TheInfallibilityoftheProphetsintheQu'ranSayyidMuhammadRizvi-XKP

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1ChapterFOREWARD

SincethedepartureofRais`ul-MubaligheenAllamahAl-HajSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi(r.a.)from

this earthly abode in2002, theMission is grateful toHujjatul IslamwalMuslimeenAl-HajSayyidMuhammadRizvi(d.z.)forhiswiseguidanceandadvice.TheMissionisgratefultoMaulanaRizviforhisvaluedcontribution.Thisisnotthefirstbookby

MaulanaRizvi,weareprinting.Wehavealreadypublishedthreeofhismostvaluablestudiesinthepasttwoyearsandwehopehewill,bywillofAlmightyAllah,beabletosendusmore.Asinfulperson,atransgressorofmorallawsoramandubiousmoralityorrespectabilitycannot

betrustedand/orbelieved,ashisowncharacterisquestionable.It isverypertinent, thereforethataprophetorImamshouldbesinlessandhischaracterimpeccable.Our holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w.) proved himself as as-Sadiq and al-Ameen among his

peoplei.e.“truthful”and“trustworthy.”Historyhasrecordedthatheaskedhispeoplethat‘ifItellyouthatthereisanarmybeyondthese

mountainswhoareabout toattackyou,wouldyoubelieveme?’ theyall replied inunison“Yeswebelieveyoubecauseyouhaveprovedyourselfas-SadiqandAl-Ameen.VIIIS.M.RizviHisenemiescalledhimamagicianandgavehimallothernamesbuttheycouldnevercallhima

liar,ashehadprovedhimselfamanofintegrityandtrustworthiness.Allah(s.w.t.)intheHolyQur ’ãneulogiseshisProphetinthefollowingwords“VerilythereisforyouintheMessengerofAllahanexcellent pattern (of conduct”), 33:21; the real excellence and thematchless beauty of his divinelymouldedconductandcharacter.“TheInfallibilityoftheProphetsintheQur ’ãn”byHujjatulIslamwalMuslimeenAl-HajSayyidMuhammadRizviisanelaboratedandserioustreatisebasedonlectureshehad delivered to theweekly classes on Islamic Theology. I trust that the readerswill benefit verymuch on the concept of “Ismah” in the light of the Qur ’ãn. F. H. Abdullah FoundingMember &TrusteeBilalMuslimMissionofTanzania

2ChapterPREFACE

Muslims consider ‘i¥mah, infallibility, as an important quality for the person who holds the

positionofprophethood.Thisquality isnotconfinedtotheProphetofIslam,Mu¦ammad(peacebeuponhimandhisprogeny)but isalsofoundinall theprophetsandmessengersofGodwhocamebeforeIslam.However,therearesomeversesoftheQur ’ãnthatapparentlyimplythatProphetÃdamandsome

otherprophetshadcommittedsins.Thistreatiseisanattempttostudytheconceptof‘i¥mahinlightoftheQur ’ãn.Thistreatiseisan

expandedversionofthelecturesthatIhadgiventotheweeklyclassesonIslamictheologyatTorontoin1995.IprayandhopethatthisservesasasmallbutimportantstepinstudyingtheQur ’ãnfromthethematicapproach.Rabbanãtaqabbalminna,innakaSamí‘u’d-du‘ã’.December2001/Shawwãl1422TorontoXS.M.RizviSayyidM.Rizvi

3ChapterTheDefinationofIYmah.

The word ‘i¥mah ( عصمة ) literally means “protection”. In Islamic terminology, it

means “infallibility”. Infallibility is defined as “a spiritual grace (lu§f لطف ) of Allãh to a personwhich enables him to abstain from sins by his own freewill.”1Apersonwhohas beengiven thatgraceofGodiscalledama‘¥ūm( معصوم ),infallible,sinless.Thispowerof‘i¥mahdoesnotmakethema‘¥ūmpersonincapableofcommittingsins.Ama‘¥ūmrefrainsfromsinsandmistakesbyhispowerandwill. If itwereotherwise, thentherewouldbenomerit inbeingma‘¥ūm!Ama‘¥ūmisable toabstain fromsinsbecauseof (a)highest levelof righteousness,and (b)ever-presentconsciousnessandloveforGod,and(c)certainknowledgeabouttheconsequencesofcommittingsins.Wecomeacrosssomeordinarypeoplewhoareveryupright in theircharacterandwouldnotevendreamofcommittingcertainsinsorcrimes.Thestrengthoftheircharactermakesthemrelativelyaninfallibleperson. For example, it is within the power of any person to go naked on the streets. But wouldapersonwhowasbroughtupasagoodMuslim,everthinkofdoingso?No,becauseitisfarbelowhisdignitytobehaveinthisway.Itisnotimpossibleforhimtodoso,buthewillneverevenimagineofdoing1Al-Muf¢d,Ta¥¦¢¦u’l-I‘tiqãd,p.128(invol.5ofMu¥annafãtu’sh-Shaykhi’l-Muf¢d,Qum,1413

AH); al-°illi, al-Bãbu ’lHãdi ‘Ashar, p. 179 (Qum:NashrNavid Islam, 1367 [solar] with PersiantranslationbyA.R.A.Bakhshãishi);alsoseeitsEnglishbyW.M.Miller(London:Luzac&Co,1958)p.58-59so.Why?Becausehehasbeentaughtandbroughtupwiththeideathatsuchbehaviourwilltarnish

hishonourandisbeneaththedignityofacivilizedhumanbeing.Similarly,thoughama‘¥ūmhastheabilitytocommitsin,heneverevenimaginesofcommitting

asinbecause(a) the loveforGodinhisheart leavesnoroomfordispleasingHimbycommittingsins,and(b)heisfullawareoftheconsequencesofcommittingsins.

4ChapterMuslimsandtheBeliefinIYmah.

Although the majority of Muslims believe in the ‘i¥mah of the prophets, there is a great

differenceabouttheextentoftheir‘i¥mah. 1. Sunni Muslims: As far as the Sunnis are concerned, they have a great difference of

opinionamongthemselves.Theirviewsareasthefollowings: • On lying & infidelity (kufr): all Sunnis believe that prophets could not tell a lie,

neither intentionally nor bymistake, nor could they be infidel before or after the declaration oftheirprophethood. • Other sins intentionally: all Sunnis believe that the prophets could not commit other

sinsintentionally.•Majorsinsunintentionally:majoritybelievesthattheprophetscouldcommitsuchsins;however,aminoritysaysthatthisisnotpossible.•Minorsins:majoritybelievesthattheprophetscouldcommitminorsins,thoughnotsuchminor

sinswhichwoulddisgracetheminpublic’seyes.22. Shí‘a Ithnã-‘Ashariyyah Muslims: The Shí‘as Muslims believe that all the Prophets were

ma‘¥ūm, sinless and infallible; they could commit no sin—neither amajor sin nor aminor sin;neitherintentionallynorinadvertently;andthisappliestothemfromthebeginningtotheendoftheirlives. This is thebelief of theShí‘a Ithnã-‘Ashariyyah.Beloware threequotations from theShí‘ascholars of early days to the present century that shows the consistency of this belief among theShí‘as.ShaykhAbuJa‘fara¥-¯adūq,ascholarbornduringtheMinorOccultation(ghaybat¥ughra)ofthe

PresentImamanddiedin381AH,says:“Ourbeliefconcerningtheprophets,apostles,Imamsandangelsisthattheyareinfallible(ma‘¥ūm),purifiedfromalldefilement(danas),andthattheydonotcommit any sin,whether itbeminorormajor…Hewhodenies infallibility to them inanymatterappertainingtotheirstatusisignorantofthem.Ourbeliefconcerningthemisthattheyareinfallibleandpossesstheattributesofperfection,completenessandknowledge,fromthebeginningtotheendoftheircareers…”3‘AllãmahIbnMu§ahharal-°illi(d.728AH)writesthefollowingonprophecy:“Heisimmuneto

sinfromthefirstofhislifetothelastofit.”4ShaykhMu¦ammadRi¤ãal-Mu¨affar,afamousShí‘ascholarofthefirsthalfofthiscentury,writes:2 Seeal-Qã¤i ‘Abdu ’l-Jabbãr,Shar¦u ’l-U¥ûli ’l-Khamsah,p.573-575;al-Qawshaji,Shar¦u ’t-

Tajríd,p.464.3A¥-¯adūq,al-I‘tiqadãt,p.96(invol.5ofMu¥annafãtu’shShaykhi’l-Muf¢d);theabovequotation

isbasedonitsEnglishtranslation,AShi‘iteCreed,A.A.A.Fyzee,tr.(Tehran:WOFIS,1982)p.87.

