Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Suratul Baqarah: Verse 124

وَإِذِ ابْتَلَىٰ إِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ رَ‌بُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا قَالَ وَمِن ذُرِّ‌يَّتِي قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿١٢٤﴾

And (remember) when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words, then he fulfilled them: He said: “Surely I am going to make you an Imam for men.” (Ibrahim) said: “And of my offspring?” He said: ”My covenant will not include the unjust” (124).

Commentary

Beginning with this verse, the Qur'an throws light on some aspects of the life of Ibrahim (a.s.); these verses prepare the minds for the ones promulgating the change ofal-qiblah (اَلقِبْلـَة ُ = direction of prayer) as well as the rules of the hajj.

These stories also explain the reality of the pure Islamic religion - with its dif­ferent grades and levels - looking at its fundamental beliefs, moral teachings and some rules of the shari'ah; among other things they show how Allah bestowed on himal-Imamah (اَلإمـَامَة ُ = leadership) of the people, how he built the Ka'bah, and how he prayed to Allah to send an Apostle among them.

Qur’an:And (remember) when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words, then he fulfilled them: It refers to the occasion when Ibrahim (a.s.) was given the Imamah. It had happened during the end period of his life; it was the time when he had become very old, after Isma'il and Ishaq both had been born, and he had brought Isma'il and his mother to reside in Mecca, as some other exegetes also have taken note of this fact.

This timing is clearly pointed at by his words, “And of my offspring? ”, when Allah told him: “I am going to make you an Imam for men.” Obviously he did not know, nor did he even expect, that he would get any offspring, until the angels brought to him the good tidings of Isma'il and Ishaq.

Even when the angels told him that he was to get children, he responded to those tidings in such words as could apparently be construed to have sprung from despair and pessimism. Allah says:

And inform them of the guests of Ibrahim: When they entered upon him, they said: “Peace” He said: “Surely we are afraid of you.”; They said: “Be not afraid, surely we give you the good news of a boy, possessing knowledge. “He said:” Do you give me good news (of a son) when old age has come upon me? - of what then do you give me good news!” They said: ”We give you good news with truth; therefore, be not of the despairing” (15:51-55).

The same was the reaction of his wife when she was given that good news, as Allah says:

And his wife was standing (by), so she laughed; then We gave her the good news of Ishaq, and after Ishaq, of (a son's son) Ya'qub. She said: “O woe to me! Shall I bear a son when I am an (extremely) old (woman) and this my husband an (extremely) old (man)? Most surely this is an amazing thing.” They said: ”Do you wonder at the decree of Allah? The mercy of Allah and His blessings be on you, O people of the house, surely He is Praised, Glorious” (11:71-73).

As you see, the talks of both Ibrahim and his wife show that by that time they had lost all hope of getting any child. That is why the angels replied to them in those words to give them hope and make them happy.

Clearly neither he nor his wife knew before that time that they would be given any off-spring. But on this occasion, we see that as soon as Allah told him, “I am going to make you an Imam for men”, he pleaded, ”And of my offspring?”

This prayer brings before our eyes the image of a man who is sure of having an offspring. How can a man, and particularly one like Ibrahim, the friend of Allah (who very well knew the nuances of the language), speak before his Lord about a thing he knew nothing about?

If he had uttered these words before getting any children, it would have been necessary for him to add some proviso, like “if Thou givest me any offspring”. This event, therefore, must have taken place in the end period of Ibrahim's life some time after he had been given the good news.

Moreover, the words, “And (remember) when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words, then he fulfilled them. He said: 'Surely I am going to make you an Imam for men' ”, show that his Imamah was bestowed to him after Allah had tried him with certain trials.

These consisted of various sufferings and tests which Ibrahim (a.s.) underwent in his life. And according to the Qur'an, the clearest and hardest of all was the trial of the sacrifice of Isma'il. Allah says:

And when he reached (the age of) working with him, he said: “O my son! surely I am seeing in dream that I am sacrificing you; consider then what you see.” He said: “O my father! do what you are commanded; if Allah please, you will surely find me of the patient ones.” So when they both submitted and he threw him down upon his forehead, and We called out to him (saying): “O Ibrahim! You have indeed proved the vision true; surely thus We reward the doers of good. Most surely this is a manifest trial” (37:102-106).

This manifest trial had taken place in the extreme old age of Ibrahim, because even the birth of Isma'il had taken place when Ibrahim had become very old, as Allah quotes him as saying:

“Praise be to Allah, Who gave me in old age Isma'il and Ishaq; most surely my Lord is the Hearer of prayer” (14:39).

And the imamah was given to him after these trials.

Now we come back to the verse under discussion:

“And (remember) when his Lord tried Ibrahim”: “al-Ibtila' ” ( اَلإبْتـِلآء ُ ) and “al-bala' ” ( البَلآءُ ) both have the same meaning: to try, to put to test. You give someone an order, or put him in a difficult situation, in order to find out his inner strength, his spiritual sublimity; thus you bring out his hidden qualities like obedience, bravery, generosity, chastity, knowledge, faithfulness (or their opposite traits); it is only then that you may say, “I have tested him”, “I have put him to trial”.

One cannot be tested except through action; it is the action which brings out the hidden qualities of a man, and not the word; words may lie but not the actions. Allah says:

Surely We have tried them as We tried the owners of the garden... (68:17);

... Surely Allah will try you with a stream... (2:249).

Now Allah says that He tried Ibrahim with certain words. This sentence looks at the “words” inasmuch as they are re­lated to actions - they are the vehicles to carry the commands of the speaker to the listerner. For example, Allah says:

... and speak to men good (words)... (2:83),

that is, behave with them properly.

“With certain words, then he fulfilled them”: “al-Kalimat ” (اَلكـَلِماتُُ) is plural ofal-kalimah اَلكـَلِمَةُ) = word). Of course, the word, “word”, has sometimes been used in the Qur'an for a substance, a corporeal being (instead of a talk or speech) as Allah says:

... a Word from Him whose name is the Messiah, 'Isa son of Maryam... (3:45).

But this usage is based on the fact that 'Isa, like Adam, was created by a word from Allah as the Qur'an says:

Surely the likeness of 'Isa is with Allah as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”, and he was (3:59).

Otherwise, whenever the Qur'an attributes the “word” to Allah, it means speech and saying. For example:

and there is none to change the words of Allah (6:34).

there is no changing the words of Allah (10:64).

and Allah desired to manifest the truth of what was true by His words (8:7).

Surely those against whom the word of your Lord has proved true will not believe (10:96).

But the word of punishment proved true against the un­believers (39:71).

And thus did the word of your Lord prove true against those who disbelieved that they are the inmates of the Fire (40:6).

and had not a word gone forth from your Lord till an ap­pointed time, certainly affair would have been decided between them (42:14).

and the word of Allah, that is the highest (9:41).

He said: “The truth then (it) is and the truth do I speak” (38:84).

Our word for a thing when We intend it, is only that We say to it: “Be”, and it is (16:40).

These and similar verses use “word” in the meaning of “talk” because the talk conveys to the hearer the proposition which the speaker intends to communicate, or the command which he wants him to obey. It is for this reason that sometimes the Qur'an describes the “word” as being complete! It is as though a “word” emanating from the speaker remains incomplete until it is implemented, and then it becomes complete, is proved true. Allah says:

And the word of your Lord has been accom­plished (completed) truly and justly; there is none to change His words (6:115); and the good word of your Lord was fulfilled (completed) in the Children of Israel (7:137).

The above explanation does not go against the fact that Allah's word is Allah's action. His word and His action are not two different things, they are one and the same. Realities and facts have their own rules, and literary demands and semantic values are governed by other rules.

Whatever realities Allah wishes to disclose to one of His prophets or other servants, and whatever command He wants to impose on someone, it is His talk and speech, inasmuch as it fulfils the same purpose which a talk or speech does - it conveys information, and proposition as well as His order and prohibition.

Not frequently, the word, “word”, is used for ideas, intentions and actions if they have the same import as “word” has. We say: “I will surely do this because I have already said so, and have given my word.”

In fact, you have never before uttered a single word about it; all that your “given word” actually means is that you do have a firm intention to do it, without any wavering will, without listening to any intercessor.

The Arab poet, 'Antarah, said: “And (it was) my word (to my soul) whenever it was in turmoil or excitement: Be at ease; you will either earn the accol­ade or will go to (final) rest.” Obviously, he had not talked with his soul or spirit; what he means by “word” is that he had made up his mind to fight bravely, and to face the enemy without retreating from his stand; because if he was victorious, his people would sing his praise, and if he was killed, he would get the rest and tranquility.

