Chapter 1 Foreword In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful By Hasnain Walji Islam espouses an enlightened mind and hence, it has been termed as the path of knowledge. In the Qur`an the number of verses in which ‘ilm (knowledge) or its derivatives and associated words are used is 704. The aids of knowledge such as the book, pen, ink, etc. amount to almost the same number while other words associated with writing oc- cur in 319 verses.[1] By responding to the call of the Qur`an to ponder over creation in or- der to understand the greatness of Allah (awj) and reflecting this honored the pursuit of knowledge, considered a meritorious duty, Muslim scholars have amply demonstrated that knowledge elevates the sincere seeker. In response to a person who posed him a difficult question, Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (?) said: “Ask in order to understand, and do not ask in or- der to find fault, for surely the ignorant man who wants to learn re- sembles a man of knowledge, and surely a man of knowledge who wants to be difficult resembles an ignorant man who wants to find fault.” This then should be the spirit of inquiry as we are faced with many challenges in this day and age. In particular, young Muslims growing up in Western societies are crying out for rational and convincing 2 explanations in matters of their faith. In schools and colleges they are confronted by their peers as much as professors, who engage them on debates about reason and faith - in particular, whether faith is a valid means for acquiring knowledge or the limits of reason in explaining one’s faith. This book, aptly named ‘Faith and Reason – A Compendium of Fifty Ques- tions and Answers Related to Islamic Theology, Jurisprudence and Other Themes’ is timely, in offering some explanations. The questions on such diverse topics as Divine Will and Human Will, free choice Allah’s (awj) Will in human as well as Angels and free-will give enlightening answers. In particular, questions relating to Imam al- Mahdi (?), address issues such as his marriage, place of residence, as well the role of women in the government of Imam al-Mahdi’s (?) and the possibility of a decline in Imam al-Mahdi’s (?) government. It is hoped that this latest offering by the Islamic Education Board of the World Federation will enhance the readers’ understanding of some critical and relevant issues, which are rarely discussed in general. As Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (?) has said: “The man of knowledge is the one who recognizes that what is known is very little compared to what is not known, and as a result he considers himself ignorant, and accord- ingly he increases his efforts to know more by going out in search of knowledge.” ???????? ??????? ??????? “My Lord! Increase me in Knowledge” Hasnain Walji Plano, Texas July 4th, 2006 CE / 7th Jumada II, 1427 AH Notes: 3 [1] Dr. Sayyid Wahid Akhtar, The Islamic Concept of Knowledge, al-Taw- hid, vol. xii, no. 3 4 Chapter 2 Biography of Ayatullah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani Ayatullah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani was born in 1961 in the city of Tehran. After finishing elementary and middle school, he proceeded to high school. He graduated from Kharazmi High School, which was a well-known and accredited high school at that time, in mathematics and physics as an honor roll student. In the SAT’s, he scored a high rank and was accepted at Sharif University of Technology where he studied Elec- trical Engineering. He first started his Howza studies unofficially and in 1980, he started his official Howza studies in the Holy City of Qom. He went back to Tehran where he studied ‘Arabic literature and logic under Ayatollah Khoshvaqt. After his return to Qom, he finished the Sath (intermediate level studies) in five years, during which he was many times ranked top student in the Howza exams. He then started his advanced studies under great scholars such as Ayatullah al-’Uzma Shaykh Jawad Tabrizi, Ayatullah al-’Uzma Sayyid Wahid Khorasani, Ayatullah al-’Uzma Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Bahjat, Ayatullah al-’Uzma Shaykh Nasir Makarim Shirazi, Ayatullah Mirza Hashim ‘Amuli and Ayatullah Shaykh Ja’far Subhani. Moreover, he mostly studied under Ayatullah Sayyid Kadim Ha’eri, and benefited from his classes. In philosophy, he studied under eminent figures such as Ayatullah Ansari Shirazi, Ayatullah Hasan Zadeh Amoli, and Ayatullah Misbah Yazdi and for many years he picked off the branches of Ayatullah Jawadi Amoli’s wisdom. In addition, since the early days of his stay in Qom, he started his relationship with Ayatullah Baha’o Dini, the great ‘Arif. Even- tually, he gained a closer relationship which he maintained until Ayatul- lah Baha’o Dini’s demise. Not only did he practice ‘Irfan and Akhlaq 5 under Ayatullah Baha’o Dini, but he also