4Al-°illi,al-Bãbu’-°ãdi‘Ashar,p.179;initsEnglishtranslation,seep.58.“Webelievethatalltheprophetsareinfallible…Infallibilitymeanspurityfromallsins,bothmajor

andminorones,andfrommistakesandforgetfulness.”5

5ChapterWhyIYmah?

Theprophetshavetobema‘¥ūmforthesamereasonforwhichtheyweresent:toguideandlead

the people towards God. God, who decided to guide mankind, also intended to send immaculateandperfecthumanbeingsasmodelsandexamples.Iftheywerenotma‘¥ūm,thenitwouldhavebeenextremely difficult even to believe in themessage let alone the example they present to us. Therewould be no trust or confidence inwhatever they say: it could be true; it could be false. Sendingfallibleprophetswouldhavedefeatedtheverypurposeforwhichtheyweresent:fortheprophetstoleadandguide,forthepeopletofollowandobey.TheQur ’ãnalsosupportsthisreasoning.The 1stVerse:“We did not send any prophet, except so that hemay be obeyed by thewill of

Allah.” (4:64) The verse very clearly presents the divine social order: the sole purpose of theprophetson thisearth is tobeobeyedby their followers,not that the followersare tocheckeveryactionandstatementoftheir5Al-Mu¨affar,‘Aqã’idu’l-Imãmiyyah,(Qum:Ansariyan,n.d.)p.53-54;alsoseeitstranslation,TheFaithofShí‘aIslam(London:MuhammadiTrust,1982)p.21.prophet and then decidedwhether they should obey or not. Such absolute obedience cannot be

possibleunlesstheprophetswerema‘¥ūm,freefromsinsandmistakes.The2ndVerse:… “Oyouwho believe!ObeyAllah and obey theMessenger…” (4:59) In this verse,Allãh is

orderingustoobeyHimandtheMessenger.ThereareatleasttenotherverseswhereAllãhhasusedimperativeformstoorderthebelieversto

obey the prophets and messengers. Besides these verses, there are also many verses where Allahdescribesthevirtueofobeyingtheprophets,andthedireconsequencesofdisobeyingthem.6 Secondly, in most such verses, Allãh has mentioned obedience to Himself alongside with

theobediencetoHismessengers.Actually, in one verse, obedience to the messenger is made synonymous with the obedience to

Allãh:“AndwhoeverobeystheMessengerhasactuallyobeyedAllah.”(4:80)Suchassertiononpartof Allãh would have been impossible if the prophets and the messengers were not ma‘¥ūm andinfallible. Otherwise, we would have found ourselves in an impossible situation: a nonma‘¥ūmprophetormessengerexhortsustodosomethingwhichiswrong—shouldwefollowornot.Inbothcases,wewouldbedoomed.Ifweobeyedtheprophetandcommittedthesin,thenwewouldbeguiltyofdisobeyingAllãhwhohastoldusnottocommitsins.Ifwedisobeyedtheprophetandrefusedtocommitthesin,thenwewouldbeguiltyof

6SeethefollowingversesoftheQur’ãn:4:14;48:7;33:66disobeyingAllãhwhohastoldustoobeytheprophetsandmessengersinanabsoluteway!The3rd

Verse:Totheaboveverses,addthoseversesinwhichAllãhforbidsyoutoobeycertaintypesofpeople

who commit sins:“So do not obey those who accuse you of lying… & do not obey any meanswearer…forbidderofgood,onewhostepsbeyondthelimits,asinner.”(68:8-10)“Anddonotobeyamong them a sinner or an ungrateful person.” (76:24)“And do not obey the command oftheprodigals…”(26:151)Whenyouputtheseversesalongsidethepreviousverses,youwillgetthecompletepicture:(a)Theprophetsaretobeobeyedunconditionally.(b)Thesinnersandwrongdoersarenottobeobeyed.(c) The only logical conclusion is that the prophets are not in the categories of the sinners or

thewrongdoers.

6ChapterHumanismandInfallibility.

A fewMuslims intellectuals, swayed by the idea of humanism, relativity and pluralism,wish to

presenttheprophetsandmessengersofGodasfallibleinordertojustifythemoralweaknessesfoundamongordinarypeople. This motive can also be observed in the early history of Islam when the scholars attached to

thepolitical establishments tried towater down the infallibility of theProphet in order to explainawaythemoralweaknessandethicalwrongdoingsoftherulersoftheirtime.Wehavesuchexamplesinthemoderneraalso.MalcolmX,whenhewasaMinisterintheNationofIslammovement,describeshowheattempted

tojustifytheadulteryoftheself-proclaimedprophet,ElijaMuhammad.Hesays: “I thought of one bridge that could be used if and when the shattering disclosure should

becomepublic.LoyalMuslimscouldbetaughtthataman'saccomplishmentsinhislifeoutweighhispersonal,humanweaknesses.WallaceMuhammad[Elija'sson]helpedmetoreviewtheQur ’ãnandthe Bible for documentation. David's adultery with Bathsheba weighed less on history's scales,for instance, than the positive fact of David's killing Goliath. Thinking of Lot, we think not ofincest,butofhissavingthepeoplefromthedestructionofSodomandGomorrah.Or,ourimageofNoahisn'tofhisgettingdrunk—butofhisbuildingthearkandteachingpeople tosavethemselvesfromtheflood.WethinkofMosesleadingtheHebrewsfrombondage,notofMoses'adulterywiththeEthiopianwomen.InallofthecasesIreviewed,thepositiveoutweighedthenegative.”WhenhedescribedhisdamagecontrolstrategytoElijaMuhammad,theleadersaid,“Son,Ia’m

not surprised… You always have had such a good understanding of prophecy, and of spiritualthings.You recognize that'swhat all of this is—prophecy.Youhave thekindof understanding thatonlyanoldmanhas.Ia’mDavid…WhenyoureadabouthowDavidtookanotherman'swife.I'mthatDavid.YoureadaboutNoah,whogotdrunk—that'sme.YoureadaboutLot,whowentandlaidupwithhisowndaughters.Ihavetofulfillallofthosethings.”7TomHarpur,atheologian,anex-MinisteroftheChurch,andacolumnistofthereligiouscolumn

oftheTorontoStar,wrotethearticle“NotevenJesusclaimedinfallibility”on2ndMay1993.OnceJesuswasstrippedof infallibility,IwasnotatallsurprisedtoseeHarpur takingthesecondstepofpublishinganotherarticleayearlatterentitledas“GospelscouldsupportspeculationthatJesusmighthavebeengay.”8This iswhathappenswhenyoutakeawaytheinfallibilityfromtheprophetsandthemessengers

ofGod!Insteadoflookinguptothemasmodelsandguides,people—especiallythoseinposition

ofpower—justifytheirownimmoralbehaviourandlifestylebypresentingtheprophetsasfallibleandsinners.

7ChapterTheAllegoricalVersesoftheQuran.

