Voicing Disunity, the Call of Satan

Ultimately, the clergy—whether Shia or Sunni—all fall under the title of *"those who deliver the messages of Allah"* (Qur’an 33:39), though to varying degrees. A scholar who has put in more effort and reached a higher level of knowledge uncovers more truths, while another may have done so to a lesser extent. Whether one is merely responsible for leading congregational prayers or engaged in explaining and interpreting the Qur’an, or teaching jurisprudence or beliefs, they all fall under the same title of *"those who deliver the messages of Allah."*

This very title requires Islamic scholars to deepen their understanding of the truths of the religion and the reality of the Book and the Qur’an.

In our narrations, it has been mentioned regarding the Holy Qur’an—and it is likely present in your narrations as well—that *"The Qur’an flows like the sun and the moon."* Just as the sun and the moon never cease their movement and rise with a new light every day, the Qur’an too is living and dynamic. In fact, we find the phrase in our narrations that *"The Qur’an is alive and never dies."* The Qur’an is a living, eternal entity.

This introduction was to emphasize that it is the duty of all religious scholars, whether Sunni or Shia, to extract the truths of the Qur’an and present them to the people.

Praise be to Allah, we all share the same Qur’an. In this center, we have published a book titled *"The Adherence of the Pure Household to the Holy Qur’an,"* which gathers instances where the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) used the Qur’an for reasoning in matters of beliefs, rulings, ethics, political jurisprudence, social jurisprudence, and medical jurisprudence.

During a meeting with one of the prominent scholars of Al-Azhar, I gave him this book and said, *"With all these instances of our Imams reasoning through the Qur’an—verses that are the same as those in the Qur’an you have—can it be said that the Shia believe in the alteration of the Qur’an?"*

The texts of our interpretations are the same as those found in the interpretations of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi and Alusi's *Ruh al-Ma'ani*, among others. When Sheikh Tusi, in his interpretation *Tibyan*, explains the Qur’an, he interprets the very same verses that you have, without a single word added or omitted.

Similarly, in *Majma’ al-Bayan* and *Al-Mizan* by the late Allama Tabatabai, the same Qur’an is being interpreted.

In fact, if you look at the interpretations of the leading Shia scholars, you won’t find a single scholar whose commentary is based on a text other than this very Qur’an. My late father (may Allah's mercy be upon him) wrote a book on Qur’anic sciences titled *"Introduction to Tafsir,"* where he proved the non-alteration of the Qur’an. I too have authored a book on the *"Non-Alteration of the Qur’an."*

The dynamism of our lives as religious students lies in our greater connection with the Qur’an. In this very center, we have extracted verses related to medical jurisprudence. We have also worked for several years on political jurisprudence and verses related to governance, focusing on those verses that clearly state that governance belongs to God.

In Surah al-Ma'idah, Almighty God says: *"O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as your protectors"* (5:51). Here, "protectors" does not mean friends, because in the continuation of the verse, it says if someone takes them as their protectors, *"he is one of them"* (5:51). That is, if a Muslim appoints a Jew as their leader, they become like them. A few verses later, it states that your protectors are God, His Messenger, and the believers.

Since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution, there has been an ongoing debate in religious seminaries, universities, and scientific centers about whether Islam includes a system of governance. Has Islam provided a framework for governing humanity, or has it left it to the discretion of the wise and the people to appoint whoever they wish as their leader?

In this very center, we have explained that numerous Qur’anic verses indicate that governance is exclusively for Almighty God. No human has the right to govern another except by the permission of God. If the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) governed, it was by the permission of God, and anyone who wants to govern people must do so by God's command.

In our jurisprudence, it has long been said that the subject of jurisprudence is the actions of those who are accountable (the *mukallaf*). However, this has traditionally been considered on an individual basis: a specific person must perform prayers, fast, go on pilgrimage, and enjoin good and forbid evil. But can society as a whole also be accountable? Can God's commandments be directed at society rather than individuals?

