Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Lesson
Three

TO
WHICH CLASS OF SOCIETYDO THE PROPHETS BELONG?

In this
chapter we are going to discuss the social origins of the Prophets
themselves, i.e., to find out the social class to which the
Prophets belonged. We are going to see whether they belonged to
the rich people, aristocrats and holders of worldly power or to
the poor, the needy and the deprived. It is, in fact, very
import-ant to know the social and economic classes from which the
Prophets have arisen in the course of history, founded
monotheistic movements and revolutions and provided the masses
with divine words and messages.

The Holy
Qur''an, the Traditions and the Nahj-ul-Balagha are rich sources
which can help us in the analysis of this matter, but here the
emphasis is only on the words of the Nahj-ul-Balagha. In the long
and famous sermon of al-Qasi''ah (the Sermon of Disparagement)
there are statements which deserve careful reflection and which
offer information concerning the matter being discussed.

The
statements run as follows: Certainly , if God were to allow
anyone to indulge in pride, He would have allowed it to His
selected prophets and vicegerents. But God, the Sublime, disliked
vanity for them and liked humbleness for them. Therefore, they
laid their cheeks on the ground, smeared their faces with dust,
bent themselves down for the believers and remained humiliated
people (they were from the oppressed people). God tested them with
hunger, afflicted them with difficulties, tested them with fear,
and upset them with troubles."6

Here, the
Commander of the Faithful speaks about pride and vanity and
emphasizes that since God disliked these two qualities, He
misrepresented them in the eyes of His Prophets and righteous
beings. Therefore, the Prophets hated self-deceit and superiority
complexes, but liked humbleness and humility. Thus, they bent
themselves down for the believers, lived among the lowest classes
of the people, rubbed their faces with the dust (in prostration)
before God and refrained from indulging in haughtiness. They did,
in effect, what the Holy Qur''an orders to be done to the parents.
It says: ... and lower to them (one''s parents) the wing of
humbleness out of mercy ... " (17:24)

The
Prophets., according to the Commander of the Faithful were from
the oppressed masses of the people. They knew the, pains and
agonies of the needy. They felt, for instance, what hunger was,
because God had tried them with hunger. The Holy Qur''an quotes
Moses, peace be upon him, to have said, Oh God! I need what you
shall send me." According to narrations, Moses, peace be upon
him, was hungry and implored God in this manner to send him bread
so that he could satiate his hunger. Thus, the Prophets felt the
pains of hungry people. They had tasted the sufferings of life.
They knew well the troubles of hard physical labor in cold and hot
weathers. They understood the meaning of hardship.

Timidity and
the state of being fearful are characteristics of the oppressed. They
are usually fearful of the future, poverty and the dominance of a
powerful hand over their destinies. They are always worried and in a
state of mental disturbance, concerning the existing situations and
the coming conditions. They expect at any moment to be put under
pressure by a Powerful oppressor. Likewise, the Prophets suffered from
such fears and anxieties and, to say the least, were so surrounded by
hardships and difficulties as to become pure in the same way as gold
derives its purity under the pressure of very hot temperature. In
fact, the Prophets were not pampered individuals to suddenly come Out
of their Palaces and call the people to make a revolution.

There was a
close link between them and the common people. They had, like all
members of the society been subjected to ignorance, tasted the pains
and sufferings of life and then became worthy to be called ''Prophets''.

The
Definition of the Deprived (mustad''af)

A society
dominated by ignorance is always made up of two groups of people. One
group consists of those who make Plans, administer society and have
total authority over all affairs. The other group consists of the
subjects and subordinates who have nothing to do with different
affairs of society. They work hard (and thus they are not
good-for-nothings as they are usually called, compared for example, to
the amount of work Pharaoh performed with the slaves in building the
Pyramids), but they have no right to apply their will, personality and
points of view in the administration of the affairs of their society.

The first
group is a minority consisting of the powerful families and dynasties
with various degrees of authority over society. They are called ''the
arrogant'' (mustakbirin). The second group are the common people and
the masses who are regarded as the weak and who are devoid of
authority whatsoever. They are called ''the deprived'' (mustad''afin).
Our own country, during the corrupt regime of Pahlavi, was
administered by a limited number of individuals, with the Shah at the
head of them. It is true that an institution named the ''National
Consultative Assembly'' existed but all the decisions were made by the
Shah and his American advisers and dictated to the members of the
Assembly, who had no will of their own.

At the lower
levels, decisions were made by the big money makers who acted in
collusion with governmental personages, by governor generals and so
forth. In fact, the total authority was centralized in the hands of
one person, the Shah. If all the ministers, Assembly members, director

generals and
the like agreed on something, but the Shah opposed; it was his will
and decision which prevailed. The rest of the people, i.e. the masses,
had no authority (even over their own destinies) to interfere with the
affairs pertaining to foreign relations (with Russia and America, for
instance), internal industries, agriculture, animal husbandry, etc.
let alone matters concerning religion and morality. They had no right
to meddle with the total course of affairs of their society due to the
absolute lack of democracy, voting and elections in the country.

This state of
affairs is nowadays an obvious characteristic of all socialist
countries but in a more respectable form, i.e. one party (the
Communist Party) possesses the total power and authority in
administering the affairs of these countries. In fact, all the affairs
of these countries are determined by the high governmental cadres,
supreme councils and the general secretary himself. Other people have
no right to express their viewpoints, and their will and decisions are
not taken for granted. Thus, mental development is repressed in such
countries, and perhaps this is why the youth usually engage in Sports
and physical training and blossom out as the first rate athletes in
international competition such as the Olympics as we observed in the
recent Olympic games held in Russia.

In western
societies, too, the situation is more or less the same (mostly in the
so-called civilized countries of America and Europe where ''freedom''
and ''democracy'' have widespread literal application). Nowadays, there
are unfortunately some people who try to transform freedom and
democracy to western conceptions of freedom and democracy, without
knowing that the West itself is bereft of real freedom; (in America,
West Germany and the likes, people imagine that they elect their
representatives freely whereas the reality is that it is specific
currents which lead them to one side or another to cast their votes in
favor of one party or another. Recent elections in America and the
conflicts between the Democratic and Republican parties are the best
evidence, verifying this reality).

Generally
speaking, in all countries of the world, people are divided into two
classes: the deprived and the arrogant. The deprived masses are
themselves two groups: the needy and the non-needy. In fact, a poor
and wretched peasant who performs fifteen hours of physical labor a
day under the difficulties of rain, snow and hot weather and one who
lives an ordinary life, being a shopkeeper, or employee, etc., without
suffering so much, are both in the category of the deprived, because
both of them are considered to be worthless and good-for-nothing and
are devoid of the right to participate in the administration of their
society.

According to
the Commander of the Faithful in the quoted Sermon, the Prophets
belonged to the deprived classes and, like them, have been deprived of
the authority to carry out a responsibility in their society. A
historical review of the life-accounts of Muhammad, peace and the
mercy of God be upon him and his descendants, and other Prophets will
clarify this matter further.

Moses, peace
be upon him, was born to a deprived family among the children of
Israel who lived under severe pressures. But after birth he was
brought in a completely arrogant house and became a favorite with the
Pharaoh''s family although he had not been born of the Pharaoh''s wife.

