Their belief regarding the fundamentals of Iman

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Discussion Two

Their belief regarding the fundamentals of iman

 

The fundamentals of iman comprise of the following: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, the Day of Judgement, and Taqdir (pre-destiny) as is mentioned in the verse:

 

لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا وُجُوْهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ

Piety is not that you turn your faces to the east and the west, rather piety is (the piety of the one) who believes in Allah, the Last day, the Angels, the Book, and the Messengers.[1]

 

Likewise the verse:

إِنَّا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَاهُ بِقَدَر ٍ

Verily we have created everything with a specific measure.[2]

 

The discussion regarding how the Shia have deviated in their beliefs regarding Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, His status as a Nourisher and Lord of the universe, as well as His names and attributes has been discussed previously.

We will now discuss their beliefs regarding the other fundamentals of iman, since the doctrine of Imamah has impacted them as well. So despite them believing in the fundamentals of iman, i.e. having faith in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, Taqdir, and the Day of Judgement; the doctrine of Imamah has left its clear mark on them. This will be highlighted in the pages to come.

 

Iman in the angels

This belief has received a good share of distortion in their creed. The angels have been created from light and they are the servants of the Imams according to them; some amongst them appointed specifically to stand at the grave of Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

Their narrations state:

خلق الله من نور وجه علي بن أبي طالب سبعين ألف ملك يستغفرون له ولمحبيه إلي يوم القيامة

Allah created seventy thousand angels from the radiance of the face of ‘Ali, who continuously seek forgiveness for him and for his admirers.[3]

 

Sometimes they claim that Allah created the angels from the light of ‘Ali.[4]

Likewise, they allege that amongst the angels there are some who have not been assigned for anything other than crying at the grave of Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu and repeatedly visiting him. They say:

 

و كل الله بقبر الحسين أربعة آلف ملك شعث غبر يبكونه إلي يوم القيامة

Allah has assigned four thousand dishevelled and dusty angels at the grave of Hussain who will mourn his death till the Day of Judgment.[5]

 

And visiting the grave of Hussain is the desire of the dwellers of the heavens. They assert:

 

و ليس شيء في السماوات إلا و هم يسألون الله ان يؤذن لهم في زيارة الحسين ففوج ينزل وفوج يعرج

There is nothing in the heavens but that it seeks the permission of Allah to visit the grave of Hussain. Hence, scores go and scores come.[6]

 

Similarly, they also say:

إن الملائكة لخدامنا و خدام محبينا

The angels are our attendants and the attendants of those who love us.[7]

 

In another lengthy narration it appears that Jibril ‘alayh al Salam supplicated to Allah to make him the servant of the Imams. Hence, they say, “Jibril is our attendant.”[8]

Ibn Taymiyyah whilst refuting Ibn Mutahhar al Hilli for citing such names which the Shia accord to the angels states:

 

فتسمية جبريل رسول الله إلي محمد صلي الله عليه وسلم خادما عبارة من لا يعرف قدر الملائكة و قدر إرسال الله لهم إلي الأنبياء

To name Jibril—the messenger of Allah sent to Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam—an attendant is an indication of one not knowing the status of the angels and the privilege of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala sending them to the Prophets…?[9]

 

How can this lowly title be accorded to the one whom Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has describes as:

 

ذِيْ قُوَّةٍ عِنْدَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِيْنٍ  إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُوْلٍ كَرِيْمٍ

Verily it is the word of a noble messenger, who is mighty and holds a lofty rank by the Owner of the Throne.[10]

 

They have many more claims of this nature. As if the angels have no other obligation or duty but to serve the Twelve Imams; or as if they are the angels of the Imams and not the angels of Allah.

Abu ‘Abdullah (al Sadiq) states:

 

إن الملائكة لتنزل علينا في رحالنا و تنقلب علي فرشنا، و تحضر موائدنا، و تأتينا من كل نبات في زمانه ركب و يابس، و تقلب علينا اجنحتها، و تقلت أجنحتها علي صبياننا،و تمنع الدواب أن تصل إلينا، و تأتينا في كل وقت صلاة لتصليها معنا، وما من يوم يأتي علينا ولا ليل إلا و أخبار أهل الأرض عندنا وما يحدث فيها، وما من ملك يموت في الأرض و يقوم غيره إلا و تأتينا بخبره و كيف كانت سيرته في الدينا.

The angels descend upon us in our travel canopies, they frequent our beds, and are present at our eating cloths. They come to us from every fresh and dry plant of the time, they spread their wings over us and our children, they prevent the animals from attacking us, and they come to us at the time of every salah to offer it with us. No day or night passes but that we have knowledge of the people of the earth and of the events to happen therein. Likewise, no king dies except that they come to us with the news of his death and with a briefing of his conduct whilst he was in the world.[11]

 

They also allege that the pillows and the ornaments of their children are prepared from the wings of the angels. In fact the angels are in charge of babysitting their children. Abu ‘Abdullah says, “They are more compassionate to our children than we are to them.”[12]

Furthermore, according to the narrations of the Shia the angels were also obligated to believe in the Wilayah of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. However, despite there being a punishment in place for those angels who refuse to believe in his Wilayah (as they allege), none of them accepted besides the angels close to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala;[13] to the extent that one of the angels was punished by breaking his wings due to his refusal to believe in the Wilayah of Amir al Mu’minin radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He only recovered when he rubbed himself against the cradle of Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu.[14]

Similarly, the angels only obtained honour after accepting the Wilayah of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu.[15]

And the life of the angels depends upon the Imams owing to the following reason:

 

ليس لهم طعام و لا شراب إلا الصلاة علي علي بن أبي طالب و محبيه، و الإستغفار لشيعته المذنبين

They have no food or drink besides sending salutations to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and his lovers, and seeking forgiveness for his sinful partisans.[16]

 

Another narration states the following:

وكانت الملائكة لا تعرف تسبيحا ولا تقديسا من قبل تسبيحنا (يعني تسبيح الأئمة) وتسبيح شيعتنا.

The angels did not know any type of Tasbih or glorification before they learnt how to glorify us (the Imams) and our partisans.[17]

 

In addition, the angels take special care of the Shia specifically, hence when a Shia has a private moment with another Shi’i, the scribes of the deeds separate from them for that time addressing each other saying, “Come let us go away, for they are having a secret moment which Allah has kept concealed upon them.”[18] Whereas Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:

 

إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى الْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ الْيَمِيْنِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيْدٌ

When the two receivers receive whilst sitting on the right and the left.[19]

 

Likewise:

أَمْ يَحْسَبُوْنَ أَنَّا لَا نَسْمَعُ سِرَّهُمْ وَنَجْوَاهُم ۚ بَلَىٰ وَرُسُلُنَا لَدَيْهِمْ يَكْتُبُوْنَ

Or do they think that we do not hear their secrets and their stealthy meetings? Most certainly we do. And our scribes are with them writing.[20]

 

Nevertheless, they make various claims wherein they disregard the close angels of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and slander them by way of eerie exaggerations and weird assumptions which are tantamount to the denial of the angels all together. Because denying the duties assigned to them through which Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala honoured them, ascribing the obligation of believing in the Wilayah to them, and attributing the act of ascribing partners to Allah by asserting that the duty of some of the angels is merely to encircle the tomb of Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu; all make it very easy for a person to deny the angels completely.

They have almost denied the angels due to them interpreting the names of the angels which appear in the Qur’an with the Imams or by averring that the duties of the angels are only to see to the Imams. Hence, al Majlisi has established a chapter named: Chapter regarding the Imams being the following: al Saffun (the ones who form rows), al Musabbihun (the glorifiers), the possessors of al Maqam al Ma’lum (a fixed position), the bearers of the Throne of Allah, and the noble and good scribes.[21]

This is what they have to say regarding the angels, whereas Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:

 

لَا يَسْبِقُوْنَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَهُم بِأَمْرِهِ يَعْمَلُوْنَ بَلْ عِبَادٌ مُّكْرَمُوْنَ

Rather they are honourable servants. They do not speak before him and they duly carry out his orders.[22]

 

Likewise:

مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِلّٰهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَجِبْرِيْلَ وَمِيْكَالَ فَإِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَدُوٌّ لِّلْكَافِرِيْنَ

Whoever is an enemy of Allah, His angels, His Messengers, Jibril, and Mikal then Allah is the enemy of the disbelievers.[23]

 

Iman in the divine books

The Shia have been majorly influenced in this regard due to their deviant beliefs regarding Imamah and other aspects; hence they have brought faith upon books regarding which Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has made no mention; for they claim that Allah revealed books to the Imams from the heavens just as he had previously revealed books upon the Prophets ‘alayh al Salam. Similarly, they also claim that the Imams had possession of all the books that were revealed to the Prophets in the past; they would read these books and extract rulings therefrom.

Now read this for yourself from the authoritative books of the Shia.

 

1. Their belief that divine books descended upon the Imams[24]

The authoritative and classical books of the Shia contain such extraordinary claims and such grave assumptions that do not have any existence in the real world, nor is there any trace of it whatsoever, and pertaining to which there exists no shred of evidence.