In this light it is easy to see that the phrase, “when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words”, refers to the difficult situations he had to face, and the Divine covenants he had entered into, for example, his conflict with his people regarding the stars and the idols, his test by fire and emigration, his supreme trial of sacrificing his son, and other such things.

Allah has not specified which tests those “certain words” refer to, because this information had no-thing to do with the theme of the verse. But one thing is certain: As it was only after the fulfillment of those words that Allah said to him, “Surely I am going to make you an Imam for men”, the words must have been such as to prove his capability for the status of the Imamah.

This much about the “words”. Now comes the next phrase: “then he fulfilled them”. If the pronoun “he” refers to Ibrahim (a.s.), then it would mean that he fulfilled the task which was expected of him, he obediently did what he was told to do.

If on the other hand the pronoun refers to the Lord (as it obviously does) then it would mean that his Lord helped him to do what was expected of him.

Somebody has said that the phrase, “certain words”, refers to the Divine Speech, “Surely I am going to make you an Imam for men... My covenant will not include the unjust.” But it is an explanation which does not carry any weight, because nowhere in the Qur'an the word “words” has been used for “sentences”.

Qur’an: “Surely I am going to make you an Imam for men ”: That is, I am going to make you a leader for men; they will adhere to you and follow in your footsteps, in words and deeds.al-Imam اَلإمـَام ُ ) = leader) is the one whom the people follow.

That is why many exegetes have said thatal-Imamah اَلإمـَامَة ُ ) = leadership) in this verse means prophethood, because a prophet is followed and obeyed by his ummah in their religion; Allah has said:

And We did not send any apostle but that he should be obeyed by Allah's permission (4:64).

But this interpretation has no leg to stand upon. Because:‑

First: The wordImaman (اِمـَامـاً = Imam, leader) is the second accusative of the causativeja'iluka (جَاعِلـُكَ = literally, maker of you; translated here as “going to make you”), which is a nomen agentis; and a nomen agentis is never used in place of a past tense; if used in place of a verb it always gives the mean­ing of present or future tense.

When Allah used these words in His talk with Ibrahim (a.s.), He in effect gave him a promise to make him an Imam in future - in other words, to give him a status which he did not have at that time. And Ibrahim (a.s.) was already a prophet: Remember that this talk itself was a revelation sent to him in his capacity as a prophet.

He was a prophet long before he was given the status of the Imamah. There-fore, the Imamah in this verse cannot mean prophethood. (This reply is given by another exegete.)

Second: We have described earlier that Ibrahim (a.s.) was given the Imamah in his later days after setting the good news that he would be given offspring, Ishaq and Isma'il; and the angels had given him that news while they were on their way to destroy the ummah of Lilt; and Ibrahim at that time was a prophet and an apostle. He was a prophet and apostle before he got the Imamah; therefore, his Imamah was different from his prophethood and apostleship.

Why are such interpretations offered by exegetes from time to time? The reason lies in the banality - because of repeated use during all these centuries - which has degraded the sublime meanings of the Qur'anic words in people's minds.

The word, Imamah, has been debased in similar way. Some people say that it means prophethood, precedence, being in authority; others interpret it asal-khilafah ( اَلخِلافَة = successorship),al-wisayah (اَلوصَايَة = regency) or headship in spiritual and temporal affairs.

But all this is wrong. “Prophethood” means receiving news from Allah; “messengership” means conveying that message to people; “authority” implies that others have to follow one's example and obey one's orders.

Now this authority is a concomitant of prophethood and messengership; khilafah and wisayah both mean successorship to a prophet; likewise, headship in spiritual and temporal affairs is a sort of the above-mentioned authority; and all of it is different from the correct meaning of the Imamah.

The imamah implies that a man has an intrinsic quality because of which people should follow him faithfully, making their words and deeds to conform with his words and deeds; but none of the above-mentioned interpretations brings out this meaning.

Ibrahim (a.s.) was already a prophet whose obedience was obligatory for all men. What would be the sense in telling him that Allah was going to make him a prophet for men?

Or, to make his obedience compulsory in all that he said and did? Or, a head of his ummah to order or forbid in matters of religion? Or, a successor? Or, a khalifah in the earth to decide between the people by the order of Allah?

The difference between the Imamah and all the above-mentioned words is not only verbal; it is the realities behind those words that differ from one another. When a man is given prophethood, it becomes obligatory for the people to obey him.

Therefore, it would be wrong to say to that prophet, “I am going to make your obedience compulsory for men although I have already made it compulsory”. Nor will it be correct to convey the same idea in other words, because the same problem will arise again.

When Allah gives someone some status, he does not get merely a new title or name; bounties of Allah are not empty words; there are real things behind those words. Therefore, the imamah has its own reality, different from other words' realities.

We find in the Qur'an that whenever it mentions Imamah it puts guidance side by side - it looks as though Allah was using the latter to explain the former. Allah says in the story of Ibrahim:

And We gave him Ishaq and Ya'qub as a further gift; and We made (them) all righteous ones; and We made them Imams, to guide (people) by Our command... (21:72 - 73);

and He says in another place:

And We made of them Imams to guide by Our com­mand as they were patient, and they were certain of Our signs (32:24).

Here the imamah is explained, or rather defined, in terms of guidance, and then further qualified with the proviso, “by Our command”. Clearly, the Imamah does not mean any type of guidance; it is a guidance which emanates from the command of Allah.

And the reality of that command is described in these words:

His command, when He intends anything, is only that He says to it: “Be”, and it is. Therefore glory be to Him in Whose hand is the kingdom of every thing... (36:82-83);

And Our command is but one, as the twinkling of an eye (54:50).

We shall explain, when writing about these verses, that the Divine Command (which the former verse also calls “the Kingdom”) is the sublime side of the creation, with which they face towards Allah; it is pure, free from fetters of time and space, and un­touched by change and variation. It is also the real meaning of the word “Be”, because the Divine Command “Be”, is nothing other than the actual existence of the thing concerned.

This “command” is in contrast toal-khalq اَلخَلـْق ُ ) = creation) which is the other side of the things - it is subject to changes and vari­ations; it grows by and by and deteriorates in the same way; it works within the framework of time and space. (We shall fully explain this theme in its proper place, Allah willing.)

To sum it up, Imam is a leader who guides by a Divine Command which is closely associated with him. The Imamah, in its esoteric sense, isal-wilayah = اَلوِلايَـة ُ ) guardianship, auth-ority) over the people in their actions and activities; and its guid­ance entails conveying them to the final destination by the com­mand of Allah.

It is different from that guidance which only shows the way - and which is usually done by the prophets and messen­gers of Allah as well as by other believers who guide the people towards Allah with sincere exhortation and good advice. This second type of guidance is mentioned in the following verses:

And We did not send any apostle but with the language of his people, so that he might explain to them clearly; then Allah makes whom He pleases err and He guides whom He pleases... (14:4).

And he who believed (i.e., the believer from the family of Pharaoh) said: “O my people! follow me, I will guide you to the right course” (40:38).

Why should not then a company from every party from among them go forth that they may acquire (proper) understanding in religion, and that they may warn their people when they come back to them, so that they may be cautious? (9:122)

(We shall further explain it later on.)

Then Allah describes the reason why He gave them the Imamah, in these words,as they were patient, and they were certain of Our signs. (See 32:24, quoted above.) The criteria, therefore, are patience and absolute certainty. They were steadfast and patient in the cause of Allah. Patience, in this verse, is uncondi­tional; therefore it means remaining patient and steadfast in all matters and all conditions with which Allah may choose to test the submission and servitude of a servant.

And they possessed highest degree of certainty. Going through the stories of Ibrahim (a.s.), we find the following words of Allah in the Qur'an:

And thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and so that he might be of those who are sure (6:75).

The verse clearly indicates that showing of the kingdom to Ibrahim was the prelude to the bestowal of absolute certainty on him. It proves that certainty is an inseparable concomitant of looking at the kingdom. This is also the theme of the following verses:

Nay! if you had known with a knowledge of certainty, you should most certainly have seen the hell (102:5 - 6).

Nay! rather, what they used to do has become (like) rust upon their hearts. Nay! most surely they shall on that day be shut out away from their Lord.... Nay! most surely the record of the righteous shall be in the 'Illiyyin. And what will make you know what 'illiyyin is? It is a written book; see it those who are near (to Allah) (83:14 - 15; 18-21).

These verses prove that the “near ones” are those who are not shut out away from their Lord; on their hearts there are no rust or coverings of sin, ignorance and doubt; they are the ones who have absolute certainty about Allah, and they see the 'illiyyin as they see the hell.

In short, it is essential for an Imam to be a man of absolute certainty, who sees the world of the “kingdom” of Allah which is based on the “words” of Allah. And we have explained earlier that the kingdom is the command of Allah, which, in its turn, is the esoteric side of the universe.

