WikiGhadir

Verse 118 of Al 'Imran and Ghadir

Verse 118 of Al 'Imran is among the verses that were revealed in Medina, with the subject of prohibiting believers from taking non-coreligionists as intimates. It was revealed after the conspiracy of the companions of the Sahifa, advising believers to keep away from hypocrites and not to entrust their secrets to them.

Verse 118 of Al 'Imran and Ghadir
Ayah Specifications
Surah NameAl 'Imran
Ayah Number118
Juz'4
Ayah Content
Place of RevelationMedina
TopicThe Prohibition on Believers Befriending Those of Other Faiths
Ayah Recitation

Audio Translation

Some researchers, considering the occasion of revelation of the verse, which is about the companions of the Sahifa, have deduced six themes from the verse: the non-Muslim nature of the companions of the Scroll, the necessity of avoiding them, their corrupting nature, the pleasure the companions of the Scroll derive from people's suffering, their open enmity towards Islam, and their malice towards the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

For instance, regarding the necessity of avoiding hypocrites, it has been stated that Muslims throughout history must keep their distance from the companions of the Scroll and be wary; because God has warned Muslims with the command 'do not take them as intimates' not to entrust their secrets to them. Should one not consider where this path will lead, where Muslims not only entrusted their secrets to them but also handed over their religious, worldly, and otherworldly affairs?

A Verse Regarding the Actions of Hypocrites at Ghadir

According to some researchers, among the verses revealed to the Prophet (s) during the journey of Hajjat al-Wada' and after the completion of the Hajj rituals, concerning the companions of the First Accursed Scroll, was Verse 118 of Surah Al 'Imran:

یا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا لا تَتَّخِذُوا بِطانَةً مِنْ دُونِکُمْ لا یَأْلُونَکُمْ خَبالاً وَدُّوا ما عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضاءُ مِنْ أَفْواهِهِمْ وَ ما تُخْفِی صُدُورُهُمْ أَکْبَرُ قَدْ بَیَّنَّا لَکُمُ الْآیاتِ إِنْ کُنْتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
O you who have faith! Do not take as intimates those who are not of your kind; they spare no effort to corrupt you. They desire what distresses you. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made the signs clear for you, should you apply reason.

Context of the Verse's Revelation

Some researchers have stated the following regarding the context of the revelation of Verse 118 of Surah Al 'Imran: This verse is among the verses that were revealed concerning the event of the First Accursed Scroll. One of the actions of the hypocrites in the last year of the Prophet's (s) life was the incident of the Accursed Scroll. After Hajjat al-Wada' and before Ghadir, Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafah, 'Umar b. al-Khattab, Mu'adh b. Jabal, Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfah, and Abū 'Ubaydah al-Jarrah wrote a scroll to prevent the caliphate from reaching the Ahl al-Bayt (a). God, by revealing nine consecutive verses, condemned various aspects of this conspiracy and recorded it in the text of the Qur'an. Among them was Verse 118 of Surah Al 'Imran, which was revealed to inform believers to distance themselves from hypocrites and not to entrust their secrets to them; because they had openly declared their enmity towards Islam.[1]

In the occasion of revelation of the verse, Imam al-Baqir (a) referred to this point: 'They are the companions of the Scroll, and God informed the believers of the evil intentions that were in their hearts.[2]

Creedal Analysis of the Verse

Some researchers, considering the occasion of revelation of the verse, which concerns the Companions of the Sahifa, have derived six points from it:

First: The Non-Muslim Nature of the Companions of the Sahifa

The Companions of the Sahifa were non-Muslims among Muslims; for God refers to them as Those who are not of your kind[notes 1] and says: "Do not take intimates from other than yourselves."

Second: The Imperative to Avoid the Companions of the Sahifa

Throughout history, Muslims must keep their distance from and be wary of the Companions of the Sahifa; for God, by commanding "Do not take intimates," has warned Muslims not to entrust their secrets to them. Should one not ponder where this path will lead, given that Muslims not only entrusted their secrets to them but also committed their religious, worldly, and otherworldly affairs into their hands?

