The Descent of the Messiah — Page 304
THE DESCENT OF THE MESSIAH بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَ نُصَلِّي عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الْكَرِيمِ I recently came across the book Wasīlatul-Mubtalā. Although I tried to restrain myself from interfering in such matters, I could not help but feel ashamed that our Imami scholars have not been utilising their God-given intelligence. They do not demonstrate any miracles of their learning and nobility. Are such responses lacking in argument sufficient to silence a claimant of Imāmat? Can these dubious traditions silence the opponent? As a follow- er of the Imam, I say with complete honesty that these traditions and arguments that lie outside the Word of God are not enough to refute such a strong claimant. To insult someone and call them impure, vile, and misguided, and to decorate one's writing with uncivil words from the lexicon is to bring disrepute to knowledge and civility. Religious scholars are tasked with bolstering their opinions with evidence and logical reasoning and presenting them to open-minded individuals in a convincing manner. Ultimately, it is up to the readers to discern between truth and falsehood on their own. Now, I wish to say something to Maulawī sahib [i. e Ali Hai- ri]. Dear Sir: You are addressing someone who claims to be an Imam, although you consider him to be a liar and a pretender. Therefore, it is necessary to silence him through his own admis- sions. Presenting references from the commentary of Barghānī and Tabarānī Abū Naim, etc. or presenting their unverified reports against a claimant of Imāmat—who claims that he has come to the 1 "In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. We praise Him and send peace upon His Noble Messengersas. " [Publisher] 304