Chapter 3 – The Finality of Prophethood in the view of the Twelver Shia

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Chapter 3

The Finality of Prophethood in the view of the Twelver Shia

 

1. Declaring that the Ummah has matured enough so they no longer require the presence of prophets to guide them.

For the Shia who have previously questioned, “why do we no longer have prophets?”, we need to give their followers a satisfying answer. If you observe, you will see that they copied the exact answer the Ahlus Sunnah gave in their books.

1. Ayat Allah al ‘Uzma Naser Makarem Shirazi says:

 

أن حرمان عصرنا لم يكن لعدم جدارتهم بل لأن قافلة البشرية في هذا العصر قد بلغت في مسيرتها الفكرية وفي وعيها مرحلة تمكنها من إدامة مسيرتها باتباع الشريعة ولنضرب هنا مثلاً أولو العزم من الأنبياء الذين جاؤوا بدين جديد وبكتاب من السماء وهم خمسة (نوح وإبراهيم وموسى وعيسى ومحمد عليهم السلام) وقد ظهر هؤلاء كل في فترة معينة من الزمان وسعوا لهداية البشر ووضعهم على طريق التكامل فأوصل كل منهم القافلة البشرية من مرحلة إلى المرحلة التي تليها وسلمها إلى النبي الذي يليه من أولي العزم إلى أن بلغت القافلة من مسيرتها إلى الطريق النهائي كما بلغت القدرة التي تمكنها من مواصلة مسيرتها وحدها نهايتها مثلها مثل التلميذ الذي يطوي مراحل الدراسة الخمسة حتى يتخرج في الكلية وبالطبع لا يعني هذا أنه انتهى من التعليم بل يعني أهليته للاستمرار بمفرده دونما حاجة إلى معلم أو مدرسة

The deprivation of our Ummah in this age (from prophets) is not because we are not good enough, but rather because humanity in this age has reached the end of its intellectual journey, and has reached in its awareness a stage that enables it to continue this journey by following the Shari’ah, for example: The Ulu al ‘Azm prophets who came with a new religion and a new book from the sky are five (Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, ‘Isa, and Muhammad ‘alayhim al Salam). They each appeared in a specific period of time and they tried to guide humanity and put them on the path of perfection, so each of them guided humanity from a certain stage to the next and handed the mantle over to the following prophet from the Ulu al ‘Azm, until the caravan reached the last leg of the journey, it acquired the skill to continue alone until the end of the journey, like a student that finishes his primary school, then middle school and finally high-school, this does not mean that he stops learning but it means he is qualified to continue on his own with no need for a teacher or school.^[1]

 

2. Ayat Allah al ‘Uzma Jafar al Subhani says:

 

إن انفتاح باب النبوة التبليغية في وجه الأمم السالفة وإيصاده بعد نبي الإسلام ليس معناه ان الأمم السالفة استحقت هذه النعمة المعنوية لفضيلة تفردت بها دون الخلف الصالح من الأمم أو أن الأمة الإسلامية حرمت لكونها أقل شأناً و أهون من الأمم الخالية كلا بل الوجه أن الأمم السالفة كانت محتاجة إليها دون الأمة الإسلامية فهي في غنى عن أي نبي مبلغ يروج شريعة نبي الإسلام وذلك أن المجتمعات تتفاوت إدراكاً ورشداً فرب مجتمع يكون في تخلفه كالفرد القاصر لا يقدر على أن يحتفظ بالتراث الذي وصل إليه بل يضيعه كالطفل الذي يمزق كتابه ودفتره غير شاعر بقيمته ورب مجتمع بلغ من القيم الفكرية والأخلاقية والاجتماعية شأواً بعيداً يحتفظ معه بتراثه الديني واصل إليه بل يستثمره استثماراً جيداً فهو عند ذاك غني عن كل مروج يروج دينه أو مبلغ يذكر منسيه أو مرب يرشده إلى القيم لأخلاقية أو معلم يعلمه معالم دينه ويوضح له ما أشكل من كتابه إلى غير ذلك من الشؤون فأفراد الأمم السالفة كانوا كالقصر غير بالغين في العقلية الاجتماعية فما كانوا يعرفون قيمة التراث المعنوي الذي وصل إليهم بل كانوا يلعبون به لعب الصبي بكتابه بتحريفهم له وتأويله بما يتوافق مع أهوائهم ومشاربهم ولذا كان يحل بالشريعة اندراس بعد مضي القرون والأجيال ويستولي عليها الصدأ بعد حقبة من الزمان لهذا ولذلك كان على المولى سبحانه أن يبعث فيهم نبي جيل بعد جيل ليذكرهم بدينهم الذي ارتضاه الله لهم ويجدد شريعة من قبله ويروج قوله وفعله ويزيل ما علق بها من شوائب بسبب أهواء الناس وتحريفاتهم وأما المجتمع البشري بعد بعثة الرسول (ص) ولحوقه بالرفيق الأعلى فقد بلغ من المعرفة والإدراك والتفتح العقلي والرشد الاجتماعي شأواً يتمكن معه من حفظ تراث نبيه وصيانة كتابه عن طوارق التحريف والضياع حتى بلغت عنايته بكتابه الديني إلى تصنيف أنواع التأليف في أحكامه وتفسيره وبلاغته ومفرداته وإعرابه وقرائته فأزدهرت تحت راية القرآن ضروب من العلوم والفنون فلأجل ذلك الرشد الفكري في المجتمع البشري جعلت وظيفة التبليغ والإنذار على كاهل نفس الأمة حتى تبوأت وظيفة الرسل من التربية والتبليغ واستغنت عن بعث نبي مجدد على طول الزمان يبلغ رسالة من قبله

