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Verse 85 of Al 'Imran and Ghadir

Verse 85 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān is a verse in the al-Ghadir Sermon which has been used to prove that no Islam other than the Islam of Ghadir is acceptable to God.

Verse 85 of Al 'Imran and Ghadir
Verse 85 of Al 'Imran and Ghadir
Ayah Specifications
Surah NameAl 'Imran
Ayah Number85
Juz'3
Ayah Content
Place of RevelationMedina
TopicNo Islam other than the Islam of Ghadir is acceptable to God
Ayah Recitation

Audio Translation

The historical context for the use of Verse 85 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān is depicted as follows: After the Hadith al-Ghadir was stated in the al-Ghadir Sermon, the Prophet (s), in a part of the fourth section of the al-Ghadir Sermon, in order to prove that no religion is acceptable except with the wilāya of 'Ali (a), cited two other verses from the Qurʾān: one was Verse 85 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān and the other was Verse 19 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān. The inclusion of these two verses with the Verse of Ikmal meant that the only religion is Islam, and anything other than Islam is not acceptable to God. Furthermore, the religion that God has accepted as Islam is that which contains Ghadir and wilāya, and its Prophet's successors until the Day of Judgment are the twelve Imams (a).

Three conclusions have been drawn from the analysis of the Qurʾānic position of Verse 85 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān: The first conclusion is that Islam without wilāya is incomplete and unacceptable; the second conclusion is that Islam means true submission; the third conclusion is that the call of all prophets has been to Islam and wilāya.

A Verse Related to Specific Occasions in Ghadir

Regarding the connection between Verse 85 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān and Ghadir, it has been stated that, considering Ghadir was an elaborate three-day ceremony, in addition to the verses directly revealed during those three days, some verses were also alluded to within the discourse.[1]

There are eighteen such verses, among which is Verse 19 of Āl-i ʿImrān:

وَ مَنْ یَبْتَغِ غَیْرَ الْإِسْلامِ دِیناً فَلَنْ یُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَ هُوَ فِی الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخاسِرِینَ
And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.[2]

The completion of God's religion and the greatest blessing of the Lord, with whose advent blessings were perfected, was the wilaya of the Imams (a) and their authority over the people. It was then that the religion of Islam was accepted by God as a complete religion. This matter was alluded to in the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon, relying on this verse.[3]

The Verse in the Text of the Sermon

Verse 85 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān is recorded in the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon in a narration from the book al-Yaqīn bi-Ikhtiṣāṣ Mawlānā ʿAlī (ʿa) bi-Imrat al-Muʾminīn as follows:

O God, You revealed to me that the Imamate is for 'Ali. And when I declared this and appointed him—when You perfected their religion for them, completed Your blessing upon them, and were pleased with Islam as their religion[notes 1] —You said:[notes 2] “Indeed the religion with Allah is Islam.”[notes 3] And You said:[notes 4] And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers[notes 5].[4]

Historical Context of the Verse's Use

The historical context for the use of Verse 85 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān is depicted as follows: After the Hadith al-Ghadir was stated by the Prophet (s) in the al-Ghadir Sermon and the revelation of Verse 3 of Sūrat al-Māʾida (the Verse of Ikmal), the Prophet (s), in a part of the fourth section of the al-Ghadir Sermon, in order to prove that no religion is acceptable except with the wilāya of 'Ali (a), cited two other verses from the Qurʾān: one was Verse 85 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān and the other was Verse 19 of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān.

The inclusion of these two verses with the Verse of Ikmal meant that the only religion is Islam, and anything other than Islam is not acceptable to God. Furthermore, the religion that God has accepted as Islam is that which contains Ghadir and wilāya, and its Prophet's successors until the Day of Judgment are the twelve Imams (a). It was here that the Prophet (s) breathed a sigh of relief and addressed God, saying: "O God, I bear You witness that I have conveyed the message."

