The Imamah of the Shia, a hidden call for the continuation of Prophet-hood.

Preface:

Praise be to Allah and peace be upon the messenger of Allah and his family and companions,

The one who closely follows the differences between the Islamic groups certainly knows that the fundamental point that sets the Imami Shia sect apart from all others, is their belief in the need of the existence of an infallible Imam(1) after the Prophet (SAWS) until the coming of the hour.

(1) Imam: Leader, the Shia believe that the leader of the nation is infallible and divinely appointed by Allah.

Shia scholar and `Allamah Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar says in his book “`Aqa’id al-Imamiyyah” pg102-103:

[In every era, there must be an Imam of guidance, who succeeds the prophet in his tasks (…) and based on this, no period of time must be devoid of an Imam whose obedience is obligatory, appointed by Allah most high].

It was natural and expected, that the Shia try to prove the validity of this belief and to defend this belief by all possible means. From one side they present what they hope backs up their call from proofs of `Aql(2) and Naql(3), from another side they initiate a merciless attack on the beliefs of the Muslims who do not believe in this Shia “Imamah”.

(2) `Aql: Human Intellect, meaning they try to present intellectual proofs to back up their claims.

(3) Naql: Divine texts, meaning they also try to present proofs from the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

If this matter of “Imamah” remained within the known bounds of academic research, in a way that it would be presented as a scientific theory resulting from the efforts and research of intellectuals after they studied different proofs, and that this theory was subject to discussion, evaluation and criticism  by the men of knowledge and sound opinion, without the need of denying the opinions of those who oppose it and exiling them outside the folds of Islam, then we could have said that there may not have been much harm, as it simply would be a result of human thought, not a non-negotiable fundamental Islamic belief.

However, the Shia scholars took a very dangerous turn with this belief, far from the discussions taking place between the groups within the circle of Islam. This is because they counted the matter of Imamah as being from the foundations of faith like Tawheed(4) and Nubuwwah(5) and Mi`ad(6). They even consider it to be higher than some of those great foundations such as the prophet-hood.

(4) Tawheed: Oneness of God.

(5) Nubuwwah: Prophet-hood.

(6) Mi`ad: The day of resurrection.

From the contemporary Shia scholars who consider it from the foundations of faith are:

Shia grand Ayatullah and Muhaqqiq and `Allamah Ja`far al-Subhani, who says in his book “al-Milal wal-Nihal” 1/257, under the title “Is Imamah from the foundations or the branches”:

[All of the Shia have agreed that it is from the foundations of faith, and they proved it in their books, this is why they consider that the belief in the leadership of the Imams is necessary for correct Islamic belief, as for Ahlul-Sunnah they wrote in their books that it isn’t a foundation.]

Shia scholar al-`Allamah Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar says in “`Aqa’id al-Imamiyyah” pg102:

[We (shia) believe that Imamah is a foundation from the foundations of religion, and that Iman(7) cannot be achieved without believing in it.]

(7) Iman: Faith, what makes one a believer in Islam.

Grand Ayatullah Ruh-Ullah al-Musawi al-Khomeini said in “Kashf al-Asrar” pg149:

[The Imamah is one of the foundations of Islamic religion.]

Shia scholar `Abdul-Hussein al-Muzaffar says in “al-Shafi fi Sharh Usool al-Kafi” pg49:

[This is why it is obligatory upon us to search for the Imamah, as it is a foundation from the foundations of the religion and faith is incorrect without it.]

Grand Ayatullah Nasir Makarim al-Shirazi says in “Nafahat al-Qur’an” 9/10:

[Imamah in the view of the Shia sect and the followers of Ahlul-Bayt (as) is from the foundations of religion and fundamentals of faith, on the other hand the sect of Ahlul-Sunnah considers it from the branches and practical rulings.]

Ayatullah al-Sayyed `Ali al-Husseini and Milani says in “al-Imamah fi Ahamm al-Kutub al-Kalamiyyah” pg43:

[Is Imamah from the foundations of religion and faith or is it from the branches? The truth is: It is from the foundations just like prophet-hood.]

Grand Ayatullah `Abdul-Hussein Sharaf-ul-Deen al-Musawi says in “al-Muraja`at” pg260:

[Know that it shows that the Wilayah of `Ali(8) is from the foundations of religion, as the Imamiyyah believe.]

(8) Wilayah of `Ali: A Shia belief meaning the absolute authority of `Ali, in other words, his Imamah.

With this dangerous turn, the Shia scholars made the Imamah a cross roads between them and other Muslims, putting an obstacle to realizing Islamic unity between the great majority of Muslims and the individuals belonging to the Imami Shia sect. It even made the Shia live in sadness and complete isolation from the rest of the Islamic world, with a huge gap that cannot be filled because of the current nature of their belief in Imamah.

Logically and as a result of this dangerous belief they adopted and forced on themselves, anyone who opposes them in their belief in Imamah has the same ruling as that of a person who denied one of the three Islamic foundations: 1- Affirming the oneness of God. 2- Believing in the prophets of God. 3-  Believing in the day of resurrection. Since the Muslims agree that the one who denies one of these three foundations is a Kafir, then the Shia scholars naturally ruled that the one who denies this fourth foundation (ie Imamah) that they themselves added must also be a Kafir who deserves to go to the hell-fire.

Not only do they believe that the ones who oppose them in the matter of Imamah will end up in hell-fire like the Jews and Hindus and pagans, but they believe that they will receive even greater punishment than people of other faiths. After citing some of the Shia narrations that prove what we mentioned, the grand Shia Ayatullah and leader of the Shia of his time, Muhammad Hassan Najafi comments on them, he says in his book “Jawahir al-Kalam” 36/93-94:

[Either way, the origin of this opinion are the many Mutawatir(9) narrations that prove the disbelief of those who oppose us, and that they are the Zoroastrians of this nation, and they are worse than the Jews and the Christians, so you (reader) know what this implies concerning their condition in the after-life.]

(9) Mutawatir: Mass transmitted.

Classical Shia scholar and leader of their sect at his time, al-Mufid says in “Awa’il al-Maqalat” pg44:

[The Imami (shia) have agreed, that he who denies the Imamah of one of the Imams, and rejects their obedience which Allah has ordered, then he is a Kafir, misguided and deserving to abide in hell-fire forever.]

Shia `Allamah Zayn al-Deen al-`Amili says in “Bihar al-Anwar” 8/368 that there is a consensus on this matter:

[And this is why they (shia scholars) have reported that they will enter the fire by consensus.]

The leader of the Shia sect Naseer al-Deen al-Tusi says in “Noor al-Baraheen” 1/64 by Ni`matullah al-Jaza’iri:

[The Imami (Shia) have adopted the unique opinion, that paradise and salvation cannot be obtained except through believing in the Wilayah of the family of the Prophet (as) and believing in their Imamah. As for the rest of the Muslims, they agreed that the salvation can be obtained after affirming the two testimonies of faith.]

I ask, which of the two groups leans more towards unity and love? Is it the Twelver Shia who agree on the disbelief of anyone who disagrees with them and banish their opponents to hell-fire? Or the mainstream Muslims, Ahlul-Sunnah, who believe that if anyone bears testimony that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad (SAWS) is his messenger, he will enter heaven?

Grand Shia Ayatullah `Abdul-Hussein Sharaf-ul-Deen says in “al-Fusoul al-Muhimmah” pg32:

[We have other authentic narrations that we acquired by means of our twelve Imams (…) and here are some from the book “Usool al-Kafi” and others, these reports give glad tidings to the believers, those who believe in Allah and his messenger and the final day, yet all this is only exclusive to those who follow the Wilayah of the family of the messenger (SAWS) and his pure progeny (…) this is not strange, since their Wilayah is from the foundations of the religion.]

Their top scholar al-Murtada who carries the title of `Alam al-Huda says concerning those who do not believe in Imamah, in his research “al-Risalah al-Bahirah fi al-`Itrah al-Tahirah” 2/251-252:

[What also proves their superiority peace be upon them, and their greatness from among the humans, is that Allah most high showed us that knowing them is like knowing Him, in that it signifies Islam and Iman, and He showed that being ignorant of them and doubting them is like being ignorant of Him and doubting him, in that it signifies Kufr and disbelief. This honor is not given to anyone except our Prophet (SAWS) and after him the chief of believers `Ali (as) and the Imams from his progeny (…) what proves to us, that the leadership of those whom we mentioned (as) is from Iman, while disbelieving in it is Kufr, is the consensus of the Imami Shia, they do not differ on this.]

Sheikh of their sect al-Tusi says in “al-Rasa’il al-`Ashrah” pg103:

[In the name of Allah the merciful, in him I trust, if a questioner asked you: What is faith? then say: It is to believe in Allah, and the messenger, and what the messenger and the Imams have brought peace be upon them. (…) It is based on five pillars, the one who knows them is a believer, the one who is ignorant of them is a Kafir, they are: Oneness of God, Justice of God, Prophet-hood, Imamah and resurrection.]

Shia Muhaqqiq `Ali bin al-Hussein al-Karaki says in “Rasa’il al-Karaki” 1/59:

[In the name of Allah the merciful, on him we rely, praise be to Allah and peace be upon his messenger and his pure family. He who is religiously accountable whether a free-man or a slave, a male or female, must know the five foundations that are pillars of faith: Oneness of God, Justice of God, Prophet-hood, Imamah, resurrection. (…) and he who is ignorant of any of these, he does not walk the path of Iman, and deserves eternal punishment with the Kouffar.]

Indeed, the Shia scholars have applied those beliefs on the ground of reality, all those who disagree with them on Imamah, they made Takfeer on them and cursed them and banished them to the fires of hell forever. The ugly Shia call of Takfeer had reached all Muslims no matter what their rank and virtue is, so they made Takfeer on the companions of the Prophet (SAWS) and the best generation humanity ever knew, and even the rightly guided Caliphs of Islam.

The reason they made Takfeer on the companions (ra) is simply because they did mutual consultation when appointing their leader and they accepted to give authority to other than `Ali (ra).

Shia scholar `Ali bin al-Hussein bin `Abdul-`Aal al-Karaki said in “Rasa’il al-Karaki” 1/62:

[Any sane man who believes in giving precedence to Ibn abi Quhafah, Ibn al-Khattab and Ibn `Affan, who are lowly in lineage, stubborn (disbelievers), it is not known that they had virtues in knowledge or Jihad (…) on them and on those who love them is the curse of Allah and the angels and all humanity.]

The seal of the Muhadditheen of the Shia al-`Allamah Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi says in “Bihar al-Anwar” 30/399:

[I say: The narrations proving the kufr of abi Bakr and `Umar and their likes, and the rewards offered to those who curse them and disown them, and their innovations, are more numerous than we can count in this volume or many other volumes. But what we presented is sufficient for those whom Allah wishes to guide.]

Finally, their scholar al-Mufid says regarding those caliphs who preceded `Ali (ra) in his book “Awa’il al-Maqalat” pg41-42, under the title: “The saying about those who preceded Ameer al-Mu’mineen – `Ali bin abi Talib (as)-“

[The Imami (shia) and many of the Zaydiyyah (shia) have agreed that those who preceded the chief of believers (`Ali), are misguided transgressors, and by keeping the chief of believers (as) from succeeding the messenger of Allah (SAWS), they are disobedient oppressors, abiding in the fire for eternity.]

Thus, the Shia scholars have cursed the first three caliphs may Allah be pleased with them, and they cursed the rest of the companions (ra) who agreed on appointing them as leaders and served under them, then they cursed all the Muslims who are pleased with them and who loved them.

As a result, the scholars of Islam and the Muslims began to look at this Shia belief of Imamah in an objective way, as a serious threat to the unity of the Islamic nation. It is a great call to make Takfeer on all the Muslims just like the call of the Khawarij before them.

In this book I have decided to adopt one of the most important methods of refuting the Shia theory of Imamah. This chosen method is, to prove that the belief in Imamah will lead to great corruption, that the majority of Muslims will reject Imamah if they realized that it is rejected by divine laws and human intellect, without diving into the texts used by Shia to prove Imamah and discussing their meanings or authenticity.

Introduction:

The origin of this belief and the origin of this disease called “Imamah”, is that the Shia scholars decided to place their own intellect (`Aql) before the divine texts (Naql). They formulated several intellectual introductions and made them the basis of deciding and adopting religious beliefs. Although we know the errors of this Shia methodology yet we chose to adopt it, simply to show the readers that these so called intellectual introductions used to prove the theory of Imamah, at the same time also carry the destruction of the theory of Imamah.

Indeed, I have seen clearly that the intellectual bases of this theory, carry in their midst much evil and are a great danger to one of the main foundations of the religion of Islam “The finality of Prophet-hood”. This means that the Shia intellectual bases that led them to believe in the theory of Imamah are corrupt by necessity. In other words, if the Muslims adopt these same intellectual introductions to prove Imamah, then they will demolish the base foundation of the finality of prophet-hood, and the one believing in Imamah must also believe in the continuation of prophet-hood which is the obviously corrupt belief of the Qadiyani (10) sect.

(10) Qadiyani: or al-Qadiyaniyyah is a sect that believes in the continuation of prophet-hood and deny the seal of prophet-hood.

The objective observer will see, that the call of the Imami Shia sect and the call of the Qadiyani sect are one and the same, the only difference is the name but the main ideas are shared by both groups. In fact, the Shia belief in Imamah is considered a first step towards repealing the seal of prophet-hood, and is used as a bridge for the Qadiyaniyyah to cross in order to prove their belief of continuation of prophet-hood. The observer will also notice that the Qadiyaniyyah have relied on most if not all of the intellectual introductions adopted by the Shia, they only differed in the pronunciation or the names of certain terms. The Shia called it “necessity of the presence of an infallible Imam” while the Qadiani called it “necessity of the presence of a prophet”, we seek refuge in Allah from their call.

It is these types of barren theories that show us with clarity, the vast amount of evil that has befallen this nation, as a result of placing the human intellect before the divine texts. Making the intellect an absolute ruler while the divine texts just follow along and are given suitable or convenient interpretations. As a result of people’s intellects being different in realization, recognition and grasping of certain concepts, we see these small deviant groups, each claiming that their saying is correct and is ‘common sense’ or ‘logical’, they all state that their fallacious beliefs are backed and affirmed by human intellect, and that all those opposing them are therefore wrong.

The first chapter:
Brief look at the Qadiyani and the Qadiyaniyyah.

The Qadiyaniyyah sect appeared at the end of nineteenth Christian century in India, after the English occupation became comfortable, and it is a revolution against the prophet-hood of Muhammad (SAWS) and all of Islam. A dangerous religious and political conspiracy that can only be likened to the Isma`eeli Batini movement that was led by `Ubeidullah bin Maymun al-Qidah in the third Hijri century.

This movement was adopted and encouraged by the English government, it was also helped by many social and political factors so it can spread at that time even though it is extremely far away from the religion of Islam. The town of Qadiyan in India became a place of preaching and advertising for this new movement, and the Qadiyanis resorted to debates in order to cast suspicion in the hearts of the Muslims, making them doubt their religion. After India divided in 1947 and Pakistan emerged, the English government forced the Qadiyani Zifr-ullah Khan as a minister of foreign affairs for Pakistan, and in turn this man started to plant Qadiyanis in the government, giving them authority over the Muslims. The Qadiyanis started to join the Pakistani army, the air force and the police,  reaching important positions therein. They even formed an Emirate in Punjab called al-Rabwah, where only Qadiyanis can get jobs, and the Qadiyani is given absolute authority, like a state within a state.

As for the man behind this movement, he is al-Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiyani who was born in 1839 or 1840, and lately it has appeared that he is from Persian origins. In 1907, al-Mirza Ghulam Ahmad challenged a well known Muslims scholar called  Mawlana Thanaullah al-Amritasri, and his challenge was that Allah would put the liar among them to death during the life of his opponent by some horrible disease. In 1908, al-Mirza was struck by a horrible disease and died during the life of his opponent on the 26th of May of that year.

Some examples of his delusions and blasphemy:

We will mention some of his sayings briefly,

He says in “Dafi` al-Bala'” pg11: [He is the God who sent his messenger in Qadiyan.]

He says in “Haqiqat al-Wahi” pg68: [By he who holds my life in his hand, He sent me and named me a prophet.]

He says in a footnote in “Haqiqat al-Wahi” pg72: [Allah most high made apparent all prophets and attributed their names to me, I am Adam, I am Seth, I am Nuh, I am Ibrahim, I am Isma`eel, I am Ya`qoub, I am Yusuf, I am `Isa, I am Musa, I am Dawoud, I am the complete manifestation of Muhammad (SAWS), meaning I am Muhammad and Ahmad]

He said in “Tuhfat al-Nadwa” pg4: [As I have mentioned, these words which I recite are certainly those of Allah, like the Qur’an and the Torah, and I am a prophet]

He says in “Haqiqat al-Wahi” pg9: [The Awliya and Abdal and Qutbs of this Muhammadi nation have been deprived from the bigger portion of this blessing (meaning the Godly revelations and calls), this is why Allah granted me the name of ‘prophet’, as for the others they do not deserve this name.]

I am certain that the reader knows well, that these words cannot be uttered by a sane man, but rather a mentally disturbed fool, or a man who was taken over by the devils who speak on his behalf. We ask Allah to protect our minds from foolishness and possession.

The second chapter:
Finality of prophet-hood in Islam from the perspective of Ahlul-Sunnah.

It is from the main principals of Islam, after believing in the oneness of God and the resurrection after death, is that Allah almighty sealed or ended the prophet-hood with Muhammad (SAWS). The Muslims believe that there is no prophet after him, or any revelation, or inspiration that can be used to derive religious rulings. This belief is famously known as “`Aqeedat Khatm-ul-Nubuwwah”(11) and has been considered by All Muslims since the day of the Prophet (SAWS) as a part of faith, or a part of what makes one a Muslim, this is backed by several Qur’anic verses and tens of prophetic narrations making anyone whom denies this fact a non-Muslim by agreement of the nation.

