ENQUIRY 5: IS THERE ANYONE AMONGST THE SCHOLARS OF SHIITES WHO CLAIMS THAT THE STATEMENT OF A SCHOLAR OF THEIRS CAN ABROGATE THE QUR’AN OR RESTRICT THE UNRESTRICTED OR DEFINE THE UNDEFINED?

Response: Yes, and many of them claimed that. For this reason, their Sheikh, Muhammad Al Kaashif Al-Ghitaa’, said: “The wisdom of gradual advancement demands it that a set of rulings be made explicit while others are concealed. However he (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) entrusted them to his plenipotentiaries. Each plenipotentiary hands them over to the next to disseminate at the right time as wisdom may demand it, such as restricting the unrestricted, defining the undefined, etc. the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) might have mentioned something unrestricted and then later on in his life time stated what restricts it. He might as well decide not to state what restricts it but rather, he entrusts it to his trustee to do the needy at the right time”.(2)

This statement is based on the belief of the Shiites that the Imam is the custodian of the Qur’an and the Speaking Qur’an.

Thus, they fabricated that Ali (Allah be pleased with him) said: “This (i.e. the Qur’an) is the silent Book of Allah, while I am the Speaking Book of Allah”.(3) Their Imams are “the custodians of Allah’s knowledge, the leather suitcase of Allah’s revelation and the bearers of Allah’s religion. On to us Allah’s Book was revealed, with us Allah is worshipped and Allah would have not been known if not for us”.(4) In other narrations,  they are “the caretakers of Allah’s secret”(5) and “only with them what is with Allah can be found or comprehended”.(6)

Comment:

On the basis of the foregoing, restricting the unrestricted in the Qur’an and Sunnah, defining the undefined and the matter of abrogation, as seen by the sheikhs of Shiites, are not put to an end by the death of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) because, in their belief, divine revelation continues…etc.

Of the beliefs of the Shiite scholars is the saying of their Sheikh Muham- mad Al-Maazindaraani that “Surely, the statement of any one our pure Imams is the words of Allah the Almighty. There are no discrepancies in their words, just as discrepancy is not found in the words of Allah. The phase of harmony in their statements is explicit to those who are pristine in mind and unadulterated in nature”.(7)

He also said: “If you say: On this basis, it is permissible for one who reports a hadith on the authority of Abu Abdullah (Allah be pleased with him) from his father to, instead, report it (directly) on the authority of his father or any of the men in the chain of narrators or even to state it as being the statement of Allah the Most High?” I say: “This is a different ruling not inferred from this hadith. However, it is right and correct being inferred from the earlier mentioned hadith of Abu Baseer and that of Jameel on the authority of Abu Abdullah (Allah be pleased with him) that such is permissible and even preferred”.(8)

Al-Kulayni also specified a chapter in his book which he called “Dele- gating the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and the Imams on religious matters”.(9)

Comment:

Anyone who ponders over the remote consequences of these statements would realize that they are meant to distort and replace the pristine sharee’ah of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) by their so called Imams or any of their followers and so on.

Why don’t they take to what they narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and their Imams said: “When two hadiths are reported to you from us, place them both on the scale of the Qur’an. Any one that conforms with the Qur’an should be taken and the one that contradicts the Qur’an be dis- carded”?.(10) Why don’t they recall the words of Allah: “ The Day their faces will be turned about in the Fire, they will say, “How we wish we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger. And they will say, “Our Lord, indeed we obeyed our masters and our dignitaries, and they led us astray from the [right] way.”? (Al-Ahzaab: 66-67).

References

(1) Usool Al-Kaafi vol. 1 p. 139 Hadeeth 1 (Chapter: That the Imams are the Light of Allah).

(2) Asl Al-Shee’ah wa Usooluhaa p. 81 (Introduction and Prelude).

(3) Earlier discussed in page 30.

(4) Basaa’ir Al-Darajaat Al-Kubraa fee Fadhaa’il Al Muhammad Ajma’een vol. 1 p. 138

Hadeeth 3 (Chapter: That the Imams are Allah’s Gateway and Proof, in charge of His matter and the way to Him, His eyes and custodian of His knowledge) by Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Al-Hasan bin Furookh As-Saffaar (d. 290 AH); Usool Al-Kaafi vol. 1 p.138 Hadeeth 1 (Chapter: That the Imamas are in charge of Allah’s religion and Caretakers of His Knowledge).

(5) Al-Balad Al-Ameen wa Al-Dir’ Al-Haseen p. 418 (Congregational Visit) by Ibrahim Al-Kaf ’ami (d. 900 AH); Mustadrik Al-Wasaa’il vol. 10 p. 404 General Hadith No. 12262, Specific Hadith No. 5 (Chapter: Uncommon Facts Related to Visit).

(6) I’laam Al-Wara bi A’laam Al-Huda p. 274 (The Third Pillar: About Imam Al-Baqir (Allah be pleased with him). Fourth Chapter: Recollection of the Novelty in his virtues and characteristics and Hadeeths of his history) by Al-Fadhl bin Al-Hasan At-Tabrasi (d. 548 AH).

(7) Sharh Usool Al-Kaafi vol. 2 p. 225 (Chapter: Books and Hadiths Narration and the Virtue of Writing and Holding on to Books) by Muhammad Salih Al-Maazindaraani (d.1081 AH).

(8) ibid

(9) Usool Al-Kaafi vol. 1 pp. 191-194 (The Book of Hajj). He recollected ten hadiths in it.

(10) Al-Istibsaar fee maa ukhtulifa feehi min Al-Akhbaar vol. 1 pp. 144-145 (The Book of Purification, Hadeeth 4, Chapter: Alcohol and Intoxicating Wine Affecting a Clothe) by Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Al-Hasan At-Tousi (d. 460 AH). He is nicknamed by Shiites as the Sheikh of the Sect. Wasaa’il Al-Shee’ah vol. 14 p. 441 Hadeeth 3 (Chapter: That when a man marries a woman, the woman’s mother and grandmother become prohibited for him even if he did not consummate the marriage with her).