Under such circumstances, Verses nineteen and eighty-five of Sūrat Āl-i ʿImrān are fully quoted in the words of the Prophet (s). The meaning of this quotation is that the Islam, other than which nothing is acceptable, is precisely this Islam that has reached its ultimate perfection. It should be noted that the Prophet's intention cannot be the revelation of the Verse of Ikmal and the two aforementioned verses in the declaration of wilāya, because the Prophet (s) says: "O God, when declaring wilāya, this verse...", and does not say: "these two or three verses...", whereas in Arabic, observing singular, dual, and plural in verbs and pronouns is essential. Therefore, the revealed verse is the first verse (the Verse of Ikmal), and Verses nineteen and eighty-five of Āl-i ʿImrān are a continuation of the Prophet's words as an assurance. Also, in the Qurʾān, these three verses are not side by side for the word "Islam" in the second verse to be connected to the same word in the first verse.

Moreover, according to the text of the book al-Yaqīn, in this part of the sermon, Verses nineteen and eighty-five of Āl-i ʿImrān are mentioned, but their revelation in Ghadir is not explicitly stated; rather, they are referred to as "qulta" (You said), meaning: "You have said so." Besides this, in most versions, it is not recorded with this phrasing.[5]

Quranic Context of the Verse

Regarding the Quranic context of verse eighty-five of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān and the verses thereafter, it has been stated: Semantically, from verse nineteen of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān to verse eighty-five, derivatives of the word "Islam" have been repeated seven times. These verses indicate that the program of all divine prophets was Islam, and all prophets were its bearers of glad tidings and propagators. Islam is the only divine religion whose essence is one and whose perfect form is with God, but its teachings were revealed gradually until the day its ultimate perfection and the closing of its dossier were announced. On that day, verse three of Sūrat al-Māʾida explicitly announced the perfection of religion and the completion of this gradual evolutionary process.

On the day of Ghadir, when the complete religion was presented to the people, the Holy Prophet (s) interpreted verse eighty-five of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān in the al-Ghadir Sermon, declaring Islam as the only religion acceptable to God, and that no other religion would be accepted from anyone. This interpretation by the Prophet in this specific context had three significant outcomes for Muslims, which are also considered among his greatest conclusive arguments:

  • The first outcome is that Islam without wilāya is incomplete and unacceptable.
  • The second outcome is that Islam means true submission.
  • The third outcome is that the invitation of all prophets was to Islam and wilāya.[6]

Theological Analysis of the Qur'anic Position of the Verse

Regarding two of the three outcomes derived from the Qur'anic position of verse nineteen of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, the following theological analysis has been presented:

Theological Analysis of the First Outcome: Islam Without Wilāya is Incomplete and Unacceptable

Given that in the words of the Prophet (s), the word "Islam" is used once at the end of the previous sentence and I have approved Islam as your religion[notes 6] and once at the beginning of this sentence And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam[notes 7], according to the rules of speech, both refer to the same meaning, and whatever is said about the latter will also be true for the former. Now that the meaning of Islam in the previous sentence is complete Islam with the wilāya of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and the acceptance of their authority in this world and the Hereafter, and Islam without wilāya is incomplete, the question is: Does God accept incomplete Islam?

It is clear from the Prophet's (s) emphasis on this verse that incomplete Islam is not accepted by God, and one who accepts incomplete Islam is considered a non-Muslim. This is because God, by using the particle "lan" (never), which is used in Arabic for eternal negation, has rejected incomplete Islam with the phrase it shall never be accepted from him[notes 8], which blocks any possibility. The use of the word "yabtaghī[notes 9]," meaning "to seek something" or "to be in pursuit and search for choosing something," strengthens this concept; that is, after all the prophets (a) strived to strengthen the pillars of Islam, and the Seal of Prophethood endeavored for twenty-three years for this religion to reach its perfection after a six-thousand-year journey, if someone seeks another religion or this very religion in its incomplete form, they have mocked God and His messengers and committed a form of disbelief in the divine religion.

