historical occasions was one of the reasons of his success. But in the
matters of principle where a question of public interest or of law was
involved, he was tough and never showed any leniency. At the time of
the conquest of Makkah and his victory over the Quraysh he overlooked
all the wrongs which they had committed against him over a period of
23 years and declared general amnesty. He accepted the apology of the
murderer of his well-beloved uncle, Hamzah. But on that very occasion
he punished a woman of Banu Makhzum, who had committed theft. This
woman belonged to a very respectable family, who regarded the
enforcement of a punishment against her as a great insult to them.
They persistently requested the Holy Prophet to pardon her. Some
prominent companions of the Holy Prophet also interceded on her
behalf. But the Holy Prophet said angrily that the Divine law could
not be suspended for the sake of any individual. In the evening on
that day he delivered a speech and said:
"Former nations
and communities declined and ceased to exist because they
discriminated in the enforcement of the Divine law. If an influential
person committed a crime, he was let off and no action was taken
against him, but if an unimportant and weak person committed it, he
was punished. I swear by Allah in whose hands my life is that I will
be ruthless in the enforcement of justice even if the culprit be one
of my own relatives".
Worship:
He devoted a part of every night,
sometimes half of it and sometimes one third or two thirds of it, to
worship and adoration. Though his whole day was preoccupied,
especially during his stay at Madina, he never curtailed the time of
his worship. He found complete satisfaction in his worship and
communication with his Lord. His worship was an expression of love and
gratitude and was not motivated by a desire of securing paradise or by
a fear of Hell. One day one of his wives asked him why after all he
was so devoted to his worship? His reply was: "Should I not be
thankful to my Lord?"
He fasted very often. In addition of
fasting during the whole month of Ramazan and a part of the month of
Sha'ban, he kept fast every other day. He always passed the last 10
days of the month of Ramazan in seclusion in the mosque, where he
devoted his whole time to worship. Nevertheless, he told others that
it was enough to observe fast for three days every month. He used to
say that each one should carry out the acts of worship according to
one's capacity and should not exert oneself more than one can bear,
for such an exertion has an adverse effect. He was against monastic
life, escape from worldly involvement and renunciation of family life.
Some of his companions had expressed an intention to lead a monastic
life, but he censured and reproved them. He used to say: "Your
body, your wife, your children and your friends all have a claim on
you and you must fulfil your obligations".
He prolonged his acts of worship
while performing them singly, and sometimes was busy with his pre-dawn
prayers for hours. But he tried to shorten his prayers while in
congregation. In this respect he considered it essential to have a
regard for the aged and weakest among his followers, and counseled
others also to his follow his example.
Austerity
and Simple Living:
Simple living was one of the
principles of his life. He took simple food; wore simple clothes and
travelled in a simple manner. He slept mostly on a mat, set on bare
ground and milked his goat with his own hands. He mounted saddle-less
animals and did not like anybody to walk by his side while he was
riding. His staple food mostly comprised barley bread and dates. He
mended his shoes and patched his clothes with his own hands. Though he
led a simple life, he did not advocate the philosophy of asceticism,
and believed that it was necessary to spend money for the good of
society and other lawful purposes. He used to say: "What a
nice thing wealth is, if obtained through legal means by a man who
knows how to spend it".
He also said: "Wealth
is a good aid to piety".
Resolution and
Perseverance:
He had a wonderful willpower which
permeated among his companions also. The total period of his
Prophethood was entirely a lesson in resolution and perseverance. In
his lifetime several times the conditions so developed that no hope
was apparently left, but he never allowed the idea of failure to enter
his mind, nor was his conviction of his final success ever shaken for
a moment.
Leadership,
Administration and Consultation:
Though his companions carried out
every order of his without any hesitation and repeatedly said that
they had an unflinching faith in him and were willing even to plunge
themselves into a river or a fire if he ordered them to do so, he
never adopted any dictatorial methods. In regard to the matters about
which he had received no specific instructions from Allah, he
consulted his companions and respected their views, and thus helped
them develop their personality. On the occasion of the Battle of Badr
he left the questions of taking military action against the enemy,
choosing the camping ground, and as to how the prisoners of war should
be dealt with, to the advice of his companions. On the occasion of
Uhud he made consultation as to whether the Muslim troops should fight
from within the city of Madina or should go out of the city. He
consulted his companions on the occasion of the Battles of Ahzab and
Tabuk also.
