Theology and Creed

A strong inference from the Quran is that honoring one’s parents has been emphasized in all religions. The Quran refers to the covenant with the Children of Israel to treat their parents kindly, and recounts the words of Jesus (AS) about honoring his mother and of John (AS) about honoring his parents.

Averting a calamity means preventing it from striking, while removing a calamity means bringing it to an end after it has occurred. In other words, averting a calamity is prevention; removing one means dispelling it or treating its effects after it has taken place. Averting a calamity can be compared to immunisation and vaccination, while removing one is like seeking medical care and treatment.

The eulogist misspoke. Only God, the Almighty, governs the affairs of the world; everything happens by His permission and will. Imam Husayn (AS) has a role in the movement of the universe by God’s permission—not in the sense that he acts independently or helps God.

No eye can see God, whether in this world or the Hereafter, for He is not confined by any limit. The universe and all who dwell in it remain ever subject to the One, the All-Subduing. In ambiguous reports, “seeing” refers to the manifestation of God’s special grace and attention toward His servants; and “meeting God” refers to the manifestation of His particular benevolence through the unveiling of His mysteries.

The station of qāba qawsayn aw adnā lies beyond the capacity of an earthly human being to comprehend; the soul’s very backbone cannot bear the weight of its majesty. This station is beyond the Divine Names and Attributes, and only the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) attained it. Ordinary human beings have no understanding of this realm.

Fear of people who wield power and wealth exists by God’s permission and will; nothing happens without His permission. We should look to the ultimate source of power—God Himself. All those who possess power hold it in trust. True and genuine fear belongs to God alone, as the Quran also makes clear.

God’s mercy surpasses the understanding of created beings. It is manifest in the creation of the heavens and the earth, in providing sustenance for all people, healing the sick, and meeting their needs. In the afterlife, this mercy will be revealed in a higher form, for God’s essence transcends mercy, and mercy is but one expression of His will and artistry.

The world of Lahut is not the seventh heaven; it is an immaterial realm free of created beings. The highest stage of human spiritual growth is the station of قاب قوسین أو أدنى, which lies beyond Lahut. Divine love is not a stopping place but the beginning of a new movement in servitude to God, and the world of the Most Beautiful Names marks the beginning of fresh spiritual blossoming.

Our understanding of and ability to benefit from other worlds depends on the breadth of our knowledge, our capacity for wisdom, and how well we put that wisdom into practice. As with a computer, how much a person can process and understand about the universe depends on the capabilities of their system. People also differ in their awareness and understanding of other worlds; as the spirit is elevated and the light of the unseen grows brighter, their understanding and ability to benefit increase. Merely imagining something does not mean we are present there, and false certainty can lead us astray.

The blessed being of Imam Ali (AS) is a locus for the realization of the divine will, and multiple, even opposing, manifestations and events may proceed from him. The doubts raised by opposing groups are no reason to retreat from an established truth. For one who has entrusted every aspect of his being to its true Owner, it is possible for multiple, varied, and even contradictory acts to occur at the same moment.

His station of servanthood and his submission to God’s will allowed the Absolute Will of the Real to manifest in his blessed being. While preserving his supreme inner communion, this made his noble act of giving possible. Ordinary people’s doubts about this account stem from their inability to reconcile that supreme communion with the revelation of the verse on almsgiving.

To describe Imam Ali (AS) as a knower of tawhid is not to exalt him; it is to diminish his station. He is «عَيْبَةُ الْعِلْم», «مَعْدِنُ الْعِلْم», and possesses a rank of knowledge that is divine in origin. The Infallibles are repositories of divine knowledge and sources from which sacred teachings flow; within their ranks, the Master holds a singular place.

All beings in the universe receive divine grace in accordance with justice, but the extent to which each benefits from it depends on their choices and deeds. The greater a being’s capacity, the greater its need for divine grace; a being with limitations, however, benefits from that grace according to its own capacity. This principle applies to the Infallible Ones as well.

According to the clear wording of verse 172 of Sūrat al-Aʿrāf and the transmitted hadiths, the World of Dharr is real. In this world, God brought forth the descendants of Adam from his back and loins, made them bear witness against themselves, and asked: “Am I not your Lord?” They replied: “Yes indeed; we bear witness!” This was so that, on the Day of Resurrection, they could not say, “We were unaware of this.”

Some divine names function as attributes of other names. The names “Allah,” “Blessed,” and “Exalted” stand at the highest rank, while the other names derive from them. Thus, one may say “Allah, the Generous,” but not “the Generous Allah,” for Allah is praised for His generosity, whereas the Lord’s generosity is not described in terms of His divinity.

The Word of God is not created; rather, it is brought into being by God. That is, God brings it into existence, but the way it comes into being is not of the kind we call creation. The Word of God is God’s act, proceeding from His name “the Speaker.” Just as God’s creation is one of the modes of His manifestation, so too is His Word a particular mode of manifestation; it should not be called “God’s creation.”

People’s obligations are proportionate to their abilities and knowledge. If someone lacks knowledge of a subject and has no access to a reliable source, they will not be punished for it. But resisting the Two Weighty Things or the conduct of a wise, learned person is clear evidence of ignorance, and ignorance is no excuse.

The Most Beautiful Names of God have distinct ranks and stations, and some are regarded as the source and root of others. Yet they all refer to one and the same Reality, and God may be invoked by any of them. Thus, although the Names differ in rank, they all lead back to the one divine Essence and may each serve as a means of calling upon Him.

The shākilah is the central core of a person’s intention, shaped by their innate disposition and intention, from which actions arise. Its relationship to one’s innate nature and to creation from sweet and salty water calls for further examination. Although one’s innate nature may form the basis of the shākilah, the shākilah itself is a person’s intention and inner orientation.

Repentance will no longer be accepted at the time of the Imam of the Age’s (AJ) appearance, because the era of his appearance is a distinct, end-times state of being, and repentance then will be like repentance in the intermediate realm (barzakh), when it is no longer of any benefit. Repentance must take place before punishment comes and while there is still an opportunity to do so. This means that one must not treat repentance as license to sin recklessly; rather, one should turn to God while sin is still possible and before punishment arrives.