Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Volume 3: Surah Baqarah, Verses 204-207

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيُشْهِدُ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ مَا فِي قَلْبِهِ وَهُوَ أَلَدُّ الْخِصَامِ ﴿٢٠٤﴾ وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيُفْسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهْلِكَ الْحَرْثَ وَالنَّسْلَۗ وَاللَّـهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَسَادَ ﴿٢٠٥﴾ وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُ اتَّقِ اللَّـهَ أَخَذَتْهُ الْعِزَّةُ بِالْإِثْمِۚ فَحَسْبُهُ جَهَنَّمُۚ وَلَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ ﴿٢٠٦﴾ وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّـهِۗ وَاللَّـهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ ﴿٢٠٧﴾

And among men is he whose talk in the life of this world pleases you, and takes Allah to witness as to what is in his heart, yet he is the most violent of adversaries (204). And when he becomes ruler, he strives on earth that he may cause mischief therein and destroy the crop and the progeny; and Allah does not love mischief (205). And when it is said to him, fear Allah, he is overcome by honor (pride) by sin; so enough for him is Hell; and certainly it is an evil abode (206). and Among men is he who sells his self (soul) to seek the pleasure of Allah; and Allah is Affectionate to the servants (207).

COMMENTARY

This is another classification of men according to their character. As the preceding verses(200‑202) classified them according to their want of this world or the Hereafter, these verses do so from the point of view of their hypocrisy or the sincerity of their faith. And this is the link between these and the preceding verses.

Qur’an: And among men . most violent of adversaries:

a'jabahu means gave him pleasure, delighted him. The words, in the life of this world are connected with pleases you. The meaning is: his talk pleases you in this life, because in this life one has to rely on appearances. The deeper traits and inner feelings are hidden behind a curtain which cannot be lifted at all, although sometimes some clues are found which help one to sur­mise what lies behind the curtain.

Then come the word: and takes Allah to witness as to what is in his heart. He talks in a way that pleases you: he seems eager to protect the way of the truth, appears keen to do good for the people, looks enthusiastic for the advancement of the cause of the religion and the ummah. And to show that his voice comes from the depth of his heart, he calls on Allah to be his witness. But, in reality he is the most virulent enemy of the truth.

Aladd is the adjective in superlative degree, derived from ladda luddudan (he became a very violent adversary, khisam is plural of khasm by the paradigm of sa’b:si’ab and ka’b: ki'ab. Also it is said that it is an infinitive verb, and that aladdu l‑khisam means “most violent in enmity”.

Qur'an: And when he become ruler he strives on earth that he may cause mischief therein:

tawalli means to get authority and power. Further support of this meaning comes from the next verse: he is overcome by honor (pride) by sin. It shows that he has got an honor (i.e., a cause of pride) earned with sin. (The sin is committed by his heart that does not conform with his tongue.)

Sa’y means to strive, to walk hurriedly. Thus the verse means: W hen this hypocrite, this most violent of adversaries, gets a chance to do something, and is given authority and rules over the people, he hastens hither and thither and strives to create mischief in the land.

Tawalli may also mean to tam back, to be out of sight. In that case the verse would mean: “And when he turns back (from you), his actions in your absence belie his talk in your presence.” The enthusiasm for the common welfare and the good of the ummah turns into striving in the land to create mischief and evil.

Qur’an: and destroy the crop and the progeny:

Apparently it is a description of the mischief. He creates mischief by destroying the crop and the progeny. The continued existence of the human species depends on food and procreation. These are the two most essential things which the human species cannot do without. Procreation is clear from the word 'progeny'. So far as food is concerned, man acquires it from the animal and the plant; animals again acquire it from plants. Thus, the basis of food is the plant which is obtained from crops. That is why the mischief and destruction has been explained in terms of crops and progeny. The verse means that he creates mischief and destruction in the earth by eliminating through the destruction of crop and progeny.

Qur’an: and Allah does not love mischief:

fasad literally means deterioration, corruption, decay, negation, immorality; here it has been translated as mischief.

fasad in this sentence does not refer to the physical decay or destruction in this world. This universe is based on such a system that every destruction leads to a subsequent construction. A struggle for survival is continuously going on; every existence is followed by extinction, every life by death. Both are found in this natural cosmos side by side. This is the system created by Allah; and how can He hate a thing which He Himself has created and decreed?