The fact that the door of tablighi prophethood was opened to previous nations but closed after the advent of the Prophet of Islam does not mean that the previous nations had a special rank that made them worthy of this blessing, or that the Islamic Ummah was deprived because it was less important. No! Rather, the reason is that the past nations were in need of it, whereas the Islamic Ummah does not require any prophet to preach and promote the Shari’ah of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

This is because societies differ in awareness and maturity. Imagine a society that is so ignorant like a small minor, incapable of guarding the heritage that he received, like a child who rips his notebooks apart not realising their value. Compared to a society that has reached the heights of intellectual, moral, and ethical values, a community that preserves its religious heritage and uses it wisely, then in that case it does not require anyone to promote its religion, or one who reminds it of the teachings, or a teacher who guides it towards moral values and (clarifies) what could be confusing in its holy book and so on. The individuals living in past societies were like minors, not mature intellectually nor socially. They could not appreciate the value of the heritage they received but they used to play with it like a boy plays with his books, by corrupting it and misinterpreting it according to their desires, so the Shari’ah would be lost after centuries pass.

This is why Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala used to send among them prophets, generation after generation, so they can remind them of their religion that He chose for them, renew the Shari’ah of the messenger before them, promote his sayings and actions, and remove all impurities the people ascribed to it.

As for the human society after the passing of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, it has reached from knowledge, awareness, open-mindedness, and maturity a great amount that enables it to preserve the heritage of its Prophet and protect his book from loss and corruption. It took such good care of its religious book that it authored many works in relation to it such as Tafsir (Exegesis), Balaghah (Eloquence), Mufradat (Vocabulary), I’rab (Grammar), and Qira’at (Recitations), so Qur’anic sciences flourished.

As a result of this intellectual maturity in human society, the job of warning and delivering the message has now been placed on the shoulders of this same Ummah, so they took the job of educating and calling (to Islam), and they no longer depend on the coming of a new prophet to renew the message of the one before him.^[2]

 

3. Shia scholar al Sayed Mujtaba al Lari says:

 

فإحدى العلل لتجديد رسالات الأنبياء وتتالي الرسل هي ما يقع من تحريف في الكتب السماوية ولهذا فهي تفقد عندئذ صلاحيتها لهداية البشرية و إرشادها أما عندما يصل الإنسان إلى مرحلة من النضج بحيث يستطيع المحافظة على السنن والتعاليم الدينية بعيدة عن التحريف والتغير ويتمكن من النهوض بنشرها فإنه ينتفي حينئذ أعظم الأسباب لتجديد الرسالة و لا تبقى حاجة لنبوة جديدة إذن يختلف عصر ظهور نبي الإسلام من هذه الناحية عن العصور التي ظهر فيها الأنبياء الآخرون بصورة كاملة حيث أن الإنسان قد وضع أقدامه في مرحلة النضج الفكري وتهيأت الظروف اللازمة لاختتام الرسالة فالنضج الاجتماعي والوعي العلمي قد أوصل الإنسان إلى مرحلة يكون فيها هو الحافظ والمبلّغ لدينه السماوي وبهذا يتحقق ركن مهم من أركان الخاتمية وتسند مهمّة الإرشاد والدعوة منذئذ إلى العلماء والمفكرين وذلك لأن الإنسان منذ هذا التاريخ أصبح قادراً على حفظ تراثه التاريخي ومنجزاته المعنوية بفضل هذا الكتاب الكريم وبفضل ما أصبح يتمتع به من نضج ثقافي واجتماعي ويجب عليه الحيلولة دون تحريف أو تغير هذا الكتاب الموحى إلى النبي الكريم وذلك لأن هذه الرسالة سوف تنتقل منذ الآن إلى المجموع وسوف لن تكون المسؤولية على عاتق فرد واحد فحسب وذلك كما يقول القرآن وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إلى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ …

وعندما يصل الإنسان إلى مرحلة النضج الإنساني والقدرة على استيعاب الحقائق الكلية والقوانين الإلهية يصبح العلماء خلفاء للأنبياء … يأخذون على عاتقهم مهمة البحث والاجتهاد والنضال ضد التحريف والتزوير وإشاعة المعايير الإلهية في اتجاهها الصحيح … فقد أثبتت البشرية خلال ما يناهز خمسة عشر قرناً أنها مهيأة لتحمّل المسؤوليات الكبيرة وأنها قادرة على حفظ الميراث الذهني والعلمي … وهذه الأمور تثبت أن الإنسان قد وصل إلى مرحلة الاستقلال والقدرة على حفظ الآيات السماوية بأقصى دقّة وأنه يتحمل عبء الدعوة والتفسير ونشر الدين الحنيف وعندما وصلت التعاليم الإلهية إلى الإنسان انتفت الحاجة لمجيء نبيّ جديد

One of the purposes of renewing the message of prophets and the continuity of messengers is the corruption of heavenly books, which renders them unsuitable for guiding humanity. On the other hand, when the human reaches a stage of maturity in a way that enables him to preserve the traditions and religious teachings from corruption and change, it also enables him to spread them; and in this situation, the need for renewal of the message is no longer there.

Consequently, the times in which the Prophet of Islam salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam appeared are completely different from the times of appearance of other prophets, because the human has now entered the stage of intellectual maturity and the stage is set for the Finality of Prophethood.

The social maturity, knowledge, and awareness have led the human to a level where he has become the one who memorises and delivers the heavenly message. In this way, one of the main pillars of the ending of prophethood has been fulfilled, and the job of guiding and calling to this religion is now entrusted to scholars and thinkers, because from this point in time, the human is able to guard his historical heritage and meaningful accomplishments thanks to this noble Book and because of his intellectual and social maturity. He needs to prevent the corruption of this Book which was inspired to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as this message now shall spread to the whole world, as the Qur’an states, “And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.”^[3]

When the human reaches that level of maturity and possesses the ability to acknowledge the absolute truths and the divine laws, then the scholars become the heirs of the prophets… and they take it upon themselves to carry on the mission of researching, doing Ijtihad^[4], struggling against corruption, and spreading the divine ways. Humanity has proven throughout around fifteen centuries that it is ready and capable to carry on the big responsibilities, and that it is able to preserve the knowledge and the intellectual inheritance.

