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Verse 19 of Al 'Imran and Ghadir

Verse Nineteen of Al 'Imran is a verse in al-Ghadir Sermon in which Islam, along with Ghadir, is introduced as the Islam intended by God.

Verse 19 of Al 'Imran and Ghadir
Verse 19 of Al 'Imran and Ghadir
Ayah Specifications
Surah NameAl 'Imran
Ayah Number19
Juz'3
Ayah Content
Place of RevelationMedina
TopicGhadir Islam as the only Islam accepted by God
Ayah Recitation

Audio Translation

The historical context for the use of Verse Nineteen of Sura Al 'Imran is depicted as follows: After the Prophet (s) delivered Hadith al-Ghadir in al-Ghadir Sermon, in a part of the fourth section of al-Ghadir Sermon, to prove that no religion other than the wilaya of 'Ali (a) is accepted, he cited two other verses from the Qur'an: one was Verse Nineteen of Sura Al 'Imran and the other was Verse Eighty-Five of Sura Al 'Imran. The inclusion of these two verses with the Verse of Ikmal meant that the religion is only Islam, and anything other than Islam is not accepted by God. Furthermore, the religion that God has accepted as Islam is that which contains Ghadir and wilaya, and its Prophet's successors until the Day of Judgment are the twelve Imams (a).

From the analysis of the Qur'anic position of Verse Nineteen of Sura Al 'Imran, three conclusions have been drawn, two of which relate to this verse: the second conclusion is that Islam means true submission; the third conclusion is that the call of all prophets has been to Islam and wilaya.


A Verse Related to Specific Occasions in Ghadir

Regarding the connection between Verse Nineteen of Sura Al 'Imran and Ghadir, it has been stated: Considering that Ghadir was an elaborate ceremony spanning three days, apart from the verses directly revealed during those three days, some verses were also mentioned implicitly within the discourse.[1]

These verses are eighteen in number, and among them is Verse Nineteen of Al 'Imran:

إِنَّ الدِّینَ عِنْدَ اللَّه الْإِسْلامُ وَ مَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِینَ أُوتُوا الْکِتابَ إِلاّ مِنْ بَعْدِ ما جاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْیاً بَیْنَهُمْ وَ مَنْ یَکْفُرْ بِآیاتِ اللَّه فَإِنَّ اللَّه سَرِیعُ الْحِسابِ
Indeed the religion with Allah is Islam. Those who were given the Book did not differ but after knowledge had come to them, out of envy among themselves. And whoever denies the signs of Allah—then Allah is swift at reckoning.[2]

The completion of God's religion and the highest blessing of the Lord, which was perfected with the advent of those blessings, was the wilaya of the Imams (a) and their authority over the people, and it was then that the religion of Islam was accepted by God as a complete religion. This matter was referred to in the text of al-Ghadir Sermon, relying on this verse.[3]

The Verse in the Sermon Text

Verse Nineteen of Sura Al 'Imran is recorded in the text of al-Ghadir Sermon, in a narration from the book al-Yaqīn bi-Ikhtiṣāṣ Mawlānā 'Alī (a) bi-Imrat al-Muʾminīn, as follows: O God, You revealed to me that the Imamate is for 'Ali. And when I declared this and appointed him—when You perfected their religion for them, completed Your blessing upon them, and were pleased with Islam as their religion[notes 1] —You said:[notes 2] “Indeed the religion with Allah is Islam.”[notes 3] And You said:[notes 4] And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers[notes 5].[4]

Historical Context for the Use of the Verse

The historical context for the use of Verse Nineteen of Sura Al 'Imran is depicted as follows: After the Prophet (s) delivered Hadith al-Ghadir in al-Ghadir Sermon and the revelation of Verse Three of Sura Al-Ma'ida (the Verse of Ikmal), the Prophet (s), in a part of the fourth section of al-Ghadir Sermon, to prove that no religion other than the wilaya of 'Ali (a) is accepted, cited two other verses from the Qur'an: one was Verse Nineteen of Sura Al 'Imran and the other was Verse Eighty-Five of Sura Al 'Imran.

The inclusion of these two verses with the Verse of Ikmal meant that the religion is only Islam, and anything other than Islam is not accepted by God. Furthermore, the religion that God has accepted as Islam is that which contains Ghadir and wilaya, and its Prophet's successors until the Day of Judgment are the twelve Imams (a). It was then that the Prophet (s) breathed a sigh of relief and addressed God, saying: “O God, I take You as witness that I have conveyed [the message].”

Under such circumstances, Verses Nineteen and Eighty-Five of Sura Al 'Imran have been fully quoted in the Prophet's discourse. The meaning of this quotation is that the Islam which is not accepted otherwise is precisely this Islam that has reached its ultimate perfection. It should be noted that the Prophet's intention could not have been the revelation of the Verse of Ikmal and the two aforementioned verses during the declaration of wilaya, because the Prophet says: “O God, at the time of declaring wilaya, this verse…” and does not say: “these two or three verses…” whereas in Arabic, observing singular, dual, and plural in verbs and pronouns is essential; therefore, the revealed verse is the first verse (the Verse of Ikmal), and Verses Nineteen and Eighty-Five of Al 'Imran follow the Prophet's discourse as an assurance. Also, in the Qur'an, these three verses are not adjacent so that the word “Islam” in the second verse would relate to the same word in the first verse.

