A Shi'ite Creed chapter1

A Shi'ite Creed

BOOK ID

 Author (s): Shaykh as-Saduq

 Category: General

 Topic Tags: Beliefs Creed 

Translator: Muhammad Reza Ja'fari 

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This text is a translation of one of the most important works of Shayh Saduq; it presents a summary of all of the core tenets of the Shi'ite creed. 

The Author 

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Shaykh Saduq ibn Babawayhi is universally regarded among the Ithna 'Ashari Shi'a as one of their foremost doctors and traditionists. Professor E. G. Browne, in discussing the founders of the Shi'a theology, says “The most important of these earlier divines are 'the three Muhammads', al-Kulayni (Muhammad bin Ya'qub, died 329/941) , Ibn Babawayhi (Muhammad bin 'Ali bin Musa, died 381/991-2) and the already mentioned Tusi (Muhammad bin Hasan, died 460/1067). Of these, the first composed the Kafi, the second Man la Yahduruhu'l-faqih (a title which approximates in sense to our familiar 'Every man his own Lawyer') , and the third, the Istibsar and the Tahdhibu'1-Ahkam, which are known collectively amongst the Shi'a as 'The Four Books' (al-Kutubu'1-arba 'a) and of which the full particulars will be found in the above- mentioned Kashfu'1-Hujub”. [1] Considering the high repute in which he is held, the early times in which he lived, the great influence he had on later theologians and traditionists, and the numerous works which are attributed to him, it is very unfortunate that the earliest works which give an account of his life are extremely brief and give us no indication whatever of his character, his studies, his travels and his life. Thus, at the end of our enquiry, we are faced with the problem of writing p: 1 

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the account of a man, the whole of whose life is summarized by Tusi in about four lines (Tusi, List, 204) and by Najashi in three lines at the beginning and two lines at the end (Rijal. 276,279). Thus Browne is fully justified in observing that “The older 'Books of the Men' (Kutubu'r-Rijal) , such as the works of at-Tusi and an-Najashi, are generally very jejune, and suited for reference rather than reading”. [1] The two earliest sources for the life of Ibn Babawayhi are Shaykhu't-Ta'ifa Muhammad bin Hasan bin 'Ali at-Tusi, born 385/995, died 460/1067. [2] His Fihrist was published by A. Sprenger in the Bibliotheca Indica, Calcutta, in 1853 - 1855, under the title of Tusi's List of Shi'ah Books and Alam al-Hoda's Notes on Shi'ah Biography. It has always been considered an early and reliable authority. [3] The second source is Ahmad bin 'Ali an-Najashi, born 372/982, died 450/1063. [4] His Kitabu'r-Rijal (Bombay, 1317/1899-1900) is a very useful book of reference, and is particularly exhaustive as it regards lists of works written by each author. On a comparison of these two, Najashi will be found to be the better and more detailed work, as has been pointed out by Sprenger. [5] Najashi gives a very comprehensive list of the Shaykh's works. The later works of reference, like Qisasu'1-'Uluma', Amalu'1-Amil, Muntaha'1-Maqal and others repeat with certain additions the information given in the earlier works. It is therefore safe to treat Tusi and Najashi as the basic authorities. Of later works, I have made the fullest use of Rawdatu'l-Jannat p: 2 

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by Muhammad Baqir bin Hajji Zaynu'l-Abidin al-Musawi al-Khwansari (lithographed Tehran, 1306/1888). This is the most scholarly and comprehensive of modem authorities, and as far as can be ascertained from the Imami scholars themselves, they place great reliance on it. The account of Shaykh Saduq, although it extends to four pages (557-560) , consists mainly of a discussion of his views, opinions on his greatness as a doctor of theology, his soundness (being thiqa) as a traditionist, and various other matters, without giving us details of his life or glimpses of his character. [1] With regard to his writings, according to Professor E. G. Browne, the Qisasu'1-'Ulama' attributes 189 (iv. 377,405) and Najashi 193 works to the Shaykh Saduq (EL, ji, 366). Tusi however mentions 43, and Rawdatu'1-Jannat 17 only. In addition to these authorities, such manuscript catalogues as were available in Bombay have been consulted by me, and after dealing with his biography, the results carefully stated. Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin 'Ali bin al-Husayn bin Musa Ibn Babawayhi [2] al-Qummi is generally known as ash-Shaykh as-Saduq. His place of birth is not mentioned either by Tusi or by Najashi, but Donaldson says that he was born in Khorasan. [3] In 355/966 he went to Baghdad, apparently from Khorasan, and died in Rayy in 381/991. [4] Ahlwardt in the Berlin Catalogue says that the date of death is 39l/l00l, [5] and this is followed by some authors. There is however no sufficient authority for this date. Of his life and character we know nothing; but of his birth a most entertaining p: 3 

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legend is preserved. According to Tusi and Najashi, [1] when in Iraq, his father 'Ali bin al-Husayn Ibn Babawayhi al-Qummi (died 329/940-941) met Abu'l-Qasim Husayn bin Ruh, who was the third of the four agents of the Hidden Imam during the period of 73 years, 256-339 A. H [2] . , and asked him several questions. Thereafter 'Ali wrote a letter to him through 'Ali bin Ja'far bin al-Aswad [3] in order that the letter be delivered to the Hidden Imam. In the letter 'Ali asked for a son, to which he received a reply from Husayn bin Ruh saying “We have prayed to Allah for it on your behalf and you will be rewarded with two goodly sons”. Afterwards two sons were born of a slave girl (min umm walad) , Abu Ja'far Muhammad (the celebrated Shaykh Saduq) and Abu Abdullah Husayn. It is reported from his younger brother Husayn that Muhammad used to pride himself on the circumstances of his birth

. ﺃﻧﺎ ﻭﻟﺪﺕ ﺑﺪﻋﻮﺓ ﺻﺎﺣﺐ ﺍﻟﺄﻣﺮ ﻭ ﻳﻔﺘﺨﺮ ﺑﺬﻟﻚ

. The same story is reported in Rawdatu'l-Jannat with certain variations in two different versions: (1) Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin 'Ali al-Aswad (not 'Ali b. Ja'far al-Aswad, as said by Tusi and Najashi) was asked to request Ruh to ask the Imam, and no letter was written. (2) Abu Ja'far asked Ruh and was informed after three days that he had prayed for 'Ali and the prayer was accepted. 'Ali had three sons, Muhammad (Shaykh Saduq) , Hasan and Husayn. 'Ali was a theologian and divine and taught Shaykh Saduq. [4] Muhammad, p: 4 

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the eldest son was the most famous of all. The second brother Hasan was devoted to piety and did not generally mix with the people. [1] The third and youngest brother was Husayn, also a well-known jurist and theologian. Shaykh Saduq apparently taught at Baghdad and being a contemporary of the Buwayhid Ruknu'd-Dawla, entered into controversies at his behest. He was well known for his knowledge, memory, justice, intelligence and reliability; and he is universally regarded as a pillar of religion. Ibn Tawus and Shaykh Sulayman accepted his authority among others. Muhammad Baqir Majlisi (who according to E. G. Browne was “one of the greatest, most powerful and most fanatical mujtahids of the Safawi period”, the well-known author of Biharu'1- Anwar, an encyclopedic work in 25 volumes, died 1111/ 1699-1700; see Pers. Lit. , iv. 403, 409-410) says that his traditions were declared as reliable by a decision of a number of 'Ulama'. [2] 

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[1]: Persian Literature in Modern Times, iv. 358-359. He adds that more modern times have also produced their "three Muhammads", namely, Md. b. Hasan b. 'Ali... al-Hurr al-`Amili (author of Amalu'l-Amil) , d. 1033/1623-24; Md. Ibnu'l-Murtadi, commonly known as Mulla Muhsin-i-Fayd, d. 1090/1679; and Md. Baqir-i-Majlisi, d. 1111/1699 - 1700. The first wrote the Wasa'il, the second the Wafi and the thud the Biharu 'l-Anwar, which constitute the "three books" of the later times. These seven works are the most important works on Shl'a theology, jurisprudence and tradition. 

[1]: ibid. , 358. 

[2]: EI, iv. 982; Browne, Lit. His. , iv. 405. 

[3]: See Sprenger's Preface and Browne's valuable discussion of biographical authorities, Lit. His. , iv. 355-358. 

[4]: Browne, loc. cit. 

[5]: Preface to Tusy's List, pp. 1 and 2. 

[1]: Of modern accounts of his life, the two following may be consulted with advantage, by Hidayat Husain in EI, ii. 265, and by D. M. Donaldson, The Shi `ite Religion, London, 1933, pp. 285 286. See also Buhar Catalogue, ii. 51, and R. Strothmann in EI, iv. 354. 

[2]: The Shaykh is known generally by the title of Shaykh Saduq or by his name, Ibn Babawayhi. This is an interesting compound, made up of the word baab and the termination -awayhi, which originally was -uya and earlier -oe. Wright, Arab. Gram. , i. 244d, gives several examples of names such as: 

ﻧِﻔﻄَﻮْﻳﻪِ, ﻋَﻤْﺮَﻭَﻳْﻪِ, ﺑُﻮَﻳْﻪِ, ﺳَﻴْﺒَﻮَﻳْﻪ

ِ the last of which is dealt with as Seboe by Justi IranischesNamenbuch, 293, the newer form being Sibuyeh. Babooe, Babuya, and thence the current arabicized Babawayhi is discussed by Justi, ibid. , 55, as being both Iranian and Semitic. The termination -oe, -uya, arabicized into -a-way-hi the last (_َ ﻭَﻳْﻪ _ُﻭَﻳْﻪ) is probably a double diminutive, as my friend Mr. W. Ivanow explains. According to him -uya = u +a (k) ; and such cases are to be found in Persian: mardakak, marddkd, zanakak, etc. , also kuchuluk, kuchulu. Further philological discussion will be found in P. Horn, Neupersische Schriftsprache in Grund. Iran. Phil. , vol. i, Pt. 2, pp. 184 -186 and No1deke, Persische Studien, i. 4 sqq. The word bab is apparently of Semitic origin and may mean "gate". The compound "a small gate" is however not intelligible. It may be suggested that it has reference to the well-known hadith: ﺃﻧﺎ ﻣﺪﻳﻨﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻢ ﻭ ﻋﻠﻲٌ ﺑﺎﺑﻬﺎ so that Saduq is the "small", while his father `Ali is the "great" gate. This however does not accord with the fact that `Ali, his father, also bore the name of Ibn Babawayhi. The real reason of the appellation, as is so often the case, is lost in obscurity and no useful purpose would be served in making ingenious guesses. Similar compounds are Hamduya, Sadruya, Hasanuya, Dhikruya, etc. Also ﺧﺎﻟﻮﻳﻪ (RJ, 236) , ﻗﻮﻟﻮﻳﻪ (Kashfu 'l-Hujub, no. 2312) and ﻣﺎﺟﻴﻠﻮﻳﻪ (Kashf, p. 33; Najashi, 184). 

[3]: The Shi `ite Religion, 286. Date of birth not mentioned, Bankipore Cat. , v. Pt. I, p. 183. 

[4]: Tusi, Fihrist, 304; Najashi, Rijal, 276, 279. For mistakes regarding date of death, see Bankipore Catalogue, v. Pt. I, p. 183. 

[5]: Ahlwardt, nos. 1269, 2721, etc. 

[1]: Tusi, 218; Najishi, 184-185. 

[2]: Donaldson, 285. 

[3]: According to Rawdatu 'l-Jannat, the correct name is Abu Ja'far Md. b. 'Ali al-Aswad, 378, 379. 

[4]: RJ, 37222. 

[1]: RJ, 5591o-11 – ﻣﺸﺘﻐﻞ ﺑﺎﻟﻌﺒﺎﺩﺓ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺰﻫﺪ ﻭ ﻟﺎ ﻳﺨﺘﻠﻂ ﺑﺎﻟﻨّﺎﺱ

 

[2]: RJ, 557 sqq. According to Tusi (304):

ﻛﺎﻥ ﺟﻠﻴﻠﺎً ﺣﺎﻓﻈﺎً ﻟﻠﺄﺣﺎﺩﻳﺚ ﺑﺼﻴﺮﺍً ﺑﺎﻟﺮﺟﺎﻝ ﻧﺎﻗﺪﺍً ﻟﻠﺄﺧﺒﺎﺭ

ﻟﻢ ﻳُﺮ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻘﻤﻴﻴﻦ ﻣﺜﻠﻪ ﻓﻲ ﺣﻔﻈﻪ ﻭ ﻛﺜﺮﺓ ﻋﻠﻤﻪ، ﻟﻪ ﻧﺤﻮ ﺛﻠﺜﻤﺎﺋﺔ ﻣﺼﻨﻒ

This tradition is repeated by all later authorities like RJ, Lu'lu'atu 'l-Bahrayn, etc. 

His Works 

With regard to the works of Shaykh Saduq, it has already been pointed out that Najashi mentions 193, the Qisasu'l-'Ulama' 189, Tusi 43 and Rawdatu'l-Jannat 17 works. The last-named work says that he is the author of 300 books [3] ; this clearly follows the tradition of earlier authorities. This wide divergence in number, although it cannot be fully explained, may be due to the fact that the titles mentioned by Najashi may, in a large number of cases, be called the chapters of a book, rather than books themselves. It is also possible that in some instances the same book may have been known by p: 5 

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two different names. The lists below first consist of the books which are known and extant. The two earliest authorities are Tusi and Najashi, and they give the following authorities for their statements: Tusi: After mentioning 43 works, he says that there also exist smaller works, the names of which are not known to him (p. 305). His sources are a number of people, chief among whom are (1) Shaykh Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Nu'man, (2) al-Husayn bin 'Ubaydu'l-lah, (3) Abu'l-Hasan Ja'far bin al-Hasan bin Khaska al-Qummi, and (4) Abu Zakariya' Muhammad bin Sulayman al-Hamrani, all of whom were personally in touch with the author. Najashi: He says that some of the books were actually read by his father 'Ali bin Ahmad bin al-'Abbas an-Najashi - with the author, and the rest were specifically mentioned by him (the father) when he heard of them at Baghdad. The father was given an ijaza (permission) by Shaykh Saduq to teach all the books. It is very interesting to observe that Khwansari in Rawdatu'l-Jannat, after mentioning seventeen works, observes that “the rest of the works have not come down to us”. It will be observed that a full reference to all manuscript catalogues has not been possible in Bombay. Hence only a selection from the most important catalogues has been made. Nevertheless, it is hoped that a clear idea of the extant works of the Shaykh can be obtained from List A, and List B may be used for reference as Najashi is not always available and p: 6 

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an alphabetical arrangement may facilitate reference. The manuscript catalogues used are indicated by abbreviations, which can easily be identified with the help of Brockelmann's Geschichte der Arab ischen Litteratur and the recent Supplement, where full references are to be found. The only exceptions are Sipahsalar, Browne and one or two others, which are included in the list of abbreviations. Works known and preserved 1. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ (ﺭﺳﺎﻟﺔ) ﺍﻟﺎﻋﺘﻘﺎﺩﺍﺕ Risalatu'l-I'tiqadat. Not mentioned by Tusi or Najashi. Kashf, 239; RJ, no. 14. Text. GAL, i. 187; GAL, Sup. i. 322 (7) numerous references. According to Brockelmann “Eng. Trans. By A. A. A. Fyzee, 1932” (! ) ; Browne, p. 16;Brit. Mus. ,851; Cod. Br. Mus. , add. 19,623; Rieu, 385; Pet: Am. , 61; lv. ASB. Ar. , 828, 829, 830;Berlin, 1944. Lith. Najaf 1343/1924-25 (together with three other risalas) , pp. 234 = N; Delhi (with Urdu trans. by Md. I'jaz Husayn) , Ithna'Ashari Press, 1347 (1st ed. 1332) , sub nom. ﻫﺪﻳﺔ ﺟﻌﻔﺮﻱ ﺗﺮﺟﻤﺔ ﻋﻘﺎﺋﺪ ﺷﻴﺦ ﺻﺪﻭﻕ (sic) ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻤﺔ. Tehran (together with four other risalas) , 1274 = T. Persian Translation. Iv. Cur. , 386. Sipahsalar, vol. ii, is not available to me, but in vol. i, p. 534, no. 1839 is mentioned in the footnote. Commentary. Arabic, ﺗﺼﺤﻴﺢ ﺍﻟﺎﻋﺘﻘﺎﺩﺍﺕ Tashihu'l-I'tiqadat by Sh. Mufid, see GAL, Sup. i. 323. Printed in the Arabic periodical al-Murshid, Baghdad, 1344 sqq. , vols. I, II and III were available to me by the kindness of the Rampur State Library. The rest, not available. A MS. copy exists in the Asafiya (Hyderabad, Deccan). Mufid differs on many points from Saduq, but according to RJ the truth is with p: 7 