These things prove that the human has now reached a level of freedom and the ability to safeguard the heavenly verses with extreme accuracy, that he can carry the responsibility of calling (da’wah), making tafsir, and spreading the religion.

When the divine teachings are in reach of the human, then there was no more need for new prophets.^[5]

 

4. Shia scholar al ‘Allamah Ibrahim al Amini says:

 

إن المجتمع البشري في ذلك الزمان كان قد بلغ حداً من حيث العقل والفكر والإمكانات العلمية يستطيع معه أن يحافظ على المواريث العلمية والدينية بصورة كاملة وينقلها إلى الأجيال اللاحقة بأمانة ودقة في مثل هذا العصر بُعِث رسول الله ص من جانب الله تعالى بالرسالة ليضع بين يدي النفوس البشرية المتكاملة المستعدة أسمى المعار ف وأرقاها … ولقد بقي القرآن الكريم كما تلاحظونه وعلى أثر حفظ الحفاظ وكتابة الكتاب في صورته الكاملة دون أي زيادة أو نقصان ومن دون أي تغيير أو تحريف وسيبقى كذلك إلى يوم القيامة وهكذا بقيت الأحكام والقوانين والمقررات الإسلامية في صورة حديث مدوَّن مضبوط في بطون الكتب والمؤلفات

The human society at that time had reached its full capability mentally, intellectually, and in their academic capabilities and was able to preserve its academic and religious inheritance in a perfect picture, and to transmit it to the next generations with accuracy and honesty. It was in these times that our Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was sent by Allah, to place in the hands of the fully developed humankind who were ready, the highest and most prestigious knowledge. And the Qur’an prevailed because of the scribes and because of those who memorised it. It remained in its prefect image without any addition or deletion, without change and corruption, until the Day of Judgment. Thus, all the rulings and laws of Islam remained in an accurately written format in the bellies of our books and compilations.^[6]

 

He says:

 

فلماذا ترى تنتفي الحاجة إلى أنبياء مبلِّغين يقومون بمهمة الترويج لتلك الشرائع فكما أن الله سبحانه كان يرسل بعد كل نبي صاحب شريعة من أولي عزم أنبياء عديدين ليقوموا بترويج الشريعة المتقدمة وتبليغها للأجيال اللاحقة يمكن القول بأن المجتمع البشري في عصر البعثة المحمدية كان قد بلغ في التكامل الفكري والرشد العقلي حداً أصبح معه صالحاً لأن يحافظ على المواريث الأنبياء العلمية والدينية ويصونها من خطر الحوادث وأن يكون نفسه مبلِّغاً لتلك القيم والمفاهيم المقدسة وقد وصل في هذا المجال إلى درجة الاكتفاء الذاتي ولهذا لم تبقَ حاجة بعد هذا إلى إرسال الرسل

So why is there no more need for tablighi prophets to promote these Shari’ah laws when Allah would send after the Ulu al ‘Azm messengers many prophets after them to promote the previous Shari’ah and spread its message to coming generations? It is possible for us to respond that human society at the time of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had reached mental integrity and intellectual maturity to an extent that it became qualified to preserve the teachings of the prophets and protect them from the danger of accidents, and that society itself can deliver the sacred virtues and knowledge, so society becomes self-sufficient, thus there was no more need to send prophets.^[7]

 

5. Shia philosopher Murtada al Mutahhari says:

 

ويتضح مما قيل أن لبلوغ البشر الفكري الاجتماعي دور في خاتمية النبوة

It becomes clear from what is being said that the social intellectual maturity of humanity plays a role in the Finality of Prophethood.^[8]

 

He says:

 

لما كان الإنسان القديم بسبب عدم بلوغه الفكري ونضجه غير قادر على المحافظة على كتابهم السماوي وأصبحت الكتب السماوية عادة موضع تحريف وتغيير أو ربما تؤول إلى الضياع نهائيا ولذا كان لزاماً أن تتجدد الرسالة وأن عصر نزول القرآن أي قبل أربعة عشر قرناً كان مقارناً للدور الذي وضعت البشرية فيه طفولتها خلفها وتتمكن فيه من المحافظة على مواريثها العلمية والدينية ولذا فلم يتسرب التحريف إلى آخر كتاب سماوي مقدس أي القرآن وكل المسلمون عامة يحفظون كل آية عند نزولها في صدروهم أو في كتاباتهم … ولذا فلم يحدث التحريف والزوال في الكتاب السماوي وهذا سبب من أسباب انتفاء تجديد النبوة

The early man of old times, because he was not fully developed and mature, they were not able to preserve their heavenly books. Those books became victims of corruption and change, or even lost completely. This is why it was necessary to always renew the message. The age in which the Qur’an was revealed, meaning a thousand four hundred years ago, this was the time when humanity placed its childhood behind it and it was capable of safeguarding its academic and religious heritage, this is why corruption never infiltrated the last heavenly book, the Qur’an. Generally, all the Muslims preserve each verse when it descends whether in their memories or books; this is one of the reasons of the finality of prophethood.^[9]

 

He says:

 

وإن علماء الأمة الإسلامية الأكفاء يقومون بكثير من واجبات الأنبياء التبليغيين وبعض واجبات الأنبياء التشريعيين دون أن يكونوا مشرِّعين عن طريق الإجتهاد وواجب هداية الأمة الخاص ولهذا فقد انتفت الحاجة إلى تجديد النبوة ونزول كتاب سماوي جديد ومجئ نبي جديد إلى الأبد