(11) `Aqeedat Khatm al-Nubuwwah: The belief in the finality of prophet-hood.

It is also good to note that not only did the Prophet (SAWS) inform us that he was the last of the prophets, but he also warned us that there will be certain individuals who shall claim prophet-hood for themselves, when he (SAWS) said in Sahih al-Bukhari and other authentic books: “The hour shall not dawn upon you, until the deceitful liars are sent, around thirty, each claiming to be a messenger of Allah.” and he (SAWS) said in Sahih Muslim: “In my nation will be thirty liars, each claiming he is a prophet, and I am the seal of prophets, there are no prophets after me.”

Notice that the Prophet (SAWS) used the term “Dajjaloun” in the first narration to describe them, this word means “Those who are extremely deceitful”, so the claimants of prophet-hood shall be very good at deceiving and fooling people, acting like Muslims to try and attack the correct Islamic beliefs from the inside, like Musaylamah al-Kazzab tried to do by claiming that he was the partner of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) in his message.

Indeed what the Prophet (SAWS) said did take place, many people throughout history claimed prophet-hood, some more successful than others, fooling the ignorant people around them, but the Islamic nation was always ready and on the lookout, as they were aware and they had clear guidance in the book of their Lord and the Sunnah of his Prophet (SAWS). Thus, whenever such a person appeared, the nation would expel him outside the circle of Islam and treat him like a Kafir, without even asking him to prove his claims as the companions (ra) did with the liars of their time such as Musaylamah al-Kazzab, al-Aswad al-`Ansi, Tulayha al-Asadi, Sajah al-Nasraniyah, al-Harith bin Sa`eed and others of their like.

However…

{ Lo! the devils do inspire their minions to dispute with you. But if ye obey them, ye will be in truth idolaters.} [Qur’an 6:121]

Sadly, to this day the disbelievers and doubters still cast suspicion on the religion of God in order to misguide the Muslims. From the first doubts the enemies of Allah cast is, the fact that previous nations received prophets to guide them while in our times we have none to guide us. According to them this opposes the justice of Allah, even if we do not need a new Shari`ah(12) yet they claim we always need divinely appointed guides.

(12) Shari`ah: Islamic divine laws.

The origin of this doubt originates from two intellectual introductions:

The first, is that the presence of a prophet is considered kindness on the part of Allah and an act of Lutf(13) towards his slaves who are religiously accountable, so sending the messengers to guide us is from the lavishness of God.

(13) Lutf: Godly grace.

The second, is that Prophets are of two kinds, Tashri`i prophets and Tablighi prophets. A prophet who is classed as being Tashri`i, is the one whom Allah sends with a new Shari`ah or new divine laws to abrogate the divine laws which came before them, as for the Tablighi prophet, his mission is only to revive the past Shari`ah and preserve it from loss or tampering, then to promote it and spread it and guide people towards it.

Shia grand Ayatullah Ja`far al-Subhani says in “Mafaheem al-Qur’an” 3/217-218:

[The prophet, if he was sent with a new Shari`ah, or came with a new holy book, then his prophet-hood is Tashri`iyyah. On the other hand, if the prophet was sent for Da`wah(14) and guidance to the rulings previously established by Allah through past prophets, then his prophet-hood is Tablighiyyah. The first kind are messengers, and this title is restricted to five individuals mentioned in Qur’an and Hadith, as for the majority, they are from the second kind, they were sent to promote the religion that was revealed upon the messengers so their prophet-hood is Tablighiyyah.]

(14) Da`wah: Calling people to the religion of God.

Also what Sayyid Muhsin al-Khazazi says in “Bidayat al-Ma`arif al-Ilahiyyah” 1/213:

[The difference between the prophet and the messenger as is written in Tafseer al-Mizan, is that a prophet is one who guides people to acquiring goodness in their worldly life and the after-life, he explains the fundamentals of religion and its branches as per-Allah’s Will to guide people and bring them happiness, The messenger is the one carrying a special message to perfect the divine argument, whoever opposes (his message) will be punished and shall perish.]

The same is written as stated in “Tafseer al-Mizan” by al-Sayyid al-Tabataba’i 2/140.

Below, I will illustrate how some of the Shia scholars begin by casting these doubts on Islam to misguide their followers:

Shia grand Ayatullah Nasir Makarim al-Shirazi says in “Durous fil `Aqeedah al-Islamiyah” pg176:

[Sending the prophets is great kindness from Allah, so why would the humans be deprived from such grace in our times? why would the people of our time not have a guide, a new leader to lead them?]

Grand Ayatullah Ja`far al-Subhani continues on the same exact page as his previous book by saying:

[A questioner might ask: Let’s accept that the Prophet of Islam came with the perfect and most beautiful Shari`ah and everything else which humanity needs in its life and after-life until the day of judgment, and there is nothing left for anyone to add to it because our prophet (SAWS) came with the best laws and most correct opinions in all matters of life. Due to this perfection the door of the Tablighi prophet-hood that Allah bestowed upon previous nations is closed, (but) no matter how perfect the Shari`ah is yet it still needs one who guides towards it, who explains it and who revives it, so that it may not be lost and it may be transmitted from generation to generation in the correct way, so why then did Allah close the door after it was open for previous nations? and why did Allah bestow this blessing upon the previous nations when he sent prophets among them to deliver the message and warn yet he deprived the righteous followers of this nation from it?]

Their Shia philosopher Murtada al-Mutahhari says in  “al-Wahi wal-Nubuwwah” pg28-30:

[Now we must see why was prophet-hood renewed in the past, why did the prophets come consecutively one by one, even though not all of them were bringers of Shari`ah and laws yet most were sent to execute a pre-existing Shari`ah? Why did the matter (abruptly) end after the seal of prophets, and the Tashri`i prophet will no longer come, even the Tablighi prophet will no longer come? …why? by consensus most prophets were Tablighi not Tashri`i, and maybe the Tashri`i prophets’ numbers wouldn’t rise above the number of the fingers in your hand, and the job of the Tablighi prophets was to deliver Shari`ah and spread it and execute it and explain it.]

Their `Allamah Ibrahim al-Ameeni says in “al-Nubuwwah wal-Nabi” pg137-138:

[If we say that the need to send prophets from Ulil-`Azm(15) is no longer present, because the rulings and laws are completed, and religious knowledge is perfected, then why would there not be a need for Tablighi prophets who promote these laws? just as Allah would send after each prophet of Shari`ah many other prophets, so they can promote the former’s Shari`ah and deliver it to later generations, so why would Allah not send after the prophet of Islam other prophets to deliver the ‘muhammadi message’ and promote it, while acknowledging that the presence of such prophets is something necessary and beneficial for societies?]

(15) ulil-`Azm: The messengers who are sent with new laws or books.

It is truly as Allah almighty said in his book:

{Thus have We appointed unto every prophet an adversary – devils of humankind and jinn who inspire in one another plausible discourse through guile. If thy Lord willed, they would not do so; so leave them alone with their devising} [Qur’an 6:112]

Let’s now see the answer of Ahlul-Sunnah to the above doubts raised by the Shia.

We can sum up their answer with two parts, the first part:

The main principal is that the divine revelation decides primarily, it gets the final say in all matters, not the ruling of the intellect.

What the majority of Muslims agreed on is that formulating concepts and understanding life is all based on the divine revelations bestowed upon mankind, not on inferior human intellect. Every matter that is proven to be a part of the divine laws must be followed, whether our intellect agreed or apparently disagreed(16). Thus, if it was proven through divine texts that prophet-hood was finalized with Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), then we must submit to this without wasting our time with the doubts of the diseased minds that are targets for the whispering of the devils.

(16) We say ‘apparently disagreed’ because every ruling of divine law does not completely disagree with the judgement of human intellect, this is what the renowned Muslim scholar Sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah (rah) proves in his book “Dari’ Ta`arud al-`Aql wal-Naql”.

We must believe with certainty that whatever Allah decrees is truth whether our simplistic minds grasp its wisdom or not. In the prophetic Sunnah we see examples of the intellect not being able to comprehend some religious orders at the beginning, such as what happened at the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The Kouffar placed unfair conditions in the peace treaty to disgrace the Muslims, the Prophet (SAWS) agreed to their conditions but the Muslims couldn’t accept them. Later they were forced to leave what their own intellects determined, and followed the ruling of the Prophet (SAWS) because the intellect cannot override Shari`ah.  In “Sahih Muslim” we read that: It has been narrated on the authority of Shaqiq: I heard Sahl bin Hunayf say at Siffin: “O ye people, find fault with your (own) opinions. By Allah, on the Day of abu Jandal (i. e. the day of Hudaybiyyah), I thought to myself that, if I could, I would reverse the order of the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) (the terms of the truce being unpalatable).”

The Muslim scholar ibn al-Qayyim (rah) says in “Mukhtasar al-Sawa`iq al-Mursalah” pg87:

[Some of the believers said: “It is sufficient for your intellect to lead you to the truth of the message of Allah (SAWS) and the meaning of his words, then it should never come between you two again.” Another said: “The intellect is like a Sultan who gave up his position to the messenger (SAWS) then removed himself from authority.”]

He said on pg88:

[Because the intellect has affirmed the superiority of divine law and revelation, there can be no comparison between the two in knowledge. it is as if you are comparing a grain of mustard to a mountain (…) Shari`ah is offered to us by Allah through the angels and the human messengers, and is backed by the verses and signs that the intellect agrees to, or likes, or permits, and at other times the intellect may not even completely grasp them, as it has no means of fully understanding everything, it needs to submit to the rulings and follow the orders and obey.]

The second part:

That the nation having reached a state of ripening and maturity no longer requires new prophets.

After we explained that there is no need for the theories of our intellect when we are presented with the realities of Shari`ah, we will also provide another reason although the first is sufficient. Ahlul-Sunnah believe that it is not a matter of having a prophet or not having one, but a matter related to the survival of his Shari`ah and teachings without any alteration. Whenever a nation has preserved the heritage of their prophet and guarded it from corruption then it no longer requires the presence of a new prophet, because the good examples and morals are contained within his teachings not his person. As long as his teachings are un-corrupted and known by the people, then it is as if he is among them with his guidance, this is what we can see on the ground of reality as the Muslims worship the Lord through the guidance of his last prophet, having both the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Allah tells us about the first books of divine laws, many of them were lost or corrupted, parts of them were hidden or mis-interpreted, this required Allah to send new prophets to show the truth and correct what is wrong:

{Say, Who revealed the Scripture that Moses brought as light and guidance to the people? You [Jews] make it into pages, disclosing [some of] it and concealing much.} [Qur’an 6:91]

{O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much. There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book.} [Qur’an 5:15]

Therefore, the religion is preserved and complete, we do not need one to complete it or preserve it, as Allah almighty himself declared that there shall be no corruption in it, and he declared that it shall reign supreme over all religions by his grace and shall be victorious.

{This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.} [Qur’an 5:3]

{Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.} [Qur’an 15:9]

{It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion. And sufficient is Allah as Witness.} [Qur’an 48:28]

Allah most high has praised this nation and stated that it is qualified and worthy to inherit the burdens and responsibilities of the religion and protect it:

{Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah. That [inheritance] is what is the great bounty.} [Qur’an 35:32]

The Muslim scholar al-Hafiz ibn Kathir (rah) says while explaining this verse in his book “Tafsir ibn Kathir” 3/562:

[Allah says: Then We made those who uphold the Book confirming what came before, the one whom We have chosen from among Our servants. They are this nation, who are divided into three types. Allah says:

{among them is he who wrongs himself} these are the ones who are careless about doing some obligatory actions, and who commit some forbidden actions.

{among them is he who is moderate} these are the ones who follow a middle course, who fulfill their obligations and avoid things that are forbidden, but they may neglect some good deeds and do some things which are disliked.

{among them is he who is foremost in good deeds} these are the ones who do obligatory actions and things which are encouraged, and who avoid doing unlawful and disliked actions, and avoid some actions which are permissible.

`Ali bin abi Talhah reported that ibn `Abbas commented on the verse {Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants} “This refers to the nation of Muhammad (SAWS). Allah caused it to inherit every Book that He had revealed; those who wrong themselves will be forgiven, those who follow a middle course will have an easy accounting, and those who are foremost in good deeds will enter Paradise without being brought to account.”]

The Shia scholar Sadr-ul-Deen al-Shirazi affirms this praise from Allah to our nation in his book “al-Hujjah” pg111:

[Allah says while honoring Musa (as) who spoke to him: {And We wrote for him on the tablets [something] of all things – instruction and explanation for all things} [Qur’an 7:145] Allah then said to honor the nation of Muhammad (SAWS): {Those — He has written faith upon their hearts, and He has confirmed them with a Spirit from Himself} [Qur’an 58:22]. A big difference between a prophet whom he honored by writing to him on the tablets and between a prophet whose nation is honored by having Iman written upon their hearts. Iman is but knowledge of Allah and his angels and books and messengers and the last day, so how great they must be and how great is their prophet?]

Muslim scholar Musa Jarullah ibn Fatima al-Rusi (rah) speaks of this in his book “al-Washi`ah fi Naqd `Aqa’id al-Shia”:

[Every blessing and virtue bestowed by Allah upon his prophet, and everything that was bestowed by Allah’s great throne upon the prophet is given to his nation after him, and the nation is in a partnership with their prophet in all blessings during his life, then they inherited  him after his death. Whatever blessing the Qur’an mentions for our prophet then it also mentions for his nation, for example:

Allah tells his prophet {We have not sent thee, save as a mercy unto all beings.} and He said about his nation {You are the best nation ever brought forth to men}

And He said to his prophet {and may perfect His favour unto thee} and He said to the nation {and completed My favour unto you}

He said to his prophet {and that God may help thee with mighty help} and He said to the nation {and it was ever a duty incumbent upon Us, to help the believers.}

He said to his prophet {We have given thee a manifest victory} and to his nation {and rewarded them with an imminent conquest}

He said to his prophet {He it is Who supporteth thee with His help} and to the nation {and hath strengthened them with a Spirit from Him}

Allah not only included the nation with their prophet, but in several locations added to their virtue and honor such as:

1- Allah says about choosing the angels and prophets {Allah chooseth from the angels messengers, and (also) from mankind}, then he honored the nation by choosing them {Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants}, the word “inherit” means that it is something that the living receive from the dead, and the book is preserved eternally, so the nation is forever alive, He was the one who chose them and He never chose any other nations so they deviated from their books. Allah cut-off the possibility of his  slaves deviating by saying {over My servants thou shalt have no authority, except those that follow thee} which makes the nation that follows Allah under his protection according to the verse from Surat al-Hijr, and He mentioned choosing them after his saying {Indeed, Allah, of His servants, is Acquainted and Seeing}, thus his choosing of them comes after his knowledge of their worthiness and it is eternal.

Allah most high also said about the past prophets {and We chose them and guided them unto a straight path} and He said about this nation {And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you (…) He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper! } So praise be to Allah who chose this nation while simply favoring other nations, making this nation on the level of prophets.

Allah most high also stated that there will be glory and honor to the Prophet (SAWS) when he said {And indeed, it is a remembrance for you and your people} and he said about the nation {a Book in which is your mention}.

2- Allah most high included the nation with their prophet in being witnesses over other nations {And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people}

3- He included this nation in blessing their messenger {Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.} Allah and his angels also send blessings and peace upon the believers {It is He who blesses you, and His angels}. Allah’s blessing and his angel’s blessing upon the Prophet (SAWS) and his nation is greater than the prostration of the angels to Adam (as) in terms of honor, the entire nation in all its conditions sends blessings and salutations upon the prophet and his nation, the entire nation in all of their prayers ask Allah to confer peace upon the prophet and all of his nation. The nation in terms of dignity and honor is like the Prophet (SAWS), Allah included them in peace as He said: {Say: ‘Praise belongs to God, and peace be on His servants whom He has chosen.’} and {when those who believe in Our signs come to thee, say, Peace be upon you. Your Lord has prescribed for Himself mercy.}

4- He included them in victory with their prophet, He said {It is He who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may uplift it above every religion. God suffices as a witness.} and He said to the nation {God has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make you successors in the land, even as He made those who were before them successors, and that He will surely establish their religion for them that He has approved.} So Allah described the believers and their religion, and that he is pleased with it and he shall make them the successors as he did with the rightly guided rulers after his Prophet (SAWS).]

Then Musa Jarullah (rah) said:

[The nation is protected(Ma`soum) as their Prophet (SAWS) was.  They (as a whole) are infallible when it comes to carrying the message and preserving it, When it comes to delivering it and practicing it.]

The Muslim scholar al-Sayyed abu al-Hassan al-Nadwi reports in his book “al-Nubuwwah wal-Anbiya’ fi Daw’ al-Qur’an” the saying of the Muslim scholar ibn Tayymiyah (rah):

[Sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah may Allah have mercy on him has excelled in portraying the message of our Prophet (SAWS) and its virtues and results in his book “al-Jawab al-Sahih”, he says: The life of the messenger (SAWS) is from his signs, and his morals and sayings and deeds and laws are from his signs, and the knowledge of his nation and their religion and the karamat of their pious men are from his signs (…) He was always acting upon the orders of Allah in the most perfect and complete manner, with honesty and justice and loyalty, not even one lie was attributed to him, nor did he oppress anyone, nor did he betray anyone, but rather he was the most honest and just of people, the most fulfilling of his promises regardless of the conditions, in peace and in war, in safety and fear, in richness and poorness, in little and in plenty, in his victory over his opponents or their rising against him, regardless of it all he was always sticking to the best and most complete of paths, until the divine call reached all the lands of the Arabs which were previously filled with the worship of idols, the sayings of priests, the obedience of the creature in disobedience of the creator, the spilling of innocent blood and cutting the ties of kinship, they did not know a last day or the resurrection. Then with him, they became the most knowledgeable of the people of the earth and the most religious and just, even the Christians when they saw them coming to the land of al-Sham they said: “Those who accompanied Christ were no better than these men.” Those of intellect can see the difference between their knowledge and deeds on the face of this earth and those other than them.