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both of them, 563. Tehran, 621/8 (ii. 379) mentions a Persian sharh by Abu'1 Fath Husayni. 2. ﺇﻛﻤﺎﻝ (ﻛﻤﺎﻝ) ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﻭ ﺇﺗﻤﺎﻡ ﺗﻤﺎﻡ ﺍﻟﻨﻌﻤﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺇﺛﺒﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻐﻴﺒﺔ ﻭ ﻛﺸﻒ ﺍﻟﺤﻴﺮﺓ- Ikmalu'din wa Itmamu'n Ni'ma fi Ithbatu'l-ghayba wa Kashfu'l-hayra. Kashf, 271, add ﻓﻲ ﻏﻴﺒﺔ ﻣﻮﻟﺎﻧﺎ ﺻﺎﺣﺐ ﺍﻟﻌﺼﺮ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺰﻣﺎﻥ not mentioned by Najashi or Tusi. RJ doubts authorship. Text. Ed. F. Moller, Heidelberg, 1901; Sarkis, Mu'jam, 44; GAL, Sup. i. 322, many references. Berlin, 2721/2; Paris, 1231; Manchester, 807; Heidelberg. ZS, x. 74; Blochet, Nouv. Acq. , 6666; Sipahsalar, vol. I, nos. 97,271, 272 (pp. 204-207) , gives good account of Saduq and Ruknu'd-Dawla. 3. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﺄﻣﺎﻟﻲ (ﺃﻭ ﺍﻟﻤﺠﺎﻟﺲ) Kitabu'l-Amali (Al-majalis) Kashf 278; RJ; but not mentioned either by Najashi or Tusi under this name. The majalis of early authorities is probably the Amali of later ones. See also no. 12 below. GAL, i. 187; Sup. i,321,322; Berlin, 1269;Tehran, ii. 24-25 (p. 11) (ﺍﻳﻦ ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺑﺎﺳﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﺠﺎﻟﺲ ﻫﻢ ﻣﻮﺳﺮﻡ ﺍﺳﺖ- Meshed, iv. 3, 5, 8;W. Ivanow in JRAS for 1920,543. Lith. Tehran, 1300 AH. ; Brit. Mus. , Cat. of Print. Books, 163. The Amali is a closely printed book (10 by 6 inches) of 402 pp. , consisting of 97 babs, and containing many interesting things on a variety of subjects. 4. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﺘﻮﺣﻴﺪ- Kitabu'l-Tawhid. Tusi (29) ; Najashi; RJ; Kashf 2391. GAL, Sup. i. 322; Meshed, JRAS for 1920, 543 (3 copies) ; Sipahsalar, 106, 295, 296 (pp. 229-230). Lith. Tabriz or Tehran (? ) ; no date or place, pp. 383, 7 by 41/2 inches, containing 64 babs. 5. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺛﻮﺍﺏ ﺍﻟﺎﻋﻤﺎﻝ- Kitab Thawabu'1-A'mal. Najashi; Tusi (34) ;RJ (10) ; p: 8 

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Kashf, 733. GAL, Sup. i. 322; Browne, 10; Manchester, 94. 6. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﺨﺼﺎﻝ- Kitabu'l-Khisal. Najashi; RJ; Kashf, 1050. GAL, Sup. i. 322; Meshed, W. Ivanow in JRAS for 1920,545 (ﺣﺼﺎﻝ? ) Lith. Tehran, 1302; Sarkis, Mu'jam, 44. 7. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﺴﻬﻮ- Kitabu's-Sahw. Najashi. Berlin, 1370; apparently only one known copy. Sh. Mufid wrote a refutation of this, RJ, 564. 8. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﻋﻘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﺎﻋﻤﺎﻝ- Kitab 'Iqabu'l-A'mal. Najashi; Tusi (35) ; Kashf, 2120; GAL, Sup. i. 322. 9. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﻋﻠﻞ ﺍﻟﺸﺮﺍﺋﻊ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺄﺣﻜﺎﻡ- Kitab 'Ilali'sh-Shara'i' wa'l-Ahkam. Najashi; Tusi (20) ; RJ; Kashf 2129. GAL, i. 187; Sup. i. 321; Berlin, 8326, 8327;Br. Mus. , 1196, add. 23, 261 (p. 542) ; Iv. ASB. Ar. , 1038; Sipahsalar, 132 (pp. 278-279) 10. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻞ ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺒﻮﱠﱠﺏ- Kitabu'l-'Ilal ghayr mubawwab. Najashi; Tusi (25). Cf. GAL, i. 187 (al- 'ilal) ; not known whether a separate work. Cf. Berlin, 8326, 8327. 11. ﻋﻴﻮﻥ ﺃﺧﺒﺎﺭ ﺍﻟﺮﺿﺎ- 'Uyun Akhbar 'r-Rida. Not mentioned by Najashi or Tusi; RJ; Kashf, 2149. GAL, i. 187; Sup. i. 321; Berlin, 9663; Munich, 188. 456; Paris, 2018; Br. Mus. , 1619; and or. 130 (p. 730) ; India Office, 146; Meshed, W. Ivanow, JRAS for 1920; 543 (3 copies) ; Tehran, 550; Sipahsalar, 135, 360, 361, 362, 364 (PP. 282-283). Lith. Tehran, 1275 A. H. Persian Translation. ﺗﺤﻔﺔ ﻣﻠﻜﻰ Bankipore, 507 (vi. 150) Sipahsalar, 103 (p. 225). Persian Paraphrase. Iv. ASB. Per. , 1108, 1109. 12. ﺫﻛﺮ ﻣﺠﻠﺲ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺟﺮﻯ ﻟﻪ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻳﺪﻱ ﺭﻛﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﺔ- Dhikr majlis al-ladhi jara lahu bayna yaday Ruknu'd-Dawla. Najashi GAL, i. 187, ﺑﺎﺑﻮﻳﻪ (sic) (ﻣﻨﺎﻇﺮﺓ ﺍﻟﻤﻠﻚ ﺭﻛﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﺔ ﻣﻊ ﺍﻟﺼﺪﻭﻕ ﺍﻝ Sup i. 322; Br Mus. , add. 16,832 (31) , p. 403; Strothmann Isl. p: 9 

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XXI, 307. Kashf, 3120 gives another title: ﻣﻨﺎﻇﺮﺓ ﺭﻛﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﺔ ﻣﻊ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺑﻦ ﺍﻟﺤﺴﻴﻦ ﺑﻦ ﺑﺎﺑﻮﻳﻪ ﺍﻟﻘﻤّﻲ ﻭ ﻗﺪ ﺟﻤﻌﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﺸﻴﺦ ﺭﻛﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﺭﻭﺑﺴﺘﻲ Najashi mentions ﺫﻛﺮ ﻣﺠﻠﺲ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺟﺮﻯ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺭﻛﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻪ and goes on (2) ﺫﻛﺮ ﻣﺠﻠﺲ ﺁﺧﺮ (3) ﺫﻛﺮ ﻣﺠﻠﺲ ﺛﺎﻟﺚ (4) ﺫﻛﺮ ﻣﺠﻠﺲ ﺭﺍﺑﻊ and (5) ﺫﻛﺮ ﻣﺠﻠﺲ ﺧﺎﻣﺲ. It is probable that all of these are now collected in the lithographed text of the Amali (no. 3 above) which consists of 97 majlis. 13. ﻣﻌﺎﻧﻲ ﺍﻟﺄﺧﺒﺎﺭ Ma'ani'l-Akhbar. Najashi; Tusi (36) ; RJ; Kashf, 2992. GAL, i. 187; Sup. i. 321; India Office, 145. Persian Translation. Tehran, 25 (ii. 16). 14. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﻨﻊ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻔﻘﻪ_- Kitabu'l-Muqni' fi'l-fiqh. Najashi; Tusi; Kashf, 3079. GAL, Sup. i. 322 (13). Lith Persia, 1860 A. H. ; Sarkis, Mu'jam, 44; Br. Mus. , Cat. Arab Print. Books, 164. 15. ﻣﻦ ﻟﺎ ﻳﺤﻀﺮﻩ ﺍﻟﻔﻘﻴﻪ- Man la yahdhuru-hu'l-Faqhih. Not mentioned by Najashi; Tusi (28) ; RJ; Kashf 3170. GAL, i. 187; Sup. i. 321 (numerous references) ; Berlin, 4782/3; Pet. , 250; Br. Mus. , 905; Sup. , 330, add. 19,358; Ind. Of. , 289; Paris, 1108; Blochet, Nouv. Acq. , 6615, 6616, 5559, 6662; Bodl. ii. 84-86; Buhar, 50; Bankipore, 263, 264, 479; Sipahsalar, 154 (and 10 other copies) , gives full and very valuable account of its composition. See below. Lith. Lucknow, A. H. 1306-7, 4 vols. ; Sarkis, Mu'jam, 44; Br. Mus. , Cat. Arab. Print. Books, 164. Persian Commentary. Iv. Cur. , 381; Bankipore, 1258, 1259, 1260. With regard to its composition, the author writes in the introduction that when he was at Ilaq, near Balkh, he met Sharafu'd-din Abu p: 10 

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'Abdullah, known as Ni'matu'llah, Muhammad bin Hasan bin Ishaq bin Husayn bin Ishaq bin Musa bin Ja'far as-Sadiq and greatly profited by his learned company and discourse. They discussed the book Man la yahduru-hu't-Tabib of Muhammad bin Zakariya ar-Razi, and Ni'matu'l-lah asked him to compose a book regarding what is lawful and unlawful and the sharia and its rulings. Shaykh Saduq agreed to the suggestion and composed the book (Sipahsalar, i. 325). The title is reminiscent of ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺩﻋﺎﺋﻢ ﺍﻟﺈﺳﻠﺎﻡ ﻓﻲ ﺫﻛﺮ ﺍﻟﺤﻠﺎﻝ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺤﺮﺍﻡ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻘﻀﺎﻳﺎ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺄﺣﻜﺎﻡ Ismaili Law of Wills, p. 1. It is difficult to give an explanation to why Najashi does not mention this - the most important of the Shaykh's works, one of the “four books” of the Shi'a; it may however be suggested that instead of mentioning the whole book, he gave the title of each of the chapters. That is the only explanation which accords with the additional fact that there is a wide disparity between the list given by him and his contemporary Tusi, who is also one of the most respected of Shi'ite doctors. Mus. iii. 547-719 deals with the authorities cited in this work. 16. ﺍﻟﻨﺼﻮﺹ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﺄﺋﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﺈﺛﻨﻲ ﻋﺸﺮ- An-Nusus 'ala'l-a'immati'I-Ithna'ashar. Not mentioned by Najashi or Tusi. GAL, i. 187; Paris, 20182 Kashf, 3268, says that it is ascribed to the Shaykh. The authenticity is therefore very doubtful. 17. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﻨﻜﺎﺡ- Kitdbu'n-Nikah. Najashi. Is this a chapter from some work or a separate work? Iv. ASB. Ar. , 614 (? ). It is doubtful whether this p: 11 

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is the work of Saduq or of Qadi Nu'man. 18. ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﻬﺪﺍﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺄﺻﻮﻝ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻔﺮﻭﻉ- Kitabu'l-Hidaya. Najashi, Kashf, 3392; cf. Kashf, 3396 ﻫﺪﺍﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﻄّﺎﻟﺒﻴﻦ RJ says this is not mentioned by the author of Amalu'1-Amil (558). GAL, Sup. i. 322; Ind. Of. , 4632 (A. J. Arberry in JRAS for 1939,395-6) ; Berlin, Brock. , Sup. , p. 952. Lith. Persia, 1276/1860; Sarkis, Mu'jam, 44; Br. Mus. , Cat. Arab. Print. Books, 163. 

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[3]: RJ, 55824-25. 

Introduction 

While it cannot be denied that within recent years there has been a considerable increase in our general knowledge regarding Islam, it must also be admitted that not any appreciable advance has been made in our knowledge of Shi’ite history, philosophy and law. Curiously enough researches of considerable significance have been made regarding Ismailism (a small fraction of the Shia) and the works of L. Massignon, W. Ivanow and P. Kraus, in particular, have opened up new vistas and indicated new lines of advance. But with regard to the most important and numerous group of the Shia, the Ithna Ashariya, the position has remained more or less stationary. Isr. Friedlaender [1] , writing in 1907, complains of the paucity of our knowledge in this respect, and he says that Shi'ism is known to us in the roughest outline [2] , and the religious tendencies are not known at all. One of the difficulties according to him is its heterogeneous character; for it is not easy to analyze its peculiar component parts, drawn as they are from such widely divergent sources as Babylonian, Persian, Jewish and Muslim. [3] Professor E. G. p: 12 

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Browne, writing in 1924, deplores the lack of our knowledge, particularly in regard to the Shi’ite creed, and he advocates a comparative study. [1] Later, discussing the Haqqu1-Yaqin of Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, a very important theological work, composed in 1109/1698 and printed in Tehran in 1241/1825, he regrets the lack of leisure which prevented him from completing its French rendering begun by the late M. A. de Biberstein Kazimirslci; and he further adds that the importance of it would be great “since we still possess no comprehensive and authoritative statement of Shi'a doctrine in any European language”. [2] Still later, in 1934, R. Strothmann, writing in the Encyclopedia of Islam, while giving a brief account of the Shi'a [3] , laconically remarks that “there is no thorough account of the Shi'a”. The position during the last seven years has not improved, despite the appearance of works which throw light on certain aspects of Shi'ism. [4] The publication of the late Professor A. J. Wensinck's The Muslim Creed (Cambridge, 1932) marked an epoch, and after its appearance it was generally felt that having performed the task in a masterly fashion, he had clearly indicated a new approach to the problem, and indeed pointed the way to another aspect of study -the examination of the Shi'ite creed. Professor Wensinck had restricted himself to the early Sunnite authorities, and while studying his lucid and methodical presentation of the subject, we see that the picture is incomplete and can only be completed by editing and translating a number of Shi'ite creeds, thus paving p: 13 

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the way for a historical and systematic study of the subject. The creed of Islam cannot be understood by the study of the “Sunnite” element only; to this must also be added the inquiry into the Shi'ite counterpart. The uses of such a study are many, but three different aspects may here be stressed: such a study would clarify many historical questions; it would give us an insight into theological controversies - as these are not always barren, fanatical and personal, but indicative of general trends of thought; and finally, it would tend to the solution of the problem of legal distinctions that puzzle some of the foremost jurists. [1] Our knowledge regarding the Shi'ite faith is generally derived from three well-known heresiologists whose published work is easily accessible. These in chronological order are: Baghdadi (died 429/1038) , [2] Ibn Hazm (died 456/1054) [3] and Shahrastani (died 548/1153) [4] . Of these, Shahrastani is the best known, for it was published early; later, Ibn Hazm in the rendering of Friedlaender, came also to be fairly well known; the earliest authority, Baghdadi, is for various reasons the least known. All of these are devout Sunnis, convinced of the pernicious errors of the rawafid, the Shi'a. With such an attitude, it is impossible for them to be just or fair to the Shi'ite point of view. One may as well expect a sober account of the Church of England from a Catholic priest. The result is that the earlier orientalists believed that Shi'ism was a pernicious corruption of Islam, concocted mainly, p: 14 

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if not solely, for political reasons [1] ; also that the Sunni faith is the “orthodox” faith and the Shi'ite, the “heterodox” one. Whether Shi'ism was a deliberate corruption of Islam or whether it was one of its early forms is now hardly a debatable question. All the evidence which has come to light in recent years goes against the corruption theory; it is a form of Islam of interest from various points of view and it should be studied in its historical setting principally through Shiite sources, in comparison with all the other material available. Sunnite scholars of the olden days had neither the knowledge nor the will to give a purely objective account of the Shi'a faith, this is a factor which must impel one to go to the Shiite originals themselves. As to “orthodoxy”, a minority, however small, may well have retained a very close touch with the original tradition; the majority, however preponderant, may conceivably have lost it in the stress of political conflicts. While it is not at all easy to determine how much weight is to be given to the plausible doctrine of the Shi'a that 'Ali, by virtue of his relationship and affinity to the Prophet, had a better insight into religion than others. It is also not possible to dismiss contemptuously the possibility of the personal religious tradition of the Prophet, at least in some important matters, being carefully handed down to the Imams of the House of the Prophet, the people who undoubtedly had the best p: 15 

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opportunity of knowing the true interpretation of many a principle of Islam, [1] Hence a historical, objective, critical and comparative study of the Shi’ite sources is greatly to be desired. In order to obtain an insight into the Shi'ite religion in general, we must first of all look at their creed. For this purpose we must go to their own authorities and find that we have only two sources available to us. The first is al-Babu'l-Hadi 'Ashar by Hasan bin Yusuf bin 'Ali bin al-Mutahhar al-Hilli, known as 'Allama Hilli (died 726/1326). The original text, together with its commentary an-Nafi' Yawmi'l-Hashr by Miqdad-i-Fadil al-Hilli (eighth century A. H. ) was translated by W. M. Miller, and published by the Royal Asiatic Society, London, in 1928. This little treatise is a very popular creed and has practically superseded every other in modern times. The second creed, of which a brief summary is before us, is the Aqa'idu 'sh Shi'a by 'Ali Asghar bin 'Ali Akbar, composed in the middle of the 19th century A. D. This is a book of 438 pages and Professor F. G. Browne gives an admirable summary in his Persian Literature in Modern Times (381 - 402). He says: “Such an outline is the Shi'a creed of contemporary Persia in its crudest and most popular form. It would be interesting to trace the evolution of that creed from the earliest times of Islam, to compare (so far as the available material allow) the historical with the legendary Imams, and to contrast in detail the p: 16 

