First of all, we take the following quotes from the Shia books regarding the authority of this book called “al-Ihtijaj” which was authored by the Imami scholar abu Mansour Ahmad bin `Ali bin abi Talib al-Tabrasi (died around 600 hijri)
al-Majlisi said:
وكتاب الاحتجاج وإن كان أكثر أخباره مراسيل لكنه من الكتب المعروفة، وقد أثنى السيد ابن طاوس على الكتاب وقد أخذ عنه أكثر المتأخرين
[And the book al-Ihtijaj, even if most of its narrations are Maraseel yet it is from the popular books, and al-Sayyid ibn Tawous praised it, and the majority of late scholars take knowledge from it.]
al-Khawansari said:
كتاب الاحتجاج معتبر معروف بين الطائفة، مشتمل على كل ما اطلع عليه من احتجاجات النبي والأئمة، بل كثير من أصحابهم الأمجاد مع جملة من الأشقياء المخالفين
[The book al-Ihtijaj is authoritative and popular among our sect, it contains all the arguments of the Prophet and Imams and their noble companions against a group of evil ones.]
Researcher of “al-Ihtijaj” Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Khorasan said in the introduction:
الكتاب بمجموعه موضع اعتماد الأعلام والباحثين، بالرغم من أن أكثر أحاديثه مراسيل، إلا أن الثقة الكبيرة التي يتمتع بها مؤلف الكتاب، زرعت في نفوس المؤلفين الاعتماد عليه، والنقل عنه دون تمحيص وتحقيق، وتدقيق في أسناد الأخبار والأحاديث
[The book in its entirety is relied upon by the scholars and researchers, even though most of its narrations are Mursal. However, the great trust this author has, it planted in the souls of all authors the ability of relying on it, and quoting from it without verification and without researching the chains of its narrations.]
We don’t really care for its narrations, we only care for what the author abu Mansour al-Tabrasi himself says. We will quote what al-Majlisi quoted from the book al-Ihtijaj in his own book Bihar al-Anwar 89/43.
Under the chapter title:
3 – الإحتجاج: في خبر من ادعى التناقض في القرآن
[3- al-Ihtijaj: The news of those who claimed the Qur’an is self contradicting.]
He begins by giving some examples, he speaks about how Allah indirectly refers to evil men in the Qur’an without directly mentioning their names, he says:
إن الكناية عن أسماء ذوي الجرائر العظيمة من المنافقين في القرآن ليست من فعله تعالى وإنها من فعل المغيرين والمبدلين، الذين جعلوا القرآن عضين، واعتاضوا الدنيا من الدين
[The indirect way of referring to the names of the people who committed great sins, from among the hypocrites in the Qur’an, this was not Allah’s doing rather it was done by the ones who alter and change, those who exchanged the Qur’an in return for benefits from the worldly life.]
Right after that, he speaks about those who altered and changed the Book:
وقد بين الله تعالى قصص المغيرين بقوله: ” فويل للذين يكتبون الكتاب بأيديهم ثم يقولون هذا من عند الله ليشتروا به ثمنا قليلا ” وبقوله: ” وإن منهم لفريقا يلون ألسنتهم بالكتاب ” وبقوله: ” إذ يبيتون ما لا يرضى من القول ” بعد فقد الرسول مما يقيمون به أود باطلهم، حسب ما فعلته اليهود والنصارى، بعد فقد موسى وعيسى من تغيير التوراة والإنجيل، وتحريف الكلم عن مواضعه، وبقوله: ” يريدون ليطفؤا نور الله بأفواههم ويأبى الله إلا أن يتم نوره ”
يعني أنهم أثبتوا في الكتب ما لم يقله الله، ليلبسوا على الخليفة، فأعمى الله قلوبهم حتى تركوا فيه ما دل على ما أحدثوه فيه، وحرفوا منه، وبين عن إفكهم وتلبيسهم، وكتمان ما علموه منه، ولذلك قال لهم: ” لم تلبسون الحق بالباطل ” وضرب مثلهم بقوله: ” فأما الزبد فيذهب جفاء وأما ما ينفع الناس فيمكث في الأرض