The kindness and tolerance of the
Holy Prophet, his anxiety to seek the forgiveness of the sins of his
community, his giving importance to his companions and his
consultations with them were the main factors which contributed to the
wonderful and great influence that he exercised over his companions.
The Holy Qur'an points out this fact
when it says:
"It is by the
mercy of Allah that you (the Prophet) were lenient to them, for if you
had been harsh and hard-hearted, they surely would have left your
company. Therefore pardon them and implore Allah to forgive them. And
hold consultations with them in regard to the conduct of affairs. Once
you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Allah likes those who put
their trust in Him" (Surah Ale Imran, 3:159)
Regularity and
Orderliness:
All his actions were governed by
regularity and orderliness. He worked according to a well drawn
time-table, and urged others also to do likewise. His companions under
his influence were fully disciplined. Even when he considered it
necessary not to disclose certain decisions lest the enemy should get
an inkling of them, his companions carried out his orders without any
argument. For example, once he said that they would move the next day.
Next day all those who were ordered proceeded with him without knowing
the final destination of which they came to know only in the last
moments. Sometimes he ordered some people to move in certain
direction, gave a letter to their commander and said that he should
open it on reaching such and such point and act according to the
instructions given in it. They acted accordingly. Before reaching that
particular point they did not know what was their destination and for
what purpose they were going. In this way he kept the enemy and his
spies in the dark and often took them unawares.
Capacity to Listen
to Criticism and Dislike of Flattery and Undue Compliments:
Sometimes he had to face the
criticism of his companions, but without being harsh to them, he
explained his decision and gained their agreement and concurrence.
He absolutely disliked flattery and
undue compliments. He used to say: "Throw dust on the face of
the flatterers".
He liked solid work. He was in the
habit of doing things correctly and firmly. When Sa'd ibn Mu'az died
and was laid in his grave, the Holy Prophet with his own hands placed
the bricks and stones in their right place on the grave and made them
firm. He said: "I know that before long all
this will be mined, but I like things to be done correctly and
efficiently".
Fight Against Weak
Points:
He did not exploit the weak points
and the ignorance of his people. On the other hand he tried to rectify
their weaknesses and acquainted them with what they did not know. The
day his 17 months old son expired, by chance the sun was eclipsed.
People said that the solar eclipse was due to the calamity suffered by
the Holy Prophet. He did not keep quiet in the face of this silly
notion, but ascended the pulpit and said: "Men! the moon and
the sun are the two signs of Allah. They are not eclipsed on account
of the death of anybody".
Possession of the
Necessary Qualities of Leadership:
He had the maximum qualities of
leadership such as the sense of knowing men, firmness, determination,
boldness, having no fear of the possible consequences of a necessary
action, foresight, capacity of bearing criticism, recognition of the
ability of others, delegation of powers to others in accordance with
their ability, flexibility in his personal matters, rigidity in regard
to the matters of principle, giving importance to others, promotion of
their intellectual, emotional and practical talents, refraining from
despotism, not demanding blind obedience, modesty and humility,
simplicity and contentment, dignity and elevation of manners and great
interest in organizing human resources. He used to say: "If
three persons of you travel together, choose one of you as your leader
and commander".
At Madina he organized a special
secretariat, and appointed a group of persons for performing specific
job. There were scribes of revelation who wrote the Holy Quran. Some
people were entrusted with the job of drafting and writing special
letters. Some recorded the deeds of legal transactions. Some others
were made responsible to keep financial records. Still some others
were responsible for drafting agreements and treaties. All these
details are recorded in the books of history such as Tarikh by Ibn
Wazih, al-Ya'qubi, at-Tanbih wal Ishraf by Mas'udi, Mu'jam al-Buldan
by al-Bilazari and at-Tabaqat by Ibn Sa'd.
Method of
Preaching:
In preaching Islam his method was
gentle and mild, not harsh and severe. He mostly relied on arousing
hope and avoided threatening and frightening. To one of his
companions, whom he sent for preaching Islam, he said: "Be
pleasant and do not be harsh. Tell the people what may please them and
do not make them disgusted".