His nation is the most complete of nations in all virtues, if their knowledge was measured with that of other nations, you can clearly see the virtue of their knowledge, if their religion and worship and obedience of God was measured with that of other nations, you can see that they are more religious, if you measure their courage and struggle in the cause of Allah and their patience in the face of hardships, it appears that their struggle is greater and their hearts are more courageous, if their kindness and charity and forgiveness were measured with others, it shall appear that they are kinder and more generous than the others.

They received these virtues through him, and learned it from him, he was the one who ordered them, they did not follow a book before him that he came to complete as `Isa (as) came to complete the Torah. Some of the virtues and good morals and knowledge of the followers of `Isa (as) were from the Torah, and some from al-Zabour, and some from prophecies, and some from `Isa (as) himself, and some were from those who followed him like the disciples, and they sought aid from the words of the philosophers until they inserted things in the religion of the Messiah that conflict with it. As for the nation of Muhammad (SAWS), they did not read a book before him, most of them did not believe in Musa (as) or `Isa (as) and Dawoud (as), and the Torah and the Injeel and the Zabour, they believed in them only through him, he was the one to order them to believe in all prophets and to affirm all the sent books, he forbade them from differentiating between any of his messengers, so the most high said in the book he sent: {Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered.}]

This is the answer of the mainstream Muslims, this is the answer of Ahlul-Sunnah and of Islam, there is no more need for a divine infallible guide whether he is a prophet as the Qadiyanis state or an Imam as the Shia state.

The third chapter:
Finality of prophet-hood in the view of the Twelver Shia.

PART I:

Declaring that the nation has matured enough so they no longer require the presence of prophets to guide them.

For the Shia who have previously questioned “why do we no longer have prophets?” now need to give their followers a satisfying answer, so if you observe you will see that they copied the exact same answer that Ahlul-Sunnah gave in their books.

Grand Shia Ayatullah Nasir Makarim al-Shirazi says in “Durous fil-`Aqeedah al-Islamiyah” pg.176-177:

[The deprivation of our nation in this age (from prophets) is not because we are not good enough, but rather because humanity in this age has reached the end of its intellectual journey, and has reached in its awareness a stage that enables it to continue this journey by following the Shari`ah, for example:

Ulul-`Azm from the prophets who came with a new religion and a new book from the sky, they are five (Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, `Isa, Muhammad PBUT) they appeared each in a specific period of time and they tried to guide humanity and put them on the path of perfection, so each of them guided humanity from a certain stage to the next and handed the mantle over to the following prophet from Ulil-`Azm, until the caravan reached end of the journey, it acquired the skill to continue alone until the end of the journey, like a student that finishes his primary school, then middle school and finally high-school, this does not mean that he stops learning but it means he is qualified to continue on his own with no need for a teacher or school (…)]

Grand Ayatullah Ja`far al-Subhani says in “Mafaheem al-Qur’an” vol.3 pg.217-221:

[The fact that the door of Tablighi prophet-hood was opened to previous nations but closed after the advent of the prophet of Islam, this does not mean that the previous nations had a special rank that made them worthy of this blessing, or that the Islamic nation was deprived because it was less important – No – but rather the reason is that the past nations were in need of it, whereas the Islamic nation does not require any prophet to preach and promote the Shari`ah of Muhammad (SAWS).

That is because societies differ in awareness and maturity, imagine a society that is so ignorant like a small minor, incapable of guarding the heritage that he received, like a child who rips his notebooks apart not realizing their value.

Compared to a society that has reached the heights of intellectual, moral and ethical values, a community that preserves its religious heritage and uses it wisely, then in that case it does not require anyone to promote its religion, or one who reminds it of the teachings or a teacher who guides it towards moral values and (clarifies) what could be confusing in its holy book and so on. So the individuals living in past societies were like minors, not mature intellectually nor socially, they could not appreciate the value of the heritage they received but they used to play with it like a boy plays with his books, by corrupting it and mis-interpreting it according to their desires, so Shari`ah would be lost after centuries pass.

This is why, Allah (swt) used to send among them prophets, generation after generation, so they can remind them of their religion that he chose for them, and renew the Shari`ah of the messenger before them and promote his sayings and actions and remove all impurities the people ascribe to it.

As for the human society after the passing of the Prophet (SAWS), it has reached from knowledge and awareness and open mindedness and maturity a great amount that enables it to preserve the heritage of its prophet and protecting his book from loss and corruption, it took such good care of its religious book that it authored many works in relation to it such as Tafseer and Balagha and Mufradat and I`rab and Qira’at(17), so Qur’anic sciences flourished.

As a result of this intellectual maturity in human society, the job of warning and delivering the message has now been placed on the shoulders of this same nation, so they took the job of educating and calling (to Islam), and they no longer depend on the coming of a new prophet to renew the message of the one before him.]

(17): Tafseer: Interpretation – Balagha: Eloquence – Mufradat: Vocabulary – I`rab: Grammar – Qira’at: Recitations.

Shia scholar Sayyed Mujtaba al-Lari says in “Usool al-`Aqa’id fil-Islam” vol.2 pg.193-201:

[One of the purposes of renewing the message of prophets and the continuity of  messengers, is the corruption of heavenly books, which renders them unsuitable for guiding humanity. On the other hand when the human reaches a stage of maturity in a way that enables him to preserve the traditions and religious teachings from corruption and change, it also enables him to spread them and in this situation the need for renewal of the message is no longer there.

Consequently, the times in which the Prophet of Islam (as) appeared are completely different from the times of appearance of other prophets, because the human has now entered the stage of intellectual maturity and the stage is set for the finality of the prophet-hood.

The social maturity and knowledge and awareness have led the human to a level where he has become the one who memorizes and delivers the heavenly message, this way one of the main pillars of the ending of prophet-hood has been fulfilled, and the job of guiding and calling to this religion is now entrusted to scholars and thinkers, because from this point in time the human is able to guard his historical heritage and meaningful accomplishments thanks to this noble book, and because of his intellectual and social maturity. He needs to prevent the corruption of this book which was inspired to the Prophet (SAWS), as this message now shall spread to the whole world, as the Qur’an states:

{And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.} [3:104]

When the human reaches that level of maturity, and possesses the ability to acknowledge the absolute truths, and the godly laws, then the scholars become the heirs of the prophets (…) and they take it upon themselves to carry on the mission of researching and doing Ijtihad(18) and struggling against corruption and spreading the godly ways (…) Humanity has proven throughout around fifteen centuries that it is ready and capable to carry on the big responsibilities, and that it is able to preserve  the knowledge and the intellectual inheritance.

These things prove that the human has now reached a level of freedom and the ability to safeguard the heavenly verses with extreme accuracy, that he can carry the responsibility of calling (Da`wah) and making Tafseer, and spreading the religion.

When the godly teachings are in reach of the human then there was no more need for new prophets(…)]

(18): Making of a decision in Islamic law by personal effort and research.

Shia scholar al-`Allamah Ibraheem al-Ameeni says in his book “al-Nubuwwah wal-Nabi” pg.130-131:

[The human society at that time had reached its full capability mentally and intellectually and in their scientific capabilities, it was able to preserve its scientific and religious inheritance in a perfect picture, and to transmit it to the next generations with accuracy and honesty.

It was in these times that our Prophet (as) was sent by Allah, to place in the hands of the fully developed humankind who were ready, the highest and most prestigious knowledge (…) And the Qur’an prevailed because of the scribes and because of those who memorized it, it remained in its prefect image without any addition or deletion, without change and corruption, until the day of judgment. Thus all the rulings and laws of Islam remained in an accurately written format in the bellies of our books and compilations.]

And on pg.138:

[So why is there no more need for Tablighi prophets to promote these Shari’ah laws? When Allah would send after the messengers of Ulil-`Azm, he would send many prophets after them to promote the previous Shari`ah and spread its message to coming generations?  it is possible for us to respond that human society in the time of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) had reached mental integrity and intellectual maturity to an extent that it became qualified to preserve the teachings of the prophets, and protect them from the danger of accidents, and that society itself can deliver the sacred virtues and knowledge, so society becomes self sufficient, thus there was no more need to send prophets.]

Shia philosopher Murtada al-Mutahhari says in “al-Wahi wal-Nubuwwah” pg.30:

[It becomes clear from what is being said that the social intellectual maturity of humanity plays a role in the finality of prophet-hood.]

and on pg.29:

[The early man of old times, because he was not fully developed and mature, they were not able to preserve their heavenly books, those books became victims of corruption and change, or even lost completely. this is why it was necessary to always renew the message. The age in which the Qur’an was revealed, meaning before a thousand four hundred years, this was the time when humanity placed its childhood behind it, and it was capable of safeguarding its scientific and religious heritage, this is why corruption never infiltrated the last heavenly book, the Qur’an. Generally all the Muslims preserve each verse when it descends whether in their memories or books, this is one of the reasons of the finality of prophet-hood]

and pg.30:

[And the good scholars of this Islamic nation carry out a lot of the jobs of Tablighi prophets and some of the jobs of Tashri’i prophets – with them not being Musharri`een(19) – they do it through Ijtihad and the necessity of guiding their nation, this is why there is no more need to renew prophet-hood and the appearance of a new book or the coming of a new prophet forever.]

(19) Musharri`een: Islamic law makers.

Grand Ayatullah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr said in his research “al-Nubuwwah al-Khatimah” pg.57-58:

[It is being able to bear the moral responsibility of this call(Islam), meaning that the human needs to mature enough to the extent that allows him to carry the burdens of this call, and this has its price, responsibilities, pains and troubles. The ability to withstand the vast responsibilities of a worldly message not limited by time and place is not possible by default for any individual, but he can reach this step by step through many stages of training, to be able to handle the responsibility of humanity. so after a long period of training he arose until he was able to handle the responsibilities of a great message not bound by time and place…]

He says on pg.58-59:

[And what responsibilities did the nations of past prophets carry? the nations whose history is now revealed and exposed to us today, the nations of Musa and `Isa for example?

We(Muslims) in comparison with the nations of Musa and `Isa, and the responsibilities this Islamic nation carried when the revelation descended on our prophet (as) with the final message, in comparison (between our nation and their’s) we find a huge difference when it comes to responsibility, this great difference shows us the evolution and readiness (of humanity) throughout the times…]

Shia philosopher Sadr-ul-Deen al-Shirazi said in “al-Hujjah” pg.107-108 under the chapter “reasons for the end of prophet-hood”:

[The Human entity and its instincts have been evolving ever since the time of Adam (as) in terms of their readiness and capabilities. This evolution began from deficiency until they reached the height of completeness, (this happens) through the coming of prophets and the descent of angels with books from the most high to teach the nations and guide them and free them from the shackles, and to perfect the spirit with the lights of knowledge and godly signs. Whenever they become ready and when they acquire more disciplined and educated minds they become more worthy and more deserving of a new Shari`ah and new rulings that abrogates the previous one. It was always like this until finally it reached the most perfect Shari`ah and religion, that of Islam as Allah said {This day I have perfected your religion for you}]

PART II:

The conflict between their belief  in the maturity of the nation and their belief in Imamah.

As it was made obviously clear by both the Muslim scholars and the scholars of the Shia sect, that the belief in the maturity of the nation and its eligibility to carry out the job of the prophets, such as preserving the religious texts, spreading them, teaching them, and practicing upon them, means that it no longer requires the presence of new prophets, and this, in turn, destroys the argument of the Qadiyaniyyah and others who claim the need to always have prophets.

However, what must be mentioned is that this answer does not only destroy the belief of the Qadiyaniyyah, but also the belief of the Imami Shia. The Twelver Shia believe in the need to always have a divine guide, an infallible leader that comes after the Prophet (SAWS) to preserve the religion and spread it. This made them run into an embarrassing contradiction in their beliefs as the intelligent read can see, and we shall provide some examples below:

Their grand Shia Ayatullah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr who we previously quoted will now contradict himself in order to  prove the need for a divine guide in his research “Bahth Hawl al-Wilayah”, on pg.37 he says that the time the Prophet (SAWS) spent among us was not enough:

[The Islamic nation as a whole did not live this experience (prophet-hood) for more than a decade. This period of time is normally not enough when it comes to changing the generation that lived for only ten years with the prophet so they can reach a good level of awareness, of objectivity, of freedom from previous beliefs and an understanding of the new religion. A level that enables them to carry the message and to be responsible for spreading the call.]

So he is saying that the Islamic nation after spending a decade with the Prophet (SAWS) did not possess the required level of awareness and objectivity to carry the responsibility of the message.

He also says on pg.37:

[But rather, the logic of divine messages demands that the nation pass by a longer period of guardianship so it can be made ready to rise to the expected level of responsibility.]

Meaning that the time the Prophet (SAWS) spent was not enough to finish the job, we need to be under the protection and guardianship of other divine guides.

He says on pg.37:

[And any hypothesis which implies that the Prophet (SAWS) was planning to place the responsibility of the message and the leadership after him on the shoulders of the generation of the emigrants and the supporters, is in fact a hypothesis that constitutes a great accusation against the wisest leader in the history of change.]

He means that if anyone says that the Prophet (SAWS) planned to give authority after him to the Islamic nation, then this person is accusing the Prophet (SAWS) of being a bad strategist and planner. However, the big and famous Shia scholar forgot what he previously said when he was talking about the wisdom and reason behind the finality of Prophet-hood, so let’s quote some of his words from before:

In his book “al-Nubuwwah al-Khatimah” pg.58-59 he said when comparing the Islamic nation with previous nations:

[How can we compare that with the (Islamic) nation that carried the burden of the message, how can we compare it with the nation of Muhammad peace be upon him!?]

He said on pg.57-58:

[The human has reached his limits when it comes to taking responsibility of the burdens of the message when Islam came (…) until he was able to handle the responsibilities of a great message not bound by time and place]

So when the Shia scholar wants to provide his followers with the reason for the finality of prophet-hood, he tells them that the nation has reached the heights and limits of maturity and responsibility so there was no more need for new prophets, but when he wants to preach to his followers the Shia belief in divine infallible leaders, he tells them that the time the prophet (SAWS) spent was not enough to change the nation and that they are not responsible enough to carry the burdens of the message, thus we need twelve divine leaders to guide us after-wards.

The grand Shia Ayatullah Ja`far al-Subhani says in “Mafaheem al-Qur’an” vol.3 pg.223 when talking about the importance of Ahlul-Bayt:

[He glory be to him, in order to preserve the unity of the nation and maintain it from straying into the maze of misguidance, must back up his book with another ‘scale’, a guide to enforce his religion, and a teacher to clarify for them its secrets.]

So he says that Allah glory be to him, must appoint another guide and teacher so that the nation will not fall into misguidance. Whereas, in another location he contradicted himself and says in “Mafaheem al-Qur’an” vol.3 pg.217-221:

[The reason is that the past nations were in need of it, whereas the Islamic nation does not require any prophet to preach and promote the Shari`ah of Muhammad (SAWS).

That is because societies differ in awareness and maturity, imagine a society that is so ignorant like a small minor, incapable of guarding the heritage that he received, like a child who rips his notebooks not realizing their value.

Compared to a society that has reached the heights of intellectual and moral and social values, a society that preserves its religious heritage and uses it wisely, then in that case it does not require anyone to promote its religion, or one who reminds it of the teachings or a teacher who guides it towards moral values and (clarifies) what could be confusing in its book and so on.]

In the first saying he states that the nation is in need of one who guides them and carries their hand and explains the religion to them and promotes it, but then in the second saying he proves that the nation reached a state of maturity where it doesn’t require any teachers and guides and this is why no new prophets were sent!

Shia grand scholar, Ayatullah Nasir Makarim al-Shirazi also contradicts himself in “Durous fil-`Aqa’id al-Islamiyyah” pg.188:

[And we shall prove in the following research, the need for the presence of a divine representative, a prophet or an infallible leader, in every time and era]

And he says on pg.189:

[The human travels a long path full of turns and pitfalls in his march towards Allah, towards absolute perfection, towards moral integrity in all of its dimensions. It is evident that the human cannot travel this path successfully without guidance from an infallible leader, nor can he progress without a heavenly teacher, because it is a road filled with dangers and misguidance (…) so based on this (the presence of an Imam completes the goal of the creation of the human), this is what they call in the books of creed as “godly grace”, they mean by it that Allah the all wise will provide the human with all necessary things so he can fulfill the goal of his creation, from these things are the sending of prophets and appointment of infallible leaders, otherwise this would contradict the purpose!]

Although this same scholar previously stated that humanity no longer requires new prophets to help them continue their journey after the passing of the Prophet (SAWS), he said in the same book pg.176-177:

[Because the human caravan in this age, have reached in their intellectual journey, and in their awareness, a level that enables them to continue on their path of following Shari`ah (…) until the caravan reached the last path, it also reached the ability to continue alone until the end of the journey]

Shia scholar Murtada al-Mutahhari said in his book “al-Imamah” pg.99:

[The kind messenger brought Islam to the people, and this religion needs the presence of a godly reference, so he can teach them the religion and clarify it for them in a perfect way at least for a set time, in turn the Prophet (SAWS) appointed for this nation a special reference (…) The Imam -in reality- is a reference and a specialist in matters of religion, he is a true expert and his knowledge contains no errors or confusion]

This scholar is talking about the need for a godly guide to clarify the religion for the people, which contradicts what he said in another location, as he stated that the nation no longer requires a divine guide as it is able and qualified to carry out all the jobs of the prophets, he said in “al-Wahi wal-Nubuwwah” pg-29:

[The age in which the Qur’an descended, meaning before a thousand four hundred years, this was the time when humanity placed its childhood behind it, and it was capable of safeguarding its scientific and religious heritage, this is why corruption never infiltrated the last heavenly book, the Qur’an. Generally all the Muslims memorize each verse when it descends in their chests or books, this is one of the reasons of the finality of prophet-hood.]

