Is the Quran alone enough to guide human beings?
“In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful”
Is the Quran alone enough to guide human beings?
In a narration, Mansour Ibn Hazem said, “I said to Imam Sadiq (A), “Indeed, God is higher and more honorable than to be known by His creation but the creatures to be known by God. Imam said, “You are right”. I said, “Whoever knows that there is a God for him, it is wise to know that there is pleasure and wrath for Him and His pleasure and wrath will not be known except through revelations or messengers. Whoever is not revealed to him, he should seek the prophets, and when he finds them, he should know that they are the “Hojjat” (proof or reason) of God and their obedience is necessary. I said to the people, “Do you know that the prophet was the Hojjat (reason) of God among His servants?” They said, “Yes”. I asked, “Since the Prophet passed away, who is the Hojjat (reason) of God over His creations?”. They replied, “The Holy Quran”. I looked at the Holy Quran and saw the different sects of Sunnis and the Qadariyun and even the non-believers, arguing using the Quran to overcome others in controversy. So, I found that the Quran would not be alone the Hojjat (reason) of God, and The Quran needs a guardian and executor who is right in everything he says about the Quran”. I continued, “Who is the guardian of the Quran?”. They said, “Ibn Mas’ud knew the Quran, Umar also knew, Hudhayfah also knew”. I asked, “They know the whole Quran?” They replied, “No, we did not see anyone who said that they know everything about the Quran except Ali (A) who knew the whole Quran”. So, I testify that Ali (A) is the guardian/executor/interpreter of the Quran and his obedience is necessary, and he is the guardian of God after the Prophet on the people, and he is the one who says everything about the Quran is true. Imam said, “May Allah have mercy on you”.
In the book of Tawhid (Monotheism), we discussed a lot that we cannot know God by creations, but it is the creatures who are known by God. Objects are known because of their existence and we explain that existence is from God. By the light of existence, which is granted by God, they have come into being.
Prophets are the Hojjat (reason) of God and their obedience is necessary. So, after Prophet Muhammad (S) passed away, there must be someone to guide people. It cannot be the Holy Quran alone because we see Muslims are divided and each sect is using the Quran to overcome others and each group believes, they are truthful. It is wise that always there must be a person who has the whole knowledge of the Quran and they are the “Ahl Al-Bayt”. “O you who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you”[1] (An-Nisa:59).
This is the “Imamat” and one of the pillars of Shia. A well-known hadith al-Thaqalayn (Hadith of the Two Treasures) narrated by Sunni and Shia says, “I [Muhammad] left among you two treasures which, if you cling to them, you shall not be led into error after me. One of them is greater than the other: The book of God [Quran], which is a rope stretched from Heaven to Earth, and [the second one is] my progeny, my Ahl al-Bayt. These two shall not be parted until they return to the Pool [of Abundance in Paradise]”.
Muhammad Mahdi Me’marian
All praise is to God to the extent that He deserves it.
[1] – يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