And the good scholars of this Islamic Ummah carry out a lot of the jobs of tablighi prophets and some of the jobs of tashri’i prophets, with them not being legislators^[10]. They do it through Ijtihad and the necessity of guiding their nation; this is why there is no need to renew prophethood, for the appearance of a new book, or the coming of a new prophet forever.^[11]

 

6. Ayat Allah al ‘Uzma Muhammad Baqir al Sadr said in his research:

 

هو خط تحمل أعباء المسؤولية الأخلاقية للدعوة يعني كون الإنسان بالغاً إلى درجة تؤهله لأن يتحمل أعباء دعوة لها ضريبتها وواجباتها وآلامها وهمومها مثل هذا التحمل أيضاً له درجات ولا يستطيع الإنسان (بالطفرة) أن يصل إلى درجة تحمل أعباء الرسالة العالمية الواسعة غير محدود الزمان والمكان لم يستطع أن يصل ذلك بالطفرة وإنما يستطيع أن يصل إليه بالتدريج وعبر مرانٍ طويل على تحمل مسؤولية البشرية بقيت تتحمل المسؤوليات عبر مران طويل ونمت خلال مرانها الطويل حتى استطاعت ان تتحمل مسؤولية رسالة لاحد لها ممتدة مع الزمان والمكان

It is being able to bear the moral responsibility of this call (Islam), meaning that the human needs to mature enough to the extent that allows him to carry the burdens of this call, and this has its price, responsibilities, pains, and troubles. The ability to withstand the vast responsibilities of a worldly message not limited by time and place is not possible by default for any individual, but he can reach this step by step through many stages of training, to be able to handle the responsibility of humanity. So after a long period of training, he arose until he was able to handle the responsibilities of a great message not bound by time and place…^[12]

 

He says:

 

وإلا فأي مسؤوليات تتحملها أمم الأنبياء السابقين الأمم التي انكشف تاريخها أمامنا اليوم أمم موسى وعيسى مثلاً نحن بالمقارنة بين أمم موسى وعيسى والمسؤوليات التي تحملتها الأمة الإسلامية حينما نزل الوحي على النبي محمد ص بالرسالة الخاتمة بالمقارنة بينهما نكتشف وجود درجة كبيرة في الفارق بينهما في تحمل المسؤوليات وهذه الدرجة الكبيرة في تحمل المسؤولية تعبر عن نحو الإستعداد على مر الزمن

And what responsibilities did the nations of past prophets carry, the nations whose history is now revealed and exposed to us today, the nations of Musa and ‘Isa for example?

We (Muslims) in comparison with the nations of Musa and ‘Isa and the responsibilities this Islamic Ummah carried when the revelation descended on our Prophet `alayh al-Salam with the final message, in comparison (between our nation and theirs) we find a huge difference when it comes to responsibility; this great difference shows us the evolution and readiness (of humanity) throughout the times…^[13]

 

7. Shia philosopher Sadr al Din al Shirazi said in al Hujjah under the chapter “reasons for the end of prophethood”:

 

إن النفوس والغرائز من زمن آدم عليه السلام وابتداء خلق العالم هي في حالة ترقّ بحسب قابليتها واستعداداتها وهذا الإرتقاء من حضيض النقص إلى ذروة الكمال والسمو من مهوى البعد وأرض السفالة إلى بقاع الرفعة وسماء القرب هو من المبدأ المتعال وذلك من خلال بعث الأنبياء ونزول الملائكة بالكتب والصحف المنزلة عليهم من ملكوت السماء لتعليم الأمم وهدايتها وتخليصها من القيود والتعلقات وتكميل النفوس بأنوار العلوم والمعارف والآيات وكلما قوي استعدادهم وصفت أذهانهم بالتلطيف والتأديب استعدوا واستحقوا لشريعة جديدة وأحكام أخرى تنسخ ما سبقها من الأحكام وهكذا إلى أن انتهت الشرائع والأديان إلى شريعة لا أكمل منها ودين لا أتم منه وهو دين الإسلام لقوله تعالى الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ

The human entity and its instincts have been evolving ever since the time of Adam `alayh al-Salam in terms of their readiness and capabilities. This evolution began from deficiency until they reached the height of completeness. (This happens) through the coming of prophets and the descent of angels with books from the Lofty to teach the nations, guide them, and free them from the shackles, and to perfect the spirit with the lights of knowledge and divine signs. Whenever they become ready and when they acquire more disciplined and educated minds, they become worthier and more deserving of a new Shari’ah and new rulings that abrogate the previous one. It was always like this until finally it reached the most perfect Shari’ah and religion, that of Islam, as Allah declared, “This day I have perfected your religion for you.”^[14]

 

2. The conflict between their belief in the maturity of the Ummah and their belief in Imamah.

As it was made obviously clear by both the Muslim scholars and the Shia scholars that the belief in the maturity of the Ummah and its eligibility to carry out the job of the prophets, such as preserving the religious texts, spreading them, teaching them, and practicing upon them, means that it no longer requires the presence of new prophets, and this, in turn, destroys the argument of the Qadianis and others who claim the need to always have prophets.

