A garden variety refutation of Shia’ism?

“We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they (all) shall be gathered.” (Qur’an 6:38)

﷽ 

We as Muslims believe in an All-Wise, All-Intelligent, All-Knowing, Creator. We do not describe the Creator as being frivolous or mercurial. We seek refuge in Allah.

Thus, while reading through the Qur’an, we come across this very interesting verse.

“And when you said, “O Moses, we can never endure one kind of food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic, and its lentils and its onions.” [Moses] said, “Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into any settlement and, indeed, you will have what you have asked for.” And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allah upon them. That was because they repeatedly disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were habitually transgressing.” (Qur’an 2:61)

So here our colleague sat with their thoughts looking at this amazing verse. We thought about all the intra-Islamic debates over various points of doctrine and jurisprudence and the blood that has been shed over such. Cucumbers, garlic, lentils & onions, the words just jumped out at them.

“WoW!” they thought. We do not believe this verse has been the centre of any type of controversy among us as Muslims. Empires or dynasties built upon the verse that mentions cucumbers, garlic, lentils and onions.

So let us imagine that this verse came down to us in another form. Would any vital information be lost? Would we not know that the children of Israel complained about not being able to endure only one type of food and that Allah (swt) responded to them expressing disappointment?

So let us imagine that this verse came down to us in another form. Would any vital information be lost? Would we not know that the children of Israel complained about not being able to endure one type of food and that Allah (swt) responded to them expressing disappointment?

Imagine the verse said:

And when you said, “O Moses, we can never endure one kind of food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs.” [Moses] said, “Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into any settlement and, indeed, you will have what you have asked for.” And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allah upon them. That was because they repeatedly disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were habitually transgressing.” (Qur’an 2:61)

What is missing? What did we excise out?

The following: “and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions!”

Subhan’Allah! We as Muslims do not believe in redundant revelation.

Often, when the Shi’i engage other Muslims (usually Sunni), they will ask them: “Do you really believe that the Blessed Prophet (saw) would leave a matter like the leadership of the Muslims up in the air!?”

Often, questions like this evoke reflection and indeed they should!

But in this case, this is a loaded question. As it implies that such an issue is of vital importance to begin with. That begs the question of whether or not this is even a pillar of faith that is established in the Qur’an first and foremost.

In the Qur’an Allah (swt) establishes our most vitally important beliefs. Yet, nowhere in the entirety of the Qur’an from Al Fatiha to Al-Nas do we find mention of who should succeed the Blessed Prophet (saw)!

Rhetorical questions in the Qur’an like the following do not need to be asked if there is a clear line of succession.

“Muḥammed is not but a messenger. Messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allah at all; but Allah will reward the grateful.” (Qur’an 3:144)

We look through this astonishing beautiful revelation, this sublime source of guidance that leaves us enthralled for hours upon hours on end. Pondering its verses and yet there is no clear mention of statements like: “Ali should succeed the Prophet (saw) when he dies.” In fact, his name is not mentioned at all in the Qur’an! Statements like the following are simply not found: “The Ahl Bayt holds the leadership of the Muslims.” “The Muslims should be led by so-and-so when the Prophet (saw) dies. “

Yet…cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions! Here they are mentioned by name clear as day.

Which of the two matters does one believe is of more weight and magnitude?

Knowing by name and having spelled out to us clearly the four different food types the children of Israel were craving or knowing by name and having spelled out to us clearly that we are to obey infallible guides or guides from the family of the Blessed Messenger (saw)

Which of the two matters have the Muslims wrangled over, fought each other over, and spilled blood the most?

It has to be a point of embarrassment for those that uphold such doctrines:

A) Muslims must be ruled by the family of the Prophet (saw)

&

B) Muslims are to be ruled by infallible family members of the Prophet (saw)

It must be embarrassing for believers in such doctrines to see Our All-Wise, All-Intelligent, All-Knowing, Creator acknowledge cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and onions by name in his glorious revelation and not once mention the name of Ali Ibn Abu Talib.

It should not surprise us that in any discussion in relation to topic A or B above the Shi’a are anxious to pivot the conversation away from the Qur’an and towards any (dear God, sweet Lord in heaven) and we do mean any data extraneous to the Qur’an that assist them in building their case.

We should also not be surprised that some Shi’a held to tahrif (corruption) of the Qur’an on these very topics!

Let us say that we were to gather a bunch of atheists and Agnostics in a room, and we were to pose them the following question.

Are you more likely to believe in a Creator that mentions in passing the name of a few random vegetables that people craved in the past, while not mentioning clearly a line of succession and leadership that leads to internecine conflicts among those devoted to him?

Or

A Creator that mentions clearly a line of succession & leadership that, if not mentioned clearly, would lead to internecine conflicts among those devoted to him?

There are many people on this planet that would argue fiercely, cogently and intelligently that mentioning by name a few random vegetables that the people of the past craved seems almost trivial compared to mentioning by name a clear line of succession and leadership that, if not mentioned, would lead to internecine conflicts and loss of life.

Yazeed is mentioned in the Qur’an and it is a miracle! (Qur’an 19:76)

وَيَزِيدُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱهۡتَدَوۡاْ هُدٗىۗ وَٱلۡبَٰقِيَٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتُ خَيۡرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابٗا وَخَيۡرٞ مَّرَدًّا

This is the strange thinking of some people.

Now this doesn’t necessitate an argument against the wisdom of the Creator. It just argues for a Creator that may want his creation to figure some things out like a puzzle, an enigma or a riddle.

After all, what would we know, this is simply a run-of-the-mill garden variety refutation.

May Allah guide the Ummah.

May Allah forgive the Ummah.