These claims entail that there exists holy books which came down from the heavens as revelation from Allah the Almighty to the Imams. At times the Shia cite narrations which they claim were extracted from these books based upon which they establish their beliefs and principles.

From all of this it seems as if the founding fathers of Tashayyu’, in order to substantiate their fundamental doctrines, did not suffice upon all the claims that have passed in the previous pages with regards to the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala etc. They feared that they would not be sufficient to fulfil the purpose, due to which their adherents would flee from them and their legacy would become redundant. As a result they will lose their wealth, status, and sanctity which they receive from the adherents in the name of Khums and the representation of the Hidden Imam. They, therefore, concocted all these claims so that they may succeed in fulfilling their goals and strike another blow against the Ummah and its pristine din.

These claims are not very much different from the claims of most false prophets who also claimed that divine books were revealed to them or that they received revelation.

It is very possible that the inception of this particular doctrine happened in the time of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as a narration of Imam al Bukhhari’s Sahih suggests: Abu Juhayfah says:

 

قلت لعلي هل عندكم كتاب؟ قال لا إلا كتاب الله أو فهم أعطيه رجل مسلم او ما في هذه الصحيفة.قال قلت فما في هذه الصحيفة قال العقل و الفكاك ألاسير ولا يقتل مسلم بكافر

I said to ‘Ali, “Do you have any special book?”

He said, “No, only the Book of Allah, the understanding a Muslim man is bestowed with or that which is in this script.”

I enquired, “What is in the script?”

He said, “Rules pertaining to the paying of blood money, the releasing of a prisoner, and that a Muslim will not be killed in lieu of a Non-Muslim.”[25]

 

Another version of the narration in the Sahih goes as follows:

 

هل عندكم شيء من الوحي إلا ما في كتاب الله

Do you have any aspect of revelation besides that which is contained in the Book of Allah?[26] (This explains what is intended by the word ‘book’ in the previous narration).

 

Ibn Hajar states that the reason why Abu Juhayfah posed this question to him was that a group of the Shia were falsely claiming that the Ahlul Bayt in general and ‘Ali in particular were exclusively given some aspects of din by the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam which others were not given. Similarly, ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is reported to have been asked the same question by Qais ibn ‘Abbad and Ashtar al Nakha’i; their narration appears in Sunan al Nasa’i.[27]

Hence it is understood from here that the seed of this doctrine was planted at a very early period in history. As for who was responsible for it, the booklet al Irja’ of Hassan ibn Muhammad al Hanafiyyah indicates that the Saba’iyyin (followers of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’) were the ones who began propagating such heresies among the people. They would say to them:

 

هدينا لوحي ضل عنه الناس، و زعموا أن النبي الله كتم تسعة أعشار القرآن

We have been guided to a revelation which is not known to the people. They also claimed that Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam concealed nine tenths of the Qur’an.[28]

 

Likewise, in the book Ahwal al Rijal it appears that ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ would claim that the Qur’an is only one part of nine parts and that the knowledge of those parts is with ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu.[29]

Nonetheless, the claims of the Saba’iyyah indicate towards some treasured knowledge that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had. This suggests the origins of this doctrine. In time to come, it took different forms and shapes which all stem from the primary belief that the Ahlul Bayt possessed knowledge which others did not; exactly what ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had denied and rejected. That which stems from falsehood is false. Therefore, just as the primary claim is erroneous, so is that which stems from it.

Hereunder, with all honesty I present before you some excerpts of what I found in their books in this regard.

 

 a. The Mushaf of Fatimah:

The books of the Shia allege that a special Mushaf (divine scroll) was revealed to Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha after the demise of the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. One of the narrations of al Kafi states the following:

 

إن الله تعالي لما قبض نبيه صلي الله عليه و آله دخل علي فاطمة عليها السلام من فاته من الحزن ما لا يعلمه إلا الله عز وجل فأرسل الله إليها ملكا يسلي غمها و يحدثها فشكت ذلك إلي أمير المؤمنين رضي الله عنه فقال: إذا أحسست بذلك، و سمعت الصوت قولي لي فأعلمته بذلك فجعل أير المؤمنين رضي الله عنه يكتب كل ما سمع حتي أثبت من ذلك مصحفا.. أما إنه ليس فيه شيءمن الحلال و الحرام ولكن فيه علم ما يكون

When Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala captured the soul of his Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, only Allah knows what grief gripped Fatimah. Hence, Allah sent an angel to her in order to pacify her and console her.

She complained of this to Amir al Mu’minin who said to her, “When you feel that (the presence of the angel) and you hear his voice let me know.”

She thus informed him subsequent to which ‘Ali started to document whatever he heard the angel saying which resulted in it evolving into a Mushaf… Behold! There are no rulings of permissible and impermissible therein. However, in it is contained the knowledge of the future.[30]

 

So, this narration suggests that this Mushaf was specifically for the consolation and condolence of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha after the demise of her father. It also tells us that the subject matter thereof is the knowledge of the future. I am not quite sure how that would console her if the future of which she was being informed entailed the killing of her sons and grandsons, and of the miseries which befell the Ahlul Bayt.

Similarly, how is it possible that Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha be accorded knowledge of the unseen when the Messenger of guidance were ordered by Allah to say the following?

وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ

And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth.

 

So is she more superior to the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?

This narration also asserts that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was the one who documented whatever the angel had dictated. But at the same time some of their other narrations suggests that he was engrossed in compiling the Qur’an.[31] Naturally, lies are meant to contradict and oppose one another.

They also claim that this Mushaf was triple the size of the Qur’an. The following narration appears in al Kafi:

 

عن أبي بصير قال: دخلت علي أبي عبد الله-ثم ذكر خديثا طويلا في ذكر العلم الذي أودعه الرسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم عند أئمة الشيعة-كما يزعمون- و فيه قول أبي عبد الله: (و إن عندنا لمصحف فاطمة عليها السلام( قلت (القول للراوي) وما مصحف فاطمة؟ عليها الصلام قال: مصحف فيه مثل قرآنكم هذا ثلاث مرات ما فيه من قرآنكم حرف واحد)

Abu Basir says that he went to visit Abu ‘Abdullah (thereafter he narrates a lengthy narration which talks of the exclusive knowledge Allah had given the Imams wherein Abu ‘Abdullah says the following) “And we possess the Mushaf of Fatimah ‘alayh al Salam.” The narrator says that he asked, “What is the Mushaf of Fatimah?” He replied, “A Mushaf wherein there is thrice the amount of what is in your Qur’an but it does not have a letter that appears in your Qur’an.”[32]

 

This narration which their Thiqat al Islam[33] narrates and which is authenticated by their scholars[34] posits that their Mushaf is more voluminous then the Qur’an in its size and it differs in its subject matter from it. Does this mean that the Qur’an is inferior to the Mushaf of Fatimah and that her Mushaf is more comprehensive than the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala regarding which Allah has said?

 

تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَّرَحْمَةً وَّبُشْرٰى لِلْمُسْلِمِيْنَ

A clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.[35]

 

And which Allah has ordained to be the constitution and way of life to be followed for the Ummah till the Day of Judgement? Is the Ummah in need of another book besides the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala in order to complete din? And will din be considered incomplete if it is deprived of the Mushaf whereas the entire Ummah unanimously agrees today of the non-existence of such a Mushaf? Furthermore, how can a book of consolation and condolence surpass the Qur’an in its comprehensiveness? Is this not the limit of absurdity and boldness to invent lies?

Nonetheless, their narrations differ very much in the description of the Mushaf of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha, as is the nature of all lies. The above mentioned narration suggests that it was the dictation of one of the angels and that it was revealed to her after the demise of the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. But another narration states the following:

 

وخلفت فاطمة عليها السلام ما هو القرآن، ولكنه كلام من كلام الله أنزله عليها إملاء رسول الله و خط علي

And Fatimah left behind that which is not Qur’an, but it is the Word of Allah which He revealed to her with the dictation of the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the documentation of ‘Ali.[36]

 

Hence, this narration suggests that her Mushaf was existent in the time of Rasul Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the dictator was Rasul Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the word was the word of Allah.

The latter part of this narration contradicts the former. For how is it possible that it descended upon her but it was dictated by the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and documented by ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

Another narration suggests:

مصحف فاطمة عليها السلام ما فيه شيء من كتاب الله وإنما هو شيء القي عليها

The Mushaf of Fatimah does not contain anything of that which is in the Book of Allah. It is something with which she was divinely inspired.[37]

 

This narration conversely suggests that she was divinely inspired with the Mushaf; there was no dictation from the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam nor any documentation on the part of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, nor did any angel come to her and console her so that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu may write his consolation; nothing of this sort happened. Based on this narration, it was just what she was inspired with after the demise of her father, not during his lifetime.

