Verse 71 of Sura al-Isra' and Ghadir
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| Ayah Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Surah Name | Sura al-Isra' |
| Ayah Number | 71 |
| Juz' | 15 |
| Ayah Content | |
| Place of Revelation | Mecca |
| Topic | Amīr al-Muʾminīn as the Imam with whom Shīʿites will be called on the Day of Resurrection |
| Ayah Recitation Audio Translation | |
Verse 71 of Sura al-Isra is among the verses mentioned in supplications related to Ghadir, in which Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a) is the Imam with whom Shīʿites will be called on the Day of Resurrection.
According to some sources, Verse seventy-one of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ is included in a part of the supplication after the prayer on the day of ʿĪd al-Ghadīr. From this part of the Ghadir supplication, two points regarding this verse are derived: First, that Imamate of the pious must continue until the Day of Resurrection; second, that the main effects of Ghadir will appear on the Day of Resurrection: on that day, the followers of Ghadir will be called with their Imams; their Imam will not be comparable to others. It is on that day that they will be pleased and proud of the divine choice.
A Verse in the Text of a Ghadiri Supplication
According to some researchers, Verse seventy-one of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ is a verse that appears in the text of one of the supplications related to Ghadir. One of the Qur'anic manifestations of Ghadir is the supplications and ziyārāt that explain and interpret verses related to the event of Ghadir. In many supplications and ziyārāt—especially those related to the night and day of Ghadir—unspoken aspects of the issue of Ghadir are found that are not present in any other narration. In some cases, the occasion of revelation of verses, in others, citing Qur'anic verses, and in still others, considering Ghadir as the instance for the mentioned verse, have been discussed.[1]
Among these instances is a part of Verse seventy-one of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ:[2] On the Day We shall call every group of people with their imam[notes 1] which is mentioned alongside Verse seventy-four of Sūrat al-Furqān in a supplication related to Ghadir.
The Verse in the Text of the Supplication
According to some sources, Verse seventy-one of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ is mentioned in a part of the supplication after the prayer on the day of ʿĪd al-Ghadīr as follows: So I ask You, O Lord, to complete what You have bestowed upon us… and appoint for us an Imam from the pious until the Day of Judgment, the Day when every group of people will be called with their Imam[notes 2].[3]
Theological Analysis of the Verse in the Supplication
Verse seventy-one of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ is incorporated into the discourse of the supplication after the prayer on the day of ʿĪd al-Ghadīr as an allusion, with the change of the phrase نَدْعُوا (We call) in the verse to يُدْعى (they are called). From this part of the Ghadir supplication, two points regarding this verse are derived:
Imamate of the Pious Until the Day of Resurrection
The Imamate of the pious must continue until the Day of Resurrection; because God has stated in Verse seventy-one of al-Isrāʾ: "We call every group of people with their Imam"; therefore, all generations must have an Imam from the pious to be responsive to the divine call on the Day of Resurrection.[4]
The Pride of Ghadir's Followers on the Day of Resurrection
The main effects of Ghadir will appear on the Day of Resurrection: on that day, the followers of Ghadir will be called with their Imams; their Imam will not be comparable to others. It is on that day that they will be pleased and proud of the divine choice. It is stated in a hadith: On the Day of Resurrection, God, the Exalted and Glorious, will call the Imams of guidance, the lights of darkness, and the banners of piety, namely Amīr al-Muʾminīn, Imam al-Ḥasan, and Imam al-Ḥusayn (a). Then it will be said to them: You and your Shīʿites pass over the ṣirāṭ and enter Paradise without reckoning.[5]
In another narration, it is stated: After Ghadir, the hypocrites in private continued to admit their defeat and the greatness of the event of Ghadir. This defeat increased their malice, but since they found themselves incapable of any action, they mocked the truths to vent their anger. In one instance, while some of them were gathered together, regretting what had happened, a lizard passed by them. One of them said: "Would that Muḥammad had appointed this lizard as our leader instead of ʿAlī!" Abū Dharr heard their words and reported them to the Prophet (s). The Prophet sent for them and brought them before him and recounted Abū Dharr's report to them.
They denied it in Abū Dharr's presence and swore an oath to their denial! But from God, Verse seventy-four of Sūrat al-Tawbah was revealed once again in refutation of them. Then the Prophet (s) said: "The sky has not shaded, nor has the earth carried, anyone more truthful than Abū Dharr." After that, he said: "Gabriel has informed me that on the Day of Resurrection, a people will be brought whose Imam is a lizard! Be careful not to be among them." Then he cited Verse seventy-one of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ as evidence and said: God Almighty says: On the Day We shall call every group of people with their imam[notes 3].[6]
Footnotes
- ↑ Ghadir dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 355.
- ↑ Ghadir dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 383.
- ↑ al-Iqbāl, vol. two, p. 287; ʿAwālim al-ʿUlūm, vol. 2/15, p. 218.
- ↑ Ghadir dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 384.
- ↑ Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, p. 65.
- ↑ Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, pp. 41–42; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 37, p. 163; ʿAwālim al-ʿUlūm, vol. 2/15, p. 163.
References
- Al-Iqbāl bi-l-Aʿmāl al-Ḥasanah fīmā Yuʿmal Marrah fī al-Sanah; Sayyid ʿAlī b. Mūsā b. Ṭāwūs, edited by Jawād Qayyūmī Iṣfahānī, Qom: Maktab al-Iʿlām al-Islāmī, 1418 AH.
- Biḥār al-Anwār al-Jāmiʿah li-Durar Akhbār al-Aʾimmah al-Aṭhār; Muḥammad Bāqir b. Muḥammad Taqī Majlisī, Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
- 'Awālim al-ʿUlūm wa al-Maʿārif wa al-Aḥwāl min al-Āyāt wa al-Akhbār wa al-Aqwāl; ʿAbd Allāh b. Nūr Allāh Baḥrānī Iṣfahānī, edited by Muḥammad Bāqir Muwaḥḥid Abṭaḥī Iṣfahānī, Qom: Muʾassasat al-Imām al-Mahdī (a), 1382 SH.
- Ghadir dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadir; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt Dalīl-i Mā, 1387 SH.
- Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib; Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. Shahrāshūb Māzandarānī, edited by Muḥammad Ḥusayn Āshtiyānī and Sayyid Hāshim Rasūlī Maḥallātī, Qom: Muʾassasat Intishārāt ʿAllāmah, 1379 AH.