Salam
Sunnis are right - Quran can be clearer about Ali (a) and Imams (a) so why isn't?
I want to start of to say that Sunnis are right that Imammate could be clearer in Quran. There is a suggestion in hadith attributed to Imam Ali (a) when asked about "peace be upon the family of Yaseen" by an atheist, that it should say "the family of Mohammad" to be clearer, that Imam Ali (a) talks about corruption of Satan regarding books of the past and current Quran. I take this to be a clue that the Quran is written in a way that allows double meaning, but the meaning that God intends must be clear from the other meanings. But it could've easily written clearer.
I take it than in the past when Welayat of the successors were emphasized in a clear manner, distortion took place. For example, regarding the chosen offspring of Haroun (a) and his family (a), we see a big distortion in this regard in the Torah. Haroun (a) does a huge vile act at the suggestion of his sister Mariam (a), and they contended leadership of Musa (a) and got jealous. This lead to both of their early deaths supposedly. The well "known" thing about Haroun (a) dying before Musa (a) is connected to this story, so maybe it's not a well known fact that Haroun (a) died before Musa (a) nor that Haroun (a) is actually older then Musa (a) which would be an anomaly in how chosen leaders inherit from the older.
Yahya (a) could be seen as exception to this but since his birth is unnatural, it can be that he too was older then Isa (a). However, Yahya (a) if an exception, Isa (A) still had a succession to him and lead the people after him, while Haroun (a) would truly be anomaly who doesn't have a period of head leadership of God's elite and chosen. This is all to deny a well known comparison with Ali (a) and Mohammad (s) to Haroun (a) and Musa (a).
I digress, but in short, the position of the Ahlulbayt Nubuwa is something that probably was clearer and explicit in the Torah, only to become distorted. God never forces the issue, and so could've written the Quran in a way that accounts all this but in a way that guarantees it's protection.
This is because finality of Mohammad (S) and his family (a) as the leaders and over all plan in the end time with the Mahdi (a). Why didn't he make Imams into Anbiya is also related to the protecting of revelations, if Imams (a) added Surahs to Quran as Prophets and it continued to be revealed or had their own Qurans, there would be dispute of what consists of Quran and Quran would not have prestige it has right now.
Scriptures were disputed, and eventually corrupted, but this plan can be part of an overall plan as things come to an end.
Ending Nubuwa is a huge trial in itself. In the past we would get feed back to current events from Prophets (a) from God but all that ended with Mohammad (s). But the Quran is designed in a way to allow that it goes through out time, but not in a explicit way that we have feed back on all issues we are living with. Rather, we have to make the connections.
This skill to be acquired requires us to approach Quran holistically.
Clear enough but only when approached holistically
You have to approach this with all signs in Quran all together approach. This the secret of the Du'a Sahar by Imam Mohamad Al-Baqir (a). Just as people pick some honor while disgracing themselves and lose the hereafter by not asking God by his honor all together, picking some verses while the interpretation contradicts other verses or other verses simply lose significance, is not allowed.
The Quran is woven together.
The day of judgment is clear only when seen holistically - same with Imamate
Having argued with Bahais, I've realized that when people want to isolate, they can come up with all sorts of nutty interpretations. They can deny the clear meaning easily. Day of judgment is clear to Muslims because they have no reason to deny it. Bahais deny it due to their Prophet interpreting it to be something else so they wiggle out of it and try to deny the clear meanings and isolate verses. However the impression you get from all the verses is very clear.
I'm suggesting the Quran is similar in this regard with the Imammate, it's written in a way that is spread, scattered, but when you put them all together, the verses, it becomes very clear. The majority of Muslims have a bias to isolate verses due to denial, but this is not the only factor that keeps them from seeing the clear recitation in this regard.
The belief in Angels similar
Bahais interpret Angels as chosen humans or sometimes followers of chosen ones, it's confusing. They don't believe in Angels as unseen entities like Muslims do. When I show a verse for example, that Prophets would say "and I do not say I am an Angel", they still deny and come up with a weird explanation.
Why am I saying this? It's because denial is possible for everything. When you take it holistically, the concept of Angels is very clear in the Quran. Yet debate a skilled Bahai and you will see how they deceive themselves about it.
But when it comes to Imammate it's even a further problem when we take account into sorcery.
The Sorcery of Satan is underestimated
People underestimate the knots and locks that are blown upon to keep us from seeing truths. This is includes signs in the outward world, in which the Quran makes us reflect over properly, and it includes contextualization. The sorcery hardens the heart when it comes to Quran and makes a person careless to contextualizes it's words. The hard hearts move words of Quran far from their proper position in Quran and remove it from it's noble place in the exalted majestic book. They make them often belittle most of the Quran into almost meaningless ramble that is repeated without purpose. Instead of taking the time to connect Surah to Surah, verses to verses within a Surah, themes of verses with similar subjects, they read it heedlessly.