Now let us have a fresh look at the verse 21:73 (and 32:24) quoted earlier. “And We made them Imams, to guide (people) by Our command:” it very clearly proves that whatever is the subject of guidance (i.e., the hearts and the deeds), the Imam has its inner reality; he is constantly in touch with its another side - the side of the command, which is never hidden from him.

It is known that the hearts and the deeds, like any other thing, have two sides, one of the “command” and the other of the “creation”; therefore, the reality of the deeds of the men - both good and bad - is always within the vision of the Imam, always under his observation; and he has authority over both ways - the one of happiness and bliss and the other of unhappiness and distress. Also, Allah has said:

(Remember) the day when We will call every people with their Imam (17:71).

(We shall explain when writing about this verse that the “Imam” here means the true leader, and not the scroll of deeds, as some people think.) There-fore, the Imam is the one who shall lead the people to Allah on the day when hidden things shall be tried, as he leads them to Him in the manifest and esoteric lives of this world.

The last quoted verse also shows that there cannot be a single period, a single moment, without an Imam, because Allah says, “every people”. (The detailed proof of this statement will be given under that verse.)

The Imamah is such an exalted and sublime position that it cannot be given except to one who is extremely virtuous by his own self. If someone's soul is polluted, even in a minute degree, by any injustice or sin, then he needs someone else to guide him back to the right way. And Allah has said:

Is he then who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who himself does not go right unless he is guided? (10:35).

Here Allah puts two groups opposite to each other: one is that which guides to the truth; and the other, that which does not go right unless guided by someone else, in other words, the one which needs a helping hand to be guided aright. This contrast means that the one who guides to the truth, is rightly guided by himself; conversely, the one rightly guided by another person cannot guide to the truth.

It follows from the above discourse that:‑

First: The Imam must beal-ma'sum اَلمَعْصُوْم ) = sinless; protected from error and sin). Otherwise, he would not be rightly guided by himself, as explained above. Also, the following verse

proves theiral-'ismah اَلعِصْمَة ) = sinlessness):

And We made them Imams to guide (people) by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good (deeds) and the establishing of prayer and the giving of zakat, and Us (alone) did they worship (21:73).

According to this verse, all the deeds of the Imam are good, he is guided to them, not by any other person, but on his own by Divine help. The phrase translated above as “the doing of good (deeds)” isfi'la 'l-khayrat فِعْلَ الخَيْراتِ ) = to do good deeds); itis al-masdar اَلمَصْدَر ) = roughly translated as infinitive verb), used as the first construct of a genitive construction; and such a masdar proves that the action has surely taken place. Let us explain it in another way:

If Allah would have said, 'We revealed to them: Do good deeds', it would not have shown that they actually obeyed the command and did good; but when He says, We revealed to them the doing of good, it means that whatever they did was good and it was by Divine inspiration and heavenly help.

Second: Conversely, whoever is not ma'sum, can never be an Imam, a guide to the truth.

Now, it is clear that the adjective, “the unjust”, (in the Divine declaration, “My covenant will not include the unjust”) covers everyone who might have done any injustice, for example, polytheism, idol-worship or any other sin, in any period of his life, even if he may have repented and been good afterwards.

One of our teachers (may Allah have mercy on him!) was asked as to how this verse could prove that the Imam must be ma'sum. He replied:

Logically, we may divide mankind into four groups: (1) One who remains unjust throughout his life; (2) One who was never unjust in any period of his life; (3) One who was unjust

in the beginning, but became just later on; and (4) One who was just in the beginning, but became unjust afterwards, Ibrahim was too sublime in position to ask for the Imamah for the first or the fourth group.

This leaves two groups (the second and the third) which could be included in his prayer. And Allah rejected one of them - the one who was unjust in the beginning but became just later on. Now, there remains only one group who could be given the Imamah - the one who was never unjust in any period of his life; that is, who was ma'sum.1

To sum it up, the verse shows that:

First: Imamah is a Divinely-made status.

Second: The Imam must be ma'sum, by Divine 'ismah; in other words, he must be protected by Allah from sins and errors.

Third: The earth cannot remain without a rightful Imam, as long as there is a man on it.

Fourth: It is essential for an Imam to be supported by the Divine help.

Fifth: The deeds of the people are not hidden from the Imam.

Sixth: The Imam must have knowledge of all that is needed by the people for their good in this world and the next.

Seventh: It is impossible for any other person to surpass the Imam in any virtue.

These seven are among the basic factors of the Imamah, and this verse, read with other relevant verses, leads us to them, and Allah is our Guide.

Objection: As the Imamah means to guide by the command of Allah, and as that guiding to the truth is concomitant with the Imam's being rightly guided by Allah (as has been inferred from the verse: Is he then who guides to truth more worthy to be followed...), then all the prophets should certainly be called Imams.

Obviously, prophethood of a prophet comes into being only when he is rightly guided by Allah through revelation; a prophet is not guided by any other person through teaching or advice etc.

Therefore, bestowal of prophethood would be synony­mous with that of the Imamah. And the objection you had put against the interpretation of the Imamah with prophethood would be turned in toto against your explanation.

Reply: What we have inferred from the foregoing description is that if one guides to Allah by His command, he must be guided aright not by any other person but by Allah Himself. But the Qur'anic verses have not shown that its contrary proposition is also true, that is, it has not been proved that whoever is rightly guided by Allah should also be a guide to Allah. Therefore, it is not necessary that every prophet should be called an Imam. In one place, Allah declares about various prophets that they were rightly guided by Him, and yet does not join it with the statement that they guided their people to the truth.

He says:

And We gave to him (i.e., Ibrahim) Ishaq and Ya'qub; each did We guide, and Nuh did We guide before, and of his descendants, Dawud and Sulayman and Ayyub and Yusuf and Harun; and thus do We reward those who do good; and Zakariyya and Yahya and 'Isa and Ryas; every one was of the righteous (ones) and Isma'il and Ilyasa ' and Yunus and Lut; and every one We did exalt over the worlds; and from among their fathers and their descendants and their brethren; and We chose them and guided them to the straight path. This is Allah's guidance, He guides thereby whom He pleases of His servants; and if they had set up others (with Him), certainly what they did would have become ineffectual for them. These are they to whom We gave the book and the wisdom and the prophethood; therefore if these disbelieve in it, We have (already) entrusted with it a people who are not disbelievers in it. These are they whom Allah guided, therefore follow their guidance. Say: “I do not ask you for any reward for it; it is but a reminder to the worlds” (6:86 -90). 2

The context of the above verses shows that this Divine Guidance is an unalterable firm decree; it will continue in this ummah even after the Messenger of Allah (S), and will remain confined within the progeny of Ibrahim (a.s.), as the verses 43:26 - 28 prove:

And when Ibrahim said to his father and his people: “Surely, I am clear of what you worship; (I wor­ship) but (only) Him Who created me, for surely He will guide me.” And He made it a word to continue in his posterity, so that they may return (to God).

When Ibrahim (a.s.) declared to his people that he was clear of what they worshipped and that he worshipped only Him Who had created him, he had already achieved that guidance which contemplation and logical reasoning can produce.

Then he told them of his expectation that Allah would surely guide him. This subsequent guidance was obviously different from the earlier one; it was a guidance by the command of Allah.

Thereafter, Allah says that He made this Divine Guidance ”a word to continue” in Ibrahim's posterity. This is one of those verses in which “word” has been used not for speech but for a substance - it refers to the guidance as “a word”. The same is the interpretation of “word of piety” in the verse:

and made them keep the word of piety, and well were they entitled to it and worthy of it (48:26).

The above explanation makes it clear that the Imamah after Ibrahim (a.s.), is confined to his descendants. The sentences, ”(Ibrahim) said: 'And of my offspring?' He said: 'My covenant will not include unjust'”, point to this fact.

Obviously, Ibrahim (a.s.) had asked for the imamah not for all but only for some of his descendants, and he was told that it would not be given to the unjust of his descendants. Needless to say that not all of his de­scendants were unjust; therefore, this reply disqualifies only one group and not all. In other words, it grants the request for a se­lected group of his offspring and further sanctifies it as a covenant, and on that basis it says that the covenant of Allah will not in­clude the unjust ones.

Qur’an:“My covenant will not include the unjust”: This ex­pression shows how far removed are the unjust from the circle of the Divine Covenant3 ; therefore, it is an example of isti'arah bi 'l-kinayah.

Traditions

Imam as-Sadiq (a.s.) said: “Verily Allah (to Whom belong Might and Majesty) accepted Ibrahim as a servant before making him a prophet; and verily Allah made him a prophet before appointing him as a messenger; and verily Allah appointed him as a messenger before taking him as a friend; and verily Allah took him as a friend before making him an Imam.