Furthermore, the Imams (as the books of the Shia allege) would use the Mushaf of Fatimah as a medium to procure the knowledge of the unseen and of events to transpire in the future; Abu ‘Abdullah says:

 

تظهر الزنادقة في سنة ثمان و عشرين و مائة و ذلك أني نظرت في مصحف فاطمة عليها السلام

Heretics will emerge in 128 A.H. This is because I referred to the Mushaf of Fatimah ‘alayh al Salam.[38]

 

Meaning: I inferred this from there. When analysing the history of this particular year which is stipulated in this tale there are no major events that happened (as is apparent from the books of history) besides the killing of a few spearheads of some heterodox movements like Jahm ibn Safwan and others; this obviously proves the very opposite of what the tale claims. Another narration says:

 

إني نظرت في مصحف فاطمة عليها السلام قبيل فلم أجد في لبني فلان فيها إلا كغبار النعل

I had a look at the Mushaf of Fatimah a while ago. I did not find the share of Banu Fulan (a specific family or tribe) in that (referring to something specific) but as little as the dust of a shoe.[39]

 

This tale is tainted with a little bit of Taqiyyah (dissimulation); because he did not specify who is Banu Fulan (the tribe), nor did he specify what the pronoun ‘ha’ refers to. Al Majlisi, as is his wont, did not clarify these two aspects as well. Possibly, the children of Hassan ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib are meant by Banu Fulan and Khilafah (rulership) is meant by the pronoun ‘ha’. For the simple reason that the Shia have much to say about his family, e.g. they claim that jealousy and love for the material world persuades them to reject (the leadership of the children of Hussain).[40]

Nonetheless, the Mushaf of Fatimah is a medium by way of which they endeavour to discover the events of the world. If this was really true then history would have been something else altogether. And the Imams would not have suffered such trial and afflictions which the books of the Shia sketch, nor would the awaited Mahdi hide away and disappear into occultation owing to the fear of getting killed, nor would there be the slightest need for Taqiyyah; for ostensibly they would save themselves from all sorts of afflictions by procuring prior knowledge of their occurrence and they would obtain all desirable conditions by procuring the knowledge of the means thereof. If they claim that they do not have the prerogative to change anything therefrom then they are just like the rest of the people who are bound by the Qadr (pre-destiny) of Allah and the knowledge of those future events would serve no purpose but the provocation of their grief.

The content of the aforementioned narrations was that the subject matter of the Mushaf of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha is the knowledge of the future. However, another narration which is reported by al Kulayni states that Abu ‘Abdullah said the following with regards to it:

 

ما أزعم أن فيه قرآنا و فيه ما يحتاج الناس إلينا ولا نحتاج إلي أحد حتي فيه الجلدة و نصف الجلدة و ريع الجلدة و ارش الخدش

I do not assume that therein there is anything of the Qur’an; therein is contained those aspects in which people will need us and we will not need anyone. To the extent that it contains the rulings of a lash, half a lash, quarter of a lash and the penalty for a scratch.[41]

 

This narration asserts that the Mushaf of Fatimah, in addition to having mention of the future events, also contains the knowledge of Islamic penal law, to the extent that it also describes the penalty for a scratch. Instead it contains knowledge of the entire Shari’ah which has made the Imams independent of everyone else. Does this mean that they are not in need of the Book of Allah, or that they can dispense with the Qur’an and replace it with the Mushaf of Fatimah? As a result, they will have another law and the Muslim community will have another?

And does it imply that the great Islamic constitution did not reach its culmination via the Qur’an and the Sunnah, and therefore it had to be completed with the aid of the Mushaf of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha, or does her Mushaf suffice on behalf of all of them?

The purport of these narrations is unequivocal. Bestowing the Imams with the knowledge of the unseen is conferring upon them one of the exclusive attributes of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, i.e. the knowledge of the unseen. And considering the Mushaf of Fatimah to be comprehensive of the penal and compensatory law of Islam is subtly levelling an allegation against the Shari’ah in terms of it being incomplete.

In addition, they have another narration that states that the knowledge of the Shari’ah is contained in the Jami’ah and not in the Mushaf of Fatimah; they say:

إن عندنا لصجيفة يقال له الجامعة ما من حلال ولا حرام إلا و هو فيها حتي أرشن الخدش

We are in possession of a script which is known as the Jami’ah, there is no permissible or impermissible act but that it is contained therein, even the compensation of a scratch.[42]

 

Likewise they have another script which is known as the script of penal law. In there the punishment of even a third of a lash is mentioned:

 

ثلث جلدة من تعدي ذلك كان عليه حد جلدة

One third of a lash, whoever exceeds it will receive the punishment of one lash.[43]

 

As for the knowledge of the future, they believe that the source of it is not the Mushaf of Fatimah. Rather it is contained in the skin of a big lamb which in its size is bigger than Jibril and Mika’il. They say:

 

ما ينقلب طائر في الهواء إلا وعندنا فيه علم

No bird turns in the skies but that we have knowledge regarding it.[44]

 

After all of this, they still then claim that all knowledge is derived from the Qur’an, the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. Abu ‘Abdullah says:

 

إني أعلم ما في السماوات وما في الأرض،و أعلم ما في الجنه، و أعلم ما في النارن و أعلم ما كان و ما يكون.قال(الراوي):ثم مكث هنيهة فرأي أن ذالك كبر علي من سمعه منه فقال: (علمت ذلك من كتاب الله عز و جل،إن الله عز و جل يقول فيه تبيان كل شيء

I know what is in the heavens, what is in the earth, what is in Jannat, what is in Hellfire, and I have knowledge of what transpired in the past and what is to happen in the future. (The narrator says) then he paused for a while and realised that the congregation was finding it difficult to accept this claim so he said, “I obtained the knowledge of this from the Book of Allah; verily Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says regarding the Qur’an that it has clarity with regards to everything.”[45]

 

Similarly, it was mentioned previously that some contemporary Shia scholars believe that the Qur’an is free from distortion because it was compared with the Mushaf of Fatimah (and found to be identical).[46] But al Khunayzi on the other hand states that the Mushaf of Fatimah is very different from the Qur’an and also avers that this is what their narrations confirm as well;[47] while other statements and narrations contradict this entirely. The Shia are not even embarrassed by this contradiction because their din rests upon Taqiyyah.

Furthermore, in the book Dala’il al Nubuwwah which is considered to be a reliable book according to them.[48] a narration appears which describes this particular Mushaf in the following manner:

 

فيه خبر ما كان وما يكون إلي يوم القيامة، و فيه خير سماء سماء، و عدد ما في السماوات من الملائكة و غير ذالك، و عدد كل من خلق الله مرسلا و غير مرسل، و أسماءهم، و أسماء من أرسل إليهم، و أسماء من كذب و من أجاء، و أسماء جميع من خلق الله من المؤمنين و الكافرين و صفة كل من كذب،و صفة القرون الأولي و قصصهم، و من ولي من الطواغيت و مدة ملكهم و عددهم و أسماءالأئمة و صفتهم وما يملك كل واحد واحد….فيه أسماء جميع ما خلق الله و آجالهم، و صفة أهل الجنة و عدد من يدخلها، و عدد من يدخل النار، و أسماء هؤلاء و هؤلاء، و فيه علم القرآن كما أنزل، و علم التوراة كما أنزلت و علم الإنجيل كما أنزل، و علم الزبور، و عدد كل شجرة ومدرة في جميع البلاد.

Therein is contained the knowledge of the past and the future till the Day of Judgement. In it is the knowledge of every heaven, of the amount of angels in every heaven, of the amount of humans Allah has created including the prophets and others, the knowledge of their names, the names of the people they were sent to, the names of those who accepted and those who rejected, the names of all those whom He created from the believers and the disbelievers, the description of all those who belied the prophets, the description of the previous nations and their stories, the information of all tyrant rulers, their period of rule and their exact count, the names of the Imams, their descriptions, and what each one possessed… In it is contained the knowledge of everything that Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has created—coupled with its lifespan, the description of the people of Jannat, their amount, and the amount of people who will enter Jahannam and the names of these people and those people. In it is the knowledge of the Qur’an as it was revealed, the knowledge of the Tawrah as it was revealed, the knowledge of the Injil as it was revealed and the knowledge of the Zabur. Similarly the knowledge of the count of every tree and every pebble in every town.[49]

 

It further states that all of this is contained in the first two pages of the Mushaf.[50] The narrator also says that their Imams have said:

 

و ما وصفت لك بعد ما في الورقة الثالثة ولا تكلمت بحرف منه

I have not even communicated to you as yet what is contained in the third page and onwards nor have I mentioned a word therefrom.[51]

 

We do not know what the size of this ‘page’ is, nor are we able to ascertain the reason for the Imams not benefitting from this great knowledge in order to reclaim their right to leadership wherefrom they were deprived according to the Shia.

Furthermore, why does not their awaited Mahdi emerge from his cave and why is he afraid of death (as the Shia assert is his reason for going into occultation) if he has the wealth of this phenomenal knowledge?