This happens to hard hearts per Quran. So Quran by it's own words says its not clear to the hard hearts and regarding oppressors that it increases them only in loss.
Solution is complicated due to this
If someone believes Mohammad (s) is alive and we talk to him and he hears us, the easiest solution is actually to spiritually connect with Mohammad (s) and let him himself clarify the issue. This can be seeing him in a dream or experiencing his spirit in real life.
Other solutions includes racing to good deeds and doing a lot of Du'a to God to connect to whatever is the true guidance. God teaches us to want guidance in Surah Fatiha, so we really are without excuse. If we go our whole lives deceiving ourselves that we care for guidance and never recite it sincerely nor pray to God sincerely for forgiveness and guidance, we have only ourselves to blame.
Fearing God per many verses guarantees salvation. Arguing with other sects and coming up with intellectual justification of our own, that is taking the Iblis self-reliant route.
If we choose to not fear God, and deceive ourselves that we love and fear God instead for our ego purposes. Then we taken the route of Iblis that lead to his prideful turning away from Adam (a)
Disbelievers and polytheists are also right that signs could be clearer
This is true of Mohammad (s) time when he performed many miracles so let alone now when miracles are not in the open. God has a day when he will manifest the truth and become totally clear in the open and subdue the ego of everyone. That is the day of judgment. Whatever degree he chooses to hide the sign/proof or manifest it, is it's up to him. Although for every people is a guide (13:7) who can perform miracles, there is no one in public at the moment who does so. In this age, God will guide to that sign who turns to God often.
Instead of complaining about why doesn't God show himself to me, the atheist, should search for what signs are available and if wants miracles, then ask them humbly from God that if a person is alive and does perform such miracles to come to him and show him such signs.
The signs of Imamate in Quran and Sunnah are clear enough. Yes it can be clearer, but they are clear enough.
This attitude that Angels should be in the open and come testify to Mohammad (s) is not different then the attitude of how people want Imamate written in the Quran. God has wisdom in hiding Angels (a) and unseen reality from us now, so that who wants to can strive. And has wisdom as to why he written Imamate of Ali (a) and Imams (a) in the way he did.
Sunnis are right - Quran can be clearer about Ali (a) and Imams (a) so why isn't?
I want to start of to say that Sunnis are right that Imammate could be clearer in Quran. There is a suggestion in hadith attributed to Imam Ali (a) when asked about "peace be upon the family of Yaseen" by an atheist, that it should say "the family of Mohammad" to be clearer, that Imam Ali (a) talks about corruption of Satan regarding books of the past and current Quran. I take this to be a clue that the Quran is written in a way that allows double meaning, but the meaning that God intends must be clear from the other meanings. But it could've easily written clearer.
I take it than in the past when Welayat of the successors were emphasized in a clear manner, distortion took place. For example, regarding the chosen offspring of Haroun (a) and his family (a), we see a big distortion in this regard in the Torah. Haroun (a) does a huge vile act at the suggestion of his sister Mariam (a), and they contended leadership of Musa (a) and got jealous. This lead to both of their early deaths supposedly. The well "known" thing about Haroun (a) dying before Musa (a) is connected to this story, so maybe it's not a well known fact that Haroun (a) died before Musa (a) nor that Haroun (a) is actually older then Musa (a) which would be an anomaly in how chosen leaders inherit from the older.
Yahya (a) could be seen as exception to this but since his birth is unnatural, it can be that he too was older then Isa (a). However, Yahya (a) if an exception, Isa (A) still had a succession to him and lead the people after him, while Haroun (a) would truly be anomaly who doesn't have a period of head leadership of God's elite and chosen. This is all to deny a well known comparison with Ali (a) and Mohammad (s) to Haroun (a) and Musa (a).
I digress, but in short, the position of the Ahlulbayt Nubuwa is something that probably was clearer and explicit in the Torah, only to become distorted. God never forces the issue, and so could've written the Quran in a way that accounts all this but in a way that guarantees it's protection.
This is because finality of Mohammad (S) and his family (a) as the leaders and over all plan in the end time with the Mahdi (a). Why didn't he make Imams into Anbiya is also related to the protecting of revelations, if Imams (a) added Surahs to Quran as Prophets and it continued to be revealed or had their own Qurans, there would be dispute of what consists of Quran and Quran would not have prestige it has right now.
Scriptures were disputed, and eventually corrupted, but this plan can be part of an overall plan as things come to an end.
