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The Uprising of Ashura and Responses to Doubts

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The Uprising of Ashura and Responses to Doubts Author:
Translator: Kelvin Lembani (Muhammad ‘Abd al-‘Aziz)
Publisher: ABWA Publishing and Printing Center
Category: Imam Hussein

The Uprising of Ashura and Responses to Doubts
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The Uprising of Ashura and Responses to Doubts

The Uprising of Ashura and Responses to Doubts

Author:
Publisher: ABWA Publishing and Printing Center

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Holy Prophet And Ahlul Bayt ›

Imam Hussein


English 

Yazid and His Household

	

	
	



	

		

Abu Sufiyan, Yazid’s Grandfather


Before giving an account of the life of Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah, and before demonstrating his unscrupulousness and viciousness, especially through the brutal martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (as) and the incident of Harrah, it is appropriate here to give a brief historical account of Yazid’s background. Through awareness of Yazid’s family standing, his actions can better be comprehended.


First, we will give a brief life account of his grandfather, Abu Sufiyan.



Abu Sufiyan’s beliefs


During the ‘Age of Ignorance’, the majority of Arabs used to worship idols with the aim of gaining nearness to Allah through the intercession of their idols. The Holy Qur’an quotes them saying,


﴿ ما نَعبُدُهُم إِلاّ لِيقَرِّبُونا إِلَى اللهِ زُلفی ﴾


“We do not worship them save that they may make us nearer to Allah.”
1



In spite of worshiping idols, they still believed in the creatorship of Allah. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an,


﴿ وَلَئِن سَأَلتَهُم مَن خَلَقَ السَّمَواتِ وَالأَرضَ وَسَخَّر الشَّمسَ وَالقَمَرَ لَيقُولَنَّ اللهُ ﴾


“And if you ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth and made the sun and the moon subservient’, they will certainly say, ‘Allah’.”
2



Abu Sufiyan, however, was a worldly apostate during the Age of Ignorance who did not believe in anything at all, not even idols. Maqrizi says,“Abu Sufiyan was a bastion of hypocrisy. During the Age of Ignorance, he was considered to be an atheist.”
3




Abu Sufiyan’s enmity towards the Holy Prophet (S)


Abu Sufiyan was the leader of the enemies of the Holy Prophet (S) and Islam. One day, he came with a group of men to Abu Talib and said,“Your nephew denounces our gods and finds fault with our religion. He regards our thoughts to be foolish and says our fathers and forefathers were unguided and lost. Either stop him from saying these things or step aside and let us deal with him ourselves.”
4



Abu Sufiyan was also the mastermind behind a plot to kill the Holy Prophet (S). He planned to execute his plan at Dar al-Nadwah. He selected a youth from every tribe and gave each one of them a sword with orders to attack the Holy Prophet’s (S) house and kill him.5



For the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufiyan alone spent forty measures of gold. Each measure contained forty-two pieces[mithqal]
of gold. As well, he personally took part in the battle. Seventy-two companions of the Holy Prophet (S) were martyred in the battle, including Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet’s uncle.6



In order to incite and encourage the polytheists to fight at the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufiyan shouted,“Long live Hubal! Long live Hubal!”
7
When they heard this, the Muslims replied,“Allah is more Elevated and more Majestic!”
When he heard this, Abu Sufiyan personally answered,“We have (the idol) al-‘Uzza, whereas you have no ‘Uzza.”
The Holy Prophet (S) ordered his followers to say,


الله مولانا ولا مولى لکم


“Allah is our Master and you have no master.”
8



After the martyrdom of Hamzah, Abu Sufiyan came to thrust spears into Hamzah’s corpse. He was doing this while saying,“Taste of this, you who has been disinherited and cursed.”
9
Even after the death of the Holy Prophet (S), Abu Sufiyan came to the tomb of Hamzah and started trampling and stamping upon it saying,“O Aba ‘Ammarah! That over which you fought with us and for which you died has now fallen into the hands of our youths and they are playing with it.”
10



One day Abu Sufiyan saw people walking behind the Holy Prophet (S). With a heart filled with jealousy and envy, he said,“If I can, I will organize an army against this man once again.”
The Holy Prophet touched his chest and said,“On that day, Allah will make you abject, contemptible and despised.”
11




Abu Sufiyan’s conversion to Islam


It is well known that Abu Sufiyan did not convert to Islam of his own volition and inclination. On the contrary, he became a Muslim out of a feeling of fear and intimidation.


When the Holy Prophet (S) conquered Mecca, Abu Sufiyan came with ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib before the Holy Prophet (S) and requested immunity and safe-conduct from the Holy Prophet (S). The Holy Prophet (S) said,“Woe unto you O Abu Sufiyan! Has the time not yet come for you to know that there is no god but Allah?”



Abu Sufiyan said,“May my mother and father be sacrificed for you. How generous and kind you are!”
Again, the Holy Prophet (S) said,“O Abu Sufiyan! Has the time not yet arrived for you to accept that I am Allah’s Prophet?”
Abu Sufiyan repeated his previous statement and added,“This issue of you being Allah’s Prophet has not yet been settled in my heart.”



‘Abbas said to him,“Woe unto you! Testify to the truth before your neck is cut.”
It was only at this time out of compulsion and fear that Abu Sufiyan testified to the truth and accepted Islam.12




Abu Sufiyan’s conspiracies against Islam


Here we provide only a brief account of one of the many conspiracies that Abu Sufiyan committed against Islam:


After the demise of the Holy Prophet (S), the people paid allegiance to Abu Bakr. Solely because he intended to create sedition in the Muslim community[ummah]
, Abu Sufiyan said,“I surely foresee disturbances and civil disorders which will not be extinguished save by Allah. O Children of ‘Abd al-Manaf! How can Abu Bakr become your leader?



