Verse 21 of Sura al-Ahzab and Ghadir
 | |
| Ayah Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Surah Name | Sura al-Ahzab |
| Ayah Number | 21 |
| Juz' | 21 |
| Ayah Content | |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | The Prophet's exemplariness for Muslims |
| Ayah Recitation Audio Translation | |
Verse 21 of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb is among the verses that were cited by the hypocrites in the text of the Second Cursed Document to deny Ghadir.[1]
The account of this event is narrated in some sources as follows: In the Second Cursed Document, which was written after Ghadir in Medina and in the house of Abu Bakr by the leaders of the hypocrites, the event of Ghadir was denied. In this text, by citing Verse 21 of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, people were called to follow the approach of Saqifa as the sīra (practice) of the Messenger of God (s); a following based on the Messenger of God's exemplariness:
لَقَدْ کانَ لَکُمْ فی رَسُولِ اللَّهِ اُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ کانَ یَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَ الْیَوْمَ الْآخِرِ
- Certainly there has been for you in the Apostle of Allah a good example for him who looks to Allah and the Last Day.
This claim was made while the Prophet (s) did not entrust the caliphate to the Muslims at Ghadir, nor is there any narration that the Prophet said such a thing for people to follow him in this regard.
The citation of Verse 21 of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb in the text of this Second Cursed Document was as follows: This is a document upon which a number of the Companions of Muḥammad, the Messenger of God, from among the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār, agreed… Then the Lord chose His presence for him and took his soul with respect and contentment, without appointing anyone to the caliphate after him. The Prophet (s) left the choice of caliphate to the Muslims, so that they might choose for themselves whomever they trust in his thought and compassion. Muslims must follow the Prophet (s) well, as God has said: Certainly there has been for you in the Apostle of Allah a good example for him who looks to Allah and the Last Day.[2]
Footnotes
References
- 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.
- Zharafā-ye Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Dalīl-e Mā Publications, 1383 SH.
- Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Dalīl-e Mā Publications, 1387 SH.