When he permits you to ask the question...

When he permits you to ask the question, say: If the Writer of the Qur’an comes to you; is there a possibility that what He intends by His words was different from what you have understood?” “He [i.e., Ishaq Kindi] will obviously say, Yes, it is quite possible.’ Then you should say, With that possibility in mind, how can you be sure that what you have understood from the Qur’an is really the intent of the Qur’an?

Isn’t it possible that the Writer of the Qur’an means something different from what you have understood?” Having learnt this argument from the Imam, the students went to al-Kindi. At the right moment, one of the students presented the argument they had learnt from Imam al-’Askari (a.s.). Ishaq al-Kindi asked the student to repeat the question. After thinking for a while, al-Kindi replied, “What you say is quite possible.” Ishaq al-Kindi knew the intellectual level of his students.

So he asked, “How did this idea come to you?” The student: “It just came to my mind, and so I asked you.” Al-Kindi: “You are incapable to get such ideas; now, tell me the truth where did you get this idea?” The student: “Abu Muhammad (al-’Askari) has taught us this.” Al-Kindi: “Now you have uttered the truth. Such ideas cannot emerge from anywhere but that family!” Then al-Kindi got rid of whatever he had written on the contradictions in the Qur’an. 5.

Imam’s Letter to Ibn Babawayh al-Qummi ‘Ali bin Husayn bin Babawayh al-Qummi, the father of the famous scholar Shaykh Saduq, was a prominent scholar of his time. Imam Hasan al-’Askari (a.s.) sent a letter which is enough to show his honour and dignity in the eyes of the Ahlul Bayt.

After the preliminary text about praising Allah and the Prophet, the Imam wrote: “...O respected and reliable Shaykh, and O faqih (jurist) of my followers, Abul Hasan ‘Ali bin Husayn al-Qummi, may Allah bless you with what He pleases and may He bring forth worthy sons from you. “I advise you to fear [displeasing] Allah, to establish prayer and pay alms—because the prayer of one who does not pay alms is not accepted.

I advise you to forgive the mistakes of others and control your anger, and to be kind and generous to your relatives, and to be helpful and concerned for your brethren, and to be patient in response to the deeds of the ignorant people. “[I advise you] to be learned in religion, steadfast in your work, familiar with the Qur’an, and to acquire the noble character, bid the good and forbid the evil.