It follows that the “mischief” here refers to corruption in the shari’ah and legislation. Allah ordained the laws of religion for the betterment of the actions of His servants; these laws will improve their character and traits; they will keep human society and human beings on the straight path, on the path of moderation. Thereupon, they will find happiness and prosperity in this life as well as in the life Hereafter. (This will be further explained under the verse2:213)

Then this man appears on the scene whose words belie his inner feelings; he starts running hither and thither to create immorality and mischief on the earth. He pretends to improve society, but in reality he destroys. He alters the words of Allah by giving them a wrong meaning; he changes the laws ordained by Allah; he manipulates the teachings of the religion. All this leads to depravity of character and perennial controversy in religion and society. And, in this manner, the religion is negated, humanity is eliminated and the whole world is ruined.

To appreciate how true these verses are, look at the history of Islam and see how unauthorized people took the reins of the state in their hands, how they imposed themselves on the Muslim ummah and how they corruptly conducted the affairs of religion and state. They did what they did and the losers were the religion (which got nothing but evil results), the Muslims (who are always in decline and decadence) and the ummah (which is perennially plagued with internal strife and dispute.) The religion is now a ball in the hands of anyone who wants to play with; and human values a toy to be treasured and then discarded at the whim of the child.

The result of this striving of that hypocrite is decay and deterioration on the earth; first, he corrupted religion and then destroyed humanity. That is why in some traditions and destroy the crops and progeny has been interpreted as the destruction of religion and humanity.

Qur’an: And when it is said to him, fear Allah, he is overcome by honor (pride) by sin; so enough for is Hell, and certainly it is an ill abode:

'Izzah means honor, mihad is the paved way, abode. Apparently, the words by sin qualify the word, the honor, and have no connection with he is overcome. The verse says that when he is told to fear Allah, he is overcome by the apparent honor which he has earned through his sins and hypocrisy.

The real honor comes from Allah as He says: and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom thou pleasest(3:26) ; and to Allah belongs the honor and to His Apostle and to the believer(63:8) ; Do they seek honor from them? Then, surely all honor belongs to Allah(4:139) . Honor is a status which Allah attributes to Himself and declares that it is only He who bestows it on His chosen creatures. Such a thing cannot be a source of sin or evil. It naturally follows that the honor mentioned in this verse is not real honor which is given by Allah. It is only a masquerade which deceives none except the ignorant people who mistakenly accept it as honor.

The preposition “by”(b. .) in “by sin”(bi ‘l-ithm) has no connection with the verb he is overcome; the word “sin” is neither the object of “is overcome”, nor its cause. In other words, the verse does not say that his honor or pride drives him to sin and to rejection of the advice to fear Allah, or incites him to answer back the said advisor in unbecoming language. Nor does it mean that sin drives him to pride. As mentioned above, the word by sin qualifies the word honor (or pride), and indicates the honor or pride gained by sin. Had the word honor been left unconditional, it would have meant that Allah recognized it as real honor (which comes from Allah). And in that case it could not be said to create, or be created by, sin or pride. That is why we say that it is conditional and means an apparent honor which is earned through sin and hypocrisy.

There is another verse where the word honor(izzah) has been used for the unbelievers. But there, also, the context shows that it means only an appearance of honor, not real honor. Allah says: Nay, those who disbelieve are (steeped) in self‑exaltation ‘izzatin, and opposition. How many did We destroy of the generations before them, then they cried but there was no longer any escape(38:2‑3) . Here the wordizzatin (translated above as “self‑exaltation”) is a common noun, it does not have any definite article before it, and the next verse describes the destruction of people like them. These points clearly show that here also it is only an appearance of honor, a passing shadow which will not last long.

Qur’an: And among the man is he who sells his self (soul) to seek the pleasure of Allah; and Allah is Affectionate to the servants.:

This verse is in contrast to the preceding three ones. On one side there is a man priding himself in his sins, boasting and self‑exalting, showing the doing of good to people, hiding his hypocrisy behind a mask of charming words; and religion and humanity cannot expect of him anything except ruin and destruction.

On the other side is a man who has sold his soul to Allah, he wants nothing except what Allah wishes; he desires nothing for his self; his honor and strength come only from Allah, and he seeks nothing but the pleasure of Allah. By his presence, religious and worldly affairs re‑acquire their correct shape, the truth is revived, humanity enjoys a happy life and the good effects of Islam reach every one.

