Salam Friends,
How did the Infallible Ones, interpreted 'the Seal' and 'the Last', in the following verses and Hadithes:
1. In Quran, God says "I am the First and I am the Last", whereas God has existed from beginning that has no beginning and shall be to end that has no end, so, if being last is taken literally as to be the last one, how can "the Last" be applicable to God?
Salam friend.
1.Allah is the first, means all things are from Allah and He is their creator. So there is not a first before Him.
Holy Qur'an [45:13]
He has disposed for you[r benefit] whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth;
all is from Him.
2.Allah is the last means all creatures are going towards Him(note this do not means that Allah is in a place, and we are going towards Him, He is indeed in everywhere. My saying has a spiritual context). So there are not a last behind Him(Sobhanahu Wa Ta'ala).
Holy Qur'an [84:6]
O man, indeed you have to surely run towards your Lord, and to meet him.
Imam Sajjad[Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him] says:
Praise belongs to God,
the First, without a first before Him,
the Last, without a last behind Him.
(
Al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah, Supplication 1)
2. There are a few different sources in which, Ali is mentioned as the Seal of Successors (khtamul-waseen) and Seal of Saints (Khatamul-awliya)
Ali (a.s) said: "Muhammad (saw) is the Seal of all Prophets and I am the Seal of all Successors." Source: Sermon of the Recognition of Noor by Ali (a.s)
And
Ali (a.s) said: “My brother, the messenger of Allah, has said to me: I am the last of a thousand prophets and you are the last of a thousand guardians.". Bihar-alanwar, Report of Abaya Rabi
There are other Hadithes as well, such as in Bihar-alanwar, same title (Seal) is given to Ali.
If, being last or the seal, is to be understood literally to mean, no other successor comes after Ali, then was not Imam Hussein, the Prince of Martyrs, a Perfect successor and greatest of the saints?
It should be said that "Wasii" [which its plural is Awsiya(iregular plural form) or Waseen(regular plural form)], does not exactly mean successor. But I will not consider their few difference and then reply to you.
Firstly it Should be said that according to numerous Hadiths from Prophet Muhammad, in both Sunni and Shia authentic sources, there would be 12 successors after Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him and his pure progeny).
Indeed there are four group Hadiths about your question,
1.As you have mentioned, there are some Hadiths that say that Ali is Khatamul Awsiya( or Waseen ).
2.Some other Hadiths say that Imam Mahdi is Khatamul Awsiya( or Waseen).
Imam Mahdi, ' I am Khatamul Awsia( the seal of the Successors) '.(
Kamaluddin by Sheykh Sadugh, pg. 441)
3.There are other Hadiths that say that all 12 Imams are Awsiya(Waseen).
Prophet Muhammad," Imams after me are twelve. The first of them is Ali ibn Abi Talib and the last is al-Qa'im. They are my Successors, and my Awsiya, and my Awliya"(
Kifayatul 'Athat, pg. 154/
Kamaluddin, p.g. 259)
4.There are Hadiths that explain those apparently contradicting Hadiths.
A.Those Hadiths that say that Imam Ali is the seal of Awsiy/Waseen(successors), means he is the last Awsiya of Nabiin( i.e., the seal of Successors of Prophets ). In other word, according to our belief, all Prophets had a Wasii, So because there would not be any Prophet after Muhammad, so Ali became the last Successors of Prophets. Indeed, Imam Ali was
direct Wasii of Prophet Muhammad and the last one.
B and C. But this does not mean that there would not be another Wasii after Ali.
Indeed, the Awsiya/Waseen after Ali, are Wasii of Wasii(i.e., Successor of the previous Successor). For example, Imam Husayn(3th Imam) was the Wasii of the Imam Hasan(2th Imam) who himself was Wasii of Imam Ali(first Imam).
So, those Hadiths that say that Mahdi al-Qa'im is the seal of Awsiya/Waseen, mean Mahdi is the seal of Successors of Successors.
And those Hadiths that say that All Imams are Wasii of Prophet, this is because all of them eventually reach to Prophet Muhammad through the chain of the Wisayah(i.e., Succession).
D. Please read ff Hadith for clarification:
This Hadith has two chains of narrators. Isnad is
here.
