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The statements found in the Qur’an and the Sunnah constitute
a single, unified expression. The differences lie in the domain of reception
and acceptance, as well as in the varying degrees of comprehension among those
who perceive them. Consequently, the journey toward the Glorious Lord—which is
itself the outcome of understanding and knowledge—varies and divides into
different branches in accordance with these two factors. People are of various
kinds, and each group understands and acts in proportion to its own level of
understanding and comprehension.
People are divided into different groups based on their
varying perceptions of the Divine Law (Shari’ah):
- A
group for whom the world is primary and religion is secondary. - A
group that worships God out of fear of His divine punishment. - A
group that worships Him for the blessings of Paradise. - And
finally, the lovers and yearning seekers of God, who are enveloped by
the flash of Divine love and the attraction of yearning to meet God. Love
and affection encompass every pillar of their existence, disquieting and
agitating the depths of their souls, and leaving their hearts burning and
melting with love and affection. Such a person seeks what their Beloved
desires, sees their religion in the Beloved, and—as you well know—a lover
desires nothing other than the Beloved. Any obstacle or difficulty that
prevents them from reaching the Beloved causes them to flee toward the
Beloved, and they let go of anything that distracts them from Him. They
have no other desire than to be in seclusion with the Beloved and to
attain the vision of Him without any veil or curtain.
The true difference among these groups lies solely in their
manner of understanding truths. For this reason, when trying to understand the
meaning of a single statement, they derive two or three different meanings.
It is for this very reason that some individuals within this
[highest] group offer interpretations and explanations of certain verses and
traditions that are vastly removed from ordinary understanding and may seem
unlikely. This point must be well understood. [1]
Careful attention to comprehension, self-purification,
purity of the inner self, and ultimately the utilization of various
sciences—especially the rational sciences—can have a profound impact on the
nature of our inferences from verses and traditions. The foundational principle
remains the explicit texts (nusus) and outward meanings (zawahir),
and taste-based, baseless allegorical interpretations (ta’wilāt) are
rejected. However, a deep and well-documented inference that does not
contradict the literal phrasing is a bounty bestowed upon certain individuals.
Shiite scholars—despite some holding specific views
regarding various sciences—have consistently been advocates of rationalism and
the utilization of various human sciences in understanding religious texts.
[1] Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Tabatabai, Risalat
al-Wilayah, p. 150.
