Chapters
The Academic Perspective
The Clear Message – Part 1 · Sheikh Nadhim Aloqaili
Third: The Academic Perspective
The messenger of Imam Al-Mahdi, Ahmed Alhasan, has challenged all scholars to debate him on the Quran and ideological matters since the beginning of his divine call. These debates would discern whether the knowledge he imparts originates from conventional human learning or the exclusive knowledge of the Imams about the clear and ambiguous verses and the abrogating and abrogated verses.
In a lengthy narration, Abu AbdullahP debates with Abu Hanifa: "O Abu Hanifa, do you truly understand the Book of God as it should be known? Are you familiar with the abrogating and the abrogated [verses]?" Abu Hanifa responded, "Yes." Al-Sadiq said, "Abu Hanifa, you claim to possess this knowledge. Woe to you, for God has bestowed this knowledge only on the people of the Book to whom it was revealed. Woe to you, for it is reserved solely for specific individuals from the progeny of our ProphetP. God has not granted you a single letter of His Book..."37
The invitation for debate remains open to this day, yet no one has responded to his challenge. Some dismissively say, "We do not want to give him importance!"
To these people, I say: Why did the Imams engage in debates with Jews, Christians, and even atheists and heretics, disproving their falsehoods and upholding the Islamic faith? Why did Imam al-Sadiq respond to Abu Hanifa and others, debating and disproving their schools of thought despite knowing for certain that their beliefs were false and deviated? After we have presented evidence from the Quran and prophetic traditions, you have no grounds for refuting the claim of Ahmed Alhasan. Yet, some of you have unjustly and aggressively accused the man of lying.
God says: “But they have denied what they do not understand even before its interpretation has reached them.”38
The Almighty also says: "Until, when they arrive, He will say, 'Did you deny My signs without comprehending them, or what were you doing?"39
Some may say that the Quran cannot be used to validate the claimant’s message because it is multi-faceted. My response is that the prohibition against using the Quran as an argument is specific to particular situations and not absolute. However, the claim of Imamate or connection with Imam Al-MahdiP can be verified by testing the claimant on the major issues of the Quran and whether he knows the difference between clear verses and ambiguous verses and the abrogating from the abrogated, as the ImamsP indicated:
In a letter issued on the authority of Imam Al-MahdiP, refuting the false claims of someone alleging to be one of his deputies, the lengthy letter states:
This false claimant has lied against God with his claim. I do not know how he expects his claim to be validated within the religion of God. By God, he does not know the lawful from the unlawful, nor can he distinguish between right and wrong. He does not know truth from falsehood, nor the clear [verse] from the ambiguous one. He does not know the rules of prayer nor its times. How can he claim piety when God is witness that he has neglected the obligatory prayer for forty days, claiming it was to seek magic? ... Seek God's guidance and success by avoiding this person as I have advised you, and test him. Ask him to interpret a verse from the Book of God or to explain the rules and requirements of a prayer so that you may discern his true state and capacity. His shortcomings and flaws will then be apparent to you. God is his judge….40
Al-Mufaddal ibn Umar narrated:
I heard Abu AbdullahP say: “The one in charge of this matter will have two occultations. In one, he will return to his family, and in the other, people will say he has perished and wonder
which valley he has gone to.” I asked, “What should we do if that happens?” He said: “If someone claims [to know], ask him about the significant matters that only someone in his position would be able to answer.”41
What could be greater than the important parts of the Book of God, one of the two most significant legacies left by the ProphetP? These passages have perplexed scholars so much that they have admitted they cannot fully comprehend its teachings or unravel its mysteries. This profound knowledge is possessed and safeguarded by the Prophet’s householdP.
In a lengthy narration, Imam al-SadiqP described the case of some of Imam Al-Mahdi’sP companions: "As for the person who debates with the open enemy of the Prophet’s household (nasibi) from Sarakhs42 using the Book of God, he is a knowledgeable man whom God has inspired with an understanding of the Quran, leaving the opponents with only baseless objections. Our matter is then proven through the Book of God..."43 This narration clearly indicates that one of the Imam’sP supporters used the Book of God in debate, effectively refuting those who claim it is not permissible to argue using the Quran.