How can he be the one who holds responsibility over your affairs? Where are those two oppressed people who have been sidelined and made inferior?”
(He meant Imam ‘Ali (as) and ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib) Then he turned to Imam ‘Ali (as) and said,“Give me your hand so that I may swear allegiance to you. I swear upon Allah!



If you wish, I will fill the battleground with horsemen and footmen willing to fight for you!”
However, Imam ‘Ali (as) withheld his hand and said,


والله ما أردت بهذا الاّ الفتنة، وانّك والله طالب بغيت للاسلام شرّاً، لا حاجة لنا في نصحك


“I swear upon Allah! You intend nothing but sedition. I swear upon Allah! For a long time now, you have been looking for an opportunity to make mischief and deliberately cause trouble for Islam. We are not in need of your help and advice.”
13




Denial of the existence of resurrection and hereafter


One of the incredulous things that Abu Sufiyan did after his apparent acceptance of Islam was to deny and repudiate the Day of Resurrection.


Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr says,“One day during the caliphate of ‘Uthman, Abu Sufiyan came to see him. He addressed ‘Uthman as follows: ‘After a lot of fighting and tribulation, the caliphate has finally come to you, one of our own kinsmen.



You should therefore nail its foundations strongly in our family. You must strengthen its roots in the family of Bani Umayyah. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this is the very same sultanate that was previously in our hands. And I believe in neither heaven nor hell.’ ‘Uthman shouted at him and said, ‘Leave me! May Allah chastise and punish you!’”
14



It has been narrated in the book“Tarikh Tabari”
that Abu Sufiyan said to ‘Uthman,“O Bani Umayyah! You should pass the caliphate to one another from among yourselves only, in the same way that team-mates pass a ball to each other in a game, because neither heaven nor hell exist.”
15



Mas‘udi recounts the story this way:“Abu Sufiyan said, ‘O Bani Umayyah! You should preserve the caliphate for yourselves, just like teammates preserve control over the ball by passing it among themselves. I swear upon the one whom Abu Sufiyan swears upon, I always wished this for you. You must preserve it for the inheritance of your children’.”
16



Abu Sufiyan said this on a day when ‘Uthman gave him two thousand dinars from the Islamic public treasury. On the same day, ‘Uthman also gave Marwan ibn al-Hakam (one of his cousins) a thousand dinars from the Islamic public treasury.17



Ibn ‘Asakir quotes Anas saying that after Abu Sufiyan became blind, he came to ‘Uthman and said,“Are there any strangers with you here?”
‘Uthman said,“No.”
Then Abu Sufiyan said,“(I swear) Upon Allah! You must reverse the circumstances to what they were during the Age of Ignorance.”
18




The curse of the Holy Prophet (S) upon Abu Sufiyan


It is well known that the Holy Prophet (S) has cursed Abu Sufiyan on seven instances:


1. One day the Holy Prophet (S) was traveling from Mecca towards Ta’if to invite the tribe of Thaqif to accept the religion of Islam; Abu Sufiyan obstructed the Holy Prophet (S) and reviled him using abusive comments. As if this were not enough, in order to further torment and injure the Holy Prophet (S), he swore to take revenge against Allah’s Prophet (S). This is one incident when Allah and his Prophet (S) cursed him.


2. The Muslims intercepted a trade caravan of Meccan polytheists returning from Sham. When news about this incident reached Abu Sufiyan, he tried to hinder the Muslims from obtaining the booty and spoils. The Holy Prophet (S) cursed Abu Sufiyan for this action and it was this incident that lead to the Battle of Badr.


3. On the day of the Battle of Badr, Abu Sufiyan was at the bottom of the mountain and the Holy Prophet (S) was at the top. Abu Sufiyan was incessantly shouting,“Long live Hubal! Long live Hubal!”
This caused the Holy Prophet (S) and the Muslims to curse him ten times.


4. Another incident that caused the Holy Prophet (S) to curse Abu Sufiyan was when he, along with members of the Ghatfan tribe and the Jews, assaulted and attacked Medina.


5. On the day of Hudaybiyyah (one of the important days on the Islamic calendar), Abu Sufiyan together with a group of people belonging to the tribe of Quraysh obstructed the Holy Prophet (S) from entering Masjid al-Haram. On this day, the Holy Prophet (S) cursed Abu Sufiyan.


6. Another occasion when the Holy Prophet (S) cursed Abu Sufiyan was the Day of the Red Camels.


7. One day a gang of scoundrels camped at ‘Aqabah with the aim of startling the Holy Prophet’s camel when he rode by. They numbered twelve people in all. Abu Sufiyan was one of these villains. The Holy Prophet (S) cursed and damned them all.19




Hadrat ‘Ali’s (as) viewpoint of Abu Sufiyan


In one hadith, Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (as) describes Mu‘awiyah and Abu Sufiyan in this way,


معاوية طليق ابن طليق، حزب من هذه الاحزاب، لم يزل لله عزّ وجلّ ولرسوله وللمسلمين عدوّاً هو وابوه حتى دخلا في الاسلام کارهين


“Mu‘awiyah is unrestrained. He is the son of one who was unrestrained, and he is a party of this party. He and his father have always been enemies of Allah, the Holy Prophet (S) and the Muslims. This enmity continued until the time they were compelled under duress to become Muslims.”
20



In a letter addressed to Mu‘awiyah, Imam ‘Ali (as) writes, “O son of the ill-fated one! O son of the accursed one…’21
It seems that Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (as) was referring here to the curses which the Holy Prophet (S) pronounced on Abu Sufiyan, his son Mu‘awiyah and his grandson Yazid.


