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Verse 79 of Sura al-Baqara and Ghadir

Verse 79 of Sura al-Baqara is a verse about the enemies of Ghadir in the event of the Second Cursed Document, which will lead to a painful fate for them on the Day of Judgment.

Verse 79 of Sura al-Baqara and Ghadir
Verse 79 of Sura al-Baqara and Ghadir
Ayah Specifications
Surah NameSura al-Baqara
Ayah Number79
Juz'1
Ayah Content
Place of RevelationMedina
TopicThe painful fate of the companions of the Second Cursed Document on the Day of Judgment
Ayah Recitation

Audio Translation

Some researchers have considered the context of the revelation of Verse seventy-nine of Sūrat al-Baqara to be about the writers of the Second Cursed Document, an effort against Ghadir that was revealed by God through the Prophet (s).

Some researchers have deduced several points from the analytical application of Verse seventy-nine of Sūrat al-Baqara to the event of writing the Cursed Document and have presented them under each part of the verse: that the companions of the Document attributed their writing to God; that their act was a great injustice to gain a small profit; that the writing of this Document paved the way for some of the greatest crimes in Islamic history, including the event of Ashura; that the writing of the Second Cursed Document was similar to what the Quraysh did in the pre-Islamic era against the Prophet (s) when they wrote a covenant for the economic boycott of Muslims; that the Prophet's (s) overlooking of the companions of the Document and turning away from them was to test them and allow them to delve deeper into the consequences of their actions.

A Verse About the Enemies of Ghadir

Verse seventy-nine of Sūrat al-Baqara is among the verses used in the al-Ghadir Sermon. The context for the use of this verse by some researchers has been outlined as follows: ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (a) is the Imam whom the Prophet (s) made the cause of the test for the Ummah: O ʿAlī, if it were not for you, the believers would not have been recognized after me.[notes 1][1]

The Prophet (s) dedicated a part of the Ghadir ceremony to describing the enemies of the Imams (a) and their future. The citation of several verses and the inclusion of other verses for this purpose have placed a total of fifteen verses under this section's title. In these verses, on the one hand, the characteristics and behavior of the enemies of Ahl al-Bayt (a) in this world are discussed, and on the other hand, the recompense for their beliefs and actions in this world and the hereafter is stated, including the depreciation of their deeds.[2]

These verses are fifteen verses, among which is Verse seventy-nine of Sūrat al-Baqara:

 فَوَیْلٌ لِلَّذینَ یَکْتُبُونَ الْکِتابَ بِأَیْدیهِمْ ثُمَّ یَقُولُونَ هذا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ لِیَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَناً قَلیلاً، فَوَیْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا کَتَبَتْ اَیْدیهِمْ وَ وَیْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا یَکْسِبُونَ 
So woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, then say, ‘This is from Allah,’ that they may sell it for a paltry price. So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn.[3]

Historical Context for the Use of the Verse: The Writing of the Second Cursed Document

Some researchers have outlined the context for the use of Verse seventy-nine of Sūrat al-Baqara as follows: After the conclusion of the three-day Ghadir ceremony and the arrival of the Ghadir caravan in Medina, and the failure of the plot to assassinate the Prophet (s) en route, the hypocrites did not despair; rather, in Medina, they began to strengthen the foundations they had laid after the Hajj rituals with the writing of the First Cursed Document.

With the beginning of the month of Muharram, the leaders of the hypocrites held secret meetings and added new details to the first covenant. Their number, which was five on the day the First Document was written, reached fourteen during the event of ʿAqabat Harshī. The hypocrites invited tribal leaders and influential members of society to their covenant through various means. Mu'adh b. Jabal set out to invite the Anṣār, and the rest of the companions of the First Document set out to invite the Quraysh, and managed to gather a group of thirty-four enemies of the Prophet (s). Their feeling was that they should not delay; because if they did not prepare all the preliminaries before the Prophet's (s) demise, signing only a few-line document in Mecca would not achieve anything. Thus, they even prepared the charter for their work for the days when they would take control of affairs. This covenant, which was signed by the same thirty-four individuals in the house of Abū Bakr and entrusted to Abu 'Ubayda al-Jarrah, was named the 'Second Document' and consists of several pages, the text of which we have previously presented.[4]

The morning after the signing of the Second Document, the Prophet (s), after the prayer, turned to Abū ʿUbayda and began to speak from a point where people would generally understand the hidden matters. However, the Prophet (s) was commanded not to explicitly mention their names in his speech, but he explained the reason for this concealment. In this regard, he cited two verses from the Qurʾān, both of which he quoted verbatim in his speech, one of which was Verse seventy-nine of Sūrat al-Baqara. Upon hearing the Prophet's (s) words in that gathering and the possibility of their names being mentioned, that group became so frightened that everyone present realized that the Qurʾānic addresses referred to them.[5]

Quranic Context of the Verse

The Quranic context of Verse seventy-nine of Sūrat al-Baqarah is described as follows: This verse is precisely about the hypocrites and begins with Verse seventy-five, where God says: "Do you hope that they will believe you, while a party of them used to hear the word of Allah and then tamper with it after they had understood it, and they knew [what they were doing]?"

