Question 236 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 3

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them abundant peace. Answer to Question 1: My statement is what the Imams (a) said, for they asked Allah to have mercy upon him. Answer to Question 2: May Allah have mercy upon Sheikh al-Mufid. His being mistaken in some matters does not mean he was outside divine authority. Rather, he was born, lived, and died upon the authority of the Imams (a), and they-may Allah’s peace be upon them-were those whom the people of his time were charged with accepting as guardians. Whoever died accepting their authority is among the people of the Garden. Answers to Questions 3 and 4: May Allah have mercy upon you. If Allah treated people with justice, no one would enter the Garden. Regarding the sheikh-may Allah have mercy upon him-in jurisprudence he dealt within laws through which they guided their Shia to deal with their narrations. An example is that a narration’s agreement with the opponents indicates that it was issued as precaution, so they (a) said, ‘Guidance lies in opposing them’ (^[66]). Another example is their statement (a), ‘Whichever of the two you take in submission to us, it is permitted for you’ (^[67]). He did not reject their narrations according to desire or by matters for which Allah sent down no authority, such as chains of transmission or rational principles. The sheikh departed in only a little compared with the great extent to which others departed. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful so long as they died upon the authority of the purified ones (a) and did not deny their Imamate (a). Whoever dies accepting the authority of Allah’s successor upon His earth in his time is, Allah willing, among the people of the Garden and will not abide forever in the Fire even if he committed grave sins. Answer to Question 6: Perhaps the person who reported to you that I said, ‘Read al-Nili’s books-may Allah have mercy upon him,’ was mistaken in explaining to you that you should read them for awareness, to distinguish truth from falsehood, to ask about the truth, and to investigate-not to accept everything al-Nili says. I gave some of the supporters a very large number of errors into which al-Nili-may Allah have mercy upon him-fell. In summary, I tell you: with many proofs al-Nili demolished their false method, but he established a law of his own and wanted to judge the Quran and the narrations of the family of Muhammad by that law, casting aside whatever opposed his law just as they had done. The result of al-Nili’s method therefore did not differ from that of those before him; both oppose the divine method. In the end, al-Nili fell into what he had criticized, but from another direction. Indeed, he ultimately made himself a judge over Allah’s speech and the speech of the infallible ones. He made himself the discoverer of a law for judging the Quran, with everything that opposed his law being false. Consequently, he made himself a judge over the Imams (a), and according to his method made himself more knowledgeable than the Imams and better acquainted than they with the Quran, its interpretation, and its meanings. Praise be to Allah who granted him death and brought him out of this world while he was upon divine authority. Answer to Question 7: Religious rulings are abrogated-may Allah have mercy upon you-and how insignificant is this that you narrate, for something far greater may come. Regarding temporary marriage, the Imams emphasized it because it is divine legislation and they wanted it to remain and not disappear. Even the emphasis upon its being recommended was for this reason: it revives a law that the tyrant and Satan wanted to disappear. Today, however, the matter is different. Temporary marriage is established and known among opponents and adherents alike. Indeed, it contains a solution to many social and moral problems if people accept what I brought concerning its duration-six months-and the presence of witnesses or public announcement. This will guarantee the right of the woman and the children and will not make the woman a cheap commodity merely for satisfying desire. Answer to Question 8: Mary Magdalene is not Mary daughter of Imran (a), the mother of Jesus (a). Answer to Question 9: The hadith and others like it agree with the speech of the Sunnis and the opponents. They said this in order to nullify the matter of Fatima wanting the location of her grave concealed as an indication of the oppression that befell her, because its being in her house would mean she did not request its concealment. This is what they wanted to reach. As for the words of Imam al-Rida (a) and the Imams (a) to those among their Shia who asked them about the location of Fatima’s grave (a) in order to visit her, they directed them to visit Fatima (a) in her chamber. They did not declare to anyone that her grave was there. Those who heard merely imagined that the grave was in the chamber when the Imams instructed them to visit her in the chamber and explained the chamber’s location to them. Answer to Question 10: Do I and the supporters not have an example in al-Husayn (a)? Have you not read the tablet Allah, Glorious is He, gave to the Messenger (s), which the Messenger (s) gave to Fatima (a), upon which the condition of the Riser and his companions is written: ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is a book from Allah, the Mighty, the Knowing, to Muhammad, His light, ambassador, veil, and guardian. The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down from the Lord of the worlds. O Muhammad, magnify My names, give thanks for My blessings, and do not deny My favors. Indeed, I am Allah; there is no god but Me, the Crusher of the tyrants, the Abaser of