Another sentence that expresses this theological point is the continuation of the verse with the phrase and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers[notes 10]: A "khāsir" means a "loser" who has strived but, at the time of the result, finds that not only has he gained no profit, but his effort has brought him greater harm. Where God Almighty has said: "I swear by My might, glory, generosity, majesty, and My power over My creation, I will not accept faith in Myself and in your prophethood unless it is with the wilāya of ʿAlī,"[7] the result is that He says: "If a servant calls upon Me between the rukn and the maqām, and has begun and continued this worship from the day I created the heavens and the earth, but meets Me while not accepting the wilāya of ʿAlī, I will cast him face down into Hell."[8]

Theological Analysis of the Second Outcome: Islam Means True Submission

The etymological meaning of the word "Islam" and the words derived from it used in verses nineteen to eighty-five of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, on the other hand, indicate that Islam means "submission to what God commands." Many narrations have been transmitted in this regard; among them:

  • Imam al-Sadiq (a): Islam is submission, and submission is Islam.[notes 11] Whoever submits has accepted Islam, and whoever does not submit has no Islam..[9]
  • Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a): Heartfelt faith is submission to the Lord. Whoever submits matters to their Owner does not show arrogance towards His command, unlike what Iblīs showed arrogance towards prostrating to Adam. Most nations showed arrogance towards the obedience of their prophets, and consequently, monotheism did not benefit them, just as those lengthy prostrations did not benefit Iblīs.[10]

Based on this, the main foundation of the religion of Saqīfa is non-submission to the Lord and the invention of a command against divine decree, and what is not seen in it is submission to the Lord. Its starting point was opposition to God's choice in imamate and caliphate, where, despite acknowledging the declaration of the wilāya and imamate of ʿAlī (a) by God and His Messenger, they deliberately went to another. In this opposition, they showed such obstinacy that they placed an enemy of ʿAlī (a) in his stead. Then, this non-submission expanded and entered into divine commands and rulings, and it was openly said that God said such and such, and we say such and such.[notes 12] Therefore, if "Islam" is submission to God's command, there is no submission in the religion of Saqīfa, so there is no Islam. It is another religion that has no connection with Indeed, the religion with Allah is Islam[notes 13].

It is the same religion about which God says: And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it shall never be accepted from him[notes 14] and this kind of Islam does not exist among them for anyone to try to prove that they have abandoned that Islam.[11]

Theological Analysis of the Third Outcome: The Call of All Prophets (a) to Islam and Wilāya

God's religion is one, and the divine prophets have carried one message from God. This theological foundation is presented through verse eighty-five of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān with the Prophet's (s) al-Ghadir interpretation, and many hadiths have been transmitted in this regard. In verse eighteen of Āl ʿImrān, it states: "Indeed, the religion with Allah is Islam." Following this, the cause of disagreement in divine religions is attributed to ignorant leaders.

The concepts presented in the verses preceding Verse eighty-five of Āl 'Imrān, which declare the unity of all prophets upon Islam, are formulated in Verse eighty-five as follows: anything other than Islam is rejected by God, and the Prophet (s) at Ghadir introduced the religiously accepted Islam, the principle of which is the wilayah of the Ahl al-Bayt (a). Without this wilayah, the concept of “divine satisfaction with religion” is not realized. Consequently, all prophets (a) invited to the wilayah of 'Ali (a) and presented this covenant to their nations.

The belief for which God took a covenant from people on the Day of Alast, and the religion towards which human nature (fiṭra) inclines, is Islam with the wilayah of the Ahl al-Bayt (a). For this reason, the only religion acceptable to God is Islam, and all prophets (a) presented such a religion to people.[12]

Narrations Regarding the Religion Accepted by God

In sources, narrations have been reported concerning the religion accepted by God based on Verse eighty-five of Sūrat Āl 'Imrān; these include:

  • Imam al-Sadiq (a) states regarding Verse thirty of Sūrat al-Rūm (the Fiṭra Verse): The fiṭra upon which God created people is this: tawḥīd, that Muḥammad is the Messenger of God, and that 'Ali is the Commander of the Faithful.[13]
  • Imam al-Baqir (a) states regarding Verse 172 of Al-A'raf and Ghadir (the Covenant Verse or Dharr Verse): When God, the Exalted, took a covenant from the children of Adam and made them witnesses against themselves, He said: Am I not your Lord, and is Muḥammad not My Prophet, and is 'Ali not the Commander of the Faithful?[14]

Furthermore, many ḥadīths have been reported concerning the prophets (a) having covenanted with God for the wilayah of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and having sought to aid them; these include:

  • The Prophet (s): مَا تَنَبَّأَ نَبِيٌّ قَطُّ إِلَّا بِمَعْرِفَتِهِ وَ الْإِقْرَارِ لَنَا بِالْوَلَايَةِ وَ لَا اسْتَأْهَلَ خَلْقٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ النَّظَرَ إِلَيْهِ إِلَّا بِالْعُبُودِيَّةِ لَهُ وَ الْإِقْرَارِ لِعَلِيٍّ بَعْدِي‏.[15]
  • Imam al-Sadiq (a): God did not send any prophet or messenger except that He took a covenant from him for the prophethood of Muḥammad and the imamate of 'Ali.[16]
  • The Prophet (s): O 'Ali, God did not send any prophet except that He called him to your wilayah.[17]
  • Imam al-Baqir (a): God will return every prophet He has sent – from Adam to the last of the prophets – to the world to aid the Prophet (s) and the Commander of the Faithful (a).[18]
  • On the night of Mi'raj, God commanded the Prophet (s) to ask the prophets (a) what they bear witness to. The prophets replied to the حضرت: We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, He is One and has no partner; and you are the Messenger of God, and 'Ali is the Commander of the Faithful and your successor… and we bear witness that you are the Prophet of God and the master of prophets, and 'Ali b. Abī Ṭālib is the master of successors. A covenant has been taken from us for this testimony.[19]

Following this covenant, many narrations in sources state that the prophets (a) invited their nations to the wilayah of the Ahl al-Bayt (a); these include:

  • The Prophet (s): God continuously completed the argument (iṭmām al-ḥujja) regarding 'Ali in the nations to whom a prophet was sent, and whoever in those nations had greater knowledge of 'Ali possessed a higher rank with God.[20]
  • Imam al-Sadiq (a): Our wilayah is the wilayah of God, the Exalted and Glorious, with which no prophet has been sent except through it.[21]
  • Imam al-Baqir (a) said: God has not sent any prophet except for our wilayah and for disavowal and dissociation from our enemies.[22]
  • Imam al-Hadi (a): God did not send Muḥammad and the prophets before him except with the ḥanīf religion… and wilayah.[23]
  • Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a): If God did not want to manifest our right, He would not have sent the prophets as bearers of good tidings and warners to people.[24]
  • Imam al-Sadiq (a): No prophet attained prophethood and no messenger was sent except for our wilayah and our superiority over others.[25]
  • Imam al-Rida (a) said: The wilayah of 'Ali is mentioned in the books of all prophets, and God has not sent any prophet except with the prophethood of Muḥammad and the successorship of 'Ali.[26]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Ghadir in the Qurʾān, vol. two, p. ninety-three.
  2. ↑ Ghadir in the Qurʾān, vol. two, p. one hundred forty-seven.
  3. ↑ Asrār al-Ghadīr, p. two hundred two.
  4. ↑ al-Yaqīn, p. three hundred fifty-two.
  5. ↑ Ghadir in the Qurʾān, vol. two, pp. one hundred forty-eight–one hundred forty-nine.
  6. ↑ Ghadir dar Qurʾān, vol. two, pp. one hundred forty-nine–one hundred fifty-one.
  7. ↑ al-Yaqīn, p. 290; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 18, p. 392.
  8. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 37, p. 167.
  9. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 75, p. 220.
  10. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 27, p. 174.
  11. ↑ Ghadīr dar Qurʾān, vol. 2, pp. 153–155.
  12. ↑ Ghadir dar Qur'an, vol. two, pp. one hundred fifty-five–one hundred fifty-six.
  13. ↑ al-Yaqīn, p. one hundred eighty-eight.
  14. ↑ al-Yaqīn, p. two hundred thirty-five; al-Yaqīn, p. two hundred thirty-one; al-Yaqīn, p. two hundred twenty-two.
  15. ↑ Kitāb Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī, p. two hundred six.
  16. ↑ Ta'wīl al-Āyāt al-Ẓāhira, p. one hundred twenty-one.
  17. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. twenty-six, p. two hundred eighty; al-Muḥtaḍar, p. two hundred twelve.
  18. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. five, p. two hundred thirty-seven; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. eleven, p. twenty-five; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. fifty-three, p. fifty.
  19. ↑ al-Yaqīn, p. two hundred ninety-five; al-Yaqīn, p. four hundred six.
  20. ↑ Kitāb Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī, p. two hundred five.
  21. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. twenty-six, p. two hundred eighty-one; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. ninety-seven, p. two hundred sixty-two.
  22. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. twenty-four, p. three hundred thirty, ḥ. fifty-one.
  23. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. twenty-five, p. three hundred sixteen.
  24. ↑ al-Kharāʾij wa al-Jarāʾiḥ, vol. one, p. four hundred forty-nine; Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. two, p. one hundred eighty-one.
  25. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. twenty-six, p. two hundred eighty-one.
  26. ↑ Ta'wīl al-Āyāt al-Ẓāhira, p. eighty-four.
  1. ↑ اللّهمَّ انَّكَ انْزَلْتَ عَلَىَّ انَّ الامامَةَ لِعَلِىٍّ، وَ انَّكَ عِنْدَ بَيانى ذلِكَ وَ نَصْبى ايّاهُ - لِما اكْمَلْتَ لَهُمْ دينَهُمْ وَ اتْمَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ نِعْمَتَكَ وَ رَضِيتَ لَهُمُ الْاسْلامَ ديناً
  2. ↑ قُلْتَ:
  3. ↑  إِنَّ الدِّینَ عِنْدَ اللَّه الْإِسْلامُ 
  4. ↑ وَ قُلْتَ
  5. ↑  وَ مَنْ یَبْتَغِ غَیْرَ الْإِسْلامِ دِیناً فَلَنْ یُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَ هُوَ فِی الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخاسِرِینَ 
  6. ↑ رَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلامَ دِيناً
  7. ↑ وَ مَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلامِ دِيناً
  8. ↑ فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ
  9. ↑ یَبْتَغِ
  10. ↑ وَ هُوَ فِى الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخاسِرِينَ
  11. ↑ الاسْلامُ هُوَ التَّسْليمُ وَ التَّسْليمُ هُوَ الاسْلامُ
  12. ↑ An example of this is shown in the innovations of the second caliph.
  13. ↑  إِنَّ الدِّینَ عِنْدَ اللَّه الْإِسْلامُ 
  14. ↑ وَ مَنْ یَبْتَغِ غَیْرَ الْإِسْلامِ دِیناً