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beliefs, both doctrinal and eschatological, of the Shi'a and the Sunnis” (p. 402). These appear to be the only Shiite creeds studied in their entirety, but much valuable material may also be found in works like Nawbakhti's Firaqu 'sh-Shi'a and The Shi'ite Religion by D. M. Donaldson (London, 1933). In chapters xxix, xxx and xxxi he has given interesting quotations from Majlisi's Hayatu'1-Qulub. Thus it will be apparent that a systematic rendering of Ibn Babawayhi's creed constitutes a great advance on our present knowledge. He was one of the greatest Shaykhs of the Shi'a - the author of one of the FOUR BOOKS - and having died in 381/991, he preceded by about 350 years 'Allama-I-Hilli whose al-Babu'l- Hadi 'Ashar is now a recognized classic. It is one of the earliest Ithna 'Ashari creeds and therefore of great value for the study of the historical evolution of the Shi'ite creed. For the purposes of my translation I have used two printed editions, the Najaf and the Delhi editions, and consulted the Tehran edition. The Najaf edition is on the whole the most correct, although the Delhi edition gives many interesting additions and corrections in the later part. The Delhi edition is accompanied by an Urdu rendering, which despite some errors, is fairly useful; but the most admirable feature is the translator's notes. He has apparently made good use of the Tashihu'l-I'tiqadat of Shaykh Mufid, which was printed in the periodical al-Murshid, Baghdad, and a MS. copy whereof exists in the Asafiya Library, Hyderabad. I regret I p: 17 

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have not been able to study this work in its entirety, although the authorities of the Rampur State Library were kind enough to allow me the loan of those parts of al-Murshid which are preserved in their library, but which unhappily contain a part only of the text of Tashih. It was my intention originally to add a systematic introduction to this translation, giving a comparative and historical account of the Shi'ite creed. A deeper study of the subject, however, has made me realize my own limitations and instilled diffidence. It appears to me that there are numerous works, at present not available to me, which must be carefully studied and analyzed before such a task can profitably be undertaken. The only thing I have been able to do is to add a certain number of notes for facilitating a comparative study. The Muslim Creed was quite adequate for the Sunni doctrine; but for Shi'ite dogmas, apart from al-Babu'l-Hadi Ashar, no other creed was available. Between the alternatives of giving no references at all, or of drawing attention to some of the salient points from such doctrinal works of Isma'ilism as Kaidmi Pir and The Fatimid Creed both by W. Ivanow, I have chosen the latter course, in the hope that it may help the comparative study of Shi'ite dogma. References to Ibnu'l-'Arabi's doctrine have been added as they form the basis of many Sufi and mystical works. 

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[1]: "The Heterodoxies of the Shiites in the presentation of Ibn Hazm," JAOS, vol. 28, pp. 1-80; and a commentary, vol. 29, pp. 1 -183. 

[2]: JAOS, 28, 3. 

[3]: ibid. , 4. 

[1]: Pers. Lit. , iv. 402. 

[2]: ibid. , 418. 

[3]: EI, iv. 350 at 357. 

[4]: For example, Die Zwolfer Schi`a by R. Strothmann, Leipzig, 1926; al-Babu 'l-Hadi Ashar, tr. W. M. Miller, R. A. S. ,London, 1928; Hasan b. Musa an-Nawbakhti,Firaqu'sh-Shi'a, ed. H. Ritter, Istanbul, 1931; The Shiite Religion by D. M. Donaldson, London, 1933, to mention some of them. The best general accounts of the Shiite faith are to be found in E. G. Browne, Pers. Lit. , iv. 354 sqq. and R. Strothmann, Enc. of Islam, iv. 350-358, s. v. Shi'a. 

[1]: In this connection an eminent authority on Muslim Law in India, F. B. Tyabji, has made the interesting suggestion that the difference between the Shiite and Sunnite law of inheritance can only be explained on the hypothesis that the Shiite interpretation came from the Prophet himself through `Ali, and was not, as is too often assumed, the creation of later minds (Aryan Path for Feb. 1940, pp. 69-70). 

[2]: Baghdadi, al-Farq bayn al-Firaq, ed. Md. Badr, Cairo, 1910; trans. in Moslem Schisms and Sects, Pt. I, by K. C. Seelye, Columbia University Press, 1920; Pt. II, by A. S. Halkin, Tel-Aviv, 1935; a Mukhtasar by `Abd ar-Raziq ar-Ras'ani was ed. by P. Hitti, Cairo, 1924. 

[3]: Israel Friedlaender, op. cit. The second volume contains a commentary and very valuable materials for the study of Shi'ism. 

[4]: Shahrastani, al-Milal wa'n-Nihal, ed. Cureton, London, 1846;reprint, Leipzig, 1923. 

[1]: Isr. Friedlaender, JAOS, 28, 2. 

[1]: W. Ivanow has made some pertinent observations on the question of orthodoxy and heterodoxy in JBBRAS for 1940, 52. 

Tract on The Beliefs of The Shi'a Imamiya 

In the name of Allah, The Merciful, The Compassionate. All praise is due to Allah, p: 18 

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the Lord of the worlds, Single is He and without associate; and may the blessings of Allah and His greetings be upon Muhammad and his excellent and pure progeny. Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best of Agents and the best of those on whom we rely. 

 The Belief of The Imamiya Concerning Tawhid Says the learned Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin 'Ali bin Husayn bin Musa Ibn Babawayhi al-Qummi, the jurist, the author of this book: Know that our belief concerning tawhid is that Allah, exalted is He, is one (wahid) and absolutely unique (ahad). [1] There is naught like unto Him; He is Prior (qadim) [2] ; He never was non-existent and never will be; He is the Hearing and the Seeing One; the Omniscient ('alim) , the Wise; the Living, the Everlasting, the Mighty ('aziz) , the Holy (quddus) , the Knowing One ('aalim) , the Powerful, the Self-Sufficient (ghani). He cannot be described by His Essence (jawhar) ; His Body (jism) ; His Form (sura) , or by His Accidental Qualities ('arad) [3] . Nor in terms of length (khatt) , breadth ('ard) , surface (sath) , weight (thiqal) , lightness (khiffa) , quiescence (sukun) , motion (haraka) , place (makdn) or time (zarnan). He, exalted is He, transcends all the attributes of His creatures; He is beyond both the limitations (hadd) of transcendence (ibtal) and of immanence (tashbih). [4] He is a Thing (shay') , but not like other things. [5] He is Unique (ahad) , Eternal Refuge (samad) , He begets not, lest He may be inherited; nor is He begotten, lest He may be associated (with others). There is no one like unto p: 19 

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Him; He has no equal (nidd) or opponent (didd) , compeer (shibh) or consort (sahibah). Nothing can be compared with Him (mithl) ; He has no rival (nazir) , no partner (sharik). [1] Human eyes cannot behold Him; while He discerns (the power of) eyes. [2] The thoughts of men cannot compass Him; while He is aware of them. “Slumber overtakes Him not, nor sleep” (Qur'an 2: 255). He is the Gracious (latif [3] ) and the Knowing One (khabir) , the Creator (khaliq) of all things. There is no deity (ilah) other than Him; to Him (alone) belongs (the power of) creation (khalq) and authority (amr). Blessed (tabaraka) is Allah, the Lord of the worlds. And he who believes in tashbih (immanence) is a polytheist (mushrik). And he, who attributes to the Shias beliefs other than those that have been stated concerning the Unity of Allah (tawhid) , is a liar. And every report (khabar) contrary to what I have stated concerning tawhid is an invention (mawdu'/mukhtara'). Every tradition (hadith) which does not accord with the Book of Allah is null and void (batil) , and if it is to be found in the books of our doctors, it is apocryphal (mudallas) [4] . As for the reports (akhbar) which lead ignorant persons to imagine that Allah is comparable to His creatures, their meanings can be understood by the significance of similar passages in the Qur'an. For example, in the Qur'an (we have): “Everything is perishable except His Face (wajh) ” (Qur'an 28: 88). Now the meaning of wajh, in this context, is din (religion). And wajh is that whereby p: 20 

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Allah is attained and wherewith one can turn to Him. [1] And in the Qur'an (we have): “On the day when the leg shall be bared [2] and they shall be summoned to prostrate themselves, but they cannot; humbled shall be their eyes, and abasement shall overspread them for they had been summoned to prostrate themselves while they were yet unhurt” (Qur'an 68: 42-43). [3] Now saq (leg) means the result or consummation of the affair and its intensity. And (there occurs) in the Qur'an: “Lest a soul should say: Oh woe to me! For what I neglected in my duty (janb) towards Allah! ” (Qur'an 39: 56). Here janb means obedience. [4] And (we have) in the Qur'an: “And I breathed into it of My spirit” (Qur'an 15: 29). [5] Now he created that spirit (ruh) , and Allah had breathed of it into Adam and Jesus. He only said: “My ruh” and He said: “My house”; “My slave”, “My garden” [6] , “My fire”, and “My earth”. And in the Qur'an (we have): “Nay both His hands are outspread” (Qur'an 5: 64) By which is meant “the good of this world and the good of the next world” [7] . And in the Qur'an (we have): “And the sky, We built it by (Our) hands” (Qur'an 51: 47). Now ayd (hand) means “strength”. And similarly, His Word, exalted is He: “And remember Our slave David, possessed of ayd” (Qur'an 38: 18) That is, possessed of strength (quwwa). And in the Qur'an (we have): “O! Iblis, what prevents thee from adoring, what I have created with my two Hands” (Qur'an 38: 75). (By two hands) , He means “My power and My strength (qudra, p: 21 

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quwwa). [1] ” And in the Qur'an (we have): ''And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth (will be) in His possession (qabda) ” (Qur'an 39: 67). That is to say, it will be His property and no one will share the earth with Him. And in the Qur'an (we have): “And the Heavens shall be rolled up, in His right hand (yamin) ” (Qur'an 39: 67). (By “right hand”) is meant “His power” (qudra). And in the Qur'an (we have): “And Thy Lord shall come, while the angels shall be arranged rank on rank” (Qur'an 89: 22). This means that “the command” of Thy Lord shall come. And in the Qur'an (we have): "Nay verily, from their Lord on that day are they veiled " (Qur'an 83: 15). That is, "from the reward (thawab) of their Lord". And in the Qur'an (we have): "What do they expect but that Allah should come unto them in the shadows (zulal) of a cloud" (Qur'an 2: 210). [2] That is, "the punishment of Allah". And in the Qur'an (we have): “Faces on that day shall be bright (nadira) , gazing (nazira) on their Lord” (Qur'an 75: 22-23) That means (the faces) will be lighted up (mushriqa) , looking at their Lord's reward. And in the Qur'an (we have): “And he on whom my wrath descends is lost” (Qur'an 20: 81). Now the wrath of Allah is His punishment and His pleasure is His reward. And (we have) in the Qur'an: “Thou knowest what is in my soul, but I know not what is in Thy soul” (Qur'an 5: 116). [3] That is, Thou hast knowledge of my innermost secrets, but p: 22 

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I have no knowledge of Thy secrets. And in the Qur'an (we have): “Allah biddeth you beware of Himself (nafs) ” (Qur'an 3: 28). By nafs He means His revenge. And (we have) in the Qur'an: “Verily Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet” (Qur'an 33: 56). Also: “He it is who blesseth you, and His angels (bless you) ” (Qur'an 33: 43). Now salat from Allah means His mercy; and (salat) from angels is (their) asking for (your) pardon and purification [1] ; and (salat) from men is prayer (du'a). We have in the Qur'an: “And they (the unbelievers or Jews) schemed, and Allah schemed (against them) , and Allah is the best of schemers” (Qur'an 3: 54). Also: “Verily the hypocrites seek to beguile Allah, but it is, Allah Who beguiles them” [2] (Qur'an 4: 142). As well as: “Allah doth mock them” (Qur'an 2: 15). And we have: “Allah will deride at (sakhira) them “ (Qur'an 9: 79). And we have: “They have forgotten Allah, so He hath forgotten them” (9: 67). And the meaning of all this is that He, the Glorious and Mighty, shall requite them for their scheming (makr) , beguiling (mukhada'a) mockery (istihza') , and forgetfulness (nisyan) ; and that is, He will make them forget themselves, as He, the Mighty and Glorious, has said: “And be not ye as those who forgot Allah, therefore He caused them to forget their souls” (Qur'an 59: 19). For in reality Allah, the Glorious and Mighty, does not scheme, nor does He beguile, deride, or forget. [3] Exalted is Allah beyond all this by His Greatness and Glory. In our traditions which are attacked by our opponents and heretics, p: 23 

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there do not occur any words except those similar to these, and their meaning is the meaning of the words of the Qur'an. 

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[1]: 32. For grammatical distinction between wahid and ahad see Wright, Arab. Gram. ii. 236. The difference is also explained in MB, s. v. ﻭﺣﺪ 242. The same explanation will be found in N at p. 91 in a fa 'ida to an-Nafi ` Yawmi 'l-Hashr. There is also a long discussion of the two terms in Tawhid, 48 - 61 ; but probably the truth is as Imam Baqir is reprted to have said (Tawhid, 56): ﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﺒﺎﻗﺮ ﻉ: ﺃﻟﺄﺣﺪ ﺍﻟﻔﺮﺩ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﻔﺮﺩ ﻭ ﺃﻟﺄﺣﺪ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻮﺍﺣﺪ ﺑﻤﻌﻨﻰ ﻭﺍﺣﺪ ﻭ ﻫﻮ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﻔﺮﺩ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﻟﺎ ﻧﻈﻴﺮ ﻟﻪ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺘﻮﺣﻴﺪ ﺍﻟﺈﻗﺮﺍﺭ ﺑﺎﻟﻮﺣﺪﺓ.. ﺇﻟﺦ

The term wahid refers to number, ahad to essence or substance. Therefore wahid is single in respect of number; and ahad is unique, simple or unanalysable in respect of substance. According to Wen sinck, ahadiya is a quality of the essence, and wahidiya is called a quality of action, MC, 205-6. See also Affifi, 24, 39, 63, FC, no. 3. 

[2]: BHA, nos. 42, 69 -70. 

[3]: MC, 209 sqq. ; BHA, no. 86; FC, no. 6. 

[4]: ﺣﺪ ﺍﻟﺈﺑﻄﺎﻝ obviously refers to those people who believe that God has no attributes or qualilities, nor can He be said to be possessed of perfection; and ﺣﺪ ﺍﻟﺘﺸﺒﻴﻪ refers to those who say that God possesses certain attributes or qualities but to the degree of perfection, and therefore His qualities cannot be compared with the qualities possessed by human beings. Ibn Babawayhi denies both these positions. His denial of ﺗﺸﺒﻴﻪ immanence, and ﺗﻨﺰﻳﻪ transcendence, may be compared with Ibnu'1-`Arabi's attitude, Affifi, 18, 20 sqq. 

[5]: MC, 190, Fiqh Akbar II, art. 4; FC, nos. 5 -7; BHA, no. 86. 

[1]: Here D adds ﻟﺎ ﻣﺸﻴﺮ ﻟﻪ "He has no advisor". 

[2]: Qur'an 6,103. 

[3]: MC, 82; BHA, nos. 144 -148. 

[4]: Mudallas is explained by Md. I'jaz Hasan as "that tradition which an apponent of the Imamiya has ascribed to the Shiites". ﺩَﻟﱠﱠﺲَ means to hide the defects in merchandise which is sold, MB; whence according to the traditionists "to conceal the defects of the hadith, either in the text, in the chain of narrators or in the source". EI, Supp. 222, s. v. Tadlis. 

[1]: MC, 63 sqq. , 88 sq. ; FC, 16; Kalami Ptr, 53 sqq. 

[2]: ﻛُﺸِﻒَ ﻋﻦ ﺳﺎﻕٍ is a peculiar expression of the Arabs, which signifies a great rush and tumult, in which, while running hither and thither, the growns are lifted and legs bared. Explained further in Tas-hih (al-Murshid, i. 78). 

[3]: ﻭ ﻫﻢ ﺳﺎﻟﻤﻮﻥ Omitted in D. 

[4]: Omitted in D. 

[5]: Explained in Tashih (Mur. i. 111). 

[6]: So in D. In N we have ﺟﻨﺒﻲ 

[7]: Expl. Tas. (Mur. i. 110). 

[1]: Sh. Mufid expl. That ﻳﺪ does not mean ﻗﺪﺭﺓ or ﻗﻮﺓ. It means ﻧﻌﻤﺘﻲ "my favour", regarding ad-dunya and al-akhira. Tas. (Mur. i. 143). 

[2]: N adds here ﻭ ﺍﻟﻤﻠﺎﺋﻜﺔ as in the Qur'an. 

[3]: D, p. 14, line 7, erroneously says that this refers to Joseph; this is a reference to Jesus. 

