ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Kashaf-ul-haqaiq CHAPTER 7: DIFFERENCES The basis of difference of views is not knowledge, but rather lack of it. It is not a hidden fact from people of intellect that where two people differ from each other, then either both of them are in the wrong or at least one of them is. It is simply not possible for both of them to be right. Those who possess knowledge will never differ as there is only one reality and they will have grasped it.

Imagine a classroom of fifty students where the teacher asks them to add ten and fifteen and give him the correct answer. Those students who have knowledge will give the correct answer of twenty five and all their answers will be the same, whereas all those who answer incorrectly will differ amongst each other.

In the same way if a thousand people were to be presented with a problem and if they have the correct knowledge, then they will all apply the same solution to it, and if they are ignorant then they will differ. This difference of opinion itself proves their ignorance. You will have to conclude they either all of them are wrong or only one of them can be correct.

But to be told that all of them are correct and we can act on any of them that we feel like, bears testimony to their ignorance and straying from the right path. It is a well known fact that truth is only one. Wherever there is error and straying there will be differences. These differences prove that there is no truth there and unanimity proves that there is only one truth. It is not possible that there will be no differences in falsehood.

This is a protection given to truth from Allah (s.w.t.) and this cannot be refuted. There is a long tradition from Al Kafi - Book of Divine Authority, about differences, which I shall not be quoting here due to its length, but I would like to give you the conclusion of it by Mufti Ja’far Husayn about it: ‘Whoever is prone to error will always end up with differences in his commands and in this situation there will be tampering with the Commands of Allah (s.w.t.)’.

Difference being proof of falsehood, is such a simple truth that even the layman can understand it. If an arrogant person wishes to oppose it then so be it, but otherwise everyone will accept it. I have been hearing for many years now that the reason why the Sunnis are wrong is because they have four Imams who all disagree with each other.