It then describes their hypocritical demeanor: when they meet the believers, they say, "We believe," and whenever they are alone with each other, they say: "Why do you relate to them what Allah has disclosed to you, so that they may argue with you by it before your Lord?" It is even mentioned that they consider their writings to be divine instructions, and God gives them a serious warning. In subsequent verses, their negligence regarding the fire of Hell is discussed. They are then referred to as those whose sins have encompassed them from all sides, and they will abide in everlasting Hell.[6]

Historical Context of the Verse's Use: Consequence of Writing the Second Saḥīfah

Some researchers have outlined the context for the use of Verse seventy-nine of Sūrat al-Baqarah, in the form of the consequence of writing the second Saḥīfah, as follows: Details of the day when the Prophet (s) recited Verses seventy-nine of al-Baqarah and Verse 108 of Sura al-Nisa and Ghadir to the people, making them aware of a great conspiracy and a worrying future. This event is reported by Hudhayfah b. al-Yaman as follows: That group gathered at the house of Abu Bakr and consulted about the future of the caliphate until they agreed on certain principles. They then instructed Saʿīd b. al-ʿĀṣ al-Umawī to write a covenant based on their views. Then they entrusted the Saḥīfah to Abu 'Ubaydah al-Jarrah, who then gave it to someone to take to Mecca (and hide it in the Kaʿbah). They then returned from Abū Bakr's house.

The next morning, after the Prophet (s) had performed the dawn prayer, he remained seated in his prayer place and continued his remembrance until the sun rose. He then turned to Abū ʿUbaydah and said, "Bravo! Who is like you, now that you have become the trustee of this Ummah!" Then he recited this verse: "So woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, 'This is from Allah,' that they may sell it for a paltry price. So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn."

Then the Prophet (s) said: "A group from this Ummah has become similar to what is mentioned in the [Divine] Word: 'They hide from people, but they do not hide from Allah, and He is with them when they take counsel by night concerning words He does not approve of, and Allah comprehends what they do.'" Then he said: "Today, a group in my Ummah has arisen who resemble the people of this verse, in a Saḥīfah they wrote against us during the Jahiliyyah and hung in the Ka'bah. God Almighty grants them a comfortable life to test them, and also to test those who come after them, so that the wicked and the good may be distinguished. Were it not that God has commanded me to refrain from exposing them — for a matter He intends to accomplish — I would have brought them forth and struck off their heads!" By God, when the Prophet (s) uttered these words, we saw that group trembling so much that they had lost their senses. And it was not hidden from any of those present in the gathering that day that the Prophet (s) intended them with those words and presented those examples from the Qurʾān because of them.[7]

Theological Analysis of the Verse

Some researchers have derived seven points from the analytical application of Qur'anic verse 79 of Sūrat al-Baqara to the event of the writing of the Cursed Scroll, presenting them under each part of the verse:

Attributing the Scroll to God

who write the Book with their own hands, and then say, This is from Allah:[notes 2] What they have written with their own hands, they attribute a divine title to it, saying it is from God, so that people may trust it. This is an issue that was cunningly placed at the beginning of the Second Scroll to underpin its content. Those who sought to usurp the caliphate of Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a) not only did not hang their heads in shame, but with utmost audacity, presented it as a part of Islam. To establish a connection between the usurpation and Islam, they used the title 'Companions of Muḥammad (s)' at the beginning of the scroll.[8]

“This is a document upon which an important group of the Companions of Muḥammad, the Messenger of God, from among the Muhājirūn and Anṣār, have agreed—the same Muhājirūn and Anṣār whom God has praised in His Qurʾan and through the tongue of His Prophet. After exerting their utmost effort in their judgment and consulting on their matter, they wrote this scroll, considering the welfare of Islam and its people in past days and for the remainder of time, so that those Muslims who come after them may follow their example.” By using specific words in this text, they attempted to give a positive impression to their actions, so that future generations would consider them benevolent.[9]