Then on pg.30 he talks about how the Muslim scholars in the age of finality of prophet-hood are able to extract rulings based on their knowledge of the fundamentals of religion and the circumstances, he explains Ijtihad and then he says:

[And the good scholars of this Islamic nation carry out a lot of the jobs of Tablighi prophets and some of the jobs of Tashri’i prophets – although they’re not Musharri`een – they do it through Ijtihad and the obligation of guiding this nation, this is why there is no more need to renew prophet-hood and the descent of a new book or the coming of a new prophet forever.]

Murtada al-Mutahhari makes the Shia stance even clearer when he says in “al-Imamah” pg.98:

[As for us, we (Shia) believe that the proofs used to explain the reasons behind the sending of prophets, are also leading us to the belief that he (SAWS) will appoint certain saintly people after him, to succeed him.]

So based on his analysis, the proof he mentions is that the nation is incapable of preserving its religious heritage, so it needs a divine guide called the “Imam” to guide them and preserve their religion for them. On the other hand, al-Mutahhari says that the reason why this nation no longer requires the presence of prophets, is because unlike past nations, this nation has reached a sufficient level of maturity enabling it to preserve its religious heritage. A clear contradiction between his two positions when it comes to the need of a godly guide for the nation.

al-`Allamah Ibrahim al-Ameeni says in his book also called “al-Imamah” pg.113-114:

[The rulings from the heavens only descended for the guidance of mankind, so they need to survive without being exposed to corruption, whether additions or deletions, falsehood must not approach them from before them or behind them (…) this cannot be realized without the presence of an infallible godly individual, elevated above sin, error and forgetfulness]

al-Ameeni is clearly stating that the only way to preserve the religious laws and texts from corruption is by having this godly individual otherwise known as the Imam. He continues on pg.122:

[For the godly argument to remain with the presence of Shari`ah, and so that the religious laws can remain with no deletions or additions (…) for this to be realized it is imperative to have among the humans an individual who carries the responsibility of preserving Shari`ah, who seeks to execute the laws of the heavens on earth]

In other words, the Islamic nation is not enough to protect this religion, this is only restricted to the infallible leader or Imam. He completely denies the ability of the nation to preach the religion or preserve it on pg.114:

[That last theory falls apart, because each individual of this nation is prone to error, not protected from sin, not safe from inattention and forgetfulness, and thus they are practically unsafe from making mistakes, this is what drags the godly rulings into the pit of corruption and misguidance (…) because they are not infallible.]

However, this man has contradicted himself when he had said previously that:

[The human society at that time had reached its limits mentally and intellectually and in their scientific capabilities, it was able to preserve its scientific and religious inheritance in a perfect picture, and to transmit it to the next generations with accuracy and honesty.]

And on pg.138 in his book “al-Nubuwwah wal-Nabi” he also said:

[Human society in the time of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) had reached mental integrity and intellectual maturity to an extent that it became good enough to preserve the teachings of the prophets, and protect them from the danger of accidents, and that society itself can deliver the sacred virtues and knowledge, so society becomes self sufficient, so there was no more need to send prophets.]

Another example is their big scholar Mujtaba al-Lari, who claims that the Islamic nation had not yet reached the required level which allows the godly mandate to be lifted from them, he says in “Usul al-`Aqa’id fil-Islam” vol.4 pg.16-17:

[Can we say that: The God who never left any matter from the necessities of worldly life unless he provided it for the human, had deprived him from the important factor that plays the main role in his spiritual richness? and that he wasn’t kind enough to bestow this blessing on him?

The nation of Islam after the death of the Messenger (SAWS) did not reach the level of intellectual maturity, or Islamic maturity, that enables it to continue in its evolution towards completion, except during the mandate of the messenger. The program that Islam proposed for the guidance of the human and his growth and prosperity, if it was not merged with the program of godly Imamah then it shall remain incomplete, even soulless, incapable of playing a valuable role in freeing the human and developing his potential.]

Just like his companions, this Shia scholar also contradicts himself but he does so in the same book, as he had previously said that:

[On the other hand when the human reaches a stage of maturity in a way that enables him to preserve the traditions and religious teachings from corruption and change, it also enables him to spread them and in this situation the need for renewal of the message is no longer there.

Consequently, the times in which the Prophet of Islam (as) appeared are completely different from the times of appearance of other prophets, because the human has now entered the stage of intellectual maturity and the conditions are set for the ending of the prophet-hood.

(…)Humanity has proven throughout around fifteen centuries that it is ready and capable to carry on the big responsibilities, and that it is able to preserve  the knowledge and the mental inheritance.]

Has the dear reader seen any clearer contradiction!? Observe how their biggest scholars and leaders fell into this hole one after the other.

Not only is this type of contradiction found in the words of a single scholar but also in the words of two different scholars, where one denies what the other proves. An example of this is what happened between the Shia scholar al-`Allamah ibn al-Mutahhar al-Helli and the researcher of his book “al-Alfayn” Sayyed Muhammad Mahdi al-Khurasan, where al-Helli was discussing the saying of the Shia scholar al-Nusayr al-Tusi about the need of prophet-hood in every time:

[The sixth issue: The need for the sending of prophets in every time. He said: “The proof for this need shows that it is generally (for every time)”.]

Meaning that the intellectual proof which explains the need for prophets is a general one, in that there is always a need for prophets in every time and every age. It appears that al-Tusi is saying that the finality of prophet-hood makes no sense, which is why al-Helli commented on his words in a way that makes them more in line with Islamic beliefs:

[And the Imami scholars said: The need for the sending of new prophets is always present so that no age would be devoid of the Shari`ah of a prophet.]

So al-Helli, in order to fix the mistake of al-Tusi, stated an extra condition, that there is always a need for new prophets so that the laws of the messengers would be always available to us. In other words, if the laws are already available such as in our case today, then there is no need for new prophets to be sent. Although keep in mind that al-Tusi didn’t mention this condition, but rather he made a general statement.

The researcher of the book al-Sayyed Muhammad Mahdi al-Khurasan didn’t like this, so he referred to the prophet as the “active reformer” and to his laws as the “silent reformer”, then he stated that the silent reformer cannot replace the active reformer:

[If it was said: What replaces him are his laws, the book and the Sunnah, we would reply that: We already stated that they both aren’t sufficient to clarify all that the people need, or explain matters that arise, there is disagreement on their texts among the nation. The Prophet (SAWS) is an active reformer while the book and the Sunnah are silent reformers, and the silent is not sufficient to replace the active so the active reformer must be present at all times, because all creations must be treated equally by kindness and grace and mercy, so how can He deprive our time from this kindness and grace when He is kind in all times?]

In other words, al-Khurasan sided with al-Tusi, they believe that in every age there must be a guide to humanity appointed by Allah, the holy book and the traditions are simply not enough for them.

PART III:

The reason why the Shia scholars fell into this clear contradiction.

A questioner will now ask, how can these big Shia scholars fall into such a clear trap?

The answer is that the Shia scholars chose to adopt two beliefs that are completely at odds with one another, so they ran over a big road bump when trying to reconcile between both. They wanted to refute groups such as the Qadiyanis who believe in the continuation of prophet-hood so they stated that the nation has now reached a stage of maturity enabling it to preserve the religion and continue its journey alone, there is no need for new prophets to be sent. At the same time, they wanted to refute the beliefs of Ahlul-Sunnah who say that we no longer need the help of divine infallible guides, so they adopted the belief that the nation has always been in need of divine guides and it cannot be left alone nor are the Muslims capable of preserving and understanding their religion without divine help from the infallible leader.

And so they have become as Allah has described:

{Swaying between this (and that), (belonging) neither to these nor to those. He whom Allah causeth to go astray, thou (O Muhammad) wilt not find a way for him} [Qur’an 4:143]

How would they overcome this contradiction?

In order for the Shia beliefs to make sense, they need to choose one of the two sides, either they agree with Ahlul-Sunnah or they agree with the Qadiyanis. It is evident throughout the history of the Imami Shia, that they always sought to prove their belief in Imamah by any means, which is why the Shia scholars will obviously pick the second choice. The Shia will turn a blind eye to the fact that the Qadiyanis will use their arguments as a bridge to prove their own corrupt beliefs, that they will use it to try and cast doubts on the fortress of prophet-hood and this is a dangerous matter as the intelligent reader is aware.

The fourth chapter:
The most important intellectual principles presented by the Shia scholars.

The first principal:

They said that there is a need for the presence of an infallible leader to guide the people in every age until the coming of the hour, they primarily relied on intellect to prove this, then they backed it up by divine texts, meaning that the origin for their belief and their main proof for it is human intellect.

So in order to prove Imamah their big classical Shia scholar al-Mufid said in his book “al-Irshad” pg.347:

[From its proofs is what the intellect deduces with correct reasoning, that there must be an infallible complete leader, who is in no need of his followers’ help (…) with this principal, there is no need to narrate narrations to prove Imamah, or to count the texts related to it because it is established through intellect]

Leader of their sect al-Tusi mentioned in “Talkhis al-Shafi” vol.1 pg.141:

[As for the existence of the Imam and his deserved attributes (such as infallibility etc…), divine texts are not needed to prove it but it is known through the intellect]

al-Tusi said many similar statements in his book, such as 1/98:

[Because it is known for them(Shia scholars) that it is a duty to believe in Imamah and the attributes of the Imam through relying on the intellect, but if they had presented what they heard (from narrations) then that is just to present additional evidence]

and on 1/128:

[For us, to prove it (Imamah) he is not needed (the messenger), because the intellect points towards the need of Imamah, and it guides us to the attributes of the Imam, and what he is needed for. If the intellect proves something, then there is no more need to prove it through oral reports]

Meaning, the Shia prove the need of having divine guides through their intellects and are in no need of divine texts nor do they rely on them, whether the texts mentioned it or didn’t matters not as they already established it with their human brains.

The second principal:

They believe that if the divine texts such as the Qur’an and the Sunnah conflict with their intellects, then the intellect is given precedence and the texts are given suitable or convenient interpretations, if no such interpretations are possible then the divine texts are discarded.

Leader of their sect al-Tusi says in “al-Rasa’il al-`Ashr” pg.325 while commenting on certain narrations that state that the good deeds of a person can be all dropped and nullified on the day of judgment if this person is also committing evil acts such as backbiting:

[Each of these reports comes through a single narrator so they cannot harm the intellectual evidence which point to the corruption of the belief of ‘dropped deeds’. Even if they were authentic, we would have given them a suitable interpretation just like we gave some of the apparent Qur’anic verses interpretations which suit our intellects]

He is basically saying, that even if these reports were authentic, he would give them a completely different interpretation which suits his intellect, because the divine texts cannot go against his intellect or logic.

Shia Muhaddith al-Majlisi quotes the words of their leader al-Mufid in “Bihar al-Anwar” vol.10 pg.419:

[If I had accepted the apparent words of Allah most high to Musa (as) {Don’t be afraid} [Qur’an 27:10] and His words to his Prophet (SAWS) {let not their speech grieve you} [Qur’an 36:76] and other similar words directed at the prophets (as), then I would have to believe that this is a prohibition for them because they committed an indecent act deserving of disparagement, (…) but I have rejected the apparent words for an intellectual reason that caused me to do so, (…) because of what was established from the infallibility of prophets (as) that makes them avoid sins.]

al-Mufid is saying that Allah according to the Qur’anic text is apparently prohibiting the prophets (as) from doing certain bad actions, this contradicts al-Mufid’s intellect as he believes that the leader must be infallible, un-able to commit sins or mistakes, so he rejected the clear words of the Qur’an and gave some sort of an interpretation to these verses that matches his beliefs.

al-Sayyed al-Murtada in his book “Tanzih al-Anbiya'” mentions many things, such as on pg.33:

[As for the narrations mentioned in this regard, we do not pay any attention to them, because the narrations need to be compatible with what the intellect had decided, they cannot be accepted if they conflict with what intellect decides, this is why we reject narrations of Jabr(20) and Tashbih(21) or we give them other interpretations if possible.]

(20) Jabr: narrations stating that the human has no choice and that his actions are created and forced upon him.

(21) Tashbih: narrations likening Allah to his creations.

on pg.171:

[We said that there is no doubt that every narration declaring what the intellect rejects then it becomes invalid, unless it has a palatable, non-arbitrary interpretation so it becomes authentic, having a meaning that matches the intellect]

Shia scholar al-Miqdad al-Siyuri says in his book “al-Anwar al-Jalaliyyah” pg.155:

[The second is what is incompatible with the intellect, we say: If the intellect and the text are contrary to one another, then it is impermissible to accept them as it would mean combining two opposites, nor is it permissible to accept the text and discard the intellect because it would mean that you also have to discard the text because the intellect is the origin of the text, as the intellect is what originally leads to the messenger (as) and the intellect affirms his truthfulness. What remains is the opposite, to work according to the intellect, as for the texts, they are not completely discarded but the scholars have two choices in the matter:

– To ignore the text until its meaning becomes apparent to us.

– To give the text a suitable interpretation that is not rejected by the intellect.]

Sheikh Lutf-Allah al-Safi says “Majmu`at al-Rasa’il” vol.1 pg.47:

[The origin of the belief in the infallibility of the prophet or the Imam, and the necessity for the leader to be infallible is the ruling of the intellect, and the Shari`ah agrees with that ruling (…) in the matter of infallibility of prophets, the intellect is the primary reference, it rules that the prophet must be infallible for several reasons]

Grand Ayatullah Mirza Jawad al-Tabrizi says in “Sirat al-Najat” vol.3 pg447:

[And since what is apparent from this verse is what we stated, then it is improper to reject what is apparent, unless with an intellectual or textual proof]

To sum up what is being said above, the Shia scholars will reject the meaning of any clear saying from the Prophet (SAWS) or any Qur’anic verse if it happens to conflict with what they agreed upon among themselves as being “intellectual proofs”. In simpler terms, if any divine text says something that they do not agree with, they will discard it or try to twist the meaning of the text to suite their desires, this is what they referred to as “suitable interpretation matching the intellect”.

I will give the reader an example of this, the Shia scholars agreed that the prophets (as) are all infallible, incapable of committing error or forgetting anything. They invented this belief with their “intellects”, then they found that the Qur’an openly states that the prophets (as) forget and make mistakes, such as the saying of Allah:

{And Adam disobeyed his Lord, and so he erred.} [Qur’an 20:121]

And His saying to Prophet Muhammad (SAWS):

{that God may forgive thee thy former and thy latter sins} [Qur’an 48:2]

And Allah the most high said:

{So Musa struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: This is of the devil’s doing. Lo! he is an enemy, a mere misleader.} [Qur’an 28:15]

Facing these texts and many others in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, the Shia scholars were faced with two options:

1- Either they should leave their intellectual proof for the infallibility of leaders.

2- Or they should give these verses interpretations that match their beliefs.

The Shia scholars did exactly what the reader expects, they stubbornly adopted the second option, they went out of their way to give many of the verses strange or ridiculous interpretations and they rejected many clear narrations. Shia scholar al-Sayyed Hassan bin Sayyed Ahmad al-Iskandari in his book “Risala fi Masa’il al-Khilaf” reported the words of Muhammad bin `Abdul-Nabi:

[Do you not see that al-Mufid and al-Murtada rejected the narrations of ‘al-Dharr(atoms)’ and ‘al-Mithaq(covenant)’ and the narrations of ‘al-Anwar(lights)’ and ‘al-Ashbah(ghosts)’, also the narrations of ‘al-Teenah(clay)’ and ‘al-Ihbat(dropped deeds)’ although they agree with the verses, so they rejected both the verses and the narrations.]

source: Manuscript from the department of monuments and culture (26995).

Sheikh al-Ta’ifah al-Tusi says in “al-Iqtisad” pg.162:

[As for the apparent texts showing that acts of disobedience were committed by prophets, such as His saying {And Adam disobeyed his Lord }, we have clarified what is meant in the interpretation and al-Murtada explained enough in his book “al-Tanzih” but we cannot mention it here. We say: The apparent texts are bound by the intellectual proofs, not the other way around, and if we learn from the way of the mind that indecent acts are not committed by them, we will give the verses other interpretations if they were apparent, even though most aren’t explicit as he proved there.]

Shia Muhaqqiq al-Helli says in “al-Maslak fi Usoul al-Deen” pg.156-157:

[As for what the precious book and many of the narrations mention from apparent acts of disobedience, then we give them a type of interpretation, so that there would be no conflict. We will mention a small part of what has been attributed to the best of prophets so that the answer can help us with what was attributed to others. Like the saying of Allah {and Adam disobeyed his Lord}. and His saying in the story of Nuh {My Lord! Lo! my son is of my household! Surely Thy promise is the truth} and Allah’s reply to him {O Nuh! Lo! he is not of thy household}, His saying in the story of Ibrahim {and forgive my father, for he is one of those astray.} and his saying {This is my Lord} some times to the star, other times to the moon and then the sun. In the story of Musa who said {It is only Thy trial, whereby Thou leadest astray whom Thou wilt, and guidest whom Thou wilt}. In the story of `Isa {but if You forgive them – indeed it is You who is the Exalted in Might} even though he knew they were Kouffar and they cannot be forgiven. and the story of Muhammad {that God may forgive thee thy former and thy latter sins} and {And He found you lost and guided [you]} and {And We removed from you your burden}. Because disobedience is to oppose, and there is the possibility that the opposition is in a Wajib(22), it can also be in a Mandub(23), so if both are possible then we shall consider the above acts as a part of Mandub, so that no one would doubt or challenge the intellectual proof.]