When He combined for him all (the above-mentioned) things,He said, 'Surely I am going to make you an Imam for men.'” The Imam further said: “It was because of the greatness of it (i.e., Imamah) in the eyes of Ibrahim (a.s.) that he said:'And of my offspring?' He said: 'My covenant will not include the unjust. '” The Imam explained: “A fool will not be Imam of a pious.” (al-Kafi )

The author says: The same meaning has been narrated from the same Imam through another chain of narrators, and from al-Baqir (a.s.) through yet other chain; and al-Mufid has narrated it from as- Sadiq (a.s.).

The Imam has said that Allah accepted Ibrahim as a servant before making him a prophet. This theme is inferred from the Qur'anic verse:

And certainly We gave to Ibrahim his rectitude before, and We knew him fully well. When he said to his father and his people: “What are these images to which you (as devotees) cleave?” They said: “We found our fathers worshipping them.” He said: “Certainly you have been (both) you and your fathers, in manifest error.” They said: “Have you brought to us the truth, or are you one of the triflers?” He said: “Nay! your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Who brought them into exist­ence, and I am of those who bear witness to this” (21:51 - 56).

This story shows how Allah took Ibrahim (a.s.) as a servant in the beginning of his spiritual journey.

It is one thing that someone is a slave or servant of Allah, and a quite different thing that he is taken or accepted by Allah as His slave. Being a slave of Allah is a concomitant of existence and creation; anyone who is created and has perceiving faculties is inescapably a slave of Allah; this servitude does not depend on Divine acceptance.

Man, for example, owes his existence to his Lord, is created and made by Him; he may behave in his personal life according to this servitude's dictates by surrendering himself to his Lord the Almighty, or he may act rebelliously, but his submission or rebellion does not alter the fact that he is a born slave of Allah. Allah says in the Qur'an:

There is no one in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Beneficent Allah as a servant (19:93).

But if he does not act as a slave should do, if he behaves in the earth with arrogance and rebellion, then he does not deserve to be called a slave or servant of Allah, because he does not fulfill the conditions of servitude.

A servant surrenders himself to his Lord, and leaves all his affairs in his Master's hands. Therefore, only he deserves to be called a servant of Allah who is His slave in his person as well as in his action - only such a man can truly be called a slave of Allah.

Allah says: And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humbleness... (25:63).

Accordingly, when Allah accepts a.man as His servant, He takes masterly interest in that servant's affairs; in other words, Allah becomes his waliyy and guardian, and takes all his affairs in His Own hands. Such a servitude is the key toal-wilayah اَلوِلايَـةُ ) = guardianship).

The verse 7:196 points to this reality:

“Surely my guardian is Allah, Who revealed the Book, and He takes in hand (the affairs of) the good.”

The adjective “good”, refers to those who are worthy of Divine guardianship and friendship. Allah has referred to the Prophet in several places in the Qur'an as His servant, for example,

... Who revealed the Book to His servant... (18:1);

... Who sends down clear signs upon His servant... (57: 9);

... when the servant of Allah stood up calling upon Him... (72:19).

In short, to say that Allah accepted someone as His servant, is another way of saying that Allah took him under His wilayah and guardianship.

The Imam said: ”... and verily Allah made him a prophet before appointing him as a messenger”. The difference between a prophet and a messenger, as shown by the traditions narrated from the Imams of the Ahlu 'l-bayt, is as follows:

A prophet sees in his dream what Allah intends to reveal to him; and a messenger sees the angel and talks to him.

The same gradual progress is seen in the history of Ibrahim (a.s.). Allah says:

And mention Ibrahim in the Book; surely he was a truthful (man), a prophet, when he said to his father: “O my father! why do you worship what neither hears nor sees, nor does it avail you in the least” (19:41 - 42).

The verse shows that he was a prophet when he said this to his father. It was a confirmation of what he had told his people as soon as he arrived among them:

“Surely I am clear of what you worship; (I wor­ship) but (only) Him Who created me, for surely He will guide me” (43:26 - 27).

Then we read the verse 11:69 which says:

And certainly Our messengers (i.e., angels) came to Ibrahim with good news. They said: “Peace.” “Peace,” said he.

This event, in which Ibrahim saw the angels and talked to them, had taken place in his old age long after he had left his father and his nation.

The Imam said: “And verily Allah appointed him as a mess­enger before taking him as a friend.” It is inferred from the words of Allah:

And who is better in religion than he who... follows the faith of Ibrahim, the upright one? And Allah took Ibrahimas a friend (4:125).

Apparently it shows that Allah took him as a friend because of the same upright faith and religion which he had promulgated by the command of his Lord; the theme of this verse is to describe the distinction and excellence of that upright religion which so much raised the status of Ibrahim that he was taken as a friend of Allah.

al-Khalil ( اَلخَليْلُ ) is more exclusive thanas-Sadiq ( اَلصَّديْقُ ), although both are generally translated as “friend”. When a friend is sincere and truthful (as-Sadiq) in his dealings with the other friend, he is called as-Sadiq; thereafter, if he turns away from all else, confining his needs and requirements to that friend only, he is called al-khalil, becauseal-khullah ( اَلخُلـَّةُ ) means need and requirement.

The meaning of the Imam's sentence, “and verily Allah took him as a friend before making him an Imam,” may be understood from the foregoing commentary. The words of the Imam: “A fool will not be Imam of a pious,” point to the verse 2:130 - 131:

And who forsakes the religion of Ibrahim but he who makes himself a fool, and most certainly We chose him in this world, and in the hereafter he is most surely among the righteous. When his Lord said to him, Submit (yourself), he said: “I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds.”

In this verse Allah says that whoever turns away from the religion of Ibrahim - in other words, whoever is unjust - is a fool; then he contrasts this foolishness with Divine selection - a selection which has been explained in the next sentences as “Islam” or submission to God. (Ponder on the clause,When his Lord said to him, Submit yourself ).

Then we see thatal-Islam ( اَلإسْلامُ ) = submission) andat-taqwa ( اَلتَّقْوی) = piety, fear of Allah) have been made one, or applicable to one meaning, in the verse:

O you who believe! fear Allah as is due to Him, and do not die but as Muslims (3:102).

(Think deeply on it.)

al-Mufid has narrated from Durust and Hisham from the Imams (of the Ahlu 'l-bayt): “Ibrahim was a prophet, and he was not an Imam until Allah, Blessed and High is He, said (to him): “Surely I am going to make you an Imam for men.” (Ibrahim) said:“And of my offspirng?” Then Allah, Blessed and High is He, said:“My covenant will not include the unjust.” Whoever had (ever) worshipped an idol or a sculpture or an image, cannot be an Imam.”

The author says: Its meaning is clear from the above explanations.

It is narrated in al-Amali of at-Tusi (with complete chain of narrators) and in al-Manaqib of Ibn al-Maghazili (as a marfu' tradition) from Ibn Mas'ud from the Prophet that he said (ex­plaining the words of Allah to Ibrahim in this verse):

“Whoever prostrated before an idol, leaving me, I will not make him an Imam.” Then the Prophet said: “And that prayer was fulfilled in me and my brother Ali; neither of us ever prostrated before any idol.”

Waki' and Ibn Marduwayh have narrated from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) that the Prophet said (in explanation of the words of Allah,My covenant will not include the unjust ): “There is no obedience except in good.” (ad-Durru 'l-manthur )

'Abd ibn Hamid narrated from 'Imran ibn Husayn that he said: “I heard the Prophet saying: 'There is no obedience of a creature in disobedience of Allah (i.e., a man should not be obeyed if he tells you to disobey Allah).'” (ibid.)

The author says: The meanings of those traditions are easily understood from the earlier explanations. al-'Ayyashi has narrated in his Tafsir, through several chains, from Safwan the camel-driver, that he said:

“We were at Mecca; and the talk gradually reached the words of Allah,And (remem­ber) when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words, then he fulfilled them.” (The Imam) said: “That is, he completed them with Muhammad and 'Ali and the Imams from the descendants of 'Ali, as Allah says:Offspring, one from the other” (3:34).

The authour says: This tradition takes the “word” in the meaning of the Imamah; a similar explanation is given to “word” in the verses:...for surely He will guide me. And He made it a word to continue in his posterity... (43: 27 - 28).

According to this tradition, the verse would mean as follows: And remember when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words, that is, his own imamah, and that of Ishaq and his progeny; then He completed it with the imamah of Muhammad and of the Imams from his family members, who were from the progeny of Isma'il; then Allah made it known to Ibrahim telling him:

“Surely lam going to make you an Imam for men.” Ibrahim said: “And of my offspirng?” Allah said:“My covenant will not include the unjust.”

