in the corruption and extinction of the race. Hence wisdom demands the existence of justice which will ordain a law to be put into effect among men in such a way that every individual may obey its commands and heed its prohibitions. Then if that law were ordained for them, the result would be the same as at first (namely, disorder and anarchy), because every individual has his own opinion which his reason and desire dictate and his nature necessitates. Hence in such a case there must be a lawgiver who can distinguish between the verses (âyât) and teachings (of the Koran) which prove his own veracity, that a proclaimer be appointed for the law by Allâh to promise rewards to the obedient and to threaten with punishment the disobedient, that he may invite man to obey his commands and prohibitions.

156. (2) And as to their future state- -now since final blessedness (sa'âda) is not acquired except by the perfection of the soul (nafs) by real knowledge and right actions, and since attachment to the things of the world and the absorption of the mind in the garment of flesh prevent the attainment of that in the most complete manner and the most direct way, or if it is attained it is mingled with doubt and opposed by fear-hence in such a case the existence of a person is required who does not have that hindering attachment, so that he can give them proofs and make them plain to them, and make doubts to vanish and protect men from them, and assist that to which their reasons guide them (that is, natural religion), and explain that to which they have not been guided (namely, perfect knowledge), and remind them of their Creator and their Object of Worship, and appoint them acts of devotion ('ibâdât) and right actions, what they are and how they are to be performed, in order to secure for them nearness to Allâh, and repeat them for men in order that they may through repetition seek to keep his admonitions, lest carelessness and forgetfulness, which are man's second nature, overcome them And this person who is needed both for the present and the future state is the Prophet. Hence (the existence of) the Prophet is necessary (wajib) on philosophical grounds, and that is what we sought.

157. AND IN THIS THERE ARE SEVERAL SUBJECTS FOR INVESTIGATION. (1) FIRST, REGARDING THE PROPHETIC MISSION (nubuwwa) OF OUR PROPHET MUHAMMAD B. ‘ABDUʻLLÂH B. ‘ABDU'L-MUṬṬALIB, THE MESSENGER OF ALLÂH (UPON HIM BE PEACE!). (And he is a prophet) BECAUSE MIRACLES (mu‘jiza) WERE WROUGHT BY HIS HAND, SUCH AS THE KORAN AND THE SPLITTING OF THE MOON AND THE ISSUING OF WATER FROM BETWEEN HIS FINGERS AND THE FEEDING OF A GREAT MULTITUDE WITH A LITTLE FOOD AND THE PRAISING ALLÂH OF PEBBLES IN HIS HAND, AND HIS MIRACLES WERE MORE THAN CAN BE NUMBERED. Now HE CLAIMED TO BE A PROPHET. HENCE HE IS VERACIOUS (șâdiq), OTHERWISE THE INCITING OF THE mukallaf TO EVIL WOULD BE NECESSARY, AND THAT IS IM

POSSIBLE.

158. Since problems vary according to the changing of the times and of people, as in the case of a sick person whose condition changes as regards the nature of his cure and the use of medicines according to the variation of his constitution and the fluctuation of his disease, so that at one time he is cured by something which at another time would not be able to cure him, therefore prophecy and laws (sharî'a) must vary according to the variation of the problems of man in different ages. And this is the mystery in the abrogation of some codes of laws by others, till prophecy and law culminated (intahat) in our Prophet Muḥammad, whose prophecy and law by the demands of reason (al-ḥikma) abrogate (nâsikh) that which preceded them, and will themselves abide so long as taklîf abides.

159. And the proof of the validity of his prophetic mission is that he claimed to be a prophet, and miracles were wrought by his hand, and whoever is thus is really a prophet. Therefore we need to explain three matters: first, that he claimed to be a prophet; second, that miracles were wrought by his hand; and third, that whoever is thus is really a prophet. (1) As for the first, it is proved by the agreement of all men, so that no one denies it.

160. (2) And as for the second-now a miracle (mu‘jiza) is a thing (amr) which breaks in upon the ordinary course of nature in accordance with a claim (e.g., he must first say, “I

will heal this blind man," and then heal him), and united with a purpose (taḥaddî), the doing of the like of which is impossible for man. If it does not break in upon the ordinary course of nature, then it is no miracle, as, for instance, the rising of the sun in the east. And it must accord with a claim, because it is to prove the truth of that which he claims. For if the miracle did not so accord, as in the case of Musaylima the Liar,a then it would not prove his veracity. And it is impossible for men to do the like of it, because if it should occur frequently it would not attest (the truth of) prophecy.