He was
brought up under the best living possibilities, the most delicious
food and different kinds of luxuries (as a perfect aristocrat). Then,
when Pharaoh noticed that he was nourishing an enemy within his house,
Moses decided to escape. In fact, Moses had begun his invitation and
calling people to God, had started his revolutionary propagations
within the royal palace and had succeeded in converting the Pharaoh''s
wife to submission to God when Pharaoh experienced a feeling of danger
and decided to prosecute him. Moses escaped to Egypt.

To say the
least, Moses became a Prophet and invited the people to make a
revolution when he was within the royal house and at the peak of
arrogance (this biographical account of Moses is narrated in the
Qur''an, and no use was made here of the Traditions).

Our Prophet,
Muhammad, peace and the mercy of God be upon him and his descendants
was born in a tribal house of high rank. He was the grandson of and a
favorite with ''Abd al-Muttalib, the chief of Mecca (although he was,
unlike Pharaoh, a pious, chief and a believer in God). When his
father, Abdullah, who was one of the dearest children of ''Abd
al-Muttalib, died in youth, the latter brought up Muhammad, peace and
the mercy of God be upon him and his descendants, until he became four
years of age (although Moses was the favorite with a great emperor and
Muhammad with a tribal chief, both of them enjoyed the favor of highly
respectful families). Then ''Abd al-Muttalib passed away and Muhammad
came under the guardianship of his uncle Abu Talib who did not enjoy
the same respect as his father, ''Abd al-Muttalib, but who was himself
a distinguished personality, not belonging to the masses.

Abu Talib
acted as a good guardian for a period of time and then he was
afflicted with poverty. Thus, Muhammad lost the (financial) support of
his uncle at this time. But before long he married Khadija, a rich
woman. He first acted as a functionary to Khadija but later on,
(fifteen years before his appointment to prophethood) he married her,
thus becoming a relatively rich man in Medina.

The very
financial state remained with him until he became a Prophet at the age
of forty (this is why it is said that Islam advanced through Khadija''s
wealth and Ali''s sword).

Accordingly,
the Prophet of Islam was born to an aristocratic family and lived a
comfortable and affluent life until he was appointed to prophethood by
God. After the appointment, however, due to the high expenses of
propagation and calling people to monotheism and due to the lack of
opportunity for conducting business, he became poor.

Other
prophets, too, were more or less wealthy. It is in the Traditions
(although there is no clear, historical accounts available) that Job,
for example, possessed lands, gardens and trees which were destroyed
when God wanted to test his belief. David, too, had a rural origin. He
was a commoner. Yet he became a commander and a ruler. Solomon was
born in the house of this commander (David). In fact, this chosen
Prophet of God (although there is no difference between him and Moses
as far as his purity, piety, revolutionary spirit and prophethood are
concerned) was the son of a ruler. Abraham was born in the house of an
idol-carver, and the history of nations and religions reveals that
idol-carvers were not only not among the low, deprived classes but
were also considered to be saintly and respectable.

We come to
the conclusion, therefore, that a considerable number (not all of
them) of the Prophets have been brought up among affluent and powerful
families. Thus, we have two points here to be considered along with
each other: First, in the Commander of the Faithful saying that
Prophets have belonged to the deprived and humble masses of the
people. Second, the Prophets (some of them), as we see above, have
been born among the socially, comfortable families of high ranks.

Are these two
realities incompatible? No It is not the main point here to see
whether they are compatible or not, The main point is to nullify the
(communists'') imaginary legend that all the revolutionary agents have
originated from the proletarian, bare-footed and needy classes. What
is essential is that a revolutionary person (be he a leader of the
revolution or a commoner) should be dressed with revolutionary morals
and Attributes.

Materialists
and the interpreters of Marxism, in fact, hold a wrong belief that
only those individuals can enjoy revolutionary morals and Attributes
who themselves belong to the poor, bare-footed or proletarian classes,
for man is always and everywhere a human being and thus corrigible. He
can, like the Prophets about whom Ali says, They were from the
deprived people," equip himself with correct, revolutionary
habits and with the attributes of the deprived.

It is true
that aristocratic training and education entail no result but an
aristocrat human being, yet it is untrue to believe that such an
education (in a person who is brought up in an aristocratic
atmosphere) is unchangeable and indestructible. In fact, should divine
guidance (either in the form of thinking, meditation and the awakening
of conscience of the individuals themselves or through training and
purification of the soul by the teachers of morality, i.e. the
Prophets) enlighten the sick bodies of those who are under the
influence of aristocratic habits and training, they would come out of
their spiritual depression and become dressed with revolutionary
dispositions.

SUMMARY

Two points
are perceived when the social origin of the Prophets is put to
discussion: First those who are appointed to prophethood are dressed
with the Attributes of the deprived, revolutionary morals and
combative spirit against the existing class systems of the arrogant,
i.e. at the time of the appointment (and even before it) they have an
anti-arrogant position in support of the deprived.

Second,
having these Attributes does not necessarily imply that all the
Prophets belong to the deprived classes. They can either belong to
these classes or not but, as was mentioned before, even at the time of
appointment to prophethood and at the beginning of their revolution
they may belong to the arrogant strata, having a comfortable life.
There is no need for them to have suffered from forced labor and hard
work before the appointment. Of course, they should have felt pain and
distress but this does not necessarily mean that they should curtail
the bonds of relationship with their social class and their
(comfortable) life.

Spiritually-exalted
Beings Have Understanding as Well as the Feeling of Sympathy.

Subsequent to
the discussion concerning the arrogant and the deprived, it should be
added here that such a class division does not exist in monotheistic
societies. It is, in fact, the exclusive characteristic of'' societies
suffering from ignorance and alienation. We have of course, rulers,
ruling classes, caliphs, holders of religious authority and
governments in monotheistic societies but none of them are arrogant
enough to manage the affairs of these societies on the basis of
personal beliefs. Also, there are commoners in such societies,
consisting of workers, businessmen, peasants, bricklayers, government
employees and so forth, but none of them arrogant either. Each class
has, in fact, some authority over its own social affairs in proportion
to the total number of its members.

For example,
under the present situations of Iran (although Iran is not a 100% or
even 50% Islamic society at the present time), every individual has
some authority and the right to vote as a member of a society with
thirty-six million individuals. It is on this basis that the great
movements and even the political affairs of our country are nowadays
managed and led by the people themselves, although it may be
considered wrong so far as the prevailing patterns of politics on the
international level are concerned. The truth is that if the people
were not inclined towards certain actions and policies, connections
and disconnections, the government (itself consisting of Muslims
belonging to the low classes of people) would not dare take such
positions as it does today and perform such courageous actions. This
is indicative of an Islamic country (although Iran is still not a
perfect Islamic country).

When Islam
shall, God-willing, shed its light on our society in all its
dimensions, the role of every individual in the administration of the
whole country will be to the extent that he or she (although being the
lowest in social position) can act and promise on behalf of the
Islamic community. Today, if a given government or a certain action be
condemned in the sermons of the Friday ritual prayer in front of a
multitude of people, or if a treaty between our country and a given
government be orally made (or violated) in such sermons, neither our
own government nor the addressee will take care of it.