This issue has not been discussed much in the past. However, in this center, we have extracted verses related to social jurisprudence, where Almighty God addresses not specific individuals, but society as a whole. For example, in the verse: *"Do not weaken and do not grieve, for you will have the upper hand if you are true believers"* (3:139). In this verse, God wants the Muslims, by the blessings of monotheism, the Qur’an, the Prophet, and what the Prophet has said, to be elevated above all of humanity.

This is one of the verses of social jurisprudence. With *"you will have the upper hand"*, God wants the elevation of Muslims. Muslims should not be humiliated and subjugated by disbelief, nor should they live under the rules of disbelief, which unfortunately is the condition many Islamic countries are currently facing, where disbelievers design and dictate their way of life.

Through the blessings of this revolution, these centers, and these researches, one continually discovers more powerful and important lessons from this divine book.

In any case, there must be scholarly exchange among scholars, and we should not be content with superficial meetings. We should ask each other, *"What new insights have you gained from the Qur’an that are relevant to today’s society?"* And we should share our findings with one another.

There is a discussion—I am not sure if it has been raised among Sunni scholars—that besides his roles as a prophet, messenger, ruler, and judge, which are clearly established as being from God, did the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also have the *"authority of legislation"*? That is, without receiving a ruling from Gabriel or finding it written in the Qur’an, did the Prophet have the authority, by God's permission, to legislate laws based on the special power of the Holy Spirit that God had bestowed upon him?

In our traditions, it is mentioned that initially, all prayers—Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha—were two units (rak'ahs). The Prophet (peace be upon him) added two rak'ahs to Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha, and one rak'ah to Maghrib, which is referred to as the "Prophet's ordinance" (*Farz an-Nabi*). Where in the Qur'an is the number of these rak'ahs mentioned? Thus, we say these are the traditions of the Prophet. Perhaps you also refer to *Sunnah* in the same sense, meaning "what the Prophet legislated."

The Prophet also added the 34 rak'ahs of *nawafil* (supererogatory prayers). The fast of the month of Sha'ban is entirely recommended and was legislated by the Prophet, as were the fasts of the first, middle, and last days of the month. The Qur'an prohibits drinking wine, but it was the Prophet who stated that *"all intoxicants are prohibited,"* whether it is wine or something else. In matters of inheritance for the grandfather, Almighty God did not specify anything, but the Prophet set one-sixth (*sudus*) for the grandfather.

These are examples of the legislative acts of the Prophet, and indeed, he legislated even beyond these. A well-known incident is when Imam Ali (peace be upon him) went to Yemen on behalf of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to spread Islam. When he returned from Yemen, the Prophet asked, "O Ali, did you encounter anything new in Yemen?" Imam Ali replied, "Yes, O Messenger of God. In Yemen, three men were disputing over a child, each claiming the child as his own." The Prophet asked, "What did you do?" Imam Ali replied, "I drew lots, and through the lot, I determined who the father was." The Prophet affirmed Imam Ali’s action and said, *"Drawing lots is a Sunnah."* This is an example of something the Prophet legislated.

Sunni jurists have used lots in cases where a man has multiple wives to determine who has the right to be with him, and they have issued rulings on this. Similarly, Imami scholars frequently use lots in their jurisprudence. This is another example of the Prophet's legislation. The Prophet's actions themselves testify to him carrying out these rulings.

Now, the question arises: Where in the Qur'an is this authority given to the Prophet? Ultimately, the question is: If you claim that the Prophet had the authority of legislation (*tashri*), and this is accepted, which verse of the Qur'an supports this claim?

This claim asserts that, in addition to being a prophet, messenger, ruler, and judge, the Prophet also had the authority of legislation granted by God. If someone can understand and prove this, it greatly elevates the status of our Prophet. However, another view among Imami scholars is that the Prophet only had the role of *"explaining"* (tibyan), meaning that he only conveyed to the people what was revealed to him.

In response to this question, there is a chapter in our traditions called "Delegation to the Prophet" (*Tafwidh ila an-Nabi*), where our Imams refer to verses that indicate this delegation.

