Hadith 37

(The book) ‘Nahj Al-Balagah’ –
He (Ali-asws) said: ‘And in the Quran there is news of what was before you, and news of what is after you, and rulings of what is among you (religious rulings)’. And he-asws said in a lengthy sermon mentioning in is Prophet-hood of the Prophets-as. He-asws said: ‘Up to the time when Allah-azwj the Glorious Sent Muhammad-saww to Fulfil His-azwj Promise and Complete his-saww Prophet-hood, having been Taken as a Covenant upon the Prophet-saww, his-saww name being well-known (in the previous Books), his-saww birth being honourable; and on that day the people of the earth were of different religion and separate thinking, and being on various paths – between resembling Allah-azwj to His-azwj creatures, or being apostates in His-azwj Name, or indicating to someone else. He-saww guided them from the straying and saved them from the ignorance in its place. Then the Glorious Chose for Muhammad-saww to meet Him-azwj, and Pleased for him-saww what is with Him-azwj, and Honoured him-saww from the house of the world, and Desired him-saww to be away from the place of affliction, so He-azwj Captured him-saww, the honourable one, to Him-azwj, and he-saww left behind among you all what the Prophets-as had left behind when they-as had not left them as neglected without a clear path nor an established flag. The Book of your Lord-azwj is among you clarifying His-azwj Permissible(s) and His-azwj Prohibitions, and His-azwj Obligations, and its merits, and its Abrogating, and its Abrogated, and its allowances and its determinations, and its particular and its general and its lessons and its examples, and its unrestricted and its restricted, and its decisive and its allegorical, interpreting its whole and clarifying its obscurities. It clarifies the covenantees seized upon its knowledge, and leeway upon the servants regarding its ignorance, and clarifies the affirmed in the Book of its Imposition, and the known in the Sunnah abrogating it, and the obligatory in the Sunnah to be taking it, and the allowance in the Book to be leaving it. And it clarifies the obligations with its timings, and declines in its future, and clarifies the distinction between its Prohibitions, from a major sin He-azwj has Threatened His-azwj Fire upon, or a minor sin the Forgiveness for it can be found; and it clarifies between the Acceptance of its least and leeway regarding its short (duration) ones’. And he-asws said: ‘The Book of Allah-azwj is speaking in your midst. It’s tongue does not tire, and a House it’s pillars cannot be demolished, and a might it’s supporters are not defeated’’. [40]