The higher a person’s horizon of knowledge rises, the more nourishment becomes available to the spirit and soul. We must bring ourselves fully to life. When we are only partially awakened and engaged, our capacity to taste is limited as well. If we turn sincerely to knowledge and unite it with action, all our faculties will awaken, and each will shine in its fullest perfection.
We should ponder every one of God’s verses and immerse ourselves ever more deeply in the ocean of the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them. We should wholeheartedly seek to know each of God’s Proofs and take practical steps to that end.
If we are not content with little when it comes to the teachings of the Two Weighty Things, but long to grasp their highest horizons and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to that pursuit, every facet of our soul’s capacity to taste will awaken.
Conversely, if someone poisons themselves with sources other than the Two Weighty Things, they will find no delight in any flavour of their teachings.
Let us be mindful of what we feed our souls.
At certain times, even though a person knows the answer to a question, withholding it may serve the best interests of both their own worldly and spiritual life and those of the person asking. Answering some questions before the proper time can be deadly. This question is one of them. We must wait for His Eminence, the Greatest Remnant of God, and hear the answer from his own blessed lips.
For now, I will recall a few points. First, the names of each of the Imams are present in the Noble Qur’an through particular signs; the Verse of Light is one example. Second, the name of our master, the Commander of the Faithful, ʿAli, peace be upon him, is explicitly mentioned twice in the Qur’an:
Maryam: 50 وَ وَهَبْنا لَهُمْ مِنْ رَحْمَتِنا وَ جَعَلْنا لَهُمْ لِسانَ صِدْقٍ عَلِيًّا
al-Zukhruf: 4 وَ إِنَّهُ في أُمِّ الْكِتابِ لَدَيْنا لَعَلِيٌّ حَكيمٌ
Moreover, as the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, instructed us, the Qur’an is paired with the Ahl al-Bayt. The Qur’an, in other words, is held in their hearts and souls and in their embrace. From another perspective, they are the mirror of the Qur’an, its interpreters, those who reveal its deeper meanings, elucidate it, and give it voice, and so on.
The following is given in answer to question 1154:
Question 1154:
Why are some of God’s prophets named in the Qur’an, while the names of the infallible Imams, who possess such immense greatness, are not mentioned?
In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Answer 1154
As has been said many times, according to the blessed Hadith of the Two Weighty Things, our beloved Imams, peace be upon them, are in truth the Qur’an itself, with all its interpretations, deeper meanings and inner dimensions. To search for light and illumination in the heart of the sun is the folly of a narrow mind!
From another perspective, the identity of the Imams is plain in every one of God’s verses, and nowhere does this radiance shine more perfectly than in the Verse of Light.
The mere fact that someone’s name appears in the Qur’an does not show that its bearer is superior. The Qur’an mentions some who were not prophets, while leaving out the names of many prophets. It even mentions certain disbelievers—Pharaoh, Haman, Abu Lahab, the Samaritan, Korah, and others—yet does not name the friends of God. Still, their sweet fragrance wafts from the very soul of God’s verses!
What sublime beauty!
How beautifully the sublime beauty of the Imams, peace be upon them, shines forth in these verses:
al-Naḥl: 43 وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجالاً نُوحي إِلَيْهِمْ
al-Māʾidah: 55 إِنَّما وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ وَ الَّذينَ آمَنُوا الَّذينَ يُقيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَ يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكاةَ وَ هُمْ راكِعُونَ
al-Aḥzāb: 33 وَ قَرْنَ في بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَ لا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولى وَ أَقِمْنَ الصَّلاةَ وَ آتينَ الزَّكاةَ وَ أَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ إِنَّما يُريدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ يُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهيراً
al-Nūr: 36 في بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ يُذْكَرَ فيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فيها بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الْآصالِ
al-Nūr: 35 اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكاةٍ فيها مِصْباحٌ الْمِصْباحُ في زُجاجَةٍ الزُّجاجَةُ كَأَنَّها كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَ لا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكادُ زَيْتُها يُضيءُ وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نارٌ نُورٌ عَلى نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشاءُ وَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَليمٌ
May whoever seeks the names of the Imams in the Qur’an be blessed by:
al-Aʿrāf: 180 وَ لِلَّهِ الْأَسْماءُ الْحُسْنى فَادْعُوهُ بِها وَ ذَرُوا الَّذينَ يُلْحِدُونَ في أَسْمائِهِ سَيُجْزَوْنَ ما كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