Verse 47 of Sura al-Nisa and Ghadir
Verse 47 of Sura al-Nisa is a verse interpreted in the Al-Ghadir Sermon, comparing the companions of the Saheefa to the companions of the Sabbath (Ashab al-Sabt), stating that both deserve divine curse.
The historical context of the interpretation of Sura Al-Nisa', Verse 47 in the Al-Ghadir Sermon is outlined as follows: in a part of the sermon, the Prophet (s) warned about the serious presence of hypocrites in Islamic society. The speech in this stage began by mentioning this verse, in which God compares a group to the cunning companions of the Sabbath (the disobedient people of the Children of Israel) who trampled upon divine commands through deceit and by appealing to religion.
Some researchers have analyzed the use of Sura Al-Nisa', Verse 47 in the Al-Ghadir Sermon from a theological perspective as follows: in this part of the sermon, the Prophet (s) swears that the intended meaning of this verse and the group cursed like the companions of the Sabbath is a group of his companions, namely the companions of the accursed saheefa.
Regarding the similarity between the people of Saqifa and the companions of the Sabbath, it has been stated that both groups replaced divine commands with innovations under the guise of religion. In all cases, despite opposing God's decree, they presented themselves as defenders of religion.
A Verse Explicitly Interpreted in Ghadir
Sura Al-Nisa', Verse 47 is considered one of the verses interpreted in Ghadir. According to some researchers, eighteen verses of the Qur'an were explicitly interpreted in Ghadir; meaning that the Prophet (s) stated the text of the verse separately in the Al-Ghadir Sermon and interpreted it before or after. These cases are contrasted with verses that appear as incorporation (tadmin) and Iqtibas in the speech of the Prophet (s).[1]
One of these verses is Sura Al-Nisa', Verse 47:
یا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ أُوتُوا الْکِتابَ، آمِنُوا بِما نَزَّلْنا مُصَدِّقاً لِما مَعَکُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَطْمِسَ وُجُوهاً فَنَرُدَّها عَلی أَدْبارِها أَوْ نَلْعَنَهُمْ کَما لَعَنَّا أَصْحابَ السَّبْتِ
- O you who have been given the Book, believe in what We have sent down, confirming what is with you, before We obliterate faces and turn them inside out, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-makers. And God's decree is bound to be fulfilled.[2]
Verse in the Text of the Sermon
Sura Al-Nisa', Verse 47 is reported in the text of the Al-Ghadir Sermon as follows: .[3]
Historical Context of the Verse's Interpretation
The historical context of the interpretation of Verse 47 of Surah al-Nisaʾ in the Ghadir Sermon is outlined as follows: The Ghadir Sermon had reached its principal stage, namely, the stage following the designation of ʿAli (peace be upon him) and the identification of his supporters and opponents, when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) issued a warning about the active presence of hypocrites within the Muslim community. This stage of the sermon began with a reference to Verse 47 of Surah al-Nisaʾ, in which God likens a group of people to the deceitful People of the Sabbath (the disobedient among the Children of Israel), who resorted to deception and invoked religion as a pretext for violating divine commandments.[4]
Quranic Context of the Verse
Regarding the Quranic context of Sura Al-Nisa', Verse 47, based on the reference to the story of the companions of the Sabbath, it has been stated that the companions of the Sabbath were a people whose profession was fishing and who lived by the sea. God commanded them to refrain from fishing on Saturdays, and a firm covenant was taken from them in this regard, according to Sura Al-Nisa', Verse 154 (note: Quranic reference in text says Sura Al-A'raf). On Saturdays, which they had to observe as a rest day, fish would appear on the water's surface, arousing the fishermen's greed, whereas the fish did not come on other days, and this was a divine test.
In order not to lose the fish on Saturday while—in their own minds—not disobeying the divine command, these people built pools by the sea so that the waves would wash the fish into those pools where they would get trapped. This happened without the presence of the fishermen on Saturday, and the fishermen would come on Sunday and catch them. They claimed that they had not disobeyed God's command and had not caught fish on Saturday.[5] According to the verses of the Qur'an, no one's admonition had any effect on this group. Some said: "Why do you admonish a people doomed to punishment?" In response, they said: "To be absolved before your Lord, and perhaps they will be God-fearing."[6] The end of the companions of the Sabbath was a curse and alienation from God's mercy, to the extent that God transformed them and took them out of humanity.[7]
Theological Analysis of the Verse
Some researchers have analyzed the use of verse forty-seven of Sura Al-Nisa' in the Al-Ghadir Sermon from a theological perspective as follows: in this part of the sermon, the Prophet (s) swears that the intended meaning of this verse and the group that has been cursed like the companions of the Sabbath is a group of his companions; in the subsequent passages, he explicitly states that they are the companions of the cursed sahifa.[8]
Regarding the similarity between the people of the Saqifa and the companions of the Sabbath, it has been stated: both groups replaced divine commands with innovations under the guise of religion. In all instances, despite opposing God's decree, they presented themselves as defenders of religion. If the former resorted to trickery to catch fish and attain worldly wealth, the people of the Saqifa plotted to erase the name of 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and his family and to return the people to the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyya). If the curse and their distancing from divine mercy ended with metamorphosis, the people of the Saqifa deserve a punishment whose effect will become manifest in Barzakh and the Day of Judgment.