After explaining the meaning and importance of ‘i¥mah for the prophets and messengers of

Allah which is also supported by the Qur ’ãnic verses we quoted above, some people becomeconfused when they come across verses which give an impression that Adam and other prophetscommittedsomesins.ThisconfusionwillonlybeclearifwerealizethattheQur ’ãnicverses,accordingtotheQur ’ãn

itself, are of two types: He is the onewho sent upon you the book: some of its verses are clear(mu¦kamât)—thesearethebasisoftheBook,whileothersareallegorical7A.Haley,TheAutobiographyofMalcolmX(NY:BallantineBooks,1964)p.297-299.8SeeTheTorontoStar,May2,1993,p.B5;May15,1994,p.A13.(mutashâbihât). As for those in whose hearts is perversity, they follow the allegorical

verses, seeking to mislead and seeking to give (their own) interpretation. None know their (i.e.,allegorical verses’) interpretation except Allah and those who are firmly rooted in knowledge…(3:7) Thosewho do not differentiate between the clear and the allegorical verseswill surely getconfusedwhen they apparently find two conflictingmessages from the verses of theQur ’ãn. Theissueof‘i¥mahisoneofthoseissuesinwhichpeoplehavebecomevictimofconfusion.Thesituation,atthisstageofourdiscussion,isasfollows: 1. Our earlier discussion concluded that the divine guides must be immaculate and

abovereproach.2.ManyversesoftheQur ’ãnsupportthisview,asmentionedabove.3.ButtherearesomeversesoftheQur ’ãnthatapparentlyattributesinsandwrongdoingstosome

prophets.Whatshouldbedone?Wemustacceptthoseversesthataresupportedbyourreasonastheclear(mu¦kamât)verses.And

the other verses should be considered allegorical (mutashâbihât) and their true meaning must besoughtinthelightofthemu¦kamât,theteachingsoftheProphet,andtheImamsofAhlulBaytwhoare the twin of the Qur ’ãn by virtue of the famous saying of the Prophet that “I am leaving twopreciousthingsamongyou[forguidance]:theBookofAllahandmyAhlu‘l-bayt.”99Ibn°ajaral-Makki,as-Sawã’iqu’l-Mu¦riqah,chapter11,section1.

Inthenextlesson,wewillstudythoseversesandseehowcanweinterpretthemand,atthesametime,holdontoourbeliefintheinfallibilityoftheprophets.

ThecaseofAdam(as)

Itwillhelpusgreatlyifwe,firstofall,studytheversesoftheQur ’ãnaboutthecreationofAdam,

hisstayinParadise,andhiscomingtotheearth.Chapter2(al-Baqarah)verses30–39:TheCreation:WhenyourLord said to the angels, “I amgoing to place a vicegerent on the earth,” the angels

said,“WillYouplaceontheearththeonewhoshallactwickedlyinitandshedblood;whereaswesingYourpraiseandglorifyYou?”Allah said, “Surely Iknowwhatyoudonotknow.”And [aftercreatingAdam]Allah taughtAdamall the names.ThenHe presented those to the angels and said,“Tellmethenamesoftheseifyouaretrue[inwhatyourassumptionthatyouaremoresuperiorthanAdam].”Theysaid,“GlorybetoYou!WehavenoknowledgeexceptwhatYouhavetaughtus.Youare surely the All-Knowing, theWise.” [Then] He said, “O Adam! Tell them the names of those[persons].”WhenAdamtoldthemthosenames,Allãhsaid[totheangels],“Didn’tIsaytoyouthatIknow the unseen things of the heavens and the earth, and I knowwhat youmanifest andwhat youhide.” And [remember] when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Adam.” All of themprostratedexceptIblis,whorefusedandwashaughty,and[thus]hebecameoneoftheunbelievers.InParadise:[AftercreatingHawwa},Wesaid,“OAdam,DwellyouandyourwifeintheGarden

andeat from it [freely]asmany[things]asyouwish;butdonotapproach this tree,otherwiseyouwill“. نیملاظلا becomeoneofthe¨ãlimeenButtheShaytãnmadethemslip( ازهلما )fromthat[Gardenbyluringthemtoeatthefruitoftheforbiddentree]andthusgotthemoutfromthestate[offelicity]inwhich theyhadbeen.SoWesaid[toAdam,Hawwa,and theShaytãn that,“Allofyou]getdown[fromtheGardentotheearth]someofyoubeingtheenemiesoftheother,andthereisontheearthyour abode and the necessities [of life] for a [fixed period of] time.” [Adam felt ashamed andintendedtoaskAllah’sforgiveness.]SoAdamlearntsomewordsfromhisLord,andAllahturnedtohimmercifully ( تبا علیه ). SurelyHe is theMost-Forgiving, theMerciful.We said, “All of you getdownfromtheGarden.[Onceyouareontheearth],aguidancewillcertainlycometoyoufromMe:whosoever followsMy guidance, there will be no fear for them nor shall they grieve. But thosewhodisbelieveandrejectOurrevelation,theyaretheinmatesoftheFire,inittheyshallabide.”Chapter7(al-A‘râf)verses19-25:[Allahsaid,]“OAdam!DwellyouandyourwifeintheGarden

andeatfromwhereveryouwish;butdonotapproachthistree,otherwiseyouwill“. نیملاظلا becomeone of the ¨ãlimeenThen the Shaytãn instilled temptation into them so as to reveal to them theirprivatepartsthatwerehiddenfromthem.Hesaid,“YourLordhasonlyprohibitedyoufromthistreelest you both become rulers, or lest you become immortals.” [To ensure that his temptationwillwork,theShaytãn]sworetothemboththat,“Truly,Iamasincereadviserforyou.”Thushemisledthembydelusion.Sowhen they tasted [the fruitof] the tree, theirprivatepartsbecamemanifest tothem,andbothofthemstartedtocoverthemselveswiththeleavesoftheGarden.TheirLordcalledouttothem,“DidInotprohibitbothofyoufromthistreeandsaytoyouthattheShaytãnisyouropenenemy?” They said, “Our Lord!We have been unjust to and ifYou do not ;( انسفنأ انملظ ourselves(¨alamnãforgive us and havemercy on us,we shall surely be among the losers.”Allah said, “Getdown[totheearth],someofyoubeingtheenemiesoftheothers;andthereisontheearthyourabode

andnecessities[oflife]foratime.”Hesaid,“Thereinyoushalllive,thereinyoushalldie,andfromityoushallberaised[again].”Chapter20(TaHa)verses116-126:And [remember] when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Adam,” all of them

prostratedexceptIbliswhorefusedandwashaughty.Therefore,Wesaid,“OAdam!this[Shaytãn]isanenemy toyouandyourwife.Sodonot lethimexpelyou from theGarden,otherwiseyouwillbe uncomfortable ( تشقى ): in it [i.e., the Garden] you shall neither be hungry nor naked, and youshallneitherbe thirsty thereinnor struckby the sun’s rays.”But theShaytãn instilled temptation tohim by saying, “OAdam! Shall I guide you to the tree of immortality and a kingdomwhichwillnotdecline?”When[they]bothateofthattree,theirprivatepartsbecamemanifesttothemandbothofthemstartedtocoverthemselveswiththeleavesoftheGarden.Adam disobeyed ( عصى ) his Lord, and so he erred ( غوى ). Then his Lord chose him, and then