He took active interest in the
propagation of Islam. Once he went to Taif for this purpose. During
the Hajj season he used to call upon various tribes and convey the
message of Islam to them. Once he sent Imam Ali and on another
occasion Mu'az bin Jabal to Yemen for preaching. Before going to
Madina himself he sent there Mus'ab bin Umayr to preach Islam. He sent
a good number of his companions to Ethiopia. Besides escaping from the
persecution of the Makkans, they propagated Islam there and paved the
way for the acceptance of Islam by the Negus, the king of Ethiopia and
50% of the population of that country. In the sixth year of migration
he wrote letters to the heads of a number of States in the various
parts of the world and intimated them about his Prophethood. About
hundred letters which he wrote to various personalities are still
extant.
Encouragement of
Knowledge:
He encouraged his companions to
acquire knowledge and literacy and with this end, he made it
compulsory for their children to learn reading and writing. Further,
he ordered some of his companions to learn the Syriac language. He
often said: "It is obligatory on every Muslim to seek
knowledge".
Some of his other sayings are: "Wherever
you find a useful piece of knowledge, acquire it. It does not matter
if you find it with a disbeliever or a hypocrite".
"Acquire
knowledge even if you have to go to China for that purpose"
This emphasis on knowledge was the
reason why the Muslims so speedily spread to all corners of the world
in search of it and secured the scientific works wherever they found
them. The Muslims not only translated these works, but took to
research themselves also, and thus they became a connecting link
between the ancient cultures of Greece, Rome, Iran, Egypt and India
and the modern culture of Europe. In the course of time the Muslims
themselves became the founders of one of the grandest civilizations
and cultures in human history, known to the world as the Muslim
civilization and culture.
The Holy Prophet's character and
behaviour like his sayings and his religion were comprehensive and
all-sided. History does not at all remember any personality who like
him ever attained perfection in all human dimensions. He was really a
perfect man
Sources:
- Man and universe By
martyred teacher Ayatullah Mutahhari.
The Last
Prophet
The Sealing of
Prophethood
The sealing of prophethood has always
been regarded as one of the fundamental components of belief in Islam;
it negates the possibility of the emergence of any Messenger after the
Prophet of Islam.
In any discussion of Islam, we cannot
overlook the role played in it by the sealing of prophethood with the
Prophet Muhammad. What Muslim is there who does not immediately think
of the Prophet's aspect as seal whenever he call him to mind, or who
has any doubt that the Quran is the final revealed message of God?
No religion is known to us that like
Islam proclaims the sealing of revelation, nor any heavenly
personality who has claimed eternal validity for his message.
More than fourteen centuries have
passed since the rise of Islam, and throughout this period the Prophet
of Islam has always been regarded as the Seal of the Prophets. He
perfected existing laws, and with the rich content of his own logical
and thorough program of action, he demonstrated the ultimate value
inherent in all the prophetic missions.
By contrast with other schools of
religious thought, the validity of which was restricted to a certain
time or place, Islam represents a comprehensive summation of all
prophetic messages, and it recognizes no boundaries, whether spatial
or temporal.
The Quran itself also depicts the
brilliant visage of Muhammad, upon whom be peace and blessings, as the
one by means of whom the gate of prophethood has been closed.
How can we solve the apparent
contradiction between the need for Prophets as the condition for the
vitality of human existence, on the one hand, and the permanent
sealing of prophethood, on the other? How can we reconcile the
principle of the immutability of the ordinances of Islam with the
principle of social development and the-everlasting search for new
concepts and norms?
Industrial and technological
developments have turned the human being into a creature always
desiring novelty, and wishing to connect every aspect of his life to
new principles and institutions. How can such a human being organize
his social life and development on the basis of a religion that
originated more than fourteen centuries ago and summons the human
being to recognize a series of fixed and unchanging values? Having
expounded the doctrine of the sealing of prophethood, Islam itself
provides the answers to these questions.
One of the reasons for the sending of
new Prophets was the corruptions and distortions that had crept into
the teachings and books of their predecessors, with the result that
they lost their efficacy in the guidance of the human being.
But once the human being reaches a
stage in his growth where he can preserve the norms and teachings of
religion from corruption or change and propagate them in their
authentic form, the most fundamental reason for the sending of new
Prophets disappears.
The age in which the Prophet of Islam
made his appearance thus differs completely from the ages in which
earlier Prophets had emerged: the human being had reached a level of
intellectual maturity which permitted the sealing of prophethood.