Great Injustice for a Small Gain

That they may sell it for a paltry price:[notes 3] The outcome of the Second Cursed Scroll for its writers was the attainment of leadership and fleeting worldly desires, which lasted for Abū Bakr for two years and a few months, and for ʿUmar for twelve years and some. Three other individuals also passed away with the longing to achieve it: Muʿādh and Abū ʿUbayda contracted the plague and died during ʿUmar's time, and Sālim was killed in the Battle of Yamāma on the path of Saqifa. For this short period, they were willing to ruin the religion, world, and afterlife of their own generation and all future generations until the Day of Judgment. Was this reward not insignificant compared to that trampling of truth? In contrast to this meager reward for them, the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (a) and the Islamic ummah paid a tremendous price. This high price is intertwined with infinity and can be measured by the magnitude of the crime: crimes such as the incident of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ's (s.a.) house, the event of Karbalāʾ, and other injustices inflicted upon the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[10]

Woe to the Scroll from Karbalāʾ!

So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn![notes 4]: The Cursed Scroll is one of the rarest instances of covert actions that led to the greatest crimes, plunging humanity into calamity, namely the occurrence of the event of Ashūrāʾ. As Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: “When the scroll was written, Ḥusayn (a) was killed.”[11] In Muḥarram of the eleventh Hijri year—shortly after Ghadīr—the Second Scroll, which was the constitution of Saqifa, was drafted in the house of Abū Bakr in Medina. Exactly fifty years later, in Muḥarram of the sixty-first Hijri year, Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ (a) was martyred.[12]

A Scroll Like the Scroll of Jāhiliyya

This is the statement of the Prophet (s)[notes 5] regarding the signatories of the scroll, which he said to them ironically: “Today, a group in my ummah has arisen who resemble those who, during the Jāhiliyya, wrote a scroll against us and hung it in the Kaʿba.”[13] When the Quraysh, during the Jāhiliyya, tried various ways to fight the Prophet (s) and achieved no results, as a final measure, they wrote a covenant and swore upon it that they would not associate or trade with any of Banū Hāshim until they surrendered the Prophet (s) to the Quraysh to kill him. Forty prominent members of the Quraysh sealed this covenant and hung it in the Kaʿba, and consequently, they besieged Banū Hāshim for four years in the Shiʿb Abī Ṭālib.[14]

The similarity between these two scrolls lies in the intention to eradicate Islam in both cases, the decision to kill the Prophet (s) in both, the persecution of the Prophet's (s) family in both, and its placement in the Kaʿba in both instances. These similarities clarify the connection between overt disbelief in the Jāhiliyya and covert disbelief (hypocrisy) during the time of the Prophet (s).[15]

Overlooking the Companions of the Sahifa for Trial

Regarding the Cursed Sahifa,[notes 6] the question arises: since God informed His Prophet about the formation of such a pact against Islam, why did the Prophet not prevent their actions by exposing them? The Prophet (s) did not delay in answering this question, and explicitly stated regarding the Cursed Sahifa: 'God Almighty grants them enjoyment in this worldly life so that He may test them and those who come after them, and so that the separation of the impure from the pure may occur. Had it not been that God, the Exalted, commanded me to disregard them – for a matter He intends to accomplish – I would have brought them forth and struck off their heads.'[16] Careful consideration of these words of the Prophet (s) provides a complete answer to that very question, encompassing six responses from six perspectives:

First Answer: A Trial for the Oppressors

From the beginning of time, God has not based His plan on the immediate annihilation of oppressors; rather, He has left them free to undergo their trial. Just as He granted Qābīl, Nimrūd, Shaddād, and Pharaoh a period of respite on earth, even though He could have destroyed them immediately upon their unjust claims.[17]

Second Answer: A Trial for the People

If God were to block the path of oppressors and the misguided, there would be no means for testing people. People must be exposed to crooked paths and false ideas so that the extent of their steadfastness on the path of truth can be measured. It is true that the people of falsehood will receive their due punishment, but in another sense, they will also be a means of trial for others. This trial encompasses all generations until the Day of Judgment, whether they choose Ghadīr or Saqifa; whether they will be with the imams of guidance or the imams of misguidance.[18]

Third Answer: To Separate the Impure from the Pure

Separating the impure from the pure is one of the main objectives of bringing humanity into the world. If this period did not exist for humans to reveal their inner selves, on the Day of Judgment, everyone would make claims for themselves, and impure individuals would not accept their wickedness, and all would desire Paradise, whereas Paradise is the abode of the pure.[19] God has placed pure individuals like the Infallibles (a) on one side, and on the other, impure individuals like Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, Muʿāwiya, Yazīd, Banū Umayya, and Banū al-ʿAbbās for people to judge. He has given people the right to choose so freely that the inner inclinations towards felicity and wretchedness, purity and wickedness, fully manifest themselves, and inner selves are revealed, allowing the pure and impure to identify themselves by their own actions.[20]

