ENQUIRY 6: WHAT DO THE SHEIKHS OF SHIITES BELIEVE ABOUT EXPLAINING THE MEANING OF THE QUR’AN?

ENQUIRY 6: WHAT DO THE SHEIKHS OF SHIITES BELIEVE ABOUT EXPLAINING THE MEANING OF THE QUR’AN?

Response: Firstly, the Shiite Sheikhs believe that the Qur’an has hidden meanings that are contradictory to the clear explicit ones.

In order to hold on to this claim, they fabricated against Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam and Ali Radiallahu Anhu that they said: “Verily, the Qur’an has inner and outer (meanings)”.(1)

Comment:

What most have necessitated this belief for the Shiite Scholars is the fact that the Qur’an neither made any mention of their Twelve Imams nor their enemies, companions of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam This had given the Shiite Scholars sleepless nights and totally destroyed their plans. They categorically stated that the Qur’an is void of mentioning their Imams and thus, their Sheikh Al-’Ayyaashi fabricated that on the authority of Abu Abdullah (Allah be pleased with him) who said: “If the Qur’an were to be read as revealed, you would have found us named therein”.(2)

Firstly, it was a single external and hidden meaning for a verse. This later developed into “the Qur’an having hidden and explicit meaning with the hidden meanings having up to seven other hidden meanings”.(3)

Their estimations later got wilder and they said:

Surely, it is very obvious for all and sundry that every verse of the Glorious Qur’an has a hidden and explicit meaning in its tafseer and commentary. In fact, it is clear from exhaustive information that a single verse has seven to seventy hidden meanings. And a huge number of Hadiths showed that its hidden tafseer and commentary are about the virtue of the pure leaders and the greatness of their history. I mean by this, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam and the Imams. It is very obvious to anyone who has insight and experience in the inner meanings of the statements of the Most High that all the verses in the Qur’an of praises and eulogies were revealed on them. Also were verses of censure and condemnation, abomination and menace revealed on their enemies and those incompatible with them. Allah attributed most of the hidden part of the Qur’an to calling on to the Imamate and custodianship just as he attributed most of the outer meanings of the Qur’an to calling on Tauheed, Prophethood and the Message.(4)

Secondly, they believe that most part of the Qur’an was revealed about them and their enemies amongst the companions.

Al-Faidh Al-Kaashaani said: “Most of the Qur’an was revealed on matters about them, their saints and their enemies.”(5)

In fact, their great Sheikh, Hashim bin Sulaiman Al-Bahraani Al-Kit- kaani (d. 1107 AH), claimed that “Ali bun Abu Talib (Allah be pleased with him) alone was mentioned in the Qur’an 1154 times. He authored a book titled “Al-Lawaami’ An-Nooraaniyyah fee Asmaa’ Ali wa Ahl Baytihi Al-Qur’aaniyyah” (Gleaming Light on the Qur’anic Names of Ali and His Family Members).

Comment:

O dear unbiased reader! If you endeavor to read through all the pages of the Glorious Qur’an with the help of all the available Arabic dictionaries, you will never find a single place in which the name of a single Imam amongst their Twelve Imams was mentioned.

As usual with the Shiite Scholars in fabrication, this issue further developed into dividing the Qur’an into four parts.

Al-Kalbi lied that Abu Abdullah (Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Qur’an was revealed in four parts: a part is on halal, another on haram, the third on laws and sunan while the fourth part is history of the past, present and future”.(6)

Comment:

Where are the Twelve Imams mentioned?