The attainment of maturity by
society, the rise of science and learning, and the human being's
acquisition of the ability to preserve and propagate heavenly
religion-all this meant that an essential precondition for the sealing
of prophethood had been met. It was now possible for the duty of
propagating religion and guiding people to be entrusted to scholars
and learned persons. From now on, it was up to the human being to
preserve his historical heritage and spiritual achievements and to
protect the final revelation from corruption by seeking aid in the
Quran itself and drawing on his cultural and social maturity. Instead
of the responsibility being placed on a single individual, the message
was now entrusted to a collectivity. As the Quran says:
"There should be
a group among you who summon to virtueand enjoin good upon them and
restrain them from evil."(3:104)
In his social development, the human
being reaches a stage
where he no longer stands in need of
repeated surgical intervention and is instead ready for a form of
permanent prophethood where human beings shape their own destiny on
the basis of clear vision, correct choice and reflection on the
contents of revelation.
Under such conditions, a social and
intellectual order is needed that will free the thoughts and acts of
human beings from the wearying and stultifying burden of attachment
and give shape and direction to their constant exertions in the realm
of both thought and action. The eternal miracle that is the Noble
Quran sets forth the main principles of such a system by following
which human being is able to advance.
Among all the heavenly books the
Quran is the only one to have withstood the ravages of time so that we
have in our possession a complete and uncorrupted text clearly
reflecting its abundantly creative teachings. The Quran itself
proclaims: "We it is Who have sent down
this Quran and We it is Who will protect it."(15:9) This
verse indicates that the most important reason for the sending of new
Prophets no longer obtains.
In addition, we should be aware that
belief in all the Prophets signifies belief in a continuous historical
process, one which began with history itself and the origins of human
society has expressed itself in a struggle between truth and falsehood
and will continue until the final triumph of the former over the
latter. In each age, the Prophets have advanced the awareness and
maturity of human beings in accordance with the circumstances and
capacities of society.
Differences with respect to certain
laws and ordinances do not touch on the fundamental principles and
nature of religion because this apparent lack of harmony relates to
subsidiary matters, not fundamental concern connected with the very
nature of religion.
To correct deviations in thought and
belief is possible, in fact, only if a variety of programs of action,
each congruent with a set of objective realities, are adopted. If an
apparent lack of harmony can be observed in the methods followed by
the Prophets in the course of their continuous efforts, this has no
connection with their fundamental aim. There is no contradiction among
their missions with respect to the principal goal-changing and forming
anew the thoughts of human beings who had lost touch with reality and
were living in darkness, both culturally and socially.
The Glorious Quran says: "After
earlier Prophets, We sent Jesus, son of Mary; he confirmed the Torah
brought by Moses."(5:46)
The Quran Confirms
the Mission of Previous Prophets
Not only does the Quran not negate
and invalidate previous revelations, it positively confirms the
messengerhood of all previous Prophets and true guides, and praises
those great men for their efforts and exertions.
In the Quran, the names of those
revered by Jews and Christians as their leaders have been mentioned
repeatedly and with respect. Does this praise and veneration of those
figures not indicate the veracity, truthfulness and trustworthiness of
the message of the Quran, as based on revelation? After all, the
followers of Judaism and Christianity were intensely hostile to the
new religion of Islam, and the fact that the Quran praises the figures
sacred to those two religions proves how far removed the Quran is from
all petty rivalry and how alien to it are all kinds of powerseeking.
The Quran proclaims: "We
have sent this book down to you in truth, confirming, verifying and
protecting the previous heavenly books."(5:48)
Since religion is rooted in the
essential disposition of the human being, as one of his fundamental
impulses that find expression in his view of the world and his deeds,
it is basically one and unvarying. The Noble Quran says: "Turn
directly towards religion, for God has created the human being's
fundamental disposition in accordance with it." (30:29)
So although the human being is
subject to the norms that prevail in the phenomenal world and gains
meaning by entering into relationship with those phenomena and the law
of growth toward perfection that governs them, his path to happiness
is single and unique. It is religion alone that can show him the
specific path to a specific goal. Montesquieu says:
"It is in the very nature of
human laws that they obey events and occurrences. That is to say,
events influence them. By contrast, heavenly laws do not change on the
basis of events or the changing will of the human being. Human laws
always aim at attaining the best of solutions; heavenly laws actually
discover the best of solutions. Virtue and goodness have, no doubt,
many different aspects and varieties, but
the best of all solutions is
necessarily unique and also, therefore, immutable. The human being can
change human laws because it is possible that a given law be
beneficial in one age but not in another. Religious systems always
offer the best laws and because they cannot be improved upon, they are
unchangeable."(1)
If we turn our backs on Divine Laws
and have recourse to manmade regulations, we have, in fact, abandoned
the broad and open plain of the universal law of religion for the
narrow and uneven alley that is the limited mind of the human being.
