Verse 140 of Sura al-Baqara and Ghadir
Verse 140 of Sura al-Baqara is a verse about the enemies of Ghadir, who are called the most unjust for concealing their actions against Ghadir.
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| Ayah Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Surah Name | Sura al-Baqara |
| Ayah Number | 140 |
| Juz' | 1 |
| Ayah Content | |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | Those who conceal testimony are the most unjust |
| Ayah Recitation Audio Translation | |
Some researchers have depicted the historical context for the use of Verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara during the event of Ghadir as follows: After the Prophet's (s) unsuccessful assassination attempt by hypocrites at ʿAqabat Harshī, the Ghadir caravan reached the next stop and performed the morning prayer. The Prophet (s) saw the group of conspirators engaged in whispering. The Prophet (s) asked them, "What were you whispering about?" They replied, "We had no contact with each other at all and only just saw each other now." The Prophet (s) looked at them and recited Verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara to them.
What has been used as an interpretation of Verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara, by applying it to the First Accursed Scroll and the plot to kill the Prophet (s), is one point: that Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa and 'Umar b. al-Khattab, who concealed their actions before God and His Messenger and then denied this concealment, became the embodiment of أَظْلَمُ: the most unjust.
A Verse Regarding the Enemies of Ghadir
Verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara is among the verses used in the event of Ghadir. The context for the use of this verse has been depicted by some researchers as follows: ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (a) is the Imam whom the Prophet (s) made the cause of the divine test with Amir al-Muiminin (a) for the Ummah: O ʿAlī, if it were not for you, the believers would not be recognized after me[notes 1].[1]
The Prophet (s) dedicated a part of the Ghadir ceremony to describing the enemies of the Imams (a) and their future. The adaptation of several verses and the inclusion of other verses for this purpose have placed a total of fifteen verses under this section. In these verses, on the one hand, the characteristics and behavior of the enemies of Ahl al-Bayt and Ghadir in this world are discussed, and on the other hand, the recompense for their beliefs and actions in this world and the hereafter is stated, including the nullification of the value of their deeds.[2]
These are fifteen verses, among which is Verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara:
أَمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ إِبْراهِیمَ وَ إِسْماعِیلَ وَ إِسْحاقَ وَ یَعْقُوبَ وَ الْأَسْباطَ کانُوا هُوداً أَوْ نَصاری قُلْ أَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ اللَّه وَ مَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ کَتَمَ شَهادَةً عِنْدَهُ مِنَ اللَّه وَ مَا اللَّه بِغافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
- Or do you say that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes were Jews or Christians? Say, 'Are you more knowledgeable or Allah?' And who is a greater wrongdoer than him who conceals a testimony that he has from Allah? And Allah is not oblivious of what you do.
Historical Context of the Verse's Use
Some researchers have depicted the historical context for the use of Verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara during the event of Ghadir as follows: After the Prophet's (s) unsuccessful assassination attempt by hypocrites at ʿAqabat Harshī, the Ghadir caravan reached the next stop and performed the morning prayer. Although the Prophet (s) tolerated all the actions of the hypocrites during the three-day Ghadir ceremony to prevent any harm to the program of declaring wilāya and allegiance, after departing from Ghadir, their conspiratorial communications intensified to such an extent that an overt danger and destructive sedition became evident.
So, the Prophet (s) ordered a caller to proclaim: No three people have the right to gather together to whisper secrets among themselves[notes 2].[3] The Prophet's intention was to prevent chaos and conflict that would harm Ghadir. This command of the Prophet (s) neutralized the conspiracies, and until their arrival in Medina, the enemies of wilāya could not make substantial contact with each other, except for a few instances, in one of which Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa, 'Umar b. al-Khattab, and Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfa were whispering together.