The narration of Dala’il al Nubuwwah, furthermore, gives a different account of how the Mushaf was revealed as opposed to the previous narration of al Kafi which states that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu documented the dictates of the angel which eventually took the form of a Mushaf; the narration mentions:

 

إنه نزل جملة واحدة من السماء بواسطة ثلاثة من الملائكة و هم جبرائيل و إسرافيل و ميكائيل…فهبطوا به و هي قائمة تصلي فما زالوا قياما حتي قعدت، و لما فرغت من صلاتها سلموا عليها و قالوا:السلام يقرئك السلام ووضعوا المصحف في حجرها. فقالت: لله السلام و منه السلام و إليه السلام و عليكم يا رسول الله السلام

It descended all at once with the agency of three angels: Jibril, Israfil, and Mika’il. They came down with it whilst she was performing salah. Hence, they remained standing till she sat and completed her salah, thereafter, they greeted her and said, “Al Salam (Allah) has conveyed his greetings to you.” Subsequently they placed the Mushaf in her lap.[52] She responded, “Peace belongs to Allah, from him does it originate and to him does it return, and may his peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah.”

 

The narration continues:

 

ثم عرجوا إلي السماء فما زالت من بعد صلاة الفجر إلي زوال الشمس تقرؤه حتي أتت إلي آخره (و لقد كانت عليها السلام مفروضة الطاعة علي جميع من خلق الله من الجن و الإنس و الطير و الوحش و الأنبياء و الملائكة. قالت: جعلت فداك فلمن صار ذلك المصحف بعد مضيها؟ قال:دفعته إلي أمير المؤمنين، فلما مضي صار إلي الحسن ثم إلي الحسين ثم عند أهله حتي يدغعوهإلي صاحب هذا الأمر…

Thereafter they returned to the heavens and Fatimah continuously read the Mushaf from after the Fajr salah up to the time of Zawal (when the sun reaches its zenith) till she completed an entire reading. And Fatimah was such that loyalty to her was obligatory upon all the creations of Allahm i.e. jinn, mankind, birds, animals, the prophets and the angels. (The narrator says) I enquired, “May I be sacrificed for thee! Who inherited this Mushaf from her after her demise?” “She passed it on to Amir al Mu’minin. After him it went to Hassan, then to Hussain, then to his family till it was passed on to the rightful claimant of this affair.”[53]

 

This is just a glimpse of what appears in their books with regards to the alleged Mushaf of Fatimah. It tells us that a Mushaf was revealed to Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha after the demise of the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam wherein was contained the knowledge of the unseen, the knowledge of the penal law of Islam and much more, and that today it rests with the hidden Imam! It is likewise a revelation just like the Qur’an, just that it is three times more voluminous and does not contain even a letter of it. So did this Mushaf come down in order to complete the Qur’an?

Nonetheless, there are many other books of this nature regarding which the Shia have made very similar claims. This is a very vast topic and requires an exclusive treatise. Hence, omitting all the details I shall present the names of some of them coupled with a brief introduction to each one.

 

b. A book that was revealed to the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam before his demise:

Abu ‘Abdullah al Sadiq ‘alayh al Salam says:

 

إن الله عز و جل أنزل علي نبيه كتابا قبل أن يأتيه الموت فقال: يا محمد هذا الكتاب وصيتك إلي النجيب من أهل بيتك، فقال: و من النجيب من أهلي يا جبرائيل؟ فقال: علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام، و كان علي الكتاب خواتيم من ذهب، فدفعه النبي صلي الله عليه و سلم و آله إلي علي عليه السلام و أمره أن يفك خاتما منها و يعمل بها فيه، ففك عليه السلام خاتما و عمل بها فيه، ثم دفعه إلي الحسين عليه السلام ففك خاتما فوجد فيه أن أخرج بقوم إلي الشهادة فلا شهادة لهم إلا معك و أشر نفسك لله عز و جل ففعل، ثم دفعه إلي علي بن الحسين عليه السلام ففك خاتما فوجد فيه اصمت و الزم منزلك و اعبد ربك حتي يأتيك اليقين ففعل،ثم دفعه إلي محمد بن علي عليه السلام ففك خاتما فوجد فيه: حدث الناس و أفتهم ولا تخافن إلاالله فإنه لا سبيل لأحد عليك، ثم دفعه إلي ففككت خاتما فوجدت فيه حدث الناس و أفتهم و انشر علوم أهل بيتك، و صدق آباءك الصالحين ولا تخافن أحدا إلا الله و أنت في حرز و أمان ففعلت ثم ادفعه إلي موسي بن جعفر و كذلك يدفعه موسي إلي الذي من بعده ثم كذلك أبدا إلي قيام المهدي عليه السلام.

Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala revealed a book upon his Nabi before death overtook him.

Hence he said, “O Muhammad! This book is your bequest to the noble member of your household.”

The Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam enquired, “And who is the noble member of my household, O Jibril?”

He replied, “‘Ali ibn Abi Talib.”

The book comprised of letters that were sealed with gold seals which the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam handed over to ‘Ali ibn Talib instructing him to open one of them and practice upon its content. Hence, he opened one of them and practiced upon it, thereafter he handed it to Hassan who also opened one of them and practiced upon it.

Subsequently, he gave it to Hussain who also opened one them and found the following order: Advance towards martyrdom with a group of people for whom martyrdom is not destined but with you and hand yourself over to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, hence that is what he did.

He handed it over to ‘Ali ibn al Hussain who when opening one of the seals found the following order: Remain silent, stay in your house, and worship your Lord till death comes your way, hence, he did so.

He then handed it over to Muhammad ibn ‘Ali. He also opened one of them and found thus: Educate the people, answer their queries, and do not fear anyone besides Allah for no one will have the upper hand over you.

He, thereafter, passed it on to me so I opened a seal and I found the following: Educate the people, answer their questions, propagate the knowledge of your household, affirm the mission of your pious forefathers, and do not fear any one besides Allah, for you are in his security and protection, thereafter I will pass it on to Musa ibn Jafar and he will pass it on to his successor. In this manner should this book be passed on till the emergence of the Mahdi.[54]

 

What emanates from this report is that the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not know who was the noble member of his household till the very time of his demise, which is why he enquired about him. This implies that he had not made any official announcement to the people regarding his successor which makes all the narrations of Shia worthless and unacceptable. If it is said that there were many noble members within the Ahlul Bayt and the enquiry was just for the stipulation of one of them, then too the claims of the Shia regarding the superiority of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu hold no basis whatsoever.

Furthermore, the report does not give any details with regards to the orders that were given to ‘Ali and Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhuma and it mentions the order given to Hussain, i.e. his quest for martyrdom. But this historically defies reality due to the fact that Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu did not anticipate martyrdom when he left, and also because those who were responsible for the dreadful consequences that Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu faced were the very people who incited him and beguiled him to come to them, and when he came to them they abandoned him and turned away from helping him despite claiming to be his partisans. They had written multiple letters to him inducing him to intend their lands and when he came close to their lands they turned their backs on him. Instead most of them joined the ranks of the enemies, either due to fear or due to hope, and became the cause of his martyrdom and the martyrdom of those who were with him.[55] It is for this reason that the books of the Shia have labelled those who succeeded Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu after his demise as apostates with the exception of three people.[56] So is this report an endeavour to secure the position of these people (the Forsakers).

Then how do they differentiate between the Imams in terms of the obligation of da’wah and the propagation of knowledge; among them are some who are required to remain at home whilst others are obligated to propagate knowledge and openly advance the cause of Islam. Another glaring aspect of this hadith is that it concedes the fact that the Shia did not have any transmitter of knowledge and propagator thereof till the advent of Abu Jafar al Sadiq. This is confirmed by another narration wherein it is stated:

 

كانت الشيعة قبل أن يكون أبو جعفر و هم لا يعرفون مناسك حجهم و حلالهم و حرامهم، حتي كان أبو جعفر يفتح لهم، و بين لهم مناسك حجهم و حلالهم و حرامهم.

Before the advent of Abu Jafar the Shia did not know the rites of Hajj and what was lawful or unlawful for them till he came and opened this chapter of knowledge to them and educated them regarding the rites of Hajj and the aspects of Halal and Haram.[57]

 

This implies that the Shia before the advent of Abu Jafar were worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala ignorantly.

Furthermore, did ‘Ali ibn al Hussain, implementing the order issued to him, remain at home and give preference to seclusion? Or did he violate it and go out to propagate knowledge and call towards Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala with wisdom and foresight? ‘Ali ibn al Hussain is from among the senior successors of the Sahabah in terms of his knowledge and piety. He is the one who is reported to have said the following regarding these fabricators:

أحبونا حب الإسلام فوالله ما زال بنا ما تقولون حتي بغضتمونا إلي الناس

Love us in accordance with the teachings of Islam! For by Allah what you say is being continuously ascribed to us till it has reached a point where you have made the people despise us.[58]

 

Al Zuhri says:

ما رأيت قرشيا أفضل منه و ما رأيت أفقه منه

I have not seen a Qurayshi more intelligent and more knowledgeable than him.[59]

 

He was a trustworthy and prolific narrator of hadith.[60]

Sheikh al Mufid has acknowledged that he had propagated knowledge. He says:

 

وقد روي عنه فقهاء العامة- يعني أهل السنة-من العلوم ما لا يحصي كثرة، و حفظ عنه من المواعظ و الأدعية و الحلال و الحرام، والمغازي والأيام ما هو مشهور بين العلماء و لو قصدنا إلي شرح ذلك لطال به الخطاب

The scholars of the commonality (the Ahlus Sunnah) have narrated from him such knowledge that cannot be enumerated due to its copiousness. And many advices, supplications, permissible and impermissible issues, and the events from the time of Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam have been documented and preserved from which are very commonly known amongst the scholars. The discussion would become too long if we were to expound on them all.[61]

 

This is how their narrations contradict each other and their statements oppose one another which is a sign of fabrication.