(22) Wajib: Obligatory religious duty. Neglecting a Wajib is a sin and will result in a punishment in the hereafter.

(23) Mandub: A commendable or recommended religious act. Failure to do it would not be a sin.

Shia leader and master Muhsin al-Amin al-`Amili says in “al-Shia min al-Haqa’iq wal-Awham” pg.83:

[We say: The prophet in our belief is protected from sins, he does not need forgiveness, this is why those who believe in infallibility had to interpret the saying of Allah {that God may forgive thee} in various ways because if the apparent text opposes the intellectual proof then it should be interpreted differently.]

The fifth chapter:
Debate between a Qadiyani and a Shia.

Before we dive into the arguments of the Qadiyanis, we need to note firstly that both groups are trying to prove a common point, it is ‘establishing the need for the existence of a godly guide in every time after Muhammad (SAWS) and until the coming of the hour’. This guide can either be a prophet such as the Qadiyanis believe, or a leader that has the exact same qualities and descriptions of a prophet but called ‘Imam’ as the Shia believe.

A sample from the Shia scholars who said that the Imam needs to be like the prophet:

Shia scholar `Abdul-Hussein Dastgheib says in “al-Imamah min Silsilat Usool al-Deen” 2/6:

[The Imam needs to be like the Messenger peace be upon him exactly.]

and he said:

[The deputy of any person needs to be a representative of that person, so the successor of the messenger of Allah (SAWS) needs to represent him in both knowledge and actions, if any person sees him it’s as if he has seen the messenger (as).]

Shia scholar Muhammad Taqi Misbah al-Yazdi says in “Durous fil-`Aqeedah al-Islamiyah” pg.331:

[The Imam who possesses all the characteristics of the Prophet of Islam (SAWS), except prophet-hood and the (revelation of a new) divine message.]

Shia scholar Muhsin al-Kharazi says in “Bidayat al-Ma`arif al-Ilahiya” 1/11:

[Also the Imam has the qualities of the prophet because he’s his successor, so if the prophet was infallible then he also is infallible (…) and thus the Imam takes the place of the prophet and has all of his qualities except that he isn’t a prophet.]

Shia scholar Muhammad Ridah al-Muzaffar says in “`Aqa’id al-Imamiyah” pg.104:

[And we believe that the Imam is like the Prophet, he needs to be infallible.]

One can clearly see that both groups agree on the main issue but disagree when it comes to a secondary matter, namely the title of this guide, should he be called a “prophet” or an “Imam”? to understand this more we need to look at two truths.

The first truth:

Every intellectual proof used by the Muslims to prove the need for the sending of the prophets (as) by Allah almighty to guide mankind, was later taken by the Shia and used to prove the need for having an Imam for the same purpose ‘guiding mankind’.

Shia scholars aren’t even ashamed to confess this, their scholar al-`Allamah al-Hujjah Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar says in “`Aqa’id al-Imamiyyah” pg.103:

[Imamah is a continuation of prophet-hood, the intellectual evidence used for showing the need of sending messengers and prophets is the same one used to prove the need for the appointing of an Imam after the messenger.]

on pg.104 he says:

[The proof that pushed us to believe in the infallibility of prophets is also the one that caused us to believe in the infallibility of Imams with no difference between them.]

Grand Ayatullah Makarim al-Shirazi says in his book “Durous fil-`Aqa’id al-Islamiyyah” pg.189, under the title “philosophy of the existence of the Imam”:

[The research that we used to establish the necessity of the sending of prophets also shows to a great extent the necessity of the presence of an Imam after the prophet.]

on pg.188:

[And we shall prove in our following research that in each age there needs to be a godly representative, a prophet or an infallible Imam.]

Shia scholar Muhammad Jamil Humoud in his book “al-Fawa’id al-Bahiyyah fi Sharh `Aqa’id al-Imamiyyah” 1/400:

[Since the purpose of creation is for the human to reach the perfection of knowledge as Allah most high said {And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.} What was needed of his wisdom and mercy was to send his creations purified people to guide them towards worshiping him (…) from here, the sending of prophets and sending of Imams are both tied to the same purpose]

And he said in 2/71-72:

[And the need of Godly grace(Lutf) isn’t restricted to prophets and messengers, but it includes the legatees and appointed friends of Allah, because they have the same jobs as they do, they only differ in receiving Shari`ah in revelations]

So this scholar is repeating what we read previously, that the Imams are like Tablighi prophets, not Tashri`i prophets, in that they did not receive a new holy book other than the Qur’an. Other than that, they are sent with the same purpose and they share the same job and function.

Shia scholar al-Sayyed al-Murtada quotes the Mu`tazili scholar al-Qadi `Abdul-Jabbar who says that the Shia turned their Imams to prophets, he quotes in “al-Shafi” 1/39:

[But they ended up giving the Imam the description of prophet-hood, they might have went an extra step forward or backward, and they are the ones who believe in the need of having an Imam in a way that no one could be religiously accountable except in his presence]

Then al-Murtada replies to him by saying:

[This is unlikely, because he who believes in the need of an Imam in a way that people cannot be accountable except through his presence, does not mean they made him a prophet, nor does he reach this level, and if there is a shared need for an Imam and prophet then this doesn’t mean he becomes one]

The scholar Muhsin al-Kharazi says in “Bidayat al-Ma`arif al-Ilahiyyah fi Sharh `Aqa’id al-Imamiyyah” vol.2 pg.40:

[Either way, discussing the matter of infallibility is also clear after you realized that the proof for it is the same when it comes to prophet-hood and Imamah.]

al-Sayyed Muhammad Mahdi al-Khurasan the researcher of al-Helli’s “al-Alfayn” says on pg.125:

[And if it was possible for Him to neglect appointing an Imam although it is a good matter, then it would also be possible for Him to neglect sending prophets, because the sending of prophets was only the result of clemency and mercy and grace and the purpose is one for both (prophets and Imams), so how can it be used for prophets and neglected when it comes to the Imam? although the human need is one and the same and His reason (for sending them) is the same]

Scholar Muhammad Hassan Aale-Yasin said in his book “al-Imamah” pg.22:

[So, everything used to prove the need for the sending of prophets is also usable to prove the need for the sending of Imams]

on pg.23:

[This is why the Shia saw that Imamah is needed as much as  prophet-hood and it is just as necessary]

al-`Allamah Ibrahim al-Amini says in his book “Dirasah `Aamah fil Imamah” pg.93, under the title “general prophet-hood”:

[The intellectual proofs used to establish the need of prophet-hood and that it is incumbent on Allah, are also used to prove the need of Imamah in the absence of prophets and messengers. There must be an infallible individual chosen by Allah for his servants so he can practice Shari`ah and uphold the religion in their lives. From here, researching the issue of general prophet-hood is necessary to pave the way in order for us to research Imamah in the light of the mind.]

Ayatullah sheikh Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim says in “al-Imamah wa Ahlul-Bayt al-Nazariyah wal-Istidlal” pg.112:

[All the proofs of the intellect that can be used to prove the necessity of prophet-hood, can also be used intellectually to prove the necessity of Imamah, because the Imam is like the prophet when it comes to his responsibilities and missions]

al-Sayyed `Abdullah Shubbar says in “Haqq ul-Yaqin fi Ma`rifat Usool al-Deen” 1/183:

[What the truthful and correct sect are upon, is that it is incumbent on Allah most high to appoint an Imam in every age both intellectually and textually, as for the intellect it is as such:

Firstly, What was mentioned regarding the necessity of (sending) messengers, is exactly the same  for their successors, because the need to have them is not restricted to a certain time or condition. Having the books and the laws is not sufficient if we do not have an individual with knowledge to oversee them.]

al-`Allamah al-Helli said in “al-Nafi` Yawm al-Hashr” pg.95:

[You should know: That everything proving the need of prophets also points to the need of the Imamah. Imamah is the successor of prophet-hood and it takes its place, except in receiving divine revelation without intermediary. Just like that one was incumbent upon Allah most high with his wisdom then also is this one]

The second truth:

The reader can see, that the Shia place intellect above all texts, so the Qadiyani will now  use the exact same intellectual arguments to prove the continuation of prophet-hood with ease.

Some might say that the Qadiyani is an intruder who came and took the intellectual arguments of the Shia regarding Imamah, although it may seem like it but the truth is otherwise, because the Shia scholars themselves admit that they relied on the proofs of the need of prophet-hood that were written long ago by the scholars of Islam. Thus, the Shia scholars themselves are the ‘intruders’ who stole their material from the books of the Muslim scholars and used it to prove their belief in Imamah. This makes the Qadiyanis superior in their arguments as they will use the stolen intellectual proofs to prove the continuation of prophet-hood instead of Imamah.

The Qadiyani will begin by saying:

“The mind rules that there is a need for prophet-hood in every time until the coming of the hour.”

This deduction by the Qadiyani is enough to convince the open-minded Imami Shia because they share the same origin, which is to rely on the intellect whether the divine texts agree with it or not. As for Ahlul-Sunnah, this argument cannot be used against them simply because they place what the divine texts say before human intellect, if their minds ruled on a matter, and this ruling contradicted Shari`ah, they will always place what the text says before all else, they will drop the “Why?” and the “How?” because Allah almighty does what he wants, He said:

{He will not be questioned as to that which He doeth, but they will be questioned.} [Qur’an 21:23]

and He said:

{Surely I know that which ye know not.} [Qur’an 2:30]

The Qur’anic verse and the clear narrations explaining it are enough for Ahlul-Sunnah to refute the Qadiyani and rule on his Kufr without the need of wasting time with philosophical discussions.

The Shia will now reply with a question:

“What is your proof that the intellect judged that prophecy must continue?”

The Qadiyani replies to the Shia by saying:

“There are three proofs for the continuation of prophet-hood all of them agreed upon by your own scholars.”

He continues:

“It has been established without a doubt that the sending of prophets is a mercy of Allah upon his slaves, Allah says {And We have not sent you, except as a mercy to the worlds.} [Qur’an 21:107] it is also by the grace of Allah as He said {Allah verily hath shown grace to the believers by sending unto them a messenger of their own who reciteth unto them His revelations, and causeth them to grow, and teacheth them the Scripture and wisdom; although before (he came to them) they were in flagrant error.} [Qur’an 3:164] and it is a blessing and favor because Musa (as) says {And when Musa said to his people, O my people, remember God’s blessing upon you, when He appointed among you Prophets} [Qur’an 5:20]

Based on this, Allah sent the prophets as a mercy and a grace and a blessing to guide mankind to truth.. and the Shia scholars agree to this.”

al-`Allamah Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar says in “`Aqa’id al-Imamiyyah” pg.86:

[For this reason, it is difficult for the civilized and educated human, let alone the savage ignorant, to reach all the means of goodness and knowing all that will benefit him in the life and hereafter on his own, nor to learn the matters related to himself and his society even if he and others of his kind came together and held gatherings and conferences. It is incumbent upon Allah to send to the people what is a mercy and a grace {It is He who has raised up from among the common people a Messenger from among them, to recite His signs to them and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, though before that they were in manifest error} [Qur’an 62:2] and to warn them about the matters of goodness and happiness, and grace was incumbent upon Allah]

Grand Ayatullah Makarim al-Shirazi says in “Durous fil-`Aqa’id” pg.134:

[Is it possible that the god who is not forgetful of the smallest needs of the human, can deprive the human of a guide and trustworthy infallible  leader who takes orders from Allah and receives his revelations? the philosopher popularly known as ibn Sina says in his book “al-Shifa'”: “No doubt, that the need of the human for the sending of prophets so that his kind may survive and reach completeness, is more necessary than the growth of his lashes and brows or the arcing at the bottom of his soles, because it is impossible that Allah would deem those as necessary and ignore  this one.”]

al-`Allamah al-Helli says in “al-Alfayn” pg.138:

[Know my son, that the presence of the prophet is great grace and absolute mercy.]

So if you Shia say that the sending of prophets is great grace and mercy and kindness on the part of Allah, then claiming that Allah stopped it and finished it is a slander against Allah.”

These arguments are used by al-Mirza al-Qadiyani himself in several occasions, such as in the book “al-Qadiyaniyyah wal-Isti`mar al-Englizi” by `Abdullah Salloum al-Samura’i:

[The Qur’an considers prophet-hood a mercy, as Musa (as) gives a sermon to his people saying {O my people, remember God’s blessing upon you, when He appointed among you Prophets, and appointed you kings} so if the prophet-hood was a mercy from Allah most high and it was proven that there is no change in the way of Allah, then how can it be permissible for anyone to claim intellectually or textually that no prophets or messengers will be sent in times of need after the Prophet (SAWS)? (…) We cannot understand how they think of it this way and fall into this mistake although they believe that the messenger is a mercy to mankind.
source: magazine “Akhbar al-Fadl” vol.120, #133, 8/5/1934]

And so the Qadiyani debater will say:

“Are you Shia claiming that the treasuries of God have ran out of mercy!? that he has no more mercy to offer after our Prophet Muhammad (SAWS)!? Surely that would be Kufr as Allah says:

Allah says: {Say: ‘If the sea were ink for the Words of my Lord, the sea would be spent before the Words of my Lord are spent, though We brought replenishment the like of it.’} [Qur’an 18:109]

We say to you Shia: Why did Allah favor some of his slaves with this mercy such as those who lived in the same time of the Prophet (SAWS) and he deprived the rest of us until the coming of the hour? keep in mind that your scholars say that if Allah favored only some people with this grace and mercy although all of us need them, then this would contradict the justice and mercy of Allah.”

The Shia debater will say:

“Who told you that our scholars forbid depriving some of the religiously accountable from mercy and grace?”

The Qadiyani replies:

“This is agreed upon by your scholars, they even consider it from the most obvious of intellectual matters which they relied upon to prove Imamah.”

al-`Allamah ibn al-Mutahhar al-Helli says in his book “al-Alfayn” pg.396:

[As for after his death peace be upon him, then a leader is needed because he should take his place, and the grace is general for all people and times, because Allah most high has general kindness and he does not direct his care and attention to a nation and ignore others nor to the people of a certain time without others]

pg.397:

[Wisdom and mercy decree that a successor be appointed for the Prophet (SAWS), he does what the prophet does and takes his place]

pg.394:

[It should be that the Imam receives this honor that the Prophet (SAWS) had, otherwise it would mean that Allah’s grace through his prophet was directed towards a portion of this nation and not others, and this is false.]

on pg.293-294:

[The saying of Allah {And present to them an example: the people of the city, when the messengers came to it – When We sent to them two but they denied them, so We strengthened them with a third, and they said, “Indeed, we are messengers to you.”} [Qur’an 36:13-14] The deduction rests on several matters, from them: The mercy of Allah is equally shared by all and the nation of Muhammad (SAWS) is more worthy of it. Secondly: The nation of Muhammad (SAWS) is more honorable than the rest as He said {You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind.}. Thirdly: The grace of Imamah is like the grace of prophet-hood, if we accept this then we say: Allah had graced the nation that denied the prophets and then rejected the message, and there is no grace greater than learning about the after-life and attaining eternal happiness and being guided to the religious laws that are preserved by the infallible, so can Allah’s grace be given to the Kouffar while the nation of Muhammad (SAWS) remains without an appointed (leader) among them, informing them about goodness and they are the most honorable nation? That is surely un-imaginable]

Now compare the argument of the Shia leader al-Helli which proves the need of the presence of an infallible with that of the Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiyani who intends to prove the continuation of prophet-hood, “Risalat Khatm al-Nubuwwah” pg.6:

[The saying of finality of prophet-hood and that it closed its doors means that the kindness has stopped and this is a bad omen and an oppression to the lofty rank of the prophet, also it belies the saying of Allah {You are the best nation} because ending the prophet-hood does not fit in with this saying and the nation becomes weak after it ended, it also lowers the rank of the Prophet (SAWS) from that of Musa (as) because many prophets were later sent to his nation whereas it appears that Allah hates the nation of our Prophet (SAWS) and does not speak to them as love requires communication.]

The intelligent observed can see that both of these calls are similar and identical as if coming from the same source.

Classical Shia scholar `Ali bin Musa bin Ja`far bin Tawous said in “al-tara’if fi Ma`rifat Madhahib al-Tawa’if” pg.10:

[We believe that his messengers (as) are infallible, protected from forgetfulness and error in a way that makes them trustworthy in all they say, and there is no doubt in what they attribute to him, and that he never took the soul of a messenger before he ordered him to appoint one to take his place in his nation, to protect his book and laws. The one taking his place has the same qualities as his prophet in infallibility, and everything necessary for the messenger to have is also necessary for his successor from completeness so he can be trusted in all that he does, because Allah knew that his slaves were prone to error so there had to be one to take the place of his prophet. There must be an infallible that they can return to and who can be an argument on them, this is a duty in the justice of Allah and his wisdom and kindness and mercy, it makes them religiously accountable. How can Allah ask of us the same thing he asked from the companions of his Prophet, when they had a book and a prophet and we only have the book? (…) fairness and justice rule that we get alongside the book a successor of the prophet, to take his place and preserve his laws and rulings]

I am sure the reader is noticing that all the Twelver Shia scholars are saying “How can past nations have books and prophets while we only have the book? This is surely not fair, there must be an individual with the same qualities of the prophet to take his place and do his job.”

Shia scholar Muhammad al-Ya`qoubi says in “Shakwa al-Qur’an” pg.73:

[The grace of Allah towards his servants is permanent, not specific for some folks without other folks]

With this we can see that one of the reasons which makes the Qadiyani believe in continuation of prophecy is that God is just and kind and he cannot deprive this nation of prophet-hood after he gave it to other nations because his grace is permanent and the nation is always in need of an infallible guide to preach and protect and explain to them.

