لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Who
are Those Capable of
The laws that scholars have laboriously elaborated
and compiled over the ages to meet the needs of different societies have always stood in
need of intelligent and alert interpreters when it came to implementation. The laws of
Islam, although they rest on revealed norms and divine guidance, are no exception to this
rule. Certain verses of the Qur'an, which is the
fundamental and primary source for deducing anything related to Islam, are not entirely
clear in their purport and signification for they do not yield a single, categorical
sense. Recourse to exegesis in order to clarify points of ambiguity is therefore
necessary. Furthermore, the Noble Qur'an sets forth the main
lines and general principles of the programs of action Islam proposes in various spheres;
it does not go into the details of every law and prescript. If therefore someone wishes to
obtain comprehensive knowledge of those programs in their entirety, he cannot content
himself simply with the text of the Qur'an. The differences of opinion and approach that have
arisen with respect to the meaning of certain verses, as well as traditions of the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, have played a large part in the
distortion and transformation of some of the original concepts of Islam. Interested
parties and people tied to the ruling establishment have succeeded in putting forward
interpretations that correspond to the interests of the rulers, a phenomenon that happened
repeatedly during the Umayyad and 'Abbasid caliphates. In such a whirlpool of confusion,
what needs to be done to prevent the truth from remaining unknown? Does it not appear
necessary that recourse should be had to a single learned authority on jurisprudence, one
divinely protected against sin, a man of independent opinion, having a comprehensive
knowledge of the Book, the heir to the knowledge of the Prophet, in order for him to
acquaint us with the original meaning and purpose of the Qur'an? An authority who implements the various commands of
the Qur'an in a practical and visible way and who serves as an indisputable marker of the
right and the wrong? The clarifications he makes and the deductions he draws, being based
on the principles of the Qur'an and inspired by revealed law, will be decisive for all
followers of Islam and capable of ending all differences of opinion: he will be like a
compass in the hand of a distraught captain. If we do not have recourse to such qualified
interpreters of the Qur'an, we will fall prey to doubt and confusion, or, by following
incorrect interpretations, stray far from the true teachings of the Qur'an. Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, established
the greatest center for the teaching of Islam, training a multitude of scholars whose task
it was to instruct the people and draw their attention to the dangers posed by the
fabricators of hadith. His scientific and intellectual activity served to offset the waves
of corruption that were unfurling at the time, as well as the erroneous concepts and
biased theories the ground for which had been prepared by the political situation of the
day. One day, a group of the companions and students of
the Imam, men who bequeathed to the ummah a great legacy of knowledge that they derived
from him, were gathered in his presence. The Imam addressed Hisham b. Hakam who was
present among them: "Will you not tell us something about the conversation you had
with 'Amr b. 'Ubayd?" He replied: "I would be embarrassed to say anything in
your presence." But the Imam insisted, and so Hisham b. Hakam spoke as follows: "I learned that Amr b. 'Ubayd had begun to
assume some religious responsibilities, establishing a teaching circle in the mosque at
Basrah. This news disturbed me, and so I set out for the mosque, where I found him
sitting, answering people's questions. I approached him and said: 'O scholar, I am a
stranger here; will you permit me to ask a question?' He replied that I might, so I asked
him: 'Do you have eyes?' 'Amr responded: 'Young man, what kind of a question is this? Why
ask about something you can see to be true?' But I persisted, asking him to answer my
question. He consented, so I repeated the question. When he answered in the affirmative, I
next asked him; 'What do you do with eyes?' 'I see colors and people.' Then I asked; 'Do
you have a nose?' 'Yes.' 'What do you do with your nose?' 'I smell things.' 'Do you have a
mouth?' 'Yes.' 'What do you do with it?' 'I taste the food that I eat.' 'Do you have
ears?' 'Yes.' 'What do you with them?' 'I hear sounds.' "'Now, do you have a heart?' 'Yes.' 'What do
you do with it?' 'My heart is an instrument of weighing and measuring; by means of it I
assess the truth or falsehood of whatever knowledge comes to my senses and limbs.' "Then I asked: 'Can any limb or member dispense
with the heart (qalb)?' "'No.' "'Even if all limbs and members are completely
healthy?' "'Young man, whenever any bodily sense is
mistaken in its perceptions or doubts their accuracy, it has recourse to the heart in
order to resolve its doubts and gain some measure of confidence and certainty.' "'So the role of the heart with respect to the
members and limbs is, in accordance with divine command, to remove error, confusion, and
bewilderment?' "'Yes.' "'So the existence of the heart in man is a
necessity without which his members and limbs lose their sense of direction?' "'Yes.' "'O Abu Marwan, God has not left your senses
and limbs without a guide to rectify their errors and doubts. Is it then possible that He
should leave human society, despite all the dissension and ignorance that beset it, to its
own devices, without any leader to guide it? A fitting leader who will remove all
confusion and error?' "'Amr remained silent for a while, and then he
said: "'Are you not Hisham b. Hakam?' "'No.' "'Are you one of his companions?' "'No.' "'Where do you come from?' "'I come from Kufah.' "Then he said, 'Indeed you are Hisham,' stood
up, caused me to sit where he had been sitting, and remained silent until I got up to
leave." The Imam smiled and said: "From whom did you
learn this mode of argumentation?" Hisham replied: "From you." Then the
Imam said: "I swear by God that this same argument is to be found in the pages
revealed to Ibrahim and Musa." Men may therefore gain access to the commands and
prescriptions of God only when, after the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his
family, the leadership of the Islamic ummah is in the hands of a person who is enabled by
his proven erudition and spiritual qualities to expound those detailed injunctions which
have not been explicitly included in revelation but are nonetheless a matter of practical
necessity for human society. In the absence of such leadership, the ummah will tend to
deviate from the principles of Islam and fail to reach the goal of happiness and the
purposes for which it has been created. After the Prophet, the Immaculate Imams, committed
as they were to leadership and guidance, did everything possible to disseminate the
teachings of the Qur'an, for years on end and in the midst of swiftly changing
circumstances, and to show the Muslims how to apply those teachings; they guided and
instructed the people in word and indeed. As a result, the aggregate of their teachings
came of form a precious treasure of learning that was bequeathed to the ummah. Because of
its evidential force, this treasure was uniquely authoritative, and because of its scope,
it offered the means for solving every new problem that might occur. Everyone knows that the caliphs who succeeded the
Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, knew very little
concerning the ordinances of Islam and the religious needs of the people. Abu Bakr, the
first caliph, is known, for example, to have transmitted only eighty hadith. al-Nawawi says the following in his Tahdhib:
"Abu Bakr transmitted 142 hadith from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him
and his family, 104 of which are cited by al-Suyuti in his Tarikh al-Khulafa' and 22 of
which are included by al-Bukhari in his collection."