 

c. The Tablet of Fatimah:

This is different from the Mushaf of Fatimah (as they allege), for the Mushaf of Fatimah descended after the demise of the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam through the agency of an angel whose dictates ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu documented, or it came down all at once through the medium of three angels, etc. As for the Tablet of Fatimah it has other features: it was revealed to the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who subsequently gifted it to Fatimah, among others. They have extracted some texts from this tablet which support their beliefs. It seems that the information regarding the Tablet of Fatimah has been kept very discreet from others. Hence it is a secret from their secrets. We do not know how the information about it leaked and when did it leak.

Here is a narration which the author of al Wafi reports from al Kafi on the authority of Abu Basir who narrates from Abu ‘Abdullah al Sadiq:

 

قال أبي لجابر بن عبد الله الأنصاري: إن لي إليك حاجة متي يخف عليك أن أخلو بك فأسألك عنها؟ قال له جابر: في أي الأحوال أحببت فخلا به في بعض الأيام فقال له، يا جابر أخبرني عن اللوح الذي رأيته في يد أمي فاطمة بنت رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم و آله و ما أخبرتك به أمي أنه في ذلك اللوح مكتوب، فقال جابر: أشهد بالله أني دخلت علي أمك فاطمة عليها السلام في حياة رسول الله صلي الله عليه و آله فهنيتها بولادة الحسين فرأيت في يديها لوحا أخضر ظننت أنه من زمرد و رأيت فيه كتابا أبيض شبه لون الشمس فقلت لها،بأبي و أمي أنت يا بنت رسول الله ما هذا اللوح فقالت: هذا لوح أهداه الله تعالي إلي رسوله صلي الله عليه و آله فيه إسم أبي و إسم علي واسم ابني و اسم الأوصياء من ولدي و أعطانيه أبي ليبشرني بذالك.قال جابر: فأعطتنيه أمك فاطمة عليها السلام فقرأته واستنسخته فقال أبي: فهل لك يا جابر أن تعرضه علي؟ قال: نعم، فمشي معه أبي إلي منزل جابر فأخرج صحيفة من رق فقال: يا جابر انظر في كتابك لأقرأ عليك، فنظر جابر في نسخته و قرأ أبي، فما خالف حرف حرفا، فقال جابر: أشهد بالله أني هكذا رأيته في اللوح مكتوبا: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم هذا كتاب من الله العزيز الحكيم لمحمد نبيه و نوره و سفيره و حجابه و دليله نزل به الروح الأمين من عند رب العالمين عظم يا محمد أسمائي و اشكر نعمائي.

My father said to Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah, “I have a query. Please let me know whenever it is convenient for you or when it is possible for me to meet with you in privacy so that I may ask you. Jabir replied, “I am available at any time you want.”

Hence he met with him one of the days and asked him, “O Jabir! Tell me of the tablet that you saw in the hands of my mother, Fatimah, the daughter of the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. And what did my mother tell you about the contents therein?”

Jabir said, “I testify by Allah that I went to visit your mother in the lifetime of the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to congratulate her on the birth of Hussain. There I saw a green tablet in her hand which I assumed was of emerald, and therein I saw a letter which in its radiance was like the sun. so I said to her, ‘May my parents be sacrificed for thee! O daughter of the Rasul of Allah, what is this tablet?’ She replied, ‘This is a tablet which Allah sent to the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. In it is contained my father’s name, the name of ‘Ali, the name of my son, and the names of his successors among my children. My father gifted it to me in order to break the good news to me.’ Your mother then gave me the tablet to have a look at it. I read it and was delighted by its content.”

My father then asked him, “Would it be possible for you, O Jabir, to let me have a look at it?”

He responded in the affirmative. He then accompanied Jabir to his house and took out a script of paper and said, “Look into your copy so that I may read to you from mine.”

Hence, Jabir read his copy whilst my father read his and there was not a letter’s difference in the two of them.

So Jabir said, “I testify by Allah that this is exactly how I found it written in the Tablet. It reads as follows:

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. This is a letter from Allah, the Almighty, the All Wise, to Muhammad, His Nabi, His light, His vicegerent, His veil, and His proof. Jibril, the trustworthy spirit, has come down with it from the Lord of the universe. O Muhammad glorify my praises and show gratitude for my bounties…”[62]

 

d. Their claim that twelve scripts descended from the heavens which comprised of the attributes and the features of the Imams:

The following is an excerpt of a long narration which Ibn Babawayh al Qummi (al Saduq) narrates:

 

إن الله تبارك و تعالي نزل علي علي اثني عشر خاتما و اثني عشر صحيفة اسم كل إمام علي خاتمه و صفته في صحيفته

Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala revealed twelve rings to ‘Ali and twelve scripts. Each ring contains the name of one of the Imams and each script has a description of one of them.[63]

 

They have many other claims in this regard.[64]

After the basis of the belief in the Imams being shaken due to not having any evidence in the Qur’an, the Shia have in this manner endeavoured to establish it; they went onto claim that divine books descended with the Qur’an. This claim of theirs can be added to the list of their fabrications and deceptions.

 

 

 

Analysing this doctrine

Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:

 

يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَابًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوْا مُوْسٰى أَكْبَرَ مِن ذٰلِكَ فَقَالُوْا أَرِنَا اللّٰهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ

The People of the Scripture ask you to bring down to them a book from the heaven. But they had asked of Musa [even] greater than that and said, “Show us Allah outright,” so the thunderbolt struck them for their wrongdoing.[65]

 

And Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:

 

وَقَالُوْا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتّٰى تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ يَنبُوْعًا أَوْ تَكُوْنَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيْلٍ وَّعِنَبٍ فَتُفَجِّرَ الْأَنْهَارَ خِلَالَهَا تَفْجِيْرًا أَوْ تُسْقِطَ السَّمَاءَ كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا أَوْ تَأْتِيَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ قَبِيْلًا أَوْ يَكُوْنَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِّن زُخْرُفٍ أَوْ تَرْقٰى فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلَنْ نُّؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتّٰى تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَابًا نَّقْرَؤُهُ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيْ هَلْ كُنتُ إِلَّا بَشَرًا رَّسُوْلًا

And they say, “We will not believe you until you break open for us from the ground a spring . Or [until] you have a garden of palm trees and grapes and make rivers gush forth within them in force [and abundance]. Or you make the heaven fall upon us in fragments as you have claimed or you bring Allah and the angels before [us]. Or you have a house of ornament [i.e. gold] or you ascend into the sky. And [even then], we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book we may read.” Say, “Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever but a human messenger?”[66]

 

Likewise Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:

 

وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ كِتَابًا فِيْ قِرْطَاسٍ فَلَمَسُوْهُ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ لَقَالَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا إِنْ هٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُّبِيْنٌ

And even if we had sent down to you, [O Muhammad], a written scripture on a page and they touched it with their hands, the disbelievers would say, “This is not but obvious magic.”[67]

 

Hence, those who asked the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for a divine book from Allah are the disbelievers: the Jews and the Christians. Their demand was not granted.

Al Kulayni and his likes who spread this false belief then came about and intended to make this Ummah—the best of nations which has been selected for the benefit of mankind—worse in its disbelief than the Jews and the polytheist by averring that it did not believe in the divinely revealed books and scripts of Allah (i.e. it did not acknowledge and believe in the Twelve Imams)

The verse is unequivocal in rendering the claims of the Shia baseless, for if there was anything of the sort there would have at least been some type of indication to it in the Qur’an without any rejection thereof. Or the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would at least instruct the Ummah to hold on firmly to the revelations which descended upon Fatimah or ‘Ali, or upon what was to descend upon the Imams. However, we find none of the above, which clearly exposes the falsehood in these claims.

Furthermore, why would the Ummah transmit the Qur’an and the Sunnah and brush aside these alleged books leaving them for a specific people to transmit them? And why didn’t any member of the Ummah, any historian or any person belonging to any religion have any knowledge regarding them? And why do the Shia differ so fiercely with regards to the divinely appointed Imams if they are in possession of them?

Amazingly, I came across a narration in al Kafi which contradicts all of the above claims. This narration is narrated by Abu ‘Abdullah al Sadiq (in whose name they forge all these narrations). He says:

 

إن لله عز و ذكره ختم بنبيكم النبيين فلا نبي بعده أبدا، و ختم بكتابكم الكتب فلا كتاب بعده أبدا و أنزل فيه تبيان كل شيء و خلقكم و خلق السماوات و الأرض و نبأ ما قبلكم و فصل ما بينكم و خبر ما بعدكم و أمر الجنة و النار وما أنتم صائرون إليه.

Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has sealed prophethood with the advent of your Nabi, hence there is no Nabi to come after him. He has likewise sealed all the books with the revelation of your Book so no book will descend thereafter. And Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has revealed in it the clarity of everything, your creation, the creation of the heavens and the earth, the stories of the previous nations, the deciding factors for your internal disputes, the information of the life to come, the tales of Jannat and Jahannam, and the final abode that you will one day return to.[68]

 

This narration does not require any explanation or footnote. It by itself debunks all the previously mentioned claims and very sternly denies the revelation of any books.

In another narration al Rida is reported to have said:

 

شريعة محمد صلي الله عليه و آله وسلم لا تنسخ إلي يوم القيامة فمن ادعي بعده نبوة أو أتي بعد القرآن بكتاب فدمه مباح لكل من سمع ذلك منه.

The Shari’ah of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will not be abrogated till the Day of Judgement. Hence, whoever claims prophethood after him or produces a book besides the Qur’an is lawful to kill for any person who hears that from him.[69]

 

Nonetheless, in these pages we have confronted the Shia according to their mentality. Or else merely presenting their views are enough a refutation of them themselves; the Ummah unanimously concurs that there exists no divine book besides the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and that any person who claims to have a divine book other than the Qur’an is a liar and a heretic.

What would the purpose of the revelation of the Qur’an then be? Whereas Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:

 

وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَّرَحْمَةً وَّ بُشْرٰى لِلْمُسْلِمِيْنَ

And we have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.[70]

 

Likewise:

إِنَّ هٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِيْ لِلَّتِيْ هِيَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ الَّذِيْنَ يَعْمَلُوْنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَبِيْرًا

Indeed, this Qur’an guides to that which is most suitable and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward.[71]

 

And where are these divines books and scripts today? Is there any trace of them? And what is the benefit of them being secured by the awaited Mahdi?

It seems as if the pioneers of Shi’ism forged these narrations out of the fear that they would lose their following due to the fact that their belief system does not rest upon any firm basis in the Qur’an. Over and above that, they were intent on plotting against this Ummah and its din, and distancing the Shia from the rest of the Ummah with books other than the Book of Allah.

What is very astonishing is that there are many among the early and contemporary Shia who deny the viewpoint of the interpolation of the Qur’an, shun it aside as not being part of Twelver Shi’ism and rate the narrations (even though they be copious) of interpolation as forgeries which have seeped into the Twelver dogma. Yet they have not taken the same stance (as far as I know) regarding these erroneous claims which were initiated by al Kulayni and his cohorts; they have turned a blind eye toward them, whereas they are no less than the claim of interpolation in their gravity. Instead, Ibn Babawayh and al Tabarsi despite not believing in the interpolation of the Qur’an, have also spread and transmitted these beguiling beliefs. Is this all because the Muslims are aware of the former claim of the Shia and not the latter?

These claims entail some very serious consequences. Among them:

1. Revelation did not end and prophethood was not sealed,
2. the Imams share a position equal to the Prophets or even higher due to them receiving numerous books from the heavens which did not even materialise for the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,
3. and considering the Sahabah in specific and the Ummah in general to be on falsehood because of not believing in these divine books.

These claims are one of the many signs wherefrom we gather that this cult has been infiltrated by inveterate liars who do not feel ashamed of blurting out any drivel; they have attributed lies to the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam by forging ahadith in his name, and they projected lies to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala by concocting these books. Only those who do not believe in Allah attribute lies to him.

 

2. Their claim that the Imams are in possession of all the divine books

The Shia claim that the Twelve Imams are in possession of every book that descended from the heavens and that they can read them all despite their disparate languages. The author of al Kafi has established a chapter by the title, Chapter regarding the Imams having possession of all the books which came down from Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, and that they are well acquainted with them despite their different languages.[72] In this chapter he cites multiple narrations. The author of al Bihar has also established a chapter with a similar title.[73] In this chapter he cites twenty-seven narrations.

These narrations state that:

كل كتاب نزل فهو عند أهل العلم و نحن هم.

The people of knowledge, meaning us, have the knowledge of every book that was revealed.[74]

 

Another narration states:

إن عندنا صحف أبراهيم وألواح موسي

We have the scriptures of Ibrahim and the tablets of Musa.[75]

 

Likewise another narration mentions:

إن عندنا علم التوراة و الانجيل و الزبور و بيان ما في الألواح

We have knowledge of the Tawrah, the Injil, the Zabur, and the details of the tablets.[76]

 

Yet there is another narration which gives a detailed account of the tablets of Musa ‘alayh al Salam. It explains that they were made of the peridot of Jannat, they comprised of the clear exposition of everything that is to happen till the Day of Judgement, they were in the Hebrew language, and the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam gave them to Amir al Mu’minin ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu ordering him thus:

 

دونك هذه ففيها علم الاولين و الآخرين و هي ألواح موسي و قد أمرني ربي أن أدفعها إليك. قال يا رسول الله لست احسن قراءتها، قال: إن جبرائيل أمرني أن آمرك أن تضعها تحت رأسك ليلتك هذه فإنك تصبح و قد علمت قراءتها قال: فجعلها تحت رأسه فأصبح و قد علمه الله كل شيء فيها فأمره رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم أن ينسخها في جلد شاة و هو الجفر و فيه علم الأولين و الآخرين، وهو عندنا.

“Hold on firmly to these! For in them is contained the knowledge of the first and the last; these are the tablets of Musa which Allah has ordered me to give to you.”

He said, “O Rasul of Allah, I do not have the ability to read them.”

The Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam replied, “Jibril has ordered me to instruct you to place them under your head tonight by virtue of which you will be able to read them by the morning.”

Hence ‘Ali states that he kept them under his head that night and by the morning Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala had inspired him with the knowledge of everything therein. Subsequently, the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam told him to copy the contents thereof on the skin of big lamb. This skin thus contains the knowledge of the first to come and the last to come, and we are in possession of it.[77]

 

This narration defines the lamb-skin to be comprehensive of the tablets of Musa. Another narration, however, does not stick to this; it states that Abu ‘Abdullah said:

 

إن عندي الجفر الأبيض… فيه: زبور داؤد، وتوراة موسي، وإنجيل عيسي، وصحف أبراهيم، والحلال والحرام، ومصحف فاطمة. ما أزعم أن فيه قرأنا، وفيه ما يحتاج الناس إلينا ونحتاح إلي أحد،حتي فيه الجلدة، ونصف الجلدة، وربع الجلدة، وأرش الخدش.

Most certainly I am in possession of the white skin. It consists of the Zabur of Dawood, the Tawrah of Musa, the Injil of ‘Isa, the scriptures of Ibrahim, the laws of permissible and impermissible entities, and the Mushaf of Fatimah. I do not assume that it consists of any portion of the Qur’an. In addition, it contains those aspects in which people will require our guidance and in which we will not require anyone; it also mentions the ruling of a lash, half a lash, a quarter of a lash, and even the ruling of scratch.[78]

 

The commentator of al Kafi seemingly deemed all of this to be too much to be contained on the Jafr, skin of a lamb (as the previous narration asserts). Hence he says:

الظاهر أن الجفر وعاء فيه هذه الصحف لا أنها مكتوبة فيه.

It is apparent that the Jafr is a container wherein all these scriptures and books are kept and not a skin in which all of them are documented.[79]

 

Whereas the previous narration emphatically mentions that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had documented them on the skin of lamb. This clearly suggests that the skin of a lamb can never possibly contain all of these books; especially when just one of these, i.e. the tablets of Musa contains the knowledge of the first and the last. It also tells us that the person who forged these narrations was not very adept at doing so. Similarly, every intelligent person will conclude that history would be something else all-together if the Imams had knowledge of the first and the last.

The claim that the Imams are in possession of all the divine books did not just remain a theory but it exceeded that to the practical realm. Hence, Abu al Hassan is reported to have recited a portion of the Injil before Barih the Christian who after hearing him read the Injil exclaims:

 

إياك كنت أطلب منذ خمسين سنة، ثم إن النصراني (كما تقول الرواية) آمن وحسن أسلامه. قال للإمام: إني لكم التوراة والإنجيل وكتب الأنبياء؟ فقال: هي عندنا وراثة من عندهم نقرأها كما قرأوها. ونقولها كما قالوا: إن الله لا يجعل حجة في أرضه يسأل عن شيء فيقول لا أدري.

It is you that I was in search of for the past fifty years. Thereafter he embraced Islam on the hands of Abu al Hassan and became a good Muslim.

He then asks the Imam, “How did you procure the Tawrah, the Injil, and the books of the Prophets?”

He said, “We obtained them by way of inheritance and we read them just as they would read them. And we also claim as they claimed: Allah does not place upon the earth his evidence (in the form of a messenger) who says ‘I don’t know,’ when asked regarding something.”[80]

 

What this narration implies is that the Imams study the Tawrah, the Injil, and other divine books just as the Prophets did in order to procure answers to the questions of people.

In fact the matter has exceeded this to the level that judgements and rulings will be passed in accordance with previous divine scriptures; the author of al Kafi has established a chapter titled, Chapter regarding the Imams issuing rulings in accordance with the laws of Dawood and his family for which there will not be asked to produce any evidence.[81]

One of the narrations that he presents in the chapter reads as follows:

 

عن جعيد الهمداني عن علي بن الحسين رضي الله عنه قال: سألته بأي حكم تحكمون؟ قال: حكم آل داؤد فإن أعيانا شيئ تلقانا به روح القدس.

