Verse 58 of Sura al-Isra' and Ghadir
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| Ayah Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Surah Name | Sura al-Isra' |
| Ayah Number | 58 |
| Juz' | 15 |
| Ayah Content | |
| Place of Revelation | Mecca |
| Topic | Destruction of people due to denial of divine proofs and succession of Imam al-Mahdi in their land |
| Ayah Recitation Audio Translation | |
Verse 58 of Sura al-Isra' is cited in the al-Ghadir Sermon to illustrate the destruction of people due to their denial of divine proofs and the succession of Imam al-Mahdi (a) in their land.
The historical context for the use of Verse Fifty-eight of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ in the al-Ghadir Sermon is described as follows: The Prophet (s), in a part of the sixth section of the al-Ghadir Sermon, explicitly raised the issue of the usurpation of the caliphate. Then, he cursed the usurpers and delivered his next warning, Verse Fifty-eight of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ, in connection with which the name of Imam al-Mahdi (a) was mentioned.
According to some researchers, the Prophet (s) in the Ghadir address, based on Verse Fifty-eight of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ, interpreted the reason for the destruction of nations before the Day of Judgment in two aspects: that the cause of the destruction of lands is their denial of divine verses and proofs; that the destruction of lands will occur before the Day of Judgment, and Imam al-Mahdi (a) will become the owner and ruler of these lands.
A Verse Pertaining to Confronting the Enemies of Ghadir
Verse Fifty-eight of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ is considered among the verses used in Ghadir to elucidate the stages of the divine test of Ghadir concerning its enemies. Some researchers have explained the basis for using this verse as follows: The greatest divine test for humanity in Ghadir was a comprehensive test, whose conclusive argument was fully established, leaving no escape for anyone for any reason or pretext.
In this divine test, both the aspects that could be the source of trial were numerous, and the causes that could be a satanic motive for failure in the test appeared in various manifestations. The Prophet (s), in his lengthy address, explained these conditions of the test to the people so that they would approach it with full readiness. The Prophet (s) predicted this bitter future of the test implicitly and explicitly, and stated the stages of such a great test by citing eleven verses guaranteed in the al-Ghadir Sermon.[1]
Among these verses is Verse Fifty-eight of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ:
وَ إِنْ مِنْ قَرْیَةٍ إِلاّ نَحْنُ مُهْلِکُوها قَبْلَ یَوْمِ الْقِیامَةِ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُوها عَذاباً شَدِیداً کانَ ذلِکَ فِی الْکِتابِ مَسْطُوراً
- There is no town but We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection, or punish it with a severe punishment. That has been written in the Book.
The Verse in the Text of the Sermon
Verse Fifty-eight of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ is reported in the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon as follows: O people, there is no inhabited land but God will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection due to their denial, and He will make Imam al-Mahdi its owner, and God fulfills His promise[notes 1].[2]
Historical Context
The historical context for the use of Verse Fifty-eight of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ in the al-Ghadir Sermon is described as follows: The Prophet (s), in a part of the sixth section of the al-Ghadir Sermon, explicitly raised the issue of the usurpation of the caliphate and stated: «Soon after me, they will establish the imamate as a kingdom and a usurped position». Then, he cursed the usurpers, and after referring to verses thirty-one to thirty-five of Sūrat al-Raḥmān, Verse 179 of Sura Al 'Imran and Ghadir, the next warning was Verse Fifty-eight of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ, in connection with which the name of Imam al-Mahdi (a) was mentioned.
This part of the al-Ghadir Sermon is the same as the sermon's expression in Verse 45 of Sura al-Hajj; however, in several versions, the expression was different, which is both an adaptation from another verse and its continuation refers to Imam al-Mahdi (a) and indicates a great test in affirming and denying divine proofs (a), the recompense for which will afflict its perpetrators in this world before the Hereafter. The inclusion of the verse in the Prophet's (s) speech is also such that the phrase We will destroy it [notes 2] has been changed to Al-lah will destroy it [notes 3].[3]
Quranic Context
The context of Verse Fifty-eight of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ is depicted under verses of the Qurʾān concerning divine punishment, to the extent that in Verse Fifty-seven, it states: «For the punishment of your Lord is fearsome». Then, this verse, which is among God's severe verses regarding punishment, is mentioned.