the oppressors, and the Judge of the Day of Judgment. Indeed, I am Allah; there is no god but Me. Whoever hopes for other than My bounty or fears other than My justice and punishment, I will punish with a punishment with which I have not punished anyone among the worlds. So worship Me alone and place your trust in Me. I have never sent a prophet, completed his days, and ended his term without appointing a successor for him … Then He completes that through his son, a mercy to the worlds. Upon him is the perfection of Moses, the splendor of Jesus, and the patience of Job. My guardians will be humiliated in his time, and their heads will be passed as gifts just as the heads of the Turks and Daylamites are passed. They will be killed and burned, and will be fearful, terrified, and apprehensive. The earth will be stained with their blood, and wailing and lamentation will spread among their women. Those are truly My guardians. Through them I repel and remove every blind and dark tribulation, through them I uncover earthquakes, and through them I remove burdens and shackles. Upon those are prayers and mercy from their Lord, and those are the guided’ (^[68]). This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us. Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. What a blessing it is to be like al-Husayn and his family-killed and terrified-and what a disgrace it is for the evil jurists to be like Yazid and his soldiers-killers and tyrants. Answer to Question 11: What, then, did al-Husayn (a) do-may Allah have mercy upon you? Know that every Imam has a book according to which he acts. Answer to Question 12: The Exalted said: ‘He released the two seas, meeting one another … From both emerge pearl and coral’ (^[69]). The two seas in this verse are Ali and Fatima, and the pearl and coral are al-Hasan, al-Husayn, the Imams, and the Mahdis (a) (^[70]). Answer to Question 13: If this is what you understood, your understanding is mistaken. Answer to Question 14: I testify that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner: one God, One, Singular, Self-Sufficient, who has taken neither consort nor child. Absolute lordship and divinity belong to Him, Glorious and Exalted is He above what those who associate others say. Allah willing, you will find a detailed discussion of divinity and lordship in the book Interpretation of Surat al-Tawhid. I wrote it years ago and some of the supporters read it. Allah willing, I will publish it when I find bearers for it and its time arrives (^[71]). Answer to Question 15: A Nasibi is one who sets himself in enmity against one of Allah’s successors upon His earth, or against his followers who believe in him because they believe in him. This meaning can apply to many instances. As for the Ismailis and Zaydis, the condition of many of them today is far removed from setting themselves in enmity, so you cannot judge any one of them to be a Nasibi unless something proceeds from him that makes his enmity clear. As for the Bahais, it is likewise; they are misguided and misguiding, like the other groups. Answer to Question 16: What I spoke is the reality itself, just as my Lord showed it to me. So let whoever wills believe and see the reality in the Kingdom of Heaven. Answer to Question 17: I did not reject or prevent anyone from studying the Arabic language. There are supporters who are university professors and teach the Arabic language. Rather, I said that its rules are inductive rules that can sometimes be mistaken, so they cannot be regarded as a law by which the Quran and the speech of the prophets and successors are judged. Otherwise, they concede to the Christians their criticism of the Quran by means of the conventional rules of Arabic. If you are acquainted with Arabic, you will find that there is more than one school of grammar, each with rules that differ from the others. Which is the truth, and which is illusion and falsehood? Some Shia scholars even favored the view that the Quran was distorted because it conflicts with some conventional rules of grammar and rhetoric. You can consult Kifayat al-Usul by Akhund al-Khurasani and al-Mishkini’s commentary upon it, where al-Mishkini commented on the Akhund’s favoring the distortion of the Quran with words to the effect: ‘as rational consideration and many reports indicate.’ By rational consideration he means the Quran in people’s hands conflicting with the rules of grammar and rhetoric. The discussion of the rules of Arabic is lengthy. Know that the Arabs spoke more than one eloquent language. One of them treats the five verbs in the accusative, jussive, and indicative states in a manner entirely contrary to the conventional grammatical rules. As for the claim that the Commander of the Believers (a) ordered the rules of Arabic to be written, this statement is incorrect and has no connection to reality. If you believe this to be praise of Ali (a), Ali has no need of it. Answer to Question 18: What I hope from Allah is that He accepts from me my small deed of conveying to creation that which He, Glorious is He, made known to me, in the hope that they may be guided to the truth and recognize the truth. Answer to Question 19: Please read carefully what I wrote concerning the clear and ambiguous verses so that the picture becomes clearer to you (^[72]). Know that nothing is like Allah, and His speech is not like the speech of creation. The speech of Allah, Glorious and Exalted, is not restricted by time and place; rather, it is for every time and place, runs its course as the sun and moon do in this physical world (^[73]), and is for every world. Answer to Question 20: Satan does not take the form of the Messenger Muhammad (s) or the Imams (a). This is the speech of the Imams (a), not only my statement, nor is it