[1]: Here the Urdu translator renders ﺗﺰﻛﻴﱠﱠﺔ "and declaring the purity of the Messenger of God", which is hardly justifiable. D, 14, 6th line from bottom. 

[2]: Regarding the explanation of 3, 47 and 4, 141, Sh. Mufid says that Ibn Babawayhi is correct, but a further reason is that the Arabs in a number of cases called a thing by a metaphorical name (ﺍﻟﺈﺳﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﺠﺎﺯﻱ). 

[3]: How ﻧﺴﻴﺎﻥ can be attributed to Allah in Q. 59, 19 in expl. By Sh. Mufid. Tas. (Mur. i. 249-250). 

Attributes Of (His) Essence And Of (His) Actions Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far (on whom be the mercy of Allah): our belief concerning the attributes of (His) essence is this. Whenever we describe Allah by the attributes of His essence, [1] we only desire by each attribute the denial of its opposite in respect of Him, the Glorious and Mighty. We say that Allah, the Glorious and Mighty, has always been the Hearing One (sami) , the Seeing One (basir) , the Knowing One ('alim) , the Wise (hakim) , the Powerful (qadir) , the Glorious (aziz) , the Living (hayy) , the Ever-lasting (qayyum) , the One (wahid) , the Prior (qadim) - for these are the attributes of His essence. We do not say that He, the Glorious and Mighty has always been the Great Creator (khallaq) , the One possessed of Action (fa'il) , Will (sha'i') [2] and Intention (murid) , the Approver (radi) , the Disapprover (sakhit) , the Provider (raziq) , the Bountiful One (wahhab) , the Speaker (mutakallim) , - because these are the attributes of His Actions (af'al) , and (therefore) they are created (muhdath). [3] It is not right to say that Allah is always to be qualified by them. [4] 

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[1]: Sh. Mufid in Tas. (Mur. ii. 19-20) explains this and says that the attributes of Allah are divided into two classes. In the first class, there is no reference to action -sifatu 'dh-dhat; in the second, they refer to action - af'al. The distinction is this: in the case of the attributes of the essence, the opposite cannot be predicted of Allah. You cannot say, for example, that He dies (opp. of hayy, ever-living) , or is weak (opp. of qadir) , or is ignorant; and you cannot describe Him as being anything other than living (hayy) , knowing (`alim) and powerful (qadir) , whilst you can say that Allah is not a creator today; or that He is not a giver of sustenance to Zayd; or that He is not the revivifier of an actually dead man, and so on. And Allah can be described by such contraries as Allah gives and withholds, causes to live and causes to die, etc. 

[2]: Reading ﺷﺎﻳﺌﺎً D ; N err. ﺳﺎﺋﺒﺎً 

[3]: N ﺍﻓﻌﺎﻟﻪ ﻭ ﻫﻲ ﻣﺤﺪﺛﻪ; D ﺍﻓﻌﺎﻝ ﻣﺤﺪﺛﺔ 

[4]: MC, 206 sqq. ; BHA, no. 56, no. 62, nos. 97-99; FC, no. 13, no. 16. 

Belief Concerning Taklif (Responsibility) Belief Concerning Taklif (Responsibility) [5] Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far: Our belief concerning the obligation to obey the law (taklif) is that Allah imposes upon His slaves (mankind) only such legal obligations as are within their power (to obey) , for He says: “Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its p: 24 

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capacity” (Qur'an 2: 286). Now (in the Arabic idiom) wus' (capacity, scope) indicates a lesser degree of potentiality than taqa (strength). And (Imam Ja'far) as-Sadiq has said: I swear by Allah, Allah has not burdened His slaves, save to a lesser extent than their capacity. For He has only imposed upon them five prayers during the course of a day and night; and only thirty days of fast during the year; and only five out of every two hundred dirhams (as zakat) ; and only one pilgrimage during the course of a lifetime, although the full extent of their capacity is greater. [1] 

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[5]: The word taklif in the sense used by the theologians is difficult to render. It is rendered "the imposition of a task" by Miller, BHA, no. 10, p. 5. For a fuller expl. see nos. 131-143. Wensinck, MC, 43, translates it "the obligation of the law"; p. 216; "the bondage of the law ", etc. The "sanction" of the law may also be suggested, the word sanction being used in the modern juristic sense. But this can only be used with reference to God. Ivanow translates it "religious duties", FC, no. 55; this is not very satisfactory. Probably the best is "obligation", "responsibility", Affifi, 155. Taklif is so used that God is mukallif (one who applies or enforces taklif) , while man is mukallaf (one to whom taklif is applied or upon whom it is enforced). In English we would say: God enforces the rule of law; man is obliged to obey. 

[1]: MC, 261, 265; FC, no. 55. 

The Belief In Respect Of Human Actions Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far: Our belief concerning human actions is that they are created (makhluqa) , in the sense that Allah possesses foreknowledge (khalq taqdir) , and not in the sense that Allah compels mankind to act in a particular manner by creating a certain disposition (khalq takwin). And the meaning of all this is that Allah has never ceased to be aware of the potentialities (maqadir) of human beings. [2] 

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[2]: This explanation is necessary in order to repel the inference that if God is the creator of all actions, then the responsibility for sin cannot be but His - which is of course an impossible doctrine

having regard to the belief in taklif. The Urdu translator explains khalq taqdir by saying that God has created human beings with the power to do good as well as evil, but He possesses foreknowledge of what they are going to do. Khalq takwin would imply that God has created the actions as well, so that their actions are really His actions. This is not the Ithni `Ashari view D, notes to p. 17.

See also Wensinck, MC, 49 sqq. (qadar = the eternal decree of God, p. 53) ; especially, 55. Far more radical is BHA, nos. 118-122 in which is advocated complete free will. FC, nos. 95,96; Affifi, 152 -156. "God does not will in the sense that He chooses, but in the sense that He decrees what He knows will take place", Affifi, 156. In MB, 3118-9 it is clearly stated that the Ash'arites take the view of complete predestination, and the Mu'tazilites, of complete free will, while the truth is midway between the two extremes. Khalq taqdir and takwin are explained by Sh. Mufid in Tas. (Mur. ii. 98 -100) , who holds that the actions of men are not by any means created by Allah (ﺍﻓﻌﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﻌﺒﺎﺩ ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺨﻠﻮﻗﺔ ﻟﻠﻪ) for him 'ilm and akhlaq are two different things in Arabic. Some further explanation will also be found later at Mur. ii. 140. 

Regarding the Denial of Both Constraint And Delegation Says the Shaykh, our belief concerning this is the saying of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq: There is neither (complete) compulsion (or constraint on human beings) , nor (complete) delegation (or freedom) , but the matter is midway between the two (extremes). [3] He was asked to define what was meant by “an affair midway between the two. ” He said: For instance you see a man intent upon a crime and you dissuade him; then he commits the crime. Now, it is not because he did not p: 25 

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accept (your advice) and you left him, that you are the person who commanded him to commit the crime. [1] 

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[3]: N ﺑﻞ ﺃﻣﺮ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺃﻣﺮﻳﻦ; D ﺑﻞ ﺃﻣﺮ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺃﻣﺮﻳﻦ. Sh. Mufid explains jabr and tafwid, Mur. ii. 142 -143. 

[1]: MC, 157, 210, 213; BHA, no. 119;FC, nos. 95 -96; Affifi, 154. 

The Belief Concerning (Allah's) Intention (Irada) And Will (Mashi'a) The Belief Concerning (Allah's) Intention (Irada) And Will (Mashi'a [2] ) Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far: Our belief concerning this is (based upon) the saying of (Imam Ja'far) as-Sadiq: Allah wills (sha'a) and intends (arada) ; or He does not like (lam yuhibba) and He does not approve (lam yarda). [3] Now by sha'a (He wills) is meant that nothing takes place without His knowledge and arada is synonymous with it; and He does not like (lam yuhibba) it to be said that He is “the third of the three (cf. 5, 77) ; and He does not approve of disbelief on the part of His slaves. Says Allah the Mighty and Glorious: “Verily thou (O Muhammad) guidest not whom thou lovest, but Allah guideth whom He will” (Qur'an 28: 56). And He says, Exalted is He: “And ye will not, unless (it be that) Allah willeth” (Qur'an 76: 30; 81: 29). And He says, the Glorious and Mighty: “And if thy Lord willed, all who are in the earth would have believed together. Wouldst thou (O Muhammad) compel men until they are believers” [4] (Qur'an 10: 99). And He says, Glorious and Mighty is He: “And it is not for any soul to believe save by the permission of Allah” (Qur'an 10: 100). And as He, the Glorious and Mighty, says: “No soul can ever die except by Allah's leave and at a term appointed “ (Qur'an 3: 145). And as He, the Glorious and Mighty, says: “And they say, had we any chance in p: 26 

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the affair we should not have been slain here. Say (O Muhammad): Even if ye had been in your houses those appointed to be slain would surely have gone forth to the places where they were to lie” [1] (Qur'an 3: 154). And as He says: “If thy Lord willed, they would not do it; so leave them alone with their devising “ (Qur'an 6: 112). And He, the most Exalted, says: “Had Allah willed, they would not have been polytheists” (Qur'an 6: 107). And he says: “And if We had willed, We could have given every soul its guidance” (Qur'an 32: 13). And He says: "And whomsoever Allah wishes to guide, that man's breast will He open to Islam; but whom He wishes to mislead, strait and narrow will He make his breast, as though he were mounting up to the very Heavens! " [2] (Qur'an 6: 125). And He says: “It is Allah's desire to assign no portion in the Hereafter” (Qur'an 3: 176). And He says: “Allah desires to make the burden light for you” (Qur'an 4: 28). And He says: “Allah desireth for you ease; He desireth not hardship for you” (Qur'an 2: 185). And He says: “And Allah wishes to turn to you in mercy; but those who follow their lusts desire that ye should go greatly astray” (Qur'an 4: 27). And He says: “And Allah desireth no injustice for (His) slaves “ (Qur'an 40: 31). This is our belief concerning (Allah's) Intention and (His) Will. Our opponents denounce us for this, and say that according to our belief, Allah intends (that man should commit) crimes and that He desired the murder of Husayn bin 'A1i, on whom both p: 27 

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be peace. [1] This is not what we believe. But we say that Allah desired that the sin of the sinners should be contradistinguished from the obedience of those that obey, that He desired that sins, viewed as actions, should not be ascribed to Him, but that the knowledge of these sins may be ascribed to Him, even before the commission thereof. [2] And we hold that Allah's wish was that the murder of Husayn should be a sin against Him and the opposite of obedience. And we say that Allah intended that his (Husayn's) murder should be prohibited, and something which was not commanded. And we say that his murder was something that was disliked and not approved; [3] and we say that his murder was the cause of Allah's displeasure and it was not the cause of His approval, and that Allah the Mighty and Glorious did not desire to prevent his murder by means of (His) compulsion or power, but merely by prohibition and word. And if He had prohibited it by (His) compulsion and power, even as he prevented it by prohibition and word, surely he would have escaped being murdered, just as Abraham was saved from the fire, when Allah, the most Exalted, said [4] to the fire in which he (Abraham) was thrown: “O fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham” (Qur'an 21: 69). And we say that Allah always knew that Husayn would be killed by force, and by such death, attain everlasting merit, and his murderer, everlasting wretchedness. We hold that what p: 28 

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Allah wills; happens; and what He willeth not, will not happen. [1] This is our belief regarding Allah's intention and will, and not that which is ascribed to us by our opponents and for which we are reviled by those who hold heretical views. 

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[2]: Cp. Affifi, 160. According to Ibnu'l-`Arabi, mashi 'a is the divine commonsense, and is an emanation from God, something like Plotinus' First Intellect; whereas irada is the creative will. The distinction between irada and mashi 'a is, according to Affifi, derived by him from Hallaj. 

[3]: The Imam takes these four expressions and explains and illustrates them one by one. 

[4]: Qur'an 10, 99 is expl. in Tas. (Mur. iii. 22-23) 

[1]: ﻛﺘﺎﺑﺎً ﻣﺆﺟﻠﺎً may also be rendered "a fixed ordinance". 

[2]: Expl. in Tas. (Mur. iii. 21 - 22). 

[1]: Referring to the believers in extreme predestination. MC, 81,82, discusses the Mu'tazilite view, which is the same as that held here. See further MC, 143, where the Ash'arite view is fully discussed. The doctrine of al-Qummi does not differ in the main from the neo-Ash'arite. 

[2]: MC, 143,144; BHA, nos. 118 sqq. ; FC, nos. 96-89, 95. 

[3]: The clause ﻣﺴﺘﻘﺒﺤﺎً ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺴﺘﺤﺴﻨﺎً omitted in D. 

[4]: N ﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻟﻠﻨّﺎﺭ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﺍﻟﻘﻰ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ: ﻳﺎ ﻧﺎﺭ ﻛﻮﻧﻲ.. ﺍﻟﺦ; D ﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻟﻠﻨّﺎﺭ: ﻛﻮﻧﻲ.. ﺍﻟﺦ 

[1]: This is again difficult to reconcile. The extreme Sunnite view appears to be that everything was caused and willed by God, either directly or by means of His knowledge. The Mu'tazilites however denied ascription of evil to Allah. And the Ithna `Asharis are close upon this view, BHA, nos. 125, 126. The Isma'ilis do not attribute evil to God, FC, p. 72 (top). For a philosophical view, see Affifi, 156 sqq. Fuller discussion, Tawhid, 272 -277. 

Concerning (qada') Destiny And Decree (qadar) Concerning (qada') Destiny And Decree (qadar) [2] Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far: Our belief concerning this is the reply of (Imam Ja'far) as-Sadiq to Zurara when he was asked: What do you say, O my Leader, concerning destiny (qada) and decree (qadar)? He said: I say that when Allah will collect the slaves on the Day of Resurrection, He will ask them concerning what He had enjoined on them, and will not question them concerning what He had destined for them. [3] Now discussion about (Allah's) decree is prohibited; for the Prince of Believers, when questioned about the decree replied: It is a deep sea, do not enter into it. Then the man asked him a second time and he replied: It is a dark path, do not traverse it. Then he asked him a third time and he said: It is a secret of Allah, do not speak about it. [4] And the Prince of Believers, on whom be peace, said concerning the decree (qadar): Lo! Verily, qadar is a secret of Allah's secrets, and a veil of Allah's veils, and a guarded thing [5] within Allah's guarded thing, being raised within the veil of Allah [6] concealed from Allah's creatures and sealed by the seal of Allah. Among the things within the knowledge p: 29 

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of Allah, it has priority (over all others). Allah has exonerated His slave from its knowledge, and elevated it beyond the ambit of their perception and reason. They cannot attain to (a knowledge) of its divine nature, or its eternal power, or its refulgent greatness, or the glory of its oneness; for this (knowledge of qadar) is a raging sea, exclusive to Allah, the Mighty and Glorious. [1] Its depth is the distance between the heavens and the earth; its width, the distance between the east and the west; it is dark as a starless night; full of snakes and fishes, which at one time come up to the surface, and at others go down into the bottom of the sea. At the bottom (of that sea) there is a shining sun. It does not befit any one to seek knowledge of it (the sun) , except the One, the Matchless, the Everlasting. He who tries to seek knowledge of it, contravenes Allah in His command, and disputes His sovereignty, and probes into His secret and His veil. [2] And (thereby) “He shall incur the wrath of Allah: Hell shall be his abode and wretched the journey thither” [3] (Qur'an 8: 16). And it is related that once upon a time the Prince of Believers, on whom be peace, avoided a slanting wall and went to the other side. He was asked: O Prince of Believers, do you run from the destiny (qada) of Allah? He replied: I run from the destiny (qada) of Allah to His decree (qadar). And p: 30 

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(Imam Ja'far) as-Sadiq was asked concerning charms (ruqya, plural ruqan) , whether to some extent they avert Allah's decree (qadar). And he replied: They form part of (Allah's) decree. [1] 

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[2]: For gada' see EI, ii. 603 and for qadar, EI, ii. 605 (both by Macdonald). Also R. Levy, Sociology of Islam, ii. 45 -47. 

[3]: Tawhid, 292. Sh. Mufid does not accept this as a properly authenticated report, Tas. (Mur. iii. 60-61). He explains that Ibn Bibawayhi has cited "rare" traditions. Qada' has four meanings ﺃﺣﺪﻫﻤﺎ ﺍﻟﺨﻠﻖ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺜﺎﻧﻲ ﺍﻟﺄﻣﺮ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺜﺎﻟﺚ ﺍﻟﺎﻋﻠﺎﻡ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺮﺍﺑﻊ ﺍﻟﻘﻀﺎﺀ (p. 60) , and then he cited verses of the Qur'an in support. A further explanation will be found in Mur. iii. 283. 

[4]: Tawhid, 292. Adopting the reading of N ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻪ. D has ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻔﻪ which would mean "Do not trouble yourself about it, or do not attempt to unravel its mystery". Sh. Mufid explains that this prohibition has two applications: it applies to people who after discussion may lose the true faith and be confused; and it applies also to people who question the wisdom of Allah's creation, and its causes and effects, Tas. (Mur. iii. 282 - 283). 