However, what must be mentioned is that this answer does not only destroy the belief of the Qadianis, but also the belief of the Imami Shia. The Twelver Shia believe in the need to always have a divine guide, an infallible leader that comes after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to preserve the religion and spread it. This made them run into an embarrassing contradiction in their beliefs as the intelligent reader can see. We shall provide some examples below:

1. Ayat Allah al ‘Uzma Muhammad Baqir al Sadr—who we previously quoted—will now contradict himself in order to prove the need for a divine guide in his research Bahth Hawl al Wilayah. He says that the time the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam spent among us was not enough:

 

والأمة الإسلامية ككل لم تكن قد عاشت في ظل عملية التغيير هذه إلا عقداً واحداً من الزمن على أكثر تقدير وهذا الزمن لا يكفي عادة في منطق الرسالات العقائدية والدعوات والتغييرات لارتفاع الجيل الذي عاش في كنف الدعوة عشر سنوات فقط إلى درجة من الوعي والموضوعية والتحرر من رواسب الماضي والاستيعاب لمعطيات الدعوة الجديدة تؤهله للقيمومة على الرسالة وتحمل مسؤولية الدعوة

The Islamic Ummah as a whole did not live this experience (prophethood) for more than a decade. This period of time is normally not enough when it comes to changing the generation that lived for only ten years with the prophet so they can reach a good level of awareness, objectivity, freedom from previous beliefs, and an understanding of the new religion, a level that enables them to carry the message and to be responsible for spreading the call.^[15]

 

He is saying that the Islamic Ummah, after spending a decade with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not possess the required level of awareness and objectivity to carry the responsibility of the message.

He says:

 

بل إن منطق الرسالات العقائدية يفرض أن تمر بوصاية عقائدية فترة أطول من الزمن تهيؤها للارتفاع إلى مستوى تلك القيمومة

But rather, the logic of divine messages demands that the Ummah pass by a longer period of guardianship so it can be made ready to rise to the expected level of responsibility.^[16]

 

Meaning that the time the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam spent was not enough to finish the job; we need to be under the protection and guardianship of other divine guides.

He says:

 

وأي افتراض يتجه إلى القول بأن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يخطط لإسناد قيادة التجربة والقيمومة على الدعوة بعده مباشرة إلى جيل المهاجرين والأنصار يحتوي ضمناً اتهام أكبر وأبصر قائد رسالي في تاريخ العمليات التغييرية

And any hypothesis which implies that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was planning to place the responsibility of the message and the leadership after him on the shoulders of the generation of the Muhajirin and the Ansar, is in fact a hypothesis that constitutes a great accusation against the wisest leader in the history of change.^[17]

 

He means that if anyone says that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam planned to give authority after him to the Islamic Ummah, then this person is accusing the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam of being a bad strategist and planner.

However, the senior and famous Shia scholar forgot what he previously said when he was talking about the wisdom and reason behind the finality of Prophethood, so let us quote some of his words from before:

In his book, al Nubuwwah al Khatimah, he said when comparing the Islamic Ummah with previous nations:

 

أين هذا من أمة حملت أعباء الرسالة من أمة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم

How can we compare that with the (Islamic) Ummah that carried the burden of the message, the Ummah of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?^[18]

 

He said:

 

إن الإنسان وصل الحد النهائي الذروة من ناحية تحمله لمسؤولية أعباء الدعوة حينما جاء الإسلام … حتى استطاع أن يتحمل مسؤولية رسالة لا حد لها ممتدة مع الزمان والمكان

The human has reached his limits when it comes to taking responsibility of the burdens of the message when Islam came… until he was able to handle the responsibilities of a great message not bound by time and place.^[19]

 

So, when the Shia scholar wants to provide his followers with the reason for the finality of prophethood, he tells them that the Ummah has reached the heights and limits of maturity and responsibility so there was no more need for new prophets. But when he wants to preach to his followers the Shia belief in divine infallible leaders, he tells them that the time the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam spent was not enough to change the Ummah and that they are not responsible enough to carry the burdens of the message, thus we need twelve divine leaders to guide us afterwards.

2. Ayat Allah al ‘Uzma Jafar al Subhani says in Mafahim al Qur’an when talking about the importance of the Ahlul Bayt:

 

يجب عليه سبحانه حفاظاً على وحدة الأمة وصيانتها عن الشرود في متاهات الضلال أن يشفع كتابه بميزان آخر وهاد يدعم أمره ومعلم يوضح لهم أسراره

In order to preserve the unity of the Ummah and maintain it from straying into the maze of misguidance, Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala must back up His book with another ‘scale’, a guide to enforce His religion, and a teacher to clarify for them its secrets.^[20]

 

He says that Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala must appoint another guide and teacher so that the Ummah will not fall into misguidance. Whereas, in another location, he contradicted himself and says in Mafahim al Qur’an:

 

The reason is that the past nations were in need of it, whereas the Islamic Ummah does not require any prophet to preach and promote the Shari’ah of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

This is because societies differ in awareness and maturity. Imagine a society that is so ignorant like a small minor, incapable of guarding the heritage that he received, like a child who rips his notebooks apart not realising their value. Compared to a society that has reached the heights of intellectual, moral, and ethical values, a community that preserves its religious heritage and uses it wisely, then in that case it does not require anyone to promote its religion, or one who reminds it of the teachings, or a teacher who guides it towards moral values and (clarifies) what could be confusing in its holy book and so on.^[21]

 

In the first statement, he states that the Ummah is in need of one who guides them, carries their hand, explains the religion to them, and promotes it, but then in the second statement he proves that the Ummah reached a state of maturity where it does not require any teachers and guides and this is why no new prophets were sent!