The fundamental difference between
the mission of the Prophet of Islam and that of the other Prophets
lies in the fact that their revelation served as the basis for a
temporary program of action. Once Islam made its appearance and
earlier religious systems had begun to weaken and crumble, it was no
longer possible to adhere to those religions and systems of belief.
The value-system of Islam, by
contrast, completes the whole structure of prophethood: its logical
coherence and unshakeable firmness embrace all the extensive
dimensions of prophethood, and it includes within itself all that the
preceding Prophets put forward to satisfy the human being's needs for
social regulation, as well as all other moral and material needs.
The role that the Prophets played in
correcting the errors and deviations of society and establishing a
correct mode of thought and action is now to be assumed by the
religious leaders who draw on the inexhaustible resources of Islam.
The Quran, the valuesystem of which nurtures the whole of Islam and
endows it with validity, also determines the direction in which the
Muslims are to advance and serves as the source of comprehensive laws
which leave nothing beyond their all-embracing purview. In addition,
the Quran contains the essence and fundamental meaning of the
teachings proclaimed by all the bearers of God's word.
Once the human being reaches a stage
in his development where he is able to comprehend universal truths and
Divine teachings and laws, the scholars and the learned emerge as
successors to the Prophets, with the function of firmly implanting the
authentic criteria of religion in the minds of people.
In pursuit of the exalted ideals of
their religion, they take on the tasks of investigation and research
and struggling against distortion of religion; they propagate the
teachings of God in their true form.
In many verses of the Quran, human
beings are invited to study natural phenomena with care, in order to
perceive by way of deduction the spirit that rules over the scheme of
creation.
The constant attention paid by the
Quran to reason and experience and their utility and the significance
it accords to nature and history as sources for the attainment of
knowledge, are connected them with the sealing of prophethood by the
Quran and the Prophet of Islam. They indicate the prevalence of a new
worldview in the history of mankind.
Abstract goals must inevitably be
transformed into objective realities if they are to have validity. We
see, indeed, that for almost fifteen centuries the human being has
proven his ability to assume these heavy but fruitful responsibilities
by preserving his religious and scientific heritage and exhibiting
both profundity and realism in analyzing and interpreting it.
This is in itself an indication of
the human being's attainment of independence and his readiness to
preserve the Divine verses with utmost care and his ability to assume
the duty of propagating, interpreting, teaching and disseminating
religion.
Once the final Divine Command had
reached the human being, there was no possibility for the coming of a
new Messenger. The sealing of revelation may be compared to the case
of a certain piece of land where all necessary archaeological
excavations have been carried out with the utmost care to unearth
ancient artifacts. There is nothing left hidden in the earth to
justify new research and digging.
Once prophethood has passed through
different stages to reach its final degree of perfection and
exaltedness, and from the point of view of revelation all the dark and
obscure matters that lie within the range of human thought and
comprehension have been clarified, there is no road left to be
travelled, no explanation to be made. Prophethood has fulfilled its
role and reached its final destination. Nonetheless, its life
continues by means of the inexhaustibility of revelation, which
provides a single social, cultural and value system beyond the
confines of time.
The Prophet of Islam proclaims, in a
clear and pleasing fashion: "Prophethood is like a house, the
building of which has now been completed. There is room for only one
more brick, and I am putting that brick in its place."(2)
Although the mission of the Prophets
to proclaim the Divine message and aid humanity came to an end with
the blossoming and maturity of human thought, the spiritual
relationship between the world of the human being and the world of the
unseen has never been severed. The human being's path to exalted
station necessarily continues to pass through the purification of the
spirit and the cultivation of sincere devotion to God.
The human being has numerous creative
dimensions, and it is only through sustained spiritual effort that he
will be able to actualize his potential capacities. He will then enter
into communication with the world of the unseen and see and know what
those ability to assume who are absorbed in the outer appearances of
the material world cannot see and know. It is again such spiritual
effort that gives the human being a truly human aspect, enables him to
appear as God's viceregent on earth, and grants him access to values
that give his life meaning and content.
