Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books , The Celestial Beings on the Earth Conclusion A perfect recognition of the is beyond human capacity. With numerous translations and interpretations of the Holy Quran throughout centuries, every new generation realizes that there are concepts in the Holy Quran, which have not been discussed as yet. The same thing can be said about .
All throughout the past fourteen centuries, many books and dissertations have been written on them; yet, there are still many things that have not yet been written or said. From narrations related by Ahl al- Bayt, we infer that getting to know has many stages. The Holy Prophet has said: يَا عَلِيُّ! مَا عَرَفَ اللَّهَ وَ أنْتَ: وَ مَا عَرَفَنِي إلأَّ اللَّهُ وَ أنْتَ: وَمَا عَرَفَكَ إلأَّ اللَّهُ وَ أنَا. O Ali!
No one knows Allah save you and me; no one knows me save Allah and you; no one knows you save Allah and me.[^1] The Holy Prophet has also said: مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ إمَامَ زَمَانِهِ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّة. One who dies and does not know his Imam has died the death of one who lived in the era of ignorance (i.e. has not recognized Islam).[^2] The Holy Prophet has introduced dying without knowing the Imam of the time as dying in the pre-Islamic era of ignorance.
On one hand he has counted the knowing of at a very limited level and the level of knowing Allah and on another. From these narrations, we infer that human beings have different capacities of getting to know the . Salman, the Persian is quite different from Abu-Dharr in terms of knowing . Abu-Dharr’s knowledge of is different from that of Miqdad. Quoting his great grandfather Ali ibn Husayn, Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) has reported: وَاللَّهِ، لَوْ عَلِمَ أبُوذَرٍ مَا فِي قَلْبِ سَلْمَانَ لَقَتَلَهُ!
By Allah (I swear), if Abu-Dharr knew what was in the heart of Salman, he would kill him, though Allah had made a contract of brotherhood between them. How would you then judge about other people? Surely the scholars’ knowledge is hard to understand and burdensome! No one can endure it but a Prophet, an archangel or a believing servant whose heart Allah has tested with faith.