3. Ayat Allah Naser Makarem Shirazi also contradicts himself in Durus fi al ‘Aqidah al Islamiyyah:

 

ولسوف نثبت في بحوثنا التالية وجوب أن يكون في كل عصر وزمان ممثل إلهي نبي أو إمام معصوم

And we shall prove, in the following research, the need for the presence of a divine representative, a prophet, or an infallible leader, in every time and era.^[22]

 

He says on the next page:

 

إن الإنسان يطوي طريقاً طويلاً كثير المنعطفات والعثرات في سيره نحو الله نحو الكمال المطلق نحو التكامل المعنوي بجميع أبعاده من البديهي أنه لا يستطيع أن يقطع هذا الطريق بنجاح بغير هداية قائد معصوم ولا أن يطويه بغير معلم سماوي لأنه طريق محفوف بالظلمات وبمخاطر الضلال …. فبناءاً على ذلك إن وجود الإمام يكمل الهدف من خلق الإنسان وهذا ما يطلق عليه في كتب العقائد إسم قاعدة اللطف ويقصدون بها أن الله الحكيم يمد الإنسان بجميع الأمور اللازمة لكي يصل إلى هدف الخلق ومن ذلك بعث الأنبياء وتعيين الأئمة المعصومين وإلا فإن ذلك يؤدي إلى نقض الغرض فتأمل

The human travels a long path full of turns and pitfalls in his march towards Allah, towards absolute perfection, towards moral integrity in all of its dimensions. It is evident that the human cannot travel this path successfully without guidance from an infallible leader, nor can he progress without a heavenly teacher, because it is a road filled with dangers and misguidance. So based on this (the presence of an Imam completes the goal of the creation of the human), this is what they call in the books of creed “divine grace”. They mean by it that Allah, the All-Wise, will provide the human with all necessary things so he can fulfil the goal of his creation, from these things are the sending of prophets and the appointment of infallible leaders, otherwise this would contradict the purpose. So ponder!^[23]

 

This same scholar previously stated that humanity no longer requires new prophets to help them continue their journey after the passing of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He said in the same book:

 

Because the human caravan, in this age, has reached in their intellectual journey and in their awareness, a level that enables them to continue on their path of following the Shari’ah… until the caravan reached the last leg of the journey, it acquired the skill to continue alone until the end of the journey.^[24]

 

4. Murtada Mutahhari said:

 

لقد جاء الرسول الأكرم بالإسلام إلى الناس وهذا الدين بحاجة إلى وجود مرجع إلهي يعرِّفه للناس ويبينه لهم على وجهٍ تام لمدة معينة على الأقل وبدوره عيَّن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم للأمة مثل هذا المرجع المتخصص … الإمام في حقيقته هو تعبير عن مرجع متخصص في أمور الدين وهو خبير حقيقي به بحيث لا يداخل معرفته الخطأ ولا يلابسها الاشتباه

The kind Messenger brought Islam to the people. This religion needs the presence of a divine reference, so he can teach them the religion and clarify it for them in a perfect way at least for a set time. In turn, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam appointed for this nation a special reference… The Imam—in reality—is a reference and a specialist in matters of religion. He is a true expert and his knowledge contains no errors or confusion.^[25]

 

This scholar is talking about the need for a divine guide to clarify the religion for the people, which contradicts what he said at another location, where he stated that the Ummah no longer requires a divine guide as it is able and qualified to carry out all the jobs of the prophets. He said in al Wahy wa al Nubuwwah:

 

The age in which the Qur’an descended, i.e., fourteen centuries back, was the time when humanity placed its childhood behind it, and it was capable of safeguarding its academic and religious heritage. This is why corruption never infiltrated the last heavenly book, the Qur’an. Generally, all the Muslims memorise each verse when it descends in their chests or books, this is one of the reasons of the finality of prophethood.^[26]

 

He talks about how the Muslim scholars in the age of the finality of prophethood are able to extract rulings based on their knowledge of the fundamentals of religion and the circumstances. He explains Ijtihad and then says:

 

And the good scholars of this Islamic Ummah carry out a lot of the jobs of tablighi prophets and some of the jobs of tashri’i prophets, with them not being legislators. They do it through Ijtihad and the necessity of guiding their nation; this is why there is no need to renew prophethood, for the appearance of a new book, or the coming of a new prophet forever.^[27]

 

Murtada Mutahhari makes the Shia stance even clearer when he says:

 

أما نحن نعتقد أن الدليل الذي أفضى إلى أن يبعث النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قاد بنفسه إلى أن يعيِّن أشخاصاً بعينهم لهم جَنَبَة قدسية يخلفونه من بعده

As for us (Shia), we believe that the proofs used to explain the reasons behind the sending of prophets are also leading us to the belief that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will appoint certain saintly people after him to succeed him.^[28]

 

So based on his analysis, the proof he mentions is that the Ummah is incapable of preserving its religious heritage, so it needs a divine guide called the “Imam” to guide it and preserve its religion. On the other hand, Mutahhari says that the reason why this Ummah no longer requires the presence of prophets is because, unlike past nations, this Ummah has reached a sufficient level of maturity enabling it to preserve its religious heritage. A clear contradiction between his two positions when it comes to the need of a divine guide for the Ummah.

 

5. ‘Allamah Ibrahim al Amini writes:

 

إن أحكام السماء إنما أنزلت لهداية الناس ولذا ينبغي استمرارها في مأمن عن التحريف حذفاً وإضافة فلا يأتيها الباطل من بين يديها ولا من خلفها حتى تكون وعلى الدوام في متناول البشرية … وهذا لا يتحقق إلا بوجود فرد إلهي معصوم من الخطأ منزه عن الذنب والخطيئة والنسيان

The rulings from the heavens only descended for the guidance of mankind, so they need to survive without being exposed to corruption, whether additions or deletions; falsehood must not approach them from before them or behind them. This cannot be realised without the presence of an infallible divine individual, elevated above sin, error, and forgetfulness.^[29]

 

Al Amini is clearly stating that the only way to preserve the religious laws and texts from corruption is by having this divine individual otherwise known as the Imam. He continues:

 

ولكي تبقى حجة الله قائمة بوجود الشريعة وقوانين الدين دون حذف أو إضافة … فإن من الواجب هنا وجود فرد بين ظهراني البشر ينهض بمسؤولية حفظ الشريعة ويسعى إلى تطبيق شرع السماء في الأرض