Third: The Companions of the Sahifa as Corruptors of Society

The Companions of the Sahifa spared no effort in creating disorder and corruption among Muslims, as God says: They will spare no pains to corrupt you)[notes 2]. It seems their conversion to Islam was for the purpose of disrupting the beliefs, rulings, and even the social order of Muslims. For this reason, they incited sedition at every opportunity, in every task, and in every possible manner. This is evident in the examples of their activities mentioned in opposition to the Ghadīr pulpit and in the days that followed it.[3]

Fourth: The Companions of the Sahifa's Pleasure in People's Suffering

The Companions of the Sahifa destroyed the comfort and peace of Muslims. God states this with the phrase They desire what distresses you[notes 3], which means the Companions of the Sahifa took pleasure in the suffering of the people. Thus, the Companions of the Sahifa, in addition to disrupting the peace of Muslims with their conspiracies during the Prophet's (s) lifetime, deprived Muslims of the blessings they would have enjoyed with the presence of the master of wilāya by implementing the provisions of the Sahifa. This was the greatest pleasure for the envious ones of the Islamic ummah. No one but a kāfir envies the Muslim nation or takes pleasure in their suffering.

Furthermore, the harsh character of 'Umar b. al-Khattab has also been considered one of the manifestations of embittering life for Muslims, and examples have been provided for it:

  • 'Umar was quick to anger[notes 4].[4]
  • 'Umar was harsher, rougher, and more audacious than those two[notes 5].[5]
  • 'Umar's method was harshness, threats, and approaching every matter from its most difficult aspect[notes 6].[6]
  • They said to Abū Bakr: Are you appointing a harsh and rough person as our successor?[notes 7].[7]

Fifth: Overt Enmity of the Companions of the Sahifa

Although the Companions of the Sahifa sought to conceal their actions, their enmity towards the Prophet (s) was so intense that this malice involuntarily manifested in their words and actions. God refers to this point, saying: hatred has already appeared from their mouths[notes 8].[8] This part of the verse indicates that anyone who utters such words in that situation can never have benevolent intentions and certainly speaks out of enmity.

Sixth: Hidden Malice of the Companions of the Sahifa

According to some researchers, based on this verse, what the Companions of the Sahifa did in enmity towards the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and Islam was far greater than what they harbored in their hearts, as God says: And what their breasts conceal is greater[notes 9]. An example of this malice can be seen in a letter from 'Umar b. al-Khattab to Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan:[9] "I launched a crushing attack on the shining star of Banū Hāshim – he who is Muhammad's son-in-law – and on that lady whom he made the mistress of the women of the world! In that attack, I told Khālid b. al-Walīd: 'You and our companions go and gather firewood, and I will set the house on fire.' The scene was so terrifying that I almost turned back from Ali's door, but I remembered Ali's grudges and his eagerness to shed the blood of the great Arabs, and I remembered Muhammad's trickery and his magic. So, I kicked the door while Fatima was pressing her abdomen against it, preventing it from opening. With this blow, I heard a scream from her that I thought would overturn Medina. I heard her wailing, which was due to a miscarriage, while she was leaning against the wall. Despite all this, I pushed the door open and entered. Fatima appeared before me, and I slapped her on both cheeks so hard that her earring broke and fell to the ground, and her pain intensified, and she went into the room where her child – whom Ali had named Muḥsin – was miscarried."

Regarding the harshness employed in bringing Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a) for allegiance, this letter states: I gathered a large number of people, not to outnumber 'Alī, but to strengthen my own heart. We arrived while 'Alī was besieged. I forcibly brought him out of his house and dragged him for allegiance, while I was certain, without a doubt, that if I and all the people on earth wished to move him by force and he did not want to, we would not be able to; but there were matters in his heart that I knew but did not utter. I did not wish to compel him to pledge allegiance, for I feared he would hasten a calamity that he had delayed from me, and Abū Bakr also wished that he had not seen 'Alī in that place, due to the terror that had fallen upon his heart because of him. O Muʿāwiya, who has been able to do what I have done, and who has been able to take revenge for past grievances as I have?

Then, once again, he speaks of his audacity in the incident of Saqīfa and boasts of his opposition to the Prophet (s): Muḥammad made the people understand that no one would sit upon his minbar except himself, 'Alī, and the custodians of affairs from his Ahl al-Bayt; but his magic was nullified, and his efforts became futile, and Abū Bakr sat upon that minbar, and after him, I sat upon it, and I hope that you, Banū Umayya, will be the pillars of its rope. It is for this reason that I have entrusted the authority of affairs to you, placed its reins in your hands, and made you familiar with it, and through these actions, I have opposed Muḥammad's words concerning you.