Footnotes

1. It is a simplified version of the argument given by al-Qadi Nurullah Tustari (ash-Shahid ath-Thalith) in his Ihgaqu 'l-haqq. (Vide the new ed. with footnotes by Ayatullah Sayyid Shahabuddin Mar'ashi Najafi, Mat­ba'ah Islamiyyah, Tehran, vol. II, pp. 367 - 369.) (tr.)

2. This reply does not seem to meet the objection. The verse clearly says that these prophets were guided by Allah. Also, it is accepted that all the prophets, including those mentioned in this verse, guided their people aright, and that they did so by the command of Allah. Thus, all the characteristics of the Imamah were found in every prophet who called his people to the right path. (tr.)

3. Its literal translation: My covenant will not reach the unjust. Note that Allah did not say: The unjust will not reach My covenant, because it would have implied that it was within the power of man - albeit a just one - to reach the status of the Imamah.

The present sentences does not leave room for any such misunderstanding; it clearly shows that getting the imamah is not within human jurisdiction, it is exclusively in the hand of Allah and He gives to whom He pleases. (tr.)

Suratul Baqarah: Verses 102 - 103

وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ‌ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ‌ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُ‌وتَ وَمَارُ‌وتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ‌ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّ‌قُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْ‌ءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُم بِضَارِّ‌ينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّـهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّ‌هُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَ‌اهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَ‌ةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَ‌وْا بِهِ أَنفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٠٢﴾

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّـهِ خَيْرٌ‌ لَّوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٠٣﴾

And they followed what the satans chanted(of sorcery) against the kingdom of Sulayman; and Sulayman was not an unbeliever, but the satans disbelieved; they taught men sorcery and what was sent down to the two angels at Baby­lon, Harut and Marut. Yet these two taught no one until they had said: “Surely we are only a trial, therefore do not be a disbeliever.” Even then men learned from these two, that by which they might cause a separation between a man and his wife; and they cannot hurt with it any one except with Allah's permission; and they learned what harmed them and did not profit them; and certainly they knew that he who bought it should have no share (of good) in the hereafter, and vile was the price for which they sold their souls; had they but known(this) (102).

And if they had believed and guarded themselves(against evil), reward from Allah would certainly have been better; had they but known(this ) (103).

Commentary

Qur’an: And they followed what the satans chanted... The exegetes have disputed among themselves about each and every aspect of this verse; so much so that the resulting picture of the differences is almost unparalleled in the whole Qur'an. A list of the differences is given below:

“they followed ”: Does the pronoun, “they”, refer to the Jews of the Sulayman's time, or to those at the time of the Prophet, or to all?

“chanted”: The Arabic word is “tatlu ” ( تَتْلوْا ) which may be translated as “chanted”, “recited”, “told a lie about”, “faked” or “followed and acted according to”. In which sense the word is used here? Every meaning has some supporters.

“satans”: Does it refer to the satans of jinn? Or to those among the human beings? Or to both?

“about”: The Arabic participle is ”'ala ” (عَلی) = against, on, about, upon). Does the phrase mean, about the kingdom of Sulayman? Or, during the reign of Sulayman? Or, against his kingdom? Or, on his reign?

“the satans disbelieved”: Some say, they disbelieved because they published the sorcery among the people. Others say, they disbelieved because they ascribed the sorcery to Sulayman. Still others say, the disbelief, as mentioned here, actually means sorcery.

“they taught men sorcery”: It means they instructed them as a teacher instructs his students. No! it means that they buried the chants under Sulayman's chair, and then directed the men to it who brought it out and learnt it.

“and what was sent down”: The word translated here as “what” is “ma ” (مَا ) which is a relative pronoun (“what”); also, it is a particle of negation (“not”). “And” is mostly used as a conjunctive; but not infrequently, it is also used to begin a new sentence. A group says that “ma” means “what”, and the conjunctive joins it to “what the satans chanted” (the Jews followed what was sent down).

Another party is of the opinion that the conjunctive joins it to “sorcery” (the satans taught them sorcery and that which was sent down). A third group thinks that “ma” means “not”, and the word “and” begins a new sentence (And sorcery was not sent down to the two angels, contrary to what the Jews claimed).

“sent down”: Was it sent down from the heavens? Or from the highlands?

“the two angels”: They were the angels from the heaven. No! They were two good men, or men who feigned to be good. No! It is not “al-malakayn ” (المَلَكَيْنِ = two angels); it is “al-malikayn ” (المَلِكَيْنِ = two kings).

“Babylon”: It is the famous ancient city of Iraq. No! It is a city in Damawand (Iran); Wrong! It is the land between Nasibayn (Turkey) and Ra'sul 'Ayn.

“these two taught no one”: Teaching is used in its common meaning of instruction. No! It means, these two apprised no one.

“do not be a disbeliever”: By learning sorcery? Or, by practising it? Or, by both?

“the men learned from these two”: The “two” refers to the two angels. No! It means, they learned from the two subjects, sorcery and disbelief. Wrong! They learned the practice of sorcery, in place of the advice given by the angels.

“that by which they might cause a separation between a man and his wife”: Some exegetes say that they caused love or hate between the couple with the help of their sorcery. Others think that they misled one of the spouses to disbelief and polytheism, and the apostasy caused the separation mentioned here. A third group say that they created hatred and enmity between the couple with their calumny and slander.

This, in short, gives a glimpse of the differences of opinions concerning the explanations of the words and clauses of the verse. There are still more differences about the event referred to - whether it narrates an actual happening or is just a parable; and so on and so forth. Compute the differences mentioned above and you will get nearly one million and two hundred sixty thousand possible explanations (4 x 3 9 x 2 4)!!

It seems an astounding quality of the Qur'an, that a verse that is subjected to so many divergent interpretations, still maintains its highest standard of eloquence; that in spite of all these vagaries of the exegetes, its meaning is not disjointed, nor its beauty marred.

A similar treatment has been meted out to the verse:

Is he then who has with him clear proof from his Lord, and a witness from him recites it and before it (is) the Book of Musa, a guide and a mercy (11:17).

However, it appears from the context that this verse deals with a hitherto unmentioned affair of the Jews, that is, their wide-spread use of sorcery. They based this practice on one or two stories, which were very popular among them.

The Jews were addicted to making alterations and inter­polations in, and omissions from, their Divine books, let alone the historical narrations. They used to change their books and records fitting them to the prevalent moods of their times. A story narrated by them was not to be relied upon. But this Qur'anic admonition is based on their own belief, because it was they who used to narrate these stories.

The verse proves that the practice of sorcery was prevalent among the Jews, and that they ascribed it to Sulayman (a.s.). They presumed that Sulayman (a.s.) got the kingdom and sub­jugated the jinn, the human beings, the animals and the birds - all with the help of sorcery; and all the supernatural miraculous events related to him depended on witchcraft.

And they claimed that some of the enchantments in their hands had come down to them from him. The remaining portion was attributed to the two angels at Babylon, named Harut and Marut.

The Qur'an refutes the stories, saying that the prophet Sulayman (a.s.) never indulged in witchcraft and sorcery. How could he, when sorcery was nothing but disbelief in Allah? Sulayman (a.s.) could not be an unbeliever as he was a sinless, innocent prophet. All this is clearly seen from the words of Allah:

“and Sulayman was not an unbeliever, but the satans disbelieved, they taught men sorcery”; “and certainly they knew that he who bought it should have no share (of good) in the hereafter”. Sulayman's position was too distinguished, his rank too high, and his name too sacred to be associated with disbelief and sorcery.

He was the prophet whose outstanding position has been eulogized in several places in the chapters of Meccan period, long before this Chapter of the Cow was revealed. See, for example, the chapters of the Cattle (6th), the Prophets (21st), the Ant (27th) and Sad (38th).

You shall find therein that Sulayman (a.s.) was an excellent servant of Allah, a prophet and an apostle; Allah gave him the knowledge and the wisdom; and granted him a kingdom which was not fit for any one after him.

Obviously, Sulayman could not indulge in sorcery; it was just a mythical story invented by the satans, which they dictated to their human friends; and it was the satans who disbelieved because they misguided the men by teaching them sorcery.

As for the story of the two angels at Babylon, the Qur'anic stand is as follows:

The two angels, Harut and Maria, were certainly given some sorcery as a means of test and trial for the human beings - and no objection could be raised against that; after all, Allah has taught the human nature the ways of evil too in order that He may test them with it.

Likewise, sorcery was sent down to the two angels; but they did not teach it to anyone until they had said to him: Surely we are only a trial, therefore do not become a disbeliever by using it for wrongful purposes; you must use it only to nullify the effect of witchcraft, to expose the viles of the sorcerers and things like that.

