نشریه سیره و سخن اهل بیت
پیاپی 1 (بهار و تابستان 1395)

The Termination of Prophethood is a theological concept that is a common belief of the Muslims and it implies the termination of the chain of Prophethood with the Prophet Muhammad (s). Muslims consider the termination of Prophethood to be something factual and this was never a subject of debate for them. It did not pass their minds for a second that a prophet might come after Hadhrat Muhammad (s). They always considered the belief in the coming of a prophet after Hadhrat Muhammad (s) to be tantamount to disbelief in God or the denial of the Resurrection. They said that this idea was not compatible with faith in Islam or the Islamic beliefs and that it was heresy. Nevertheless, some new thinkers and factions – without careful consideration of the verses of the Qur’an and the traditions – have presented a novel interpretation of Prophethood that entails the continuation of revelation and the negation of the termination of Prophethood. One of the ways to prove the termination of Prophethood is the many traditions that have come down to us regarding this subject. In this paper, we have attempted to examine these traditions that have come down to us from the Ahl al Bayt (a). We have also attempted to examine the sources in which these traditions can be found.

The Khawarij were an extremist group that were apparently pious individuals. However¡ due to their fanaticism and ignorance they were not able to comprehend the reality of Islam. The roots of this movement go back to the beginning of Islam. However¡ this movement actually appeared in the event of Siffin¡ after the treachery of Umar ibn Aas. The Commander of the Faithful (a) was the ruler of Islamic society at that time. In order to combat this movement he utilized many different methods. The main goal of the Commander of the Faithful (a) was the prevention of corruption in the nation of the Prophet of Islam (s) and the guidance of Khawarij. He also wanted to make the Muslim nation aware of what this movement would lead to. Because of this the Commander of the Faithful (a) tried to be tolerant towards the Khawarij and overlooked many of their faults. He attempted to have dialogue with them. In the end¡ when all else failed¡ he fought with them as they did with him.

Imam Ali (a) is one of the greatest personalities of humanity that was always praised throughout history by many great religious figures and the leaders of many different religious sects. Sunnis and Shias both paid due attention to Imam Ali (a) due to his important role in Islam. They always used to enumerate many of his many virtues. For example¡ the people of Afghanistan have always been one of the admirers of Imam Ali (a). They have always taken the lead in their admiration for the Imam (a). This is due to many religious and social factors. This admiration manifested itself in the form of poetry and prose. In this paper we have attempted to examine the personality of Imam Ali (a) as it is reflected in the poetry of the contemporary poets of Afghanistan. These poets come from a wide range of social¡ religious¡ political and cultural groups. A common feature of all these poems is the subtle manner in which these poets have depicted the personality and virtues of that Imam (a).

Many traditions have been related from Imam Sadiq (a) in the sources of Sunni Hadith. This was due to the many different classes that Imam Sadiq (a) had in Medinah and Kufah and the many students who flocked to him¡ some of which were Sunni jurisprudents. These individuals were drawn to the classes of Imam Sadiq (a). When we examine the books of traditions of Ahl Sunnah until the 10th century we see that many Sunni jurisprudents not only praised Imam Sadiq (a) but also related many traditions from him regarding many different subjects such as jurisprudents¡ the Qur’anic sciences¡ ethics¡ history¡ etc. As a result¡ many of the Imam’s (a) views can be found in the works that followed this century. Many consider the Imam (a) to be trustworthy¡ some say that he was very truthful and still others say that he was unparalleled. It is for this reason that some say that the reason why the Imam (a) was entitled ‘Sadiq’ (a) was in part due to these praises as well as some of the true predictions of the Imam (a).

The battle between the truth and falsehood is one that is eternal and continues even today. Islam considers the end of humanity to be one to be a beautiful one that can be hoped in. Due to certain events the Imam (a) will appear and the truth and morals will once again rule over human beings. In that time¡ a utopia will come to form. This is an idea that exists more or less in all religions and ideologies. When the Imam Mahdi (a) comes¡ he will use the divine power and succor to make the divine intentions concrete. At that time¡ the oppressed people of the world will inherit the earth. Humanity will taste the divine succor in the end of times and take pleasure in it. Religion will no longer be limited to the mosque and the temple. Rather¡ it will enter society. Society will have a bright future in the fields of culture¡ politics¡ economics¡ sociology and spirituality. The victory of the truth over falsehood will cleanse the filthy countenance of the world and make it bright and beautiful once again.

The following paper is an examination and description of the discussions and traditions contained in the valuable book al Imamah wa al Tabsirah min al Hayrah¡ written by Abu al Hasan Ali ibn Babaway Qummi (329 a.h.) who was the father of Sheikh Saduq. The distinction of this book is that its author lived in the era of the minor occultation and this book seeks to answer some of the queries of some Shias who lived at that time. The text of the book is a conglomeration of discussions¡ a theological analysis as well as the relation of traditions regarding this subject. This shows the extreme fondness of the author with respect to intellectual and theological analysis regarding the subject of Imamah. The book discusses four important problems: the necessity of the Imam (a)¡ the occultation of the last Imam (a)¡ the wisdom behind awaiting the Imam (a) and answering questions surrounding the occultation. In the valuable introduction of this book the author has answered many of the objections regarding the occultation. Aside from this¡ he has attempted to resolve the apparent contradictions that exist in many of the traditions regarding Imam Mahdi (a).