Surah al-Hujurat, Verse 13 and al-Ghadir
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Surah al-Hujurat, Verse 13 is a verse that the companions of Saqifa cited within the Second Cursed Scroll to negate the divine appointment of God in al-Ghadir.
In the theological analysis of the use of Surah al-Hujurat, Verse 13 in the text of the Second Cursed Scroll, it has been stated: Placing a general verse against the explicit words of the Prophet (s) regarding al-Ghadir constitutes an act of audacity toward the sacred presence of God and His Messenger. God, who has restricted the caliphate to the twelve Imams (a), has in fact introduced them as the most pious people of every era. This is while no evidence or claim has been provided in history that any of the companions of Saqifa or the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs were more pious than the Imams (a).
The Second Cursed Scroll was the constitution of Saqifa, which was organized as a permanent program against al-Ghadir and the divinely chosen Imams; for this reason, they cited Quranic verses to deceive the people and used the established foundations of Islam as a tool against divine commands.
A Verse in the Text of the Second Cursed Scroll
According to sources, Surah al-Hujurat, Verse 13 is among the verses that the hypocrites used in the text of the Second Cursed Scroll to violate the divine decree of al-Ghadir. The context of the use of this verse in this event has been analyzed as follows: The fundamental point in the al-Ghadir Sermon, which blocked the path of the enemies for domination after the Prophet, is the determination of the line of Imamate until the Day of Judgment and its restriction to the twelve Imams from the lineage of the Prophet (s). In the face of such a divine action, one of the ruses employed in the Second Cursed Scroll—which was written after al-Ghadir in Medina in the house of Abu Bakr by the leaders of the hypocrites—was the use of Surah al-Hujurat, Verse 13 as a justification for the usurpation of the caliphate: 
اِنَّ اَکْرَمُکُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اَتْقیکُمْ,Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-wary of you
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The Verse in the Text of the Scroll
Surah al-Hujurat, Verse 13 appears in the text of the Second Cursed Scroll as follows: This is a document upon which a group of the companions of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, from the Muhajirun and Ansar have agreed, those whom God has praised in His Book through the tongue of His Prophet. But after that, God, by His grace and generosity, sent Muhammad to all people for the religion He had chosen for His servants. He performed his duty and proclaimed what God had commanded him, and made it obligatory upon us to uphold all of them... If anyone claims that he is entitled to the caliphate and Imamate due to his kinship with the Prophet, and that the caliphate is restricted to him and his children, meaning the child inherits the caliphate from the father and this continues in every era, and no one is qualified except them and they are worthy of it until the Day of Judgment, such a person has lied; even if he has a close kinship with the Prophet, because God has said—and the word of God prevails over all—: Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-wary of you.[1]
Theological Analysis of Why the Verse Was Used
Some researchers, in their theological analysis of the use of Surah al-Hujurat, Verse 13 in the text of the Second Cursed Scroll by the companions of Saqifa, have stated: Placing a general verse against the explicit words of the Prophet (s) regarding al-Ghadir constitutes an act of audacity toward the sacred presence of God and His Messenger. God, who has restricted the caliphate to the twelve Imams (a), has in fact introduced them as the most pious people of every era. This is while no evidence or claim has been provided in history that any of the companions of Saqifa or the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs were more pious than the Imams (a).
The Second Cursed Scroll was the constitution of Saqifa, which was organized as a permanent program against al-Ghadir and the divinely chosen Imams; for this reason, they cited Quranic verses to deceive the people and used the established foundations of Islam as a tool against divine commands.[2]
Notes
References
- Bihar al-anwar al-jami'a li-durar akhbar al-a'imma al-athar; Muhammad Baqir b. Muhammad Taqi Majlisi, Beirut: Dar Ihya' al-Turath al-'Arabi, 1403 AH.
- Zharfay-i Ghadir; Muhammad Baqir Ansari, Qom: Dalil-i Ma Publications, 1383 Sh.
- Ghadir dar Qur'an, Qur'an dar Ghadir; Muhammad Baqir Ansari, Qom: Dalil-i Ma Publications, 1387 Sh.
- Waqi'a-yi Qur'ani-yi Ghadir: Guzarish-i safar-i yak-maha-yi Payambar baray-i i'lan-i wilayat dar sayih-i ayat-i Qur'ani; Muhammad Baqir Ansari, Qom: Dalil-i Ma Publications, 1386 Sh.