Heturnedtohimandguidedhim.[Then]Allahsaid[toShaytãnandAdam],“Youbothgetdownfromthis[Garden},someofyoubeingtheenemiesoftheother.[Ontheearth],aguidancewillcertainlycometoyoufromMe,andthenwhosoeverfollowsMyguidance,heshallnotgoastraynorwillhebeunhappy.ButwhosoeverturnsawayfromMyreminder,thenheshallsurelyhaveawretchedlifeandweshallresurrecthimblind.”ReviewofAdamsStory1.AccordingtotheexpertsofIslamicjurisprudence,theordersgivenbyAllãhareoftwotypes:(a) Al-amr al-mawlawi, a legislative command. Such orders must be implemented; and, if

someone disobeys such a command, then he is committing a sin and is liable to be punished. Forexample, the command to “say the daily prayers” or “do not eat the pork” is of such nature.NeglectingthedailyprayersoreatingoftheporkisasinandAllãhcanrightlypunishthesinner.(b)Al-amral-irshãdi,anadvisorycommand.Suchordersareofadvisorynature;theirpurposeis

toinformthepeopleaboutitsconsequences.However,ifsomeonedisobeyssuchanorder,thenheisnotcommittingasin;ofcourse,hewillhavetofacetheconsequencesofnotfollowingtheadvice.Forexample,thecommandto“saybismillãhwhenyouslaughterthechicken”isofadvisorynature.Now, if someone slaughters the chicken and neglects the saying of “bismillãh,” then has hecommittedasin?No,hehasnotcommittedasinnorisheliableforapunishmentfornotsayingthe“bismillãh”at that time.However,hewill lose the right toeat thatchicken; thatchickencannotbeeatenbyaMuslim.Anotherexample:apersoncomestohisdoctorcomplainingofcough.Thedoctoradviseshispatienttodrinkacertainmedicine,acoughsyrup.Nowifthepatientignoresthatadvice,thenheisnotcommittingasinoracrime;buthewillsurelysuffertheconsequence—hisillnesswillbeprolongedandhishealthmightdeteriorate.Conclusion:notallcommandsofAllãhareofobligatoryorprohibitivenature.Theadvicegiven

toAdamandHawwawasnotofthelegislativenature.Itwasnotthatthatparticulartreeanditsfruitthemselveswereforbidden.Theprohibitionofgoingnearthattreeandeatingitsfruitwasal-amral-irshãdi. And going against such an order is not a sin; at most, the doer will have to face theconsequencesofignoringthatadvice.IncaseofAdamandhiswife,theconsequencetheyfacedwascancellationof their tenureasguestsofAllãhintheParadiseanditscomforts.Rememberthat theywerenotsupposedtostay in theParadiseforever; theywerecreatedfor theearth,andtheirstay intheParadisewasmeanttobetemporary.

2.TheGarden/Paradise isnot theplacefor testand trial. It is thisearthonwhichhumanbeingshavebeendestined togo through testand trialbyobeying thecommandsofAllãh.Theconceptofsinningincaseofhumanbeingsisconnectedtotheworldlylife.InthestoryofAdamitself,AllãhmakesthispointclearwhenHeordersAdamtogototheearth—Hesaid,“Youbothgetdownfromthis[Garden],someofyoubeingtheenemiesoftheother.[Ontheearth],aguidancewillcertainlycometoyoufromMe,andthenwhosoeverfollowsMyguidance,heshallnotgoastraynorwillhebeunhappy.ButwhosoeverturnsawayfromMyreminder,thenheshallsurelyhaveawretchedlifeandweshallresurrecthimblind.”(20:126)TheordergiventoAdaminHeavenisnotsameastheordersgiven to human beings in this world—it is disobedience of the orders given on this earththatconstitutessin.Finally,theShaytãnhimselfknowsthathedoesnothavethepowertomisleadtheprophets,themessengers,andthosewhoaregracedwithpuritybyAlmightyHimself.Whenhewasgiven respitebyAllãh,hedeclared the following: “So I swearbyYourMight (OLord) that IwillsurelymisleadthemalltogetherexceptthedevotedservantsofYour ’sfromamongthem.”(38:82-3;15:39-40)AndAllãh responds to himby saying, “…As formy servants, you have no power overthemexceptthosewhofollowyoufromamongthemisledpeople…”(15:41)TheSatanhimselfknewthelimitationofhisinfluenceuponthechosenservantsofAllãhinthisworld.3.ThosewhobelievethatAdamcommittedasin,describetheeatingoftheforbiddenfruitasthe

“sin” and Adam’s expulsion from the heaven as the “punishment”. However, this relationshipbetweenthesinanditspunishmentisnotvalidbecauseoftworeasons: Firstly, Adam was destined to come to the earth anyway. Allãh had declared even before

creatingAdamthat“Iwanttoplaceavicegerentontheearth.”SocomingofAdamtotheearthisnotapunishment;whetherornotheatetheforbiddenfruit,Adamwouldhavecometotheearthanyway.Sothatwasnotapunishment.Secondly,ifcomingofAdamtotheearthwasa“punishment”ofeatingthe forbidden fruit, then he should have been returned to the paradise after Allãh “forgave” him.Forgivenessmeans“cancelingthepunishment”—Adamshouldhavebeentakenbacktotheparadise.This did not happen, which proves that Adam’s coming to the earthwas not a “punishment”; andeatingwasnota“sin”.4.WhataboutthewordsinthestoryAdamthatimplythathecommittedsin?Afterstudyingthe

issueof‘i¥mahfromtheQur ’ãnicpointofview,ifwecomeacrosssuchwordswehavetointerprettheminawaythattheyareinharmonywiththeotherversesoftheQur ’ãn.Nowletuslookatthreesuch words that have occurred in the story of Adam. ملظ . is from ¨ulm “ نیملاظلا First: the word“¨ãlimeenThiswordhasfourmeanings:(a)toputsomethinginawrongplace;(b)tooppress;(c)tomakehaste;and(d)tocometoharm.10Weseethatthelasttwomeaningsofthewordareinharmonywithwhatwe

explainedabout‘i¥mah.Forexample,verse2:35wouldreadlikethis:Wesaid,“OAdam,Dwellyouand your wife in the Garden and eat from it [freely] as many [things] as you wish; but do notapproachthistree,otherwiseyouwillbeoneofthosewhoputthemselvesintoharm.”Here,“harm”wouldmeanfacing thedifficultiesof theearthly lifeand losing thecomfortsof theheaven.or“…otherwise,youwillbe oneof thosewhomakehaste.”Here,“makinghaste”wouldmean that theywereeventuallytogototheearthbutbyeatingfromtheforbiddentreetheyhastenedtheirdeparturetoaplacewheretheywilllosethecomfortsoftheGarden.10Seeal-Munjid,thefamousArabicdictionarythatgivesfollowingmeaningstoa¨-¨ulm:

This meaning of the word ¨ãlimeen الاظلمین is supported by the next verse that says that theShaytan“got themout from the state [ofcomfort] inwhich theyhadbeen.”Also theverse20:117supportsthisinterpretation:“OAdam!this[Shaytãn]isanenemytoyouandyourwife.SodonotlethimexpelyoufromtheGarden,otherwiseyouwillbeuncomfortable:init[i.e.,theGarden]youshallneitherbehungrynornaked,andyoushallneitherbethirstythereinnorstruckbythesun’srays.”Inother words, here food, clothing and shelter are readily provided for you; you will lose thesecomfortsontheearth.Hereeverythingisprovidedbutthereyouwillhavetoworkforyourselves. Second: the word عصى means “disobeyed”. This does not necessarily imply sin because

disobedience can be attributed to two types of commands: al-amr al-mawlawi (a legislativecommand) or al-amr alirshãdi (an advisory command). If a person goes against the advisorycommand, thenhehas “disobeyed”butnot “sinned”.Wehavealreadyexplained that commandsofAllahdonotalwayshavetheforceofobligationorprohibition.And,bykeepinginmindthoseverseswhich prove the ‘i¥mah,we have no choice but to interpret thisword as “disobeyed the advisorycommand”.Third:Similarly,thewordmeans“heerred”. غوى But thisdoesnotnecessarilymeansin. Itcan

easilybeappliedtoat-tarku‘l-awlawhichispossibleforaprophettodo.At-tarku‘l-awla(means ارتلك ألاوىل )“leaving themore appropriate behaviour”. “Adam erred” wouldmean that even if thecommandofAllahdidnotcarrytheforceoflegislativeprohibition,stillAdamshouldhaveobeyedit.IndisregardingtheadvisorycommandofAllah,Adamisguiltynotofasinbutofnotlivinguptotheappropriatebehaviour whichisexpectedfromaprophetormessengerofGod.5. IfAdamdidnotcommitasin,thenwhydoesAllãhtalkaboutrepentanceforAdamandforgivenessfromHimself,and uses so strong words as ?etc عصى and نیملاظلا Firstly, When a prophet like Adam commitsattarku‘l-awla,itisquiteappropriateforhimtoaskAllãhforpardon—notnecessarilyforasinbutfor an inappropriate behaviour. So “repenting” does not necessarily mean that Adam must havecommitted a sin; it is quite appropriate rather advisable even after committing at-tarku ‘l-awla. Secondly, the use of harsh words by Allah in describing the story of Adam is acceptable bykeepinginmindthestatusofAdam.AlthoughAdamdidnotcommitasin,itwasimproperforhimtoadoptaninappropriatebehaviour.Thepeoplewithhighranksareexpectedtolivebythestandardthatishigherthanthatofthenormalhumanbeings.Asthesayinggoes:thevirtuousdeedsofthepiousareconsidered‘sins’bythosewhoarenearesttoGod—¦asanâtu’l-abrârsayyi’âtu’l-muqarrabīn.

