Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 2 of 2

'Ali ibn Abi Tcilib 493
Pondering over the Qur'an without understanding its
meanings is not possible. Allah (&) says: eerily, We have sent it
down as an Arabic Qur'an inorder that you may understand) (Qur'm
12: 2). Understanding the Qur'an means comprehending it, and it is
well known that the point of any statement is that its meaning should
be understood. A statement is not mere words, and this is even more
important in the case of the Qur'an.
For these reasons, one group of Shia no longer accepted or
believed in this view. They said that the apparent meanings of the
Qur'an are not something that is known exclusively to the Twelvers,
and that others could understand them too, but as for the hidden
meanings of the verses, that is something that is known to the Imams
alone. Thus there was a major debate between the two groups as to
whether the apparent meanings of the Qur'an are hinding. The former
group believe that no one knows the meaning of the entire Qur'an,
both apparent and hidden, except the Imams; the latter group believes
that the apparent meanings of the Qur'an are binding because of the
general meaning of the call to ponder and understand the ~ur'an.~~'
The claim that the Qur'an was interpreted for 'Ali (&) alone
contrary to the words of Allah (&): (With clear signs i d Books
[We sent the Messengers]. And We have also sent down unto you [0
Muhammad] the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur'an)],
that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and
that they may give thought) (Qur'an 16: 44). The clear signs are for all
people, not for 'Ali (&) alone, as we have stated above. A person
who denies that is left with one of two options: either to say that the
Messenger did not convey what was revealed to him, or to reject what
the Qur'an says, which is contrary to reason and the well established
principles of Islam.
The claim that knowledge of the Qur'an was given exclusively
to the Imams is contrary to the fact that a large number of the