Moreover, according to the text of the book al-Yaqīn, in this part of the sermon, Verses Nineteen and Eighty-Five of Al 'Imran are mentioned, but their revelation in Ghadir is not explicitly stated; rather, they are referred to as “qulta” (You said), meaning: “You have said thus.” Furthermore, in most versions, it is not recorded with this phrasing.[5]

Quranic Context of the Verse

Regarding the Quranic context of verse nineteen of Surah Al 'Imran and the verses thereafter, it has been stated: Semantically, from verse nineteen of Surah Al 'Imran up to verse eighty-five, derivatives of the word "Islam" are repeated seven times. These verses demonstrate that the program of all divine prophets was Islam, and all prophets were its harbingers and propagators. Islam is the only divine religion whose essence is one, and its complete form is with God, yet its teachings were revealed gradually until the day its ultimate perfection and the closure of its dossier were announced. On that day, Verse three of Surah Al-Ma'ida explicitly declared the perfection of religion and the completion of this gradual evolutionary process.

On the Day of Ghadir, when the complete religion was presented to the people, the Holy Prophet (s) interpreted verse eighty-five of Surah Al 'Imran in the al-Ghadir Sermon and declared Islam to be the only religion with God, and that no other religion would be accepted from anyone. This interpretation by the Prophet (s) in this specific context had three major consequences for Muslims, which are also considered among His Holiness's greatest conclusive arguments:

  • The first result is that Islam without wilaya is incomplete and unacceptable.
  • The second result is that Islam means true submission.
  • The third result is that the call of all prophets was to Islam and wilaya.[6]

Doctrinal Analysis of the Quranic Context of the Verse

Regarding two of the three results derived from the Quranic context of verse nineteen of Surah Al 'Imran, the following doctrinal analysis has been presented:

Doctrinal Analysis of the Second Result: Islam Means True Submission

The etymological meaning of the word "Islam" and its derivatives used in verses nineteen to eighty-five of Surah Al 'Imran, on the other hand, indicates that Islam means "submission to what God commands." Many narrations have been reported in this regard; for example:

  • Imam al-Sadiq (a): Islam is submission, and submission is Islam.[notes 6] Whoever submits has accepted Islam, and whoever does not submit has no Islam.[7]
  • Amir al-Mu'minin (a): Heartfelt faith is submission to the Lord. Whoever submits affairs to their Owner does not show arrogance towards His command, unlike Iblis who showed arrogance towards prostrating before Adam. Most nations showed arrogance towards obeying their prophets, and consequently, monotheism did not benefit them, just as those lengthy prostrations did not benefit Iblis.[8]

Based on this, the main foundation of the religion of Saqifa is non-submission to the Lord and the invention of a command against the divine decree, and what is not seen in it is submission to the Lord. Its starting point was opposition to God's choice in imamate and caliphate, where, despite acknowledging the declaration of the wilaya and imamate of Ali (a) by God and His Messenger, they deliberately went to another. In this opposition, they showed such obstinacy that they seated Ali's (a) enemy in his place. This non-submission then expands and enters into divine commands and rulings, and it is openly said that God said this, and we say that.[notes 7] Therefore, if "Islam" is submission to God's command, there is no submission in the religion of Saqifa, and thus no Islam. It is another religion that has no connection with Indeed, the religion with Allah is Islam[notes 8].[9]

Doctrinal Analysis of the Third Result: The Call of All Prophets (a) to Islam and Wilaya

God's religion is one, and the divine prophets carried a single message from God. This doctrinal foundation is derived from verse eighteen of Surah Al 'Imran with the Prophet's (s) Ghadiri interpretation and is confirmed by many hadiths. In verse eighteen, it states: "Indeed, there is no religion with God but one." Following this clarity, it has considered the reason for the differences among divine religions and their varying beliefs to be the result of the actions of the leaders of those religions.[10]


Footnotes

  1. ↑ Ghadir dar Qur'an, vol. two, p. ninety-three.
  2. ↑ Ghadir dar Qur'an, vol. two, p. one hundred forty-seven.
  3. ↑ Asrar Ghadir, p. two hundred two.
  4. ↑ al-Yaqīn, p. three hundred fifty-two.
  5. ↑ Ghadir dar Qur'an, vol. two, pp. one hundred forty-eight–one hundred forty-nine.
  6. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 149–151.
  7. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 75, p. 220.
  8. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 27, p. 174.
  9. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 153–155.
  10. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 155–156.
  1. ↑ اللّهمَّ انَّكَ انْزَلْتَ عَلَىَّ انَّ الامامَةَ لِعَلِىٍّ، وَ انَّكَ عِنْدَ بَيانى ذلِكَ وَ نَصْبى ايّاهُ - لِما اكْمَلْتَ لَهُمْ دينَهُمْ وَ اتْمَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ نِعْمَتَكَ وَ رَضِيتَ لَهُمُ الْاسْلامَ ديناً
  2. ↑ قُلْتَ:
  3. ↑  إِنَّ الدِّینَ عِنْدَ اللَّه الْإِسْلامُ 
  4. ↑ وَ قُلْتَ
  5. ↑  وَ مَنْ یَبْتَغِ غَیْرَ الْإِسْلامِ دِیناً فَلَنْ یُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَ هُوَ فِی الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخاسِرِینَ 
  6. ↑ الاسْلامُ هُوَ التَّسْليمُ وَ التَّسْليمُ هُوَ الاسْلامُ
  7. ↑ An example of this is shown in the innovations of the second caliph.
  8. ↑  إِنَّ الدِّینَ عِنْدَ اللَّه الْإِسْلامُ 


References

  • Asrār Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Tehran: Nashr-e Tak, 1384 SH.
  • 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.
  • Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt Dalīl-e Mā, 1387 SH.
  • Al-Yaqīn bi-Ikhtiṣāṣ Mawlānā ʿAlī (a) bi-Imrat al-Muʾminīn; ʿAlī b. Mūsā b. Ṭāwūs, edited by: Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī and Muḥammad Ṣādiq Anṣārī, Beirut: Dār al-ʿUlūm, 1410 AH.
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