But in a
perfect Islamic community, there is no irresponsible individual. In
such a community, in which Islamic culture and education are perfectly
dominant, every individual (being a businessman, a housewife and so
forth) can conclude a treaty or announce an agreement for the
cessation of hostilities or a special occasion and the Islamic
government is obliged to take it into account, although that
individual not be a minister, an army commander or a diplomat. In
fact, every individual can decide for the whole community on specific
occasions, and his or her decision is accepted by all.

This is not,
however, practicable under the present culture and habits of our
society. But as the society gets closer to Islam and its teachings,
this is more likely to be accomplished. It should be added, of course,
that when we say something is not for the time being practicable, it
does not mean that Islam as a whole cannot be materialized. It can,
but only when the world has a complete readiness for its acceptance.

Questions and
Answers

Q. You said
that Khadija''s wealth and Ali''s sword made the progress of Islam
possible. Does this not lead to a deviating concept that wealth and
material things have been the only factors for the spread of Islam?

A. We do not
believe that wealth alone played a role in this regard, but the truth
is that wealth, too, had certain roles and this is undeniable. It was,
is fact, necessary for the satiation of the newly-converted people''s
hunger as well as for providing the expenses of those who were sent
here and there by the Prophet. This does not negate the influence of
the spirituality and dynamism of Islamic thought and ideology, since
the very dynamism is in need of material things when acting and making
progress in the same way as it needs physical labor and activity.

Q. You
defined the deprived in its social and political aspects. Is it not
necessary to explain the economic and cultural aspects of it as well?

A. The
economic activities of the deprived (as previously defined) are also
under the influence of the powerful, i.e. economic activities are
usually centralized where power is centralized (under the previous
regime of Iran, for example, no productive and economic activity took
place except through the direct or indirect interference of the
government). Therefore, economic aspects are dependent on political
aspects. It may, however, be argued that political power originates
from economic power. This is possible but it lacks universality.
Sometimes political power is the cause for the absorption of money and
sometimes money gives rise to political power. They are
inter-connected, but in a society wherein political power is
centralized in a certain group, economics cannot grow and progress
independently. The cultural aspects (culture in its prevailing, not in
its revolutionary sense) of society, too, are affected by the opinion
of those who possess political and economic power. Thus, when
political oppression dominates society, the existing cultural and
political aspects of the deprived are also influenced by lt.

Q. Is the
following tradition, narrated from the Imams concerning deprivation,
authentic? The deprived are those who endeavored in the way of God
but could not achieve their aim in establishing the divine system. The
highest of them are the Prophets and saints, next to them are the
believers who make efforts in the way of God."

A. It may be
authentic for all the Prophets and their true followers belong to the
category of the deprived. It provides us with the definition of the
deprived not with the concept of deprivation.

Lesson
Four

How
are Prophets chosen?

What are the
Prophets'' responsibilities towards God? What is the social, cultural
and intellectual background in which the Prophets appear? To answer
these questions, we analyze the following statements of the first
Sermon of the Nahj-ul-Balagha. From his progeny (Adam), God chose
(istafa) Prophets and took their pledge for His revelation and for
carrying His message as their trust."

Istafa (to
choose the best) is a very important and fundamental issue. In Arabic,
not all selections are indicated by this word. Only when a pure
element is recognized and chosen from amongst a collection of elements
is the ''istafa'' used. It is actually employed when the pure and the
impure are separated in a collection of things and the pure portion is
extracted.

As far as
physical and spiritual aspects of humanity are concerned, the Prophets
have been ordinary human beings but, at the same time, they have
possessed the competence needed for gaining high ranks and positions.

Accordingly,
they have been selected, distinguished individuals, born of parents
none of whom have been involved in polytheism and human Corruption
Thus ''istqfa'' in its general sense implies that a trained and educated
Generation deliver a more trained Generation to society.

As an
example, the Prophet of Islam was born in a pure and holy family, from
a father and mother who were, in turn, distinguished from the point of
spirituality and morals (and not on the basis of race, blood, wealth
and aristocratic privileges). In fact, ''Abdullah was superior to all
fathers and Amina was superior to all mothers. These two spiritually
trained beings married and provided society with a child nobler to all
children, a better spiritually-trained being.

So much is
certain that the Prophets who appeared before Moses; peace be upon
him, enjoyed lesser spirituality than those who came after him and
after Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, for every Prophet has been the
product of the training and education brought by the Prophets before
him, i.e. the prevailing divine and spiritual training provided by
past Prophets have been quite influential for the growth of the coming
ones. Thus, the Commander of the Faithful uses the word ''istafa'' to
indicate that God has appointed those beings to prophethood who have
had this spiritual training.

... and
took their ledge for His revelation and for carrying his message as
their trust." Here the Commander of the Faithful mentions the
Prophets'' commitments and says that they are committed in two
respects: First they have a commitment towards the divine revelation,
meaning that they are obliged to say merely what they receive as
revelation and not to intermix their personal views with the divine
message. Second, they are obliged to deliver the message they have
received and not to bury it with themselves.

in the
course of time many people perverted God''s trust with them and ignored
his position and took partners along with Him. Satan turned them away
from knowing him and kept them aloof from his worship." In five
short sentences, the Commander of the Faithful provides us with a
precise account of the mental, practical, social and cultural
background of the people at the time of the Prophets'' appearance.

In the first
sentence he uses the Phrase ''aktharu khalqihi'' (the majority of His
creatures) to indicate that not all the people, but a great many of
them, had perverted God''s prescription and commands because absolute
darkness or ignorance has never had dominance over a society, that is,
in no age and era People have been left without heavenly guides,
teachers and messengers who have themselves had some faithful
followers. In tact he refers to a society and a time in which people
ignored God''s orders, changed the general principles delivered through
the chain of prophethood and deviated the course and program of life
determined by the Prophets through the application of prejudices,
perversions and Personal grudges.

He continues
with the phrase ''facahiluhaqqah'' (thus they ignored His Position),
meaning that people forgot about God''s power and providence in
administering the affairs of society (the same situation is dominant
today among the westerners who do not feel the absence of God in their
lives, because they have remained far away from their true nature.
They have forgotten the existence of God although they apparently
believe in God and hear His name repeatedly. They actually do not know
God''s Position and status in society).

What is God''s
trust and covenant (ahd)? Almighty God has provided human beings with
a general pattern of life and a specific course within which people
should move. This course or pattern is the very reality to which all
the Prophets have invited people throughout history, i.e. monotheism,
respect for humanity and moral , natural and legal quality of human
beings. This is the divine program, a command and covenant.

Satans try to
pervert this course and command and to induce people to obey and
worship God''s creatures instead of God. God calls people to honor the
human being and satans invite them to humiliate and belittle him.
Thus, the perversion of the divine covenant is to deviate from the
mentioned course and pattern, to ignore God''s position and to
transform society into a satanic one in which partners are taken along
with God.

Taking
partners along with God is not merely confined to worshipping an
object. But when God''s position remains unknown and the people do not
know that creation and Legislation belong to God (i.e. in the same way
as the laws of creation - laws relating to the movement of heavens and
the earth, day and night, man, birth and death - are in possession of
God alone, Legislation or administration of the society and life, too,
is under His authority. This is the meaning of God''s position in human
life). They accept certain lines of thought as their guide, certain
human beings as their rulers and certain false customs and traditions
as their manners of living. They thereby replace God with ignorance,
unawareness and satans (which only in our limited minds are regarded
as rivals to God for, in reality, God has no rival). For example,
Egyptians were actually taking a Pharaoh like Anwar Sadat as a partner
along with God when they left their destinies in his hands.