This also shows the connection of the end of the verse, and Allah is Affectionate to the servants, with its beginning. Surely, the presence of such a man is a great mercy from Allah to His servants. Had there not been such virtuous people to counteract the designs of those others (whose stock‑in‑trade is hypocrisy and mischief), the structure of religion would have fallen into ruins, and the foundation of righteousness and goodness would have been destroyed. But it is the method chosen by Allah that He removes that wrong by this truth, and repairs the damage inflicted by His enemies with the good spread by His beloved and chosen servants. He has said: And were it not for Allah's repelling some men with others, the earth certainly would be in a state of disorder(2:251) ; And had there not been Allah's repelling some people by others, certainly would have been pulled down cloisters, and churches, and synagogues, and mosques in which Allah's name is much remembered(22:40) ; therefore if these disbelievers in it, We have already entrusted it with a people who are not disbelievers in it(6:89) . The decadence brought upon the religion and the world by those who love nothing but their own selves cannot be removed except through the good overflowing from those who have sold their souls to Allah, who love nothing except Allah and who desire nothing except that the world and the people of the world may become virtuous.

This deal has been praised by Allah in many verses, one of which is as follows:

Surely Allah has bought from the believers their selves and their properties, for this that theirs be the Garden; they fight in Allah's way, so they slay and are slain; (this is) a promise which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Injil and the Qur’an; and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? Therefore, rejoice in the trade that you have transacted; and that is the great achievement(9:111) .

TRADITIONS

It is reported from as‑Suddi about the verses, And among the men is he whose talk . an evil abode, that they were revealed about, Akhnas ibn Shariq ath‑Thaqafi, an ally of Banu Zuhrah. He came to the Prophet in Medina and said: “I have come seeking Islam, and Allah knows that surely I am truthful.” The Prophet was pleased with that talk. The words of Allah, and takes Allah to witness as to what is in his heart refer to this, aspect. Then he went out and passed by an agricultural field and some donkeys belonging to some Muslims. He burnt the filth and wounded and killed the donkeys. It was about that that the verse was revealed, and when he turns away (from you) he runs hither and thither on earth so that he may cause mischief therein and destroy the tilth and the stock.[ad-Durru ‘l manthur]

It is narrated from Ibn 'Abbas that the three verses were revealed about the hypocrites because he shows what is opposed to what he hides in his heart. The author of al‑Majma' (said that the same was also narrated from as‑Sadiq (a.s.).[Majma’u ‘l-bayan]

The author says: But this interpretation does not fit the apparent meaning of the verse.

It is written in some traditions narrated from the Imams of Ahlu l‑bayt that these verses were revealed about their enemies.

It is narrated from as-Sadiq (a.s.) about the words of Allah, and destroy the crop and progeny, that crop means religion, and progeny, humanity.[Majma’u ‘l-bayan]

The author says: This tradition has already been explained earlier. In another tradition the crop has been interpreted as 'progeny and crop'. It is easy to see how this also may fit the earlier explanation.

ash‑Shaykh has narrated in his al-Amali a tradition from 'Ali ibn al‑Husayn (a.s.), about the verse: And among men is he who sells . Affectionate to the servants, that he said: “It was revealed about 'Ali (a.s.) when he slept (on the night of hijrah) on the bed of the Messenger of Allah.”

The author says: There are innumerable traditions from both Shi'ah and Sunni chains that this verse was revealed about 'Ali concerning his sacrifice on the night of hijrah,. Tafsir al‑burhan gives five of those chains from ath‑Tha'labi and others.

Ibn Marduwayh has narrated from Suhayb that he said: “When I intended to emigrate from Mecca to the Prophet in Medina, the Qurayshites told me, 'O Suhayb! You came to us and you had no wealth. Now you want to emigrate with all this wealth of yours, By God, this can't be.' So I said to them, 'What do you think? Would you leave me if I gave you all my wealth?' They said: 'Yes!' Thereupon I gave them my wealth and they left me. I came out till I reached Medina. This incident was reported to the Prophet and he said: 'Suhayb profited twice.' “[ad‑Durru l-manthur]

The author says: He has narrated it from some other chains also, some of which add: and then the verse was revealed: And among men is he who sells his soul. .

Some other traditions say that it was revealed about Suhayb and Abu Dharr because they purchased themselves by giving away their properties. But the verse does not say, “he who purchases . .”, it says, he who sells. And the interpretation of the verses does not agree with the meaning of “purchase”.

