Asalamualaikum,
Fatima:
First off can you please define what you mean by "divinely governed"? Do you simply mean that Allah is watching over them? Or do you mean that they are distinct from other men in their attributes? Or are you implying that they have "divine" characteristics?
When I stated that Prophet Muhammad "was a man", I didn't mean to merely make a distinction between his gender - that is obvious. I cited a number of Qur'anic verses which urge Muhammad to state: "I am only a man like you" (18:110, 41:6). Here Muhammad wasn't asked to disclose his gender, that was obvious to those around him, he was obviously a man - but it was to emphasize that he was a man just like any other men, no different, not exalted above them, but equal in status. Moses did not walk across the ocean, rather Allah "parted" the ocean in order to save Moses and his followers from harm. Read:
"Then We inspired Moses, saying: Smite the sea with thy staff. And it parted, and each part was as a mountain vast. Then brought We near the others to that place. And We saved Moses and those with him, every one; And We drowned the others." (26:63-66)
The "We" in the verse refers to Allah. Allah provides the miracle and saves the righteous, not Moses. All credit for this is due to Allah. Moses was merely a messenger and a man, like any other man. In terms of Jesus, read:
"When Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favour unto thee and unto thy mother; how I strengthened thee with the holy Spirit, so that thou spakest unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scripture and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and didst blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission; and how thou didst raise the dead by My permission; and how I restrained the Children of Israel from (harming) thee when thou camest unto them with clear proofs, and those of them who disbelieved exclaimed: This is naught else than mere magic;" (5:110)
The words "My permission" are "repeated with each miracle to emphasize the fact that they arose, not out of the power or will of Jesus, but by the [permission] and will and power of Allah, who is supreme over Jesus as He is over all other mortals" (Abdullah Yusuf Ali's tafseer). Allah again provides the miracle, Jesus is Allah's messenger - a man like any other man (with the exception of his piety and love for the Creator).
So it is Allah who parted the ocean and it is Allah who cured leprosy and blindness. Allah is the only one capable of such miracles. The Prophets are limited by their humanity like any other humans, it is only when Allah intervenes to provide them with certain miraculous powers that we see what "appears to be" divine attributes. But in reality these attributes are all the work of Allah - and credit should be given to Him. I agree with you that the Caliph's were human and had human limitations.
When it comes to the issue of Miraj un Nabi, the incident is related in Hadith and absent from the Qur'an. The incident does not mean in any sense that the Prophet is more than human. His "humanity" is confirmed in the verses 41:6, 18:110, 17:94 and 25:7 (written out in my previous post) where he is asked to confirm to the people that he is "only a man, like [them]", no different. If Muhammad were different, he would cease to be human. Muhammad like us is a descendent of Adam, he is human - he did not have any powers, nor was he sinless. Angels and Allah are sinless, not mortal human beings.
You believe I've contradicted myself, through the use of the Qur'an, in particular you refer to the following verse and the statement I made which proceeds it:
1) The verse: "O ye who believe! If ye fear Allah, He will grant you a Criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove from you (all) evil (that may afflict) you, and forgive you: for Allah is the Lord of grace unbounded." (Al Anfal, 8:29)
2) And my statement: "Allah is the ultimate Judge and will decide what is "haq (right) and what is bathel (wrong)" in these matters."
I don't think these two statements contradict each other. Unless you are you saying that Allah is not the "ultimate Judge"? The Criterion mentioned in the verse 8:29 is the same as mentioned in 2:53 ("And remember We gave Moses the Scripture and the Criterion") and 21:48 ("In the past We granted to Moses and Aaron the Criterion"). The Criterion is believed by many to be the Scripture, the Qur'an, the Message. We can use the Qur'an to judge what is right and wrong - not who is right and wrong in their understanding of Islam. The latter is up to the purview of Allah, while the former is easily spelled out for the believer in the pages of the Qur'an - the Message of guidance and Criterion for believers.
My questions:
1) It is not disputed that Ali was a knowledgeable and capable man, this is an accepted fact. Accepted in the Hadith literature of both sects as Imranz has pointed out. But how does Ali's grasp of Islamic knowledge impinge or affect the Message of Islam, which was perfected by Allah in the Qur'an (5:3)?
2) You seem to contend that Muhammad was sinless. How can this be when Surah 80 of the Qur'an (He Frowned) discusses a lapse of judgment on the Prophet's part (as discussed in my previous post)? The Qur'an in Surah 80 seems to acknowledge that Muhammad was a man like any other, and although pious and inspired by Allah, he had the potential to make mistakes. Countless Surah's discuss the fact that Muhammad was merely a man like any other (41:5, 18:110)
3) It would seem from Imranz post that Ali is believed to have some type of powers unlike other men - he is capable of telling the future. He states: "By Allah, if you ask me about anything that could happen up to the Day of Judgement I will tell you about it..." It was my understanding that the future was only known by Allah.
4) Where is there evidence of an Imamate in the Qur'an? Specifically the Twelve Imams and the occultation of the twelfth Imam. Why was not such an important event to come, given more attention in the Qur'an?
5) Why and how does a political event alter ones belief in the message of Islam? Even if I was convinced that Ali should have been first Caliph, I would be the same in my understanding of Islam - which comes from the teachings of the Qur'an. Why does it differ for Shia (and some Sunni) on this basis?
6) What is the purpose of matim and was it advocated or practiced by Muhammad or Ali? Where did it come from and is it a mandatory requirement for all Muslims to follow?
Finally Fatimah, please do not get emotional. This discussion is not meant to offend you or anyone else. When you use cap locks it seems as though you are yelling and upset. My comments and views aren't an attempt to threaten you or hurt you.
Achtung ;)