Al Babu l'Hadi 'Ashar

Salaam 'Alaykum

Recently I've been busy with a myriad of things, but more recently with the transcribing of Allamah al-Hilli's "Babu l'Hadi 'Ashar" or "The Eleventh Chapter", al-Hilli's most famous work. It covers proof of God, His Positive qualities, His Privative Qualities, His Justice, Prophecy, Imamate, and the Resurrection.

I'm writing it for MacIsaac's http://www.tashayyu.org , but I will put up a little sneak-peak of section 1 here on Advent Islam. Expect the full text on Tashayyu.org soon.

AL BABU 'L-HADI 'ASHAR

"A Treatise on the Principles of Shi'ite Theology"
Hassan b. Yusuf b. 'Ali ibnu'l-Mutahhar al-Hilli
Translated from Arabic by William McElwee Miller, M.A., B.D.
London. Published by the Royal Asiatic Society. 74, Grosvenor Street W. 1928.
Transcribed by Qa'im ibn Mohamad

Section 1: Proof of the Self-Existent

Concerning what is incumbent (wajib) among all mukallafs regarding the knowledge (ma'rifa) of the foundations of religion (din).
And the doctors have all agreed in considering incumbent the knowledge (ma'rifa) of Allah, the Most High, and of His Positive and Privative Qualities, and of what is proper for Him, and of what is impossible for Him, and of Prophecy, and of the Imamate, and of the Return.
And all of this is by proof, (dalil), not by imitation (taqlid)
And so it is necessary to mention those things regarding which it is not possible for a single Muslim to be ignorant, and whoever is ignorant as to any of them is outside the bond (riqba) of believers and deserve everlasting punishment.
And he has arranged this chapter in sections. The first chapter is in proof of the self-existent (wajibu'l-wujudi li-dhatihi, the necessarily existent in itself). So we say that every object of thought is either necessarily existent objectively in itself, or is possible of existence in itself (mumkinu'l-wujud), or else is impossible of existence in itself (mumtani'u'l-wujud).
And there is no doubt that here [in the universe] there is that exists of necessity. If this be the necessity in itself, then that is what we were seeking. And if it be the possible, then it would need a bringer-into-existence (mujid) which would bring it into existence or necessity. Now if the bringer-into-existence be the necessary in itself, then that is what we were seeking. And if it be the possible, then it would need another bringer-into-existence. If it be the first, then it is a circle, and that is a fallacy of necessity. And if it be another possible, then it is an endless chain, and that also is a fallacy. For all the links in this chain which include all possible existences (al-mumkinat) are possible of necessity. Hence they share the impossibility of existence in itself. Hence they need some bringer-into-existence necessarily outside of themselves. Then that is the necessary (al-wajib) of necessity - which was what we were seeking.