TheCaseofProphetIbrahim(as)

There are some verses in the Qur ’ãn that apparently attribute sins and wrong doings to

ProphetIbrãhim(a.s.).Weshalllookatthethreemostimportantsuchexamples.Chapter6(al-An‘ãm)verses75-80:[Remember]whenIbrãhimsaidtohisuncle,Ãzar,“Doyoutakeidolsforgods?SurelyIseeyou

and your people inmanifest error.” ThusWewere showing Ibrãhim the kingdom of the heavensandtheearthsothathemightbeof(al-muqinin)thosewhoaresure[oftheirfaith].Sowhenthenightoutspread over Ibrãhim, he saw a star; he said, “This is my Lord.” But when the star set [in themorning,]hesaid,“[ThiscannotbemyLordbecauseithaspassedaway,]Idonotlikethetransitory[gods].”[Onthenextnight,]whenhesawthemoonrising,hesaid,“ThisismyLord.”Butwhenthemoonsethesaid,“IfmyLordhadnotguidedme,thenIshallsurelybeof(a¤-¤ãliyn)thepeoplewhohavegoneastray.”[Inthemorning,]whenIbrãhimsawthesunrising,hesaid,“ThismustbemyLord[because]thisisgreater[thanthestarandthemoon!]”Butwhenthesunset,hesaid,“Omypeople,surely I am free fromwhatyouassociate [withAllah.] I have sincerely turnedmyself toHimwhooriginatedtheheavensandtheearth,andIamnotoneofthepolytheists.”ManyhistoriansofreligiontakeIbrãhimasthefounderofthemonotheisticidea.Thisdefinitely

goesagainst the Islamicview thatmonotheismwas theoriginal faithofmankind from thedaysofAdam(a.s.),andthatlateronpeoplebecamepolytheists.TheQur ’ãnicstatementsquotedabovehavebeenusedasaproofoftheevolutionaryphasesinIbrãhimfrompolytheismtomonotheism.Thisis,obviously,anincorrectreadingoftheQur'ãn. 1. This entire passage quoted above actually shows that Prophet Ibrãhimwas actively engaged

incombatingidol-andnature-worshipping.Readingthewholepassagedoesnotraiseanyproblemaboutthe‘i¥mahofProphetIbrãhim.Hedidnotraisethepossibilityofthestar,themoonandthesunbeinggodsasafact;itwasraisedonlyasapartofhismethodofdisprovingsuchapossibility.Indebates,itisquitecommontoinitiallyaccepttheviewofyouropponentinordertoleadhimtoyourownview.IfyoureadthefirstpartofthepassagewhereIbrãhimisdisputingwithhisownuncle11against

idolworshippingandalsoAllãh’sstatementthat“Wewereshowing…sothathemightbeofthosewhoare sure [of their faith],” it shows thathewasa truebelieverbeforeheengaged indebatewith theidol-andnatureworshippers.2.Eventhepassagewherehesays,“IfmyLordhadnotguidedme,thenI shall surely be of the peoplewho have gone astray,” is a conditional statement. It says “if” and“then”.Andsincethefirstpartdidnottakeplace,thereforethesecondpartisnotrelevant.Chapter21(al-Anbiyã’)verses62-63:Inpursuantofhismissionagainstidolworshipping,Ibrãhimonedaysmashedalltheallidolsof

thetempleexceptthebigone.ThentheQur ’ãnsays:[Theidol-worshippers]said,“Whohasdonethisto our gods?He surelymust be one of the unjust people.” [Some of them] said, “We have heardayouthspeaking[ill]of them,andhe isknownas Ibrãhim.”…[WhenIbrãhimwasbrought to theking,]he said, “Rather itwas this their leader thathasdone it—ask the [smashed idols] if theycanspeak.”***

11 TheQur’ãn uses the word “ab” for Ãzar who was an idolworshipper. He was not father of

Ibrãhim;hewashisuncle.LookatthefollowingversewhereheeventuallydisassociateshimselffromÃzar:9:114.Ontheotherhand,weseethatIbrãhim,atthelaststageofhislife,praysforhis“wãlid,”awordthatisusedfortherealfather.Seeverse14:41.Theobjectionagainst‘i¥mahisthatifIbrãhimwasma‘¥um,howcouldhelie?Again,ifwelookat

the entire passage,we see that Ibrãhimwanted tomake his people realize that idols are notworthworshipping—iftheycannotdefendthemselvesoreventalk,thenhowcantheyhelpyou.Secondly,Ibrâhím’sanswerisconditional:“…iftheycanspeak.”Ibrâhím’sanswerwasrhetorical

andintendedtoforcethepeopletothink.Thisbecomesclearerfromthefollowingverse:21:65-66…Theysaid,“Youknowthattheidolsdonotspeak.”Ibrãhimsaid,“Wellthen,doyouworship,besidesAllah,[theidols]thatneitherbenefityouinanywaynorharmyou.”Chapter2(al-Baqarah)Verse260 And [remember] when Ibrãhim said, “My Lord! Show me how You give life to the dead.”

Allah said, “What, do you not believe [in resurrection]?”He answered, “Certainly [I believe, I amaskingthis]sothatmyheartmaybeatease.”Allahsaid,“Takefourofthebirds….”Some people use this incident as a proof that Ibrãhim did not believe in resurrection. This

is absolutely incorrect. The question and answer are themselves very obvious that he believed.“Certainly[Ibelieve].”Thenwhydidheaskforademonstrationofresurrection?Firstly,IbrãhimsurelybelievedinGod’spowerofgivinglifetodead.However,thiswasabelief

based on the revelation of Allãh just as we believe in it based on the information reached tous throughtheprophetsand theImams. Secondly, Ibrãhimwanted toelevate the levelofhisbelieffrom“information”to“demonstration”.Accordingto traditions,onedayIbrãhimsawadead fish,half in thewater, theother half outside thewater.He also saw that sea creatureswere eating awayonehalf of the fish and land animalswere eating away theother half.This incidentmade Ibrãhimwonderabouttheissueofresurrection.Weareusingtheword“wonder”not“doubt”.ThisiswhenhehadthedesireofseeingademonstrationofAllãh’spowerofresurrection,andthisalsoexplainsthewayAllahaskedhimtokillandmixthepartsofthefourbirds.Inconclusion,Ibrãhimbelievedinresurrectionbeforeaswellasafterthisevent.Thedifferenceis

thathisbeliefprior to thiseventwasbasedon the informationabout the future revealed tohimbyGod;whereasafterthisevent,hisbeliefinresurrectionwasbasedonvisualdemonstrationdonebyhimwithAllãh’spermission.ThisissimilartoaMuslimwhohasbeentohajj:beforehisjourney,hebelieved that theKa‘bahexisted;but thebasisofhisbelief changedafterhis journey—nowhehasseentheKa‘bahwithhisowneyes.