When these few whisperers wanted to leave, the Prophet (s) asked them, "What were you whispering about?" They replied, "We had no contact with each other at all and only just saw each other now." The Prophet (s) looked at them and recited Verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara to them; then four more verses were revealed after this verse.[4]
Quranic Context of the Verse
The Quranic context of Verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara is described as follows: The verse from Sūrat al-Baqara is about those among the Jews and Christians who argue with the Prophet (s) about God and conceal testimonies. God addresses them: Who is more unjust than one who conceals a testimony he has from God?[5]
A Narration from Ḥudhayfa b. Yamān: Historical Analysis of the Event
A historical analysis of the event, which led to the use of verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara, is narrated in a tradition from Ḥudhayfa b. Yamān as follows: The munāfiqūn discussed among themselves and agreed to startle the Prophet's (ṣ) camel on Mount Harshī. They had previously executed a similar plan during the Battle of Tabuk, but God had averted their evil from His Prophet. Thus, they had repeatedly conspired to assassinate the Noble Prophet (ṣ). In that gathering, the hypocrites and enemies of the Prophet (ṣ) included freed slaves of Quraysh and some Arabs from Madina and its surroundings who harbored apostasy in their hearts. They—who were fourteen individuals—swore an oath to startle the Prophet's (ṣ) camel.
The Prophet (ṣ) continued on his way for the rest of that day and night until he approached the pass of Harshī. There, those fourteen individuals had gone ahead and hidden themselves on the mountaintop, having made their camels lie down behind the boulders. They had brought cylindrical containers with them, filled them with pebbles, intending to roll them towards the camel's legs upon the Prophet's (ṣ) arrival.
Ḥudhayfa narrates: The Prophet (ṣ) called me and ʿAmmār, instructing ʿAmmār to guide the camel from behind and telling me to hold its reins. As we reached the mountaintop, those fourteen individuals released the pebble-filled containers and pre-prepared boulders from behind us, aiming them at the camel's legs. The camel was startled and was about to bolt, potentially carrying the Prophet (ṣ) haphazardly. The Prophet (ṣ) loudly commanded the camel: 'Be calm, there is no harm to you.' God made the camel speak, and it said in eloquent Arabic: 'Ya Rasul Allah, by God, I will not move a hand from its place nor a foot from its position as long as you are on my back.'
Then, those fourteen individuals rushed towards the camel to startle it. ʿAmmār and I stood against them and attacked with our swords. That night was very dark, and they fled from us, hiding behind the boulders, despairing of their plan. Ḥudhayfa narrates: I asked: 'Yā Rasūl Allāh, who are these individuals who harbored such an intention?' He replied: 'O Ḥudhayfa, these are the hypocrites in this world and the Hereafter.' I asked: 'Will you not send a group to them to sever their heads and bring them?' He replied: 'God has commanded me to turn away from them. I do not wish for people to say: "This Prophet invited a group of his people and companions to his religion, and they accepted. Then he fought with their help until he prevailed over his enemies, and when he gained victory, he killed his companions." O Ḥudhayfa, leave them; God is lying in wait for them, and He will soon grant them respite, and then subject them to a severe punishment.'
I asked: 'Yā Rasūl Allāh, who are these hypocrites? Are they from the Muhajirun or the Ansar?' The Prophet (ṣ) named them one by one until he had mentioned all fourteen individuals. Among them were individuals whom I did not wish to see among that group! So I remained silent. The Prophet (ṣ) said: 'O Ḥudhayfa, do you perhaps doubt some of those I named for you (among the hypocrites)? Lift your head!' Ḥudhayfa narrates: I turned my head towards that group, who were standing on the mountaintop. By the command of the Prophet (ṣ), the sky flashed with lightning, illuminating everything around us. Then the light from that lightning remained steady, so much so that I thought the sun had risen.
Then I looked at that group and recognized each one of them, seeing that, as the Prophet (ṣ) had stated, there were fourteen individuals: nine from Quraysh and five from outside Quraysh…. By God, they were Abu Bakr, 'Umar b. al-Khattab, ʿUthmān, Ṭalḥa, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAwf, Saʿd b. Abī Waqqāṣ, Abū ʿUbayda al-Jarrāḥ, Muʿāwiya b. Abī Sufyān, and 'Amr b. al-'As, who were from Quraysh. The other five individuals were: Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, Mughira b. Shu'ba al-Thaqafi, Aws b. Ḥadathān al-Naṣrī, Abū Hurayra, and Abū Ṭalḥa al-Anṣārī.
Hudhayfa says: Then we descended from the mountain and took the lower path, while dawn had broken and morning had arrived. The Prophet (s) dismounted, performed wudu, and waited for his companions to gather. There, I saw the same group of fourteen people, all of whom had joined the people and stood behind the Prophet (s) for prayer. When the Prophet's prayer concluded, he looked and saw Abū Bakr and Abū ʿUbayda whispering and speaking secretly to each other. For this reason, he commanded his caller to announce among the people: No three people are permitted to gather and speak in secret `najwā`.