But the men learned from them that by which they might destroy the domestic peace and turn the love between husband and wife - the best of the things ingrained in human nature - into hatred, causing a separation between them. Also they learned what harmed them and did not benefit them.

The verse therefore may be explained as follows:

And they (i.e., the Jews coming after the reign of Sulayman - every generation passing on the legacy to the later one) followed what the satans from among the jinn faked and lied about the kingdom of Sulayman.

“Tatlu ” تـَتْلـُوْا) = translated here as recited or chanted) actually has the connotation of “lied about ” or “faked about”, because it is followed by the preposition ”'ala ”عَلیٰ ) = on) which has changed its semantic value.

Why do we say that the satans were from the jinn? The following two verses read together provide the answer to this question:

And of the satans there were those who dived for him and did other work beside that, and We kept guard over them (21:82);

and when he fell down, the jinn came to know plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in abasing torment (34:14).

The first verse shows that the satans were reduced to subjection by Sulayman (a.s.) who kept them away from mischief by assigning to them very heavy task; and the second verse refers to the same slavish group as the jinn.

Qur’an:and Sulayman was not an unbeliever: “and” is used here in the meaning of “while”. Sulayman did not indulge in sorcery; therefore, it was not he who disbelieved; rather it was the satans who disbelieved, because they misled the people by teaching them sorcery.

Qur’an:and what was sent down: The Jews followed that which was sent down - through inspiration - to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. Yet these two did not teach any one any thing of the sorcery, without warning him not to practice it.

They admonished every one who wanted to learn sorcery: Surely we are only a trial for you. What we teach you is but a means of test for you. Beware! Don't become an unbeliever by practising sorcery.

Qur’an: Even then men learned from these two: that is, from the two angels, Harut and Maria. “that by which they might cause a separation”, that is, the sorcery which caused separation “between a man and his wife”.

Qur’an:and they cannot hurt with it any one except with Allah's permission: It is a parenthetic sentence, to remove a possible misunderstanding: One could assume, on hearing that the sorcerers caused separation between a husband and his wife, that the sorcerers were powerful enough to disturb the divinely ordained arrangement of the world; that they could undo the Divine Decree and change the system created by Allah.

This sen­tence clears the air and emphasizes the fact that sorcery draws its strength from the Divine Decree; it cannot affect any thing but with the permission of Allah. Therefore, the sorcerers act within the framework of the system designed by Allah.

This sentence was placed where it is because only the preceding sentence(that by which they might cause a separation...) mentions the effect of sorcery. Therefore, it was explained that whatever effect it had was based on the permission of Allah.

The following clause(and they learned what harmed them and did not profit them) is not concerned with this aspect of sorcery, and the above-mentioned clarifying parenthetic sentence, if placed after it, would have looked out of place.

Qur’an:and certainly they knew that he who bought it should have no share (of good) in the hereafter: They knew it because their reason and intellect told them that the sorcery was the most wicked source of disorder in the society. Also, they were made aware of it by Musa (a.s.) when he had said:

and the magician shall not be successful wheresoever he may come from (20:69).

Qur’an:and vile was the price for which they sold their souls; had they but known (this): They knew that sorcery was bad for them and ruinous for their future abode; yet it was as though they did not know it - because they did not act according to their knowledge. If a knowledge fails to lead the knower to the straight path, then it is not knowledge; it is ignorance.

Allah says:

Have you then seen him who takes his low desire for his god, and Allah has made him err in spite of (his) knowledge... (45:23).

Therefore, it was completely in order to wish for them know-ledge and guidance, even if they had had the knowledge before.

Qur’an:And if they had believed and guarded themselves....: If they had followed the dictates of belief and piety, instead of following the satans' yarns and practising sorcery which is nothing short of disbelief, they would have got its reward from Allah.

This verse indicates that the disbelief emanating from sorcery is a disbelief within the sphere of action, like that which results from withholding zakat; it is not a disbelief within the sphere of faith. Had the sorcery been a disbelief within the sphere of faith, Allah would have only said, “And if they believed”, with-out adding “and guarded themselves (against evil)”.

The Jews had believed, no doubt; but they did not guard themselves against evil and did not desist from the things forbidden by Allah; therefore, Allah did not attach any importance, any value, to their belief, and they were called the disbelievers.

Qur’an:reward from Allah would certainly have been better; had they but known (this): that is, better than the rewards and profits they seek through sorcery and amass through disbelief.

Traditions

al Baqir (a.s.) said, inter alia, explaining the words of Allah, And they followed what the satans chanted (of sorcery) against the kingdom of Sulayman...:“When Sulayman died, Iblis invented sorcery and wrote it in a book; then folding it, wrote on its back: 'This is the valuable treasure of knowledge which Asif ibn Barkhiya produced for the king Sulayman ibn Dawud. Whoever wanted such and such thing, should do so and so.'

Then he buried it under his throne. Thereafter, he unearthed it for the Jews and recited it (before them). The disbelievers said: 'Sulayman had not gained supremacy over us but because of this.' And the believers said:

'Nay! He was a servant of Allah and His prophet.' Thus Allah, Great is His remembrance! said:And they followed what the satans chanted (of sorcery) against the kingdom of Sulayman.” (at-Tafsir, al-'Ayyashi, al-Qummi ).

The author says: This tradition says that it was the Satan, that is, Iblis, who invented sorcery and wrote and recited it. There is no discrepancy between this statement and the verse under discussion which ascribes these things to the satans from among the jinn.

Even their deeds are ultimately attributed to the Iblis, because he is the source of all evil; it is he who instigates his friends to wickedness and evil. Such usage is common in the traditions.

It appears from this tradition that the verb, “tatlu” in this verse is derived from “at tilawah ” (التـِّلاوَةُ = to recite, to chant). It not in conflict with the interpretation given by us in the Commentary that it gives the meaning of “lied about” or “faked about”; because, as we said there, this connotation emerges from the preposition, ” 'ala ” which has changed its semantic value.

The sentence, therefore, may be interpreted as follows: The satans chanted the sorcery, reciting it, and faking it, lying about the kingdom of Sulayman.

Etymologically, tala, yatlu, tilawatan ( تَلا ، يَتلوا ، تِلاوَةً ) returns towaliya, yali, wilayatan ( وَلِي ، يَلِي ، ولايَةً ) which has the semantic value of being near to, governing and following; one owns a thing gradually, one part following the other - reciting is called at-tilawah simply because in recitation one word follows the other.

A fuller discourse of this subject will be given under the verse:

Verily, your guardian is only Allah and His Apostle and those who believe, those who establish prayer and pay zakat while they bow down (5:58).

ar-Rida (a.s.) said, inter alia, in his discussion with al‑ Ma'mun: “And as for Harut and Marut, they were two angels; they taught sorcery to the people in order that they could protect themselves from the enchantments of the sorcerers, and could nullify their devices. And they did not teach any one any (en­chantment) until they had said to him:

'Surely we are only a trial, therefore do not be a disbeliever.'

But a group became dis­believers by practising what they were warned against; and they caused a separation between a man and his wife with their practice (of sorcery). Allah has said: and they cannot hurt with it any one except with Allah's permission.” ('Uyunu 'l-akhbar).

On Some Spurious Traditions

Ibn Jarir has narrated from Ibn ''Abbas that he said: “When-ever Sulayman wanted to enter the toilet or to attend to some of his affairs, he gave his ring to al-Jaradah, his wife. When Allah decided to test Sulayman in the way He tested him, one day Sulayman gave his ring (as usual) to al-Jaradah. Then Satan came to her in the likeness of Sulayman and said:

'Give me my ring.' So he took it and put it on. As soon as he did so, the satans (from the jinn and the human beings) came under his control. Then came Sulayman and said to her: 'Give me my ring.' She said: 'You are a liar; you are not Sulayman.' So Sulayman knew that it was a trial to test him.

The satans got a free hand, and wrote, in those very days, some books containing enchantments and disbelief, and buried them under the chair of Sulayman. Thereafter they unearthed them and recited them before the people.

And they said: 'It was because of these books that Sulayman dominated over the people.' Thus the people avoided Sulayman and accused him of disbelief. (It continued) until Allah sent Muhammad (S) and revealed to him:and Sulayman was not an unbeliever, but the satans disbelieved.” (ad-Durru ‘l-manthur )

The author says: This story is found in other traditions too. It is a long story forming a part of a multitude purporting to show the supposed sins and mistakes of the prophets.

Said ibn Jarir and al-Khatib (in hisat-Tarikh ) have quoted Nafi' as saying: “I went on a journey with Ibn 'Umar. When the night was coming to its end, he said: 'O Nafi'! Look at the red star1 , has it risen?' Twice or thrice I said: 'No.' Then I said: 'It has risen.' He said: 'No welcome to it!' I said: 'Praise the Lord! (It is but) a star, subjugated, obedient (and) submissive!'

