REWARDS OF RECITING CHAPTERS FROM THE HOLY QUR'AN

Imam Ja'fer al-Sadiq (as), as we are told by Shaykh Taqi al-Deen Ibrahim ibn Ali ibn al-Hassan ibn Muhammad ibn Salih al-'Amili-alKaf'ami, has made the following statement with regard to the merits of reciting chapters and verses of the Holy Qur'an:

One who recites ten verses in one night will never be written down among the indifferent. One who recites fifty verses will be written down among those who remember Allah often (i.e., thakireen). If he recites a hundred, he will be written down among those who constantly supplicate (qaniteen). If he recites three hundred, he will be written down among the winners (faaiwen). If he recites five hundred verses, he will be written down among those who reach the degree of ijtihad (mujtahideen). And if one recites a thousand verses, he will be rewarded with one kantar which is five thousand mithqals: each mithqal is twenty-four

karats the smallest of which [in as far as the weighing in the hereafter is concerned] is as big as the mountain of Uhud, and the largest extends from the earth to the sky.('Misbah al-Kaf ami, Vol. 2, p. 531.)

The Imam (as) has also said, as quoted in the same reference, "If one recites the Qur'an, Allah will let him enjoy his vision, and such recitation decreases the penalty of his parents even if they may be kafirs (apostates)." Imagine, dear reader, what it does to your parents who raised you as a Muslim...

The reader is requested to refer to what is indicated early in this book with reference to who Imam al-Sadiq (as) was, what his source of information was, and what relation he had had with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). We, however, would like to add one more statement made by this great Imam (as) that sheds light on his narration of hadith, since we all know that hadith is the second source of the Sunnah, the Holy Qur'an being the first. Imam al-Sadiq (as) has said,

My hadith is the same as my father's, while my father's hadith is the same as my grandfather's, and the hadith of my grandather is similar to that of alHusain (as); al-Husain's hadith is the same as that of al-Hasan; al-Hasan's hadith is similar to that of the Commander of the Faithful (as); the hadith of the Commander of the Faithful (as) is the same hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is the speech of Allah, the Lord of Dignity and Greatness.('This statement is recorded on p. 53, Vol. 1, of al-Kulayni's book Al-Kafi.)

From the viewpoint of Muslims who believe in and follow the fiqh of Imam Ja'fer al-Sadiq (as), whatever he said was the echo of what his great grandfather the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had said. He is one of twelve Imams followed by Ja'feri Shi'as and who the latter believe are divinely inspired; they are the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (as) referred to in verse 33 of Surat al-Ahzab (Chapter 33). The fact that their number is twelve and that all of them descended from Quraysh is stated in the Sahih books of our Sunni brethren. This is what alBukhari and Muslims, as well as many others, have confirmed. Some Sunni references indicate that the Prophet (pbuh) named all of them, saying that the first was Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) followed by his son alHasan (as) then al-Hasan's brother al-Husain (as), followed by nine from the offspring of al-Husain (as) the last of whom is al-Mahdi (as). The great Sunni Hanafi author of Yanabee' al-Mawaddah narrates an incident in his book as follows:

A Jew named al-A'tal came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, "Muhammad! I wish to ask you about certain things which I have been keeping to myself; so, if you answer them, I shall declare my acceptance of Islam before you." The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Ask me, O father of Imarah!" So he asked him about many things till he was satisfied and admitted that the Prophet (pbuh) was right. Then he said, "Tell me about your wasi (successor): who is he? No prophet can ever be without a wasi, and our prophet Moses (as) had appointed Yusha' [Joshua] son of Noon as his successor." He (pbuh) said, "My wasi is Ali ibn Abu Talib followed by my grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husain followed by nine men from the loins of al-Husain." He said, "Then name them for me, O Muhammad!" The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Once al-Husain departs, he will be followed by his son Ali; when Ali departs, his son Muhammad will succeed him. When Muhammad departs, his son Ja'fer will follow him. When Ja'fer departs, he will be followed by his son Mousa. When Mousa departs, his son Ali will succeed him. When Ali departs, his son Muhammad will succeed him. When Muhammad departs, his son al-Hujjah Muhammad al-Mahdi will succeed him. These are the twelve ones." So that Jew embraced Islam and praised Allah for having guided him. (This is recorded on p. 440 of al-Hafiz al-Qandoozi al-Hanafi's book Yanabi' al-Mawaddah and also by al-Hamawayni in his book Faraid al-Simtain wherein he relies on the authority of Mujahid who quotes Ibn Abbas.)

If we wish to turn the pages of Shi'a books and discern the facts they contain with regard to this subject, we will surely find many times as many ahadith as this one, but this suffices to prove that Sunni scholars do admit that the number of the Imams (as) is twelve, and there are no such Imams besides Ali (as) and his purified offspring.

What strengthens our conviction that the Twelve Imams from Ahl al-Bayt (as) were never tutored by any of the Ummah's scholars is the fact that no historian, nor any traditionist, nor any biographer, has ever indicated that one of the Imams from Ahl al-Bayt (as) learned what he knew from some sahaba or tabPeen as is the case with all the Ummah's scholars and Imams.

Abu Haneefah, for example, was a student of Imam Ja'fer-alSadiq (as); Malik was a student of Abu Haneefah; al-Shafi'i learned from Malik and so did Ahmed ibn Hanbal. As regarding the Imams from Ahl al-Bayt (as), their knowledge is gifted by Allah, Glory and Exaltation to Him, and they inherit such knowledge son from father, for they are the ones to whom the Almighty specifically refers when He says, "Then We gave the Book for an inheritance to those whom We chose from among Our servants" (Holy Qur'an, 35:32).

This much ought to convince the discreet reader that the information stated in this section is taken from a very reliable source.