studied Fiqh, Tafsir and Hadith under this great ‘Arif and Faqih. Ayatullah Hadavi has had the chance to teach all the beginner and in- termediate level courses in the Howza. He has been teaching advanced level courses of Fiqh and Usul since 1990. His method of teaching, a new method in which he compares the topics and discussions in Islamic juris- prudence with that of modern law, has attracted much attention from numerous scholars and researchers. In addition, he has been and still is teaching different issues of Logic, Philosophy and Theology. Some of his written works are a product of the research which is in your hands. Other than teaching in the Howza, Ayatullah Hadavi has kept up an academic relation with the different universities and institutions of high- er education. He is a member of the Council for Revising Humanities Text Books in the Ministry of Sciences, Research and Technology. He is the chairman of the Jurisprudence and Law Group in this council. In the Sharif University of Technology, he is a member of the Postgraduate Scholarly Council of the Philosophy of Knowledge. Ayatullah Hadavi has done extensive studies and research on modern sciences such as economics, modern theology, philosophy of knowledge and philosophy of art. Some of his studies and research has been pub- lished in the form of books and articles. The Ayatullah is fluent in English and Arabic and knows French and German to a great extent. His knowledge of English and computers has enabled him to be the first scholar in Iran to answer questions on Islamic issues on the InterNet. Ayatullah Hadavi has been in contact with and visited Islamic centers all over Asia, Europe and Africa. In addition, he has participated in the founding of Islamic Organizations such as the Ahlul Bayt Association in Switzerland, the Mohammadia Association in Thailand, and the Islamic Center of Holland. He has also participated in the establishment of the World Council of Religious Leaders (WCRL). He is a member of the Supreme Council of the Ahlul Bayt World Assembly, the Islamic Banking and Finance Consulting Committee, the 6 WCRL’s Board of Directors, and the head of the Academic Staff of Ayatullah Khamenei’s delegation to hajj. Ayatullah Ayatollah Hadavi currently has 10 books published in the fields of Logic, Rijal[2], Modern Theology, Qur`anic Sciences, Economics, Islamic Political Thought, Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, Ethics and Education. These books are: 1) The Chest of Wisdom (two volumes) 2) Tahrirul Maqal Fi Kulliat ‘ilmul Rijal (‘Arabic) 3) Wilayatul Faqih (principles, proofs and jurisdiction) 4) The Theological Bases of Ijtihad (Recognized as book of the year in 1999 by the Howza in Qom) 5) Islam’s Economic Doctrine and System 6) Governance and Religion: Essays on the Islamic Political Thought 7) Beliefs and Questions 8) The History of the Principles of Jurisprudence 9) To the Heavens with the Youth 10) The Green Tryst He also has a number of works that have not yet been published and are in the process, such as Hermeneutics and Religious Scripts, New Ho- rizons in the Howza, Al-Hidayah: A Commentary on Bidayat-ol- Hikmah, The Laws of Property and Ownership, The Laws of Contracts, Art and Religion. These books have been written on topics in the fields of Theology, Philosophy, Principles of Jurisprudence and its history, The History of Hadith, Jurisprudence and Law. The scholar can be contacted at [email protected] or- [email protected]. For more information on Ayatullah Hadavi, you can refer to his website atwww.hadavi.info 7 Notes: [2]The study of transmitters who have narrated the sayings of the Noble Prophet ( ?) and the Imams ( ?). 8 Chapter 3 Divine Will and Human Will Question: What is the relationship between Divine will and human will? 9 Short Answer The human being is a contingent existent who derives his existence and existential qualities from Allah (awj). Allah (awj) has, by His gener- ative will (irada takwini), created him as a volitional creature and has thus distinguished him from all other creatures. Hence, the human being is thehighest being addressed by Allah’s (awj) legislative will(irada tashri’i) and as such, has been given permission to choose between obedience and disobedience, to determine his way of life, and to mould his own fate. The human being is the chosen creature who is able, by making the right choice, to obey the injunctions of Allah (awj); to ascend the levels of perfection by conforming to the legislative will of Allah (awj), and sub- mitting his desire to the generative will of Allah (awj) thereby reaching the station of Divine regency - that level which in paradise, entitles him to receive whatever he wishes. Because he has chosen Divine satisfaction, Allah (awj) is satisfied with him and will provide for him so profoundly that he will in return be pleased with Him and satisfied with his own conduct.