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The Quran, The Imamate and the Imams Shia'ite View point
In Kitab-ul-Hujjat of Usul-e-Kafi there is a chapter the title of which reads: ‘In this chapter the sayings of the Imams are given appertaining to the verses of the Quran that shed light on the concepts of the Imamte and the Imams.’
It is a very long chapter containing about a thousand narration, all of which deserve to be brought to the notice of the readers, but the space at our disposal is very limited. Only a few of these traditions are, therefore, taken up here by way of an illustration.
What God had offered as a Trust to the Heavens, the earth and the mountains and they had declined to shoulder the responsibility was the Imamte.
In verse 72 of Sura-i-Aliab, the Quran says:
TRANSLATE ARABIC
"Verily, We offered the Trust (the Vicegerency of God) to the heavens, and to the earth, and to the mountains, but they hesitate to undertake the responsibility thereof and feared to bear it. Man alone undertook to bear it, not fully aware of his limitations, and, thus, was unfair to himself."
As Usul-e-Kafi has it, while explaining the verse Imam Baqar said that by ‘Trust’ (Amanat) what was meant was the Imamate of Amir-ul-Momini (Hazrat Ali Murtuza). It shows that even the heavens, the earth and the mountains did not dare undertake the responsibility of the Imamate of Hazrat Ali, and, in fear, declined to accept the offer.
The only comment one can offer is that to say that by Amanat (Trust) the Imamate of Hazrat Ali was meant is as ridiculous and absurd, as a Qadiani were to claim that it meant the Apostleship of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani.
All the other narrations in this chapter are of the same order, but it is one these very narrations that the fundamental doctrine of Imamate in Shiaism is based. To ascribe these to Imam Jafar Sadiq or his father, Imam Baqar, is sheer impudence which seriously damages their position as men of high learning and faith.
It was not the Quran which was revealed but the question of Wilayat and Imamate of Hazrat Ali:
ARABIC TRANSLATE
"Verily, this is a revelation of the Lord of the Worlds which Trusted Spirit (Gabriel) hath brought down upon thy heart, that thou mayest be among the Warners, in plain Arabic speech.".
But, Usul-e-Kafi tells that Imam Baqar, once, said that the thing which Gabriel brought down upon the heart of the Prophet was the Wilayat of Amirul-Mominin. In other words, this verse does not refer to the Quran, but the question of Imamate. (p. 261).
Verse 66 of Sura-i-Mai’da says:
ARABIC TRANSLATE
"And if they had observed the Torah and the Bible and that which was revealed unto them by their Lord, they would, assuredly, have been nourished from above them and from beneath their feet".
The book, Usul-e-Kafi, asserts that while explaining this verse, Imam Baqar said that it was not the Quran that had been sent down, but the question of Imamate. (p. 262).
Anyone reading these verses and the context thereof will, positively, come to the conclusion that how foolish and ignorant were those who concocted the aforementioned traditions and ascribed them to a pious and learned person like Imam Baqar.
The Quran contained the Names of Panjatan Pak (the five Pious Persons) and al the Imams but tampering was done and these were removed.
Verse 115 of Sura-i-Ta Ha reads as under:-
ARABIC TRANSLATE
"And of old We had made a covenant with Adam (not to go near that Tree), but he (in course of time) forgot it, and We found no constancy in him".
But in Usul-e-Kafi it is stated that Imam Jafar (once) observed, calling on God to witness the truth of it, that the above verse was revealed in the following words "And of old We had given an order to Adam about Mohammad an Ali and Fatima and Hasan and Husan and the other Imams descending from them but Adam forgot about it." (p. 263).
Meaning that the verse had been revealed to the holy Prophet in such a way tha it included all those names, i.e., the Lord and given special instructions to Adam about Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husain and the other Imams born in their lineage, but after the death of the Prophet, (according to the Shia creed), those who had become the Caliphs made, by force or fraud, change sin the Quran one of which was that they struck out from the above verse of Sura-i-Ta Ha the names of the ‘Five Pious Persons’ (Panjatan pak) and all the other Imams descending from them.
Another Instance of alteration in the Quran:
Verse 23 of Sura-i-al-Baqarah reads:-
ARABIC TRANSLATE
"And if ye are in doubt concerning what We have revealed to Our servant (the holy Prophet) then produce a Sura (chapter) of the like thereof…"
Addressing the deniers of Islam and the Quran this verse challenges them to produce a single Surah like those of the Quran and take the help of anyone they liked in it.
In Usul-e-Kafi, however, it is related that Imam Baqar (once) said, "After the words, ala abdena (Our servant), and before fatu (produce) there were the words, fi-Aliyin (about Ali)". Thus, the Imamate of Hazrat Ali had been mentioned in the above verse, but the relevant phrase was removed later, after the death of the holy Prophet. (p. 264).