The Commander
of the faithful continues with the statement, Satan turned them
away from knowing Him.." to emphasize that when God''s position
remains unknown in a society, satans try to fill up the human mind,
which is bereft of the knowledge of God in some way or other.
Sometimes one lacks something and he knows that he lacks it, but more
painful is the case when one lacks something and he knows it is not
due to the fact that the empty place of what he lacks has been filled
with something else of his thirst has been quenched with muddy water.
(This is the greater oppression the victims of human beings, i.e.
suppression of man''s God seeking sense or imposition of unawareness on
man). Later on we shall see that Prophets have the responsibility to
remove this oppression and compensate for it.

It is to be
noted here that Satan (shaitan), referred to in Ali''s sermon, should
not be mistaken for Iblis, the creature who, according to the text of
the Qur''an, refused to bow down to Adam and then implored God to keep
him alive till the Day of Judgment but God promised only to keep him
alive, <until the Day of the Time Appointed>. This creature
should not in any way be assimilated with other creatures. We should
grow accustomed to accepting the exact concepts of the Qur''anic
statements, and not merely what our prejudices warrant.

Satan has a
different meaning. Generally speaking according to the Qur''an, it is
applied to those forces which, create corruption, wickedness and
deviation. On this ground, we have in the Qur''an" satans among
men and jinns», i.e. satans among humankind who put on clothes, walk
and do the like, and satans of the kind of jinns. These satans who
sometimes dwell within the human being and are called selfishness,
carnal desire, avarice, Aggression, negligence and so forth. Sometimes
they dwell outside the human being and are titled king, ruffian
refractory, corrupt religious leader, aphrodisiac scene, etc.

Now, should
we not develop satans within ourselves, outside satans cannot
influence us. For the very reason we cannot put the blame of our own
deviations on social conditions or on those who have led us to
negligence. It is in the Qur''an that the arrogant and the deprived
will quarrel on the Day of Judgment. The deprived accuse the arrogant
of having misled them but the arrogant deny it and argue that they
themselves should not have listened to them. Both of them tell the
truth and at the same time, both are condemned.

"... and
kept them aloof from His worship." By this statement the
Commander of the Faithful means that when human beings do not know
God, it is quite natural for them not to worship Him and not to serve
Him (servitude is submissive action before God).

Summary

* God has
chosen the best of His servants (istafa) as His Prophets.

* He has
bound the Prophets to two responsibilities: To tell people only what
they received as revelation and to hide not any part of revealed
matters.

* At the time
of the Prophets'' appearance, the people had taken partners along with
God due to lack of knowledge concerning Gods position, and thus satans
had led them away from God - seeking course towards the negligence of
God.

Lesson
Five

The
Continuity of Prophethood

Continuity
is one of the main points in the discussion of prophethood. In the
first Sermon of the Nahj-ul-Balagha, the Commander of the Faithful
aims at picturing the line of prophethood as a consistent and
continuous line in the course of history extending to the time of
the Prophet of Islam. In fact, never in the course of history has
there been a time or place devoid of a Prophet or signs of a
Prophet in the past, i.e. either a Prophet has lived among people
appointed by God to provide them with good tidings or to make them
fear (God''s wrath) or there has been something left behind by a
Prophet, which the people obeyed as they obeyed the Prophet
himself.

Thus,
believing in the fact that the earth has never been devoid of a
''proof'' (of God) does not necessarily mean that in a given nation
or community, a Prophet has always lived who has been immediately
taken, over by another Prophet at the time of death. It rather
implies that after a prophet''s death and before the advent of the
next prophet there was something (a book or a faithful disciple)
which the people followed and obeyed as the successor of the dead
Prophet.

In the
Arabian Peninsula, for example, it took a very long time before
the Prophet of Islam appeared. There was a long transition between
the disappearance of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him and the
appearance of Muhammad, peace and the mercy of God be upon him and
his descendants. In Sermon No. 88 of the Nahj-ul-Balagha, the
Commander of the Faithful points out this matter saying, God
sent the Prophet when the mission of other Prophets had ended and
people had fallen into".

Now we
pursue our discussion concerning the continuity of prophethood
with regard to his words in the Nahj-ul-Balagha. In Sermon no. 1
he says, God never allowed His creation to remain without a
Prophet (nabi) deputed by Him, or a book sent down from Him or a
binding argument (proof) or a standing plea.

The
difference between nabi and rasul is that a nabi merely receives
the message from God but a rasul in addition to receiving the
message, has the mission to propagate it and deliver it to the
people. This is, of course, not totally acceptable because the aim
of receiving a message is nothing but propagating and the
deliverance of it to others. However, we might suppose that a nabi
takes the message but it is not the time to deliver it, just as
the Prophet of Islam received the message (revelation) on the
''Night of Power'' We have indeed revealed this Message in the
Night of Power." but it took twenty-three years before he
could fulfill the duty of conveying it to the people.

In the
Sura Ta Ha, verse 114, the Holy Qur''an addresses the prophet,
saying: "... Be not in haste with the Qur''an before its
revelation to thee is completed .. » Accordingly, nabi mursal
(the deputed prophet),as the Commander of the Faithful puts it, is
referred to as a Prophet who actually conveys his message to the
people.

What is
the meaning of ''Kitabun munzal (a book sent down)? Does this
sending down refers to a place? The fact is that to send down a
book actually means to transform the book into letters and words
(language) which humanity understands, i.e. to adapt the high
heavenly concepts and realities to the level of one''s thoughts and
understanding.

In fact,
God, the exalted, inspired the Prophet with the highly complicated
facts and learnings in the form of the most simple words and
expressions which could be understood by all and which later came
to be called the Qur''an, just as a teacher simplifies difficult
matters and gives them to his students. This comparison may,
however, be wrong, for in any case there is a logical and ordinary
connection between a teachers'' mind and heart and those of his
students, whereas there is a great gap between an ordinary man''s
heart and the divine lofty teachings. The Commander of the
Faithful asserts that in the absence of Prophets and heavenly
books, there was either a ''binding argument'' (an unfading proof by
which people could convince the enemies) or a ''standing plea'' (a
clear and permanent way) on which people could depend.

On the
whole, every nation in the course of history has enjoyed one of
the following: First a Prophet (like Moses, Jesus, Abraham, etc.).
According to a Tradition there has been 124,000 Prophets, the
first of them being Adam and the last one being Muhammad, peace
and the mercy of God be upon him and his descendants.

Second, a
heavenly Book, left behind by a Prophet. In this very Sermon
(Sermon No. 1) he speaks of the Last Prophet, saying, ... The
Prophet left among you the same (the Book) which other Prophets
lefts among their peoples..." By ''Book'' he means a collection
of written teachings and commandments which all the Prophets
possessed. Some of these books were, however, descended to the
Prophets themselves (these are not more than a few) but others
were those left behind by previous Prophets, either distorted or
misunderstood, which the Prophets after them undertook to correct
or interpret.