There is a tradition from 'Ali (a.s.) that this verse refers to a man who is killed because of enjoining to do good and forbidding to do bad.[Majma’u l-bayan]

The author says: It is one example of the general meaning of the verse. There is no difficulty in explaining the meaning of the verse in general terms, though it was sent down on a particular occasion for a particular person.

Volume 3: Surah Baqarah, Verses 208-210

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٢٠٨﴾ فَإِن زَلَلْتُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْكُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ﴿٢٠٩﴾ هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَأْتِيَهُمُ اللَّـهُ فِي ظُلَلٍ مِّنَ الْغَمَامِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُۚ وَإِلَى اللَّـهِ تُرْجَعُ الْأُمُورُ ﴿٢١٠﴾

0 you who believe! Enter you one and all into submission wholly and do not follow the footsteps of Satan; surely he is to you an open enemy. (208) But if you slip after clear signs have come to you, then know that Allah is Almighty, Wise. (209) Do they await aught but that Allah should come to them in the canopies of bright cloud and the angels; and the matter is decreed away; and all matters are returned to Allah. (210)

COMMENTARY

These three verses, together with the four that follow them, guide us as how to preserve religious unity in human society: To enter into total submission, to limit oneself to the word spoken by Allah and to that deed whose path is shown by Allah. They declare that religious unity was never disintegrated, nor was the happiness of both worlds turned into misery with disaster visited upon the territory of a people, except when they left submission, manipulated the signs of Allah by altering them and putting them into the wrong place. This had happened to the children of Israel and other people, and will surely happen to this umrah also. But in the end Allah promises them His help, Surely the help of Allah is near.

Qur’an: O you who believe! Enter you one and all into submission wholly:

silm (submission), islam and taslim all are the same kaffatan is for emphasis and means 'all', 'wholly'. As the verse is addressed to the believers, and they are ordered to enter into submission “wholly” the command covers the whole group as well as every individual. It is obligatory on each and every believer, as it is on the whole of Muslim society not to contravene this command and to submit all matters to Allah and His Apostle. Hence the phrase one and all in the translation.

Again, as the hearers are already believers the submission called for means total submission to Allah after believing in Him. Hence the word wholly in the translation. It follows that the believers must submit all their affairs to Allah, they should not decide themselves what was good for them and what was not, they should not prepare or select any path for themselves without the guidance of Allah and His Apostle. They must remember that no people were destroyed except that they followed their own views and desires, and talked without true knowledge; and no people forfeited the right of life and happiness except that they became disunited.

It is clear from the above that following the footsteps of Satan does not mean following him in all the falsehood which he invites to, because a believer cannot follow Satan in all satanic schemes. Rather, it means to follow him in the matters of religion. Satan furnishes some paths of untruth with the signposts of truth; in this way, he puts into religion what is not from religion. Thus, a believer is deceived into following that path without realizing his error.

One way of becoming aware of such an interpolation is to find out whether Allah and His Apostle have ever mentioned it in their teachings of the religion.

The context and words of the verses also show what has been explained above. “Footsteps” are found in a trodden path. The believer is proceeding on that path; therefore, it must be the path of true religion. But Satan has put his marks thereon. So, the footsteps of Satan should refer to Satanic ways within the highway of true faith. The believer is obliged to enter into submission. Therefore, wherever he proceeds without wholly submitting himself to Allah and His Apostle, it must be in the footsteps of Satan If he goes on to that path, he is following Satan's footsteps.

This verse is similar to some others. For example: 0 men! Eat of what is in the earth lawful and good, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan; surely he is to you an open enemy. He only enjoins you evil and indecency, and that you should say against Allah what you do not know(2:168‑169) ; 0 you who believe! Do not follow the footsteps of Satan; and whoever follows the footsteps of Satan, then surely he enjoins indecency and evil.(24:21) ; Eat of what Allah has given you and do not follow the footsteps of Satan, then surely he enjoins indecency and evil.(24:21) ; Eat of what Allah has given you and do not follow the footsteps of Satan; surely he is your open enemy. (6:142) . The difference between the verse under discussion and those quoted above is that this verse addresses the group as a whole, as it contains the word kaffatan (all, wholly, but those other verses are general. Accordingly, this verse implies the same meaning as the verses, And hold fast by the cord of Allah all together and be not divided. (3:103) ; And surely this My path is straight one, so follow it; and do not follow the (other) ways, for they will scatter you from His path. (6:153) .