The Qadiyani debater will now present his second proof that prophet-hood must continue, he says:

“O Imami Shia, your scholars such as al-Tusi and ibn Babaweih and al-Mufid and al-Helli have admitted that intellect and wisdom deem the presence of a prophet in every age necessary, but since Shari`ah contradicted this they refrained from believing it, this is an honest confession from them that there is a need for prophets in our days.”

The Shia debater interrupts:

“They never said this! when did they ever say it!?”

The Qadiyani answers him:

“In multiples locations they said it.”

Shia leader ibn Babaweih al-Qummi  said in “Ikmal al-Deen wa Itmam al-Ni`mah” pg.4:

[He who claims that the world can be devoid of an Imam even for an hour, then he must admit the correctness of the Brahmin religion that refutes the message, and if the Qur’an hadn’t stated that Muhammad (SAWS) is the seal of prophets then it would have been a duty to have a messenger in every time, but when that was established then the word messenger was cancelled after him.]

al-Qummi tries to refute the Mu`tazili sect that gives intellect precedence over texts just like the Shia, he says on pg.64:

[We turn the table on the Mu`tazilah and say to them: Why didn’t Allah send twice as much prophets until the coming of the hour!!? Why didn’t Allah send a prophet to each village and in every time a prophet or prophets until the coming of the hour …!!?]

It is as if he is telling them: “O you who make intellect the judge in every conflict, you make incumbent upon Allah to fulfill all that which your minds prefer, the intellect rules that there must always be prophets so why didn’t Allah send them!!?”

This is an admittance by al-Qummi that intellect deems it necessary for humans to have prophets in every time and every place, in doing so al-Qummi actually turned the tables on himself and his whole sect and gave the Qadiyani religion much legitimacy.

Ibn Babaweih makes it clear on pg.4 that Allah does whatever the intellect deems necessary and correct:

[This is because Allah most high does not call for a matter unless he gives the minds an image of its reality, and if he doesn’t do it then the call would not be valid and the argument would not be established (…) if the mind rejected messengers then Allah the glorious would never have sent a prophet, like a doctor who treats a patient with what suits his condition and if he had treated him with medicine that doesn’t match his condition then he would become worse]

on pg.664 he says:

[Then He glory be to him had cut the line of messengers after our Prophet (SAWS) and made for us guides from his household (…) If it weren’t for this, then wisdom would only rule that messengers must be sent until we are no longer accountable]

Shia leader al-Mufid says in “Awa’il al-Maqalat” pg.80-81:

[There is agreement that anyone who claims that an individual after our Prophet (SAWS) gets revelation then he has erred and has committed Kufr as we have knowledge of this from the religion of the Prophet (SAWS). The intellect also does not prevent the idea of a new prophet after ours who abrogates his laws as was the case with those before him, the thing that prevents this is the consensus and certain knowledge that it is in contradiction to the religion of the prophet, the Imamis all agree on this and they do not differ.]

He also says on pg.45:

[ 8- The difference between the Prophets and the Messengers (as):

The Imami (Shia) have consensus that every messenger is a prophet but not every prophet is a messenger, from the prophets of Allah are those who preserve/protect the religious laws passed down by the messengers, they are their successors in this matter. The religious law has only prohibited us from claiming prophet-hood for our Imams although the intellect does not prohibit this, because they(Imams) have acquired what we have mentioned (from qualities) for the prophets peace be upon them.]

This also gives the Qadiyani position a great boost as he is admitting that the intellect does not prohibit him from calling the twelve Imams as prophets since they have acquired the same qualities and are carrying out the same jobs.

Their `Allamah and philosopher al-Nusayr al-Tusi says in “Kashf al-Murad – Sharh Tajrid al-I`tiqad” pg.381:

[The sixth issue: The need for the sending of prophets in every time. He said: “The proof for this need implies that it is general (for every time)”.]

The commentator al-Helli comments on this reluctantly but agrees with his companion at the end, he says:

[And the Imami scholars said: The need for the sending of new prophets is always present (…) and the author may Allah have mercy on him has proved that the need for prophets is permanent by stating that the proof for sending them is a general one, because in sending them there is a harsh prohibition from bad deeds and encouragement for obedience, so it becomes a grace from Allah (…) so it becomes necessary in every time.]

The Qadiyani debater now tell his Shia opponent:

“It has been established according to what your leaders say, that the intellectual proof shows the constant need for prophets in every time, so I shall use this intellectual argument against you since you Shia make the intellect a reference in every matter, and you place it in front of the texts, and you give any inconvenient text a convenient interpretation that suits the judgment of your intellect.”

The Shia rejects this by saying:

“I do not abide by this intellectual proof, our scholars who believe in the finality of prophet-hood have rejected it based on the religious texts, it is the saying of Allah:

{Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men, but the Messenger of God, and the Seal of the Prophets; God has knowledge of everything.} [Qur’an 33:40]

The Qadiyani replies:

“As long as you agree with me that the mind judges that prophets are necessary in every time, then I do not care if this text opposes it, because as your scholars have decided that any text that contradicts the ruling of the intellect is to be given another suitable interpretation and precedence is given to intellect.”

The Shia says:

“What is your interpretation for this verse?”

The Qadiyani says:

“It is not as you understand it, what is meant by “seal of prophets” is that he is like a stamp, every prophet coming after him must have the stamp of approval which is to believe in Muhammad (SAWS), and our prophet Mirza Ghulam believes in the prophet-hood of Muhammad (SAWS).

Also look at the book “al-Ms’alah al-Qadiyaniyyah” by al-Maududi, on pg.4-5.

Muhammad Manzour Ilahi al-Qadiyani says in “Malfouzat Ahmadiyyah” pg.290:

[The promised messiah peace be upon him said about the seal of prophets: What is meant by it is that we cannot believe today in the prophet-hood of any prophet except with his seal peace be upon him, and just like every letter is not accepted and official until it is stamped by a seal, also every prophet-hood not stamped with his seal and approval is incorrect.]

It is even possible that this verse has a different interpretation, so I can say that he (SAWS) is the seal of Tashri`i prophets only, so no prophet after him will bring a new Shari`ah, and this does not conflict with our call that the Qadiyani has Tablighi prophet-hood!!! according to what some Shia scholars said.

You O Imami Shia cannot prevent me from making this interpretation, because you yourself have given plenty of interpretations to all the mistakes of the prophets found in the Qur’an, so your interpretation of the clear verses that conflict with your intellect is not better than mine, also take into consideration that I only did this to one verse while you Shia did it to many explicit verses and you can go back to the book “Tanzih al-Anbiya’ wal-A’immah” by your leader al-Murtada.”

The third truth:

The Qadiyani debater says:

“The Shia scholars have given the prophets and their Imams the title “godly representative”, and they provided many proofs proving the need for a godly representative which means that these proofs are valid for proving the need of Imamah or prophecy, Grand Ayatullah Makarim al-Shirazi says in “Durous fil`Aqa’id al-Islamiyyah” pg.188:

[And we shall prove in our following research that in each age there needs to be a godly representative, a prophet or an infallible Imam.]

This means that all proofs used by your scholars to prove their theory can also be used to prove mine!”

Shia Muhammad Taqi Misbah al-Yazdi said in “Durous fil `Aqidah al-Islamiyyah” pg.331:

[The finality of prophet-hood would only be in agreement with Godly wisdom if it were coupled with the appointment of an infallible Imam, the Imam who possesses all the characteristics of the Prophet (SAWS) except prophet-hood and a message, with this the necessity of the presence of the Imam is established]

on pg.333 he says:

[We clarified in the last lecture that the finality of prophet-hood without the appointing of an infallible leader contradicts the Godly wisdom, and that the completion of the eternal worldly Islamic religion is tied to the appointment of righteous successors after the Prophet (SAWS), in a way that they possess all the godly positions of the prophet except prophet-hood and a message.]

The Qadiyani continues:

“The Shia scholar proves that depriving the people of a godly guide is at odds with god’s justice and this is exactly what we Qadiyanis say!”

al-Sayyed Mujtaba al-Lari says in “Usoul `Aqa’id al-Islam”:

[The nation in its journey towards perfection needs some sort of leader, this is a natural instinct (…)Can we say that: The God who never left any matter from the necessities of materialistic life unless he provided it for the human, had deprived him from the important factor that plays the main role in his spiritual richness? and that he wasn’t kind enough to bestow this blessing on him?]

The Shia scholar declares that the deprivation of the people from a godly guide means that Allah is miserly, not kind.

Shia philosopher al-Shirazi says in his book “al-Hujjah” pg.153:

[When it was proven that the religious and worldly system is corrupt without the presence of an Imam whom the people follow, and who teaches them the road to guidance and the fear of God, and that their need of him in every age is more important than their need for food and shelter, then it becomes incumbent on the godly being not to leave the earth and the creations without an Imam, unless this can only mean one of three things: Either He is ignorant and does not know, or He is incomplete and incapable of creating him, or He is miserly and would not grant us kindness. All of these matters are obsolete and cannot be attributed to Allah as he is greater and more glorious]

The Shia scholar says here that anyone saying that Allah left us without an infallible leader is slandering Allah and accusing him of horrible things!

Shia scholar al-Sheikh Muhammad Hassan Aale-Yasin says in “al-Imamah” pg.22:

[Because the existence of prophet-hood without Imamah is incomplete, this contradicts the essence of Islam that is built upon the continuation of the message until the day of resurrection. Prophet-hood is the beginning of life and Imamah is the continuation of life]

He says on pg.23:

[If it were permissible for us to believe in prophet-hood without Imamah, then it would be permissible for us to say that the message is short sighted and did not plan ahead of its messenger’s time (…) the reality of Imamah is the completion of the meaning of prophet-hood, the practical existence of a prophet cannot be proper without it.]

Based on all of the above the Qadiyani debater says:

“I add that the cutting of revelation and its end is contradictory with Allah’s grace and mercy, we believe in the presence of the source of the revelation on earth, who according to all heavenly religions is the prophet. All of those texts and intellectual foundations placed by your scholars are of great aid to me in my call of continuation of prophet-hood, so let us set aside our differences and unite together because our call is one and all you have to do is replace the word ‘Imam’ in your books with the word Prophet”.

The sixth chapter:
Trying to distinguish between an Imam and a Prophet.

The Shia:

“It is true that we agree when it comes to the above but you cannot deny that the difference between us remains essential, because we used all the previous arguments to prove the need of an infallible leader, not a prophet, the difference between the Imam and the prophet is like earth and heaven! The difference between our religion and yours is like the difference of Faith and disbelief!”

The Qadiyani:

“If for the sake of the argument I accept that there is a difference between the two, it would mean that you guys can escape the accusation of believing in the continuation of prophet-hood. However, it would not help you in your debate against me, as you cannot refute my beliefs simply by proving that there is a difference, since both of our beliefs originate from the same source as I have shown previously.

Now to return to our debate, I will prove you wrong by showing that there really is no real difference between a prophet and your Imams, as all of your narrations prove that both share the same attributes and privileges, even the same authority! Here’s a quick list of narrations I present to you showing this.”

1- The Imam knows the unseen and knows what was and what is to be:

Allah almighty says about Himself in his book:

{Knower He of the Unseen, and He discloses not His Unseen to anyone, –  save only to such a Messenger as He is well-pleased with; then He despatches before him and behind him watchers, – that He may know they have delivered the Messages of their Lord; and He encompasses all that is with them, and He has numbered everything in numbers.’} [Qur’an 72:26-27-28]

In al-Kafi by al-Kulayni we read the following:

-1/260 #1: Sayf al-Tammar narrated: We were a group of Shia with abi `Abdillah (as) in al-Hujr, he asked: “Are we being watched?” so we turned left and right and didn’t see anyone, we said: “There are no eyes” he said: “By the Lord of the Ka`bah -three times- if I were standing between Musa and al-Khidr I would have told them that I know more than they do and I would have informed them of what they were unaware of. Musa and al-Khidr (as) were given the knowledge of what was but not what is to come and what will take place until the hour rises, we inherited it from the messenger (SAWS).”

-1/261 #2: Some of our companions from them `Abdul-A`la and abu `Ubeidah and `Abdullah ibn Bish al-Khath`ami heard aba `Abdillah (as) say: I know what is in the heavens and the earth, and I know what is in heaven and what is in hell, and I know what was and what will be.” He then stopped for a moment and noticed that what he said was too much for the people to accept, so then he said: “I learned this from the book of Allah almighty, Allah says: In it is a clarification for everything.”

-1/261 #4 (authenticated by Majlisi): Durays al-Kanasi said: I heard abu Ja`far (as) say: “What an strange case is the case with a group of followers! They acknowledge us as the Divine authority over themselves, accept us as their Imam and say that obedience to us is obligatory just as is the case with the Messenger of Allah. They then destroy the veracity of their belief as such and dispute against their own selves due to weakness of their hearts. They then diminish our right and blame those whom Allah has granted evidence to know us as it should be and the (ability) to submit themselves to our Divine authority.

Do you not consider that how would Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, make it obligatory to obey those who possess Divine authority over his servants and then hide from them (people who possess Divine authority) the news of the heaves and the earth? How would He cut them off of the sources of knowledge that might come to them to maintain their religion?”

-1/285 #7: abu Basir narrated that the Imam told him: “O aba Muhammad, the speech of the people and birds and animals or anything with a soul is not hidden from the Imam, the one who doesn’t have this quality is not an Imam.”

-1/257 #4 (authenticated by Majlisi): `Ammar al-Sabati said: I asked abu `Abdullah (as) if the Imam knows the unseen, he replied:”No, but if he wished to know something, then Allah would inform him of it.”

-1/258 #1: abu Basir narrated: abu `Abdillah (as) said: “Any Imam who doesn’t know what befalls him and what would become of him then he is not a Hujjah from God upon his creation.”

-1/258 #3: abu `Ubeidah al-Mada’ini narrated: abu `Abdullah (as) said: “If the Imam wished to know a matter then Allah would inform him of it.”

-1/239 #1 (authenticated by Majlisi): abu Basir narrated: abu `Abdillah (as) told me: “With us there is the knowledge of whatever has been, and the knowledge of everything that will come into being to the Day of Judgment.” I said, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause. This, I swear by Allah, certainly, is the knowledge.” The Imam (as) said, “It certainly is knowledge but not that knowledge.” I asked, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause. What is the knowledge?” The Imam (as) said, “It is whatever takes place during the night and during the day, one matter after the other matter, and one thing after the other to the Day of Judgment.”

-1/241 #5 (authenticated by Majlisi): abu `Ubeidah narrated that abu `Abdillah (as) said: The Imam (as) waited for quite a while. Then he said, “You ask about what you really mean and what you do not mean. Fatima (as) lived after the Messenger of Allah for seventy-five days. She was severely depressed because of the death of her father. Jibril (as) would come to provide her solace because of the death of her father. Jibril would comfort her soul. Jibril would inform her about her father and his place and of the future events and about what will happen to her children. At the same time `Ali (as) would write all of them down and thus is Mushaf of Fatima (as).”

-1/261 #3: al-Mufaddal narrated that he said to abu `Abdillah (as): “May I be sacrifice for you, would Allah order the obedience of a slave on other slaves and would conceal the news of the heavens from him?” he replied: “No, Allah is kinder and more merciful than to order the obedience of a slave then conceal from him the news of the heavens during the day or the night.”

-1/262 #6: abu Hamza said: I heard abu Ja`far (as) say: ” No, I swear by Allah, the scholar (who possesses Divine authority) is never ignorant or knowledgeable in something and ignorant of other things. The Imam (as) then said, “Allah, the Most Holy, Most High and Most Gracious, is far exalted and above imposing the obedience of a servant (of His) on the others and then hide the knowledge of things in the heavens and on earth from him and then say, “Do not hide that from him.”

2- The Imam is protected from sins and forgetfulness:

-1/203 #19: al-Rida (as) said: “…If Allah picked a slave to be responsible for his slaves, he would expand his breast and pour wisdom into his heart and inspire him with knowledge, so he would not give any false answers, he is infallible, supported, and guided, he is safe from sins and mistakes, so that he can be a Hujjah upon his slaves.”

-1/203 #2 (authenticated by Majlisi): abu `Abdillah (as) in his sermon describing the condition of Imams: “…protected from mistakes, guarded against all indecent acts.”

Shia scholar Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar says in “`Aqa’id al-Imamiyyah” pg.104:

[We believe that the Imam is like the prophet he needs to be infallible, protected from all outward an inward indecency, from childhood until death, intentionally or un-intentionally. He also needs to be protected from forgetfulness and error, as the Imams are preservers  of Shari`ah, their condition is like that of the prophet, and the proof causing us to believe in the infallibility of prophets is the same for one causing us to believe in the infallibility of Imam so there’s no difference.]

3- Allah ordered our obedience to the Imam:

– 1/186 #6 (authenticated by Majlisi): abu al-Sabbah al-Kinani narrated: abu `Abdillah (as) said: “We are the people whom Allah-the mighty the sublime has ordered to obey. The Anfal (war booty) is ours, and we have the right to the best of it. We are the people firmly rooted in knowledge. We are that group which is envied, and it is said, “Or do they envy the people for what Allah has given them of His grace?”

-1/187 #8 (authenticated by Majlisi): Mu`ammar bin Khallad said: a Persian man asked abu al-Hassan (as): “Is your obedience obligatory?” he replied: “Yes” he asked: “Like `Ali bin abi Talib (as)?” he said: “Yes”.

-1/186 #5: abi al-Hassan al-`Attar said: I heard abu `Abdillah (as) say: “The messengers and successors share that they must be obeyed.”

4- He who knows him is a believer and he who denies him is a Kafir:

-1/181 #5: Dhurayh narrated: I asked abu `Abdillah (as) about the Imams after the Prophet (SAWS), so he said: “The chief of believers (as) was an Imam, then al-Hassan (as), then al-Hussein (as), then it was `Ali bin al-Hussein (as), then Muhammad bin `Ali (as), he who denies this is like he who denies knowing Allah most high and knowing his messengers (SAWS).”