[5]: So N ﺳﺮّ ﻣﻦ ﺳﺮّ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻭ ﺳﺘﺮ ﻣﻦ ﺳﺘﺮ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻭ ﺣﺮﺯ ﻣﻦ ﺣﺮﺯ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ D has ﺳﺮ ﻣﻦ ﺍﺳﺮﺍﺭ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻭ ﺳﺘﺮ ﻣﻦ ﺍﺳﺘﺎﺭ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ.. ﺍﻟﺦ 

[6]: Meaning that within the things which are God's secrets, it has an exalted rank. 

[1]: The correct reading appears to be that of D: ﻟﺎ ﻳﻨﺎﻟﻮﻧﻪ ﺑﺤﻘﻴﻘﺘﻪ ﺍﻟﺮﱠﱠﺑﺎﻧﻴّﺔ ﻭ ﻟﺎ ﺑﻘﺪﺭﺗﻪ ﺍﻟﺼﻤﺪﺍﻧﻴﺔ 

[2]: Reading ﺗﻀﻲﺀ neither ﻳﻀﻲﺀ D, nor N ﻗﻀﻰ is correct 

[3]: Tawhid, 306. 

[1]: Tawhid, 294-295. It is significant that the whole of this chapter is based upon the fundamental dogma that the human mind is utterly incapable of comprehending the secrets of gada' and qadar. (There is also a clear distinction between qadr and qadar ﻓﺎﻟﻘَﺪْﺭ ﺑﺎﻟﻔﺘﺢ ﻓﺎﻟﺴُﻜﻮﻥ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻘﺪّﺭﻩ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻘﻀﺎﺀ ﻭ ﺑﺎﻟﻔﺘﺢ ﻣﺎ ﺻﺪﺭ ﻣﻘﺪﻭﺭﺍً ﻋﻦ ﻓﻌﻞ ﺍﻟﻘﺎﺩﺭ: MB, 31020). A useful discussion is by Levy (op. cit. ) ; whether originally there was a distinction is extremely doubtful. Qada' appears to be "predestination" strictly, that is, God's will that a certain thing should happen; and qadar is the actual happening of the event in consequence of such predestination. To take an analogy from the law, something like judgement and execution. Some translators like Ivanow define it as chance: "Perhaps the best meaning would be -chance" FC, 70. This is diffuclt to justify. A full discussion of Sh. Saduq's views will be found in Tawhid, 291 sqq. Qadha 'and its ten meanings are discussed in Tawhid, 295 -297, but there is no clear distinction. See also MB, 72 for gada'; and 309 -311 for qadar (and qadr). The eight meanings of qadar are discussed in FC, no. 96. After a full discussion of the problem one fully appreciates the advice of Majlisi (I'tiqadat, 81,bot. ): ﻭ ﻟﻴﺲ ﻟﻚ ﺍﻟﺘﻔﻜﺮ ﻓﻲ ﺷﺒﻪ ﺍﻟﻘﻀﺎﺀ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻘﺪﺭ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺨﻮﺽ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ، ﻓﺈﻥ ﺍﻟﺄﺋﻤﺔ ﻗﺪ ﻧﻬﻮﻧﺎ ﻋﻦ ﺍﻟﺘﻔﻜﺮ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ ﻓﺈﻥ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ ﺷﺒﻬﺎً ﻗﻮﻳﺔً ﻳﻌﺠﺰ ﻋﻘﻮﻝ ﺃﻛﺜﺮ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺱ ﻋﻦ ﺣﻠﱠﱠﻬﺎ، ﻭ ﻗﺪ ﺿﻞﱠﱠ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ ﻛﺜﻴﺮٌ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻤﺎﺀ، ﻓﺈﻳﺎﻙَ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺘﻔﻜﺮ ﻭﺍ_ (illegible) ﻓﻴﻬﺎ, Sh. Mufid also explains how God commands good acts and prohibits bad actions in terms of the doctrine of predestination, Tas. (Mur. iii. 60-61). 

Concerning Man's Original Nature (fitra) And His True Guidance (hidaya) Concerning Man's Original Nature (fitra) [2] And His True Guidance (hidaya) Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far: Our belief concerning this is that Allah has undoubtedly created man with a disposition towards (accepting) the unity of Allah [3] . And this is (in consonance with) what He, the Mighty and Glorious, says: “The true faith of Allah, for the acceptance of which He has created man” (Qur'an 30: 30). [4] And concerning His saying, exalted is He: “It is not for Allah to lead a people astray after He hath rightly guided them, until He hath clearly shewn to them what they ought to fear” (Qur'an 9: 116). Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq [5] said: (He does not lead them astray) until He informs them of what pleases and what displeases Him. And concerning the saying of Him, who is exalted above all: “And (He) inspired it [6] (with the consciousness of) what is wrong for it and what is right for it,” (Qur'an 91: 8) , he (Imam Ja'far) said: (That means) He made manifest to it (the soul) what (acts) are permissible and what sins are to be avoided. And He, Exalted is He, says: “Verily We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving” (Qur'an 76: 3) , and (concerning this) he (Imam Ja'far) said: (That is) We have made it (the true religion) known to him, whether he accepts it or not. And concerning the saying of Him, who p: 31 

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is mighty and Glorious: “And as for Thamud, We gave them guidance, but they preferred blindness to guidance” (Qur'an 41: 17). Imam Ja'far explained: (And this) despite their knowing (the truth). Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was asked concerning the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Glorious: “And (did We not) guide him to the parting of the two mountain paths? ” (Qur'an 90: 10). He said: (This refers to) the path of righteousness and the path of wickedness. And he said: That which Allah has kept from the knowledge of human beings is entirely set apart from them. And he also said: Allah has adduced reasons to mankind for what He has given them and what He has made known to them. [1] 

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[2]: Fitra is a term which has several meanings, e. g. , "original nature", "natural religion", and finally "Islam". MC, 42 - 44, 214 sqq. 

[3]: Sh. Mufid attributes this to Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (Mur. iii. 327) , and says that Sh. Saduq has not explained its meaning. The first meaning of fitra is ". creation"; the second is the one explained in the text. Unfortunately the text of Tas-hih here is full of lacunae and not fully comprehensible, as the editor explains in the footnotes. 

[4]: This verse is not easy to render into the English language, and should be read with the previous clause. Pickthall has "The nature (framed) of Allah, in which He hath created men"; Rodwell, "the faith which God hath made, and for which He hath made man"; Palmer, " (according to) the constitution whereon God has constituted man"; Muhammad `Ali, "the nature made by Allah in which He has made men". In my rendering I have tried to emphasize the idea that God has created man with a natural disposition to accept the true religion. 

[5]: Here D has ﺃﻳﻀﺎً erroneously, instead of ﺍﻟﺼﺎﺩﻕ ﻉ see p. 253. 

[6]: That is, the soul. 

[1]: The opening sentence in this section may be compared with the orthodox Sunnite view in Fiqh Akbar II. MC, 190 -191, art. 6. The discussion of Wensinck (op. cit. ) leaves nothing to add, except that the Ithna `Asharite view is allied to the Mu'tazilite. Cp. The Isma'ili discussion of fitra, FC, nos. 3, 16, 65, where it is the fitra which is the proof of the existence of God and of nubuwwa. For philological discussion see Jeffery, Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur'dn, 221. In Tawhid, 266 sqq. , a tradition is related describing fitra as islam; this may be compared with the view of Nawawi, MC,44, and of the hadith, ibid. , 215. 

Belief In The Capacity Of Human Beings (al-istita'a) The shaykh Abu Ja'far, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Our belief regarding this (question) is what Imam Musa bin Ja'far al-Kazim, on both of whom be peace, said, when he was asked, “Has a human being capacity? ” He said: Yes, provided he possesses four characteristics - (he should be) free in respect of action [2] ; in good health; complete in the possession of limbs, and in the possession of capacity given him by Allah. Now when all these qualities coexist, then the man is said to be capable (mustati). He was asked, “For instance? ” and the Imam said: (Suppose) there is a man who is free to act, in good health, possessing normal limbs. It is not possible for him to fornicate unless he sees a woman. Now when he meets the woman, [3] it p: 32 

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may either be that he is chaste, and prevents himself (from sin) as did Joseph, on whom be peace; or that he may act freely with her and fornicate and then he is a fornicator. He cannot be said to have obeyed Allah under compulsion (in the first case) ; nor can he be said to have disobeyed Him by being overpowered (in the second case). [1] And Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was asked concerning the saying of Allah the Mighty and Glorious: “And they had been summoned to prostrate themselves while they were yet unhurt” (Qur'an 68: 43). He said: (That is) they were capable of acting as they were commanded and of abstaining from that which was prohibited, and for this reason they were tested. [2] And Imam Abu Ja'far (Muhammad al-Baqir) on whom be peace, said: In the Torah it is written “O Moses (says Allah) , verily I have created thee and chosen thee and guided thee and given thee strength and commanded thee to obey Me, and prohibited thee from disobeying Me. Now if thou wilt obey Me, I shall help thee towards My obedience; but if thou wilt disobey Me, I shall not aid thee in thy disobedience to Me. It is for me to show kindness to thee in respect of thy obedience; and it is for Me to charge thee for thy disobedience to me”. [3] 

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[2]: mukhalla as-sarb is employed for animals let loose for roaming freely in pasture land. 

[3]: Reading ﺃﻣﺮﺃﺓ with D, not ﺍﻣﺮﺃﺗﻪ as in N. 

[1]: Tawhid, 279-280. 

[2]: Tawhid, 280. 

[3]: The question of istita'a is intimately connected with free will and predestination. The views of al-Qummi go further than most authorities. Analysing Wensick's discussion, there may really be three positions: (1) Man's activity is not real but only metaphorical (Jabrites) ; (2) Man's capacity differs in respect of good and evil actions (Ash'arites; see also MC, 266, art. 19; and (3) Complete capacity (Mu`tazilites, Shi`ites) -and apparently al-Qummi takes the last position. MC, art. 128 (art. 15). 157, 266; BHA, nos. 115 -122, particularly 119. Tawhid, 277 - 284. 

Regarding the Source of Creation (mabda') Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far: The Jews believe that Allah, Who is Blessed and Exalted above all, has (after creating the universe) relinquished the affair (of p: 33 

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creation). But we say that He, Who is Exalted above all, “Every day He exerciseth (universal) power” (Qur'an 55: 29). One particular affair does not distract Him from another. [1] He quickens and kills, He creates and sustains and acts as He wills. We say: “Allah effaceth what He will, and establisheth (what He will) , and with Him is the Mother of the Book (ummul-kitab) [2] “ (Qur'an 13: 39). He destroys only that which exists and he creates only that which does not exist. This is not the (sort of) creation in which the Jews and those that follow them believe. The Jews ascribe to us this doctrine of creation [3] and the different schismatics who oppose us follow them in this matter. Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq said: Allah never sent a prophet (nabi) until He obtained from him the covenant for restricting his worship to Him alone, and for rejecting (His) equals (nidd, plural andad). And He, the most Exalted, retards what He wills, and advances what He wills. [4] An instance of this is that He abrogated (previous) faiths and commands by the faith of our Prophet and his ordinances. Another instance (of bad') is the supersession of the Books by the Qur'an. And as-Sadiq says: He who asserts that Allah the Mighty and Glorious does something new which He did not know before - from him I dissociate myself. And he said: He who asserts that Allah, after doing something, repents concerning it - then he, in our opinion, is a denier of Allah the Great. [5] And as for the p: 34 

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saying of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, peace be on him, that nothing appeared to Allah concerning any matter, as it appeared to Him as regards my son Isma'il - verily he (Imam Ja'far) says: Nothing manifested (itself) from (the will of) Allah, Glory be to Him, concerning any affair, as that which appeared regarding my son Isma'il, when He cut him off by death before me [1] , so that it may be known that he was not the Imam after me. [2] 

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[1]: Tawhid, 271. 

[2]: Or "source of ordinance" (Pickthall) ; or of "revelation" (Palmer). By ﺃُﻡﱡﱡ ﺍﻟﻜﺘﺎﺏ MB understands: ﻳﻌﻨﻲ ﻓﻲ ﺍﺻﻞ ﺍﻟﻜﺘﺎﺏ، ﻳﺮﻳﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﻮﺡ ﺍﻟﻤﺤﻔﻮﻅ. 

[3]: N ﻓﻨﺴﺒﻨﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺫﻟﻚ ﺍﻟﻰ ﺍﻟﻘﻮﻝ ﺑﺎﻟﺒﺪﺍﺀ ﺍﻟﺦ; D ﻓﻨﻤﻴﻨﺎ (ﻧﻤﺎﻧﺎ؟ ) ﺍﻟﻴﻬﻮﺩ ﻟﻌﻨﻬﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻓﻲ ﺫﻟﻚ ﺍﻟﻰ ﺍﻟﻘﻮﻝ ﺑﺎﻟﺒﺪﺍﺀ ﺍﻟﺦ. 

[4]: Tawhid, 269. 

[5]: Tawhid, 271. 

[1]: N ﺍﺫﺍ ﺁﺧﺘﺮﻣﻪ ﺍﻟﺦ; D ﺍﺫﺍ ﺍﺧﺘﺎﺭﻩ. 

[2]: Tawhid, 268-272; MC, 75 sqq. , 188 sqq. , 193, 210, 228 sqq. ; BHA, nos. 66-82;FC, nos. 19-22; Affifi, 10 sqq. , 28-29. Creation its cause, result and true meaning, has always been a moot point with the mutakallimun. The whole position is summarized in a masterly fashion by Wensickk (MC, particularly, 75-78,228-229). The logical Aristotelian view, that if God was creating the world from eternity, the world itself is eternal, was denied by the formula "Allah was Creator before He created". MC, 193; Fiqh Akabar II, art. 16.

The Ithna `Ashari view is clear, that God is continually creating and nothing else can claim eternity. The Isma'lli view differs widely. See FC, nos. 19-22. Ibda', creatio ex nihilo, is something quite different from khalq or bad'. The creator is the intermediary, not the Unknownable Absolute, mubdi`. This intermediary is the `aqlu 'l-awwal. Ibnu 'l-`Arabi derived much from the Ismi'ili concepts, Affifi, 186. 

Concerning Abstention From Disputation (jadal) And Contention About Allah (mira') Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far, may Allah have mercy on him: disputation (jadal) concerning Allah is prohibited, because it leads to that which does not befit Him. [3] And Imam Ja'far as- Sadiq was asked concerning the saying of Allah the Mighty and Glorious: “And that thy Lord, He is the goal” (Qur'an 53: 42). He said: When conversation turns towards (a discussion of) Allah, then refrain (from speech). And as-Sadiq used to say: O son of Adam! If a bird were to eat your heart it would not satisfy it! And as for your sight - if the eye of a needle were to be placed upon it, it would be darkened. And you desire (despite such insignificance) to know the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth! If you are truthful here is the sun, one of Allah's creations; fill your eye with it, and then it will be as you say. And vain disputation is prohibited concerning all matters of faith. The Prince of Believers, on whom be peace, has said: He who p: 35 

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seeks after religion by disputation will become a heretic (zindiq) [1] . And Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq has said that the people who indulge in vain disputations (ashabu'l-kalam) [2] will perish, and the Muslims will be saved. Verily the Muslims are noble (najib, plural Nujaba). Now as for controversy against opponents by means of the word of Allah and the Prophet and the Imams, or by means of the significance of their sayings, it is allowed without restriction to him who is well versed in theology (kalam). But is not permitted (mahzur) to him who is not well versed in it and totally forbidden (muharram). And Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq said: Controvert the people with my sayings, and if they overcome you by argument, it will be I who will be controverted, not you. It is related from him that he said: Speaking in (defense of) the truth is better than silence in respect of falsehood. And it is related that Abul Hudhayl al Allaf said to Hisham bin al-Hakam: I wish to have a controversy with you on the condition that if you overcome me, I shall adopt your faith; and if I overcome you, you must accept mine. Hisham said: you have not dealt justly with me. Nay, I will have a controversy with you on the condition that if I overcome you, you will accept my faith; but if you overcome me, I shall refer it to my Imam (for a proper answer). [3] 

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[3]: The Urdu translator explains (p. 29) , that what is prohibited is vain disputation, the only object of which is to silence the opponent, and not a sincere quest after truth, 

[1]: See El, iv, 1228 (L. Massignon). Here it clearly means a heretic, one who strays from the right path. 

[2]: Perhaps this is a hit against the mutakallimun. 

[3]: This is not an important article of faith and it is surprising that so much space, consisting mainly of riwayat, should be devoted to it. Although rationalist discussion is discountenanced (MC, 54,112, 113) , nothing like this is to be found either in Wensinck or BHA. For a fuller discussion see Tawhid, 370-376. 

Concerning The Tablet (lawh) And The Pen (qalam) Says the Shaykh: Our belief concerning the Tablet (lawh) and p: 36 

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the Pen (qalam) is that they are two angels. [1] 

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[1]: The Urdu translator protests against this extraordinary proposition, and says as follows (D, 31): "Shaykh Muf1d says that to think that the lawh (tablet) and the qalam (pen) are two angels is contrary to the true belief, because it is clear from several traditions that the lawh is a book in which God has, in His power, written down all events that are to happen till the Day of Resurrection. Also

in the Qur'in we have: `And verily We have written in the Psalms (zabur) , after the Reminder: My righteous slaves shall inherit the earth' (cp. Psalms, xxxvii. 29) [21, 105].

