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Imam ‘Ali’s (A.S.) expression of concern over the distortion of religion
By: Ayatullah Professor Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi
At the end of my discussion, I deem it necessary to refer to the luminous words of the Commander of the Faithful ‘Ali (‘a) about the distortions that took place in religion after the Messenger of Allah (s) and ended in misery and gloom. As we all know, the government of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) was established 25 years after the passing away of the Holy Prophet (s) and there were still those who had heard the interpretation and the circumstances surrounding the revelation of Qur’anic verses from the Messenger of Allah (s) himself and personally seen the scenes of the revelation of those verses.
Yet, the hypocrites, the enemies, egoists and opportunists introduced distortions in religion that consequently led to deviation from Islam, fratricide and bloodshed among Muslims. Imam ‘Ali (‘a) says:
 æóáßöäøóÇ ÅöäøóãóÇ ÃóúÈóÍúäóÇ äõÞóÇÊöáõ ÅöÎúæóÇäóäóÇ Ýöí ÇáÇúöÓúáÇóãö Úóáóì ãóÇ ÏóÎóáó Ýöíåö ãöäó ÇáÒøóíúÛö æóÇáÇÚúæöÌóÇÌö¡ æóÇáÔøõÈúåóÉö æóÇáÊøóÃúæöíáö... 
“We now had to fight our brethren in Islam because of entry into Islam of misguidance, crookedness, doubts and (wrong) interpretation...”[107]
Similarly, skepticism and deviation, which today has been organized and expressed in scientific ways, had reached such a state that Muslims fought each other during the time of Hadhrat ‘Ali (‘a). During the Battles of Jamal and Nahrawan, due to these deviant interpretations, some people stood against ‘Ali (‘a), the rightful interpreter of the Qur’an at that time, as a result of which many of them were killed.
In Sermon 17 of Nahj al-Balaghah, Imam ‘Ali (‘a) complained to God of the misguidance and ignorance of the people, thus:
Åöáóì Çááåö ÃóÔúßõæÇ ãöäú ãóÚúÔóÑò íóÚöíÔõæäó ÌõåøóÇáÇð¡ æóíóãõæÊõæäó ÖõáÇøóáÇð¡ áóíúÓó Ýöíåãú ÓöáúÚóÉñ ÃóÈúæóÑõ ãöäó ÇáßöÊóÇÈö ÅöÐóÇ Êõáöíó ÍóÞøó ÊöáÇóæóÊöåö¡ æóáÇó ÓöáúÚóÉñ ÃóäúÝóÞõ ÈóíúÚÇð æóáÇó ÃóÛúáóì ËóãóäÇð ãöäó ÇáßöÊóÇÈö ÅöÐóÇ ÍõÑøöÝó Úóäú ãóæóÇÖöÚöåö¡ æóáÇó ÚöäúÏóåõãú ÃóäúßóÑõ ãöäó ÇáãóÚúÑõæÝö¡ æóáÇó ÃóÚúÑóÝõ ãöäó ÇáãõäßóÑö .
I complain to Allah about persons who live ignorant and die misguided. For them nothing is more worthless than the Qur’an if it is recited as it should be recited, nor anything more valuable than the Qur’an if its verses are removed from their places, nor anything more vicious than virtue, nor more virtuous than vice.[108]
This complaint of Imam ‘Ali (‘a) came only 25 years after the passing away of the Prophet (s), but deviations and innovations had struck such a blow to religion that at the peak of his isolation the Imam (‘a) raised his hands toward the sky and expressed to God his pain and agony at the heedlessness of people to his words of guidance.
Similar to the above statement, in Sermon 147 Imam ‘Ali (‘a) says:
æóÅöäøóåõ ÓóíóÃúÊí Úóáóíúßõãú ãöäú ÈóÚúÏöí ÒóãóÇäñ áóíúÓó Ýöíåö ÔóíúÁñ ÃóÎúÝóì ãöäó ÇáúÍóÞøö¡ æóáÇó ÃóÙúåóÑó ãöäó ÇáúÈóÇØöáö¡ æóáÇó ÃóßúËóÑó ãöäó ÇáúßóÐöÈö Úóáóì Çááåö æóÑóÓõæáöåö¡ æóáóíúÓó ÚöäúÏó Ãóåúáö Ðáößó ÇáÒøóãóÇäö ÓöáúÚóÉñ ÃóÈúæóÑó ãöäó ÇáúßöÊóÇÈö ÅöÐóÇ Êõáöíó ÍóÞøó ÊöáÇóæóÊöåö¡ æóáÇó ÃóäúÝóÞó ãöäúåõ ÅöÐóÇ ÍõÑøöÝó Úóäú ãóæóÇÖöÚöåö¡ æóáÇó Ýöí ÇáúÈöáÇóÏö ÔóíÁñ ÃäúßóÑó ãöäó ÇáúãóÚúÑõæÝö¡ æóáÇó ÃóÚúÑóÝó ãöäó ÇáãõäßóÑö...
