Verse 96 of Sura al-Isra' and Ghadir
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| Ayah Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Surah Name | Sura al-Isra' |
| Ayah Number | 96 |
| Juz' | 15 |
| Ayah Content | |
| Topic | God witnessing, with the people's affirmation at Ghadir, the wilāya of Amir al-Muʾminin (a) |
| Ayah Recitation Audio Translation | |
Verse 96 of Sura al-Isra' is a verse in the al-Ghadir Sermon that the Prophet (s) relied upon to call God to witness the people's verbal affirmation of the wilāya of Amir al-Muʾminin (a).
The context for the use of Verse Ninety-six of Sura al-Israʾ during the Ghadir event is described as follows: After the conclusion of the tenth section of the al-Ghadir Sermon, while silence still prevailed over the assembly, the Prophet (s) entered the final section of his speech. What the people heard in this section was an unprecedented action that was not anticipated.
The Prophet (s) presented the allegiance more seriously, and in an innovative move, from the pulpit of Ghadir, he took allegiance from one hundred twenty thousand people and obtained affirmation from all of them. In the first part of the eleventh and final section of the al-Ghadir Sermon, he raised the issue of allegiance and taught its text to the people, and in the last sentence of this commitment, he brought a part of Verse Ninety-six of Sura al-Israʾ and called God to witness this verbal allegiance:
قُلْ کَفی بِاللَّهِ شَهیداً بَیْنی وَ بَیْنَکُمْ
- Say, 'Allah suffices as a witness between me and you.
Verse Ninety-six of Sura al-Israʾ is reported in the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon as follows: So the covenant and pledge for them have been taken from us, from our hearts and our souls and our tongues and our consciences and our hands. Whoever can reach it with his hand, otherwise he has affirmed with his tongue. We never seek to change this covenant, and God will not see any change from our souls (in this regard). We will convey these matters from you to the near and far among our children and our relatives, and we call God to witness it. God suffices as a witness, and you too are a witness over our affirmation[notes 1].[1]
Footnotes
- ↑ Sokhanrānī-ye Istithnāʾī-ye Ghadīr, pp. 233–242; Wāqiʿa-ye Qurʾānī-ye Ghadīr, p. 106.
- ↑ فَالْعَهْدُ وَ الْميثاقُ لَهُمْ مَأْخُوذٌ مِنّا، مِنْ قُلُوبِنا وَ اَنْفُسِنا وَ اَلْسِنَتِنا وَ ضَمائِرِنا وَ اَيْدينا. مَنْ اَدْرَكَها بِيَدِهِ وَ اِلاّ فَقَدْ اَقَرَّ بِلِسانِهِ، وَ لا نَبْتَغى بِذلِكَ بَدَلاً وَ لا يَرَى اللَّهُ مِنْ اَنْفُسِنا حِوَلاً. نَحْنُ نُؤَدّى ذلِكَ عَنْكَ الدّانى وَ الْقاصى مِنْ اَوْلادِنا وَ اَهالينا، وَ نُشْهِدُ اللَّهَ بِذلِكَ وَ كَفى بِاللَّهِ شَهيداً وَ اَنْتَ عَلَيْنا بِهِ شَهيدٌ
References
- Sokhanrānī-ye Istithnāʾī-ye Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Dalīl-e Mā Publications, 1386 SH.
- Wāqiʿa-ye Qurʾānī-ye Ghadīr: Guzārish-e Safar-e Yek-Māha-ye Payambar Barā-ye Iʿlān-e Wilāyat Dar Sāye-ye Āyāt-e Qurʾānī; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Dalīl-e Mā Publications, 1386 SH.