Fourth Answer: A Divine Command to Disregard

The Prophet's (s) non-engagement with the Companions of the Sahifa was not due to personal interests or individual decision-making; rather, his overlooking and disregard (turning away) was directly by divine command. Thus, the Revealer of Islam to the heart of the Prophet (s) commanded him in this manner, and he executed God's command, even though killing them in that situation would have been a very simple task. This overlooking is far superior to that action, because enduring the wickedness of the enemy is for the sake of obeying a divine command.[21]

Fifth Answer: For a Matter He Intends to Accomplish

Many affairs of the world, indeed all that is considered behind the scenes of the world, are hidden from humans, and they certainly lack the capacity to comprehend them. God also does not intend to wait for human comprehension for the system and goals He has ordained for humanity before implementing them. The result is that humanity must accept that even if many of their questions remain unanswered, their hearts are at peace knowing that a Wise and All-Knowing God has brought it into execution. Of course, if it were a matter of explaining the expediencies of affairs, God would have the best and most convincing answers for them; therefore, there is no concern as to why God and His Messenger left the Companions of the Sahifa free; for the true believer is confident that whatever He ordains is the best, and nothing better can be conceived.[22]

Sixth Answer: I Would Have Brought Them Forth and Struck Off Their Heads

The Prophet (s) said regarding the founders of Saqīfa: 'I would have struck off their heads in front of the people'; meaning that on that day, these two individuals were destined to be beheaded. By writing the Sahifa, they deserved such a punishment, but God granted them respite. A respite that brought upon them eternal torment in the shadow of their deeds and the repercussions of their actions in the future history of Islam; actions such as the assault on the House of Revelation, the martyrdom of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (s.a.), the Event of ʿĀshūrāʾ, and other injustices against the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[23]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, p. 206.
  2. ↑ Ghadīr in the Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 361.
  3. ↑ Ghadīr in the Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 415.
  4. ↑ For more information on this document, see: Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 28, pp. 103–104.
  5. ↑ Ghadīr in the Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 413–414.
  6. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 414–415.
  7. ↑ Irshād al-Qulūb, vol. 2, pp. 200–204; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 28, pp. 102–106.
  8. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 28, p. 103; for the full text of this scroll, see: Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 126–129.
  9. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 417–418.
  10. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 418–419.
  11. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 24, p. 365; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 28, p. 123.
  12. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 420.
  13. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 28, p. 106.
  14. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 18, p. 120, ḥ. 33; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 19, p. 2.
  15. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 423.
  16. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 28, p. 106.
  17. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 424.
  18. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 424.
  19. ↑ For detailed information, see: Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 140–253.
  20. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 425–426.
  21. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 426.
  22. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 426–427.
  23. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 427.
  1. ↑ لَوْ لا انْتَ يا عَلِىُّ لَمْ يُعْرَفِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بَعْدى
  2. ↑  یَکْتُبُونَ الْکِتابَ بِأَیْدِیهِمْ ثُمَّ یَقُولُونَ هذا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّه 
  3. ↑  لِیَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِیلًا 
  4. ↑  فَوَیْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا کَتَبَتْ أَیْدِیهِمْ وَ وَیْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا یَکْسِبُونَ 
  5. ↑ ضاهُوهُمْ فى صَحيفَتِهِمُ الَّتى كَتَبُوها عَلَيْنا فِى الْجاهِلِيَّةِ
  6. ↑ لِيَبْتَلِىَ مَنْ يَأْتى بَعْدَهُمْ تَفْرِقَةً بَيْنَ الْخَبيثِ وَ الطَّيِّبِ

References

  • Irshād al-Qulūb al-Munjī min ʿAmila bihi min Alīm al-ʿIqāb; Ḥasan b. Abī al-Ḥasan Muḥammad al-Daylamī, edited by Sayyid Hāshim Mīlānī, Tehran: Uswah Publications, 2003.
  • 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, 1403/1983.
  • Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Dalil-e Ma Publications, 2008.
  • Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib; Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. Shahrāshūb Māzandarānī, edited by Muḥammad Ḥusayn Āshtiyānī and Sayyid Hāshim Rasūlī Maḥallātī, Qom: ʿAllamah Publications Institute, 1379/1959.
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