For the divine argument to remain with the presence of the Shari’ah, and so that the religious laws can remain with no deletions or additions… for this to be realised, it is imperative to have among the humans an individual who carries the responsibility of preserving the Shari’ah, who seeks to execute the laws of the heavens on earth.^[30]

 

In other words, the Islamic Ummah is not enough to protect this religion; this is restricted to the infallible leader or Imam. He completely denies the ability of the Ummah to preach the religion or preserve it:

 

وعلى هذا يتهاوى الافتراض السابق لأن كل فرد من أفراد الأمة قابل للخطأ غير معصوم عن الذنب وليس في مأمن عن الغفلة والسهو وبالتالي فهم عملياً ليسوا بمنأى عن الوقوع في الخطأ وهذا ما يؤدي إلى جر الأحكام الإلهية إلى هاوية التحريف والضلال … لأنهم ليسوا معصومين

That last theory falls apart because each individual of this Ummah is prone to error, not protected from sin, not safe from inattention and forgetfulness, and thus they are practically unsafe from making mistakes. This is what drags the divine rulings into the pit of corruption and misguidance … because they are not infallible.^[31]

 

However, this man contradicted himself when he said previously:

 

The human society at that time had reached its full capability mentally, intellectually, and in their academic capabilities and was able to preserve its academic and religious inheritance in a perfect picture, and to transmit it to the next generations with accuracy and honesty.^[32]

 

He also said:

 

Human society at the time of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had reached mental integrity and intellectual maturity to an extent that it became qualified to preserve the teachings of the prophets and protect them from the danger of accidents, and that society itself can deliver the sacred virtues and knowledge, so society becomes self-sufficient, thus there was no more need to send prophets.^[33]

 

6. Another example is their great scholar Mujtaba al Lari, who claims that the Islamic Ummah had not yet reached the required level which allows the divine mandate to be lifted from them. He says:

 

أفهل بالإمكان أن نقول بأن الله الذي لم يترك أي شيء من مستلزمات التكامل المادي والجسدي للبشر دون أن يهبه إياه قد حرمه من أن يوفر له العامل المهم الذي له الدور الأساسي في رقيه الروحي وأنه بخل أن يجود عليه بهذه النعمة إن أمة الإسلام بعد وفاة رسول الله لم تكن بذلك المستوى من الرقي الفكري والثقافي الإسلامي الذي تتمكن معه من الاستمرار في تطورها التكاملي إلا في ظلال وصاية الرسول وأن البرنامج الذي طرحه الإسلام لرشد الإنسان ونموه وتعاليه ما لم يندمج ببرنامج الإمامة الإلهية فإنه سيبقى برنامج ناقصاً بل جامداً لا روح فيه وسوف لا يتمكن من أن يؤدي دوراً قيماً في تحرير الإنسان وتنمية طاقاته

Can we say that the Allah, Who never left any matter from the necessities of worldly life unless He provided it for the human, deprived him from the important factor that plays the main role in his spiritual richness and that He was not kind enough to bestow this blessing on him?

The Ummah of Islam after the death of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not reach the level of intellectual maturity, or Islamic maturity, that enables it to continue in its evolution towards completion, except during the mandate of the Messenger. The program that Islam proposed for the guidance of the human and his growth and prosperity, if it was not merged with the program of divine Imamah then it shall remain incomplete, even soulless, incapable of playing a valuable role in freeing the human and developing his potential.^[34]

 

Just like his companions, this Shia scholar contradicts himself; he does so in the same book, as he had previously stated:

 

On the other hand, when the human reaches a stage of maturity in a way that enables him to preserve the traditions and religious teachings from corruption and change, it also enables him to spread them; and in this situation, the need for renewal of the message is no longer there. Consequently, the times in which the Prophet of Islam salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam appeared are completely different from the times of appearance of other prophets, because the human has now entered the stage of intellectual maturity and the stage is set for the finality of prophethood. Humanity has proven throughout around fifteen centuries that it is ready and capable to carry on the big responsibilities, and that it is able to preserve the knowledge and the intellectual inheritance.^[35]

 

Has the dear reader seen any clearer contradiction? Observe how their greatest scholars and leaders fell into this hole one after the other.

Not only is this type of contradiction found in the words of a single scholar but also in the words of two different scholars, where one denies what the other proves. An example of this is what happened between the Shia scholar al ‘Allamah Ibn al Mutahhar al Hilli and the researcher of his book, al Alfayn, al Sayed Muhammad Mahdi al Khirsan, where al Hilli was discussing the saying of the Shia scholar al Nasir al Tusi about the need for prophethood in every time:

 

المسألة السادسة في وجوب البعثة في كل وقت قال ودليل الوجوب يعطي العمومية

The sixth issue: The need for the sending of prophets in every time. He said, “The proof for this need shows that it is general (for every time).”

 

Meaning that the intellectual proof which explains the need for prophets is a general one, in that there is always a need for prophets in every time and every age. It appears that al Tusi is saying that the finality of prophethood makes no sense, which is why al Hilli commented on his words in a way that makes them more in line with Islamic beliefs:

 

وقال علماء الإمامية إنه تجب البعثة في كل وقت بحيث لا يجوز خلو زمان من شرع نبي

And the Imami scholars said, “The need for the sending of new prophets is always present so that no age would be devoid of the Shari’ah of a prophet.”

 

So, al Hilli, in order to fix the mistake of al Tusi, stated an extra condition, that there is always a need for new prophets so that the laws of the messengers would be always available to us. In other words, if the laws are already available, such as in our case today, then there is no need for new prophets to be sent. Although keep in mind that al Tusi did not mention this condition, but rather he made a general statement.