TheCaseofProphetMusa(as)

Chapter28(al-Qa¥a¥)Verses15-16 And he entered the city at a time when its people were not aware [of his presence], and

foundthereintwomenfighting:onewasfromhispartyandtheotherwasfromhisenemies.[When]theonewhowashisfollower[sawMúsã,he]criedouttohimforhelpagainsttheonewhowasfromhisenemies.SoMúsã[wentand]struckhimwithhisfistandkilledhim.[ThenMúsã]said,“ThisisShaytãn’sdeed;surelyheisanopenenemywholeads[others]

astray.”[Músã]said,“MyLord!I;unjusttomyselfsurelyhavebeen[forgiveme.”So[Allah]له )

forgavehim;HeistheForgiving,theMerciful.”ThecommontranslationofthelastversecombinedwiththestatementabouttheShaytãncreatesconflictwiththeconceptof‘i¥mah,infallibility. Whenreading these verses, keep the following points inmind:1.WhatMúsãdidwasnotacrime;hewenttohelpanoppressedpersonand,intheprocess,strucka

blowwithhisfistattheoppressor.Thisended,unexpectedly,inthedeathoftheoppressor.Helpinganoppressedpersonisapraiseworthyactinitself.Thedeathoftheoppressor,atmost,canbelabeledasaccidentaldeaththatisnotacrimeorasin.2. Músã’s words that “This is Shaytãn’s deed” does not necessarily refer to his own

action. Remember that the Shaytãn himself knew his limits; he says to Allah, “… I will certainlymisleadthemalltogetherexceptthedevotedservantsofYour ’sfromamongthem.”(38:82-83)AndAllãhsaystotheShaytãn,“…Asformyservants,youhavenopoweroverthemexcept thosewhofollowyoufromamongthemisledpeople….”(15:41)AndMúsãsurelywasnotamongthemisledservantsofAllãh! Sothesentencethat“thisisShaytãn’sdeed”referstothemischiefstartedbytheoppressorhimself.3.Asforthesentencethat“MyLordIhavesurelybeenunjusttomyself,”thismustbeinterpreted

in lightof themeaningof ¨ulmexplained in thecaseofProphetAdam(a.s.). Itscorrect translationwould be: “My Lord I surely have put myself into harm” — after the accidental death of theoppressor,MúsãwaspursuedbythepeopleofFir‘awn.4.Thenhowdoyouexplainthesentenceafterthatwhichsaysthat“ighfirlī”whichmeans“forgive

me”and “ghafara” which means that Allah “forgave him”? Again, the common meaning of

ghafara(forgiving)isnotapplicablehere.Theword“ghafara”alsomeans“towatchoversomeone”or“toguardsomeone”or“tocoversomething[i.e.,protectit]”.Thissecondmeaningdoesnotimplyany sin; it justmeans that by accidentally killing the oppressor,Músã found himself in harm andtrouble from the people of Fir‘awn; and, therefore, he prays “… therefore, guard me and Allahguardedhim.” Thismeaningof the last sentence isalsosupportedbyanotherverseof theQur ’ãnwhich quotesAllãh saying toMúsã that, “…when you killed an [Egyptian]man [accidentally andwerebeingpursuedbyFir‘awn’speople],Wedeliveredyoufromtheworry…”(20:40)Sothe¨ulmisexplainedinthisverseas“worry”;and“ghafara”isexplainedas“delivered”.

TheCaseofProphetYunus(as)

Anotherversewhichisconsideredtobeincompatiblewiththeconceptof‘i¥mahisaboutProphet

Yúnus(a.s.).Chapter21(al-Anbiyã’)verses87-88:And (remember) Yúnus, when he went away in anger; and he thought that We would never

havepoweroverhim(naqdira).Thenhecalledinthedarkness[ofnight,sea,andfish]:“ThereisnogodbutYou,glorybetoThee;surelyIamoneoftheunjust(¨ãlimeen).SoWerespondedtohimanddeliveredhimfromthegrief,andthusdoWedeliverthebelievers.If theProphetofIslamis infallible(ma‘¥ûm), thenwhydoesAllãhsaythatHefoundhim¤ãlan

whichnormallymeans“onewhohasgoneastray”or“onewhostraysfromtherightpath”or“onewho is lost”? Firstofall, thecommonmeaning isnotapplicablehere. In thenormalusageof theword, it is applied for non-believers. But thismeaning is negated by another verse of theQur ’ãnwhereAllãhsays,“Iswearbythestarwhenitgoesdown,thatyourcompanion[i.e.,Mu¦ammad]hasnotgoneastray(mã¤alla),nordoesheerr…”(53:1-2)Secondly, even if we take it in the meaning of “lost” or “gone astray”, it could be interpreted

without denying the ‘i¥mah of the Prophet: you can say that he was wandering in search ofrevelation. Finally, the ideaofbeing “lost”doesnot alwayshave anegative sense to it.Read thefollowingtwosentencescarefully:(1)“Iwaslost.”(2)“Theringwaslost.”Inthefirstsentence,thereisanegativesense;butinthesecondsentence,

thereisnonegativeconnotationtotheringthatislost.Ifweusetheword“lost”fortheProphetinthesecondsense,thenthereshouldbenoproblematall.Wecanthenexplaintheverseasfollows:“And[did not God] find you lost [among your people], and so He guided [them to you].” The lastinterpretationissupportedby‘Abdullãhibn‘Abbãs,aclosecompanionoftheProphet,andalsobyImam‘Aliar-Ri¤ã(a.s.).2ndVerse:Chapter48(al-Fath)verses2-3:VerilyWegrantedtheeamanifestvictory;sothatGodmay[1]forgivetheethysinsofthepastandthosetofollow,[2]fulfillHisfavourtothee,[3]andguidetheeonthestraightpath,[4]andthatGodmayhelptheewithpowerfulhelp.Theseverseswererevealed inreference to theTreatyof°udaybiyya inwhich theProphetmade

peacewith unbelievers ofMecca in the year 6A.H. The Prophet had gonewith only 1400 lightlyarmedMuslimswiththeintentionofdoingtheminorpilgrimage(‘umrah).Theidol-worshippersofMecca barred them from enteringMecca; aftermuch discussion, they agreed to a ten years peacetreatywiththeProphet.Allãhdescribedthispeacetreatyasa“manifestvictory”.ThenHegoesontoexplainwhyHegavethis“manifestvictory”totheProphet.Hegivesthreereasons:Thefirstreasonisveryinterestingaswellascontroversial.“SothatGodmayforgivetheethysinsofthepastandthosetofollow.”Thisclearlyimpliesthat

Prophet Mu¦ammad had committed sins in past and could commit sins in future; he was not ama‘¥ûm.

Theproblemisthatthisinterpretationoftheversecreatesotherproblems:1.Itgoesagainsttheverseswediscussedearlierabout‘i¥mahingeneral.2.Thefirstreason,ascommonlytranslated,seemsoutofplaceandirrelevanttotheissueofthe

peacetreaty.Thereisnoclearconnectionbetweengrantingamanifestvictoryandforgivingofsins.Moreover,itwouldseemridiculoustohelpamessengertospreadthewordofIslam(“tosubmittoGod’slaws”)andthengrantabsolutelicenseforcommittingsinstothatverymessenger!3. Itwould seem that in Islam, theProphet is above the law:we are forbidden fromcommitting

sinsbutheisallowed! In light of these problems with the common translation, many exegetists have attempted

otherinterpretations:1.Somesayitmeans“sinsofAdamandsinsoftheMuslims”;2.Otherssayitmeans“pastsinsofyourummahareforgivenandtheirfuturesinswillbeforgiven

byyourintercession”;3.Yetotherssayitmeans“yourpastandfutureat-tarku’awlaisforgiven”.Besideslackinganycrediblebasis,suchinterpretationsfailtorelatetheparticularsentencetothe

eventofTreatyof°udaybiyyah.The best interpretation that I have seen is of ‘Allãmah a§-±abã§abã’i in his al-Mizãn. A§-

