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Verse Seventy-one of al-Aḥzāb and Ghadir

Template:جعبه اطلاعات آیه Verse Seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb is a verse in the al-Ghadir Sermon by relying on which the path to eternal salvation through obedience to Allah, His Messenger (ṣ), and the Imams (a) is shown.

The position of Verse Seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb within the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon has been depicted by some researchers as follows: At the end of the al-Ghadir Sermon, the Prophet (ṣ) encouraged people to pledge allegiance after receiving their verbal affirmation. For this purpose, the Prophet spoke of great salvation and felicity, which is the goal of all humankind, and considered the path to achieving it as one path that, in his view, it is the people's duty to follow.

From the theological analysis of Verse Seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb within the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon, several points have been inferred: that obedience to the Imams (a) is linked to obedience to Allah and His Messenger; that eternal felicity is achieved only through obedience to Allah, His Messenger, and the Imams (a), and obedience to anyone else besides the Infallibles (a) is not only not the path to felicity but rather entanglement in wretchedness; because the meaning of restricting obedience to a specific group is that any path other than that of the Infallibles (a) is either deviation or regression.

A Verse Pertaining to Divine Commands Regarding Wilāya at Ghadir

Verse Seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb is among the verses mentioned in the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon. The context for the use of this verse has been depicted as follows: Ghadir was as much a belief as it was a command; a command as vast as its various aspects, encompassing a collection of faith, obedience, and covenant on one side, and praise and gratitude for this blessing on the other. These specific commands given to the people at Ghadir defined their duties at that particular juncture as a prelude to the future.

The verses supporting the Ghadiri commands are directly mentioned in the words of the Prophet (ṣ). The verses that appear in this capacity at Ghadir, combined and incorporated into the Prophet's words, are ten verses.[1] One of these verses is Verse Seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb:

 يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا,He will rectify your conduct for you and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Apostle has certainly achieved a great success. [2]

The Verse in the Text of the Sermon

Verse Seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb is narrated in the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon as follows: Maʿāshira l-nās, man yuṭiʿi l-Lāha wa Rasūlahu wa ʿAlīyan wa l-Aʾimmata l-ladhīna dhakartuhum faqad fāza fawzan ʿaẓīman: O people, whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, and ʿAlī and the Imams whom I mentioned, has certainly achieved a great success.[3]

Historical Context

The position of Verse Seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb within the text of the al-Ghadir Sermon has been depicted by some researchers as follows: At the end of the al-Ghadir Sermon, the Prophet (ṣ) encouraged people to pledge allegiance after receiving their verbal affirmation. For this purpose, the Prophet spoke of great salvation and felicity, which is the goal of all humankind, and considered the path to achieving it as one path that, in his view, it is the people's duty to follow. He introduced this path interpretively in his speech, using Verse Seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb.[4]

Quranic Context of the Verse

The background of Verse Seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb in the Qurʾān is the subject of instruction and absolute obedience to the commands of Allah and His Messenger. This subject begins with Verse Sixty-nine of this Sūra, which states: "O you who have faith! Do not be like those who annoyed Moses, then Allah cleared him of what they said, and he was honourable with Allah." Then it commands the believers to speak truthfully and rightly so that He may rectify their deeds and forgive their sins. As a conclusion to the issues related to those who annoyed Prophet Mūsā (a) and what the community of the Prophet (ṣ) should adopt, obedience to Allah and His Messenger is declared as the only solution.[5]

Doctrinal Analysis of the Verse

Some researchers have doctrinally analyzed verse seventy-one of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb within the text of al-Ghadir Sermon as follows:

Annexing the Obedience of the Imams (a) to God and His Messenger (s)

The implicit interpretation of this verse by the Prophet (s) is the designation of those whose obedience leads to great salvation. In the Qur'an, only God and the Messenger are mentioned, and the Prophet (s), by introducing the conjunction (wāw), has annexed the obedience of the twelve Imams (a), who were introduced at Ghadir, to their obedience. In the final part of the al-Ghadir Sermon, he introduces the twelve Imams (a) more precisely (by naming Imam al-Hasan (a) and Imam al-Husayn (a)). In this section of the sermon, the phrase 'the Imams I mentioned' refers to these aforementioned points in the sermon.[6]

Attainment of Eternal Felicity Only Through Obedience to God, His Messenger, and the Imams (a)

The only ones whose absolute obedience leads to eternal felicity are God and the Infallibles (a). This exclusivity is due to their infallibility, and since others do not possess such a status, they will not have such a right. Amir al-Muʾminīn (a) states: 'One cannot obey anyone in disobedience to God, nor is it permissible to obey someone who commits disobedience to God. Obedience is exclusively for God, His Messenger, and the Ulū l-Amr. God has commanded obedience to His Messenger because he is infallible and pure and does not command disobedience to God; and He has commanded obedience to the Ulū l-Amr because they are infallible and pure and do not command disobedience to God.'[7]

The implication of the above ruling is that obedience to anyone other than the Infallibles (a) is not only not the path to felicity but rather an entanglement in wretchedness; because the meaning of the exclusivity of obedience to a specific group is that any path other than that of the Infallibles (a) is either a deviation or a regression.[8]


Notes

[notes 1]


References

  • Asrār Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Tehran: Nashr-e Tak, 1384 SH.
  • 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.
  • Sukhraṇī-ye Istithnāʾī-ye Ghadīr; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt-e Dalīl-e Mā, 1386 SH.
  • Wāqiʿa-ye Qurʾānī-ye Ghadīr: Guzārish-e Safar-e Yek Māha-ye Payāmbar barā-ye Iʿlān-e Wilāyat dar Sāye-ye Āyāt-e Qurʾānī; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt-e Dalīl-e Mā, 1386 SH.
  1. ↑ Ghadir in the Qurʾān, vol. two, p. one hundred ninety-seven.
  2. ↑ Ghadir in the Qurʾān, vol. two, p. two hundred seven.
  3. ↑ Asrār Ghadīr, p. one hundred sixty, section eleven.
  4. ↑ Ghadir in the Qurʾān, vol. two, p. two hundred seven.
  5. ↑ Ghadir in the Qurʾān, vol. two, pp. two hundred seven–two hundred eight.
  6. ↑ Ghadir dar Qur'an, vol. two, p. two hundred eight.
  7. ↑ Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. seventy-five, p. three hundred thirty-eight, ḥ. eight.
  8. ↑ Ghadir dar Qur'an, vol. two, p. two hundred nine.


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