When the Shiite scholars realized that their twelve Imams were not mentioned in the previous narratives, they began what they knew how to do well. Their sheikh, Al-Kulaini fabricated a narration, which states:

“On the authority of Al-Asbagh bin Nubaatah who said: I heard the leader of the believers (Allah be pleased with him) saying: “The Qur’an was revealed in three parts: one- third is about us and our enemies, another one-third is for similitudes and Sunan; and the third part is for obligations and laws”.(7)

Their scholars again added to this and fabricated another narration, saying that Abu Ja’far (Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Qur’an was revealed in four parts: one-fourth is about us, another one-fourth is about our enemies, the third one-fourth is on similitudes and Sunan; and last one-fourth is on laws and obligations”.(8)

It was clear to some Muslims that, according to this statement, there was actually no merit for their Imams over their enemies regarding their being mentioned in the Qur’an.

Their sheikh, Al-’Ayyashi was able to detect this lacuna, and as such he fabricated a fourth narration, using the same wording of the previous one but added the clause “and for us is the precious part of the Qur’an”.(9)

However, Al-Kaashaani, another of their scholars, successfully disgraced him in his tafseer As-Saafi when he said: “and Al-’Ayyaashi added: “and for us is the precious part of the Qur’an”.(10)

References

(1) Tafseer As-Saafi Vol. 1 pp. 30-31 (Fourth Introduction: Sample narrations of differ- ent meanings of verses and scrutinising opinions on interpretation and the obscure) by Muhammad Al-Kaashaani (d. 1091).

(2) Tafseer Al-Ayaashi vol. 1 p. 25, Hadeeth 4 (What was used in the Qur’an to denote the Imams).

(3) Awaali Al-La’aali Al-Azeeziyyah fee Al-Ahaadeeth Ad-Deeniyyah vol. 4 p. 107 (The Second Group: Hadeeths related to knowledge and its bearers) by Ibn Abi Jamhoor Al-Ah- saa’i. he is one of their scholars of the tenth century; Tafseer As-Saafi vol. 1 p. 31 (The fourth Introduction: Sample narrations of different meanings of verses and scrutinising opinions on interpretation and the obscure)

Al-Maazandaraani said: “Every verse has got sixty thousand grasps, and the unknown of its understanding is more. Only the people of remembrance know all of that, Allah be pleased with them) Sharh Usool Al-Kaafi vol. 2 p. 211 (Chapter: Books and Hadeeth Narration, and the Virtue of writing and adhering to books).

(4) Introduction of Tafseer Al-Burhaan entitled: Mi’aat Al-Anwaar wa Mishkaat Al-Asraar, p. 6, by Ali bin Muhammad Al-Fatooni Al-”aamili (d. 1140 AH). The author has been qualified by others amongst their scholars to an authority whose book has no predecessor. See: Khaatimat Mustadrik Al-Wasaa’il vol. 2 p. 54 and Al-Zaree’ah vol. 20 p. 264 No. 2893.

(5) Tafseer As-Saafi Vol. 1 p. 24 (The Third Introduction: Samples of narratives depicting that the Qur’an was revealed for their sake and that of their saints and enemies, as well as explicating the secret behind that).

(6) Usool Al-Kaafi vol. 2 p. 822 (The Book of the Virtue of the Qur’an, Hadeeth 3. The Chapter of An-Nawaadir).

(7) Usool Al-Kaafi vol. 2 p. 822 (The Book of the Virtue of the Qur’an, Hadeeth 2. The

Chapter of An-Nawaadir). Al-Lawaami’ An-Nooraaniyyah p. 25.

(8) Usool Al-Kaafi vol. 2 p. 822 (The Book of the Virtue of the Qur’an, Hadeeth 3. The Chapter of An-Nawaadir); Tafseer Nur Ath-Thaqalain vol. 1 p. 167 Hadith No. 571 (Surah Al-Baqarah) by Ali bin Jum’ah Al-Huwaizi (d. 1112 AH)

(9) Tafseer Al-Ayyaashi vol. 1 p. 20 Discussion No. 1 (On what the Qur’an was revealed).

(10) Tafseer As-Saafi Vol. 1 p. 24 (The Third Introduction: Samples of narratives depicting

that the Qur’an was revealed for their sake and that of their saints and enemies, as well as

explicating the secret behind that).