As an
example, after Moses, the Torah was misunderstood by some, even
mingled with polytheistic ideas, and thus such Prophets as
Salomon, David, etc., who succeeded Moses, tried to provide the
people with the true meanings and concepts of this Book.

This is
also true with the Qur''an. That is to say that there is a
considerable difference between our understanding of the Qur''anic
teachings and that of the past generations (taking into account
the fact that the text of the Qur''an and its concepts and
realities have remained untouched). In the past, these teachings
were considerably misunderstood because distorted matters and
wrong ways of thinking obsessed the people''s minds and prevented
them from the correct understanding of the Qur''an. But today, the
Qur''an is correctly understood and it is likely that in the future
some Qur''anic realities be unveiled that we do not perceive today
(According to some traditions, when eventually Imam-Mahdi
reappears, he will introduce a new religion-the true Islam. Today,
some Sunni and non-Sunni jurists have announced that the religion
which people follow in Iran is not Islam. They tell the truth
because this is not that Islam in which they believe-that
distorted Islam which contains idolatry, polytheistic and
anti-Islamic '' values. Our Islam is different from that Islam
whose mosque is inaugurated by the President of America and whose
Qur''an is printed by the Shah of Iran. There is a great and
changing distance between these two forms of Islam).

The Books
of the Prophets were, however, sufficient as long as they remained
untouched, their concepts were rightly expounded and they were
correctly interpreted. In the case of Moses, for example, his Book
remained perfect and undistorted after he died, during the time
when the Children of Israel were in a state of bewilderment and
sought to reach Jerusalem, and guaranteed the victory of
Israelites as well as the establishment of the Mosaic community.
(This community, which was powerful and enjoyed a government, came
into being after Moses'' death. In fact, Moses made preparations
for the revolution and provoked the people but he did not live
long enough to witness the establishment of his ideal community,
and it was the people who accomplished this task). The Torah was
actually preserved and kept aloof from distortion by the
successors of Moses (Yusha ibn Nun and Kalib ibn Yuhanna) who
succeeded in pursuing that heavenly, Islamic and monotheistic
dynamism, i.e. the genuine Torah.

Third, a
fixed and undeniable proof. This can be seen in the period after
Jesus Christ ascended to the heavens (he was not killed), during
which time Christians were subjected to manifold oppression;
namely, the oppression of the Roman Empire whose foundations were
based on polytheism, which severely persecuted the followers of
this progressed monotheistic religion; and the oppression of
non-Christian Israelites (the Jews) who did not believe in the
Message of Jesus Christ. As a result, Orthodox Christian
Israelites lived for many years in concealment and in a state of
strangulation without the opportunity to gather together or convey
the prophetic legacy to one another freely. The famous disciples
of Jesus Christ had to tolerate a great deal of distress in
traveling between the cities and lands in order to propagate
Jesus'' Message.

To say
the least, the prevailing state of oppression kept the true Bible
of Jesus Christ far away different versions of this heavenly Book;
namely, the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, none of
them containing the exact words, sayings and signs of Jesus
Christ. Thus, the original Book (the Bible) was not among the
people, yet the existence of the Torah''s commandments, which Jesus
Christ had announced to be valid and practicable if modified, the
existence of the mentioned calamities and the existence of Jesus''
guidelines were all an undeniable proof preventing people from
refuting the prophecy of Jesus Christ and provoking them to
transfer Christian teachings to the coming generations who could,
in turn, move and act on the basis of such teachings.

Fourth, a
clear and manifest way, i.e. the means and decrees which are not
found in the Book but the people possess. It is in a Tradition
related from Imam Hassan al''Asgari, peace be upon him, in which he
has explained the qualities and Attributes of Islamic
jurisprudents. Someone asked the Imam why the learned men of the
Christians and the Jews (priests and monks) are reproached in the
Qur''an whereas the learned men of Islam are praised. What is the
difference between the two? The Imam gave a detailed answer, the
epitome of which is that the learned men of Islam, too, are not
unconditionally praised. They are praised provided they possess
the Attributes that Islam has determined. But should they
contrarily follow the same perversions and disgraces adhered to by
priests and monks, they will also be blameworthy.

Priests
and monks were actually dependent on the powerful and supported
them. Although the realities had reversely been manifest in the
people''s eyes, they did not take action to provide the people with
a true portrait of their religion. But the people could discern,
on the basis of a series of natural (primordial) principles, the
perverseness of the way to which they had been led. Basically, at
any age there is a set of accepted natural principles among the
people, resulting from the continuous instructions of the Prophets
in the course of centuries, which enables them to distinguish the
truth from falsehood (for example, when a religious scholar or a
man of God compromises with the enemies of God, it can be said
without reasoning that he is in the wrong. It is quite obvious and
natural that he goes the wrong way, for one cannot obey God and
His enemies simultaneously).

People
can, in effect, distinguish the right way from the wrong by a
reference to their hearts and according to their intrinsic beliefs
which are the very ''standing pleas'' and manifest ways.

These
four elements (this clear way) always existed in man''s life before
the advent of Prophet of Islam. It sometimes happened, however,
that two Prophets were living at the same time in different
corners of the world or two heavenly Books were followed by two
different nations. But the important point was that heavenly
guidance made its appearance in all places and at all times (even
among the wild, primitive people). Yet, more important of the
number of those who denied them never caused the Prophets to
neglect fulfilling their obligations.

In Sermon
No. 1 of the Nahj-ul-Balagha the Commander of the Faithful says,
These Messengers were such that they did of not feel little
because of the smallness of their number or of largeness of the
number of their falsifiers."

In fact,
none of the Prophets fell victim to disappointment but rather all
of them succeeded in achieving their aims although the number of
them was small (124,000 in proportion to the world population from
the very beginning till now) and the number of their falsifiers
was large. Falsifiers were the ones who spread out falsely the
point that the Prophets'' way, message and prophethood were wrong.
They were great in number and in some cases they even killed some
of the Prophets. yet the Prophets never fell short in pursuing
their general and ultimate aim, i.e. prosperous community, and
never became hopeless in accomplishing their mission.

They not
only struggled for the spiritual elevation of the people of their
own time but they also tried to attain the total prosperity and
historical evolution of human beings as a whole. And they were
successful in this respect. Even those Prophets who were killed
had the opportunity beforehand to convey their message and
introduce their heavenly lines of thought which although were kept
hidden for some time, were finally unveiled and practiced again.

Muddarres,
as a follower of the Prophets, had a message to convey at the time
of the strangulation of Reza Shah''s reign. He believed in the
policy of, Negative Equilibrium" or in his own terms
"adami", meaning that we shall neither pay tribute to
the West nor to the East. He said, Religion should not be
separated from politics." For the deliverance of such a
social and political message, he was arrested, exiled and finally
poisoned and choked by stuffing his own turban in his mouth (his
grave is now besides a small farm in Kashmar).

He
departed and was buried in the remote deserts, but gradually one
of his beliefs, Negative Equilibrium" (before the
announcement of this policy by Muddarres, Russian and British
governments were equally privileged in Iran. For example, in 1919,
Vuthuq ad-Dulih granted the western part of Iran to Britain under
a treaty. Russians objected to it, and he granted the north to
them.«Positive Equilibrium») was revived eighteen or twenty
years later, at the time of Dr. Mussadiq.