It has been recounted that one day Abu Sufiyan was riding a horse and one of his offsprings (either Mu‘awiyah or Yazid) was in front and the other in back. When the Holy Prophet (S) saw them, he said,


“اللهم العن الراکب والقائد والسائق


“O Allah! Banish from your mercy the rider of this horse and those that are leading it.”
22



In another letter to Mu‘awiyah, Amir al-Mu’minin (as) writes,


منّا النبي ومنکم المکذّب


“The Prophet (S) is from us, and the denier of his prophethood is from you.”
23



Commenting on this, Ibn Abi al-Hadid says,“Imam ‘Ali (as) was referring to Abu Sufiyan ibn Harb, because Abu Sufiyan was one of the Prophet’s (S) most vicious enemies and a denier of his prophethood.”



Addressing Mu‘awiyah, Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba (as) said,


وانّک يا معاوية! واباک مِن المؤلّفة قلوبهم، تسرّون الکفر، وتظهرون الاسلام، وتستمالون بالاموال


“Without doubt, you, Mu‘awiyah, and your father, are among the people who have used money from the Islamic public treasury for the sake of pleasing your hearts. You have concealed your infidelity and unbelief[kufr]
and instead displayed your false belief in Islam. You have lured people towards yourselves by means of your possessions.”24




References


1. Surat al-Zumar 39:3.


2. Surat al-‘Ankabut 29:61.


3. 2 Kitab al-Niza‘ wa al-Takhasum, p. 54.


4. Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, vol. 1, p. 283, vol. 2, p. 58.


5. Ibid., vol. 2, p. 126.


6. Kitab al-Niza‘ wa al-Takhasum, pp. 52-53.


7. Hubal was the name of one of the important idols at the Age of Ignorance.


8. Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, vol. 3, p. 99; Ibn al-‘Asakir, Mukhtasar Tarikh Damishq, vol. 23, p. 444, no. 2849.


9. Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, vol. 3, p. 99.


10. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 16, p. 136.


11. Al-Isabah, vol. 2, p. 179.


12. Al-Isti‘ab, vol. 4, p. 86; Kitab al-Niza‘ wa al-Takhasum, vol. 3, p. 356.


13. Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, vol 2, p. 11, events that occurred in the eleventh year after the Holy Prophet’s (s) migration to Medina.


14. Al-Isti‘ab, no. 3005.


15. Tarikh Tabari, vol. 10, p. 58, events that occurred in the eleventh year after the Holy Prophet’s (s) migration to Medina.


16. Muruj al-Dhahab, vol. 2, p. 360.


17. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 1, p. 199, sermon [khutbah] 3.


18. Tarikh al-Madinah al-Damishq, vol. 23, p. 471, no. 2849.


19. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 6, pp. 290-291, sermon [khutbah] 83.


20. Tarikh Tabari, vol. 5, p. 8, events of the year 37 AH.


21. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 15, p. 82.


22. Tarikh Tabari, vol. 10, p. 58, events of the year 284 AH.


23. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 15, p. 196.


24. Ibid., vol. 6, pp. 288-289.

	

	
	




				

			



	

		

Introduction


بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ


In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful


“Verily the Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right (or stable) (to run societies), and giveth the glad tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward”1
.


“We have sent down to thee the book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad tidings to Muslims”2
.


“When those come to thee who believe in Our Signs, say: 'Peace be on you: Your Lord hath inscribed for Himself (the rule on Mercy; verily, if any of you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented, and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful”3
.


The light of Islam is illuminating hearts of individuals in nearly all parts of the world, in spite of heavy barriers and careful controls and religious interrogation exerted by not only many governments of non-Muslim nations, but also in some Muslim countries, against their believing people, especially during the years after the Islamic Revolution of Iran.


The effective influence of the light of the truth together with the speed in the movement of the Age has brought forth a more vital exchange of thought and religious ideology in connection with the Holy Qur'an.


In regard to this, we refer to what the Messenger of Allah (S) has said about it:


When afflictions surround you like the dark night refer to the Qur'an, because, it is an Intercessor whose intercession is accepted. It reports the evils (of people) which will be confirmed. It leads the person to Heaven who puts it in front of himself (follows it); and he who puts it behind himself (neglects it) will be driven to Hell.


This very Qur'an is the best guide to the best ways. It is a Book in which there are useful explanations, statements and gaining (of goals). It is the Separator (of right and wrong).4



Obviously, those people whose language is not Arabic can refer to the Holy Book in English, because this is an international language and it is possible for all nations with any native language, to read and understand it in English. As far as we know, there are more than 50 different English translations of Qur'an available in Iran alone, and probably others exist in libraries (and homes) throughout the world.


This makes it easy for the lovers of truth to obtain the knowledge of the Holy Qur'an and Islamic ideology, through the medium of English, which formerly was acquired directly by the Arabic and Persian languages.


But, a fact should be mentioned here that not all of the words of Allah are easily understood by ordinary people and need explanatory commentary, i.e. 'Tafsir’.


Alongside this path, there are some problems that those eager to learn the Qur'anic truth should know and be careful of. Hence, we deal here with some of the difficulties we were involved in and recognized when we were preparing this endeavour; the fruit of our humble labour of more than three years, a translation of the commentary of over one section (of the 30 sections) of the Holy Qur'an from different commentary sources.


The work is based upon popular commentaries accepted by Muslim scholars. We consulted other books and present living scholars, learned in the Qur'anic Sciences for our work to produce this commentary in a simple standard of English easily understood by the laymen.


The style of writing here is a mixture of British-English and American-English, understandable for all the readers; even for those acquainted with only one of them. However, excuse us for using interchangeable spellings. If both are used, from time to time, they are acceptable; for example, honour and honor.



Not All English Versions of Quran Are Acceptable


Some Western translators of the Holy Qur'an; not all of them, and some producers of literature on Islam in the English language, are the anti-Muslim elements which are busy in distorting the facts about the faith to create disruption in Islamic ideology.


These hostile minds have attempted to black-list the Holy Prophet (S) and the religion of Islam, through their purposeful and subtle mis-translations, mis-interpretations, mis-representations and distortion of the facts.


