What is the Quran Challenge?
The Quran Challenge
This is an open challenge for the Shia to give Quranic verses which outline and justify the Shia concept of Imamah. Can the Shia produce even a single verse outlining Imamah, without any additions to the translation, without parenthetical insertions to the translation, without Hadith to “support” their interpretation, without Tafseer, and without their own personal commentaries leading us from verse to verse?
When the Shia is forced to produce the Quranic verses without any additions, he will find it impossible to even come close to fulfilling the “Quran Challenge.” Not a single verse in the Quran says anything even remotely close to “O believers, after the Prophet, there will be twelve Imams chosen by Allah and you should follow them.” The Shia can never produce a single verse in the Quran that shows anything even similar to this. In fact, the Shia will be forced to produce long Tafseer and circuitious arguments involving certain verses with added meanings to them; but if we ask the Shia to simply read the verse without any insertions, then suddenly they cannot produce even a single verse in the Quran to justify Imamah. Suffice to say that the Shia becomes polemically incapacitated if he is forced to use the Quran and Quran alone.
The Shia have stated that Imamah is the fundamental of faith, and so there should thus be many verses in the Quran on this topic. Yet, the “Quran Challenge” only asks for the Shia to produce even a couple of verses from the Quran, yet even this is not possible. Not a single verse in the Quran mentions the names of their Infallible Imams; not even Ali’s name (رضّى الله عنه) is ever mentioned in the Quran. But more importantly than this, there is not a single mention of the very concept of Imamah. This is peculiar, to say the least; how can Imamah be part of Usool-e-Deen (a fundamental pillar of faith) and yet not be mentioned even a single time in the Quran? The truth is that the Quran mentions all the fundamentals of belief, and if something is not in the Quran, then that “thing” cannot possibly be a fundamental of belief.
Imamah Not Mentioned in Quran
Every single fundamental of Islam is mentioned in the Quran numerous times. Tawheed and the concept of Allah (عز و جل) are mentioned over two thousand times. The concept of Messengers and Prophets [Risalah and Nabuwwah] is mentioned repeatedly; in fact, the words “Rasool” and “Nabi” is used over four hundred times. All of the other Usool-e-Deen (fundamental of religion), other than Imamah, are mentioned hundreds of times in the Quran. Yet, the Quran remains completely silent on the issue of Imamah.
The Shia say that Imamah is one of the Usool-e-Deen, but we see that even the Furoo-e-Deen (the subsidiary and secondary parts of religion) are mentioned much more than Imamah is (which is actually never mentioned). Salat (prayer), the second pillar of Islam, is mentioned 700 times in the Quran. Zakat (charity), the third pillar of Islam, has been mentioned over 150 times. And yet, where is Imamah? The Quran is the complete guide for humanity, and yet the Shia are saying that the fundamental core belief (i.e. Imamah) is not in it.
The Quran clearly says that Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) is divinely appointed as the the Messenger of Allah (عز و جل) and that we should follow him. If there was another divinely appointed person we were supposed to follow after him, shouldn’t his name also be mentioned in the Quran? Why is it too much to ask that the twelve Imams be named in the Quran? Or how about even one of them? Not even Ali (رضّى الله عنه) is named in the Quran. For argument sake, we will not even demand names; what about even the very concept of divinely appointed Imams that will come after the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) and that we must follow them? We would argue that Allah (عز و جل) should have included the names of such people for the book to really be complete, yet we are unable to find even a single verse in the Quran which describes even the concept of Imamah. Not a single verse can the Shia produce in this regard.
The Quran is the ultimate guide for humanity. It contains all the fundamental beliefs of our faith. If Imamah was really a part of our faith, then it would be in the Quran. But Imamah is not in the Quran and we reject whatever belief is not justified in the Quran. There are many verses in the Quran that say that the believers are those who pray, give alms to the poor, do good deeds, and other such things; but why is it that not a single verse says the believers are those who follow and obey the Infallible Imam?
Conclusion
Both Sunni and Shia, as well as all other Islamic-oriented sects, have their own set of Hadith, Tafseer, historical accounts, and rituals. However, the Quran should be mutually agreed upon by both sides as being an authentic guide to the truth. In other words, in order for a dialogue between Sunni and Shia to be fruitful,
…the Lowest Common Denominator should be found, a work that will be accepted as fully authentic in terms of its message and its integriy by both the Sunni and Shia sides. This book is, of course, the Noble Quran. Therefore, the first and most important place to look for resolving big differences of doctrine such as those between the Sunni and Shia sects should be the Quran.
Thus, whichever group has basis for its beliefs in the Quran, it is this group that we should adhere to. A group whose beliefs are not in the Quran cannot be followed as this would be refuting the Word of Allah (عز و جل). The Quran is complete in its guidance; Allah Almighty (عز و جل) says: “We have left nothing out of the Book.” (Quran, 6:38)
In Nahjul Balagha, which the Shia believe are Ali’s sermons and letters, Ali (رضّى الله عنه) says: “The Quran is the Hujjat (Proof) of Allah for his servants…it is the basis of Islam…and the guidance for anyone who follows it and justification for anyone who takes it as his approach and the evidence for anyone who takes it as his supporter in his discussions and winner for anyone who uses it for making his arguments.” [Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 198]
Imam Sadiq is reported to have said in Shia Hadith: “Anyone who comes to recognize the truth from any sources other than the Quran will not be saved from Fitnah.”
The importance of the Quran is stated clearly by the Infallible Imams of the Shia: “If you come across two Hadiths narrated from us [Imams] then compare them with the Book of Allah; what is in accordance then take it and what is in disagreement then reject it.” (Al-Istibsar, Volume 1, p.190) And again: “Whatever comes to you related from us [Imams] then compare it with the Book of Allah; whatever is in accordance with it then accept it and whatever contradicts it then reject it.” (Al-Istibsar, Volume 3, p.158)
The realization that Imamah does not appear in the Quran may come as a shock to our Shia brothers. We encourage them to look in the Quran for verses about the twelve Infallible Imams, and surely they will not find any. As stated by one brother: “I did not find Shi’ism in the Quran.”
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