The fact that the destruction of lands is mentioned absolutely in the verse and qualified by the phrase «before the Day of Resurrection» indicates a reference to a specific issue that requires interpretation; for all lands must deserve destruction for a reason, and what is this reason that encompasses all lands?[4]
Doctrinal Analysis
According to some researchers, the Prophet (s) in the al-Ghadir Sermon interpreted the cause of the destruction of nations before the Day of Judgment, based on verse fifty-eight of Sura al-Israʾ, in the most concise terms. This interpretation by these researchers is formulated in two aspects:
First Aspect: The Cause of the Destruction of Lands
The cause of the destruction of lands is their denial of divine signs and proofs. This is the affliction from which no land throughout the world is free. Although good people are numerous in every community, the deniers are always in the majority, whether this denial is of the heart, of the tongue, or of action. The generality of the verse refers to the majority, and the exceptional cases are so few that they are not counted. Allah also saves that minority from destruction, just as He saved the companions of Prophet Noah (a) and Prophet Lot (a) and destroyed the rest.[5]
Second Aspect: The Destruction of Lands Before the Day of Judgment
The phrase "before the Day of Judgment," a condition present in the verse for the destruction of lands, indicates the entrustment of their authority to Imam al-Mahdi (a). The mentioned condition in the verse is not "until the Day of Judgment," but rather "before the Day of Judgment," and this signifies a specific goal that should be expected to be realized before the Day of Judgment.
Imam al-Mahdi (a) expressed this point by adding the phrase وَ مُمَلِّكُهَا الامامَ الْمَهْدِىَّ. The meaning of this phrase is that Allah could have deferred the punishment of the deniers to the Day of Judgment, but to realize the absolute authority of Imam al-Mahdi (a) before the Day of Judgment, He destroys them, removes the lands from their possession, and places them under the authority of Imam al-Mahdi (a). A sentence was also added as an emphasis of this divine promise: وَ اللَّه مُصَدِّقٌ ما وَعَدَهُ. It is evident that the will of the Lord is set on the realization of such an important matter before the Day of Judgment.[6]
Other References to Imam al-Mahdi (a) in the al-Ghadir Sermon
In another part of the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon, this same point is explicitly stated, where it says: Beware that he is the one who prevails over religions. Beware that he is the conqueror of fortresses and their destroyer. Be aware that he is the one who prevails over every tribe of the people of polytheism and guides them... Beware that he is the one over whom there is no victor and against whom no one is helped[notes 4].[7]
Imam al-Baqir (a) also states in this regard: Allah will open for him the east and west of the earth[notes 5].[8] During the night of Mi'rāj, Allah also informed His Prophet (s) thus: I shall purify the earth of My enemies by means of the last of them, and I shall grant him authority over the easts and wests of the earth[notes 6].[9]
Footnotes
- ↑ Ghadir in the Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 235–236.
- ↑ Asrār Ghadir, p. 150, section 6.
- ↑ Ghadir in the Qur'ān, vol. 2, p. 258.
- ↑ Ghadir in the Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 258–259.
- ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 259.
- ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 260; Wāqiʿa-ye Qurʾānī-ye Ghadīr, p. 97; Sokhanrānī-ye Istithnāʾī-ye Ghadīr, p. 179–186.
- ↑ Asrār Ghadīr, p. 154–155, section 8.
- ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 52, p. 291.
- ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 52, p. 312, ḥadīth 5.
- ↑ مَعاشِرَ النّاسِ، انَّهُ ما مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ الاّ وَ اللَّه مُهْلِكُها بِتَكْذيبِها قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْقِيامَةِ، وَ مُمَلِّكُهَا اْلامامَ الْمَهْدِىَّ وَ اللَّه مُصَدِّقٌ وَعْدَهُ
- ↑ نَحْنُ مُهْلِکُوهَا
- ↑ اللهُ مُهلِكُها
- ↑ الا انَّهُ الظّاهِرُ عَلَى الدّينِ. الا انَّهُ فاتِحُ الْحُصُونِ وَ هادِمُها. الا انَّهُ غالِبُ كُلِّ قَبيلَةٍ مِنْ اهْلِ الشِّرْكِ وَ هاديها …. الا انَّهُ لا غالِبَ لَهُ وَ لا مَنْصُورَ عَلَيْهِ
- ↑ يَفْتَحُ اللَّه لَهُ شَرْقَ الارْضِ وَ غَرْبَها
- ↑ لاطَهِرَنَّ الارْضَ بِآخِرِهِمْ مِنْ اعْدائى وَ لامَكِّنُهُ مَشارِقَ الارْضِ وَ مَغارِبَها
References
- Asrār Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Tehran: Nashr-e Tak, 1384 Sh./2005.
- 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/1982-1983.
- Sokhanrānī-ye Istithnāʾī-ye Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt-e Dalīl-e Mā, 1386 Sh./2007.
- Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt-e Dalīl-e Mā, 1387 Sh./2008.
- Wāqiʿa-ye Qurʾānī-ye 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-e Dalīl-e Mā, 1386 Sh./2007.