-1/187 #11: abu Salamah narrated: abu `Abdullah (as) said: “We are the ones whose obedience has been made obligatory by Allah, the people must know us, and he who is ignorant of us is not excused, he who knows us is a believer and he who denies us is a Kafir…”

-1/203 #2 (authenticated by Majlisi): Ishaq bin Ghalib narrates what abu `Abdillah (as) says about the Imam: “And Allah does not accept the good deeds of a slave except after knowing the Imam.”

– 1/184 #8 (authenticated by Majlisi): Muhammad bin Muslim narrates from abu Ja`far (as) that he said: “By Allah O abu Muhammad, if anyone from this nation has no Imam appointed by Allah (to follow), just and apparent, then he becomes misguided and lost, and if he died on this condition he would die a death of Kufr and hypocrisy.”

The Qadiyani says after mentioning all the above:

“These are the descriptions of your Imams which make the difference between the two only in pronunciation, because if we wanted to introduce the prophets then we would not present more than the above, so if you have a better proof to back up your claims then bring it forth.”

The Shia now tries to refute his opponent:

“There is a pivotal difference between prophets and Imams, the prophets get divine revelation from Allah, you have completely ignored this important point to deceive the Muslims! Here is our scholar al-Murtada `Alam-ul-Huda mentioning this in “al-Shafi” 1/39:

[We do not consider the prophet a prophet simply because he shares some attributes with the Imam, but because he has the special task of delivering the word of Allah without intermediary or with intermediary and that is the angel, this is a distinct merit and privilege.]

So with this great difference, the revelation through the angel, your argument falls apart.”

The Qadiyani now needs to reply to this, he says:

“It may appear to the reader that you settled the dispute to your advantage, but the truth is otherwise, because even this great matter was attributed to your Imams and they talk to angels regularly based on your texts.

Before we dive into this topic I would like to make one thing clear, the fact that you and your scholars today are trying to find differences between prophets and Imams is not because you respect the rank of prophet-hood and sanctify it, as all rational authentic Muslims hold the prophet-hood in high esteem and consider the prophets to be above all others in merit and goodness.

The Muslim reader will be surprised and astonished when they realize that your purpose is the exact opposite!

I ask the Shia: Are your efforts in trying to show that prophets are different than Imams aimed to solidify the rank of the prophet as the highest and most virtuous? are you trying to show that the prophet holds a high rank and special privileges that even the Shia Imam can’t be compared to him? are you trying to protect the honor and sanctity of prophet-hood?

After reading your narrations and books it appears to me clearly that your aim is to protect the rank of Imamah and preserve it as the highest and most noble position in existence, even above that of  prophet-hood! Before you accuse me of lies, I will present to you the words of your leaders.”

Grand Ayatullah Nasir Makarim al-Shirazi says when explaining the verse 124 from the chapter “al-Baqarah” in his book “al-Amthal”:

[It becomes clear from the verse that the rank of Imamah that was bestowed upon Ibrahim after all these tests is superior to prophets and messengers (…) as the position of Imam is higher than what he mentioned but even higher than prophet-hood and the message]

He says in “Nafahat al-Qur’an” vol.9 pg.19:

[What is this position that Ibrahim attained at the end of his life after attaining the prophet-hood and the message and after that long struggle? It is acknowledged that it is superior and higher than all of them]

Grand Ayatullah al-Sayyed Kadhim al-Ha’eri says in “al-Imamah wa Qiyadat al-Mujtama`” pg.26:

[What appears to us from the narrations is that the position of Imamah is beyond all other positions -except that of the Lord of course- that the human can possibly reach…]

He says on pg.28:

[And also his saying peace be upon him that “Allah took him as a Khalil(24) before taking him as Imam”, shows apparently that the position of Imamah is greater than (slave, prophet, messenger, Khalil)]

(24) Khalil: very intimate friend.

He says on pg.29:

[So the rank of Imamah is then higher than that of prophet-hood.]

Shia Ayatullah Kamal al-Haydari says in “al-`Ismah” pg.17 and then attributes it to al-Tabataba’i in “al-Mizan” 1/267:
[From these proofs it becomes clear to us that the position of Imamah is different than that of prophet-hood and the message, but rather it is superior and higher than them]

Top Shia scholar Hadi al-Tehrani says in “Wada’i` al-Nubuwwah” pg.114 (copied from “Usoul Madhab al-Shia” pg.656 by al-Qafazi):

[Imamah is more glorious than prophet-hood, it is the third position that Allah honored him by after prophet-hood and being a Khalil]

This means that prophet Ibrahim (SAWS) was “promoted” to the rank of Imam later which makes it greater and superior in the Shia view.

Shia leader ibn Babaweih al-Qummi mentioned in “Ikmal al-Deen” pg.617-618:

[Prophet-hood and the message are Sunan from Allah whereas Imamah is an obligatory duty, the Sunan can be stopped and abandoned in certain situations whereas the obligatory duties are ever lasting after Muhammad (SAWS)…]

Ibn al-Mutahhar al-Helli mentioned in “al-Alfayn” pg.3:

[Imamah is a general grace and prophet-hood is a specific grace because there may come a time when a living prophet is no longer available as opposed to the Imam, so denying the general grace is worse than denying the specific grace]

What al-Qummi and al-Helli both said is that the existence of Imamah is much more necessary and required, its importance is beyond that of prophet-hood, rejecting Imamah is worse than rejecting prophet-hood.

Grand Ayatullah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim says in “al-Imamah wa Ahlul-Bayt al-Nazariyyah wal-Istidlal” pg.22-25:

[The Imamah is a high rank, higher than the level of prophet-hood (…) When Imamah is greater than prophet-hood, then definitely it needs to encompass all the dimensions and responsibilities of prophet-hood, we can even say it is the evolution of the prophetic movement (…) it was explicitly stated in the narrations of Ahlul-Bayt (as) that Imamah is higher in rank than prophet-hood.]

al-Sheikh al-Mufid mentions in “Awa’il al-Maqalat” pg.85:

[A group of Imami Shia have agreed about the superiority of the Imams of Aale-Muhammad (SAWS) over all prophets and messengers except our Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), and the other group have stated their superiority over all prophets and messengers except Ulil-`Azm.]

al-`Allamah al-Sayyed Ni`matullah al-Jaza’iri says in “al-Anwar al-Nu`maniyyah” vol.1 pg.20-21:

[Know that there is no disagreement among our companions peace be upon them about the superiority of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) over other prophets (as) because of  Mutawatir narrations, the disagreement is only about the superiority of the chief of believers and the pure Imams (as) over other prophets except their grandfather Muhammad (SAWS). A group said they are better than all other prophets except Ulil-`Azm as they are better than the Imams (as), another group said they were equal, and the majority of our late scholars agreed on the superiority of the Imams (as) over Ulil-`Azm and all the others and this is the correct opinion.]

Shia Muhaddith al-Hurr al-`Amili has a chapter in his book “al-Fusoul al-Muhimmah fi Usoul al-A’imah” vol.1 pg.403 called:

“chapter 101: The Prophet and the twelve Imams (as) are better than all other creations from prophets and past successors and angels, and that the prophets are better than the angels.” Then he mentioned two narrations in it to prove this.

Ibn Babaweih al-Saduq mentioned in his book “`Uyoun Akhbar al-Rida” vol.1 pg.262 a chapter called:

“The superiority of the prophet and the Imams over all angels and prophets (as).”

al-Sayyed Amir Muhammad Kadhim al-Qazwini says in his book “al-Shia fi `Aqa’idihim wa Ahkamihim” pg.66:

[You will find that `Ali (as) gathered all qualities scattered among those prophets (as) from Ulil-`Azm, and that he peace be upon him is better than them.]

He then mentions the title of this chapter on pg.73:

[The Imams of Ahlul-Bayt (as) are better than the prophet (as) according to the text of the Qur’an]

Grand Ayatullah Mirza Jawad al-Tabrizi answers a question posed to him in “al-Anwar al-Ilahiyyah fil-Masa’il al-`Aqa’idiyyah” pg.179:

[Question: Are the Imams superior to the prophets except our messenger (SAWS)? And what is the proof?
Answer: In his name the most high: Our Imams are better than the prophets except for our Prophet (SAWS), Allah knows best.]

Grand Ayatullah Ruhullah al-Khomeini says in “al-Hukuma al-Islamiyyah” pg.47:

[It is from the necessities of our Madhab, that our Imams have a rank that no angel or prophet can reach.]

The Qadiyani debater now says:

“Your scholars event went to much greater length to plant this belief in the heart of their followers so they narrated narrations stating that an angel called “al-Ruh” was always present with the Imams guiding them and telling them the news of the heavens, this angel has two qualities:

A- He is greater than Jibril, the angel that descended on the prophets.

B- He only accompanies the Imams, none of the previous prophets were honored by having this great angel by their side.”

We read in the greatest Shia book of Hadith, al-Kafi vol.1 pg.273:

-Abu Basir narrated: I asked abu `Abdullah (as) about the saying of Allah: {Even so We have revealed to thee a Spirit of Our bidding. Thou knewest not what the Book was, nor belief} he (as) answered: “A creation from the creations of Allah, greater than Jibril and Mikael, it was present with the messenger of Allah (SAWS) informing him and guiding him, now it is with the Imams after him.” (authenticated by Majlisi)

-Asbat bin Salim said: A man from the people of Hayt asked him -while I was present- about the saying of Allah: {We have revealed to thee a Spirit of Our bidding} he (as) said: “Since the time Allah sent al-Ruh to Muhammad (SAWS), he never ascended to the sky but he remained with us.”

-Abu Basir said: I asked abu `Abdillah (as) about the saying of Allah {They will question thee concerning the Spirit. Say: ‘The Spirit is of the bidding of my Lord.} he (as) replied: “A creation greater than Jibril and Mikael, he was with the messenger of Allah (SAWS) and he is with the Imams. He is from the realm of the angels.” (authenticated by Majlisi)

-Abu Basir said: I heard abu `Abdillah (as) say: {They will question thee concerning the Spirit. Say: ‘The Spirit is of the bidding of my Lord.} he (as) said: “He is a creature greater than Jibril and Mikael. He was not present with anyone before, except Muhammad (SAWS). He is present with the Imams (as). He guides them. It is not that whatever is desired is found.” (authenticated by Majlisi)

The Qadiyani says:
“Not only that, your scholars believed that the prophets with their high rank are all ordered to believe in the Imamah of the twelve.”

The seal of the Shia Muhadditheen Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi narrates in his book “Bihar al-Anwar” 26/280-282:

-Muhammad bin Fudayl from abu al-Hassan (as): “The Wilayah of `Ali is written in all the scriptures of the prophets, and Allah doesn’t send a prophet except to confirm the prophet-hood of Muhammad and the successor-ship of `Ali peace be upon them.”

-Abu Sa`eed al-Khudari said: I heard the messenger (SAWS) say: “O `Ali, Allah did not send a prophet except after calling him to your Wilayah whether he liked or hated.”

-Muhammad bin Muslim said: I heard abu Ja`far (as) saying: “Allah most high took a covenant from the prophets about the Wilayah of `Ali and took an oath from them regarding the Wilayah of `Ali.”

-Huthayfah bin Asyad said: The messenger (SAWS) said: “No prophet-hood was given to a prophet in the shadows until my Wilayah and that of my Ahlul-Bayt were presented to him, so they acknowledged their obedience and Wilayah.”

-`Abdul-A`la said: abu `Abdillah (as) said: “No prophet was given revelation except after knowing our right and virtue over all others.”

-Abu Basir from abi `Abdillah (as) that he said: “No prophet was given revelation nor any messenger sent except with our Wilayah and preferring us over others.”

-Jabir said: abu Ja`far (as) said: “Our Wilayah is that of Allah, He doesn’t send any prophet except with it.”

-Muhammad bin Fudayl from abi al-Hassan (as) about the saying of Allah {They fulfill their vows}, he (as) said: “Fulfill their vows concerning our Wilayah.”

-Zurarah from Himran from abi Ja`far (as) that he said: “Allah most glorious took a covenant from Ulil-`Azm that: I am your Lord and Muhammad is my messenger and `Ali is the chief of believers and his successors after him are responsible for the affairs and they are the treasury of my knowledge, and I shall grant my religion victory through the Mahdi.”

The Qadiyani comments on the above by saying:

“So it’s not that you’re trying to find a difference to honor the prophets, on the contrary you do this to raise the rank of the Imams above the prophets, so that you may not lower this imaginary rank called “Imamah” down to the level of common prophet-hood! This is the main reason the Imams weren’t called “prophets”, al-`Allamah Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi says in “Bihar al-Anwar” 26/82:

[In general, we must submit to the fact that they peace be upon them are not prophets, and that they are more honorable and better than all prophets and successors except for our Prophet (SAWS).]

And so with all of these realities uncovered for all to see, we have uncovered the conspiracy of the Shia scholars against the rank of prophet-hood and how they dishonor it and plan its demise!

Renowned scholar Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar says in “Usoul al-Fiqh” vol.2 pg.57:

[As for the Imami scholars, when it was proven to them, that the saying of the infallible (Imams) from Ahl-ul-Bayt, is like the saying of the prophet, in that it is a binding proof upon the slaves, and that adhering to it is obligatory, they then expanded on the term “Sunnah” to include the words and practices and silent approvals of the infallible.
So the Sunnah according to their definition would be: “The saying of the infallible, or his actions or silent approvals.”
The secret to this, is that: The Imams of Ahlul-Bayt are not considered narrators who narrate from the Prophet (saw) so that we may accept their sayings as binding proofs because they’re just trustworthy (Thiqat). Rather, it is because they are appointed by Allah (swt) as stated by the Prophet (saw) to deliver the true rulings, thus they do not speak except the true rulings of Allah.
They achieve this by either inspiration like the Prophet through divine revelation, Or from learning from the previous infallible as our Mawla Ameer al-Mu’mineen (as) said: “The messenger of Allah (saw) taught me a thousand doors of knowledge, from each open another thousand.”
Based on this, when they (Imams) utter a religious ruling, it is not considered a narration, nor is it an independent reasoning (Ijtihad) or a deduction (Istinbat) from religious texts, but it is that they themselves are actually a source of legislation of Shari`ah, and their sayings are themselves a Sunnah Not a narration of the Sunnah.]

The Shia scholar says that the saying of the Imam is equal to the saying of the Prophet (saw). The Imams should not be obeyed simply because they are trustworthy narrators who narrate from their fathers, but they should be obeyed because they are divine individuals who can legislate Islamic laws and receive their knowledge from the divine revelation and their fathers. When an Imam utters a ruling, he is not narrating it from the Prophet (saw), this is knowledge which he received from Allah as a source for legislation.

Ayatullah al-Marji` Kamal al-Haydari says in “`Ilm al-Imam”  pg.508:

[The Prophet (SAWS) places some religious laws with permission from Allah (swt), according to how Allah disciplined him. This is how it is for the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt as well, they also legislate some Islamic laws that have not been previously legislated by Allah or his messenger (SAWS) according to how Allah disciplined them. This happens in a way, that every law they set and every saying they utter is always in accordance to the will of Allah (swt).]

As for the Imams not talking to the angels, we have proved it wrong and we shall provide even more proofs.”

From the book al-Kafi by al-Kulayni we read:

-1/271 #3 (authenticated by Majlisi): Muhammad bin Isma`il said: I heard abu al-Hassan (as) say: “The Imams are scholars, truthful, given understanding, and Muhaddathoun(25).”

(25) Muhaddath: Will be explained in the next narration.

-1/271 #4: Muhammad bin Muslim said: The “Muhaddath” was mentioned so abu `Abdillah (as) said: “He hears the voice but doesn’t see the form (of the angel).” I said to him: “May I be sacrifice for you, how does he know that it is the word of the angel?” he (as) replied: “He is given tranquility and sobriety until he knows that it is the word of the angel.”

-1/271 #5 (authenticated by Majlisi): Humran bin A`yan said: abu Ja`far (as) said that `Ali (as) was Muhaddath, so I went to my friends and told them: “I got you shocking news.” they said: “What is it?” I said: “I heard abu Ja`far (as) say that `Ali (as) was a Muhaddath.” they said: “Well who was he talking to?” so I returned to him and told him what happened, he (as) said: “He was talking to an angel.” I said: “Do you say he’s a prophet!?” so he shook his hand like the companion of Suleiman or Musa and said: “Did you not know that among you (now) is one like him?”

-1/176 #1 (authenticated by Majlisi): Zurarah said: I asked abu Ja`far (as) (…) ” What is the position of the Imam?” he (as) said: “He hears the voice but does not see and observe the angel.” Then he recited the following verse of the Holy Quran: {Satan would try to tamper with the desires of every Prophet or Messenger or Muhaddath whom We sent}.

-1/176 #3 (authenticated by al-Majlisi): al-Hassan bin Mahbub from al-Ahwal: I asked abu Ja`far (as) (…): “As for the Muhaddath, he is spoken to and he hears it but does not observe nor see in his dream.”

-1/264 #1 (authenticated by Majlisi): `Ali al-Sa’i said: I asked al-Sadiq (as) about what has reached concerning their knowledge. He (as) said: “What has been delivered of our knowledge is of three perspectives: past, remaining and present occurrences. As for the past, its explanation has already been done, and as for the remaining, it has been written down, and as for the current events, it gets imprinted in our hearts and gets whispered in our hearing, and it is the highest of our knowledge, and there is no prophet after our prophet.”

-1/264 #3: al-Mufaddal bin `Umar narrated that abu `Abdillah (as) said: “Our knowledge is remaining and written down, and gets imprinted on the heart, and whispered in the hearing. As for the remaining, it is what has preceded from our knowledge, and as for the written down, it is what comes to us, and what gets imprinted in the hearts is inspiration, and what gets whispered is from the angel.”