new. But may Allah curse blind spite and the wickedness within hearts that made the scholars who do not act today utter the vilest statement and claim that Satan takes the form of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (s) and the Imams (a) (^[74]). As for your question about al-Zahra’s vision (a), do you believe Satan knows the unseen so that he could show her the unseen, when the Exalted said: ‘When he fell, it became clear to the jinn that, had they known the unseen, they would not have remained in the humiliating punishment’ (^[75])? Only one thing remains: Satan cast this matter-the death of the Messenger Muhammad (s)-at the end of the vision. Since the protector was with her, namely the Messenger of Allah (s), Allah entrusted her to him (s) so that he could explain to her (a) that the voice she heard at the end of the vision was not part of the vision but was from Satan, who wanted to grieve her through it. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Answer to Question 21: It is an honor for me to go to their shrines to say to them: Your servant acknowledges Allah’s favor upon him and possesses complete certainty that you are truly Allah’s successors. Woe to whoever oppressed you and denied your right. Answer to Question 22: I am not required to answer every question. As for poor manners, they did not prevent me from answering in the past, so how would they prevent me now? Answer to Question 23: Istikhara is asking Allah, Glorious and Exalted, so in undertaking it one must firmly resolve upon certain matters. First: inwardly, you do not favor one side over the other, but make the two matters equal within yourself. Second: you are prepared to accept Allah’s answer completely, with no rejection of the answer within yourself and no possible disputation concerning the answer that comes to you. Third: you accept the answer and regard it as Allah’s greatest blessing upon you-that Allah spoke to you and answered you. These three matters, at minimum, are necessary for you to have truly sought Allah’s choice. As for a person who comes while hesitant to accept Allah’s answer to him, then performs istikhara and considers what he did an istikhara: in truth, perhaps the Generous Allah bestows a blessing upon such a person and answers him. But what disgrace for him and those like him! He would not accept someone consulting him and then acting contrary to his counsel, as though he had consulted him in order to oppose his statement; so how can he accept doing this with Allah, Glorious is He? By Allah, this is a grave matter and great audacity toward Allah, Glorious and Exalted. Despite this wickedness that proceeds from the people, Allah treats them with kindness and mercy. Answer to Question 24: As for the oath, they are not claimants such that they may swear it; rather, the one who swears is the one who bears the call, and I have presented myself to the people for the oath. As for mutual imprecation, it is between two parties. With whom did they engage in mutual imprecation? I did not engage those whom you claim engaged me in mutual imprecation. As for punishment, it inevitably descends upon whoever engages in mutual imprecation while lying, even after a time. Doubt in this is doubt in the Book of Allah; indeed, it is doubt in the existence of Allah, Glorious is He. Haydar Mushtat engaged in mutual imprecation, so ask what happened to him. Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim and his son oppressed us, so ask what happened to them. The army of the religious authority and Muqtada’s army oppressed us, so ask what happened to them-not after long periods, for Allah granted all of them no more than a few days. Haydar Mushtat behaved like a madman, then entered prison in Iran because of reckless conduct, and afterward perished in Iraq after concluding his work by publishing, in his official newspaper, an oath of disassociation that I was not upon the truth. As for Abd al-Aziz and his son, when they attacked the office two years ago, only days passed before the Americans humiliated their agent Ammar, son of Abd al-Aziz, and put him in prison. Had he been against them, this would have been an honor; but he is completely submissive and peaceable toward them. Abd al-Aziz then visited the Black House and warmly shook hands with Bush, the enemy of Allah. This conduct indicates loss of reason and worldly disgrace. A year ago-that is, before the events of Muharram-they all joined together against us. Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim and his son closed our second office near the shrine of the Commander of the Believers (a), days after it opened, and wrongfully and aggressively arrested a large number of the supporters. Then the army of the satanic religious authority and Muqtada’s army completed the crime, killing people and demolishing our places of worship throughout Iraq. What was the result after only a few days? Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim was afflicted with cancer; this is the punishment and disgrace of this world before the Hereafter. Muqtada’s army and the soldiers of the religious authority slaughtered one another in an unprecedented event. It was not merely that one party killed or defeated the other; rather, Muqtada’s army killed a large number of the religious authority’s soldiers, then the situation reversed and the religious authority’s soldiers reaped Muqtada’s army. Are not all these signs? What must Allah do for people to believe? Should He send to each one of them an angel above his head to strike him, and when he asks, ‘Why did you strike me?’ tell him, ‘Because you did not believe in Ahmed Alhasan’? Is this what they want? There is no might or power except through Allah, the Most High, the Great. Ahmed Alhasan