One such verse is in Surah Al-Hashr (59:7), where Almighty God says, *"Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you from, abstain from it."* In the context of the verse *"What Allah restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns, it is for Allah, the Messenger, his close relatives, orphans, the needy, and the traveler so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you"* (59:7), the phrase *"Whatever the Messenger gives you"* refers to the Prophet's legislative authority—whatever he legislates, you must follow.

The Prophet expressed many things that are discouraged (*makruh*). These traditions about discouraged actions are also found in your books, where the prohibition is not absolute but indicates something is disliked. Gabriel did not descend to communicate these, nor are they found in the Qur'an. So where did they come from? This is a power and authority given to the Prophet by God. Almighty God says to follow whatever the Messenger tells you.

When you refer to Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's interpretation, you often see him apply *"Whatever the Messenger gives you"* to the matter of spoils (*fay'*), meaning whatever spoils of war the Prophet distributes, take it, and if he does not give anything, do not complain.

One point to note is that sometimes when the Qur’an presents a specific ruling, it also provides a general principle alongside it. For example, regarding the month of Ramadan, Allah says, "The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur’an was revealed as guidance for humanity and clear signs of guidance and the criterion. So whoever of you witnesses the month, let him fast it. But if anyone is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of other days," and then it states, "Allah intends ease for you, and He does not intend hardship for you" (Qur'an 2:185). Can we say that "Allah intends ease for you" only applies to Ramadan, or is it a general rule? 

Even you, scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah, have raised this as a legal principle (*qā‘idah fiqhiyyah*), so we cannot limit the statement of a general principle in a verse to just one issue. Similarly, the statement "whatever the Messenger gives you, take it" (59:7) is general. Thus, our Imams have cited this verse in their narrations to refer to the Prophet's role in legislation and have listed the instances where the Prophet legislated.

Let me also mention something about the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him). In Surah Sad, verse 34, it says: "And We certainly tried Solomon and placed upon his throne a body; then he repented. He said, 'My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower.' So We subjected the wind to him, blowing gently by his command wherever he directed, and the devils, [including] every builder and diver, and others bound together in chains. [We said], 'This is Our gift, so grant or withhold without account.'" God says that the five gifts He gave Solomon were Our gift. Now, regarding the phrase "without account," grammatically, what does it relate to? Does it refer to "This is Our gift," meaning, "This is Our unlimited gift to Solomon"? Or does it refer to "grant or withhold"? Meaning that God gave Solomon the authority over these gifts and said, "I have placed all the worldly blessings at your disposal, and you may give to whomever you wish without being held accountable." So in the case of material blessings, such delegation was given.

Furthermore, our narrations indicate that God granted an even higher delegation to our Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets and the noblest of them, which was the authority of legislation. Hence, the statement "whatever the Messenger gives you, take it" has a broader meaning, applying to all matters—worldly, spiritual, legal, and doctrinal. Whatever the Prophet tells you, follow it.

This is one of the theological discussions. If you wish to analyze the concept of finality in prophethood (*khatamiyyah*), which is a firmly held belief of all of us, I believe that without the role of legislation, the concept will not be fully clear.

I wanted to present this as an academic point. I do not know whether this issue of the Prophet’s authority to legislate has been discussed in your sources or whether your scholars have debated it.

Another point is about the current state of affairs. We cannot remain like pre-revolutionary scholars and clerics, lowering our heads, attending schools, and just leading a congregational prayer, without concerning ourselves with what will happen to Islam! Today, there are many intellectual oppositions and hostilities against Islam. They are trying to take this Book (the Qur’an) away from us.

Behind the scenes of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that they have created, and with America aiming to establish a global village under its cover, their real objective is to take this Qur’an away from us. That is their main goal. It is not a matter of Shia, Sunni, Zaydi, or Ismaili, nor is it about Jews or Christians. To them, even the Torah and the Gospel hold no value. They say that the foundation for action in all countries should be this Declaration of Human Rights, which they have written, and the divine books should be set aside!