Then the Prophet (s) led the people from the foot of Mount Harshī until they reached the next stop. At that stop, Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfa saw the two men whispering to each other. When Sālim questioned them about this, they said: We have gathered to swear an oath and make a pact that we will not obey Muḥammad in what he has enjoined upon us concerning the `wilāya` of ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib after him. He welcomed this plan and joined their `najwā`.
When the Prophet (s) intended to depart from that stop, these three men came to him. The Prophet (s) asked: What were you whispering about today, when I had forbidden you from `najwā`? They said: O Messenger of God, we have not met except at this time when we are with you. The Prophet (s) looked at them and recited this verse to them: "Are you more knowing or God? And who is more unjust than he who conceals a testimony he has from God? And God is not unaware of what you do."[6]
Theological Analysis of the Verse
What has been used as an interpretation of verse 140 of Sūrat al-Baqara, by applying it to the al-Sahifa al-Mal'una and the plot to assassinate the Prophet (s), is one point: that Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa and 'Umar b. al-Khattab, who concealed their actions from God and His Messenger and then denied this concealment, became instances of أَظْلَمُ.[7]
b) God grants the enemies of Ahl al-Bayt (a) a short respite in this world, as He says: "We give them enjoyment for a little while."
Then He afflicts them with severe and harsh punishment, as He says: "Then We will drive them to a severe punishment." This punishment begins for them at the moment of death and continues in the `ʿālam al-barzakh` until they receive the main recompense for their deeds on `Qiyāma`.
The first and second, at the time of their death, saw the Prophet (s) and Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a) telling them: Glad tidings to you of fire in the lowest degree of Hell!![8]
Afterwards, when they were in the state of `iḥtiḍār`, they reported entering the fire and being placed in a coffin, describing it thus:
A coffin of fire, sealed with a lock of fire, and in it are twelve people. That coffin is in a well at the bottom of Hell, and whenever God wishes to ignite Hell, He removes the rock from the mouth of that well.[9]
In the `ʿālam al-barzakh`, Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a) or one of the Imams (a) occasionally show themselves to them, and they plead from the depths of the fire, but they hear nothing but rejection.
In this regard, an incident from the life of Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a) is narrated, on a day when he was with Ḥārith al-Hamdānī. The Imam (a) asked: Do you also see what I see?
He replied: How can I see what you see, while God has illuminated your eye and bestowed upon you what He has not bestowed upon anyone else?
He said: This is the first oppressor, who at a gate of fire says: O Abā al-Ḥasan, forgive me. May God not forgive him.
Then the Imam (a) paused for a moment and again said: O Ḥārith, do you also see what I see? Then he said: This is the second oppressor, who at one of the gates of fire says: O Abā al-Ḥasan, forgive me.
May God not forgive him.[10]
Footnotes
- ↑ Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. three, p. 206.
- ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. two, p. 361.
- ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. twenty-eight, p. 101.
- ↑ Wāqiʿa-yi Qurʾānī Ghadīr, p. 167.
- ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. two, p. 404.
- ↑ Irshād al-Qulūb, vol. 2, pp. 195–200; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 28, pp. 97–111.
- ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 410.
- ↑ Kitāb Sulaym: p. 348, ḥ. 31.
- ↑ Kitāb Sulaym: p. 349.
- ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār: vol. 40, p. 185, ḥ. 68.
References
- Irshād al-Qulūb al-Munjī min ʿAmal bihi min Alīm al-ʿIqāb; Ḥasan b. Abī al-Ḥasan Muḥammad al-Daylamī, investigation: Sayyid Hāshim Mīlānī, Tehran: Intishārāt-i Uswah, 1382 Sh./2003.
- 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/1983.
- Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt-i Dalīl-i Mā, 1387 Sh./2008.
- Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib; Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. Shahrāshūb Māzandarānī, investigation: Muḥammad Ḥusayn Āshtiyānī and Sayyid Hāshim Rasūlī Maḥallātī, Qom: Muʾassasat-i Intishārāt-i ʿAllāma, 1379 AH/1959.
- Wāqiʿa-yi Qurʾānī Ghadīr: Guzārish-i Safar-i Yak Māha-yi Payāmbar barā-yi Iʿlān-i Wilāyat dar Sāya-yi Āyāt-i Qurʾānī; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt-i Dalīl-i Mā, 1386 Sh./2007.