-1/271 #1 (authenticated by Majlisi): Jabir al-Ju`fi said: abu `Abdullah (as) said: “O Jabir, Allah most high created three types (of men), it is His saying {And ye will be three kinds: – (First) those on the right hand; what of those on the right hand? – And (then) those on the left hand; what of those on the left hand? – And the foremost in the race, the foremost in the race: – Those are they who will be brought nigh} The foremost in the race are the messengers and special slaves of Allah (as), he granted them five souls: He granted them the holy spirit and with it they learned things, the spirit of faith and with it they feared Allah, the spirit of strength and with it they were able to obey Allah, the spirit of desire and with it they desired the obedience of Allah and hated his disobedience and the spirit of life and with it the people come and go…”

-1/271 #3: al-Mufaddal bin `Umar narrated: I asked Abu `Abdillah (as) about the knowledge of the Imam of what is in the regions of the earth while he is in his house at ease (with) its shelter upon him?  So he (as) said: “O Mufaddal, verily Allah most high made five spirits in the Prophet (SAWS): the spirit of life, and by it he went and stepped, the spirit of strength, so by it he arose and struggled against his enemy, the spirit of desire, so by it he ate and drank and came to women from the Halal, the spirit of faith, so by it he commanded and was just, and the Holy Spirit, so by it he bore the prophet-hood.
And when the Prophet (as) passed away, the Holy Spirit transferred and came into the Imam (as).  And the Holy Spirit does not sleep, does not omit, does not divert, and does not forget.  And the four spirits sleep, divert, and forget.  And by the Holy Spirit he would see.”

The researcher of the book `Ali Akbar Ghafari said about this narration:

[Meaning everything hidden in the corners of the earth and what is in the heavens and in general everything below the throne and under the earth.]

-1/271 #2: Jabir said: I asked abu Ja`far (as) about the knowledge of the learned one, so he (as) said to me: “O Jabir, the prophets and Imams (as) are upon five spirits: the spirit of faith, the spirit of strength, the spirit of desire, the spirit of life, and the Holy Spirit. So by the Holy Spirit, O Jabir, are we taught what is beneath the Throne to what is under the soil. O Jabir, the four spirits are affected by the two contingents except the Holy spirit, The Holy spirit does not divert and does not play.”

-1/398 #3 (authenticated by Majlisi): `Ammar al-Sabaty said: I said to abu `Abdillah (as): “By what would you rule if you were able to rule?” he (as) said: “By the law of Allah and the law of David and if we encounter a new matter then the holy spirit would inform us of it.”

-3/302 #1 (authenticated by Majlisi): Zuarah and al-Fadl both narrated: abu `Abdillah (as) said: When Jibril (as) descended on the Prophet (as) with the call to prayer, his head was in `Ali’s (as) lap, so Jibril (as) made the call to prayer and made the Iqamah and when the Prophet (as) realized it he told `Ali (as): “Did you hear?” `Ali (as) said: “Yes” and the Prophet (as) told him: “Did you memorize?” `Ali (as) said: “Yes” then the Prophet (as) told him: “Call Bilal and teach him.” so `Ali (as) called Bilal and taught him.

-In Bihar al-Anwar by al-Majlisi 26/74: Buraid al-`Ajali said: I asked abu `Abdullah (as) about the messenger, the prophet and the Muhaddath. He (as) said: “(…) and the Muhaddath is he who hears the speech of the angels and it gets whispered in his ears and imprinted in his heart.”

-al-Bihar by al-Majlisi 25/60: `Abdullah ibn Talhah, abi al-Sabbah al-Kinani and ibn Sinan all narrated with their respective chains that al-Sadiq (as) was asked: “O son of the messenger of Allah (SAWS), tell me about your knowledge. Is it from documents you have written? Or narrations that you narrate from one another?” He (as) replied: “O `Abdullah, the matter is much greater than this. Do you not read the book of Allah?” I said: “Yes I do.” He (as) said: “Don’t you read:

{Even so We have revealed to thee a Spirit of Our bidding. Thou knewest not what the Book was, nor belief; but We made it a light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants.}

Do you believe he (SAWS) did not know the book or the beliefs?”

I said: “This is how we recite it.” He (as) said: “Yes, he was in a condition that he didn’t know the book or the beliefs, so Allah sent him the spirit and it taught him the knowledge and gave him understanding.” And so this spirit if Allah sent it to a slave it would teach him the knowledge and give him understanding.

These narrations all include the meaning of divine revelation, because the descent of an angel is not of his own will, it is an order from Allah most high as he said on the tongue of his angels:

{ [Gabriel said], “And we [angels] descend not except by the order of your Lord. To Him belongs that before us and that behind us and what is in between. And never is your Lord forgetful} [Qur’an 19:64]

The Qadiyani debater continues:

“Also several of your scholars have admitted that based on your narrations, the angel which the Imams communicate with is Jibril (as).”

Grand Ayatullah Ja`far al-Subhani admitted that it was Jibril (as) in “Mafhim al-Qur’an” 4/390:

[What is apparent is that what is meant by “the angel” in those narrations is Jibril.]

Sadr-ul-Deen al-Shirazi says in “al-Hujjah” that Jibril (as) is the “Holy Spirit”, in pg.91:

[Jibril is the one called holy spirit.]

Then he said on pg.93:

[And his saying “The Imam is the one who hears the voice but does not observe the shape” meaning he hears the words of Allah through the holy spirit while conscious but as speech, he does not see the materialistic shape in consciousness nor sleep.]

This is true as many Shia narrations apparently state that Jibril (as) himself came and talked to the Imam and here are some examples from al-Majlisi’s “Bihar alAnwar”:

-39/157: Humran bin A`yan said: I said to abi `Abdillah (as): “May I be sacrificed for you, it had reached me that Allah most high called `Ali (as)?” he (as) said: “Yes, there was a calling between them in al-Ta’if, Jibril descended between them.”

-40/140-141: `Abdullah bin abi Ya`four said: I said to abu `Abdillah (as): “`Ali used to receive it in his heart or chest?” he (as) said: “`Ali was a Muhaddath.” so when I bothered him about it he (as) told me: “On the day of bani Qurayza and bani al-Nazeer, `Ali had Jibril on his right and Mikael on hisleft, they were talking with him.”

-39/152: Rafa`ah bin Musa heard abu `Abdillah (as) say: The prophet (SAWS) was dictating and `Ali (as) was writing on a skin, when he reached half of it, the messenger (SAWS) placed his head on `Ali’s (as) lap and `Ali (as) wrote until the skin was full. When the prophet (SAWS) raised his head he asked: “Who was dictating?” `Ali (as) said: “You O Messenger of Allah.” he (SAWS) said: “No, it was Jibril who dictated.”

-39/152: Ibn Sudair from abu `Abdillah (as): The Prophet (SAWS) called on `Ali (as) an he asked for a paper, so he dictated until the front side was filled then fell unconscious, and Jibril dictated the back side, then the Prophet (SAWS) noticed, he said: “Who dictated O `Ali?” he said: “You O messenger of Allah.” he (SAWS) replied: “I dictated the front side and Jibril did the back side.” And they were writing Qur’an.

The last narrations are quite clear that he even heard the Qur’an from the angel and this is very explicit, the same can be read in the book “Nahj-ul-Balagha” in the Sermon known as “al-Qasi`ah”

[I used to follow him like a young camel following in the footprints of its mother. Every day he would show me in the form of a banner some of his high traits and commanded me to follow it. Every year he used to go in seclusion to the hill of Hira’, where I saw him but no one else saw him. In those days Islam did not exist in any house except that of the Prophet of Allah – peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his descendants – and Khadijah, while I was the third after these two. I used to see and watch the light of divine revelation and message, and breathed the scent of Prophet-hood.
When the revelation descended on the Prophet of Allah – peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his descendants – I heard the moan of Satan. I said, “O’ Prophet of Allah, what is this moan?” and he replied, “This is Satan who has lost all hope of being worshiped  O’ `Ali, you see all that I see and you hear all that I hear, except that you are not a Prophet, but you are a vicegerent and you are surely on (the path of) virtue.]

This is also very explicit as you can see, it even goes further to say that the Imam sees the angel, not that seeing it would make any difference.

Shia scholar ibn Maytham al-Bahrani says in “al-Sharh al-Kabir – al-Misbah” vol.4 pg.318:

[It was narrated from al-Sadiq (as) that he said: “`Ali (as) used to see with the Prophet (SAWS) the light and hear the voice before the message.]

He continues on the same page:

[This is backed by his (as) saying when he was asked about it “You see all that I see and you hear all that I hear, except that you are not a Prophet” thus he (SAWS) testified that `Ali(as) reached the rank of hearing revelation and the words of the angel and the devil and all that he (SAWS) sees and hears.]

Shia scholar al-Mirza Habibullah al-Hashimi al-Khu’i says in “Minhaj al-Bara`ah fi Sharh Nahj al-Balagha” 12/42-43:

[What he pointed to in his saying “You hear what I hear and see what I see” is that apparently the Imam hears the voice of the angel and observes him like the messenger.]

Shia scholar al-Sayyed Muhammad al-Husseini al-Shirazi says in “Tawdih Nahj-ul-Balagha” 3/244:

[Then the prophet (SAWS) said to `Ali (as) “You hear what I hear” from the voice of revelation and that of the devil and so on, “And see what I see” meaning the shape of the angels and the devil.]

Also the meaning of prophet-hood is already included in these texts and he has acquired it, this is why the narration tries to clarify “except you are not a prophet”, Shia scholar al-Sayyed `Abbas `Ali al-Musawi says in “Sharh Nahj-ul-Balagha” 3/348:

[When he had stated that the Imam hears as the prophet hears, and sees as he sees, he feared that some may confuse them so he denied that he was a prophet.]

In other words, denying him prophet-hood is not because he doesn’t have the qualities and descriptions of a prophet, it’s simply because the Prophet (SAWS) is the seal so `Ali (as) cannot be called a prophet. The conclusion we draw after all this is that the Imam is exactly like the prophet but can’t be named prophet, it is a difference only in pronunciation.

The Qadiyani says:

“The infallibility of your Imams itself shows that they receive divine revelation, how else would they be guided and corrected? Who would tell them the correct answers to the questions and who would stop them from committing a sin if not the heavens?”

Dr. `Abdul-Hadi al-Husseini says in his book “al-`Ismah” pg.71:

[Meaning, that the Imams get revelation otherwise how can we consider this infallibility!? Didn’t Allah almighty says (In Surat An-Najm) when talking about the infallibility of his Prophet (SAWS) that it was by revelation {By the Star when it setteth – Your comrade erreth not, nor is deceived} and this is infallibility, then after it He explains the reason behind the infallibility and its cause {It is not but a revelation revealed} through Jibril (as) and He clarifies this in His saying {Taught to him by one intense in strength}]

al-`Allamah Muhammad Jamil Humoud said in “al-Fawa’id al-Bahiyyah” 2/102:

[And the descent of Jibril (as) and the close angels on our prophet Muhammad and his pious progeny…]

On pg.107 he says that the Imams get the same type of revelation as the messengers and Ulil-`Azm:

[And this type of revelation also includes the pious progeny, as Allah said in Surat al-Anbiya’ verse 73 {And appointed them to be leaders guiding by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, and to perform the prayer, and to pay the alms, and Us they served.}]

Shia scholar al-Hurr al-`Amili said in Ithbat-ul-Hudat 5/375:

[I say: The narrations are mass transmitted that the Prophet and the Imams did not know all of the unseen and the Qur’an is clear on this. However, they knew a lot from the unseen as Allah taught them so and their knowledge used to (regularly) increase on the night of power (Ramadan), the Friday and other days, also if they wish to learn a matter they would know it.]

How could they increase in knowledge on certain nights if they weren’t receiving revelation from the sky?

This is why their philosopher Sadr-ul-Deen al-Shirazi said in “al-Hujjah” pg.133:

[But prophet-hood was ended with prophet Muhammad (SAWS) meaning the prophet-hood of the message, and the Imamah remained as the Batini(26) prophet-hood until the day of judgment]

(26) Batini: esoteric.

He said on pg.97:

[But the earth was never devoid of Batini prophet-hood except the Tashri`i prophet-hood and uttering the name.]

To explain what this man is saying, he states that prophet-hood has never really ended, it was only the Tashri`i prophet-hood that ended, and we just stopped using the name “prophet”, as for the Imams they are a continuation of prophet-hood but they do not bring new laws, exactly like Tablighi prophets and there is no difference between the two.

The Qadiyani says:

“Your efforts to differentiate between Imams and prophets have failed. Your scholars have proved:

1-That the Tablighi prophets and the Imams are absolutely identical and no respectable difference was presented to differentiate them.

2-Denying that the Imams receive new laws or books is not something exclusive for the Imami Shia, also we Qadiyanis have denied that our prophet Ghulam Ahmad gets any new laws or books.”

Shia scholar Hibat-ul-Deen al-Shahrastani says in “Awa’il al-Maqalat” pg.178:

[What do you know, if prophet-hood remained ongoing then they (Imams) would have been awarded it one by one, they were never unqualified for it except that Godly wisdom prevented this, not because they were unworthy.]

al-Sayyed Amir Muhammad Kadhim Qazwini says in “al-Shia fi `Aqa’idihim wa Ahkamihim” pg.73:

[Because they deserved the higher rank which is Imamah, then by default they deserve the lower rank of prophet-hood. The fact that they deserve it is established for the Imams of the prophetic household (as) but the only preventative was the rank of ‘seal of prophets’ that was awarded to our messenger (SAWS)]

The Qadiyani says:

“The final nail in your coffin is that al-Majlisi, who is the expert in Shia narrations and their Hadith sciences, author of the Shia Hadith encyclopedia that reached 110 volumes long, he openly admits that the minds are incapable of spotting any difference between the Imams and the prophets.

Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi says in “Bihar al-Anwar” vol.26 pg.82:

[On the whole, after admission of the fact that the Imams are not prophets, we are bound to acknowledge the fact that they are superior to all Prophets and legatees except our Prophet (salutations and peace upon him and his family). To our knowledge there is no reason not to describe the Imams as Prophets except consideration to the status of the Final Prophet. Our intellect too, cannot perceive a distinction between prophet-hood and Imamah.]

Even your biggest Hadith scholar al-Kulayni when he couldn’t find a convincing difference between them, he placed a chapter in his book al-Kafi and called it “Chapter: That the Imams are like those who passed and the dislike of calling them prophets”. Only “dislike”!!? This itself shows great leniency in this matter and that he himself is not convinced, the title of his chapter should have been “The Kufr of anyone who hints that the Imams are prophets”.

One question remains in our heads though, is it “disliked” because it brings the sacred rank of prophet-hood down to the level of Imams, or because it brings the prestigious rank of Imamah down to the level of prophet-hood?

With this we have reached the end of our debate and we reached three results to sum this matter up:

The first result:

You cannot refute my proofs as they are the same as the intellectual proofs used by your scholars to prove Imamah, so either you agree with us on the continuation of prophet-hood and unite with us, or you abandon your intellectual proofs which proved to be weak and fragile.

The second result:

Imami Shiasm calls for the continuation of prophet-hood under the mask of Imamah, and the difference between the two is only in the name and pronunciation, no essential difference was provided and they both share the same jobs and functions. So both you and us are calling to the same matter.

The third result:

It was made absolutely clear through your texts and the sayings of your scholars that you have dishonored the rank of prophet-hood and lowered it below that of your leaders and stripped it of all that was exclusive to it, giving it all to the Imams.”

CONCLUSION:

“Why Imamah?”

In conclusion of this research, I hope that I succeeded in showing the dangers of the misguided sects who follow their own desires, and I hope that anyone belonging to any of the two sects mentioned would ponder his beliefs and revise his opinions in the light of our two masters, The book of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah of his Prophet (SAWS). Finally, the reader must be wondering at the point, “Why Imamah?”:

The first possibility:

The one who fabricated it had the goal of continuation of prophet-hood at first, but with slyness and secrecy he disguised it with the word “Imam” so it can be spread and accepted by the ignorant laypeople, and so that he can be safe from the criticism of the scholars of Islam who would accuse him that he doesn’t believe in the finality of prophet-hood. Making it one of the dangerous destructive sects that seeks to demolish Islam by causing doubt in the main articles of faith and opening the door to all other deviants who wish to do the same.

The second possibility:

The one who fabricated it did not believe in continuation of prophet-hood initially, it was only a theory that he found necessary through intellect and he began advertising for it, then he rushed to try and prove it and defend it not noticing the horrible consequences and dangerous results it brings upon Islam’s main beliefs, or that the deviants will use it as a bridge to attack Islam and spread their falsehood in the nation. Making it one of the dangerous destructive sects that seeks to demolish Islam by causing doubt in the main articles of faith and fundamentals of the religion.

In both cases, it is a real danger on Islam and its followers, I ask Allah almighty that the Muslims would be aware of the underlying dangers of this theory so they can avoid it as it threatens the finality of prophet-hood and the sacred rank of the prophets.
I ask Allah most high to accept from me this research in which my aim was to defend the honor of the prophets peace be upon them, may Allah grant us their intercession and grant us a seat next to them on the day of judgment, and peace be upon our Prophet and leader and master Muhammad and his family and companions.

{Thou art not responsible for guiding them; but God guides whomsoever He will.} [Qur’an 2:272]

– The End –

Written by the ex-Shia, our respected Sheikh `Abdul-Malik ibn `Abdul-Rahman al-Shafi`i under the original title of “Imamat-ul-Shi`ah Da`wah Batiniyyah li Istimrar al-Nubuwwah”, translated and abridged by Hani al-Tarabulsi al-Shafi`i on January/13/2013.