Hajj Verse 1 and al-Ghadir
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Hajj Verse 1 is a verse in the al-Ghadir Sermon that was used to warn people about the horrors of the Day of Judgment, thereby cautioning them against failing to accept the wilaya at Ghadir.
The historical context of the use of Hajj Verse 1 in the al-Ghadir Sermon is described as follows: towards the end of the sermon, before the issue of allegiance was raised, the Prophet (s) once again brought up the Imamate of the twelve Imams (a) and subsequently reminded the people of taqwa. Following this, he introduced the Day of Judgment as the most effective way to preserve the message of Ghadir. The Prophet expressed this by incorporating the second half of the verse concerning the earthquake of the Day of Judgment into his speech and explicitly stated this usage with the phrase, "just as God, the Almighty and Glorious, has said."
A Verse Concerning Subjects Other Than Wilaya
The context for the use of Quran 4:82 is described as follows: at Ghadir, the relationship between belief and action was explained such that divine laws are inseparable from the wilaya of the Ahl al-Bayt (a): the Ahl al-Bayt are the explainers of the laws, and acting upon the laws is submission to divine commands, which is completed by obeying His messengers. In this regard, at the end of the al-Ghadir Sermon, we witness the Prophet's (s) emphasis on the importance of prayer, zakat, hajj, enjoining good and forbidding evil, avoiding forbidden acts, and acting based on piety. Following this, the topics of death, the afterlife, and reward and punishment are brought up.
Although these matters do not have a direct connection to Ghadir, and their instances are very few, they serve as a reminder on the sidelines of Ghadir of the connection that divine laws must have with the Ahl al-Bayt (a). Among these emphases, the Prophet (s) discusses the lawful and the unlawful in general terms, noting that for their details, one must refer to the Imams (a).[1]
There are 7 verses incorporated into the speech of the Prophet (s); among them is Hajj Verse 1: Template:قرآن
The Verse in the Text of the Sermon
The presence of Hajj Verse 1 in the al-Ghadir Sermon is reported as follows: مَعاشِرَ النّاسِ، التَّقْوى التَّقْوى وَ احْذَرُوا السّاعَةَ كَما قالَ اللَّه عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ: «إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَىْءٌ عَظِيمٌ.[2]
Historical Context of the Use of the Verse
The historical context of the use of Hajj Verse 1 in the al-Ghadir Sermon is described as follows: towards the end of the sermon, before the issue of allegiance was raised, the Prophet (s) once again brought up the Imamate of the twelve Imams (a) and subsequently reminded the people of taqwa. Following this, he introduced the Day of Judgment as the most effective way to preserve the message of Ghadir. The Prophet expressed this by incorporating the second half of the verse concerning the earthquake of the Day of Judgment into his speech and explicitly stated this usage with the phrase, "just as God, the Almighty and Glorious, has said."[3]
Quranic Context of the Verse
Some researchers have defined the Quranic context of Hajj Verse 1 as follows: "al-Sa'a" (the Hour) is one of the names of the Day of Judgment. The reason for choosing this name for the Day of Judgment is either because the reckoning of people's deeds will be performed quickly at that hour, or it refers to its sudden occurrence, where people are quickly transferred from barzakh to the realm of the Day of Judgment. Coinciding with the arrival of the Day of Judgment, or according to some, before it, the earth will shake violently. This earthquake, which is severe, terrifying, and unbearable, is one of the signs of the Day of Judgment.[4]
The next verse, in describing the greatness of the earthquake of the Day of Judgment, states: "The day you behold it, every suckling mother will neglect her suckling, and every pregnant woman will deliver her burden, and you will see the people drunk, while they are not drunk, but God’s punishment is severe."[5]
Doctrinal Analysis of the Verse
The presence of Hajj Verse 1 in the al-Ghadir Sermon has been doctrinally analyzed by some researchers as follows: while the discussion was about the authority of the Imams (a), reminding the people of the immense terror of the horrific scene of the Day of Judgment was a warning to the Islamic community so that, by remembering it, they would not set fire to the house of the one who holds authority, 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a). Furthermore, by recalling that day of loneliness, when even mothers abandon their suckling children, they would not martyr Zahra (a) and her child between the door and the wall.
If Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment and know that on that day God will demand the instructions of Ghadir, would they still abandon 'Ali (a)? Would they not consider separation from Ghadir as distancing themselves from Paradise? Would they not consider accepting the Saqifa as equivalent to entering Hell? Can one not be saved from the Hell of Saqifa and enter the Paradise of Ghadir before the Day of Judgment arrives? It seems the distance between Ghadir and Saqifa is an image of the distance between Paradise and Hell. Ghadir is a bridge to Paradise, and Saqifa has been placed in its path to show that a person's faith in the wilaya of 'Ali (a) must be so firm that when crossing this bridge, one does not fall into the Hell of Saqifa.[6]
Footnotes
References
- Asrār-i Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Tehran: Nashr-i Tak, 1384 Sh/2005.
- Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt-i Dalīl-i Mā, 1387 Sh/2008.
- Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān; Faḍl b. Ḥasan Ṭabarsī, edited by Sayyid Hāshim Rasūlī Maḥallātī and Sayyid Faḍl Allāh Yazdī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1408 Q/1987.