He said: 'I have not told you except that which I heard the Apostle of Allah (S) saying. He said: “The angels (once) said: 'O Lord! How doest Thou bear with the mistakes and sins of the children of Adam?' (Allah) said:

'I have put them to trial and given them some dispensation.' They said: 'If we were in their place, we would not have disobeyed Thee.' He said: 'Then select (for trial) two angels from among yourselves.'

They spared no effort in the selection and (finally) selected Harut and Marut. They came down (to the earth); and Allah created in them the lust.” (At this juncture, Nafi' said: 'And what is lust?' He said: 'Sexual urge.') ”Then there came a woman, az-Zuhrah (i.e., Venus) by name, and both felt attracted towards her, each con­cealing his feeling from his companion.

Then one of them asked the other: 'Do you feel in your heart what I do in mine?' The other said: 'Yes!' Thereupon, they asked her for themselves. She said: 'I will not give you power (over myself) until you teach me the name by which you ascend to, and descend from, the heaven.' They refused to do so. Then they asked her again; and again she refused. At last they did (teach her the name).

When she flew (to the heaven), Allah effaced her into a star and cut her wings. Then the (two angels) sought pardon from Allah; and He gave them an option, saying: 'If it is your wish, I shall let you return to the position you held before, and then you shall be punished on the Day of Resurrection.

Or, if you wish, I shall chastise you in this world, and when the Day of Resurrection comes you shall be reinstated to your previously held position.' So one of them said to the other: 'The punish­ment of this world will come to an end and will be short-lived.'

Therefore, they opted for this world's chastisement against the punishment of the next world. And Allah revealed to them to go to Babylon. They went there and the earth swallowed them up; they are hanging upside-down between the heaven and the earth, undergoing punishment up to the Day of Resurrection.” ' ” (ad-Durru 'l-manthur)

The author says: Something like this has been narrated in some Shi'ah books too from al-Baqir (a.s.). as-Suyuti, the Sunni traditionalist, has narrated more than twenty traditions of the same theme about Harut, Marut and the Venus; some of those traditions have been confirmed as having “correct” chains of narrators; and the chains end on various companions, like Ibn ''Abbas, Ibn Mas'ud, 'Ali, Abud-Darda', 'Umar, 'A'ishah and Ibn 'Umar.

These are fictitious stories, which collectively ascribe to the angels of Allah the worst type of polytheism and the most heinous sins, that is, idol-worship, murder, fornication and liquor-drinking. Could the angels indulge in such sins, when they are known to be the honoured servants of Allah who are purified from all sins and mistakes?

And they accuse the planet Venus to be a woman of loose character, who was transformed into a luminary body - have you ever heard of such a punishment!! - while it is known to be a heavenly body, free from any defect in its creation or any flaw in its system; a planet by which Allah swears in the Qur'an:

But nay! I swear by the stars that run their course (and) hide themselves... (81:15-16).

Moreover, the astronomy has today unveiled its reality, and found out in detail the elements it is made of, as well as their quantity and combination - in short all matters related to it.

This story, like that given earlier (about Sulayman and his ring), is in complete agreement with the legends popular among the Jews. They remind one of the Greek mythology related to the stars and the planets.

A discerning reader will agree that these traditions, like those slandering and defaming the prophets and apostles, are but a few samples of the intrigues and machinations of the Jews.

Their prevalence in the Muslims' books of traditions is a living proof of the hold they held on the Muslims' minds in the early days of Islam. The Jews toyed with the Muslim traditions in any way they liked; and the Muslim traditionalists were their willing partners in these interpolations.

But Allah has kept His Book under His Own protection. The enemies of truth cannot play with it. Whenever one of their satans tries to steal a hearing he is chased away by a visible flame. Allah has said:

Surely We have revealed the Reminder and We will most certainly be its guardian (15:9);

and most surely it is a Mighty Book: Falsehood shall not come to it from before it nor from behind it; a revelation from the Wise, the Praised One (41:41- 42);

And We reveal of the Qur'an that which is a healing and mercy to the believers, and it adds only to the perdition of the unjust (17:82).

The promise given in these verses is uncon­ditional. Every interpolation, every alteration is repulsed by the Qur'an. The Book of Allah unmasks the true face of the inter­polators, adding to their perdition. Also, the Apostle of Allah (S) has said:

“Whatever is in conformity with the Book of Allah, take it; and whatever is against it, leave it.” The ummah has been given this frame of reference; it is this yardstick with which all the traditions attributed to the Prophet and his Ahlu 'l-bayt are to be measured.

The Qur'an removes every falsehood and exposes every deception. Allah says:

Nay! We cast the truth against falsehood, so that it breaks its head, and lo! it vanishes (21:18);

and Allah desired to manifest the truth of what was true by His words... that He may manifest the truth of what was true and show the falsehood of what was false, even though the guilty ones disliked (8:7-8).

Allah confirms the truth and erases the falsehood by showing the true faces of both.

Some people, and especially those with materialistic out-look, who are overawed by the western civilization, have used the above-mentioned historical fact as a pretext to throw away all the traditions attributed to the Prophet.

They looked at some traditionalists and al-Haruriyyah and found that they accepted every tradition - without any scrutiny whatsoever. They reacted to it by going to the other extreme and rejecting every tradition - without any scrutiny whatsoever.

It needs not much intelligence to realize that the total acceptance of the traditions is as bad as its total rejection.

Its unconditional acceptance nullifies the standard laid down for the purpose of differentiating between the truth and the falsehood; and encourages one to ascribe lies to the Prophet. Likewise, its indiscriminate rejection casts aside the said standard and leads one to the rejection of the Book of Allah itself - the Mighty Book that falsehood does not come to it from before it nor from behind it.

Allah has said in this Book: and whatever the Apostle gives you, take it; and from whatever he forbids you, keep back (59:7);

And We did not send any apostle but that he should be obeyed by Allah's permission (4:64).

If the sayings of the Prophet had no authority, or if his words - reported to his contemporaries who were absent from his gathering or to the generations coming after his time - had no validity then nothing of the religion could survive at all.

Man by his instinct relies and accepts the reports brought by others - he cannot survive without it. As for the alterations and interpolations, it is not a disease peculiar to the traditions of the Prophet.

The society depends on the reported news and information; and the motives to tell lies, to make changes and alterations to suit one's purpose, to twist the words and to quote them out of context, are much more stronger in the case of the worldly affairs.

So, what do we do? Do we reject all reports and information? No! We scrutinize every report with the help of some well-established and relevant standard; what passes the test, is accepted as truth; and that which fails is thrown aside as falsehood; and if no clear result emerges from the test, if we are unable to decide whether the report was true or not, we reserve our judgment - as our nature tells us to do in such cases.

The above procedure is applied regarding the subjects we have some expertise about. As for a subject outside our specialty, the common practice is to refer it to the specialists in that field and accept their judgment.

This is, in short, the dictate of human nature for the smooth running of the society. The self same system is adhered to in religion for distinguishing truth from falsehood. The litmus-paper of this test is the Book of Allah - if a tradition conforms to it, its truth is confirmed; if it clearly goes against it, its false-hood is known; and if no definite stand may be taken because of some ambiguities, then the judgment is reserved.

This system has been explained in the mutawatir traditions of the Prophet and the Imams (of the Ahlu 'l-bayt - a.s.). It applies to all the tradi­tions that are not concerned with jurisprudence; as for those dealing with the law and jurisprudence, they are governed by the Principles of Jurisprudence.

A Philosophical Discourse on Sorcery and Witchcraft

It is a common knowledge that many unusual events do take place which are outside the frame of the established natural system. It is difficult to find someone who has not seen, or heard about, some abnormal or seemingly supernatural events.

But we find after scrutiny that most of them are not enigmatic and mysterious at all; rather they arise from normal and natural causes. Often they result from practice and training, for example, eating poison, lifting heavy load, walking or dancing on tight-rope etc.

Some are based on natural causes that are not known to the general public, for example, a man walks into flaming fire without coming to any harm, (he applies some chemicals like talc to his body); or sends a sheet of blank paper and the addressee understands the message it contains.

(He writes with an invisible ink which becomes visible if heated by fire or treated with some chemicals.) A third set depends on the sleight of hand like jug­glery. All these seemingly abnormal feats actually emanate from the normal causes, although the causes remain hidden from a common man's eyes; they may even be beyond his ability.

Yet there are other strange happenings that cannot be attri­buted to any normal physical cause. For example, giving infor­mation of the unseen, and particularly foretelling the future events; the charms for love and hate, the spells harmfully or beneficially affecting man's virility; hypnotism; mesmerism; spiri­tualism; telekinesis and so on.