The distortion and the misinterpretations are so skilfully decorated in linguistic excellence and delusive logic that the blind lovers of the English language, who are hardly or even totally unaware of the actual Qur'anic factors of their own faith, get caught up in the falsehood tempered with eloquence and they swallow the 'sugar-coated poisonous pills of deceit' allowing themselves to become duly conditioned to serve the purpose of the publications of the hostile camps.


The current standing of Evil has always been against the Truth in the history of man, even before written history, when the sons of Adam came into existence.


When these antagonistic elements have successfully extended their active influence upon our own religion, ideology and social tradition, we are also duty bound to Allah, His Final Word (the Holy Qur'an), the Faith, and to Islam, to do our best to present to every sincere seeker of Truth, a selection of a translation of the verses of the Holy Qur'an of the original Arabic text, and the 'Tafsir' (commentary) of them.


By the way, we believe that it is the essential belief of 'Shi'a' that the present Qur'an, that which is in our hands today, is the Holy Book of Allah, revealed to the holy Prophet Muhammad (S), as arranged and compiled during his lifetime and read out to him and it contains nothing less or more than what was revealed.


And it should be noted that,


“Nay, but it is a Glorious Qur'an, (inscribed) in a tablet preserved.”5
,


whose present arrangement is the order in which the various verses were sorted and arranged at the command of the Holy Prophet (S), himself.


This is the uncorrupted or undisturbed Word of Allah, the preservation of which has been guaranteed by Allah, Himself:


“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)”6
.


Furthermore, the English translations, along with the Arabic text of the verses, in this book, are selected from different translations of English versions of the Holy Qur'an, (whose names are listed at the end of the book under the title of 'References') which are from the best available sources in which some better styles and more proper meanings are employed. The translator and editor did their best to preserve this divine message and in conveying the Qur'anic facts in English.


In a few instances this writer, the translator, changed a word of those existing translations to a better one, from the existing material which was employed in this work.



What is a 'Commentary'?


A pure, correct, accurate translation of the Qur'an is necessary, but sometimes it is difficult for the readers to understand all of the apparent and hidden meanings and it is the duty of every Muslim, man or woman to read, understand and contemplate on the Holy Qur'an according to his own capacity:


“...read you, therefore, of the Qur'an as much as may be easy for you..”7
.


This reading has to be done not only with the tongue, voice and eyes; a mere recitation, but, also, with the best light that our intellect can supply, and even more, with the truest and purest light which our heart and conscience give us.


However, it is not always possible to fully understand the Holy Book as Allah says:


“That is indeed a Qur'an most honourable,”Which none shall touch but those who are purified”8
.


Thus, some additional information is needed. For example, it is sometimes necessary, for understanding the text, to refer to the particular occasion for the revelation of a particular verse; or to know the philological changes of a word used at the time of revelation or before it and the meaning that it has in Arabic, today.


Or the alphabetical symbols which evidently and undoubtedly are secrets, and especially the ambiguous /mutashabihat/; the knowledge of which has been announced to be with the /rasixuna fil 'ilm/; those deeply established in knowledge.


They are some things that only 'the particular ones, the sinless ones', besides the Prophet (S), himself, viz, Ahlul Bayt, knew with all the Qur'anic facts and talked about them in their traditions and narrations (as He says:


“And whom We had taught knowledge from Our own Presence”9
.


For instance, the Apostle, himself, answered the questions which used to be asked by people as to the meaning of certain words in the verses revealed, or details of certain historical or spiritual matters on which they sought more enlightenment. These answers and explanations or in other words, the commentaries were gathered by some Companions /ashab/ and were afterward written down which are called 'Hadith' or 'traditions'.


Of course, the holy Prophet (S) had openly declared in Hadith-uth- Thaqalayn that the Qur'an is with the Ahlul Bayt, and to avoid going astray, the Muslims should be attached to these two. Later, the Ahlul Bayt's explanations and narrations, were added to them and together with the effect of expert religious scholars, in the past and present, established 'Exegesis' (explanation of Qur'an) which became a science in itself and was called 'Tafsir', commentary.


'Commentary' shows how every verse, or group of verses, were revealed to the holy Prophet (S) on a particular occasion, but which also has a general meaning. The particular occasion and the particular people concerned have passed away, but the general meaning and its application remain true for all time.


This is also one of the miracles of the Qur'an that with the help of 'commentary' it is always open and it is always new for those new generations to come.



The Current Commentary


As was mentioned earlier, the light of Islam is enlightening every corner in the world and seekers of truth, having referred to the translations of the Holy Qur'an, find that they need 'Tafsir', (commentary).


Some of them, Shi'a believers in particular have been led to this Center; Imam Ali (as) Library, requesting a clear, concise English Tafsir; 'a commentary of the Holy Qur'an'.


From the beginning of Islam until today (although many times the Holy Qur'an has been translated into English and a few of them are published with brief, detailed commentary, as footnotes, there has rarely been, as far as we know, a fairly complete commentary in English sufficient for them to find their answers. So the decision was made to supply this commentary.


Ayatullah Mujahed Al-Hajj, Allamah Sayyid Kamal Faqhih Imani, the founder and responsible party of this Islamic Scientific Research Center, approached us and reported the situation to scholars and appropriate research societies.


Then 12 people, who had varying nationalities and educational backgrounds, especially from the point of the English language and Islamic Theology, gathered. In their first gathering, which was held on 28th Safar, 1412 (1370 H. / 1991), they concluded that the commentary of the whole Qur'an which they intended to supply in English, would take many years to produce.


In order to quench the thirst of the lovers of Truth who had demanded it again and again, they decided to supply the commentary of the last section of the Qur'an, as a sample, and after its publication and receiving constructive comments by the readers and with a better skillfulness of the ones involved, the translation of the commentary would begin from the beginning of the Holy Qur'an.


