Sunday 25 June 2017

Imams (as) know all the languages?

معجم الأحاديث المعتبرة: ج2، ص119

"The lexicon of reliable ahadith" by Ayatullah Asif al Muhsini, Vol 2 Page 119

«عيون الأخبار: عن الهمداني عن علي عن أبيه عن الهروي، قال: كان الرّضا ع يكلّم النّاس بلغاتهم، وكان والله أفصح النّاس وأعلمهم بكلّ لسان ولغة، فقلت له يوماً: يابن رسول الله إنّي لأعجب من معرفتك بهذه الّلغات على اختلافها؟! فقال: يا أبا الصّلت، أنا حجّة الله على خلقه، وما كان ليتّخذ حجّة على قوم وهو لا يعرف لغاتهم، أو ما بلغك قول أمير المؤمنين “ع”: أوتينا فصل الخطاب؟ فهل فصل الخطاب إلّا معرفة الّلغات؟!» .

أقول: نسأل الهروي لِم تقسم على ما لا تعلم؟! أنت لم تكن عالماً بكلّ لغة ولسان بوجه، فمن أين علمت أنّ الرّضا “ع” أفصح بكلّ لسان ولغة؟! وهذا الرّاوي رغم توثيقه في علم الرّجال لا بدّ من الاحتياط في رواياته كما ذكرنا في بعض مقامات أخر من هذه الموسوعة


Uyun Akhbar al Reda (as): Hamdani narrated from Ali, who narrated from his father, who narrated from al Harawi: Imam al Reda (as) used to speak to people in their own languages, and I swear to Allah he (as) was the most eloquent and knowledgeable of people in every language. One day I said to him (as): "Son of the Prophet (pbuh)! I am amazed at your knowledge of all these languages despite their variances." He (as) replied: "Aba al Salat! I am the hujjah of Allah (swt) upon His (swt) creation, and He (swt) does not appoint a hujjah upon a nation while he (as) does not know their languages. Have you not heard Imam Ali's words: "We have been granted "faslul khitab" (the comprehensive speech), so is faslul khitab anything other than the knowledge of languages?"

I (i.e. Ayatullah Asif al Mohsini) say: "We would like to ask [the narrator of this hadith] al Harawi: Why are you vouching for something which you yourself do not know? When you yourself do not know every language, then how did you come to know that Imam al Reda (as) was 'the most eloquent of people in every single language'? This narrator, despite his tawtheeq (being declared trustworthy) in ilm al rijal, it is incumbent to be cautious of his narrations, as we have mentioned at some other places in this compendium."


2 comments:

  1. Then how could Imams (a.s) guide non-Arabs if they (a.s) did not know their (non-Arab people) languages? Would they require translators when answering the questions of non-Arabs?

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  2. I believe Shekih Asif Muhsini here is doubting the narrator's knowledge and not Imams knowledge of all the languages, We do have other reliable hadeeth from Imams which proves Aimmah to be multilingual and knower of all the languages.


    5 – أحمد بن محمد ومحمد بن يحيى، عن محمد بن الحسن، عن يعقوب بن يزيد، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن رجاله، عن أبي عبدالله عليه السلام قال: إن الحسن عليه السلام قال: إن لله مدينتين إحداهما بالمشرق والاخرى بالمغرب، عليهما سور من حديد وعلى كل واحد منهما ألف ألف مصراع وفيها سبعون ألف ألف لغة، يتكلم كل لغة بخلاف لغة صاحبها وأنا أعرف جميع اللغات وما فيهما وما بينهما، وما عليهما حجة غيري وغير الحسين أخي.


    Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn Yahya have narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan from Ya‘qub ibn Yazid from ibn abu ‘Umayr from his people from abu ‘Abdallah who has said the following. "Al-Hassan has said, ‘Allah has two cities. One is in the east and the other is in the west. They have a boundary around them that is made of iron and each one has a million doors. Seventy million languages exist therein and I know all those languages and all that is therein. There is no one who would possess Leadership with Divine Authority except me and my brother, al-Husayn ’

    Source: Al Kafi Volume 1 Page 462 Hadith 5
    Grading: Allamah Majlisi has graded this hadeeth has "Saheeh" in his Mirat ul Uqool Vol 5, Pg 357.


    2 - حدثنا أبي رضي الله عنه قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله قال: حدثنا أحمد بن أبي عبد الله البرقي قال: حدثنا أبو هاشم داود بن القاسم الجعفري قال: كنت أتغدى مع أبي الحسن عليه السلام فيدعو بعض غلمانه بالصقلبية والفارسية وربما بعثت غلامي هذا بشئ من الفارسية فيعلمه وربما كان ينغلق الكلام على غلامه بالفارسية فيفتح على غلامه.

    The author of the book narrated) my father - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Sa’d ibn Abdullah quoted on the authority of Ahmad ibn Abi Abdullah al-Barqi, on the authority of Abu Hashem Dawood ibn Al-Qasim al-Ja’fari, “I used to eat lunch with Abal Hassan Al-Reza (s). Sometimes he (s) spoke to some of his servants in Slavic and Persian (Farsi) languages. Sometimes I sent my servant who spoke Persian to the Imam (s) and Al-Reza (s) knew Persian. Sometimes it became difficult for the servants to understand Persian. Then the Imam (s) used to explain things for them himself.

    Source: Uyun Akhbar al-Rida by Shaykh Saduq, Vol 1, Pg 250, H 2
    Grading: Shaykh Asif Muhsini said hadeeth has 'Motabar Sanad' in his Masharat Behar al-Anwaar Vol 2, Pg 191.

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