The verse implies that Islam guarantees that it contains all kind of laws and knowledge which are needed by the human beings for their welfare and good.

Qur’an: But if you slip Mighty, Wise:

zallah means a slip, a falling. The verse says: If you did not enter one and all into submission, wholly and slipped ‑ and the slip refers to following the footsteps of Satan ‑ then know that Allah is Mighty, Who is not prevailed upon in His orders, and Wise, Who decides in your affairs according to His Wisdom. Thus He shall decide about you according to His Wisdom and shall enforce it upon you and nobody will be able to hinder it.

Qur’an: Do they await aught but that Allah should come to them in the canopies of bright cloud and the angel:

zulal is plural of zullah which means “anything used for shade”, like canopy, awring, tent. Apparently, the word “angels” is in conjunction with the divine name “Allah”.

'Me preceding two verses were addressed to the believers (in the second person). This one dramatically changes it to third person and starts addressing the Apostle of Allah; implying that those who slip up and follow the footsteps of Satan are not worthy of direct address from Allah. It appears as though they are awaiting a decree by their following the footsteps of Satan and by their disunity and division. And that decree should be that Allah and the angels come unto them in canopies of cloud, and the matter be decided while they are still unaware of it ‑ or without having any pity on them and on their plight; and all matters are returned to Allah; there is no escape from His judgment and decree.

The context shows that Do they await aught is the description of the threat implied in the previous sentence, then know that Allah is Mighty, Wise.

It is self‑evident truth, which is also proved by the Qur’an and the sunnah, that attributes of the body cannot be used for Allah, nor can He be described with adjectives of transient things. No such word, phrase or sentence can be used for Him which implies transience, need, deficiency or want. Allah says: Nothing whatsoever (is there) like the like of Him.(42:11) ; and Allah is He Who is Self‑sufficient(35:15) ; Allah is the Creator of everything.(39:62) There are numerous such verses; and all of them are confirmed and decisive ones to which the ambiguous verses should be referred. It is these confirmed verses which guide us towards the correct interpretation of the ambiguous ones. If any verse apparently attributes to Allah an action or a characteristic of transient things, then it must be referred to the confirmed verses and interpreted in a way which is not below His dignity nor opposed to His beautiful names.

Now here is a verse which attributes the action of “coming” to Allah. A few other verses also have used this word for Him. And comes your Lord with the angels arrayed in ranks(89:22) ; then came upon them Allah from whence they did not expect(59:2) ; so Allah came upon their structure from the foundations(16:26) . In all such verses, it is necessary to interpret them with such meanings which are worthy of Divine sublimity. We may give them the meaning of, let us say, sending His chastisement upon them, surrounding them with His power or wrath. Accordingly, the meaning of Allah should come to them in this verse shall be “Allah should surround them with His power for enforcing His decree on them”.

Further, whenever Allah is pleased to show that the apparent means and the intermediate causes are not independent of the order of Allah, He discards attributing the action to such causes and means; instead He attributes it to Himself or to His order. He says in one place: Allah takes the souls at the time of their death(39:42) ; while in other places He attributes this action to the angel of death or the angels; Say, the angel of death shall cause you to die(32:11) ; Until when death comes to one of you, Our messengers (i.e. angels) take him away(6:61) . To make it more clear, look how He has declared about the angels that: only according to His command do they act(21:27) .

Likewise, He says, Surely your Lord will judge between them(10:93) , and when the order of Allah came, judgment was given with truth(40:78) .

And the same is the case with the verse under discussion (Do they await aught but that Allah should come to them in the canopies of bright cloud and the angels) and the verse Do they await aught but that the angels should come to them or that the order of your Lord should come(16:33) .

The above verse proves that the verse under discussion, Allah should come, also means “the order of Allah should come”. Likewise, in every place where the action attributed to Allah is below His power and dignity, we may safely say that the word ,order' or 'command' is implied, as the above verses have shown.

This explanation has been accepted by the majority of the commentators of the Qur’an and it is correct. But there is even a deeper and finer meaning which can be understood if one ponders on the Qur’an.