Therefore, they thought it would be better that the sample, entitled 'An Enlightening Commentary Into the Light of the Holy Qur'an', begin with Surah Insan, the end of the 29th Section, because the Qur'an was revealed for the improvement of Man and this Surah is about Man and his creation from a lowly life-germ which can develop unto the highest point where no other creature can ascend.


But, after several weeks the number of us dwindled to a handful and after some months, until the present, we remain two people; the translator and the editor. During this period of more than three years, a few people have tried their hands at this task to have a share in the translation, but, for different reasons, they were not successful.


However, we are completely grateful for their efforts and extend our thanks for their attempts, as well as to those who had any involvement in this work.



Attributes Needed for Working on This Kind of Commentary


This endeavour needed not only the knowledge and skillfulness in the English language, but also the knowledge of Arabic, and Islamic science and culture, because Tafsir is an attempt to analyze and explain the meaning of verses in the Holy Qur'an.


Moreover, Allah, Himself, says:


“We have sent down to thee the book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims”10
.


Then, it needs that those involved know a little bit about almost all sciences and knowledge that human beings are concerned with when working with the commentary. Also, the phonetic sound systems of the two languages, English and Arabic, are different. Therefore, when an Arabic word from the Qur'an is mentioned in the English text, it is shown with the phonetic alphabet and in its special phonetical sign, i.e.: / /, to avoid using 'Arabic script' in the book, as far as possible.


A transliteration table of the Arabic letters and sounds and the corresponding phonetic signs, applied in this book, is given at the beginning of the book.



The Problems in Translating


We tried to avoid mixing up our own personal theories and conclusions with the interpretation of the text itself. With the help of Allah, we did our best; at times asking for guidance from some learned religious men (Ruhaniyan), and used all the knowledge and experience we possessed in the service of the Holy Qur'an for its commentary, hoping that Allah accepts it.


The nature of this sort of endeavour is so that, in the course of translation, some difficulties arise from various causes.


For instance, cultures in the Arabic language and English language are different so that some of the words like /amrun bayn al amrayn/ in the case of fatalism and freewill are nearly impossible to translate into English, because of the difference in the concept in English literature; or the meaning of a word like 'prostration', in English, is rather different with what /sajdah/ exactly means in Arabic.


In such cases, we selected the meaning of the words from among what the earlier commentators and phililogists used and where they were not unanimous, we also used the ideas of new writers, who had reasonable advantages in their interpretations, when the senses adopted with the commentary sources that we were taking and translating materials from. Explanations, of course are always helpful which we took benefit from, too.


It is noteworthy that there are some circumstances in the text, of the commentary, in which a verse or verses of Qur'an from other Suras rather than the Surah under discussion are mentioned as evidence or, thereby, for strengthening the idea.


The text of these verses and also the traditions and narrations from the holy Prophet or Ahlul Bayt (as) is printed in bolder type than the running commentary in order to distinguish, at a glance, the substance from the shadow. Also, the mentioned verses are generally taken from A. Yusuf Ali's translation.


It Was Only By His Merciful Will!



Translators Note


Both the editor and the translator have interesting factual stories to tell of how the way of this endeavour was paved by Providence and how they were divinely led to be absorbed into this task, Alhamdulillah. A few words given here in this regard are not to be misunderstood as a display of vanity for any peculiar distinction; for there is none.


It is purely to attract the attention of the readers to a living instance of the Providential implementation of the divine plan and how man drifts to his assignment and how matters are automatically manipulated, though, they seem yet only to be circumstantial.


“He said: Our Lord is He Who gave to each (created) thing its form and nature and further gave (it) guidance”11
.


For example, once, on a night, the writer of these lines, the translator, had seen in a dream that the Holy Qur'an, was placed, honourably, on a high position, wide open, high above a very great crowd of people amongst whom he was standing, watching. The full name of his was clearly written in the midst of the writings on the right page of it with magnificent bold letters.


The dream was obviously a good one, but it did not mean vividly to him at that time.


It was four years before he found out, in the course of translating the commentary of verses 11-16 from Surah 'Abasa No. 80, both the meaning of that dream and the cause of later changes in his career of twenty years, as a manager of a profitable Foreign Language Center, thanks to Allah.


It is always true what the Qur'an says:


“You will not unless Allah wills, surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise”12
.


By His graceful arrangement this writer was separated from his almost material gains, of this fleeting world, to be set toward the assured, perfect, pure, spiritual rewards of the next, everlasting world from Him, Allah willing, when he began translating the commentary of the Qur'an and entered this great Divine Ocean of light, he found out that from earlier times such a success had been appointed and bestowed to him by Allah.


Therefore, all changes and graceful arrangements directly are from Him and it was His helpful Will that planned His graceful design and showered the ability and insight upon us to lead us to the present point. We are eagerly in hopes that He will help us and guide us in all cases to complete the task successfully so that He accepts it from us.



Editor's Note


In my case, it is a fact that only by the grace of Allah have I come to be at the helm working, side-by-side with the translator, on this commentary of the Holy Qur'an. Editing and checking this translation of 'An Enlightening commentary into the Light of the Holy Quran' has been a most important and rewarding experience for me.


To be of value in this work several things were necessary; my mother tongue, English, was almost at the top of the list. Then, having the ability to use a computer and printer, which involved me having to learn and use a Farsi program named Zarnegar, produced in Tehran, Iran, I was able to make use of the wonderful array of fonts it contains; necessary to type the Arabic and English languages.


Next, living in Iran, for four years, has made it possible for me to become acquainted with the native language and customs. However, the greatest asset, of all, is that I am a Shi'a Muslim woman.


It is fifteen (15) years from now, that in America, I became enlightened to the existence of the Holy Qur'an and accepted it as a better way of life. Over this period of time it has put me in touch with the purity of the religion and the logical answers to the religious questions I had as a Catholic.