Ending Nubuwa is a huge trial in itself. In the past we would get feed back to current events from Prophets (a) from God but all that ended with Mohammad (s). But the Quran is designed in a way to allow that it goes through out time, but not in a explicit way that we have feed back on all issues we are living with. Rather, we have to make the connections.
This skill to be acquired requires us to approach Quran holistically.
Clear enough but only when approached holistically
You have to approach this with all signs in Quran all together approach. This the secret of the Du'a Sahar by Imam Mohamad Al-Baqir (a). Just as people pick some honor while disgracing themselves and lose the hereafter by not asking God by his honor all together, picking some verses while the interpretation contradicts other verses or other verses simply lose significance, is not allowed.
The Quran is woven together.
The day of judgment is clear only when seen holistically - same with Imamate
Having argued with Bahais, I've realized that when people want to isolate, they can come up with all sorts of nutty interpretations. They can deny the clear meaning easily. Day of judgment is clear to Muslims because they have no reason to deny it. Bahais deny it due to their Prophet interpreting it to be something else so they wiggle out of it and try to deny the clear meanings and isolate verses. However the impression you get from all the verses is very clear.
I'm suggesting the Quran is similar in this regard with the Imammate, it's written in a way that is spread, scattered, but when you put them all together, the verses, it becomes very clear. The majority of Muslims have a bias to isolate verses due to denial, but this is not the only factor that keeps them from seeing the clear recitation in this regard.
The belief in Angels similar
Bahais interpret Angels as chosen humans or sometimes followers of chosen ones, it's confusing. They don't believe in Angels as unseen entities like Muslims do. When I show a verse for example, that Prophets would say "and I do not say I am an Angel", they still deny and come up with a weird explanation.
Why am I saying this? It's because denial is possible for everything. When you take it holistically, the concept of Angels is very clear in the Quran. Yet debate a skilled Bahai and you will see how they deceive themselves about it.
But when it comes to Imammate it's even a further problem when we take account into sorcery.
The Sorcery of Satan is underestimated
People underestimate the knots and locks that are blown upon to keep us from seeing truths. This is includes signs in the outward world, in which the Quran makes us reflect over properly, and it includes contextualization. The sorcery hardens the heart when it comes to Quran and makes a person careless to contextualizes it's words. The hard hearts move words of Quran far from their proper position in Quran and remove it from it's noble place in the exalted majestic book. They make them often belittle most of the Quran into almost meaningless ramble that is repeated without purpose. Instead of taking the time to connect Surah to Surah, verses to verses within a Surah, themes of verses with similar subjects, they read it heedlessly.
This happens to hard hearts per Quran. So Quran by it's own words says its not clear to the hard hearts and regarding oppressors that it increases them only in loss.
Solution is complicated due to this
If someone believes Mohammad (s) is alive and we talk to him and he hears us, the easiest solution is actually to spiritually connect with Mohammad (s) and let him himself clarify the issue. This can be seeing him in a dream or experiencing his spirit in real life.
Other solutions includes racing to good deeds and doing a lot of Du'a to God to connect to whatever is the true guidance. God teaches us to want guidance in Surah Fatiha, so we really are without excuse. If we go our whole lives deceiving ourselves that we care for guidance and never recite it sincerely nor pray to God sincerely for forgiveness and guidance, we have only ourselves to blame.
Fearing God per many verses guarantees salvation. Arguing with other sects and coming up with intellectual justification of our own, that is taking the Iblis self-reliant route.
If we choose to not fear God, and deceive ourselves that we love and fear God instead for our ego purposes. Then we taken the route of Iblis that lead to his prideful turning away from Adam (a)
Disbelievers and polytheists are also right that signs could be clearer
This is true of Mohammad (s) time when he performed many miracles so let alone now when miracles are not in the open. God has a day when he will manifest the truth and become totally clear in the open and subdue the ego of everyone. That is the day of judgment. Whatever degree he chooses to hide the sign/proof or manifest it, is it's up to him. Although for every people is a guide (13:7) who can perform miracles, there is no one in public at the moment who does so. In this age, God will guide to that sign who turns to God often.
Instead of complaining about why doesn't God show himself to me, the atheist, should search for what signs are available and if wants miracles, then ask them humbly from God that if a person is alive and does perform such miracles to come to him and show him such signs.
The signs of Imamate in Quran and Sunnah are clear enough. Yes it can be clearer, but they are clear enough.
This attitude that Angels should be in the open and come testify to Mohammad (s) is not different then the attitude of how people want Imamate written in the Quran. God has wisdom in hiding Angels (a) and unseen reality from us now, so that who wants to can strive. And has wisdom as to why he written Imamate of Ali (a) and Imams (a) in the way he did.
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