That is to say, `We have written after the reminder, on account of Our Power, that My righteous slaves shall inherit the earth'. In this verse by dhikr is meant the lawh. And qalam is the name of that thing by the instrumentality of which the events of the time and the happenings of the world are inscribed. When God intended to acquaint the angels with some secret of His, or to send revelations to one of the prophets, the angels were commanded to read the lawh. Shaykh Saduq himself, while describing the manner in which revelation was sent down, writes that there was a lawh in front of the two eyes of Israfil. When Allah desired to send a revelation, the lawh would be brought in contact with his forehead. Thus it is apparent that lawh is not the name of an angel, nor do we find in any dictionary that lawh and qalam are two angels".

This is a very interesting refutation of the Shaykh's doctrine by his disciple, Shaykh Mufid (for whom see Rawdatu 'l-Jannat, 563). Unfortunately the original text of the Tashih on the point is not available to me. MB also mentions that such is the belief of Shaykh Saduq.

In Sunnite theology the meaning of lawh is quite different. It is of vast dimensions, of white pearl, and contains a record of everything from beginning to end (MC, 148). The Pen however was created before and has priority (ibid. , 162). Two ideas emerge: (a) the Tablet as the original copy of the Revelation, and (b) as the record of the decisions of the Divine Will (El, iii. 19-20). According to Western Isma'ilis, qalam is the primal souce of the universe (FC, 21) , and lawh is the most guarded Tablet (ibid. , 86). The Isma'ilf influence can be seen in Ibnu'l-`Arabi. He uses qalam, lawh and `arsh for the Neo-Platonic First Intellect, Universal Soul and Universal Body, respectively (Affifi, 63, n. l; 67). 

Regarding The Chair (Kursi) Says the Shaykh: Our belief concerning the Chair (kursi) [2] is that it is the receptacle of all the creatures, including the Throne (arsh) , the heavens, the earth and everything else created by Allah. Now kursi according to another interpretation is knowledge (ilm). Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was asked corning the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Glorious: “His Chair (kursi) embraceth the heavens and the earth” (Qur'an 2: 256). He said: It (kursi) is His ilm (knowledge). [3] 

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[2]: For kursi, see Cl. Huart in EI, ii. 1156. Usually translated "throne" (Jeffery, 249) ; but "chair" (kursi) as distinguished from "throne" (`arsh) is probably better, MC, 147 -148. 

[3]: Huart explains the difficulty experienced by the early authorities in explaining kursi as distinguished from `arsh (EI, ii. 1156). Kursi has also been explained as the "stool" of the throne (arsh). The allegorical interpretation, 'ilm, is the same as found in the Tafsir of Tabari.

Allah's sitting on the throne is a quality (MC, 93) and belief in the sitting is an article of faith (ibid. , 127: Was. Abi Han. art. 8). But it is a difficult matter and must not be discussed (ibid. , 266; Fiqh Akbar III, art. 12). A man who says that he does not know whether God's Throne is in the Heavens or Earth is an infidel (MC, 116, Fiqh Akbar 1,. art. 9). The details of the Throne ('arsh) and Chair (kursi) are very picturesque. The preserved Tablet is attached to the throne; the Throne is created from God's Light; the Chair is attached to the Throne; "and all water is within the chair, and the water is one the back of the wind" (MC, 148). A tradition from Abu Dharr al-Ghifari says: The Apostle of Allah said: O Abu Dharr, the seven Heavens are, as compared with the Chair, like a ring thrown away in the desert. And the relation between the Throne and the Chair is as the relation between this desert and the ring (MC, 149).

Apparently BHA and FC do not even mention the Chair. The explanation in Kalami Pir are fascinating. Kursi is the Prophet, nabi (57) ; it refers also to the soul of men (92) ; the anthropomorphist are "like animals that look for the rind and chaff, and never get to the fruit and grain" (59). Cp. Tawhid, Bib 51, pp. 265-266. 

Concerning The Throne Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far: Our belief concerning the Throne ('arsh) is that it is something which is carried or supported by the whole of creation. [4] And 'arsh according to another interpretation is knowledge (ilm). And as-Sadiq, on whom be peace, was asked (the meaning of) the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Glorious: “The Beneficent One, Who it established on the Throne” (Qur'an 20: 5). [5] He said: He is equidistant [6] from everything, and not a single thing is nearer to Him than another. Now that 'arsh [7] , which is supported by the whole of creation, [8] is borne by eight angels, each possessing eight eyes, each eye as large as the world. One of the angels is of human shape and he asks Allah to provide daily bread for the sons of Adam. The second is of the shape of a bull, and he asks Allah to provide daily bread for all beasts. And the third is of the shape of a lion, and he asks Allah to provide daily p: 37 

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bread for all beasts of prey. And the fourth is of the shape of a fowl, and he asks Allah to provide sustenance for all birds. Today there exist four angels, but when the Day of Resurrection comes, they will become eight in number. The 'arsh which means knowledge is borne by four amongst the ancients and four amongst the later ones; the former ones are Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, on all of whom be peace; and the later are Muhammad, 'Ali, Hasan, and Husayn, the blessings of Allah upon them. This is what has been handed down from the Imams by a reliable chain of authorities concerning the Throne and its bearers. Now the reason why these persons became the bearers of the 'arsh, that is the knowledge (of Allah) , is that the ancient prophets, who lived prior to our Prophet Muhammad, namely, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, brought four different faiths. It was through these that the true knowledge passed to them (i. e. Muhammad, Ali, etc. ). Similarly the true knowledge was transmitted after Muhammad, by 'Ali, Hasan and Husayn to those amongst the Imams who came after Husayn. [1] 

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[4]: Reading with N ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺵ ﺇﻧﱠﱠﻪُ ﺣَﻤَﻠَﺔ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ ﺍﻟﺨﻠﻖ D omits ﺣﻤﻠﺔ 

[5]: This passage (Qur. 20,4) is explained in Tawhid, 258. Cf. 'Ali's philosophical explanation to the Christian, p. 259. "He who asserts that God is part of (min) a thing, or in (fi) a thing, or above ('ala) a thing, he verily has associated (some one with Allah) ", 260. Allah's eminence is allegorical, 261, line 2; these expressions have no reference to bodily existence, ibid. , lines 6-7. The next section, bib 48, p. 261, explains Qur. 11, 7, "and His Throne was upon the water". Water was created prior to the heavens and earth. The arsh is described in bib 49, p. 263. Kursi is the outward gate, ﺍﻟﺒﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﻈﺎﻫﺮ and arsh, the inward gate, ﺍﻟﺒﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﺒﺎﻃﻦ the arsh was the fourth of created things, the first three being

(1) Atmosphere (al-hawa') , (2) the Pen (al-qalam) , and (3) the Light (an-nur). 

[6]: The Imam takes the literal meaning of istawa, that is, to be or make oneself equal to, or in respect of, something. The relationship of Allan to each one of His creatures is equal, that of the Creator to the created. 

[7]: Here the translator has an interesting note. He says "Shaykh Mufid, on whom be peace, writes that the literal meaning of 'arsh is sovereignty (ﺳﻠﻄﻨﺔ) and kingdom (ﻣﻠﻚ) and that 'arsh which is carried by angels is in the seventh heaven, and that is only a portion of the 'arsh which means `kingdom'. This much belief concerning 'arsh is sufficient and the tradition, by which Sh. Saduq has described the qualities and the appearance of the angels carrying the arsh, is one which has come down through a single source (ﺣﺪﻳﺚ ﺁﺣﺎﺩ). Therefore to believe in the qualities of the angels, to believe in the tradition as having been handed down from the Imams and to believe that the angels who carry the 'arsh have the appearance as described in the hadith, all this is not necessary. What is certain is that which we have related. The translator, Badayuni ". 

[8]: Here there is a variation in the texts: N ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺵ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺣﻤﻠﻪ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ ﺍﻟﺨﻠﻖ; D ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺵ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺟﻤﻠﺔ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ ﺍﻟﺨﻠﻖ. If jumlatu be adopted as the correct reading -and there are good grounds to do so -the meaning would be "that 'arsh which is the sum and substance of creation... 

[1]: The meaning of arsh as knowledge was ascribed to it only in order to bring in the prophets and Imams, who were considered to be the torch-bearers of the light of knowledge - a beautiful simile, deriving its origin from the remote past, and dear to the heart of the artistic Persian.

For arsh, see MB, 355. In Sunnite theology, the 'arsh may be a seat of light or a red hyacinth (MC, 148) , and "Allah created the preserved tablet from a white pearl, which is ,seven times longer than the distance between Heaven and earth, and attached it to the Throne". Also "Allah created the Throne from His Light, and the chair is attached to the throne, and all water is within the chair, and the water is on the back of the wind" (loc. cit. ). "Round the throne are four rivers, and four angels stand over these rivers. The throne has tongues equal in number to the tongues of all creatures and all these praise God" "The Heavens are, as compared with the throne, like a lamp hanging between heaven and earth" (loc. cit. ). It is therefore obvious that the 'arsh is something far more wonderful than the kursi.

According to Ibnu'l-`Arabi, arsh is the Universal Body (Affifi, 63,n. 1) , or the Muhammadan Logos (ibid. , 66, n. l, no. 5). The body of the Perfect Man is constituted of the arsh (p. 82). This is clearly under Ismi'ili influence, cf. creation of `arsh, Kalami Pir, 39; anthropomorphism is foolish, 59; `arsh refers to the soul of man, 92. 

Concerning Souls (nufus) And Spirits (arwah) Says the Shaykh, may the mercy of Allah be on him: Our belief regarding souls (nafs, plural nufus) is that they are the spirits (ruh, plural arwah [2] ) by which life (hayat) is maintained, and they were the first of created things. This follows from the saying of the Prophet, the blessings of Allah be upon him: The first things which Allah p: 38 

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created out of nothing (abda'a) [1] were the blessed and pure souls (al-muqaddasa, al-mutahhara) and compelled them to affirm His unity. [2] Thereafter He created (the rest of creation). And concerning the souls, we believe that they were created for eternal existence (baqa') , and not for extinction (fana'). For the Prophet has said: You were not created for extinction, but for eternal existence [3] and you will only be transferred from one abode to another. Verily the souls are strangers in the earth and imprisoned in the bodies. And our belief concerning them is that after their separation from the bodies, they survive, some of them in happiness, others in torment, until Allah, in His power, causes them to return to their bodies. (Once upon a time) Jesus, the son of Mary, said to his disciples: I tell you, forsooth, nothing rises up to heaven except what has come down from it. And Allah, glorious be His praise, says: “And had We willed We would have raised him by their means (that is, by signs) , but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust” (Qur'an 7: 176). Therefore that soul among them which is not raised to the Divine Kingdom remains forever hurled down in the burning fire (hawiya). [4] And this is because both in Paradise and in Hell, there are stages (darajat and darakat) [5] . And the Mighty and Glorious says: “The angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him” (Qur'an 70: 4). And He says: “Lo! the righteous will dwell among gardens and rivers, firmly established in the favor of p: 39 

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a Mighty King” (Qur'an 54: 54-55). And He says: “Think not of those who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living. With their Lord they provision. Jubilant (are they)...... ” (Qur'an 3: 169-l70). And He says: “And call not those who are slain in the way of Allah dead” (Qur'an 2: 154). And the Prophet said: The souls are like a collection of armed forces (junudun mujannadatun) [1] ; those among them that are well acquainted with one another are united; while those who are not, are disunited. And Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq has said [2]: Verily, Allah has inculcated fraternity between souls in the World of Shadows two thousand years prior to the creation of bodies. If our Steadfast Ones (qa'imuna) , the People of the House, had been present (at that time) , verily the brother who had fraternized in the World of Shadows [3] would have inherited in preference to the real brother. And as-Sadiq has said: Verily the souls meet one another in the ethereal world (al-hawa') and make inquiries [4] - about one another. When a soul from the earth approaches them, the souls (in the ethereal world) say: Leave it! for it has come from an awful place. Then they ask it: What did so and so do? Whenever the returned soul said, “He is alive”, they hoped to meet him. And whenever the returned soul said that he had died, they said: He has perished, he has perished! And He, Who is Exalted above all, says: “And he on whom my wrath cometh is lost indeed” p: 40 

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(Qur'an 20: 81). And He says: “As for him whose balances are light, his mother is hawiya! And knowest thou what that is? A raging fire! ” [1] (Qur'an 101: 8-11). The story of the world and its inhabitants is the story of the ocean, the sailor and the ship. Luqman said to his son: O my little one, verily the world is a deep sea, in which many people have perished. [2] So make faith (iman) in Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, your ship in it; and the fear of Allah, your provision; and trust in Allah, your sail. And if you are saved, it will be by the mercy of Allah; and if you perish, it will be by your own sins, not because of Allah. The most trying moments for the sons of Adam are three: the day of birth, the day of death and the day of resurrection. And Allah has greeted the Prophet Yahya (John) with peace in these moments and said: “Peace on him the day he was born, and the day he dieth, and the day he shall be raised alive! ” (Qur'an 19: 15). And Jesus has greeted himself on these occasions and said: “Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! ” (Qur'an 19: 33). And the belief concerning the spirit is that it is not a kind of body, but is a different creation, on account of His word: “And then (We) produced it as another creation” (Qur'an 23: 14). [3] And our belief concerning the prophets (anbiya') , p: 41 

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the apostles (rusul) and the Imams is that there were five spirits within them: [110] the Holy Spirit (ruhu'l-qudus) , the spirit of faith (-iman) , the spirit of strength (-quwwa) , the spirit of appetite (-shahwa) and the spirit of motion (-mudraj). [1] True believers (mu'minin) possess four spirits: the spirit of faith (iman) , of strength (quwwa) , of appetite (shahwa) , and of motion (mudraj). The unbelievers and beasts possess three spirits: the spirits of strength, appetite and motion. And as for His saying, Exalted is He above all: "They will ask thee concerning the Spirit (ruh). Say: the Spirit is an affair of my Lord" (Qur'an 17: 85). For verily it is a creation greater than Gabriel and Michael. " [2] It always accompanies the Messenger of Allah and the angels and the Imams, and it belongs to the celestial world (malakut). I shall compose a work concerning this subject, in which I shall fully comment on the significance of these propositions. [3] 

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[2]: On nafs and ruh see the full discussion by E. J. Calverley in EI, iii. 827-830; MB, ruh, 184-187; nafs, 349-351; Tahinawi, Dic. of Tech. Terms, ruh,i. 540-547; nafs, ii. 1396-1403. Nafs is rendered soul, and ruh, spirit, by all modern authors. Affifi (index) ; Ivanow in FC, nafs, 11,61; ruh (aniyya) , 50. But frequently the terms are interchangeable, see Ivanow, Kalami Pir,p. xlviii, etc. , and also the use of the two terms by al-Qummi in the opening para. of this section (ch. 14).

Although it is difficult to lay down a hard and fast rule, it is probably correct to say generally that soul (nafs) represents "the animal life" in the human organism, while spirit (ruh) represents the "rational principle" (Affifi, 120). For a contrary view, see Calverley in EI, iii. 828 (top). It appears therefore that three views are prevalent: (a) that nafs and ruh are synonymous, (b) that nafs represents the living, conscious principle, and ruh, the intelligent and rational principle of life, and (c) vice versa.

Nafs may be of five kinds; (1) ammara (acting evilly) ; (2) lawwama (the blaming one) ; (3) mutma'inna (peaceful) ; (4) radiya (satisfied) ; (5) mardiya (giving satisfaction) , also called mulhima (MB, 350, mid. ). On the five kinds of ruh, see below, note 126, p. 131. 

[1]: ﺇﺑﺪﺍﻉ is strictly creation out of nothing, creation ex nihilo (MC, 210 et seq. ) , whereas ﺧﻠﻖ appears to be akin to shaping, fashioning. The creation of matter out of nothing is ibda `; the shaping of matter, created though shapeless, is khalq. The word khalq however is also used for creatio ex nihilo, El, ii. 829, s. v. khalk. For the usual Shiitic view, see MB, ﺑﺪﻉ and ﺧﻠﻖ. Among the Western Ismd'ilis the distinction between ibda` and khalq is very carefully preserved, FC, 11, 30 (no. 19) , 32, etc. 

[2]: Reading with N ﻓﺄﻧﻄﻘﻬﺎ; D err. ﻓﺎﻧﻄﻠﻘﻬﺎ. 

[3]: On the indestructibility of the soul the Urdu translator has a very interesting note. He say: "Shaykh Mufid says that this is an isolated hadith (ahad) [for such traditions see Abdur Rahim, Muhammadan Jurisprudence,7 3 (top) ; Taftazani, Ta1wih (Cairo, 1327 A. H. ) , 3 sqq. ;Mu'a1imu 'd-din fil-Usul (Tehran, 1312 A. H. ) ,183; Aghnides, Muhammadan Theories of Finance, Introduction, p. 44, (2) and (3) ] ; it is not proved that it is an authentic report. It is not correct to believe that souls are not destructible, because in the Qur'an we have: `Every one that is thereon (the earth) will pass away; there remaineth but the countenance of thy Lord of Might and Glory' [55,26-271. Therefore souls (nufus) will also perish. To believe in the perpetual existence of the soul is to accept the view of the Greek philosophers. It is possible that the tradition refers to the perpetual existence of those sanctified spirits whom Allah created first, and it is possible to support this by various traditions". MB has a very full discussion of ruh and nafs. 