Numerous, therefore, are those
persons who have a high degree of religiosity and abundant
spirituality without attaining the lofty degree of prophethood and the
religious leadership of mankind.
The doors of illumination and
inspiration are open to all those who wish to purify their inner
beings of the pollution and darkness of sin and who turn their hearts
toward the life-giving breeze of Divine knowledge.
Spiritual grace is never cut off from
the human being, nor does it suffer any decrease. The degree to which
the human being may benefit from it, in a direct and profound way,
depends only on his spiritual capacity and abilities. These determine
the extent to which he may draw on the unceasing and limitless favor
and grace of God.
Sources:
1. L'esperit des lois
(in French, Persian translation), p.725.
2. Majma al-Bayan on
Ahzab, 40.
- The Seal of the
Prophets and his message. Lessons on Islamic doctrines. By
Seyyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari.
The Last
message
The Last Message,
the Last Prophet
From the first, Islam has said that
it is the last message, and Muslims have accepted this fact with
wisdom and with love, and have realised that Islam is the last
manifestation of revelation, prophethood and the culmination of the
former pure religions. Also, all Muslims, on the basis of ayahs in the
Qur'an and hadith, believe that the Prophet of Islam, Peace and
blessing of Allah be upon him and his family, is the last Messenger of
Allah who was the recipient of human leadership.
The great Qur'an has explained the
universality of the pure religion of Islam in many ayahs and has shown
that Muhammad [pbuh&hf] is the last emissary sent by God:
"Muhammad is not
the father of any of one of your men, but the Messenger of Allah and
the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah has knowledge of everything."
(XXXI11;40)
It has been said in a hadith from the
Prophet to 'Ali:
"In all respects
your relation to me is like that of Harun to Musa (i.e. if Harun was
Musa's brother, I also take you as a brother according to the rules of
brotherhood; if he was Musa's successor, you also will be my
successor). Except that Musa was not the last prophet, and I am the
last, and there will be no prophet after me" (It is an authentic
hadith accepted by both the Shi'a and the Sunnis, see al-Ghadir, vol.
3. p. 196-202.)
He also said:
"I am the last
brick in the building of prophethood. With my coming the prophets have
come to an end."
The commander of faithful, Imam 'Ali
[a.s] said in Nahj al-Balaghah, the great book of learning and
knowledge:
"With the
Prophet of Islam, Muhammad [s.a.w], revelation came to an end."
(Sermon 133)
The eighth leader, the true Imam,
Hazrat Imam Ali Al-Ridha [a.s] said:
"The pure
religion of Muhammad [s.a.w] will not be abrogated till the Day of
Resurrection, and also no prophet will follow him." (Bihar al-Anwar,
vol. II, p. 34)
What we have just recounted is only a
sample of tens of Hadiths which clearly and succinctly explain
the conclusive status of the Prophet Muhammad [s.a.w] and the
perpetuity of his pure religion; they leave no room for doubt.
The Universality of
Islam
One of the greatest causes of Islam's
ever-lastingness is its "All-inclusiveness".
Islam is a comprehensive project
based on the human disposition, and it embraces all aspects of life:
individual, social, material, spiritual, doctrinal, emotional,
economic, legal and so forth, and it explains the basis of each in the
most acceptable way, most realistically, for all peoples and all
levels of people, in every time and place.
Thus European Islamicists, each with
his deep view and research, have all acknowledged the omni-sidedness
of Islamic laws and its universality.
Sources:
- The Roots of
Religion
- Dar Rah-e Haq.
The
Infallibility of Prophets
Doctrine
of the Infallibility of the Prophets
We believe that all the prophets are
infallible, and also that the 12 holy Imams [a.s] (the progeny and successors to the
Prophet of Islam) are infallible, but some non-Shi'a Muslims do not
believe in the infallibility of the prophets, let alone of the Imams.
Infallibility means purity from all sins, both major and minor ones',
and from mistakes and forgetfulness. It is necessary that a prophet
should not even do what is contrary to good manners: that is, he
should not behave vulgarly, for example by eating in the street, by
laughing aloud, or by doing anything which may be unacceptable to
public opinion.