ARABIC TRANSLATE
‘So turn steadfastly to the Way of which man (by nature) had been fitted".
Clearly, "way", here, denotes the Way of God, but Usul-e-Kafi will have us believe that Imam Baqar said tha it did not mean God’s Way, but Wilayat and Imamte. (P. 264).
Failure to acknowledge the Wilayat and Imamate of Hazrat Ali rendered the first three Caliphs and the Companions, in general, Infidels and Apostates.
Verse No. 137, of the Sura-i-Nissa says:
ARABIC TRANSLATE
"Verily, those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe again and disbelieve, and wax in unbelief, God will not forgive them nor direct them to the right path".
It contains a serve admonition of people who go on changing from belief to unbelief for worldly gain or expediency. They are nothing but hypocrites, and their hypocrisy will never be forgiven nor will they be guided to the Straight Path. They are doomed forever.
However, in Usul-e-Kafi, it is related that Imam Jafar Sadiq, once, observed as follows in respect of the above verse. (Before proceeding further it should be borne in mind that in Shi’ite narrations and writings wherever the word folan (so and so) is used twice, it implies the first two Caliphs, Abu Bakr and Omar, and where it is used three times it includes the third Caliph, Usman, as well). Now, to proceed with Imam Jafar Sadiq’s saying as stated in Usul-e-Kafi: "The verse, (it says), is in respect of folan, folan and folan (Abu Bakr, Omar and Usman1). These thee had initially believed in the Prophet (peace be upon him and his dependents), but when the matter of Wilayat and Imamate of Hazrat Ali was placed before them and the holy Prophet said, ‘Ali is the Maula2 of whom I am the Maula they denied it and turned infidels. On the insistence of the Prophet, however, they pledged their fealty to Hazrat Ali and entered into the faith again. But when the Prophet (peace be upon him and his dependents) died, they renounced it again, and became infidels, and their infidelity increased, further, when they took the pledge of loyalty themselves from those who had pledged it to Hazrat Ali. Not an iota of faith was, thus, left in them (and they became unqualified infidels". P. 264.
Immediately after this narration is yet another by Imam Jafar Sadiq in regard to verse 25 of Sura-i-Mohammad:
ARABIC TRANSLATE
"But to those have returned to their disbelief after guidance had been manifested to them, Satan will, surely, make their actions fair to them and give them a long rope."
The boo, Usul-e-Kafi asserts, that the persons referred to in the above verse were "Folan, folan and folan (meaning the first three Caliphs) (and they) had become apostates because of rejecting the Wilayat and Imamate of Amirul Mominin Hazrat Ali." (p. 265).
‘Fatih’ means Amir-ul-Mominin Ali, ‘Infidelity’ means Abu Bakr, ‘Impiety’ means Omar, and ‘Sin’ means Usman:
ARABIC TRANSLATE
"O Ye who believe, God hath made the faith dear to you and set it firmly in your hearts, and hath made unbelief and wickedness and rebellion (against God and the Prophet) hateful to you. Such are they who pursue the right course".
According to Usul-e-Kafi, however, while explaining the meaning of the above verse, Imam Jafar Sadiq said:-
"(In it) the word ‘faith’ in ‘Hath made the faith dear to you’ denotes the personality of Amir-ul-Mominin, and among the words, ‘unbelief, wickedness and rebellion’ ‘unbelief’ denotes the first Caliph,’wickedness’ the second Caliph, and ‘rebellion’, the third Caliph.". (p. 269).
It is hoped no one will harbour suspicions about and mistrust the venerable members of the family of the holy Prophet like Imam Jafar Sadiq and Imam Baqar owing to these traditions, but treat them to be a part of the conspiracy against the unity and solidarity of he Muslim Ummat. And, curiously enough, it is upon these narrations and statements that the entire edifice of the Shi’ite creed is based.
All those who do not believe in the Imamate of Amir-ul-Mominin are doomed to Hell:
ARABIC TRANSLATE
"Nay, but whosoever earneth evil and is immersed therein such shall be the inmates of Fire; therein will they abide".
Its significance is plain as daylight but, now, read what is given in Usul-e-Kafi as the interpretation of it by Imam Jafar Sadiq. He is reported to have said that what it meant was that people who would deny the Imamate of Amir-ul-Mominin were dwellers of Fire wherein they would live forever. (p. 270).
It should be noted that Imamate, here, denotes what it does in the special terminology of the Shias as explained already in the preceding pages.
These are only ten out of the scores of traditions of this kind set forth in Usul-e-Kafi.
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