[4]: Hawiya is a word giving rise to much philological discussion. Jeffery,285-286; Ajabnama (A volume of Studies presented to E. G. Browne, Cambridge, 1922) , 464 - 471. 

[5]: Daraja is one stage higher than another (in Heaven) ; and daraka is one stage lower than another (in Hell). 

[1]: MB, 2117-8 explains the expression mujannada as majmu `a. The author also gives a long account of how the ranks of the angels are formed and mobilized. 

[3]: N err. ﺍﻟﺄﺿﻠﺔ D corr. ﺍﻟﺄﻇﻠﺔ so also Tehran ed. MB, s. v. ﻇﻞّ, 502 (seventh line from bot. ) , explaining this hadith says: ﻭ ﻛﺎﻥ ﺍﻟﻤﺮﺍﺩ ﺑﺎﻟﺄﻇﻠﺔ ﻋﺎﻟﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﺠﺮﺩﺍﺕ ﻓﺈﻧﻬﺎ ﺃﺷﻴﺎﺀ ﻟﺎ ﻛﺎﻟﺎﺷﻴﺎﺀ ﻓﻠﻴﺴﺖ ﺑﺄﺷﻴﺎﺀ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻈﻞ ﺇﻟﺦ. 

[4]: N err. ﺗﺴﺎﻫﻞ D ﺗﺴﺎﺋﻞ 

[1]: See note 117 above. 

[2]: Reading with D ﻗﺪ ﻫﻠﻚ ﻓﻴﻪ ﻋﺎﻟﻢ ﻛﺜﻴﺮ; N ﻗﺪ ﻫﻠﻚ ﻋﺎﻟﻢ ﻛﺜﻴﺮ. 

[3]: This is explained in the Majma `u 'l-Bayan, as the process of endowing the lifeless body with life (Urdu translator). 

[1]: The Urdu translator explains: The Holy Spirit (qudus) is a soul whereby the prophets and apostles know the realities of things. They do not need to think, nor to experience. The spirit of faith (ruhu'1- iman) is one with which a man worships God, and avoids both polytheism and atheism. The spirit of strength (ruhu'l-quwwa) is one whereby every living being tries to gain his livelihood, and repels the attacks of enemies. The spirit of passion (ruhu'sh-shahwa) leads one to desire food and drink, and makes the male seek the female and vice versa. The spirit of motion (ruhu'l-mudraj) is that whereby every living being moves and acts. This is the spirit which cares for the body; and when it lessens, leads to physical weakness, and its extinction means death.

MB, 185 (4th line from bot. ) has 5 kinds of ruh: (1) ruhu'lqudus, (2) -Iman, (3) -quwwa, (4) -shahwa, (5) -badan. The last is also called - mudraj. The prophets possess all five; true believers, the last four; and the Christians and Jews, the last three, Further explanation is given s. v. the Dict. of Tech. Terms, i. 540-548, ruh is of three kinds: (1) hayawani, (2) nafsani, and (3) tabi'i The relation between body, soul and spirit is explained as follows:

ﺃﺟﻤﻊ ﺍﻟﺠﻤﻬﻮﺭ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺃﻥ ﺍﻟﺮﻭﺡ ﻣﻌﻨﻰ ﻳﺤﻴﻲ ﺑﻪ ﺍﻟﺠﺴﺪ ﻭ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺄﺻﻞ ﺍﻟﺼﻐﺎﺭ ﺍﻥ ﺍﻟﻨﻔﺲ ﺟﺴﻢ ﻛﺜﻴﻒ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺮﻭﺡ ﻓﻴﻪ ﺟﺴﻢ ﻟﻄﻴﻒ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻌﻘﻞ ﻓﻴﻪ ﺟﻮﻫﺮ ﻧﻮﺭﺍﻧﻲ (i. 5421-2) -

According to the Mishkatu'1-Anwar of al-Ghazali (ibid. , 543) , we have the following nomenclature: (1) ruhu'l-hassas, (2) -khayali, (3) -`aqli, (4) -dhikri (fikri) , and -qudusi (or -nabawi). Browne, iv. 389. 

[2]: The Urdu translator says (p. 38, note) that ruh is an enormous angel and gives a graphic description of it. 

[3]: The Sunnite creeds studied by Wensinck apparently do not give such graphic descriptions of the soul and spirit. The traditions however do record a few details, Wensinck, Handbook of Early Muhammadan Traditions, s. v. "soul", 219. Neither in the Tawhid, nor in BHA is there any reference to these questions; but as to nafsi ammara, see BHA, p. 97, note a to no. 139.

On Ibnu'l-`Arabi's notion of the soul generally, see Affifi, 120 sqq. and on spirit, 1-22. The spirit, according to Ibnu'l-Arabi, is "a simple substance, different from the dark and complex material substance"; "This substance is the chief of all the three souls and the prince (amir) of all the powers which serve it and obey its commands" (loc. cit. ). According to him the spirit (ruh) is "the rational principle, the sole purpose of which is to seek knowledge"; while the soul (nafs) is "the animal life in the human organism" (p. 120). This is generally the accepted view; per contra Taju'l-Arus, cited in EI, iii. 828 (top) , where nafs'is applied to the mind, and ruh to life. 

Concerning Death (mawt) Says the Shaykh: The Prince of Believers, 'Ali, on whom be peace, was asked: Describe death to us. He said: You have, indeed, accidentally come to one who is well informed! It (death) brings to the person dying one of three things - either tidings of perpetual bliss, or of everlasting misery, or fear and dread, or an uncertainty (amrun mubhamun) , if he (the dying person) does not know to which section he belongs. Now as for our friend and the follower of our command, he will be the recipient of the p: 42 

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good tidings of perpetual bliss; and as for our enemy and one who opposed our claim, he will be given tidings of eternal misery: but one whose affair is doubtful, that is one who does not know his own mind, he is a believer who is prodigal regarding his own affairs (al-mu'amin al-musrif 'ala nafsihi) , not knowing what his condition will be. Good comes to him after doubt and dread. Then Allah will never mingle him with our enemies, but will take him out of the Fire by our intercession. So act (righteously) and obey (Allah) and do not rely solely upon yourselves, [1] and do not belittle the punishment of Allah. For verily, he, who does not obtain our intercession except after 300,000 years of Allah's chastisement, is to be counted amongst the wasteful (musrifin) [2] Imam Hasan bin Ali bin Abi Talib was asked: What is this death, concerning which people are ignorant? He said: It is the greatest joy which comes upon the believers when they go from this house of affliction to eternal bliss. And it is the greatest tribulation which comes upon the infidels when they go from their paradise (the earth) to a Fire which abates not, nor is it extinguished. When Imam Husayn bin Ali bin Abi Talib was hard pressed, [3] those who were with him looked at him, and behold! He was totally different from them. Because when in great difficulty their color changed and they trembled with fear, [4] and their hearts were filled with trepidation, and p: 43 

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their sides began to throb, Imam Husayn and some of his particular companions had bright faces, restful limbs [1] and complete peace of mind. Then some of them said to others: Look at him, he does not care for death. Then Husayn said to them: Patience, O scions of nobility! For what is death, but a bridge by which you cross over from misfortune and harm to spacious gardens and eternal favors? Now which of you would dislike to proceed from a prison to a palace? And as for these, your enemies, they are like people who go from a palace to a prison and to a painful torment. Verily, concerning this my father (Ali) related to me from my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah: Forsooth the world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the unbeliever, and death is the bridge for the former to their gardens, and for the latter, to their hell-fire. And he did not lie nor do I. Imam 'Ali (Zaynu'l 'Abidin) bin al-Husayn was asked: What is death? He said: For the believer it is like taking off clothes which are dirty and lousy; or breaking heavy shackles and fetters, and changing into the most gorgeous and perfumed of apparel, and (riding on) well-trained mounts, and (alighting in) familiar resting-places. And for the unbeliever, it is the pulling off of gorgeous apparel and changing into the most filthy and coarse clothing ; and the transportation from familiar places to the wildest resting- places and the greatest torment. Imam p: 44 

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Muhammad al-Baqir was asked: What is death? He said: It is the sleep which comes to you every night, except that it is of long duration. The sleeper does not awake from it except on the day of Resurrection. Some see in their sleep certain kinds of joy the worth whereof cannot be estimated; others, certain kinds of terrors, which are beyond the pale of estimation. How then can his condition (be described) who may be happy or fearful in death? This then is death, so be prepared for it. Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was asked: Describe death to us. He said: To the believer it is like the most perfumed breeze, which he inhales and then doses off on account of the perfume, and his weariness and pain disappear from him. To the unbeliever it is like the biting of vipers and the stinging of scorpions; nay, it is even more painful. [1] He was then told: There are some people who say that it is more painful than being sawed (with a saw) , or being cut by scissors, or being crushed (to death) by stones, or the circular motion by the pivots of hand-mills in the pupils of the eye. He, on whom be peace, said: such is the travail of death on some of the unbelievers and sinners. Do you not see that among them are those who have witnessed such calamities? Now that death is more painful than this and is more painful than all the worldly torments. [2] He was asked: Why p: 45 

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is it that we see (occasionally) an unbeliever, who at the moment of death is not in pain and who dies [1] while he is relating (stories) or laughing or talking; and the same is the case with some believers. Again both among the believers and unbelievers there are some who endure hardships during the pangs of death. He said: Whatever happiness the believer enjoys is part of his early reward; and whatever pain he suffers is the forgiveness of his sins. So that he may arrive in the next world in a state of cleanliness, purity and spotlessness, fit for the reward of Allah. And without there being anything to keep him from it. And whatever of ease is to be found in the case of some unbeliever is the compensation for his good actions in this world, so that when he arrives in the next world, there remains naught to him save that which brings torment on him. And whatever of distress comes upon an unbeliever there (at the moment of death) is the commencement of the punishment of Allah, inasmuch as (the reward) of his good actions is at an end. That is because Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, is just and does not act wrongfully. Imam Musa bin Ja'far al-Kazim visited a person while he was perspiring during the pangs of death and unable to answer anyone who called him. (Seeing this the persons round about) said: O son of the Messenger of Allah, we wish to know what the p: 46 

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condition of our friend is and what death is. He said: Verily death is a purifier, it purifies the believers from sins; and it is the last pain which afflicts them, [1] and the atonement of the last sin (or burden) upon them; whereas death separates the unbelievers from their good actions, and is the last delight or favor or comfort which reaches them. It is the last reward in respect of their good acts. As for your companion, he is completely purged from sins, [2] and completely purified from crimes. He is cleansed so that he is pure - pure as a garment purified of its filth - and is made fit to associate with us, the People of the House, in our house, the Abode of Eternity. One of the companions of the Imam 'Ali ar-Rida, on whom be peace, fell ill. Imam ar-Rida went to visit him and said to him: How do you find yourself? He said: I met death after you (left me) , [3] meaning the severity of the pain which befell him. The Imam said: how did you find it? [4] He said: (It was) a severe pain. The Imam said: You did not meet death, but what befell you was something to warn and acquaint you with some of its aspects. Verily, mankind may be divided into two classes: those who find rest in death (mustarih bi'l-mawt) , and those who give rest (to others) by it (mustarh bi'l-mawt). [5] So renew your faith in Allah, in the Prophethood (of Muhammad) and in the p: 47 

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walaya (of the Imams) and you will be among those who find rest in it (death). The man acted accordingly - and this story is long and we have taken from it what was necessary. Imam Muhammad bin 'Ali bin Musa ar-Rida was asked: What is the matter with these Muslims that they dislike death? He said: They are ignorant of it and therefore they dislike it. If they possessed knowledge of it and were true friends (awliya') of Allah, they would love it, [1] and would surely know that the other world is better for them than this. Then he (the Imam) said: O slave of God Why does a child or a mad man refuse to take the medicine which cleanses his body and removes his pain? The questioner said: Because they are ignorant of the benefits of the medicine. He (Imam ar-Rida) said: I swear by Him Who sent Muhammad as a prophet of truth, may the peace and blessings of Allah be on him, verily as for those who prepare themselves for death as they really should, death will be more beneficial to them for curing themselves than this medicine. Lo! if only they knew what blessings death would bring them, they would call out for it and desire it even more than the wise and resolute man (hazim) desires his medicine for the removal of his calamities and the recovery of his well-being. Imam Ali bin Muhammad (bin Ali bin Musa ar-Rida) once visited one of his companions who was weeping p: 48 

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and wailing for fear of death. Thereupon he, peace be on him, said: O slave of Allah, you fear death because you do not possess any knowledge about it. What say you? When you find your clothes filthy and loathsome [1] and you suffer from excess of filth and dirt, and are full of wounds and scabs, and you know that a bath in a public bath (hammam) will remove all these from you, would you not wish to enter it and bathe so that all that filth may disappear? And would you not like to enter it and bathe so that the wounds and scabs should disappear from you? The man said: Yes, O son of the Messenger of Allah. The Imam said: This death is the hammam and it is the last portion of what remains against you of the forgiveness of your sins and your purification from your evil actions. For when you will enter upon it (death) and cross over it you will be saved from all grief and anxiety and injury and you will have attained complete joy and gladness. Then the man became quiet and cheerful and resigned himself, and closed his eyes and went on his way. And Imam Hasan bin 'Ali [2] was asked concerning death and he said: It is the verification of things that have not yet happened. My father has reported a tradition to me concerning it. He (my father) related from his father (who related in turn) from his grandfather, (who related in turn) p: 49 

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from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, that he said: Verily the true believer, when he dies, dies not in fact; it is the unbeliever who really dies, for Allah the Mighty and Glorious says: “Thou bringest the living out of the dead and Thou bringest the dead out of the living” (Qur’an 3: 27, 6: 95, 10: 31, 30: 19) ; That is, the true believer from the unbeliever and the unbeliever from the true believer. And he (Imam Ja'far) said: There came a man to the Prophet and said, “I do not know what has happened to me that I do not like death”. The Prophet said: Have you any property? The man replied, “Yes”. The Prophet said: Have you ever made offerings in charity? He said: “No”. The Prophet said: It is on this account that you dislike death. And he (Imam Ja'far) said: A man went to Abu Dharr (al-Ghifari) and asked: Why is it that we dislike death? He said: Because you have built for this a world and ruined (your prospects for) the next, and men dislike to shift from a settled habitation to a ruin. And he (Abu Dharr) was asked: What do you think of our return to Allah, Who is Exalted above all? He said: As for the virtuous, he will be like one who being absent returns to his own people. And as for the wicked, he will be like a runaway slave returning to his master in fear and dread. He was asked: What think you of our plight p: 50 

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before Allah? He said: Judge of your actions in terms of the Book of Allah [1] when it says: "Surely amid delights shall the righteous dwell, and verily the impure in Hell-fire" (Qur'an 82: 13-14). Said a man: Then where is the mercy of Allah? He said: "Verily the mercy of Allah is nigh unto the righteous" (Qur'an 7: 56). [2] 

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[1]: Reading with D ﻟﺎ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻮﺍ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍﻧﻔﺴﻜﻢ N omits ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍﻧﻔﺴﻜﻢ. 

[2]: N ﻓﺈﻥﱠﱠ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻤﺴﺮﻓﻴﻦ ﻣﻦ ﻟﺎ ﺗﻠﺤﻘﻪ ﺷﻔﺎﻋﺘﻨﺎ ﺇﻟﺦ; D ﻓﺈﻥﱠﱠ ﻣﻨﻜﻢ ﻟﺎ ﺗﻠﺤﻘﻪ ﺷﻔﺎﻋﺘﻨﺎ ﺇﻟﺦ. 

[3]: This refers to the field of Kerbela on the 10th of Muharram, when the battle was raging fiercely. 

[4]: D err. ﻗﺮﺍﺋﺼﻬﻢ for ﻓﺮﺍﺋﺼﻬﻢ. 

[1]: Reading with D ﺗﻬﺪﻯﺀ ﺟﻮﺍﺭﺣﻬﻢ; N err. ﺗﻬﻮﻯ ﺟﻮﺍﺭﺣﻬﻢ "limbs outstretched"? 

[1]: MB, 15621. 

[2]: D ﻓﺬﺍﻟﻚ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﻫﻮ ﺃﺷﺪ ﻣﻦ ﻋﺬﺍﺏ ﺍﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ; N ﻓﺬﻟﻜﻢ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﻫﻮ ﺃﺷﺪ ﻣﻦ ﻫﺬﺍ ﻭ ﻫﻮ ﺃﺷﺪ ﻣﻦ ﻋﺬﺍﺏ ﺍﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ. 

[1]: Reading ﻓﻴﻨﻄﻔﻲﺀ 

[1]: N ﺁﺧﺮ ﺍﻟﻢ ﻳﺼﻴﺒﻬﻢ; D ﺁﺧﺮ ﺍﻟﻢ ﻣﻠﻴﺒﻬﻢ 

[2]: Lit. "sifted with a sifting ".. 