±abã§abã’igoes to the literalmeaningof thewords:dhanbwhich iscommonlyused for“sin”andghafarawhichiscommonlyusedfor“forgiving”.Theworddhanbisfromtheverb-formdhanabawhichmeans“tofollow”;itsnounformdhanab

means“tail;somethingthatfollows”.Sothemainideaintheworddhanbistheconceptofsomethingfollowing theother.“Sin” isknownas“dhanb”because it isanact thatentailsevilconsequence informofAllãh’sdispleasureandpunishment.Thewordghafaraactuallymeans“tocoverorconcealsomething” which also implies the meaning of protecting something. This word is used in itsoriginalmeaninginour¦adīthliterature.Forexample,a¦adīthsay“Ghaffirash-shaybbi’l-khidhãb”whichmeans“Coverthewhitehairbydyeing”or“Conceal theoldagebydyeing.”“Forgiving”isknownas“ghafara”becausebyforgiving,Allãhcoverstheevilconsequenceofsins,andprotectsthesinnerfromit.With the literalmeaningsof the twocrucialwords in theverse: dhanb and yaghfira, theentire

passageunderdiscussionbecomesmoremeaningfulandrelevant totheTreatyof°udaybiyya.Theverseswouldnowreadasfollows:VerilyWegrantedthee[in theTreatyof°udaybiyya]amanifestvictory;sothatGodmayprotectyoufromthepastandfutureconsequencesofyour[policywiththeMeccans].Prophet Mu¦ammad’s mission had angered the idol-worshippers of Mecca to the extent that

theyplannedtokillhimandwhentheyfailed,theywagedwarafterwaragainsthim.ThishadgreatlylimitedthemissionaryactivitiesoftheMuslimsoutsideMedina.Withthepeace-treatyof°udaybiyya,theProphetgotthechancetopeacefullyconveyhismessagetoallpeopleoftheArabianPeninsulaandoutsideit.Historyshowsthatwithinthreeyearsofthepeacetreatyof°udaybiyya,almostallofArabiahadcomeintothefoldofIslam—theyear9AHisknownasthe“YearofDelegations”sincemanydelegationsofArabtribescametoMedinaandacceptedIslam.ItwasthispeacetreatythatlaidthegroundforthefallofMeccaatthehandsoftheMuslims.SoAlmightyAllãhfulfilledHispromisebysayingthatHegaveagreatvictorythroughthetreaty

of °udaybiyya: Through this treaty, He protected the Prophet from evil consequence ofunbelievers’reactiontowhatMu¦ammad(s.a.w.)haddonebeforeandwhateverhedidafterthepeacetreaty. Thus the verse is connected to the treaty of °udaybiyya and our belief in the ‘i¥mah of the

ProphetofIslam(maypeaceandblessingsofAllãhbeuponhim)isalsointact.3rdVerse:Chapter80(‘Abasa)1-10:He frowned and turned (his) back because there came to him a blind man. And what would

make you know that he may purify himself; or he may be reminded and the reminding wouldbenefithim?Butwhenafreefromneed(i.e.,richpersoncometoyou),thenyouaddressyourselftohim…Butwhenahard-workingpersoncomestoyou(andhealsofears),thenyouturnawayfromhim?!TheEvent:TheseversesrefertoanincidentinMecca,when‘AbdullãhbinUmmMaktúm,ablindman, came to agatheringwhere theProphetwas talking to somepeople amongwhomweresomeleadersofQuraysh(‘AtbabinRabí‘a,AbuJahl,‘Abbãs,UbayybinKhalaf,UmayyabinKhalaf)werealsopresent.When‘AbdullãhbinUmmMaktúmcametothatgathering,someonefrownedandturned away from him. The Problem:Who frowned and turned away from the blind man? TheQur ’ãndoesnotgivethename.Therearetwoversionsofthisstory.1stView:SunnisourcesandafewShī’ísourcessaythatitwastheProphetofIslamwhofrowned

andturnedawayfromtheblindman.2nd View: Most Shī’í sources, following the teachings of the Imams of Ahlu ’l-Bayt

(whoobviouslyknewtheProphetbetter thanothers),saythat itwasoneof theUmayyidleadersofQurayshwhofrownedandturnedawayfromtheblindman.We accept the second view because there is an internal proof from theQur ’ãn that it waswell

belowthecharacterofProphetMu¦ammadtobehaveinthisway.(a)AllãhaddressestheProphet:“Nun.Iswearbythepenandwhat[theangels]writethatyouare

not,bythegraceofyourLord,alunatic;andthatsurelyyoushallhaveaperpetualreward[foryourwork];andmostsurelyyouareonthesublime[level]ofmorality.”(68:1-4)ThistestimonyabouttheProphet’s character was revealed after súrah al-Iqra and before súrah an-Najm; i.e., before therevelationoftheversesunderdiscussion.HowcanapersondescribedsohighlybyAllãhallegedlybehaveinsucharepellingmanner! (b) In the very early stage of his mission, the Prophet was clearly told how to behave in

conveying his message to the people: “And warn thy nearest relatives; and be kind to him whofollowsyouofthebelievers.”(26:214-215)Inanotherverse,Allãhsays,“Therefore,declareopenlywhatyouhavebeenordered,andturnawayfromthepolytheists.”(15:94)ItseemsimprobablethataProphet praised so highly in the previous verse and told to be kind to the believers,would frownwhenapproachedbyablindperson.(c)ThecharacteroftheProphetandhiscriterionofpreferencehavehistoricallybeenprovedby

thefollowingevent:ManyearlyconvertstoIslamweretheoppressedandweakpeopleofMeccalikeBilãl, ‘Ammãr, SãlimMaulaAbi °udhayfa, IbnMas‘ûd,Miqdãd and others. TheQurayshi leadersonce told the Prophet that, “Why do you sit among these people? If you turn them away fromyourself, we might accept you as our leader.” The Prophet refused. And Allãh confirmed theProphet’s responseby revealing the followingverse:“Anddonotdriveaway thosewhocallupontheirLordatmorningandeveningdesiringHisfavour.Nothingoftheiraccountfallsuponyou,andnothing of your account falls upon them.So if you drive them away, youwill becomeone of the

unjust.Inthisway,Wetrysomeofthembyothers.[Becauseoftheirspiritualperfection,Allahexaltedthosepoorpersons,andthusHetriesthoserichpeoplewholackfaithand]whosay,‘Arethese[poorpeople]theonesuponwhomAllahhasbeengracioustoamongus?’DoesnotAllahknowverywellthegrateful [servants]?” (6:52-53) In conclusion, ascribing the act of frowning and turning awayfromtheblindmancannotbeascribedtotheholyProphetofIslam.4thVerse:Chapter66(at-Ta¦rīm)Verses1-12:1.O Prophet! Why do you forbid (for yourself) what God has made lawful for you? You seek

topleaseyourwives;andGodisMostForgiving,theMostMerciful.2. Indeed,God hasmade lawful for you the dissolution of your oaths (in such cases), andGod

(alone)isyourLord.AndHeisAllknowing,theWise.3. When the Prophet confided to one of his wives (°af¥a) a matter, but when she divulged it