My father told us (during our childhood) that if we ever wanted to know anything we should go to the source and to always have the correct tools on hand to do the job right.


When I started hearing and seeing, on television, the upheaval of the Islamic Revolution, in Iran, and the speech of a brave and courageous man they called Ayatullah Khomeini, I became very intense on knowing why it was happening and in knowing who this man was who had been exiled and was making his return to his homeland.


“Our Lord! We have heard the call of one calling (us) to faith, 'Believe ye in the Lord,, and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to Thyself our souls in the company of the righteous”13
.


It was something more spectacular than I had ever read about in my high school history books. There was a charge in it that I could not explain, and up until that time, I had never really heard anything about Islam, Prophet Muhammad or Muslims, for that matter.


I bought A. Yussuf Ali's English Translation of the Holy Qur'an, basing my decision on my father's counsel and I began from page one.


It was talking about the same things I had already learned; Adam and Eve in the Garden, disobeyed God due to the wiles of Satan and then, were expelled to Earth; Moses is given the scripture and leads his people out of Egypt, but they forfeited their covenant for a golden calf; Abraham, Ismail and Issac of the religion true, and there, Mary.


Hail Mary! Chaste, pure, chosen above other women, given glad tidings of a Word from Him; his name will be Christ Jesus, son of Mary, held in honor...14



And it went on: Practise charity, take care of the orphans, speak a speech that is just, beware of the deceits of the Unbelievers...I was in awe as I neared the end. No place was any obscenity found -no trace of ugliness which I found in the Bible -nothing but pure scripture; a complete religion, the one and only continuing from the first of Abraham. So, it became crystal clear to me that Islam is the final, refined message from God.


True, just, undeniable, containing what I had always felt and that is this: There is only One God; unique, needing no partner, powerful, and yet merciful and kind. How could God be more than one; Creator of such a vast universe and more?


With this understanding, though, came many tests to my new-found-faith; albeit necessary tests. Did I really believe - did I really submit to His Will - was I really worthy?


I began by only putting on a scarf, covering all of my hair.


“And say to the believing women...that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers...”15



Immediately the responses that I encountered proved the rightness of it all. I was chided, spit at, hit and cursed. Well, of course, a great deal of this was due to the propaganda which caused mass hysteria against Iran and not having their facts straight about the religion of Islam, however, it hurt just the same, but I had learned forgiveness and perseverance from my mother.


It was difficult for my family in the beginning; this change I was making, however, we are very close at heart, today, due to my faith and reliance on Allah.


“And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.'“16



Almost at once the veils over my understanding fell away and I started rejecting a lot of the 'big-business' propaganda that had infiltrated into my life.


“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error; whosoever rejects Evil and believes in God bath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks...”17



The 'Big Sell' eats away at the very fabric of human society to the point that life has only a superficial meaning and high value is put on every inanimate object which man can produce.


“The life of this world is alluring to those who reject faith, and they scoff at those who believe. But the righteous will be above them on the Day of Resurrection; for God bestows His abundance on whom He will “18
.


I had developed an intense desire to go to Iran--the country of martyrs; having an air so thick with emotions, direction and goal, at that time, and having the presence of an undeniable strength caressing it in the hands of an unseen power.


Ten years after I started practicing the tenets of Islam the opportunity presented itself for me to be able to fulfil my desire.


“Not equal are those Believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause...God has granted a grade higher to those who strive...”19



I wished very much to become involved in some type of work regarding the Holy Qur'an and in due time I was approached to work with a group of people on a commentary of the Holy Qur'an.


“And for those who fear God, He prepares a way out” “And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine...”20



Those of you who know anything about the rigors of editing know that it is very time-consuming and attention to detail is very necessary.


Spending many hours discussing the meaning of a single word, or phrase, can cause the ordinary soul to become frustrated, but that frustration is ultimately quelled when peace and tranquillity cover the heart at the point where there is that final agreement and gives those involved renewed enthusiasm to continue.


Sometimes you will notice more spacing than usual on a line or within the phonetic brackets (/ /), but this is due to the fact that the Zarnegar program is a Farsi program and it took much time trying to place the little phonetic line over, or the little dot under, the correct letter, because English is written from left to right and Farsi is written from right to left, so, I had a bit of anarchy on my hands for a time.


I leave you, now, in the hopes that you, too, will be provoked to question and seek. (Seek and you will find). Looking back, I feel that Allah does consider me worthy.


“God is the protector of those who have faith; from the depths of darkness He will lead them into light”21
.


Wa Salam.



Notes


1. 17:9


2. 16:89


3. 6:54


4. Usul al-Kafi, vol 2, p. 599.


5. 85:21, 22


6. 15:9


7. 73:20


8. 56:77, 79


9. 18:65


10. 16:89


11. 20:50


12. 76:30


13. 3:193


14. 3:42-45


15. 24:31


16. 17:24


17. 2:256


18. 2:212


19. 4:95


20. 65:2-3


21. 2:257

	

	
	



	

		

Acknowledgment


Tafsir Nemunah is compiled by the great writer and researcher, His Eminence Ayatullah il-Ozma Nasir Makarim Shirazi, and with the cooperation of an estimable group of Muslim scholars, Hujaj-


ul-Islam:


By the way, it should be notified that for the translation of this volume, Tafsir Nemunah has been mainly utilized.