Ummi Salim has narrated,
I asked form
Prophet that who is your Successor? Then he replied:"Whoever can do so and so doing, is
my Successor". Then, I went towards Ali and asked from him:'Are you Wasii of Muhammad?' Ali replied:'Yes'. I asked him that what is its sign? Then he did what Prophet mentioned. So I asked him that who is
your Successor, O Abal Hasan(Ali)? Then he replied:' Whoever can do such this'. Then I saw al-Hasan ibn Ali and asked him:' Are you
Wasii of your father '.... Then I asked him that who is your Successor? He replied ..... Then I saw al-Husayn ibn Ali and said to him that, who are you my master? He reolied:" I am whom you are seeking for. O Ummi Salim,
we are Wasii of Awsiya and I am the father of nine [other] guide Imams. And I am Wasii of my brother, Hasan and my brother is Wasii of my father, Ali and Ali is the Wasii of my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah. "
(Source: Bihar al-Anwar, Vol.25, pg.
176 and
187 )
There are other Hadiths such this, but I think this Hadith wich has two Isnads is enough.
3. Jesus in Bible said "I am the first and the last", whereas imam Ali said in Khutbih Noor, "Muhammad is Our First, ....Muhammad is Our Last", He likewise in Khutba Tuttunjiya, said "I am the First, and the Last".
If the Word of Jesus was to be taken literally to mean the Last as No one comes after Him, then why did Allah sent Muhammad, the Seal of Prophets?
1.Imam Ali says in Khutbah Noor, "Our(i.e., Imams) first one is Muhammad, our middld one is Muhammad, our last one is Muhammad, and all of us(Imams) are Muhammad".
This means that the guidance of Muhammad, Ali, Hasan, Husayn untill Mahdi is identical. So there is not any difference between them.
Also it should be said that this Khutbah has not any Isnad. So its Isnad(chain of the narrators) is weak.
2.About the saying of Imam Ali: "I am the First, and the Last" in Khutbah Tutunjiyyah. This Khutbah has not any Isnad(chain of the narrators). So its Isnad is weak.
But if we consider this Hadith correct, here is another Hadith that clarify that,
Imam Ali said to an Arab, "I am the first, and the last". So the Arab marveled. Then Imam said," I am the first, (because) I am the first one who believed in the Messenger of Allah; and I am the last, (because) I am the last one who saw him(Prophet Muhammad) when he was in his grave".
(
Source: Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 39, pg. 347)
4. Similar sayings from Jesus, such as "I am the way, the truth, no one comes to Father except through Me", caused the Christians to believe that no farther revelation or Messenger is to appear after Christ, whereas in Shia Hadithes, it is said the Qaim is the receiver of the Angel and He will say "God Made me a Messenger", So how could the possibility of the Qaim being a Messenger is logically impossible?
Thanks!
You have said, "in Shia Hadithes, it is said the Qaim is the receiver of the Angel and He will say 'God Made me a Messenger' "
I proved
here that this not true and Qaim(Mahdi) is not a Messenger and he will not say, 'God Made me a Messenger'
I do not know we can believe that the saying of Jesus wich you have mentioned is really his saying or not. Because in Holy Qur'an Allah Ta'ala says that the saying that God is Father and his son is Jesus is not a true saying,
[72:3]Exalted be the majesty of our Lord; He has taken neither any spouse nor son.
Sura Maryam(Mary)[Chapter 19]
They say, ‘The All-beneficent has taken a son!’ (88) You have certainly advanced something hideous! (89) The heavens are about to be rent apart at it, the earth to split open, and the mountains to collapse into bits, (90) that they should ascribe a son to the All-beneficent! (91) It does not behoove the All-beneficent to take a son. (92)
And other verses. Anyway, in every time, there are an infallible perfect human(i.e., guide) that through him and his guidance(what is indeed Allah's guidance) others can come to God. In the time of Jesus, he was that guide and now, that is Imam Mahdi.
Allah says in Holy Qur'an:
[13:7]The faithless say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ You are only a warner, and
there is a guide for every people.
[5:35]O you who have faith! Be wary of Allah, and
seek the means of recourse to Him