The researcher of the book, al Sayed Muhammad Mahdi al Khirsan, didn’t like this, so he referred to the prophet as the “active reformer” and to his laws as the “silent reformer”, then he stated that the silent reformer cannot replace the active reformer:

 

ولو قيل إن القائم مقامه شريعته الكتاب والسنة لقلنا قد سبق الجواب عن ذلك بأنهما غير كافيين في بيان كل ما يحتاج إليه الناس وما يتولد من شؤون لم يصرحا بها هذا مع أن دلالتها محل للتنازع والخلاف بين الأمة وبقول من يؤخذ وعلى رأي من يعتمد على أن الرسول صلى الله عليه وآله مصلح ناطق والكتاب والسنة مصلح صامت ولا يغني الصامت عن الناطق فلا بد من المصلح الناطق في كل زمان لأن الخلق كلهم شرع سواء في العطف واللطف والشفقة والرحمة من الخلاف اللطيف فكيف يخص زمنا وجيلا دون الأزمنة والأجيال الأخرى بعطفه ولطفه وهو اللطيف الرحيم في كل عهد مع كل جيل

If it was said: What replaces him are his laws, the Book and the Sunnah, we would reply: We already stated that they both are not sufficient to clarify all that the people need or explain matters that arise, there is disagreement on their texts among the Ummah. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is an active reformer while the Book and the Sunnah are silent reformers, and the silent is not sufficient to replace the active so the active reformer must be present at all times, because all creations must be treated equally by kindness and grace and mercy, so how can He deprive our time from this kindness and grace when He is kind in all times?

 

In other words, al Khirsan sided with al Tusi; they believe that in every age there must be a guide to humanity appointed by Allah. The holy Book and the traditions are simply not enough for them.

 

3. The reason why the Shia scholars fell into this clear contradiction

A questioner will now ask, how can these eminent Shia scholars fall into such a clear trap?

The answer is that the Shia scholars chose to adopt two beliefs that are completely at odds with one another, so they ran over a big road bump when trying to reconcile between both. They wanted to refute groups such as the Qadianis who believe in the continuation of prophethood so they stated that the Ummah has now reached a stage of maturity, enabling it to preserve the religion and continue its journey alone; there is no need for new prophets to be sent. At the same time, they wanted to refute the beliefs of the Ahlus Sunnah who say that we no longer need the help of divine infallible guides, so they adopted the belief that the Ummah has always been in need of divine guides and it cannot be left alone nor are the Muslims capable of preserving and understanding their religion without divine help from the infallible leader. They have become as Allah has described:

ﮌ ﮍ ﮎ ﮏ ﮐ ﮑ ﮒ ﮓ ﮔ ﮖ ﮗ ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛ ﮜ

Swaying between this (and that), (belonging) neither to these nor to those. He whom Allah causes to go astray, you (O Muhammad) will not find a way for him.^[36]

 

How would they overcome this contradiction?

In order for the Shia beliefs to make sense, they need to choose one of the two sides, either they agree with the Ahlus Sunnah or they agree with the Qadianis. It is evident throughout the history of the Imami Shia that they always sought to prove their belief in Imamah by any means, which is why the Shia scholars will obviously pick the second choice. The Shia will turn a blind eye to the fact that the Qadianis will use their arguments as a bridge to prove their own corrupt beliefs, that they will use it to try and cast doubts on the fortress of prophethood and this is a dangerous matter as the intelligent reader is aware of.

 

NEXT⇒ Chapter 4 – The Most Important Intellectual Principles Presented by the Shia Scholars

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^[1]  Durus fi al ‘Aqidah al Islamiyyah, pg. .176-177.

^[2]  Mafahim al Qur’an, 3/217-221.

^[3]  Surah Al ‘Imran: 104.

^[4]  Ijtihad: Making of a decision in Islamic law by personal effort and research.

^[5]  Usul al ‘Aqa’id fi al Islam, 2/93-201.

^[6]  Al Nubuwwah wa al Nabi, pg. 130-131.

^[7]  Al Nubuwwah wa al Nabi, pg. 138.

^[8]  Al Wahy wa al Nubuwwah, pg. 30.

^[9]  Al Wahy wa al Nubuwwah, pg. 29.

^[10]  Al Musharri’un: Islamic law makers.

^[11]  Al Wahy wa al Nubuwwah, pg. 30.

^[12]  Al Nubuwwah al Khatimah, pg. 57-58.

^[13]  Al Nubuwwah al Khatimah, pg. 58-59.

^[14]  Al Hujjah, pg. 107-108.

^[15]  Bahth Hawl al Wilayah, pg. 37

^[16]  Ibid.

^[17]  Ibid.

^[18]  Al Nubuwwah al Khatimah, pg. 58-59.

^[19]  Al Nubuwwah al Khatimah, pg. 57.

^[20]  Mafahim al Qur’an, 3/223.

^[21]  Mafahim al Qur’an, 3/217-221.

^[22]  Durus fi al ‘Aqidah al Islamiyyah, pg. 188.

^[23]  Durus fi al ‘Aqidah al Islamiyyah, pg. 189.

^[24]  Durus fi al ‘Aqidah al Islamiyyah, pg. 176-177.

^[25]  Al Imamah, pg. 99.

^[26]  Al Wahy wa al Nubuwwah, pg. 29.

^[27]  Al Wahy wa al Nubuwwah, pg. 30.

^[28]  Al Imamah, pg. 98.

^[29]  Al Imamah, pg. 113-114.

^[30]  Ibid., pg. 122.

^[31]  Ibid., pg. 114.

^[32]  Al Nubuwwah wa al Nabi, pg. 130-131.

^[33]  Al Nubuwwah wa al Nabi, pg. 138.

^[34]  Usul al ‘Aqa’id fi al Islam, 4/16-17.

^[35]  Usul al ‘Aqa’id fi al Islam, 2/93-201.

^[36]  Surah al Nisa’: 143.