References

  • Asrār Ghadir; Muḥammad Baqir Anṣārī, Tehran: Nashr Tak, 1384 SH.
  • Biḥār al-Anwār al-Jāmiʿa li-Durar Akhbār al-Aʾimma al-Aṭhār; Muḥammad Baqir b. Muḥammad Taqī Majlisī, Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
  • Ta'wīl al-Āyāt al-Ẓāhira fī Faḍāʾil al-ʿItra al-Ṭāhira; Sharaf al-Dīn 'Alī Ḥusaynī Astarābādī, research: Ḥusayn Ustādwalī, Qom: Muʾassasat al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1409 AH.
  • al-Kharāʾij wa al-Jarāʾiḥ; Sa'īd b. Hibat Allāh (Quṭb al-Dīn Rāwandī), Qom: Muʾassasat al-Imām al-Mahdī (a), 1409 AH.
  • Ghadir dar Qur'an, Qur'an dar Ghadir; Muḥammad Baqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt Dalīl Mā, 1387 SH.
  • Kitāb Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī; Sulaym b. Qays Hilālī, research: 'Alāʾ al-Dīn Mūsawī, Tehran: Muʾassasat al-Bi'tha (Qism al-Dirāsāt al-Islāmīya), 1407 AH.
  • al-Muḥtaḍar; Ḥasan b. Sulaymān Ḥillī, research: 'Alī Ashraf, Qom: al-Maktabat al-Ḥaydarīya, 1424 AH.
  • al-Yaqīn bi-Ikhtiṣāṣ Mawlānā 'Alī 'alayhi al-Salām bi-Imrat al-Muʾminīn; Sayyid 'Alī b. Mūsā b. Ṭāwūs, research: Muḥammad Baqir Anṣārī, Qom: Muʾassasat Dār al-Kitāb al-Jazāʾirī, 1413 AH.
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