Verses 34 to 36 of Sura al-Mutaffifin and Ghadir

Verses 34 to 36 of Sura al-Mutaffifin are verses describing the situation of the enemies of Ghadir on the Day of Judgment, who will be ridiculed by the believers in Ghadir.

Verses 34 to 36 of Sura al-Mutaffifin and Ghadir
Verses 34 to 36 of Sura al-Mutaffifin and Ghadir
Verse Specifications
Sura Nameal-Mutaffifin
Verse Number34-36
Juz'30
Verse Content
Place of RevelationMecca
TopicThe punishment of the enemies of Ghadir on the Day of Judgment

The context for the interpretation of verses 34-36 of Sura al-Mutaffifin is understood to be about the situation of the enemies of Ghadir on the Day of Judgment.[1] In a ḥadīth, Imam Musa al-Kazim (a) explained the conspiracies of the hypocrites at Ghadir and referred to the punishment for their actions on the Day of Judgment. A part of this ḥadīth is as follows: When the Prophet (s) appointed 'Ali (a) on the Day of Ghadir Khumm and ordered the leaders of the Muhajirun and Ansar to pledge allegiance to him, they outwardly pledged allegiance but conspired among themselves to do two things: one, to take away the caliphate from 'Ali (a) after the Prophet (s), and two, if possible, to kill both of them.

God informed His Prophet that these people are cunning and mock you. In the Hereafter, God will also mock them, as a recompense for the mockery they made in this world, and God gave them respite in this world. On the Day of Judgment, the hypocrites will see the ranks of the Shi'ites of Amir al-Mu'minin (a) in Paradise from Hell. The believers will call those hypocrites by name and say to them: Why are you delayed in that torment and humiliation? Come to us so that we may open the gates of Paradise for you and you may be saved from the fire of Hell. They will drag themselves towards Paradise in Hell, and at that very moment, the agents of torment will reach them and strike them with their maces and whips. When they approach the gates of Paradise, they will see that the gates are closed to them. It is then that they are dragged back into the depths of Hell, and the believers laugh at this sight and mock them, as God has said in the Qur'an: فالیوم الذین آمنوا من الکفار یضحکون علی الأرائک ینظرون,So today those who believed are laughing at the disbelievers, observing from couches.[2]

In the interpretation of this verse, it is said that God has prepared the scene of regret for Abu Bakr and 'Umar on the Day of Judgment, which the Shi'ites should witness from Paradise and enjoy their regret. Imam al-Sajjad (a) described this scene, referring to verses 34-36 of Sura al-Mutaffifin, as follows: On the Day of Judgment, two thrones will be brought out from Paradise and placed overlooking Hell. Then 'Ali (a) will come and sit on them. When he sits, he will laugh, and from his laughter, Hell will be turned upside down, and its lower layer will rise. Then Abu Bakr and 'Umar will be brought out of Hell and stood before him. They will say: O Amir al-Mu'minin! O successor of the Messenger of God! Will you not have mercy on us? Will you not intercede for us with your Lord? Amir al-Mu'minin (a) (mockingly) laughs at them and (without answering them) rises and enters Paradise, and the two thrones are removed and returned to their place. And this is the meaning of the word of God, the Almighty: فَالْیَوْمَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنَ الْکُفَّارِ یَضْحَکُونَ. عَلَی الْأَرائِکِ یَنْظُرُونَ. هَلْ ثُوِّبَ الْکُفَّارُ ما کانُوا یَفْعَلُونَ,So today those who believed are laughing at the disbelievers, observing from couches. Have the disbelievers been rewarded for what they used to do?.[3]


Footnotes

  1. ↑ Chahārdah Qarn bā Ghadir, p. 74; Asrār-e Ghadir, p. 279; Ghadir dar Qurʾān, vol. 1, p. 296.
  2. ↑ Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 6, p. 53.
  3. ↑ Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 30, pp. 277–278, hadith 149.


References

  • Asrār-e Ghadir; Mohammad-Baqer Ansari, Tehran: Nashr-e Tak, 1384 SH.
  • Bihār al-Anwār al-Jāmiʿa li-Durar Akhbār al-Aʾimma al-Aṭhār; Mohammad-Baqer ibn Mohammad-Taqi Majlesi, Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
  • Chahārdah Qarn bā Ghadir (Fourteen Centuries with Ghadir: Conclusive Proofs, Scholarly Discussions, Debates, Written Heritage, Poetry and Literature, Mementos and Commemorations); Mohammad-Baqer Ansari, Qom: Entešārāt-e Dalil-e Mā, 1379 SH.
  • Ghadir dar Qurʾān, Qurʾān dar Ghadir (Ghadir in the Qur’an, the Qur’an in Ghadir); Mohammad-Baqer Ansari, Qom: Entešārāt-e Dalil-e Mā, 1387 SH.