* * * *


يَأَيهَا النّاس قَدْ جَاءَكُم بُرْهَنٌ مِّن رّبِّكُمْ وَ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ نُوراً مّبِيناً


“O mankind! Verily there has come to you a convincing proof (the Messenger and the Qur’an) from your Lord: for We have sent unto you a light (that is) manifest.”1



إِنّا نحْنُ نَزّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَ إِنّا لَهُ لحَافِظونَ


“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message and We will assuredly Guard it (from corruption).”2



وَ مَنْ أَعْرَض عَن ذِكرِى فَإِنّ لَهُ مَعِيشةً ضنكاً وَ نحْشرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَمَةِ أَعْمَى


“But whosoever turns away from My Message (the Qur’an), verily for him is a straitened toilsome life, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgement''.3



وَ نُنزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَ رَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ


“And We send down (stage by stage) of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy for those who believe...”4




Notes


1. 4:174


2. 15:9


3. 20:124


4. 17:82

	

	
	



	

		

References



Arabic, Farsi Commentaries


1. Tafsir-i-Nemuneh, by A Group of Shi'a Scholars with Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi; Dar-ul-Kutub-il-Islamiyyah, Qum, Iran, 1990/1410.


2. Majma'-ul-Bayan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an, by Shaykh Abu Ali al-Fadl-ibn-il-Husain-il-Tabarsi, Dar-u-Ihya'-it- Turath-il' Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, 1960/1380 AH.


3. Al-Mizan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an by 'Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Husain at- Tabataba'i, al-A'lami lil-Matbu'at, Beirut, Lebanon, 1972/1392 AH.


4. Atyab-ul-Bayan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an by Sayyid 'Abdul-Husain Tayyib, Muhammadi Publishing House, Isfahan, Iran, 1962/1382 AH.


5. Ad-Durr-ul-Manthur fi-Tafsir-il-Ma'thur by Imam 'Abd-ur-Rahman al-Suyuti, Dar-ul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, 1983/1403 AH.


6. Al-Tafsir-ul-Kabir by Imam Fakh-ir-Razi, Dar-ul-Kutub-il-'islmiyyah, Tehran, 1973/1393.


7. Al-Jam'li -Ahkam-il-Qur'an (Tafsir-ul-Qartabi) by Muhammad-ibn-Ahmad al-Qartabi, Dar-ul-Kutub-il Misriyyah, 1967/1387.


8.Tafsir-i-Nur-uth-Thaqalayn by 'Abd-i-'Ali-ibn Jum'at-ul-'Arusi al-Huweyzi, al-Matba'atul-'ilmiyyah, Qum, Iran, 1963/1383 AH.


9. Tafsir-i-Ruh-ul-Janan by Jamal-ud-Din Abul-Futuh Razi, Dar-ul-Kutub-il-Islamiyyah, Tehran, 1973/1393 AH.


10. Tafsir-i-Ruh-ul-Bayan by Isma'il Haqqi al-Burusawi Dar-u-Ihya'-ut- Turath-il-' Arabi, Beirut.



English Translations of Qur'an


1. The Holy Qur'an, Text, Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Publication of the Presidency of Islamic Courts & Affairs, State of Qatar, 1946.


2. The Holy Qur'an, Arabic Text by a Group of Muslim Brothers, English Translation and footnotes by M. H. Shakir, Tehran, Iran.


3. The Glorious Koran, Bi-lingual Edition with English Translation by Marmaduke Pickthall, printed in Great Britain by W. & J. MacKay Ltd., Chatham, Kent, London.


4. Al-Mizan, An Exegesis of the Qur'an by al-Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn-at- Tabataba'i, Translated by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, Vol. 1, Tehran, WOFIS, 1983.


5. The Koran translated with notes by N. J. Dawood, Penguin Books Ltd, New York, U.S.A, 1978.


6. The Koran Interpreted, Translated by Arthur J. Arberry, London, Oxford University Press, 1964.


7. The Glorious Koran, Translated with Commentary of Divine Lights by Ali Muhammad Fazil Chinoy, Printed at the Hyderabad Bulletin Press, Secanderabad-India, 1954.


8. Holy Qur'an, Shakir, M. H., Ansariyan Publications, Qum, Islamic Republic of Iran, 1993.


9. The Holy Qur'an with English Translation of the Arabic Text and Commentary According to the Version of the Holy Ahlul-Bait by S. V. Mir Ahmad Ali, published by Tahrike- Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., New York, 1988.


10. A Collection of Translation of the Holy Qur'an, supplied, corrected and compiled by Al-Balagh Foundation, Tehran, Iran, (unpublished).



Supporting Technical References


1. Nahjul -Balagha by as -Sayyid ar -Radi Dar -ul -Kitab al -Lubnani, Beirut, Lebanon, 1982.


2. Sharh -i -Nahjul -Balagha by Ibn-i Abi al-Hadid, Dar -u -Ihya' -il - Kutub -il -' Arabiyyah, Eypt, 1959/1378 AH.


3. Nahj-al-Balagha of Amir al-Muminin 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, selected and compiled by as-Sayyid Abul-Hassan 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ar-Radi al-Musawi, Translated by Sayyid Ali Raza, World Organization For Islamic Services (WOFIS), Tehran, Iran, 1980.


4. Nahjul Balagha -Hazrat Ali, Translated by Sheikh Hassan Saeed, Chehel Sotoon Library & Theological School, Tehran, Iran, 1977.


5. Al-Kafi by ash-Shaykh Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Kulayni ar-Razi, Translated and published by WOFIS, Tehran, Iran, 1982.


6. Shi'a, by Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba-i, translated by Sayyid Hosein Nasr, Qum, Ansariyan Publications, 1981.


7. Williams Obstetrics, Pritchard, Jack A., 1921; MacDonald, Paul C., 1930, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, U.S.A, 1976.


8. The Encyclopedia Americana, Americana Corporation, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., U.S.A, 1962.


9. Compton's Encyclopedia and Fact-Index, F.E. Compton Company, printed in U.S.A, 1978.


10. Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, Second Edition, by Noah Webster, Published by the World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, U.S.A, 1953.



Phraseological and Philological Sources


1. A Glossary of Islamic Technical Terms Persian-English, by M. T. Akbari and others, Edited by B. Khorramshahi, Islamic Research Foundation, Astan, Quds, Razavi, Mashhad, Iran, 1991.