A characteristic which is accompanied by a deficiency, want or imperfection is not attributable to Allah. But if that characteristic could be separated from that deficiency, want or imperfection, then there is no reason why it cannot be attributed to Allah, provided it is suitable for His sublimity and perfection. The word “coming” creates in our mind a picture of a body gradually moving and shortening the distance between itself and another body till it reaches quite near to that. If we can remove the material characteristics from this meaning, there will remain the idea of “nearness”, with the disappearance of any obstruction in between. In that case, it would be quite correct to use this word for Allah literally, not metaphorically. Accordingly, Allah should come to them would mean that there would remain no curtain between His creatures and His judgment about them.

Anyhow, this verse contains the threat, which was implied in the preceding sentence, then know that Allah is Mighty, Wise. This threat may be about the chastisement awaiting them in the Hereafter, as it is in the similar verse: Do they await aught but that the angels should come to them or that the order of your Lord should come(16:33) , which, as its context shows, is clearly about the events of the Hereafter.

Or, it may be about something expected to happen in this world, as may be seen in the verses of surah Yunus: so when their apostle came, the matter was decided with justice, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. And they say, 'when this promise will come to pass, if you are truthful. .' Say, Do you see if His chastisement overtakes you by night or by day, what is there of it that the guilty hasten for?(10:47‑50) . The same is the implication of the verses, 30:30‑36, and the verse, How many a town, which was unjust, We did destroy and We raised another people after it?(21:11) .

The chastisement of this world is because this world is a fore­taste of the life Hereafter, where every aspect of this world would appear more perfectly and: completely.

And it is possible that the promised punishment would be in both worlds together.

In any case, the words, in the canopies of bright cloud would be interpreted according to the place where the promised punish­ment would be meted out.

Qur’an: and the matter is decreed away; and all matters are returned to Allah.: The matter is decreed away by Allah, but His name is not mentioned to show His Greatness. There are many examples of such deletion in the Qur’an.

TRADITIONS

Many traditions have been written concerning verse 2:168 (0 men! Eat the lawful and good things out of what is in the earth; and do not follow the footsteps of Satan ) which support the meaning given by us of following the footsteps of Satan.

Some traditions say that “submission” means the love and obedience of the Prophet and his progeny(wilayah) There is a. tradition from ar‑Rida (a.s.) about the words of Allah, Do they await aught but that Allah should come to them in the canopies of bright cloud and the angels: He said: “Allah says: 'Do they wait aught but that Allah should come to them with the angels in the canopies of bright clouds'. Like this it was revealed.” And he said, about the word of Allah; And comes your Lord with the angels arranged in ranks(89:22) , that : “Surely, Allah cannot be described with attributes of coming and going. Elevated is He from transferring from one place to another. Verily, it means, 'And comes the command of your Lord with the angels arranged in ranks'.”[at‑Tawhid and Ma’ani al-akhbar]

The author says: The words of the Imam at the beginning of the interpretation, “Allah says”, do not mean the actual word or recitation of the verse. The word “says” here stands for “means”. The interpretation given in this tradition is the same, which we have already explained, that “coming of Allah” means coming of His command. The Angels do whatever they do, and come down whenever they come down, by the command of Allah. He says about angels: Nay! They are honored servants; they do not precede Him in speech and (only) according to His commandment do they act.(21:27) , and He sends down the angels with the spirit by His commandment(16:2) .

The verse begins with an interrogation which here stands for denial and disapproval. It means that “they do not await” or “they should not await”. But some people have said that this denial and disapproval is comprehensive and refutes not only their awaiting but even the thing awaited. In other words, it means that they do not await aught but an impossible thing ‑ that Allah should come to them in the canopies of cloud as one body comes to another body, and that the angels should come with Him and He should order them and forbid them. Obviously such a thing is impossible; and the aim of the verse would be to hint that these people cannot mend their ways by these exhortations and sermons.

But this meaning does not agree with the context of the verse. It has been explained that all these verses have one context. Therefore, this verse also is about the condition of the believers. And the believers cannot be condemned in the suggested manner. Apart from that if Allah had meant to show that the thing awaited was impossible or beneath His sublimity, He would have followed it with some words to show that it was so. And we find that it is the custom of the Qur’an everywhere on such occasions. For example: And those who do not hope of our meeting say: “Why have not angels been sent down upon us, or (why) do we not see our Lord?” Certainly they think too high of themselves and have revolted (in) a great revolt.(25:21) ; And they say: “The Beneficent (God) has taken to Himself a son!” Glory be to Him!(21:26) .

