Verses 66 to 68 of Sura al-Ahzab and Ghadir
Verses 66 to 68 of Sūrat al-Ahzab are verses about the Companions of the First Cursed Document in which their regret and that of their followers for their past is described.
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| Ayah Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Surah Name | Sura al-Ahzab |
| Ayah Number | 66-68 |
| Juz' | 22 |
| Ayah Content | |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | Regarding the regret of the Companions of the First Cursed Document and their followers for their past |
Some researchers have considered Verses 66 to 68 of Sūrat al-Ahzab to be about the Companions of the First Cursed Document:[1]
یَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِی النَّارِ یَقُولُونَ یَا لَیْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا(66)
- On the day when their faces are turned about in the Fire, they will say, ‘Oh, would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Apostle!
وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّا أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَکُبَرَاءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِیلَا(67)- And they will say, ‘Our Lord, we obeyed our chiefs and our elders, and they led us astray from the way.
رَبَّنَا آتِهِمْ ضِعْفَیْنِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ وَالْعَنْهُمْ لَعْنًا کَبِیرًا(68)- Our Lord, give them a double punishment and curse them with a great curse!
The Companions of the Document signed a covenant against the divine decision of Ghadir during the Farewell Pilgrimage. Acting against the divine command of Ghadir brought limited worldly pleasure for its perpetrators among the Companions of the Document: for Abu Bakr, less than three years of rule, and for Umar, less than twelve years; short years that led to eternal otherworldly regret and remorse. This regret and remorse will also afflict all their followers until death.
From the connection of some verses with the fate of the Companions of the First Cursed Document, three important points are derived, about which narrations have also been reported:
- The Companions of the Document disavowing each other at the time of death
- The Companions of the Document disavowing each other on the Day of Judgment
- Their regret and that of their followers for their past.
Regarding the third point (the regret of the Companions of the Document and their followers), based on Verses 66 to 68 of Sūrat al-Ahzab, it is stated in some sources: Amidst the flames of Hell, which are the result of the usurpation of the caliphate and injustice to the station of wilāya by the Companions of the Document, the people of Saqīfah, and their followers, their regret and remorse reach their peak: "On the day when their faces are turned about in the Fire"; meaning those who usurped the right of the Household of Muhammad (a). "They will say, ‘Oh, would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Apostle!’"; meaning regarding the Commander of the Faithful (a). "They will say, ‘Our Lord, we obeyed our chiefs and our elders, and they led us astray from the way’", referring to Abu Bakr and Umar, and the chiefs and elders are those who initiated injustice against the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and usurped their right. And the "right way" refers to the path to Paradise, which is the path of the Commander of the Faithful (a). Then they will say, "Our Lord, give them a double punishment and curse them with a great curse!"[2]
Footnotes
References
- 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.
- Ghadir in the Qurʾan, the Qurʾan in Ghadir; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Dalīl-e Mā Publications, 1387 SH.