1. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims
  2. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

42 Questions

I understand that Allah (swt) alone has all knowledge of the unseen. But are there people who Allah gives some of that knowledge besides the Prophets (as)?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Yes. All the deputies of the prophets including the twelve successors of the Prophet (SAWA) are gifted part of the unseen as you see in Quran about Aasif ibn Barkhiya who was the deputy of Sulaiman who brought the throne of Bilqis from Yemen to Palestine in less than an eye blink because of the knowledge of the unseen granted to him by Allah.

Allah grants parts of the unseen to His sincere servants depending on their degree in worshiping Allah.

Wassalam.
I know for sure that Prophet Muhammad (s) has the best knowledge and belief in the world. And after him is Imam Ali. But does Bibi Fatima have the knowledge and belief equal to Imam Ali, or does she come after him?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

The status of Ameerul Mo'mineen Ali (AS) comes after the status of the Prophet (SAWA). The status of Fatima (AS) comes after the status of Imam Ali (AS). She is higher in her status that all other 11 Infallible Imams (AS).

Wassalam.
If one has a choice to study at Hawza to learn essential knowledge or to save the money for marriage, and it has become obligatory to marry due to fear of falling into sin, what should he choose?
Zaid Alsalami

Bismihi ta'ala

Knowledge precedes everything, especially if it is Ilahi knowledge, studying about your religion and learning the 'Ulum of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). 

Studying Hawzah is free of charge, and if for whatever reason a certain institute that offers Hawzah studies charge a fee, they are usually a bare minimum which any person would generally be able to pay.

Should your plan be to travel to Qom or Najaf to study Hawzah, you will only need to pay for the air ticket, and basic expenses to establish yourself there. The Hawzah will then give you some monthly wages. 

This could eat into your budget you have allocated for marriage, but if you have become acquainted with Islam, you will know that the process of getting married should also be cheap and reasonable. By avoiding excessive things, you will also be able to get happily married.

Therefore, I do not see any of the two to be an obstacle, or affect the other, as long as you are making the correct choices. You do not have to choose one over the other, but rather pursue both at once.

With your tawakkul on Allah ta'ala, and sincere intentions, and dua, you will successfully accomplish both, in shaa Allah.

With prayers for your success.
What were the sources of knowledge of the 12 Imams? Was it obtained through seeing, hearing, through revelation, or any other source?
Amina Inloes

According to Twelver Shi'i narrations, the knowledge of the Imams is received through divine sources. It is available throughout their lives but culminates to a new level after the departure of the previous Imam (or, in the case of Imam Ali, the Prophet). They have access to anything they need or want to know. This knowledge is available to them at any time; however, at certain times, certain specific information is presented to them (such as the deeds of their followers).

It is considered to be a step lower than the type of wahy given to the messengers. For instance, some narrations say that the Imams can hear the angel Jibra'il but not see him. Similarly, the Imams provide guidance, but not a revealed scripture like the Qur'an which is a Book in the word of Allah.

The mechanics of how this knowledge is acquired in mentioned in some narrations, although these narrations tend to be somewhat obscure and may or may not be accurate. In any case, it is said that the Imams have access to something resembling a column of light or a lamp between themselves and Allah through which they can attain knowledge of anything or to see any place. In other places, it is simply said that the Imams were created with certain types of knowledge, such as knowledge of the explanation of the Qur'an and other fundamentals regarding the nature of this world and the worlds before and afterwards. There are also some texts the Imams possessed such as Mushaf Fatima and Kitab Ali, although it is not said that they required these texts to know what was in them.

Insofar as knowledge is potentially infinite, all of these things could be accepted altogether without contradiction .

In any case, this is a large and complex subject, so to learn more about it, one could read hadith collections such as Basa'ir al-Darajat and al-Kafi.