Firstly the number seven would be in accordance with the...

Firstly the number seven would be in accordance with the seven names of the Infallibles—Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husain, Baqir, Ja’far and Moosa Kazim (a.s.). Secondly the figure seven denotes the fact that mostly the dispersal of knowledge was from the seven persons till Imam Ridha (a.s.). Due to severe Taqaiyyah no other knowledge was acquired from Imam Zainul Aabedeen (a.s.) except Duas (supplications). After Imam Ridha (a.s.) the Holy Imams (a.s.) spent their life in Taqaiyyah or in prison.

Little knowledge was acquired from these Imams in comparison to other Imams. That is why they are not counted. Due to these two reasons ‘masani’ is from this point of view that these persons were attached to Quran by the Holy Prophet (S) by saying: I leave among you two weighty things, the book of Allah and my Ahle Bayt. So the saying of the Imams (a.s.) that we are ‘masani’ means we are those whom the Prophet (S) has attached to the Quran and made us his second.

As Ibne Babawayh has said that Allah made them attached to the Holy Prophet (S) or may be from this point of view that, those people had praised Allah or that Allah has Praised them. Or from this point of view that those people are double sided.

One side is holiness and spiritualism with which they were in contact with angels and acquired knowledge through revelations and inspirations and on the other side they are human beings, in their form, species and some qualities similar to human beings, for that reason they benefit people with knowledge as stated by us earlier. Thirdly the number seven after Masani (double) becomes fourteen because ‘Sana’ means twice.

Then the Prophet from one side is the giver and from another not the giver, because from the side of Prophethood and unlimited perfection he is a boon, which has been bestowed, and from the other side he is a person who has bestowed this. Or that including the Quran they become fourteen but there is reservation in this. Fourthly, Saba Masani may be Surah Hamd, meaning that Allah has made Surah Fatiha equal to the whole Quran.

Because this Surah mentions us and we and our path has been praised and it flays our enemies and their way. According to many traditions it is the path of those great people and ‘those upon whom is Thy wrath’ are those who have usurped their rights and ‘the astrayed ones’ refers to those who follow the usurpers and accept them as their leaders.