Muddarres,
Seyyid Jamal (of Asadabad) and others, all being messengers of
truth and justice and compassionate lecturers of their own time,
were so devoted and courageous that they expressed their views and
left behind their lines of thought. But it could be much better if
they themselves could have the opportunity to materialize their
messages in a better manner and could witness the overthrow of the
Pharaoh and the freedom of the people after they had been exposed
to so much trouble and distress. However, their names, actions and
messages are recorded in history despite their untimely death.
They did not neglect their aims and duties and history will not
neglect them either.

Questions
and Answers

Q. Will
Jesus Christ appear after the reappearance of Imam Mahdi?

A. Yes,
the Traditions attest this.

Q. We
know that the Torah and the Bible have been subjected to
distortion. Why has the Qur''an been an exception?

A. It has
been proved with sound reasonings that not even a ","
(and) has been deleted from or added to the Qur''an. During the
time of the third Caliph (Uthman) someone recited the following
verse of the Qur''an but intentionally omitted the «,» before
alladhin" which changed the meaning of the verse to a
great extent, implying that only those priests and monks who bury
gold and silver are condemned, whereas the verse refers to two
groups of people - priests and monks who devour the substance of
men in falsehood and the people(they may be by priests and monks
or not)who pile gold and silver. The verse reads as follow,
"0 ye who believe! There are indeed many among priests and
anchorites, who in falsehood devour the substance of men and
hinder (them) from the way of God. And there are those who bury
gold and silver and spend it not in the way of God.- announce unto
them a most grievous penalty ... » (9: 34)

At this
event, ''Abdullah ibon Mas''ud, who was present there, put his sword
on his shoulder and said angrily, If you do not recite the
verse with the "," you deleted, I will secede from
Islam." They were this sensitive. They themselves had heard
the Prophet reciting the verses of the Qur''an and had recorded
them in their hearts and writings and, thus, they preserved them
at the expense of their life. In this way, the Qur''an, which came
down to the Prophet was preserved in the original form by the
retentives and recitors who permanently recited the Qur''an and
kept it from additions and deletions.

Q. What
is the difference between bayyeneh" and hujjat"?

A.
Bayyeneh is a clear and manifest proof which merely convinces a
person but hujjat is a proof or reasoning by which a person
disputes with his enemies.

Lesson
Six

The
End of Prophethood

...
Among them was either a predecessor who would name the one to
follow or the follower who had been introduced by the
predecessor." (Sermon 1, Nahj-ul-Balagha)

In the
previous lesson, we mentioned that human beings have never
suffered from the absence of the Prophets or revealed Books. Here
in the above statement, the Commander of the Faithful points out
that all the Prophets have had the same direction, although their
followers stand against each other today (Jews against Christians
and Christians against Muslims ... ) He actually means that there
have been no dispute or quarrel among the Prophets, all of them
traversing the same path, conveying the same message and knowing
each other quite well. Everyone of them introduced the Prophet
after him and talked honorably about the one before him. For
example, Moses informed his followers that Jesus Christ would be
his successor and Jesus Christ mentioned, in turn, the name of
Moses. Thus, the disputes and wars running among the followers of
the Prophets are quite illogical, originating from egotism and
selfishness.

We see,
therefore, that this situation (the successive coming of the
Prophets, heavenly Books and the Prophets'' followers such as the
Imams) continued along with history and humanity''s evolution till
God appointed Muhammad peace and the mercy of God be upon him and
upon his, descendants as the last Prophet.

In this
regard, the Commander of the Faithful continues with the following
words: «In this way, ages passed by and time rolled on, fathers
passed away while sons took their places till God deputed Muhammad
(peace and the mercy of God be upon him and his descendants) as
His Prophet, in fulfillment of His promise and in completion of
His Prophethood.»

What has
God promised which should definitely be fulfilled? The answer can
be traced in the Qur''an where it gives good tidings, in the words
of Jesus Christ, of the advent of Muhammad, saying: And
remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said.- 0 children of Israel, I
am the apostle of God(sent) to you, confirming the Law (which
came) before me, and giving glad tidings of an Apostle to come
after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. ...It is He who has sent His
Apostle with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, that he may
proclaim it over all religion ... » (61: 69)

Thus,
God''s promise is the victory of Mohammed''s religion (or
prophethood) over all of humanity''s intellectual courses and
social experiences. This does not mean, however, that during the
Prophet''s lifetime this aim should have been achieved (as it was
not achieved in practice due to the Prophet''s departure), nor does
it mean that the Prophet of Islam should, in the long run,
overcome all religions, nations and schools of thought (although
this has been realized many times in history and the Islamic
government has approached a worldwide extent)

The
proclamation of truth actually has a more delicate significance.
In fact, the thought and mentality of human beings and their
creativeness, initiative and innovation increasingly provide them
with new ways and manners.

Ideologies
come into being, grow up and become widespread in this way, and
thinkers and philosophers (such as Plato Socrates and ... ) make
their plans for humanity''s social life or the basis of these new
ways and manners.

Now, the
path (school) of the Prophets will gain absolute victory over all
the ways designed by human beings at a time when the whole content
of the prophethood is given to the people. The path of Moses was
certainly the path of God but no one claims that it was the most
perfect path ever disclosed for humanity. It was quite appropriate
for the time of Moses but it lacked that much capacity to
encompass various necessities of human life at all ages and times.
It is likely that such man-made schools of thought shall appear in
the course of the coming centuries as to be more perfect than the
school (religion) of Moses.

Thus,
Moses'' religion was not the one to overcome all other schools and
religions because the line of prophecy had not come to an end and
the cup of prophethood had not overflowed. Moses filled a part of
this cup and Jesus filled another part but they could not go
forward because human beings did not have the capacity to absorb
more. The people were, in effect, mentally weak. Otherwise, God
would have bestowed on them the whole message of prophethood
through His first appointed Prophet.

But when
the people got the essential readiness, God deputed His Last
Messenger to provide them with all (the knowledge and awareness)
that could be contained in the human mind and to complete the
culture of prophethood, fulfilling the divine promise and
overcoming all religions and man-made schools of thought.7

The
completion of prophethood speaks of the end of the line through
which humanity connects itself directly with God, i.e. revelation.
When this line comes to an end by the appearance of the Last
Prophet there is no further need of revelation, Gabriel and so
forth, because human beings themselves are thereafter capable of
understanding new ways and manners of life and extracting them
from what has been offered to them in a complete form by the Last
Messenger of God, who stands at the end of the chain of
prophethood.

Now,
going back once again to the Nahj-ul-Balagha, we see that all the
Prophets preceding the last, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus
and so forth, had a commitment to believe in him, as they
anticipated his coming: The Last Prophet stood in effect at the
peak of prophethood and other Prophets who were below him in rank
had to await him, believe in him (i.e. believe in his prophethood
and message) and love him.

The
Commander of the Faithful says, .. God deputed Muhammad (peace
and the mercy of God be upon him and his descendants) as His
Prophet, in fulfillment of His promise and in completion of His
Prophethood. His pledge had been taken from the Prophets, his
traits of character were well reputed and his birth was
honorable."