Ju’aid al Hamdani narrates from ‘Ali ibn al Hussain.

He says I asked him, “Based on which law do you issue rulings?”

He said, “With the law of the family of Dawood; if we happen to come across a complexity which we cannot resolve then the Holy Spirit inspires us with its answer.”[82]

 

There are many similar narrations which state that even the Mahdi after his advent will issue rulings in accordance with the law of the family of Dawood ‘alayh al Salam for which he will not have to provide evidence. These narrations contain multiple examples of the type of rulings the Mahdi will issue based on the special constitution that he will be granted, e.g. he will not accept taxes from the people of the book, he will kill every twenty year old who has not acquired the knowledge of din, he will issue rulings in accordance with the law of Dawood ‘alayh al Salam, and much more.[83]

Likewise there are many narrations which state that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu would say,

 

لو تمكنت من الأمر لحكمت لكل طائفة بكتابها.

If I were took charge of affairs I would issue rulings for every denomination in accordance with its book.[84]

 

One of these narrations state:

 

لو ثبت لي وسادة أو لو ثني لي الناس كما ثني لابن صوحان لحكمت بين أهل التوراة بالتوراة… ولحكمت بين أهل ألإنجيل بالإنجيل…ولحكمت بين أهل الزبور بالزبور… ولحكمت بين أهل الفرقان بالفرقان.

If I were to take charge of affairs, or if people were to give me authority over their affairs just as they gave to Ibn Suhan,[85] I would issue rulings in accordance with the Tawrah for the people of the Tawrah, for the people of the Injil in accordance with the Injil, for the people of the Zabur in accordance with the Zabur, and for the people of the Qur’an in accordance with the Qur’an.[86]

 

Analysing this doctrine

Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala sent Rasul Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to all of mankind and Jinn. He sealed prophethood upon him, and abrogated all other religions by way of his religion:

 

وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِيْنًا فَلَنْ يُّقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِيْنَ

And whoever desires other than Islam as religion—never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.[87]

 

It is reported that if Musa ‘alayh al Salam and ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam were alive they would be from his followers.[88] And when ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam will descend he will rule in accordance with the Shari’ah of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam[89] because Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has abrogated all the divine books with the revelation of the Qur’an; Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:

 

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّٰهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَّمِنْهَاجًا وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللّٰهَ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَّاحِدَةً وَّلٰكِنْ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِيْ مَا آتَاكُمْ فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ إِلَى اللّٰهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيْعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيْهِ تَخْتَلِفُوْنَ.وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّٰهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَنْ يَّفْتِنُوْكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنزَلَ اللّٰهُ إِلَيْكَ

And we have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book [i.e. the Qur’an] in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you we prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ. And judge, [O Muhammad], between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allah has revealed to you.[90]

 

Ibn Jarir al Tabari has written the following in his commentary on the verse, “So judge between them by what Allah has revealed”:

 

و هذا أمر من الله تعالي ذكره لنبيه محمد صلي الله عليه وسلم أن يحكم بين المحتكمين إليه من أهل الكتاب و سائر أهل الملل بكتابه الذي أنزله إليه و هو القرآن الذي خصه بشريعته،فالله سبحانه أنزل القرآن مصدقا لما بين يديه من الكتب و مهيمنا عليه، رقيبا يقضي علي ما قبله من سائر الكتب قبله

This is the command of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala directed to his Nabi Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam wherein he commands him to judge by way of the book which he revealed to him, i.e. the Qur’an, which Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has made exclusive to his Shari’ah, between those who seek his judgement whether they be from the People of the Book or from any other religion. This is because Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has revealed the Qur’an as a confirmer of the truthfulness of the previous books, a guardian over them (from any distortions or interpolations), and a protector which has abrogated all the previous scriptures and books.[91]

 

Conversely, the books of the Shia suggest that the Imams will judge according to the law of Dawood ‘alayh al Salam or that they will issue rulings for every denomination according to its book. So is this not violating the Shari’ah of Islam? Or is it a call for unifying all the religions? This can serve as part of the evidence which asserts the fact that Shi’ism is the refuge of every religion and creed; wherein the deviant is able to find whatever deviation he desires and through the medium of which he is able to infuses poison into the din of Islam.

As for the claim of the Shia that the Imams are in possession of the books and scriptures of the Prophets, they have no evidence to establish this besides a few claims which are not complemented by reality. How can this be possible for them when it was not the case for the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as is documented in the Sahihayn:

 

إن اليهود جاءوا إلي رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم فذكروا له أن رجلا منهم وامرأة زنيا. فقال لهم رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم ما تجدون في التوراة في شأن الرجم؟ فقالوا: نفضحهم و يجلدون. فقال عبد الله بن سلام: كذبتم، إن فيها الرجم. فأتوا بالتوراة فنشروها، فوضع أحدهم يده علي آية الرجم، فقرأ ما قبلها و ما بعدها. فقال له عبد الله بن سلام: ارفع يدك، فرفع يده، فإذا فيها آية الرجم، فقالوا: صدق يا محمد، فيها آية الرجم. فأمر بهما رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم فرجما.

The Jews came to the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and informed him of a man and a woman among them who had committed adultery.

The Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked them, “What is the ruling in the Tawrah with regards to lapidation (stoning)?”

They said, “We are required to disgrace them and lash them.”

‘Abdullah ibn Salam said, “You are lying, the ruling in the Tawrah is that of lapidation.”

Subsequently, they brought the Tawrah and opened it and one of them placed his hand on the verse of lapidation and read the verse before it and the verse after it.

‘Abdullah ibn Salam said to him, “Raise your hand.”

He raised his hand and from beneath it appeared the verse of lapidation.

Consequently, they conceded, “He has spoken the truth; the verse of lapidation actually does exist.”

Thereafter, the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ordered that they be stoned.[92]

 

The scholars state regarding the question: What is the ruling in the Tawrah with regard to lapidation? It is possible that the Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had foreknown the ruling due to revelation from Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, or that he had obtained the knowledge thereof from ‘Abdullah ibn Salam and the other Jewish Rabbis who had accepted Islam, or it is very likely that he asked them regarding the ruling in the Tawrah in order to verify the veracity of their claim by seeking revelation from Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.[93]

The scholars did not mention the possibility of him questioning them due to him having possession of the Tawrah. This proves that this doctrine is the innovation of the Shia.

If the claim of the Shia were valid, he would have opened the copy of the Tawrah which he had in his possession and showed them the ruling therefrom, or he would have instructed ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to produce it.

Nonetheless, the Shia also claim that the previous divine books which the Imams are in possession of are free of interpolation and distortions. Whereas Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has in many places in the Qur’an informed of us of how the People of the Book interpolated many verses and of how they even discarded a good portion thereof by way of which they were admonished. With the result that they were left with only a portion of the Book and were deprived of the rest of it due to their negligence.

When the People of the Qur’an studied the history of the People of the Book it dawned upon them that the Jews had irretrievably lost the original Tawrah which Musa ‘alayh al Salam had written. Consequently, some of their Rabbis collaborated and endeavoured to re-write it from memory resulting in much of that which was not part of the Tawrah becoming part of it. The Tawrah that they have today establishes this.[94]

As for the Injil, it suffers from more distortion and confusion than the Tawrah. The different copies of the Zabur differ from each other very drastically in many of the verses and meanings. Seeing which a person can definitively conclude that it is a fabrication against the actual Zabur of Dawood ‘alayh al Salam.[95]

We are not in a position where we can study this phenomenon in depth. The objective is, however, to point out the conclusion of studies that show that all the previous divine books were not safe from distortion. Conversely, the Shia claim that they are in possession of all these books and that they have not suffered from any distortion. If the Imams really were in possession of the divine books it was their obligation to confront the Christians and the Jews, to bring them back on to the straight path and to bring to the fore the narrations and verses which contain within them mention of the emergence of Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the duty of being loyal to him. Had they done this, most of the Christians and Jews would have repented and this would have been widely known about them.

Perhaps the person who hears these claims will ask: Where are these divine books today and in whose possession are they? What is the purpose of them being in the possession of the Imams, is it so that they perfect the constitution of Islam and will bring it to its culmination? And why do they not expose the interpolation of the People of the Book and establish evidence against them?

These are questions to which there are no answers, due to the simple reason that all these claims are fallacies which do not hold any water. These claims are not strange for a people who have attributed almost everything to their Imams. What is really astonishing, however, is the multitudes of people who actually believe in them in today’s world.

Therefore, we see that the Shia also state that these books are meant to be secretive, that they are heavenly scriptures, and that they are the inheritance of the Prophets, etc., which are all in the possession of the Man in Occultation, the fictitious Mahdi. The followers of the Shia have dangled upon this deceptive mirage many fallacies which follow one another.

 

NEXT⇒ Discussion Two – Their belief regarding the fundamentals of Iman Part 2

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[1] Surah al Baqarah: 177

[2] Surah al Qamar: 49.

[3] Kanz Jami’ al Fawa’id p. 334; Bihar al Anwar 23/320.

[4] Al Ma’lim al Zulfa p. 249.

