In such a hurricane stands firm the mansion of Shi’ism...

In such a hurricane stands firm the mansion of Shi’ism; the waves ever falling beat themselves upon the tower and return scattered and split, feeble and flaccid having had squandered their strength and lost their prowess. Therefore, they like the books, which interrogate the essentiality or reality of a religion and debate it on the ground of visible and tangible matter rather than to prove its truth. They reward such a writer and regard such a book.

The proof whether that of hearing or that of reason to them is not wholesome. They want doubt - to be said, to be read, and to be believed in. We have no dispute with the writer himself nor do we wish to quarrel him. We leave it to him to mend his mistakes. We have indicated in the proceeding discourses the way and method of analysis.

We face here two angles; One - the wrong conclusions, accusations and wrong allegations are made by a particular man; Two - the way of research that amounts to science or knowledge seems to us personal. So, we cannot take a seat of judgment nor do we like to pass one. Now we draw the attention of our readers to his statements and afterwards to our answers. Partly his statement runs thus: Some narrations (i.e.

‘Hadith) like that of Abi Hamza he refers to; in which the appearance of the Imam was considered a relief and rescue. However the Imam did not appear which imputed the change of God’s mind. At first God has made up His mind then later changed it. He says that it was ‘Bada’. ‘Bada’ means first occurrence of a thing, that is, an ‘occurrence’ without precedent or without pre-knowledge or a pre-plan.

He says: “In the principal beliefs of a Shia it is permissible to think that God decides to do something but because of unforeseen circumstances which impede and becomes a hindrance, he of Shia either delays His plan or totally cancels it. The name of this theory is “Bada” means ‘Occurrence’ without a precedent. He continues that the doctrine of “Bada” was introduced by the earlier leaders of Shia.

They brought forward this theory in order to justify or vindicate or extenuate their own defeats or failures in establishing an Islamic just government, which they had claimed to do. Their defeat again was justified to be for their own good. So the writer says similar things. According to the writer Bada goes a long way to establish that the knowledge of the Imams was parochial and limited.