وَالَّذِي بَعَثَهُ بِالحَقِّ...

وَالَّذِي بَعَثَهُ بِالحَقِّ، وَاصْطَفَاهُ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ، مَا أَنْطِقُ إلاَّ صَادِقاً، وَقَدْ عَهِدَ إِلَيَّ بِذلِكَ كُلِّهِ، وَبِمَهْلِكِ مَنْ يَهْلِكُ، وَمَنْجَى مَنْ يَنْجُو، وَمَآلِ هذَا الاْمْرِ، وَمَا أَبْقَى شَيْئاً يَمُرُّ عَلَى رَأْسِي ألاَّ أَفْرَغَهُ فِي أُذُنَيَّ وَأَفْضَى بِهِ إِلَيَّ. O people! By Allah, I do not impel you to any obedience unless I practise it before you and do not restrain you from any disobedience unless I desist from it before you.

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنِّي، وَاللهِ، مَا أَحُثُّكُمْ عَلَى طَاعَة إِلاَّ وَأَسْبِقُكُمْ إِلَيْهَا، وَلاَ أَنْهَا كُمْ عَنْ مَعْصِيَة إِلاَّ وَأَتَنَاهَى قَبْلَكُمْ عَنْهَا. Alternative Sources for Sermon 175 (1) Al-'Amidi, Ghurar, 191; (2) See `Abd al-Zahra', II, 422.

[^1]: Those who drink from the springs of revelation and divine inspiration see things hidden behind the curtains of the unknown and the events which will occur in the future in the same way as objects can be seen with the eyes, and this does not conflict with the saying of Allah that: Say: "None (either) in the heavens or in the earth knoweth the unseen save Allah..." (Qur'an, 27:65) because this verse contains the negation of personal knowledge of the unknown, but not the negation of knowledge which is required by the prophets and holy persons through divine inspiration, by virtue of which they make prophesies about the future and unveil many events and happenings.

Several verses of the Qur'an support this view such as: When the Prophet confided unto one of his wives a matter, but when she divulged it (unto others) and Allah apprised him thereof, he made known a part of it and avoided a part; so when he informed her of it, said she: "Who informed thee of this?" He said: "Informed me, the All-knowing, the All-aware." (Qur'an, 66:3) These are of the tidings of the unseen which We reveal unto thee (O' Our )...(Qur'an, 11:49) Therefore, it is incorrect to argue in support of the view that if it is said that the prophets and holy persons possess knowledge of the unknown it would imply duality in the divine attributes.

It would have implied duality if it were said that someone other than Allah has personal knowledge of the unknown. When it is not so and the knowledge possessed by the Prophets and Imams is that given by Allah it has no connection with duality. If duality should mean what is alleged, what would be the position of `Isa's (Jesus's) assertion related in the Qur'an namely: . . .

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