The religious leader of the ummah who is meant in
every respect to aid and assist his community and to solve their complex religious
problems has so little Islamic consciousness that he finds himself consulting al-Mughirah
b. Shu'bah, an extremely corrupt individual, in order to learn God's ruling concerning the
portion of an estate that goes to his grandmother!
He even confesses himself, with the utmost
frankness, that his religious knowledge is not superior to that of anyone else, and
declares to the people that if they see him committing an error they should correct him
and instruct him in the proper course of action. For this is what he says: "I hold in my hands the reins of your affairs
even though I am not the best among you. If you see that I am treading the right path,
then support me, and if you see me embarking on the wrong course, then guide me back to
the right path. As for 'Umar, he transmitted no more than fifty
authentic hadith from the Prophet. In connection with the religious knowledge of the
second caliph, it is reported that someone once went to consult him on a problem that he
faced. He said: "I need to make a total ablution (ghusl), but I have no access to
water; what is my religious duty under these circumstances?" The caliph answered:
"You are relieved of your duty to pray."
The real duty of such a person is, however, spelled out in the Qur'an. (4:43 and 5:6) Five hadith are narrated on the authority of 'Uthman
in the Sahih of Muslim, and nine in the Sahih of al-Bukhari. Facts such as these serve to demonstrate the degree
of religious learning possessed by those persons who assumed the leadership of Islamic
society. How then could it be expected that the framework of divine law should remain
immune to change and distortion and that Islamic society should advance toward its lofty
goals? Whoever carries the burden of leading the ummah must possess extensive religious
awareness and knowledge in order to answer whatever questions and problems arise, whereas
the knowledge that the caliphs had of the authentic law of Islam was extremely limited. One day, while preaching from the pulpit, the second
caliph was criticizing a rise in the amount of dowries customarily given and declared that
this increase ought to be prevented. When he descended from the pulpit, a woman objected
to what he had said: "Why is it necessary to restrict the amount of dowries? Does God
not say in the Qur'an, 'If you have given one of your wives great wealth by way of a
dowry, you must not take back any of it?" (4:20) The caliph realized his mistake and
begged God to forgive him. Then he remarked: "Everyone is better acquainted with
God's commands than is 'Umar." Then he mounted the pulpit again and retracted what he
had said. As for the religious knowledge of the third caliph,
it is enough that we should refer to the following event "During the time of his caliphate an unbeliever
was killed by a Muslim. The caliph ordered the murderer to be put to death. But a group of
the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, who were
present at the time informed the caliph of his mistake and reminded him that in such cases
the murderer should be condemned to the payment of blood money, as a result of which the
caliph rescinded his order." Is it fitting that the leadership of Islamic society
should be in the hands of people who by their own admission are so ignorant of the laws of
God's religion, a religion the ordinances of which they are supposed to expound and to
implement? Is it at all conceivable that God should entrust all the affairs in fact, the
destiny of a community that had been nurtured on revelation and established by the most
noble of creation to people who were not only unable to propel the Islamic ummah forward
and to remove the veil of ambiguity from complex and difficult questions, but could not
even expound the most elementary concerns of religion or implement the shari'ah? We leave it those whose intelligences are not
fettered by fanaticism or prejudice to judge the matter.
Notes:
al-Kulayni,
al-Kafi, Vol. I, p. 170. Ahmad b.
Hanbal, al-Musnad, Vol. I, pp. 2, 14. Cited in
al-Nawawi, Adwa' 'ala al-Sunnat al-Muhammadiyyah, p. 224. Malik,
al-Muwatta', p.335. Ibn Sa'd,
al-Tabaqat, Vol. III, p. 151. al-Nawawi,
Adwa' p.204. Ibn Majah,
al-Sunan, Vol. I, p.200. al-Nawawi,
Adwa', p.204. al-Amini,
al-Ghadir, Vol. VI, p. 87. al-Bayhaqi,
al-Sunan (al-Kubra), Vol. VIII, p. 33.