The reason for the necessity of the
infallibility of a prophet is that if he commits a sin or mistake, or
is forgetful or something similar, we have to choose between two
alternatives: either we obey his sins and mistakes, in which case, in
the view of Islam, we do wrong, or we must not obey his sins and
mistakes, which too is wrong, because this is contrary to the idea of
prophethood where obedience is necessary; besides, if everything he
says or does has the possibility of being either right or wrong, then
it is impossible for us to follow him. The result is that the benefit
of his mission is lost; it becomes unnecessary, and the prophet
becomes like ordinary people whose acts and speech do not have the
excellent worth that we seek, with the result that there will be no
obedience and his actions will be unreliable.
The same reason is adduced for the
infallibility of the Imams [a.s], because we believe that the Imam is
appointed by Allah as the Prophet's representative (khalifah) to guide
mankind. This will be explained in the section on the Imamate.
Way
are the Prophets free of sin and error?
Without doubt, more
important than anything else, a prophet must attract the trust of the
general public in such a way that his words contain no possibility of
being lies or erroneous, otherwise, his position of leadership will be
a shaky one.
If they are not
immaculate, using the excuse that the prophets have erred, people who
seek the truth from what they say will begin to doubt their
invitation. It will not be accepted, or, at least, their words will
not be accepted with all of their hearts.
This reason which can be
called `trustworthiness' is one of the most important reasons for
their being immaculate.
In other words, how is
it possible that God give His Commands for His people to follow a
person who is not truthful for if this person were to err or sin,
people would not follow him. If they do, they have erred and if they
do not, they have weakened his position of leadership, in particular,
since the position of the leadership of the prophets completely
differs with the leadership of others for people receive their entire
program of life from the prophets.
Because of this, we see
that the great commentators speak about the verse,
"يا
ايها الذين
آمنوا
اطيعو الله
و اطيوا
الرسول
واولي
الأمر منكم
"
"Obey
God and obey the Prophet and those charged with authority among
you." (4:59)
saying that the command
for Absolute obedience is because the Prophet is immaculate as well as
`being charged with authority'. The pure leaders like the Holy Prophet
are referred to as `being charged with authority'. If not, God would
never give the command to unconditional obedience to them.
Another way of proving
the immaculateness of the Holy Prophet in relation to any sin is that
any factor of sin is condemned to defeat within the very being of the
Holy Prophet.
The explanation of this
is: when we turn to ourselves, we see that we, too, are immaculate in
relation to some sins or evil or unacceptable deeds.
Note the following
examples:
Can you find an
intelligent person who thinks about eating fire or trash or filth?
Can you find an
intelligent person who will walk naked through the streets and
bazaars?
Clearly not. If we saw
such deeds from someone, we will be assured of the fact that he is no
longer normal and has become insane because an intelligent person
would never do these things.
When we analyze such
behavior, we see that the ugliness of such deeds is so clear that an
intelligent person would never even consider them.
It is here that we can
imagine what this short phrase means and say that every intelligent
and healthy person is `free of unacceptable deeds.
From this stage, we take
a step further. We see some
people who are free from
unacceptable deeds.
For instance, an aware
physician and expert who knows the various kinds of microbes well is
never prepared to drink the polluted water of the dirty clothes of a
person who has one of the most dangerous contagious diseases whereas
an illiterate person , perhaps, would be indifferent to such a thing.
With another simple
example, we reach the point that however much the level of a person
rises in the area of awareness, they are less likely to do evil or
ugly deeds.
Taking into
consideration that if a person's faith and awareness were to rise and
have so much faith in God and His court of justice, so that everything
that he sees is present before his eyes, such a person will be free of
all sin and every ugly deed in relation to him, like walking naked
through the streets, will be in our eyes only.
For such a person, the
property of soniething forbidden is just like the flames of fire, and
just like we do not put fire in our mouths, he does not put something
which is forbidden into his mouth.
We can then conclude
that the prophets, because of the extraordinary knowledge, awareness
and faith which they have, tame the motives of sin and the most
exciting factors causing sin will not prevail upon his intellect and
faith. This is why we say that the prophets are immaculate; they are
insured against sin.
Sources: Lessons about Allah, Prophet,
Justice, Leadership (imamate), Resurrection - by Ayatullah Nasir
Makarim Shirazi.
The faith of Shi'a
Islam - By: Muhammad Ridha Al-Muzaffar
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from the Followers Network.