Then he warns Muʿāwiya not to disrupt the objectives of Saqīfa through clumsiness: O Muʿāwiya, even though I have reminded you of these matters and explained what was necessary for you, I tell you compassionately and as advice that I fear your lack of capacity, narrow-mindedness, and impatience, which might cause you to rush in what I have enjoined upon you and in entrusting you with Muḥammad's sharia and his umma, and thus destroy yourself by slandering and reproaching or rejecting Muḥammad in the religion he brought or insulting it, and consequently bring down what I have raised and demolish what I have built. Do not show the people that you are intent on destroying God's rights; rather, approach them from a direction they do not expect, and have them killed by their own hands, and destroy them with their own swords. Never confront them directly; outwardly, deal with them leniently, and to kill them, seek the help of their leader.

Then 'Umar explicitly states that what he said were his secrets that must be kept hidden: Regarding ourselves and you, I am not safe from the uprising of 'Alī and his two lion-cubs, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. If you gather a group from the umma with you, take the initiative, do not be content with small matters, and attend to great affairs, and preserve my will and covenant (and this letter of mine), keep it secret, and do not show it to anyone, for I have revealed my hidden and manifest thoughts to you.[10]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Manāqib, vol. 3, p. 213; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 28, pp. 116–117; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 31, p. 636.
  2. ↑ Manāqib, vol. 3, p. 213; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 28, pp. 116–117; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 31, p. 636.
  3. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 1, pp. 216–218.
  4. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 30, p. 270.
  5. ↑ Kitāb Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī, p. 35.
  6. ↑ Sharḥ Nahj al-Balāgha, vol. 1, p. 220.
  7. ↑ al-Īḍāḥ, p. 97.
  8. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 1, pp. 236–219.
  9. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 30, pp. 287–300.
  10. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 1, pp. 280-283; Wāqiʿa-ye Qurʾānī Ghadīr, p. 52.
  1. ↑  مِنْ دُونِکُمْ 
  2. ↑  لا یَأْلُونَکُمْ خَبالاً 
  3. ↑  وَدُّوا ما عَنِتُّمْ 
  4. ↑ كانَ عُمَرُ سَريعَ الْغَضَبِ
  5. ↑ كانَ عُمَرُ افظُّهُما وَ اغْلَظُهُما وَ اجْفاهُما
  6. ↑ مَذْهَبُهُ الْخُشُونَةُ وَ الْوَعيدُ وَ اتْيانُ الامْرِ مِنْ اصْعَبِ جَهاتِهِ
  7. ↑ اتَسْتَخْلِفُ عَلَيْنا فَظّاً غَليظاً?
  8. ↑  قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضاءُ مِنْ أَفْواهِهِمْ 
  9. ↑  وَ ما تُخْفِی صُدُورُهُمْ أَکْبَرُ 

References

  • Al-Īḍāḥ; Faḍl b. Shādhān, Tehran: Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1402 AH.
  • Biḥār al-Anwār al-Jāmiʿa li-Durar Akhbār al-Aʾimma al-Aṭhār; Muḥammad Bāqir b. Muḥammad Taqī Majlisī, Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
  • Sharḥ Nahj al-Balāgha; Ibn Abī al-Ḥadīd, ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd b. Hibat Allāh (Ibn Abī al-Ḥadīd), edited by Muḥammad Abū al-Faḍl Ibrāhīm, Qom: Maktabat Āyat Allāh al-ʿUẓmā al-Marʿashī al-Najafī, 1404 AH.
  • Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt Dalīl-e Mā, 1387 SH.
  • Kitāb Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī; Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī, edited by ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn al-Mūsawī, Tehran: Muʾassasat al-Biʿtha (Qism al-Dirāsāt al-Islāmiyya), 1407 AH.
  • Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib; Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. Shahrāshūb Māzandarānī, edited by Muḥammad Ḥusayn Āshtiyānī and Sayyid Hāshim Rasūlī Maḥallātī, Qom: Muʾassasa-ye Intishārāt-e ʿAllāma, 1379 AH.
  • Wāqiʿa-ye Qurʾānī Ghadīr: Guzārish-e Safar-e Yek Māha-ye Payāmbar barā-ye Iʿlān-e Wilāyat dar Sāya-ye Āyāt-e Qurʾānī; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt Dalīl-e Mā, 1386 SH.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikighadir.com/index.php?title=Verse_118_of_Al_%27Imran_and_Ghadir&oldid=3846"