[3]: In English one would say "I had almost died after you left me". 

[4]: D ﻓﻘﺎﻝ ﻉ ﻛﻴﻒ ﻟﻘﻴﺘﻪ، ﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﻤﺎً ﺷﺪﻳﺪﺍً، ﻓﻘﺎﻝ ﻉ ﻟﻪ ﻣﺎ ﻟﻘﻴﺘﻪ ﻭ ﻟﻜﻦ ﻟﻘﻴﺖ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻨﺬﺭﻙ ﻭ ﻳﻌﺮﻓﻚ ﺍﻟﺦ; N ﻓﻘﺎﻝ ﻉ ﻛﻴﻒ ﻟﻘﻴﺘﻪ، ﻓﻘﺎﻝ ﻉ ﻟﻪ ﻣﺎ ﻟﻘﻴﺘﻪ، ﻭ ﻟﻜﻦ ﻟﻘﻴﺖ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻨﺬﺭﻙ ﻭ ﻳﻌﺮﻓﻚ ﺍﻟﺦ. 

[5]: That is, the Evil-doers, whom death makes innocuous. The Urdu translator translates this phrase as follows: "Men are of two kinds; one is he, who by death, obtains ease; and the other is he, who by his death, gives rest to others". Cp. MB, 1874 14 sqq.

ﻭ ﻓﻲ ﺣﺪﻳﺚ: ﺍﺑﻦ ﺁﺩﻡ ﻣﺴﺘﺮﻳﺢ ﻭ ﻣﺴﺘﺮﺍﺡ ﻣﻨﻪ، ﻗﻴﻞ ﺍﻟﻮﺍﻭ ﺑﻤﻌﻨﻰ ﺃﻭ، ﻳﻌﻨﻲ ﺍﺑﻦ ﺁﺩﻡ ﺇﻣّﺎ ﻣﺴﺘﺮﻳﺢ ﻭ ﻫﻮ ﺍﻟﻤﺆﻣﻦ ﻣﻦ ﻳﺴﺘﺮﻳﺢ ﻣﻦ ﺗﻌﺐ ﺍﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺭﺣﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ، ﺃﻭ ﻣﺴﺘﺮﺍﺡ ﻣﻨﻪ ﻭ ﻫﻮ ﺍﻟﻔﺎﺟﺮ ﻳﺴﺘﺮﻳﺢ ﻣﻨﻪ ﺍﻟﺒﻠﺎﺩ ﺇﻟﺦ. 

[1]: Reading with D and T ﻟﺎ ﺣَﺒُﻮﻩ ; N ﻟﺎ ﺟﻨﻮﻩ. 

[1]: Reading with N and T ﺇﺫﺍ ﺃَﺗﱠﱠﺴَﺨَﺖْ (viii of ﻭﺳﺦ) ; D ﺇﺫﺍ ﺍْﻧﺴَﻠَﺨَﺖ. 

[2]: D adds al-`Askari. 

[1]: Lit. "Present your actions to the Book of Allah". 

[2]: On mawt see MB, 156. Detailed description of death are generally not to be found in other creeds. 

Concerning The Questioning In The Grave Says the Shaykh, may the mercy of Allah be upon him: Our belief concerning the questioning in the grave is that it is true and that there is no escape from it. He who answers in the proper manner will obtain rest and perfume in his grave, and the Garden of delight in the life to come. And he who does not answer in the proper manner, for him (there will be) the “feast of boiling water” (Qur'an 56: 93 [3] ) In his grave, and the roasting in hellfire in the next world. Most of the torment of the grave takes place on account of backbiting and rudeness and making light of (the impurity of) urine. The severest form of torment that is inflicted in the grave on the rightful believer is like the (involuntary) trepidation of the eyelid or scarification. [4] These torments are in expiation of sins for which his anxieties and grief and diseases and the excess of pain at the moment of death did not atone. Verily the Messenger of Allah, on whom be His blessings and peace, shrouded Fatima bint Asad, mother of the Prince of believers ('Ali bin Abi Talib) , in his own p: 51 

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shirt after the women had finished bathing her and carried her bier on his own shoulders. [1] He continued to carry the bier until it was brought to her grave. The Prophet then lay himself down in it, and rising, he took her in his arms and laid her in the grave. Thereafter he stooped over her whispering for a long time and saying to her: Thy son thy son. He then came out (of the grave) and leveled the earth over her. Then he stooped over her grave and people heard him say: There is no deity other than Allah. O God, verily I commend her to thee. Then he returned and the believers said: O Messenger of Allah, verily we saw you doing something which you have never done before. He said: Today I have lost the grace of Abu Talib. For, in respect of aught that she possessed Fatima used to prefer me both to herself and her children. One day I spoke to her of the Day of Resurrection, and how the people will rise naked, and she said: Woe to my (naked) body! And I assured her that Allah would resurrect her fully clothed. And I spoke to her of the straitness of the grave and she said: Woe to my distress! [2] And I assured her that Allah the Exalted would protect her from it. Wherefore did I shroud her in my own shirt and reclined in her grave, and stooped over her and instructed her regarding the matters about p: 52 

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which she would be questioned. She was asked about her Lord, and she said: My Lord is Allah. And she was asked about her Prophet and she replied: Muhammad. And she was asked about her Imam and wali (guardian) , and she faltered and paused. And I said to her: Thy son, thy son. So she said: My Imam is my son. Thereupon they (the two angels) departed from her, and said: We have no power over you. Sleep, even as a bride sleeps in her inner apartment. Then she died a second death and the verification of this is in the Book of Allah: “They say: Our Lord! Twice hast thou made us die, and twice hast thou made us live. Now we confess our sins. Is there any way to go out? ” (Qur'an 40: 11). [1] 

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[3]: N, D, and T have ﻧﺰﻭﻝٌ ﻣﻦ ﺣﻤﻴﻢ meaning "desent". But ﻧُﺰُﻝٌ as in Qur. 56, 93 is the correct reading. 

[4]: Refers to the practice of making slight incisions for drawing blood which are not very painful. 

[1]: For a similar tradition in Qadi Nu'man's Da'a 'imu'l-Islam,see Fyzee, Ismaili Law of Wills, no. 29. 

[2]: N ﻭﺍ ﺿﻐﻄﺎﻩ; D ﻭﺍ ﺿﻌﻔﺎﻩ. 

[1]: The translator explains that the belief in two deaths, one in this world, and another in the grave, is well established. See also MB, S. V. ﻣﻮﺕ. The questioning in the grave by the two angels Munkar and Nakir is well established in Sunnite creeds: MC, 129, art. 18 and 19; 163 -167; 195, art. 23; 268; art. 27. For the philosophical Isma'ili explanation, see FC, nos. 93,94. 

Concerning Resurrection (Raj'a) Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far: Our belief concerning resurrection (Raj'a) [2] is that it is a fact. Verily Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, has said in His Mighty Book: “Bethink thou (O Muhammad) of those of old, who went forth from their habitations in their thousands, [3] fearing death, and Allah said unto them: Die, and then He brought them back to life” (Qur'an 2: 243). These people were the residents of 70,000 houses, and they were visited by the plague each year. The rich, on account of their opulence, used to go out; while the poor would remain on account of their poverty. So the plague used to attack lightly those that went; while it raged severely among those that remained. Now p: 53 

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those that remained would say: If only we had departed, surely the plague would not have come upon us. And those that went would say: Had we stayed, it would have attacked us, even as it has attacked them. So they all agreed to depart from their houses collectively when the time of the plague was nigh. Then they all went out and camped on the banks (of a river). [1] And when they had put down their belongings, Allah cried to them: Die, and they perished, one and all. And the passers-by swept them off from the road, and they remained in that condition as long as Allah willed. One of the prophets of Israel named Jeremiah passed by them. He said: If Thou willest, O my Lord, Thou couldst revivify, them so that they may inhabit Thy cities, [2] and beget Thy slaves, and worship Thee with those who worship Thee. And Allah through a revelation asked him: Do you wish that for your sake I should bring them back to life? The Prophet said: Yes, O my Lord. So Allah revivified them for his sake and sent them with him. Now these people died and returned to the world and (again) they died at their appointed time. Allah says: “Or (bethink thee of) the like of him (the Prophet Ezra) who, by passing a township which had fallen in utter ruin, [3] exclaimed, How shall Allah give life to this city, after it has been dead? And Allah caused him to die (for p: 54 

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the space of) a hundred years, and then brought him back to life. Allah said: How long hast thou tarried? He (the man) said I have tarried a day or a part of a day. He said: Nay, but thou hast tarried for a hundred years. Just look at thy food and drink, they have not rotted! And look at thine ass! so that we may make thee a token unto mankind: and look at thy bones, how We adjust them and then cover them with flesh! And when (the matter) became clear unto him, he said: I know now that Allah hath power to do all things. ” (Qur'an 2: 259). And so their prophet remained dead for a hundred years, then he returned to the world and remained therein, and then died at his appointed term. He was Ezra, but it is also related that he was Jeremiah. And Allah, Exalted is He, in the story of those that were selected among the Bani Isra'il of the community of Moses for the appointed term of his Lord says: “Then We raised you up after your death that you may give thanks. ” (Qur'an 2: 56). And that was because when they heard the word of Allah, they said: We shall not believe in its truth until we see Allah clearly. So, on account of their wrongdoing the thunderbolt fell upon them and they perished. Moses, said O my Lord, what shall I say to the Bani Isra'il when I return to them? Then Allah revived them p: 55 

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and they returned to the world; they ate and drank and married women and begat children, and lived in the world and died at their appointed times. And Allah said unto Jesus, son of Mary: (Remember the time) when you caused the dead to live [1] by My command, and all the dead who were revived by Jesus by the command of Allah returned to the world and lived therein so long as they lived, and then they died at their appointed times. And as for the Companions of the Cave (ashabul-kahf) , “they tarried in their Cave three hundred years and nine years over” (Qur'an 18: 25). Then Allah revived them and they returned to the world in order that they might question one another; and their story is well known. [2] And if a questioner were to ask: Verily Allah, Exalted is He, says: “And thou wouldst have deemed them waking though They were asleep” (Qur'an 18: 18). (Then, how can there be resurrection of those that slumber? ) To him it may be answered: Verily they were dead; for Allah the Mighty and Glorious has said: “Woe upon us! Who hath raised us from our place of sleep? This is that which the Beneficent did promise, and the messengers spoke truth” (Qur'an 36: 52). And if they (the unbelievers) say: That is so (that is, if the unbelievers say that this refers to the resurrection of the dead) ; (then we say) verily the Companions of the Cave were also dead. There are many examples of this kind. Thus it is p: 56 

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established that resurrection did take place among the peoples of the past. For the Prophet, on whom be peace, has said: There will occur among these people (the like of) what has occurred among previous peoples, even as one horseshoe resembles another, or as one arrow feather follows another. [1] Wherefore, according to this premise, it is necessary to believe that resurrection (raj'a) will take place in this community as well. Our opponents (the Sunnites) have related that when the Mahdi, on whom be peace, will appear, Jesus, son of Mary, on whom be peace, will descend upon the earth and pray behind the Mahdi. Now the descent of Jesus to the earth is his return to the world after death, because Allah the Glorious and Mighty says: “Verily I will cause thee to die, and will take thee up to myself” (Qur'an 3: 55). And Allah the Mighty and Glorious says: “And We gather them together so as to leave not one of them behind” (Qur'an 18: 47). And He says: “And (remind them of) the Day when We shall gather out of every nation a host of those who denied Our signs” (Qur'an 27: 83). Hence the day on which the multitude will be gathered together will be other than the day on which shall be gathered together the host. And Allah the Glorious and Mighty says: "And they swear by Allah their most binding oaths (that) Allah will not raise up him who dieth. Nay, but it is a promise (bind ing) upon Him in truth, but most of p: 57 

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mankind know it not" (Qur'an 16: 40). The reference here is to raj`a. [1] And that is because thereafter He says: "In order to make manifest to those that differ concerning it" (Qur'an 27: 83) And this "making manifest" is to be found in this world, not in the next. [2] And I shall write, if Allah wills, a book exclusively on the topic of raj `a, in which I shall explain its real nature and the proofs regarding the authenticity of its occurrence. [3] And the profession (of belief in) transmigration of souls is false, and he who believes in it is an unbeliever, because transmigration involves the denial of the Garden and the Fire. [4] 

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[2]: Cp. Wasfyat Abi Hanifa, art. 23, cited in MC, 130 and discussed at p. 178. Affifi, 166, gives a philosophical explanation; BHA, no. 219 et seq. ; FC, nos. 93, 94. 

[3]: The reference is to the Exodus. 

[1]: N ﻋﻠﻰ ﺷﻂ; D ﻋﻠﻰ ﺷﻂ ﺑﺤﺮ. 

[2]: Here N adds ﻭ ﻳﻠﺪﻭﺍ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻙ ﻭ ﻳﻌﺒﺪﻭﻧﻚ ﻣﻊ ﻣﻦ ﻳﻌﺒﺪﻙ ﺇﻟﺦ. 

[3]: Lit. "it was falling on its roofs". 

[1]: N ﺗﺤﻴﻲ ﺍﻟﻤﻮﺗﻰ; D citing Qur. 5, 110 ﺗﺨﺮﺝ ﺍﻟﻤﻮﺗﻰ ﺑﺈﺫﻧﻲ. 

[2]: The Urdu translator citing the Tafsir Majma'ul-Bayan says that their eyes were open and they were breathing regularly. Therefore they were not dead, and this verse cannot strictly speaking be cited in proof of the doctrine or raj`a. 

[1]: This expression occurs in the Sunnite and Shiite hadith, and also in the Isma'ili history `Uyunu'l-Akbar of Sayyidna `Imadu 'd-Din Idris b. Hasan, died 872/1468. See JRAS for 1934, p. 21,

note 1, MB, s. v.!. j has the following: ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺤﺪﻳﺚ ﻋﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﺒﻲ ﺹ: ﻳﻜﻮﻥ ﻓﻲ ﻫﺬﻩ ﺍﻟﺎﻣﺔ ﻛﻞ ﻣﺎ ﻛﺎﻥ ﻓﻲ ﺑﻨﻲ ﺍﺳﺮﺍﺋﻴﻞ ﺣﺬﻭ ﺍﻟﻨﻌﻞ ﺑﺎﻟﻨﻌﻞ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻘﺪَﺓ ﺑﺎﻟﻘﺪَﺓ. 

[1]: 160. The Urdu translator says: It is related that a polytheist owed a debt to a Muslim, and in spite of repeated demands it remained unpaid. The Muslim said: I shall recover the debt after your death. The polytheist said: You are wrong. I swear by Allah that He will not revive any one after death. It was for falsifying him that this verse was revealed (Majma `u 'l-Bayan). 

[2]: 161. N ﻭ ﺍﻟﺘﺒﻴﻴﻦ ﻳﻜﻮﻥ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ ﺇﻟﺦ. D omits the word ﻭ ﺍﻟﺘﺒﻴﻴﻦ. 

[3]: 162. The Urdu translator says that belief in raj'a is an essential part of the creed of the Shi`ites, and he who denies it is not of the Shi`a. 

[4]: 163. Transmigration is generally not accepted by Muslims, MB, 204; BHA, no. 89 (p. 31) speaks of hulul; MC, 92. It is however sometimes asserted that a form of transmigration is accepted by Isma'ili, Affifi 90 (citing Shahrastani) ; El, iv. 648. It is not easy to say how far this is correct; it may be that while authoritative works always rejected this doctrine, some popular beliefs lend colour to thiscommon fallacy.

In Kalami Pir, xlix, n. 2, W. Ivanow explains that tanasukh is rejected by Isma'ilis. So also FC, no. 93, which he considers as an answer to opponents. Probably the doctrine of Imamate has been misunderstood as a doctrine of transmigration or reincarnation. It is also possible that popular beliefs, unwarranted by authority, may have tended towards this view. The Western Isma'ilis entirely reject both tanasukh and hulul. Various passages from Ikhwanu's- Safa', Tanbihu'l-Hadi, Aqwalu dh-Dhahabiya, Masabih, and Risalatu'n- Nafs of Sayyid-na Dhu'ayb and of Sayyidna al-Khattab could be cited in refutation of both these doctrines. For details of these works, see W. Ivanow, Guide to Ismaili Literature, London, 1933. 

Concerning Return (Ba'th) After Death Says the Shaykh Abu Ja'far, may the mercy of Allah be upon him: Our belief concerning the return to life after death is that it is true. The Prophet said: O sons of 'Abdu'l-Muttalib, verily the scout does not lie to his own people. I swear by Him Who sent me as a Prophet of truth, that you will surely die even as you sleep. And you will be resurrected even as you awaken, and after death there is no abode except Heaven or Hell. The creation of the whole of mankind and their resurrection is, for Allah the Mighty and Glorious, like the creation of but one soul. This is in accord with His Word, Exalted is He: “Your creation and your raising (from the dead) are only as (the creation and the raising of) a single soul” (Qur'an p: 58 

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31: 28). 

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