Exegesis:

There are many sources for exegesis in the words which we have already mentioned about ahl al Bayt. Some exegetes have mainly depended on traditions to explain the Holy Koran. If you want to know something about the words of al- Sadiq, peace be on him, in exegesis, then read the book, ‘Majma’ Al- Bayan’. Some traditions of al- Sadiq and the ideas of ahl al Bayt about exegesis have been mentioned in this book.

Also, there are several books about the verses of rules. The authors have commented on them using the traditions of ahl al Bayt. We can understand the knowledge of ahl al Bayt in the exegesis of the Koran when we read traditions such as: "I am going to leave among you al- thaqalayn, the Book of Allah and my family the members of my House.

If you hold fast to them, you will never go astray after me, because they will not leave each other till they come to me at the hawd (the river in Paradise)". Al- Sadiq himself says: "By Allah, surely I know the Book of Allah from the beginning to the end as if it were on the palm of my hand, in it, there is the news of the sky and of the earth, the news of what had happened, and the news of what will happen, Allah, the Great and Almighty, said: in it (the Koran) "There is explanation for every thing."(193) Also, al- Sadiq said: "By Allah, we have all knowledge of the Book."(194)

Definitely, an expert in the Koran should be at every time as the tradition of al- thaqalayn denotes this truth. That is because the Koran is a silent Imam. It has clear and difficult verses, abstract and obvious verses, abrogating and abrogated verses, public and specific verses, unlimited and limited verses, and other verses which people cannot understand.

Every Muslim sect claims that the Koran is the source of its beliefs and that it has understood its meanings and objectives. Also, every sect produces evidence for that. According to the claim of the followers of these sects, the Koran is the source of the differences among them. Then, who is the decisive arbitrator whose words are able to answer the claims of these sects? Worth mentioning, the tradition of al-thaqalayn has denoted that the scholars of the Koran were ahl al Bayt.

So, al- Sadiq, peace be on him, was the scholar of the Koran during his time. Besides, there is no person who claim that there was among ahl al Bayt more knowledgeable than al- Sadiq in the exegesis of the Koran and other sciences during his time.

Theology:

Theology means the science which studies the existence of Allah, His oneness, and His attributes, in addition to Prophethood, the Imamate, and the return. All these matters are studied through the rational proofs based on the correct logical rules.

Theology does not mean the debate through which people have lost their way when they depend on some illogical ideas. Some people use such ideas to defeat their opponents when they debate with them. They do not depend on a firm proof nor do they take knowledge from its real origin.

Some traditions dispraise theologians. However, they do not mean them all. Rather, they mean those who learn debate for boasting and overcoming, do not learn knowledge from its original source, and paid no attention to the corrupt results of their debates. However, such traditions praise those who learn knowledge from its original source, build it on right foundations and strong pillars.

Also the traditions describes them as the tongues and guides for the truth and the leaders and propagandists of belief.

Amir al- Mu’minin (Imam ‘Ali), peace be on him, was the first to produce rational and material evidence for the existence of Allah. Those who ignored or were ignorant at the knowledge of Abu al- Hasan on Allah were about to doubt his orations about the above- mentioned matters, claiming that people at that time had no knowledge to prove such matters. But they forgot that Imam ‘Ali learned his knowledge directly from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, who said: "I am the city of knowledge and ‘Ali is its gate."

The children of Imam ‘Ali had the same degree of knowledge about the existence of Allah. So, they taught people what they wanted about the existence of Allah. That is because it is illogical for people to worship the Lord whom they do not know, obey the prophet whom they do not know, and follow the Imam whose position they do not understand deeply. So, to know Allah is the first and the best science. Al- Sadiq, peace be on him, said: "The best worship is to know Allah."(195) Hearing is not one of the rules and fundamentals adopted to know the existence of Allah. That is because the wise men say it is not right for people to copy others in the rational matters.

People may use Koranic verses and traditions as evidence for the existence of Allah. But such verses and traditions guide man to use his intellect or they indicate the instinct like this verse: "Is there doubt about Allah, the Maker of the heavens and the earth?" Such a verse does not force you to believe in the existence of Allah. Rather, it draws your attention to that through showing Allah’s creatures like the sky and the earth.(196) 

When the Prophet and his family produced evidence for these fundamentals, they urged man to adopt the judgment of intellect. Now listen to the following words of al- Sadiq ,peace be on him, in this respect: "Intellect is the guide of the believer. The pillar of man is intellect. He who does not think does not succeed."(197)

If you read what al- Kazim, peace be on him, told Hisham b. al- Hakam about intellect and the wise, you will know that (ahl al Bayt ) knew the reality of intellect. So, they guided and urged men to make use of its light.(198)

Ahl al Bayt produced much evidence for these fundamentals (i.e. the existence of Allah, His Oneness, etc.).

We may find such evidence in books like ‘Nahj al Balagha’ by Imam ‘Ali, ‘Al-Ihtijaj’ by al- Tubrisy, ‘Isul al- Kafi’, ‘Al- Tawhid’ by al- Saduq, the first and the second volumes of ‘al-Bihar’, and so on.

192 I have collected many moral verses and explained them briefly in a book. I have called the book Al- Koran Ta’limahu wa Irshadahu.

193 He wanted to refer to this verse: "And We have revealed the Book to you explaining clearly every thing."

194 Al- Kafi: 1/229/5.

195 Bihar Al-Anwar: 21/21

Source: aimislam