(to‘Ã’isha)andGodapprisedhimaboutit—hemadeknownapartofit(i.e.,thetalkbetween°af¥aand ‘Ã’isha) and avoided a part of it. So when he informed her (°af¥a) about it, she said, “Whoinformedyouofthis?”Hesaid,“Informedme,theAll-Knowing,theAll-Aware.”4. If you two (‘Ã’isha and °af¥a) turn (in repentance) unto Allah, then indeed your hearts

are inclined (to righteousness) but if you two back up each other against him, then verilyGod ishisProtector;andJibraīl,themostvirtuousamongthebelievers,andtheangelswillthereafterbackhimup.5. Happly his Lord, if he (Mu¦ammad) divorces you, will give in your place wives better than

you (who will be) submissive, faithful, obedient, repentant, prayerful, observers of fast, widowsandvirgins…10. God set forth the similitude of those who disbelieve the wife of Nú¦ and the wife of Lút:

they both were under two of Our righteous servants, but they were unfaithful and they (i.e., theirhusbands)availedthemnothingagainstGod;anditwassaidtothem(thetwowives):“Enteryouboththefirewiththosewhoenterit.”11.Godsetforththesimilitudeofthosewhobelieve[1] the wife of Fir‘awn, when she said, “O My Lord! Build for me a house in the Garden

anddelivermefromFir‘awnandhisdoing,anddelivermefromtheunjustpeople.”12.And[2]Maryam,thedaughterof‘Imrãn,whoguardedherchastity;andWebreathedintoherOurspirit

(i.e.,‘Isa),andshetestifiedthetruthofthewordsofherLordandHisscriptures,andshewasoftheobedientones. Thischapterwas revealed in regard to°af¥aand‘Ã’isha, thewivesof theProphet.BesidesKhadījah, the onlywife of the Prophetwho bore child for himwasMãriyaQib§iyya, theEgyptianslavegiftedtohimbytheEgyptianKing.AfterthebirthofIbrãhim(theProphet’ssonfromMãriya),‘Ã’ishaand°af¥abecameveryjealousofMãriya. Therearemanyviewsontheoccasionfortherevelationofthischapter.Thenarrationsaredifferentbutmostrelatetothejealousyof°af¥aand‘Ã’ishaagainstMãriyaand/orZaynabbintJahash.Aversionoftheeventconsideredauthenticbysomeofourscholarsisasfollows:°af¥aenteredherroomandfoundtheProphetwithMãriya;shebecameveryupsetwiththeProphet.TheProphet,inordertocalm°af¥a,tookanoaththathewouldnotseeMãriyaagain.Healsoasked°af¥atokeeptheissueofhisoathtoherselfandnotdivulgeitto

anyone.AnotherversionsaysthatinordertochangetheProphet’sloveforZaynabbintJahash,°af¥aand‘Ã’ishamadeaplanthatwhenevertheProphetcamefromZaynab,theybothwouldsaythathismouth is smelling bad—and attribute the bad smell to a drink of honey (maghãfír)which Zaynabalwaysmade for theProphet.TheProphet tookanoathnot topartake thehoney-drink thatZaynabmade for him. He also asked °af¥a to keep the issue of his oath to herself and not divulge it toanyone.12 Did the Prophet commit a sin by making an oath that he will no longer see his slave-girl,

MãriyaQib§iyyahornolongerdrinkthehoney-drinkmadebyZaynab?Thechapterasawholeismostly directed to the attitude of thewiveswho conspired against the Prophet: it talks aboutGodwillinglytoreplacethosetwowiveswithbetterwivesandasksthemtorepent.Theopeningverse,atmost, is a friendly rebuke by God to the Prophet for imposing un-necessary deprivation uponhimself.There isnoprohibition inmakinganoath toabstain froma thing that ispermissible. If apersonmakessuchanoathand then indents tonullify it, thenhe ispermitted todosoafterpayingexpiationforit.(See5:89)SotheseversescannotbeusedagainsttheconceptofinfallibilityoftheProphetofIslam,Mu¦ammad,peacebeuponhimandhisprogeny. 12 For various version of the event, see a§-±abã§abã’i, al-Mizãn fi Tafsiri ’l-Qur’ãn, vol. 19

(Tehran:DarulKutub, 1362 [solar] p. 391-395;Abu ’l-Ma‘lãMawd-d¢, Tafh¢mu ’l-Qur’ãn, vol. 6(Lahore: Idãra-eTarjumãnu ’l-Qur’ãn,1994)p.16-17;Fakhru ’d-D¢nar-Rãzi,Mafãt¢¦u ’l-Ghayb,vol.30(Beirut:Dãru’l-Kutub,1990)p.37.

8ChapterOURENGLISHPUBLICATIONS

1.ALectureonNahjulBalaghaBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi2.BibiFatmah(a.s.)By:M.M.Dungarsi3.Bilal’sBedtimeStoriesPartIBy:A.Sheriff/A.Aloo4.Bilal’sBedtimeStoriesPartIIBy:A.Sheriff/A.Aloo5.Bilal’sBedtimeStoriesPartIIIBy:ZishaneFatima6.BasicPrinciplesofIslamBy:Muntazir7.DayofJudgmentBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi8.DailyDuasofRamadhan9.Dua-e-KumeilBy:HusseinA.Rahim10.ElementsofIslamicStudiesBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi11.FamilylifeofIslamBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi12.FastBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi13.FadakBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi14.FourCalifornianLecturesBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi15.FocusOnBilal’sEyeCamps16.God:AnIslamicPerspectiveBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi17.GodofIslamBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi18.GuidancefromQur ’anBy:H.Rahim&AliSheriff19.HijabBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi20.HighlightsofBilal21.ImamateBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi22.InnerVoiceBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi23.IslamBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi24.InDefenceofIslamicLawsBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi25.ImamAli(a.s.)By:M.M.Dungarsi26.ImamHassan(a.s.)By:M.M.Dungarsi27.ImamHussein(a.s.)By:M.M.Dungarsi28.ImamAlibinHussein(a.s.)By:M.M.Dungarsi29.ImamMuhammadAl-Baqir(a.s.)By:M.Dungarsi30. Imam Jaffar As-Sadiq (a.s.) By: M.M.Dungarsi31. Imam Mussa bin Jaffar (a.s.) By:

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40.Meaning&OriginofShi’ismBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi41.MoralStoriesPartIBy:AhmedSheriff42.MoralStoriesPartIIBy:AhmedSheriff43.MuwaddatulQurbaBy:SyedA.Rizvi44.MusicandItsEffectsBy:AhmedSheriff45.NeedofReligionBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi46.OntotheRightPathBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi47.ProphethoodBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi48. PropheciesAbout TheHoly Prophet of Islam inHindu,Christian, Jewish,& Parsi

ScripturesBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi49.PropheciesAboutTheOccaltationofImamAl-MahdiBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi50.PhilosophyofTawhidBy:JafferaliAseer51.ProphetYunus(a.s.)By:AhmedSheriff52.PorkBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi53.Qur ’anandHadithBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi54.TheHolyProphetBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi55.TheIdealIslamicGovernmentBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi56.TaqiyahBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi57.TheReturnofAl-Mahdi(a.s.)By:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi58.TheCharterofRightsBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi59.TheIdealYouthBy:AhmedSheriff60.TheInfallibilityoftheProphetsintheQur ’ãnBy:HujjatulIslamwalMuslimeenSayyid

MuhammadRizvi61.WhyPrayinArabicBy:AhmedSheriff62.WhataMuslimshouldKnowandBelieveBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi63.WahhabisFitnahExposedBy:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi64.YourQuestionsAnsweredVol1By:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi65.YourQuestionsAnsweredVol2By:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi66.YourQuestionsAnsweredVol3By:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi67.YourQuestionsAnsweredVol4By:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi68.YourQuestions

AnsweredVol5By:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi69.YourQuestionsAnsweredVol6By:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizvi70.YourQuestions

AnsweredVol7By:AllamahSayyidSaeedAkhtarRizviBILALMUSLIMMISSIONOFTANZANIAP.O.Box20033,DaresSalaam–Tanzania.E-mail:bilal@cats-net.com/bilal@raha.com

FromthesameauthoronIslamicMobility

TheRitualAblutionsforWomen-TaharatuNNisa(2013)AComprehensive book on the shari'ah laws pertaining to the ritual ablutions for women according to the Shi'ite (Jafa'ari) school ofJurisprudence(fiqh)-ISLAMICMOBILITY.COM-Publishedby:VancouverIslamicEducationalFoundationVancouver,BritishColumbia,Canadaal-islam.org

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