161. Now there is no doubt that miracles were wrought by the hand of our prophet, and this is known by tawâtur (trustworthy tradition which has come down by a number of independent lines without a break), which acquaints us with necessary knowledge ('ilm). And among his miracles is the Gracious Koran with which he challenges (taḥaddâ) men and seeks from them the bringing of its like. But they have not been able to do it. For the eloquent orators of the purest Arabs were impotent, and their impotence even led them to war and fighting which resulted in the loss of their lives and property and the captivity of their wives and children. For since they were better able to defend themselves against that (the miracle of the Koran) because of their mastery of individual words and the arrangement of them, inasmuch as they were people of eloquence and style and speech and oratory and conversation and repartee, their turning back from that to war is a proof of their impotence. For a rational creature will never choose the harder course when the easier is open to him, except when he is impotent to do the easier.

162. And others of his miracles are the splitting of the moon, and the gushing of water from between his fingers, and the feeding of a great multitude with a little food, and the praising of Allâh of pebbles in his hand, and the speech of the poisoned wild calf (warning Muḥammad not to eat it), and the moaning of the five-year-old camel (warning him of danger), and the speech of dumb animals, and the telling of things hidden, and the answering of his prayers, and others that cannot be numbered for multitude which are known from books of

miracles and history. So that the record of more than one thousand miracles has been preserved, the greatest and most exalted of which is the Mighty Book—“ Falsehood, from whatever side it cometh, shall not come nigh it; it is a missive sent down from the Wise, the Praiseworthy" (41: 42)—which their hearts did not embrace and which their ears did not hear, and by the excessive rejection of which (the like of it) was not produced, and the darkness has not been illumined except by it.

163. (3) As for the third, if he were not veracious in his claim to be a prophet, then he would be a liar. And that is false, since it would necessitate the inciting of mukallafs to obey a liar, and that is evil which the Wise (Allâh) would not commit.

164. (2) SECOND, REGARDING HIS IMMUNITY TO SIN (‘işma). AND IMMUNITY TO SIN IS A HIDDEN KINDNESS (lutf) WHICH ALLÂH THE MOST HIGH SHOWS TO (the Prophet) ON WHOM HE HAS LAID THIS TASK (mukallaf), THAT HE MAY HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO FORSAKE OBEDIENCE AND ΤΟ COMMIT SIN

(maʼṣiya), ALTHOUGH HE HAS THE POWER (qudra) TO DO SO. FOR IF IT WERE NOT SO ONE COULD HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN HIS WORD. THEN THE VALUE OF HIS PROPHETIC MISSION WOULD BE NULLIFIED, AND THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE.

165. Know that a person immune to sin (ma şûm) shares with others in the kindnesses which bring men near to Allâh. And in addition to that, because of the nature of his soul (malaka nafsâniyya), he enjoys a special form of kindness which Allâh bestows upon him, so that because of that he does not choose to forsake obedience and to commit sin, although he has the ability to do so. (An angel does not have that ability.) And some hold that the Ma'sum cannot commit sin, and this is false, otherwise he would deserve no praise.

166. Now that this is settled, know that there is a difference of opinion regarding the immunity of the prophets to sin. And the Khârijites (al-Khawârij) held that sins (dhunûb) were possible for them, and according to them all sin is infidelity. And the Ḥashwites held that it was possible for them to commit the great sins. And some of them denied

(that they committed them) intentionally but not that they committed them unintentionally, and they held that the intentional committing of small sins was possible. And the Ash'arites denied absolutely that they could commit the great sins, but they allowed the small ones unintentionally committed. And the Imâmites have made immunity to all sin, intentional and unintentional, absolutely necessary (wâjib), and that is the reality, for two reasons: (1) The first is that to which the author referred, and his explanation is that if the prophets were not ma'şûm the value of their mission would be nullified. And this necessity is false, hence that which necessitates it is false also. And the explanation of this necessity is that when disobedience is possible for them no confidence can be placed in their word, because in this case a lie would be possible (jâ'iz) for them. And when no confidence could be placed in them, then their commands and prohibitions would not be obeyed. Then the value of their mission would be nullified, and that is impossible. (2) Second, if sin (dhanb) proceeded from them it would (still) be incumbent to follow them, because tradition teaches that to follow them is incumbent. But that would be impossible, for it would be evil (to follow a man who is a sinner). Hence it is impossible for sin to proceed from them, which is what we sought.

167. (3) THIRD, HE IS IMMUNE TO SIN FROM THE FIRST OF HIS LIFE TO THE LAST OF IT, BECAUSE THE HEARTS OF MEN WILL NOT BE BOUND IN OBEDIENCE TO ONE IN WHOM HAS BEEN OBSERVED DURING HIS PAST LIFE VARIOUS SINS GREAT AND SMALL AND THAT WHICH THE SOUL HATES.

168. Those whom we mentioned (the Ash'arites) who assert the immunity of the prophets to sin hold that this applies to them only after their inspiration (waḥy), though they deny that they were previously guilty of infidelity and repeated sin. And our companions (the Imâmites) say that immunity to sin is absolutely necessary (wâjib) both before inspiration and after it to the end of life. And the proof of that is what the author mentioned, and it is self-evident.

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169. And that which is found in the Mighty Book (47: 21), Ask pardon for thy sin (dhanb)!", and in the traditions