[Allah has clearly shown the stories of those who alter and change when he said: {So woe to those who write the “scripture” with their own hands, then say, “This is from Allah,” in order to exchange it for a small price.} And when He said: {And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture.} And He said: {They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people} After the passing of the Messenger so they may establish their corrupt foundations, just as the Jews and Christians did after the passing of Musa and `Isa, when they altered the Torah and Bible, and they corrupted the words from their initial state, Allah says about them: {They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light} Meaning they had placed in the Book that which is not from the words of Allah, to conceal the position of the successor (Khaleefah), but Allah blinded their hearts in a way that they had left in it clues pointing to what they committed, and proofs of what they had corrupted, and a clear sign of their lies and deception, and what they intentionally kept out of it even though they knew it was a part of it, this is why Allah addressed them: {Why do you confuse the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know [it]?} Allah also gave their example: {As for the foam, it vanishes, [being] cast off; but as for that which benefits the people, it remains on the earth.}]
al-Tabrasi explains how he understands the “foam” in the above verse:
فالزبد في هذا الموضع كلام الملحدين الذين أثبتوه في القرآن فهو يضمحل ويبطل، ويتلاشى عند التحصيل، والذي ينفع الناس منه فالتنزيل الحقيقي الذي لا يأتيه الباطل من بين يديه ولا من خلفه، والقلوب تقبله، والأرض في هذا الموضع هي محل العلم وقراره وليس يسوغ مع عموم التقية التصريح بأسماء المبدلين ولا الزيادة في آياته على ما أثبتوه من تلقائهم في الكتاب، لما في ذلك من تقوية حجج أهل التعطيل والكفر والملل المنحرفة عن قبلتنا، وإبطال هذا العلم الظاهر الذي قد استكان له الموافق والمخالف بوقوع الاصطلاح على الايتمار لهم، والرضا بهم، ولان أهل الباطل في القديم والحديث أكثر عددا من أهل الحق، ولان الصبر على ولاة الامر مفروض لقول الله عز وجل لنبيه صلى الله عليه وآله: ” فاصبر كما صبر أولوا العزم من الرسل ” وإيجابه مثل ذلك على أوليائه وأهل طاعته، بقوله: ” لقد كان لكم في رسول الله أسوة حسنة ” فحسبك من الجواب في هذا الموضع ما سمعت، فان شريعة التقية تحظر التصريح بأكثر منه
[The foam in this location are the words of the unfaithful that they’ve inserted into the Qur’an, these words vanish, and whatever benefits the people is the true revelation that cannot be approach by falsehood from before it or from behind it, that which the hearts accept. As for the “earth” in this location, it refers to the place of knowledge and life. Due to Taqiyyah we cannot generally mention the names of those who altered and changed it (the Qur’an) nor can we add to its verses more than what they had already placed in the Book while driven by their own desires, for doing so would strengthen the arguments of the people of Kufr and the deviant sects who oppose our way and would make their position stronger (…until he says…) and because the people of falsehood have always outnumbered the people of truth, and because patience towards the rulers is obligatory, since Allah told his Prophet (saw): {So be patient, [O Muhammad], as were those of determination among the messengers and do not be impatient for them.} Allah has made it obligatory upon his close friends and obedient slaves when he said: {There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example} So it is sufficient for you (O reader) as an answer in this situation, because the law of Taqiyyah forbids us from saying more than this.]
Then al-Tabrasi mentions some narrations, then he speaks about how Allah indirectly mentioned the evidence for `Ali’s Imamah in a way that the evil ones could not spot it:
وإنما جعل الله تبارك وتعالى في كتابه هذه الرموز التي لا يعملها غيره، وغير أنبيائه وحججه في أرضه، لعلمه بما يحدث في كتابه المبدلون من إسقاط أسماء حججه منه، وتلبيسهم ذلك على الأمة، ليعينوهم على باطلهم، فأثبت فيه الرموز وأعمى قلوبهم وأبصارهم لما عليهم في تركها وترك غيرها من الخطاب الدال على ما أحدثوه فيه، وجعل أهل الكتاب القائمين به، العالمين بظاهره وباطنه، من شجرة ” أصلها ثابت وفرعها في السماء تؤتي اكلها كل حين باذن ربها ” أي يظهر مثل هذا العلم لمحتمليه في الوقت بعد الوقت وجعل أعداءها أهل الشجرة الملعونة الذين حاولوا إطفاء نور الله بأفواههم، ويأبى الله إلا أن يتم نوره.