[5] Wasa’il al Shia 10/318; Furu’ al Kafi 1/325; Thawab al A’mal p. 49; Kamil al Ziyarat p. 189.

[6] Al Tusi: al Tahdhib 2/16; Thawab al A’mal p.54; Wasa’il al Shia 10/322.

[7] Bihar al Anwar 26/335; Ibn Babawayh: Ikmal al Din p. 148; ‘Uyun Akhbar al Rida 1/262; ‘Ilal al Shara’i’ p. 13.

[8] Bihar al Anwar 26/344-345; Irshad al Qulub p. 214; Kanz Jami’ al Fawa’id p. 483.

[9] Minhaj al Sunnah 2/158.

[10] Surah al Takwir: 19-20

[11] Bihar al Anwar 26/356; Basa’ir al Darajat p. 27.

[12] Bihar al Anwar 26/354; Basa’ir al Darajat p. 26.

[13] Bihar al Anwar 26/340; Basa’ir al Darajat p. 20.

[14] Bihar al Anwar 26/341; Basa’ir al Darajat p. 20.

[15] Tafsir al Hassan al ‘Askari p. 153; al Ihtijaj p. 31; Bihar al Anwar 26/338.

[16] Bihar al Anwar 26/349.

[17] Ibn Babawayh: Jami’ al Akhbar p. 9; Bihar al Anwar 26/344.

[18] Wasa’il al Shia 8/563-564.

[19] Surah Qaf: 17-18

[20] Surah al Zukhruf: 80.

[21] Bihar al Anwar 24/87.

[22] Surah al Ambiyaʼ: 26-27

[23] Al Baqarah: 98.

[24] There are other books as well which they claim were preserved by their Imams. Mention was made of these books in the chapter regarding their beliefs about the Sunnah. These books also share some sort of holiness, however, they do not share in the aspect of being revealed from the heavens.

[25] Sahih al Bukhari 1/204.

[26] Sahih al Bukhari 1/167.

[27] Fath al Bari 1/204.

[28] Risalah al Irja’ (which is incorporated in the Kitab al Iman of Muhammad ibn Yahya al ‘Adni) p. 249-250.

[29] Al Juzajani: Ahwal al Rijal p. 38.

[30] Usul al Kafi 1/240; Bihar al Anwar 26/44; Basa’ir al Darajat p. 43.

[31] Refer to Section 1 – Chapter 1 – Discussion 3  of this book.

[32]Usul al Kafi 1/239.

[33] The title they award to Abu Jafar al Kulayni which literally means an authentic transmitter of the Muslim world.

[34] Al Shafi Sharh Usul al Kafi 3/197.

[35] Surah al Nahl: 89.

[36] Bihar al Anwar 26/42; Basa’ir al Darajat p. 42.

[37] Bihar al Anwar 26/48; Basa’ir al Darajat p. 42.

[38] Usul al Kafi 1/240.

[39] Bihar al Anwar 26/48; Basa’ir al Darajat p. 44

[40] Usul al Kafi 1/305-306.

[41] Usul al Kafi 1/240.

[42] Bihar al Anwar 26/23 with reference to Basa’ir al Darajat p. 390.

[43] Bihar al Anwar 26/19-20 with reference to Basa’ir al Darajat p. 38.

[44] Bihar al Anwar 26/19; ‘Uyun Akhbar al Rida p. 200.

[45] The reference has passed. Refer to Section 1

[46] See Section 1 – Discussion 3

[47] Al KhunaYzi: al Da’wah al Islamiyyah 1/47.

[48] Al Majlisi has said the following regarding the book, “It is from the widespread reliable books. Many scholars who succeeded him benefited from it the likes of Ibn Ta’us and others. The author is a reliable transmitter of the Twelvers (his name is Muhammad ibn Jarir ibn Rustum al Tabari) he is not the Ibn Jarir from the opposite side who has written a book on history.” (al Majlisi: Bihar al Anwar 1/39/40) The introduction to the book states the following, “This book has remained a reliable reference of the Shia in the aspects of Imamah and hadith. A book which is an attraction and an authentic source from then till the present time. (introduction: p. 5)

[49] Dala’il al Nubuwwah p. 27-28.

[50] Ibid.

[51] Ibid.

[52] Dala’il al Nubuwwah p. 27-28.

[53] Ibid.

[54] Bihar al Anwar 36/192-193; Ikmal al Din p. 376; Amali al Saduq p. 240; Amali al Sheikh p. 282; Usul al Kafi 1/280.

[55] Mukhtasar al Tuhfah p. 62.

[56] Usul al Kafi 2/380.

[57] Ibid 2/20.

[58] Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d 5/214.

[59] Al Khazraji: al Khulasah p. 273.

[60] Minhaj al Sunnah 2/153.

[61] Al Mufid: al Irshad p. 292-293; ‘Abbas al Qummi: al Anwar al Bahiyyah p. 112.

[62] Refer to the following books: al Kafi 1/527-528; al Fayd al Kashani: al Wafi 2/72; al Tabarsi: al Ihtijaj 1/84-87; Ibn Babawayh al Qummi: Ikmal al Din p. 301-304; al Tabarsi (the author of Majma’ al Bayan): A’lam al Wara p. 152; al Karajaki: al Istinsar p. 18. Note: It should be remembered that the Shia narrators have not narrated this allegedly divine letter in an identical manner; e.g. compare the narration of Ikmal al Din with the narration of al Kafi. A picture will be given ahead.

[63] Ikmal al Din p. 263.

[64] There are other books other than the ones mentioned above, e.g. the script of Fatimah… which they claim is a white script made of a pearl wherein the names of the Imams are mentioned. It is forbidden for the people to touch it as it appears in a narration, “It is forbidden to touch it but for a Nabi, his Wasi (his appointed successor) or the household of a Nabi.” They have given snippets of this script. One reads as follows: “Abu al Qasim, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al Mustafa, his mother is Aminah; Abu al Hassan, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib al Murtada, his mother is Fatimah bint Asad…” etc. See Bihar al Anwar 36/193-194; Ikmal al Din p. 178; ‘Uyun Akhbar al Rida p. 24, 25.

[65] Surah al Nisa’: 153.

[66] Surah al Isra’: 90-93

[67] Surah al An’am: 7.

[68] Sahih al Kafi 1/31; Usul al Kafi 1/269; Miftah al Kutub al Arba’ah 8/64-65; Bihar al Anwar 79/221, 11/34-35 (with reference to ‘Ilal al Shara’i’ of Ibn Babawayh al Qummi).

[69] Bihar al Anwar 79/221, 11/34-35 (with reference to ‘Ilal al Shara’i’).

[70] Surah al Nahl: 89.

[71] Surah al Isra’: 9.

[72] Usul al Kafi 1/227.

[73] Bihar al Anwar 26/180.

[74] Usul al Kafi (with the commentary of al Mazindarani) 5/355.

[75] Ibid.

[76] Ibid.

[77] Bihar al Anwar 26/180.

[78] Usul al Kafi 1/340.

[79] Al Mazindarani: Sharh Jami’ 5/389.

[80] Usul al Kafi (with the commentary al Jami’) 5/359; Bihar al Anwar 26/181,182; al Tawhid p. 286-288.

[81] Usul al Kafi 1/359.

[82] Ibid.

[83] Ibid 1/398 onwards.

[84] Al Sha’rani: Ta’aliq ‘Ilmiyyah (with the commentary of al Kafi by al Mazindarani) 6/393.

[85] Al Majlisi says, “The mention of Ibn Suhan in the narration is strange, it was possibly Ibn Abi Sufyan. Nonetheless it means that if I had authority like Ibn Suhan amongst my followers…”

[86] Bihar al Anwar 40/137.

[87] Surah Al ‘Imran: 85.

[88] Sharh al Tahawiyyah p. 513.

[89] Majmu’ Fatawa Sheikh al Islam 4/216; Sharh al Tahawiyyah p. 513.

[90] Surah al Ma’idah: 48, 49.

[91] Tafsir Ibn Jarir al Tabari 6/268-269; Majmu’ Fatawa Sheikh al Islam 19/218.

[92] Sahih al Bukhari, chapter of merits: chapter regarding the verse, “They recognise him as they recognise their own sons.” 6/631; Sahih Muslim, chapter of capital punishments, sub-chapter regarding the lapidation of the Jews and non-Muslim citizens, 2/1326; Sunan Abi Dawood, chapter regarding capital punishments, sub-chapter regarding the lapidation of Jews, 4/593; Sunan Ibn Majah, chapter of capital punishments, sub-chapter regarding the lapidation of the Jewish man and Jewish woman, 2/854-855; Muwatta’ Malik, chapter regarding capital punishments, sub-chapter regarding lapidation, 2/819; Musnad Ahmed 2/5; al Shafi’i: al Risalah (the revised addition of Ahmed Shakir): paragraph number: 692.

[93] Al Baji: al Muntaqa 7/133; Fath al Bari 12/168; ‘Awn al Ma’bud 12/131.

[94] Tafsir al Manar 6/396.

[95] Ibn Taymiyyah: Daqa’iq al Tafsir 3/58.