There is,
however, a subtler significance in these statements and that is
that the Prophet''s commitment was neither a written or an oral
one. They had, rather, a natural and primordial commitment to
heighten the thought and understanding of human beings and to make
them ready for the advent of the Last Messenger. This commitment
is similar to the commitment of the teachers of lower grades
towards the teachers of higher grades, although they may not know
one another. In fact, the former are responsible to train the
students'' minds in such a proper way that the latter can make the
more advanced matters and more extended concepts easily
understood.

The
Commander of the Faithful continues that the Prophet''s «traits of
character», i.e. his physical, familial, spiritual and
behavioural signs and characteristics were known to one and all
and thus a few number of people such as Salman of Fars could
unprecedentedly, and without being exposed to his later teachings
and programs, know him an come to a perfect belief in his
religion. As to the birth of the Prophet, the Commander of the
Faithful uses the adjective honorable" to indicate that
there was not weakness regarding this matter, i.e. the Prophet''s
father and moth (were both chaste and pious. Also, his birth was
honorable in respect to circumstances of time and place.

Questions
and Answers

Q. Can
people, other than the Prophets establish connection with God
through revelation? If so, can we conclude that after the end of
prophethood too, God inspires His pure beings with some mysteries?

A. The
answer to this question lies in the different between revelation
and inspiration. Revelation is the descension of specific concepts
together with their specia wordings to a Prophet. The Holy Qur''an
is, in the eyes of the Muslims, a revelation sent down to the
Prophet of Islam through Gabriel. It is completely different from
what ordinary human beings receive in their hearts or understand
in an unusual manner.

Theirs
are inspirations that pure, faithful and sincere creatures of God
occasionally receive. Thus, revelation is far beyond inspiration
and there is no matter if some people are inspired with some
secrets in the period after the end o prophethood.

Q. If all
the Prophets have had the same line and direction why have their
followers, who have to practice their, commandments, not followed
the same way?

A. The
reason is that the followers of the Prophets were gradually
deceived, that is, as time passed, malicious an( ignorant hands
were put to work, beguiling the followers and distorting the
teachings of the Prophets.

Q. What
is, vilayat-i-faqih (the guardianship of religious jurisprudents)?
Is it among the Essentials of Religion" or among the
Secondary Principles" of Religion?

A.
Vilayat" means the guardianship of the community and faqih»
is a jurisprudent or theologian. Thus, vilayat-i-faqih" is
the guardianship of the Islamic community by the religious
theologians or jurisprudents in the period when the immaculate
Imam is absent. It is one of the Secondary Principles of
Religion", a ruling system, and those who do not believe in
it and deny it are disbelievers in Islam.

Q. What
are common to monotheistic religions and what are their
differences?

A. The
doctrinal principles which they offer are common to all
monotheistic religions (i.e. heavenly religions, for we do not
have non-monotheistic heavenly religions), and the differences
among them lie perhaps in the special decrees and commandments,
each of them provides for that specific era in which it is
founded.

Q. What
is ijtihad?

A. Its
literal meaning is «to try or endeavor» but in its technical
sense it refers to a theologian''s effort in understanding Islamic
rules and regulations and deriving them from the Book (the Holy
Qur''an), Traditions, etc. through the special skill he has
acquired in his long course of discipleship under great Islamic
experts and authorities. A person who has the ability to perform
this job is called a «Mujtahid.».

Q. Why
did the Prophet of Islam appear among the Arabs and not among the
Persians, for example? Is it true that had he not appeared among
the Arabs, the Arabian civilization would have been forgotten?

A. There
is no definite reason concerning this matter but perhaps it can be
argued that since Arabs were the most untrained and uneducated as
well as the most quarrelsome nation of that time, and since they
could more easily be affected and influenced than others, they
possessed a proper background for the acceptance of the Prophet''s
invitation to Islam. Their lack of education and training was not,
however, an obstacle to their acceptance of the invitation but,
rather, caused more trouble and distress for the Prophet in
attracting their attention. Perhaps if this religion appeared
among other nations, it would be more difficult to convince them.
Arabs, though fastened to the chain of superstitions, possessed
certain privileges such as bravery, devotion, tolerance (against
hardship) and freedom (not being under the rule of satanic powers)
which made them the most deserving nation to be exposed to this
heavenly religion of Islam.

As to the
Arabian civilization it should be said that the Arabs, having a
civilization, a culture and a history of their own, would not have
been forgotten, had the Prophet not appeared among them, in the
same way as the Turks, Tajiks, Spaniards and so forth have
remained up to this day.

He portrays,
in effect, the conditions and circumstances which had naturally cast
shadows over the people''s lives in the Age of Ignorance as well as the
victorious status the people gained after the appearance of the
Prophets under the light of their efforts, struggles and endeavors. A
study of some of the statements of this Sermon (al qasrah) which adds
to our mind concerning what we learned about the background to
prophethood, the Prophets'' responsibilities, etc., in previous
lessons, would bring us to a sound conclusion for this book.

In a part of
this Sermon we read: «Think about the condition of people from among
the believers who passed before you. What distress and trials they
underwent:»8 It means that we should look deep into the circumstances
of the believers who lived before us, not treating them in a
perfunctory manner because we cannot learn much from the formal
appearance of the past events. Only when one traces the causes of
these events and contemplates them deeply will one perceive that the
believers of the past have been under severe pressure'' and that they
have been subjected to such hardships as hunger, torture, imprisonment
and so forth and greater hardships than those we suffer today, i.e.
facing political problems and happenings and recognizing the true
character of different groups and fronts and the stance they take.

The Commander
of the Faithful continues with the following statements, were they
the most over-burdened among all the people and in the most
straightened circumstances in the whole world?" The true
believers have always been the most overburdened, the most
pain-suffering and the poorest creatures of God before the advent of
the Prophets and the realization of Islamic revolutions (all the
revolutions led by the Prophets have been Islamic in the sense that
they have all been primarily aimed at submission to God). Why? First,
because the believers have to provide for their own sustainance.

In fact, the
true believers, those who have touched the spirit of the belief in
God, never compromise with oppressive powers. They usually refuse to
enter their service and to help them should they not be able to fight
them." Thus, under tyrannical governments, the believers are
constantly face to face with hardships and inconveniences as far as
their economic affairs are concerned. This can be traced in Islamic
traditions.

On the
contrary, disbelievers compromise with the oppressors very easily,
enter the service and thus enjoy a comfortable life. Second, in
addition to providing for their own living, the believers are usually
obliged to shoulder the burden of the oppressors'' impositions
concerning their luxurious life. As an example, we all know that the
overthrown regime (of Pahlavi) faced exorbitant expenses which had to
be paid by those who did not compromise with it. Those who compromised
with that regime were not subjected to such burdens and impositions.
They themselves took advantage of the prevailing situations as well.

Third, the
believers have to tolerate the political impositions of the oppressive
ruling powers with whom they fight. Such powers do not let them
express their beliefs and have their own free thoughts and opinions.
They force the believers to accept their own oppressive thoughts.
Thus, the prevailing strangulation in a society is a great burden on
the shoulder of the believers who refuse to adhere to the thoughts and
opinions imposed by the oppressive ruling powers. They are, in effect,
the most combative people, always fighting the oppressors in order to
eradicate calamities and corruptions.