Certainly, a time will come upon you after me when nothing will be more concealed than rightfulness, nothing more apparent than wrongfulness and nothing more current than untruth against Allah and His Prophet. For the people of this period nothing will be more valueless than the Qur’an being recited as it ought to be recited, nor anything more valuable than the Qur’an being misplaced from its position. And in the towns nothing will be more hated than virtue, nor anything more acceptable than vice.[109]
In continuation, he (‘a) says:
ÝóÞóÏú äóÈóÐó ÇáúßöÊóÇÈó ÍóãóáóÊõåõ¡ æóÊóäóÇÓóÇåõ ÍóÝóÙóÊõåõº ÝóÇáúßöÊóÇÈõ íóæúãóÆöÐ æóÃóåúáõåõ ãóäúÝöíøóÇäö ØóÑöíóÏÇäö¡ æóóÇÍöÈóÇäö ãõúØóÍöÈóÇäö Ýöí ØóÑöíÞ æóÇÍöÏ áÇó íõÄúæöíåöãóÇ ãõÄúæº ÝóÇáúßöÊóÇÈõ æóÃóåúáõåõ Ýöí Ðáößó ÇáÒøóãóÇäö Ýöí ÇáäøóÇÓö æóáóíúÓóÇ Ýöíåöãú¡ æóãóÚóåõãú æóáóíúÓóÇ ãóÚóåõãú! áÇöóäøó ÇáÖøóáÇóáóÉó áÇó ÊõæóÇÝöÞõ ÇáúåõÏóì¡ æóÅöäö ÇÌúÊóãóÚóÇ¡ ÝóÇÌúÊóãóÚó ÇáúÞóæúãõ Úóáóì ÇáúÝõÑúÞóÉö¡ æóÇÝúÊóÑóÞõæÇ Úóäö ÇáúÌóãóÇÚóÉö¡ ßóÃóäøóåõãú ÃóÆöãøóÉõ ÇáúßöÊóÇÈö æóáóíúÓó ÇáúßöÊóÇÈõ ÅöãóÇãóåõãú¡ Ýóáóãú íóÈúÞó ÚöäúÏóåõãú ãöäúåõ ÅöáÇøó ÇÓúãõåõ¡ æóáÇó íóÚúÑöÝõæäó ÅöáÇøó ÎóØøóåõ æóÒóÈúÑóåõ¡ æóãöäú ÞóÈúáõ ãóÇ ãóËøóáõæÇ ÈöÇáøóÇáöÍöíäó ßõáøó ãõËúáóÉ¡ æóÓóãøóæúÇ öÏúÞóåõãú Úóáóì Çááåö ÝöÑúíóÉð¡ æóÌóÚóáõæÇ Ýöí ÇáúÍóÓóäóÉö ÇáÚõÞõæÈÉó ÇáÓøóíøöÆóÉó .
The holders of the Book will throw it away and its memorizers will forget it. In those days the Qur’an and its people will be exiled and expelled. They will be companions keeping together on one path, but no one will offer them asylum. Consequently at this time the Qur’an and its people will be among the people but not among them, will be with them but not with them, because misguidance cannot accord with guidance even though they may be together. The people will have united on division and will therefore be cut away from the community, as though they were the leaders of the Qur’an and not the Qur’an their leader. Nothing of it will be left with them except its name, and they will know nothing save its writing and its words. Before that, they will inflict hardships upon the virtuous naming the latter’s truthful views about Allah false allegations, and enforcing on virtues the punishments for vice.[110]
Then, the Imam (‘a) says:
æóÇÚúáóãõæÇ Ãóäøóßõãú áóäú ÊóÚúÑöÝõæÇ ÇáÑøõÔúÏó ÍóÊøóì ÊóÚúÑöÝõæÇ ÇáøóÐöí ÊóÑóßóåõ¡ æóáóäú ÊóÃúÎõÐõæÇ ÈöãóíËóÇÞö ÇáúßöÊóÇÈö ÍóÊøóì ÊóÚúÑöÝõæÇ ÇáøóÐöí äóÞóÖóåõ¡ æóáóäú ÊóãóÓøóßõæÇ Èöåö ÍóÊøóì ÊóÚúÑöÝõæÇ ÇáøóÐóí äóÈóÐóåõ .
You should know that you will never know guidance unless you know who has abandoned it; you will never abide by the pledges of the Qur’an unless you know who has broken them, and will never cling to it unless you know who has forsaken it.[111]
At the end of the sermon, he (‘a) says:
ÝóÇáúÜÊóãöÓõæÇ Ðáößó ãöäú ÚöäúÏö Ãóåúáöåö¡ ÝóÅöäøóåõãú ÚóíúÔõ ÇáúÚöáúãö¡ æóãóæúÊõ ÇáúÌóåúáö¡ åõãú ÇáøóÐöíäó íõÎúÈöÑõßõãú Íõßúãõåõãú Úóäú Úöáúãöåöãú¡ æóãúÊõåõãú Úóäú ãóäúØöÞöåöãú¡ æóÙóÇåöÑõåõãú Úóäú ÈóÇØöäöåöãú¡ áÇó íõÎóÇáöÝõæäó ÇáÏøöíäó æóáÇó íóÎúÊóáöÝõæäó Ýöíåö¡ Ýóåõæó Èóíúäóåõãú ÔóÇåöÏñ óÇÏöÞñ¡ æóóÇãöÊñ äóÇØöÞñ .
Seek these things from those who own them because they are the life spring of knowledge and death of ignorance. They are the people whose commands will disclose to you their (extent of) knowledge, their silence will disclose their (capacity of) speaking and their outer appearance will disclose their inner self. They do not go against religion, and do not differ from one ather about it, while it is among them a truthful witness and a silent speaker.[112]
It can be noticed that after giving warnings, in the end the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) asked us to recognize religion only through the way of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) because only their understanding and interpretation of the Qur’an and religion is correct. Other interpretations are false, alien to religion and the Qur’an, brigands along the way of the seekers of truth and the path of Allah, and whose end is nothing but misguidance and misery. Therefore, according to the Imam (‘a) it is not correct for anyone to have his own interpretation and understanding of religion, and for all these interpretations to be correct and rightful on the pretext that they are compatible with individual preferences. We have to seek the correct interpretation of religion from the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) and not follow our preferences that will lead to deviation in religion and misguidance.
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