Apart from that, what would be, in this case, the significance of the words, in the canopies of bright cloud? And what would the subsequent words mean?

OTHER TRADITIONS

This last verse has variously been interpreted in the traditions of the Imams of Ahlu l‑bayt as referring to the Day of Resurrection (al-Ayyashi from al-Baqir – a.s.) or the Day of Return(the raj'ah) 1 as-Saduq from as‑Sadiq (a.s.) or the Reappearance of Imam al‑Mahdi (a.s.) (al‑'Ayyashi from al‑Baqir[a.s.] with two chains.)

And there are many such cases where a verse has been interpreted by them as referring to the Day of Resurrection in one tradition, and to the Day of Return in another, and to the Reappearance of Imam al‑Mahdi (a.s.) in yet another one. It is because all these meanings are interrelated, so much so that they can be said to be basically one. As the people have not gone deep into the subject of the Resurrection and have not looked into it in the light of the Qur'an they have gone their separate ways about these traditions. Some have discarded them altogether, even though there are probably more than five hundred traditions on its various aspects; some have interpreted them according to their own views even though the wordings of the traditions are very clear and explicit. A third group quotes these traditions and refrains from giving any opinion ‑ these people are the most reasonable of all.

The non‑Shi’ah Muslims believe that Imam al‑Mahdi! will appear; they have narrated mutawatir traditions about it from the Prophet, but they reject the idea of the raj’ah and say that this belief is a peculiarity of the Shi’ah. And in these days some people, claiming to be Shi’ah, also have rejected this belief, saying that it has been foisted into Shi’ism by the Jews and some nominal Muslims like Abdullah ibn Saba2 and his companions. One of them tried to refute this belief by intellectual argument, the gist of which is as follows:‑

“It is a special grace of Allah that a living person is not given death until he reaches the perfection of the life and all his potentialities are converted into achievements. If after death he is again sent back to this world it would be retrogression, a backward step from accomplishment to potentiality, and it is impossible, except when a truthful informer tells us about it, i.e., Allah or any of His Representatives, as He has informed us concerning the events of Musa, 'Isa, Ibrahim (peace be on them all) and others. But we have not, been told by Win or them anything about ar-raj’ah. And the evidence put by the believers in ar-raj’ah is not com­plete.”

After saying this he went on to claim about each and every tradition that it was weak - without knowing the difference between the correct ones and the defective ones. The poor man did not realize that this argument is not a rational one at all. Its first part refutes its second part. If some thing is impossible, by nature it would remain impossible without any exception. An “impossible” idea would not be turned into “possible” just because a truthful informer said so. Anybody who said about an impossibility that it became a possibility, would not be “truthful”. And if he was supposed to be really truthful then that thing would not have been an impossibility in the first place. Would we say that he was truthful if he were to say that one is not a half of two, or that a truthful person was at the same time a liar?

This much about the consistency of his argument. Now, we come to his argument that (1) All people die when they reach the perfection of the life, and when their potentialities are converted into achievements; (2) What has attained achievement cannot be turned back to potentiality; (3) Therefore, a dead man cannot be returned to this life.

In this argument, the second premise is correct; the first is not. It is not “all” people, but only “some”, who die after attaining perfection and converting their potentialities into achievements. A man, who completes his natural span of life and dies from old age, may be said to have reached the last stage of his perfection. But what about another man who prematurely dies of an epidemic or fatal sickness, or is killed? Can it be claimed that he had already reached the last stage of his potential perfection? The answer is 'No'. Therefore, it cannot be said that it is impossible for such persons to be returned to the life of this world. Now it is obvious that his argument is neither comprehensive nor correct. We can think of many cases where it might be possible for a dead person (even if he had died after attaining his perfection) to be sent back to this world; for example, a man in his first life had a potential for a perfection which was not available at that time; he died; then by the progress of society, that perfectness became possible. What is there to prevent his return to this world to achieve that perfection for which he had a potential in the first life? Because it will not be a step backward ‑ from perfection to potentiality.,‑ it will be progress from potential to perfection.

There are other examples, but this is not the place to go into the details of this subject.