It is known that such events do take place from time to time; we have seen some demonstrations ourselves; and similar reports were brought to us by reliable sources. Today there are many people in India, Iran and the western countries, who demonstrate such extraordinary feats - and their authenticity is beyond doubt.

It appears from close investigation of their methods and regimen that these feats spring from the will-power of the doer, and from his unshakable confidence in effectiveness of his work. The will-power emanates from the confidence, which in its turn arises from the knowledge.

Sometimes the will acts independently and sometimes it needs some help: for example, writing a certain charm with a certain ink in a certain place at a certain time (for the amulets of love or hate); or fixing a mirror before a certain child (in the seances of spiritualism); or chanting a certain incan­tation a certain number of times, and so on and so forth. When the conditions are fulfilled the will is strengthened to bring the desired effect into being.

When the knowledge becomes one with the knower, it influences his senses to such an extent that he sees the end product, that is, the desired effect, with his eyes. You may verify this statement yourself. Just tell yourself that a certain person is present before you and that you are looking at him; then put your imagination to work to bring his form before your eyes; this should be raised to such a high level of certainty that you become oblivious of all contrary thoughts and ideas.

And then you will actually see him standing before you - as you had imagined. Many is a doctor who, acting on this principle, restored to health his incurable patients - simply by creating in them the confidence that they would soon get their health back.

Taking this principle a step further, if someone's will-power is extraordinarily strong, it might create an impression on other's psyche too - as it had created on his own self in the foregoing example. That impression might, or might not, depend on fulfillment of some conditions, as indicated earlier.

From the above discourse, we may deduce the following three principles:

First: The appearance of such extraordinary events depends on the firm “knowledge” and strong conviction of the doer. But it is irrelevant whether that “knowledge” is true to the fact or not. That explains why the conjurations of the priests of the sun-god and the moon-goddess etc. seemed to work - although they believed that the heavenly bodies had souls, which they claimed to bring under their control by their magic.

Probably the same applies to the angels and satans whose names are “discovered” and invoked by many practitioners of the magic art. The same is true for spiritualism and its séance and spirit communication - and the spiritualists' belief that the spirits attend their sittings.

Utmost that may be claimed re­garding those sessions, is that the spirit appears in their imagi­nation or, let us say, before their senses - and this “perception” emanates from their firm belief in their art. But it can never be said that the spirit actually presents itself at those sittings - otherwise all the participants in the sitting should have perceived its presence, because everyone of them has the same senses as the medium has.

By accepting this principle, we may solve many problems related to the séance and spirit communication. For example:

1 - Sometimes the spirit of a living man is called to present itself at a séance, and supposedly it comes there. But at that very moment, that man is busy attending to his affairs, and he never feels his spirit leaving him even for an instant. The question is: As a man has only one spirit, how was it possible that his spirit presented itself to that séance without his being aware of it?

2 - The spirit is an immaterial essence which has no relation whatsoever with space and time. How can it present itself at a certain place at a certain time?

3 - Why is it that often a single spirit appears before different mediums in different forms?

4 - Why is it that sometimes when the spirits are called to a séance, they tell lies and give wrong answers? And why do the various spirits sometimes contradict each other?

All these problems will be solved if the principle is accepted that it is not any spirit that presents itself to the séance; it is only the firm belief and conviction of the spiritualist and his medium that is at work, making the medium see, hear and feel the spirit. It is all a play of his imagination and will; and nothing more.

Second: Some of the people, holding the strong and effec­tive will-power, rely on their own power and their own being, in bringing about the desired effect, the intended super-natural events. Such events are bound to be limited in strength, confined in their scope - in their own imagination as well as in reality.

On the other side, there are some persons, like the prophets and the friends of Allah who, in spite of their most effective will-power, totally rely on their Lord. They truly worship Him and have full trust in Him.

They do not wish any thing but from their Lord, and by His permission. Theirs is a pure and clear will, untainted by any personal feeling of their own. It does not depend except on Allah. This is a Divine Will - not limited in any way, nor restricted in any manner.

The super-natural events that are brought into being by the first group may be of many kinds: If they are based on enquiry of, or help from, a jinn or a spirit etc., then it is called “al-kihanah ” (اَلكـِهَانـَة ُ ) = divination, sooth-saying, fortune-telling); and if it comes about by means of a charm, amulet, telesm or other such instruments or portions, then it is called magic.

The super-natural events shown by the prophets and friends of Allah are also of many kinds: If it is produced as a challenge, in order to prove the truth of the claim of prophethood, then it is called miracle; and if it is not offered as a challenge, then it is named “al-karamah ( اَلكـَرامَة ُ ) which literally means nobility, mark of honour; and in Islamic terminology is used for a miraculous event shown without a challenge; and if it happens as a result of the prayer to Allah, then it is called, “answer to the prayer.”

Third: As the whole thing depends on the will-power of the doer, its strength varies according to the strength (or weakness) of the will. That is why some of them may nullify the others, as, for example, the miracle annihilates the sorcery.

Also, a weak agent fails to impose his will on a stronger psyche, as is often seen at the sessions of mesmerism, hypnot­ism and seances.

We shall further explain this subject somewhere else.

An Academic Description of Various Kinds of Magic

There are many fields of study dealing with various awe-striking feats and extraordinary deeds; and it is very difficult to classify them so as not to leave any thing out. However, we give here a list of the more commonly used branches of this art:

as-Simiya': It deals with the ways of combining the will-power with particular physical and material forces for ma­nipulating the natural order and, thus, producing extraordinary effects. Under this head comes the manipulation of thought, also known as the eye-enchantment.

It is the most deserving candidate for the title of magic.

al-Limiya': It teaches how one may establish a connec­tion between his psyche and the higher and stronger spirits, in order that one may bring them under one's control, for example, the spirits of the stars, or the jinn, etc. It is also called the knowledge of subjugation of the spirits.

al-Himiya': It explains how the powers of the higher spiritual world may be combined with the base elements of this world to produce awe-inspiring effects. It is also called talisman. The stars and their configuration have some relation to the ma­terial happenings of this world, in the same way as the elements and compounds and their physical qualities affect those phenom­ena.

Supposedly if the heavenly forms, pertaining to a certain event, for example, A's life or B's death, could be combined with the relevant material forms, the desired effect would take place without fail.

ar-Rimiya': It trains one how to control and manipulate the qualities of various things, to produce seemingly super-natural effects. It is also called “ash-Sha'badhah ” ( اَلشـَّعْبَذَة ُ) = sleight of hand, jugglery, magic).

These four fields of knowledge, together with the fifth, called “al-Kimiya' ” ( اَلكـِيمياءُ ) = alchemy, the forerunner of chemistry, primarily the attempt to transmute base metals into gold or silver) formed what the ancients called the five secrets, mysterious branches of knowledge.

Ash-Shaykh al-Baha'i has said: “The best book written on these subjects was the one I saw in Harat, 'Kulah-e sar' (the head's cap) by name. Its name was an acronym, made of the first letters of the five subjects, that is,al-Kimiya', al Limiya', al-Himiya', as-Simiya' andar-Rimiya' ”.

The- standard books of these subjects are the epitome of the books of Minds, Rasa'il, al-Khusraw Shahi, adh-Dhakhirah, al-Iskandariyyah, as-Sirru 'l-maktum (by ar-Razi), at-Taskhirat (by as-Sakkaki) and A'malu 'l-kawakib as-Sab'ah (by al-Hakim Tamtam al-Hindi).

Supplementary to the above are the following subjects:

The knowledge of numbers (numerology): It shows the relation of numbers and letters with the desired effect. The relevant letters or numbers are filled in a magic square or triangle etc. in a particular sequence.

al-Khafiyah: ( اَلخَافـِيَة ُ) = the hidden knowledge): It breaks down the name of the desired effect or other relevant names, and finds out the names of the angels or the satans managing the said effect; and then composes the invocations made of those names.

The books written by ash-Shaykh Abul-'Abbas al-Buni and as-Sayyid Husayn al-Akhlati are the standard works of the above two subjects.

Then there are various modern arts covering this field, which have gained wide currency nowadays; for example, mesmerism, hypnotism and spirit communication. As described earlier, these are based on the impression created on the im­agination by the will-power. There are numerous well-known books and magazines dealing with these subjects.

We have given all this detail here, so that it may be ascer­tained which of them could be classified as magic or sorcery.

Footnote

1. The red star refers to the Mars, but as will be seen later, Ibn 'Umar is supposed to talk about the Venus. Obviously, the man who forged this “tra­dition” did not know the difference between the Mars and the Venus. (tr.)