Imam al-Sajjad (a) states in this regard: God metamorphosed the companions of the Sabbath because of fishing. How do you view the state before God, the Almighty and Majestic, of those who killed the children of the prophets and violated their sanctity? Although the Almighty God did not metamorphose them in this world, what He has prepared for them of the torment of the hereafter is manifold greater than the torment of metamorphosis.[9]
Punishment of the Usurpers of the Caliphate in Barzakh
An example of the state of the companions of the Saqifa in the realm of Barzakh appears in the words of Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (a) when he said to al-Harith al-Hamdani: "Do you see what I see?" He replied: "How can I see what you see, while God has granted you illumination and bestowed upon you a status that He has not given to anyone?" He said: "This is Abu Bakr, who is situated on a ledge of fire, pleading: 'O Abu l-Hasan, forgive me,' but God does not forgive him." The second time, Amir al-Mu'minin (a) said: "This is another one, Umar b. al-Khattab, who is situated on a fissure of fire, saying: 'O Abu l-Hasan, forgive me,' but God does not forgive him."[10]
Punishment of the Usurpers of the Caliphate on the Day of Judgment
An example of the afterlife punishment of the usurpers of the caliphate comes in a hadith from the Prophet (s) in which he stated: "In Hell, there is a coffin of fire containing twelve individuals: six from the first generations and six from the last generations. This coffin is in a well at the bottom of Hell, upon the door of which is a lock, and upon the door of that well is a boulder. Whenever God wishes to ignite Hell, He removes that boulder from the door of that well, and Hell blazes from the flames and heat of that well. The six from the first generations are: Cain, the son of Adam, who killed his brother; Pharaoh, the greatest of the pharaohs; the one who argued with Abraham (a) regarding monotheism; two individuals from the Children of Israel who distorted their heavenly book and altered their traditions, one of whom led the Jews astray and the other the Christians; and Iblis is the sixth of them. As for the six from the last generations, one is the Dajjal, and the remaining five are the companions of the sahifa who signed a covenant against the Prophet and Amir al-Mu'minin (a) during the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wida') near Ghadir and gathered at the Saqifa. They are: Abu Bakr, Umar, Abu 'Ubayda al-Jarrah, Mu'adh b. Jabal, and Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfa."[11]
Notes
- ↑ Ghadir fi l-Qur'an, vol. 2, p. 47.
- ↑ Ghadir fi l-Qur'an, vol. 2, p. 69.
- ↑ Asrar Ghadir, p. 148, part 6.
- ↑ Ghadir fi l-Qur'an, vol. 2, p. 69.
- ↑ Bihar al-anwar, vol. 14, p. 56, h 13.
- ↑ Sura Al-A'raf, Verse 163.
- ↑ Sura Al-Baqara, Verse 65.
- ↑ Asrār-i Ghadīr, p. 149, sec. 6.
- ↑ Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 14, p. 58–59.
- ↑ Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 30, p. 195.
- ↑ Kitāb Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī, p. 48–149; Kitāb Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī, p. 174.
References
- Asrār-i Ghadīr; Muhammad Baqir Ansari, Tehran: Nashr-i Tak, 1384 Sh.
- Biḥār al-anwār al-jāmiʿa li-durar akhbār al-aʾimma al-aṭhār; Muhammad Baqir b. Muhammad Taqi Majlisi, Beirut: Dar Ihya' al-Turath al-'Arabi, 1403 AH.
- Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadīr; Muhammad Baqir Ansari, Qom: Intisharat-i Dalil-i Ma, 1387 Sh.
- Kitāb Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī; Sulaym b. Qays Hilali, research: 'Ala' al-Din Musawi, Tehran: Mu'assasat al-Bi'tha (Qism al-Dirasat al-Islamiyya), 1407 AH.