As regards his argument against individual traditions, it has two serious defects: (1) These traditions are mutawatir, in their meaning, from the Imams of Ahlu’l-bayt ‑ so much so that non­ Shi'ite Muslims have counted the belief of ar‑rajah, from the very early days of Islam, as one of the special beliefs of the Shi'ah and their Imams ‑ and a mutawatir matter cannot be refuted even if the individual traditions be really defective, or weak, or arguable. (2). There are many verses revealed on this subject and many traditions which are complete in their meaning and reliable in their chains. We shall mention them when we come to the relevant verses like: And on the day when We will gather from every people a party from among those who rejected Our signs, then they shall be formed into groups(27:83) . There are other verses to prove this belief.

Apart from these specific verses, there are others which imply this meaning. For example, the words of Allah which come shortly after the verse under discussion:. Or & you think that you will enter the Garden while yet has not come upon the like of which came upon those who have passed before you (2:214) . And one of the things which came upon previous nations was that some of their dead were resurrected, and lived again in this world, as the Qur’an narrates concerning the stories of Ibrahim, Musa, 'Isa, 'Uzayr, Armia and others. And the Messenger of Allah has said: “By Him in Whose hand is my soul! Most certainly you shall follow the traditions of those who were before you, as in a pair of shoes the one tallies with the other, and as one flea looks like another, until you will not miss their path, nor will they miss yours; (and this means) the traditions of the Israelites.

Moreover, these matters are among the reports of the great events of the latter days, foretold by the Imams of Ahlu l‑bayt; these prophecies were preserved by reporters and narrators in books which were written and copied centuries before the events; and every day we see some of its parts fulfilled in exactly the same way without any addition or subtraction. This compels us to believe that the remaining part of those prophecies (including ar‑raj'ah) must be true,

Now we come back to the topic in hand. We were discussing why a single verse is sometimes explained as referring to the Day of Resurrection and sometimes as describing ar‑raj’ah or the reappearance of Imam al‑Mahdi (a.s.). It appears from the characteristics and details of the Day of Resurrection, mentioned in the Qur'an, that it will be a day when no intermediate cause will hinder one from the signs of Allah; there will remain no veil on the face of truth. All illusions will vanish and the signs of Allah will appear in their perfect manifestation.

That day could exist side by side with this world, but it is obvious from the Qur'an and sunnah that human beings, i.e., this species of homo sapiens who are descended from Adam and his wife, will become extinct in this world and only then will this great day dawn upon them.

The life of this world and the life of the Resurrection can exist side by side for different groups and species. The life of the period between death and the Day of Resurrection(barzakh) exists for our dead side by side with our life on this earth; neither does our life interfere with theirs, nor theirs with ours. Allah says: By Allah Most certainly We sent (apostles) to nations before you, but Satan made their deeds fair‑seeming to them; so he is their guardian today and for them is a painful punishment(16:63) .

This, therefore, is the reality of the Day of Resurrection, “the Day on which men shall stand before the Lord of the worlds” “the Day when they shall come forth; nothing concerning them remains hidden from Allah”. That is why sometimes even death is called Resurrection, because the veil of intermediate causes is lifted from the imagination of the dead person. 'Ali (a.s.) has said: “Whoever dies his resurrection begins.” This subject will be explained, God willing in its appropriate place.

The traditions which prove ar‑raj’ah in spite of their large number, are one in their essence. They show that the world is proceeding towards a day when the signs of Allah will appear in their perfect manifestation; man will not disobey Allah, but shall worship Him with a sincere and pure heart, untainted by the desires of this world; and he will not be deceived by Satan. At that time some dead persons ‑ some friends of Allah and some of his enemies ‑ shall be returned to the world again, and the truth will be separated from the falsehood.

It appears from above that the Day of Return shall be one of the stages of the Day of Resurrection. But it will be a lesser manifestation, because there shall remain, at that time, the possibility, to a certain extent, of evil and mischief, which will be impossible on the Day of Resurrection.

And that is the reason why in some me traditions the same verses have been said to be related concerning the reappearance of Imam al‑Mahdi (a.s.). It is because at his reappearance also the truth will be manifested perfectly, though it will be less than on the Day of “Return”.

There are traditions narrated from the Imam s of Ahlu ‘l bayt that “The days of Allah are three: the Day of reappearance, and the Day of Return, and the Day of Resurrection.” Some of them say that “The days of Allah are three: the Day of Death, and the Day of Return, and the Day of Resurrection.”

The three days are one in their nature but different in degrees. It is because of this oneness of essence that a single verse is at different times interpreted by all three days.

The above discussion clearly shows that the Day of Return is not only possible, but a reality; and those who reject it have no reason to refute it.