ولو علم المنافقون لعنهم الله ما عليهم من ترك هذه الآيات التي بينت لك تأويلها لأسقطوها مع ما أسقطوا منه، ولكن الله تبارك اسمه ماض حكمه بايجاب الحجة على خلقه، كما قال الله: ” فلله الحجة البالغة ” أغشى أبصارهم وجعل على قلوبهم أكنة عن تأمل ذلك، فتركوه بحاله، وحجبوا عن تأكيد الملتبس بابطاله، فالسعداء ينتبهون عليه، والأشقياء يعمهون عنه، ومن لم يجعل الله له نورا فماله من نور
[Allah had only made in his Book signs which he understands, and his prophets and those whom he sent as proofs in the earth (ie Imams). Allah did this since He knew what those men would do to his Book, such as removing the names of his proofs (ie Imams), He knew how they’d conceal these matters from the nation and turn the people to their own side, so they may aid them in their evil. Allah kept in his book the signs and blinded their hearts and sight as he knew they would reject it and Allah also left in it the words that point to what they had done to it (…etc)
If the hypocrites may Allah curse them knew what the true meanings of these verses which I have explained to you above are, they would have surely erased them from the Book just as they erased the other ones, but Allah most gracious and wise willed that His arguments always be present for his creations, as He said: {With Allah is the far-reaching argument.} He veiled their sight and closed their hearts so they may not spot them, so they left them un-touched (…until he said…) So the happy ones observe them and recognize them (the arguments) whereas the evil ones do not pay attention, and the ones whom Allah grants no light, they have no light.]
He keeps on quoting verses and explaining them in a way that the Shia understand them, and claiming that Allah intentionally made such verses unclear so they may remain as proof for Imamah and superiority of Ahlul-Bayt, such as Surat al-Safat verse 130 and Surat al-Qasas verse 88. Finally al-Tabrasi mocks the Qur’anic verse 3 of Surat al-Nisa’, he says:
وأما ظهورك على تناكر قوله: ” فان خفتم ألا تقسطوا في اليتامى فانكحوا ما طاب لكم من النساء ” وليس يشبه القسط في اليتامى نكاح النساء، ولا كل النساء أيتاما، فهو لما قدمت ذكره من إسقاط المنافقين من القرآن، وبين القول في اليتامى وبين نكاح النساء من الخطاب والقصص أكثر من ثلث القرآن، وهذا وما أشبهه ظهرت حوادث المنافقين فيه، لأهل النظر والتأمل، ووجد المعطلون وأهل الملل المخالفة للاسلام مساغا إلى القدح في القرآن، ولو شرحت لك كل ما اسقط وحرف وبدل مما يجري هذا المجرى لطال، وظهر ما تحظر التقية إظهاره من مناقب الأولياء ومثالب الأعداء
[As for what is apparent to the reader, from His contradictory saying: {And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphans, then marry those that please you of women} As you observe here, being just to the orphans is unrelated to marrying women, nor are all women orphans, this is simply because of what I had mentioned beforehand, that the hypocrites dropped parts from the Qur’an. What was between the verse of the orphans and the one speaking of the marriage of women, was more than one third of the Qur’anic speech and (many) stories. In such verses and others like them we see the signs of what the hypocrites did (to the Qur’an), the disbelievers and enemies of Islam used such verses to attack the Qur’an, and if I were to explain to you (O reader) everything that was erased and corrupted and altered similar to the above, then it will take a long time, and a lot of what Taqiyyah hides would be exposed from the virtues of the Awliya’ (ie Imams) and the sins of their enemies.]
Do the Imamiyyah still think we’re oppressing them when we accuse them of Tahreef?
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