2. Al-Mawrid, a Modern Arabic-English Dictionary, Third Edition,by Dr. Rohi Baalbaki, Dar el-Ilm Lilmulmalayin, Beirut, Lebanon, 1991.


3. Elias' Modern Dictionary, Arabic-English, by Elias A. Elias & Ed. E. Elias, Beirut, Lebanon, 1980.


4. An Introduction to Arabic Phonetics and the Orthoepy of the Qur'an, by Bahman Zandi, Islamic Research Foundation, Astan, Quds, Razavi, Mashhad, Iran, 1992.


5. A Concise Dictionary of Religious Terms & Expressions (English-Persian & Persian-English), by Hussein Vahid Dastjerdi, Vahid Publications, Tehran, Iran, 1988.


6. Arabic-English Lexicon, by Edward William Lane, Librarie Du Liban, Beirut, Lebanon, 1980.


7. A Dictionary and Glossary, by Penrice B.A. Curzon Press Ltd., London, Dublin, Reprinted, 1979.


8. Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, by David B. Guralnik, Simon & Schuster, New York, U.S.A, 1984.


9. The New Unabridged English-Persian Dictionary, by Abbas Aryanpur (Kashani), Amir Kabir Publication Organization, 1963.


10. The Larger Persian English Dictionary, by S. Haim, published in Farhang Moaser, Tehran, Iran, 1985.

	

	
	



	

		

A Presentation to Muslims


بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ


يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُ


In The Name of Allah, The Beneficient, The Merciful


“O ye who believed! Obey Allah, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you”.
1



('Those charged with authority' are only the twelve sinless Imams (as) and; at the time of occultation, Sources of Imitation, who are learned, pious, and just, should be referred to.)


في إكمال الدين في حديث عن جابر الجعفي عن جابر بن عبد الله الانصاري قال: قلت: يا رسول الله عرفنا الله ورسوله، فمن اولي الامر الذين قرن الله طاعتهم بطاعتك؟ فقال (ص) هم خلفائي يا جابر، وأئمة المسلمين بعدي أولهم علي بن أبي طالب، ثم الحسن والحسين، ثم علي بن الحسين، ثم محمد بن علي المعروف في التوراة بالباقر وستدركه يا جابر فإذا لقيته فاقرأه مني السلام. ثم الصادق جعفر بن محمد، ثم موسى بن جعفر، ثم علي بن موسى، ثم محمد بن علي، ثم علي بن محمد، ثم الحسن بن علي، ثم سميي وكنيي حجة الله في أرضه، وبقيته في عباده ابن الحسن بن علي، ذاك الذي يفتح الله على يديه مشارق الارض ومغاربها


In 'Ikmal-ud-Din' a tradition, through 'Jabir-il-Ju'fi', is narrated from Jabir-ibn- Abdillah thus:


I said:


“O Messenger of Allah, we have known Allah and His Apostle; then who is 'Ulil-Amr', those that Allah has made their obedience the same as your obedience?'


Then, the Prophet (S) said:


'O Jabir! they are, after me, my successors and the Guides of Muslims; the first of them is Ali-ibn-Abi Talib; then (Imam) Hassan, and (Imam) Husain; then Ali-ibn-il-Husain; then Muhammad-ibn-Ali, known in the Torah as Baqir, whom you will see.


O Jabir! When you visit him, give my regards to him. After him, there is Sadiq, -Ja'far-ibn-Muhammad; and after him Musa-ibn-Ja'far; then Ali-ibn-Musa; then Muhammad-ibn-Ali; then Ali-ibn-Muhammad, then Hassan-ibn-Ali; and after him (there comes) Al-Gha'im whose name and sir-name is the same as mine. He is Allah's Authority on the Earth and His Remainder amongst His servants.


He is the son of (Imam) Hassan-ibn-Ali (a.-Askari). This is the very personality by whose hands Allah will open the Easts and Wests of the world.’2



قال الله تعالى: “وما ينطق عن الهوى إن هو إلا وحي يوحى”


“Nor does the Apostle speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed”.3



قال النبي (ص): “إني تارك فيكم التقلين، كتاب الله حبل ممدود من السماء إلى الأرض وعترتي أهل بيتي، وإن اللطيف الخبير أخبرني أنهما لن يفترقا حتى يردا علي الحوض فانظروا بماذا تخلفوني” وفي حديث آخر: “لن تضلوا ما إن تمسكتم بهما”


The Prophet (S) said:


“I leave behind me two weighty (very worthy and important) things:


The book of Allah (i.e. the Quran), which is a stretched string from the heaven to the earth, and my progeny, my Ahlul Bayt; for verily Allah, The Merciful, The Aware, informed me that never, never, will these Two get separated from each other until they meet me at the Houd of Kauthar (the Pond of Abundance).


Therefore, be careful and contemplate on how you will treat them (after me)”


...and in another tradition it is added:


“Never, never, shall you get astray if you attach yourself to these two”.4



Abul-Hassan-ir-Rida (as) said:


“May the Mercy of Allah be upon the servant who Keeps alive our commandment”.


I asked him (as) how the one could keep your commandment alive.


He (as) said:


“He (can) learn our sciences and teach them to people. In fact if people knew (the merits) and goodnesses of our speech, surely they would follow us.”5




Notes


1. 4:59


2. Ikmal-ud-Din, Vol. 1, p. 253; with nearly similar meaning, in Yanabi-ul-Mawaddah, p. 117


3. 53:3,4


4. Ma'uni-ul-Akhbur, p. 90, tradition 2, & Musnad Ahmad-ibn-Hanbal, Vol. 3, p.17, and other books from the Sunnite School and Shi 'ah School mentioned in Ihqaq-ul-Haqq, Vol 9, p. 309 to 375


5. Ma' ani-ul-Akhbar, p. 180 & 'Uyun-i-Akbar-ur-Rida, Vol. 1, p. 207

	

	
	





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