Verse 108 of Sura Yusuf and Ghadir
Verse 108 of Sūrat Yūsuf is among the verses cited in supplications associated with Ghadir. In this context, Ghadir is presented as the Prophet’s way of calling people to God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
According to some researchers, verse 108 of Sūrat Yūsuf is used in a supplication recited after the prayer on Eid al-Ghadīr (the festival commemorating Ghadir Khumm). Analyses of its use in this supplication identify two aspects—acceptance and rejection of wilāya (divinely ordained authority and spiritual guardianship)—which are presented, in light of the verse, as manifestations of tawḥīd (belief in the oneness of God) and shirk (associating partners with God), respectively.
The first aspect concerns faith and following the illuminating path of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The second concerns the repudiation of shirk in matters of wilāya or divine authority, including the shirk involved in placing one’s trust in anyone other than the Imams (regarded in Shi'a Islam as divinely guided leaders; peace be upon them) and accepting that person’s wilāya and authority.
A Verse in a Ghadir Supplication
According to some researchers, verse 108 of Sūrat Yūsuf appears in one of the supplications associated with Ghadir. One expression of Ghadir’s Qur'anic dimension is found in supplications and ziyāra texts (devotional salutations addressed to revered religious figures), which explain and interpret verses connected with the event of Ghadir. Many of these texts—particularly those associated with the night and day of Ghadir—contain insights into Ghadir that are not found in any other transmitted report. Some discuss the circumstances in which verses were revealed; others cite Qur'anic verses in support of a point or present Ghadir as an instance to which a particular verse applies.[1]
One such example is verse 108 of Sūrat Yūsuf: [2]
- «قُلْ هذِهِ سَبِیلِی أَدْعُوا إِلَی اللَّهِ عَلی بَصِیرَةٍ أَنَا وَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَنِی وَ سُبْحانَ اللَّهِ وَ ما أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِینَ»
- “Say: This is my way. I call to God with clear insight—I and those who follow me. Glory be to God, and I am not among those who associate partners with Him.” (Qur'an, Sūrat Yūsuf, verse 108) [notes 1]
The Verse in the Supplication
According to some researchers, the supplication recited after the prayer on Eid al-Ghadīr contains the following passage: [notes 2]
- «رَبَّنا آمَنّا وَ اتَّبَعْنا مَوْلانا وَ وَلِيَّنا وَ هاديَنا وَ داعِيَنا وَ داعِىَ الانامِ، وَ صِراطَكَ السَّوِىَّ الْمُسْتَقيمَ وَ مَحَجَّتَكَ الْبَيْضاءَ، وَ سَبيلَكَ الدّاعِىَ الَيْكَ عَلى بَصيرَةٍ هُوَ وَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَهُ، وَ سُبْحانَ اللَّهِ عَمّا يُشْرِكُونَ بِوِلايَتِهِ وَ بِامْرِ رَبِّهِمْ وَ بِاتِّخاذِ الْوَلائِجِ مِنْ دُونِهِ»
- “Our Lord, we have believed and followed our master and guardian, our guide, the one who calls us and all people to You. He is Your upright and straight path, the locus of Your clear proof, and Your way; he and his followers call people to You with insight. Glory be to God, far above the shirk they commit by associating partners in the wilāya of Ali (peace be upon him) and in their Lord’s command, and by giving their hearts to others besides him.”[3]
Doctrinal Analysis of the Verse in the Supplication
Some researchers have analyzed the use of verse 108 of Sūrat Yūsuf in the supplication recited after the prayer on the day of Ghadir as follows:[4] This passage of the supplication incorporates six verses, including verse 108 of Sūrat Yūsuf. In this verse, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is commanded to declare: “This is my way: I and my followers call people to God with insight, and we declare God exalted above all shirk.” The supplication for the day of Ghadir explains this way through the following words:
«آمَنّا وَ اتَّبَعْنا…، سَبيلَكَ الدّاعى الَيْكَ عَلى بَصيرَةٍ هُوَ وَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَهُ …»
“O God, we have believed and follow our master … who is Your way. He and his followers call people to that way with insight.”
The two aspects of accepting and rejecting wilāya are then presented, in light of the verse, as manifestations of tawḥīd and shirk, respectively. The first concerns faith and following the illuminating path of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The second concerns the repudiation of shirk in matters of wilāya or divine authority, including the shirk involved in placing one’s trust in anyone other than the Imams (peace be upon them) and accepting that person’s wilāya and authority.
In this connection, Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) states that «قُلْ هذِهِ سَبِیلِی …» (“Say: This is my way …”) refers to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), Amīr al-Muʾminīn (Commander of the Faithful; peace be upon him), and their designated successors.[5] Concerning the same verse, Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) states: “It refers to our wilāya, that of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s household), which no one denies except those who are astray.”[6]
Footnotes
- ↑ قُلْ هذِهِ سَبِیلِی أَدْعُوا إِلَی اللَّهِ عَلی بَصِیرَةٍ أَنَا وَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَنِی وَ سُبْحانَ اللَّهِ وَ ما أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِینَ
- ↑ رَبَّنا آمَنّا وَ اتَّبَعْنا مَوْلانا وَ وَلِيَّنا وَ هاديَنا وَ داعِيَنا وَ داعِىَ الانامِ، وَ صِراطَكَ السَّوِىَّ الْمُسْتَقيمَ وَ مَحَجَّتَكَ الْبَيْضاءَ، وَ سَبيلَكَ الدّاعِىَ الَيْكَ عَلى بَصِيرَةٍ هُوَ وَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَهُ، وَ سُبْحانَ اللَّهِ عَمّا يُشْرِكُونَ بِوِلايَتِهِ وَ بِامْرِ رَبِّهِمْ وَ بِاتِّخاذِ الْوَلائِجِ مِنْ دُونِهِ
References
- al-Iqbal bi-l-A'mal al-Hasana fi-ma Yu'mal Marra fi al-Sana; 'Ali b. Musa (Ibn Tawus), research by Jawad Qayyumi Isfahani, Qom: Maktab al-I'lam al-Islami, 1418 AH.
- 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.
- 'Awalim al-'Ulum wa al-Ma'arif wa al-Ahwal min al-Ayat wa al-Akhbar wa al-Aqwal; 'Abd Allah b. Nur Allah Bahrani Isfahani, 12th century AH, research by Muhammad Baqir Muwahhid Abtahi Isfahani, Qom: Mu'assasat al-Imam al-Mahdi (a), second edition, 1382 SH.
- Ghadir dar Qur'an, Qur'an dar Ghadir; Muhammad Baqir Ansari, Qom: Intisharat Dalil Ma, 1387 SH.