It is
narrated that the believer is always in a state of struggling in some
way or other. Under unlawful and corruptive governments, he involves
himself in organized hidden and underground battles and lives in a
precautionary, dissimulative manner, and under lawful, legitimate
governments, he deals with political, ideological and military
involvements or fights the enemy to safeguard the way of God. Thus,
the believer is always in a fighting state which is very troublesome.
Fighting does not necessarily mean receiving wounds and bearing
distress.

It includes,
in addition to these, fears and failures, worries and anxieties. The
true fighter is thus the one who does not surrender to these and who
only fights for the sake of God and duty, not for the sake of victory.
Accordingly, fighting is more troublesome and difficult than all the
trials of life. Finally the Commander of the Faithful says, that are
the poorest and the most straightened people because they have to live
in a state of strangulation, poverty, force and precautionary silence.
He continues to explain the believers'' status in the following
statements: The Pharaohs took them as slaves.

They
inflicted the worst punishments and bitter sufferings on them. They
continuously remained in this state of (spiritual) ruinous disgrace
and severe subjugation. They found no method for escape and no way for
protection." The first statement implies that the believers were
forcefully made to obey Pharaohs (holders of tyrannical power) or
deities other than the One God, although they were servants of God by
nature. Sometimes, of course, such deities or objects of worship
believe in God themselves and, therefore submission to them is
submission to God.

But when they
induce people to the worship of their own selves, submission to them
is submission to non-gods. It has been narrated that he who listens
to a speaker, becomes his servant. If the speaker speaks of God, that
person will be the servant of God and if he speaks of Satan that
person will be the servant of Satan.» And Satan is sometimes the very
human ''self'' and ''concupiscence'' to whose obedience the Pharaohs
forced the believers in God, who knew no way of defending their human
dignity and getting rid of such servitude. Such was the status of the
believers in God and followers of the Prophets who dealt with satanic
ruling powers before the victory.

The Three-Act
Play of people''s Status

The status of
the people before, during and after the Prophets'' appointment can be
likened to a three-act play, the first act of which shows hardship and
distress, the second speaks of resistance and perseverance and the
third pictures, victory and freedom. In fact, the believers will never
gain victory without resisting hardships and struggling for their aim.
The Commander of the Faithful continues, Till when God, the
Glorified, noticed that they were enduring troubles in His love and
bearing distress and of fear for Him, He provided escape from the
distress of trials. So, He changed their disgrace into honor and fear
into safety."

In these
statements, the Imam shows that the direction of the believers''
struggles is towards God and they tolerate hardships and undesirable
problems such as hunger, torture, imprisonment, cudgel-punishments and
so forth upon His way and for the sake of His love so that God, seeing
their patience and perseverance, would reveal to them the ways of
escape from nuisances and calamities, maintain their convenience and
tranquillity, change their disgrace into honor and fear into security
and finally their defeat into victory. It should be added here that
honor (i.e. not submitting to contempt) and safety (i.e. not fearing
any enemy) are the most important things the oppressed people are
concerned about.

Under the
rule of satans (tyrannical powers) the people are not immune
concerning their lives, properties, morality and so forth, whereas
under the rule of God and the oppressed people such worries and
anxieties do not exist at all. The Commander of the Faithful continues
his discussion with these statements, Consequently, they became
ruling authorities and conspicuous leaders, and God''s favors over them
reached limits to which their own wishes had not reached,"
meaning that the whole community of believers, after God, bestowed
victory upon them, became leaders (Imams, guides and patterns) and
objects of imitation for other oppressed people and nations who
followed their ways and manners and made movements.

This is
clearly observable in the world of today in which a nation of
believers (i.e. Iranians), after having struggled for a long time and
gaining victory over a tyrannical regime, has now become the leader of
the whole world of the oppressed, and achievement which had never been
imagined by Iranians. They thought, in fact, about victory but they
never imagined to become leaders and guiding patterns for all of the
oppressed people of the world such as those of Saudi Arabia, Iraq,
Egypt, Persian Gulf countries, Africa and America, who have been
greatly influenced and motivated by Iranians'' achievements. And this
is nothing but God''s favor as he says.

Conclusion

(Two General
Points in the Sermon)

First, in
this Sermon (No. 191) the emphasis is mostly on the spiritual aspects
of the people''s calamities and adversities.. In fact, such factors as
strangulation, lack of security, the burden of mental impositions and
the burden of providing for the satanic wishes of illegitimate
governments, all of which cause humanity to suffer spiritually and
invoke one to campaign, are more emphasized than such material
misfortunes (or trials) as hunger for which the people rarely
campaign.

To say the
least, human beings'' honor and dignity are the dearest things to them,
which stimulate them to seriously struggle and campaign. Hunger and
the like can be removed in other ways. These are the points of
emphasis in this Sermon. Secondly, the Imam emphasizes here that in a
community of believers, when the arrogant government is overthrown, it
is the oppressed who take it over another arrogant group.

As an
example, after the revolution of Moses and destruction of Pharaoh, it
was the believers themselves and the masses who became rulers and
established a true government. Also, during the lifetime of the Last
Prophet, as well as during the reign of the rightly guided Caliphs,
the people themselves were masters of their own affairs and played
significant roles in resolving the rnatters which came about. They
loved the Prophet and accepted what he said but not blindly and under
propagandic pressures.

They freely
accepted his decisions and they themselves made minor decisions.
Unfortunately, as time has passed, people''s participation in and
contribution to the ruling affairs of the Islamic communities have
gradually decreased and these communities have turned out to be, like
the communities predominated by ignorance, consisting of two classes
of people - the arrogant and the deprived; whereas a true Islamic
community consists only of one class of people and they are the
believers.

FOOTNOTES

1)When
Damascus was conquered by ''Umar, the second Caliph, he appointed Yazid
bin Abu Sufyan the governor of that region and when Yazid died, his
brother Mu''awiya took over. Thus, the people of the region came to
know only Mu''awiya and his family from the very beginning when they
embraced Islam.

2) This title
is still found in many books of our Sunni brethren.

3) Ash-Sharif
Ar-Radi, the of Ali (Tehran: World Organization for Islamic Services,
1979), part one, page 19.

4) Ibid. p.
20.

5) Ibid. p.
30.

6) Ibid. part
two, page 406. parenthesis is the translator''s.

7) For a
better understanding of this matter, refer to Martyr Murtada
Mutahhari''s The End of Prophecy

8)
Nahj-ul-Balagha of Ali, part two, page 410.

9) In the
terminology of the Qur''an and in Islamic usage trial" (bala)
comes to mean a bitter a and severe incident. Through these incidents,
the human heroes have always been tried in the course of history and
one cannot claim to be a perfect human being unless one exposes.

10)
Akhavan-i-Thalith, one of the forerunners of modern Persian poetry,
wrote a poem entitled Wolves and Dogs" in which he pictures
the status of rebellious believers with all hardships and calamities
they suffer and their battle against oppressors as well as the status
of the peace-seeking disbelievers and hypocrites who compromise with
tyrants and do not refuse to he subjected to rneanness. Akhvan likens
the believers to wolves which keep distance with the affluent and
expose themselves to great sufferings for a loaf of bread, and
compares the disbelievers with dogs which always serve faithfully,
collar on the neck, in order to receive what is left over the master''s
table.